Brain, Neuroscience & Behavior

Explore physician-led conversations about brain health, neuroscience, memory, sleep, addiction, neuroplasticity, decision-making, and human behavior.

Learn how the brain and nervous system influence thoughts, emotions, habits, learning, and everyday life—and explore research and treatment approaches that may support cognitive health and long-term well-being.

PODCAST INTERVIEWS & CONVERSATIONS

Brain Health and Neuroscience Videos

Browse expert conversations about memory, sleep, addiction, neuroplasticity, neurological conditions, cognitive function, and the connections between brain health and human behavior.

Why Trying Something New Matters | Creativity, Learning and Finding Joy

When was the last time you made something just because you wanted to?

Dr. John Sanders explores the health benefits of creativity and why making something with your own hands can ...bring joy, satisfaction, and a sense of connection. From learning a musical instrument to writing poetry or working with wood, he encourages listeners to try something new, even when the beginning feels challenging.

He also discusses how learning new skills engages the brain, the role of neuroplasticity in personal growth, and why finding a creative outlet can support emotional well-being. Drawing on his own experiences, Dr. Sanders shares how his creative hobbies have brought more peace and fulfillment to his life, along with a meaningful moment from his clinic that illustrates the impact of sharing something you've made. Whether you're naturally artistic or haven't explored a creative hobby in years, this episode offers a simple invitation to create, keep learning, and share what you make with others.

Learn more or sign up for Direct Primary Care with Voyage Clinics:
https://voyageclinics.com

Direct Primary Care gives members easier access to their physician, longer visits, transparent membership pricing, and relationship-focused care without insurance billing driving the visit.

CHAPTERS
00:00 Creativity and everyday well-being
01:10 Trying something new—even when it feels difficult
01:28 Learning music: starting with the ukulele
01:50 Learning, growth, and neuroplasticity
02:15 Poetry and sharing what you create
03:10 Making serenity wood and finding beauty
04:24 A handmade gift and a moment of connection
05:15 Finding your own creative outletShow More

Why Trying Something New Matters | Creativity, Learning and Finding Joy

When was the last time you made something just because you wanted to? ...

Inside the Default Mode Network | A Different Look at Mental Health with Holly Hawkins

What if the voice in your head isn't telling you the truth? Dr. John ...

What Making Art Does to Your Brain | The Neuroscience of Creativity with Katie Garner

Dr. John Sanders is joined by Katie Garner to talk about creative ...

Dr. Brian Nyberg | What Talking to AI Reveals About You | The Psychology of Technology

Technology is changing the game in every aspect of life, including ...

How Overprotecting Kids Can Increase Anxiety | Building Resilience with Jared Smithson

Health coaching, mindset, and resilience take center stage as Dr. John ...

Why Ketamine Alone Doesn’t Create Change | Intention, Therapy & Action

In this in-depth discussion, Dr. John and neuroscientist Dr. Kyle ...

In this in-depth discussion, Dr. John and neuroscientist Dr. Kyle Bills explore the concept of neuroplasticity—the brain’s remarkable ability to rewire and change through intention, experience, and biological modulation. They ...connect spiritual and scientific perspectives, noting that practices like repentance, reframing thoughts, and setting clear intentions align with measurable neurological mechanisms such as BDNF spikes, dopamine release, and mTOR activation. The conversation emphasizes that our mindset and the stories we tell ourselves (“I am” statements) can either limit or liberate our potential to change.

Dr. Bills expands on the science of neuroplasticity by describing how activities like exercise, cold plunges, and intentional therapy stimulate neurochemical changes that reshape brain circuitry. However, he cautions that neurochemical boosts alone—whether from exercise or ketamine therapy—are not inherently beneficial unless paired with positive context and deliberate action. The two discuss the role of intention-setting in clinical treatments, sharing moving examples of how combining ketamine-assisted therapy with purposeful goals, like becoming a more patient parent, can lead to real behavioral transformation.

The conversation culminates with Dr. Bills’ groundbreaking research into mechanical neurostimulation. He explains how specific vibrational frequencies applied to the spine can modulate dopamine circuits, producing measurable reductions in anxiety and improved cognitive function—without drugs or surgery. His NIH-funded trials using a noninvasive “vibration chair” show promise for treating conditions like opioid withdrawal, anxiety, and potentially even sleep disorders and Parkinson’s disease. Both doctors close with gratitude for science’s role in helping humanity refine itself, bridge mind and body, and grow closer to divine potential through understanding and intentional change.

Disclaimer: The content provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice nor as a substitute for professional medical consultation, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

0:00 Introduction: Dr. Kyle Bills and the Science of Change
0:53 Dr. Bills’ Journey from Chiropractic to Neuroscience
6:10 Scientific Humility and the Limits of Medical Knowledge
9:48 What Brain Science Still Cannot Fully Explain
11:05 Biopsychosocial Care, Medication, and Polypharmacy
13:19 Neuroscience vs. Psychology
14:25 How Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Changes Thought Patterns
18:02 Dopamine, Bias, and the Brain’s Prediction System
21:01 Your Brain Does Not Simply Record Reality
22:49 Repentance, Spirituality, and Neuroplasticity
28:30 Why Negative Experiences Affect the Brain So Strongly
32:40 BDNF, Exercise, Ketamine, and the Brain’s Ability to Change
36:17 Why Neuroplasticity Needs the Right Context
38:28 Setting an Intention Before Ketamine Treatment
40:12 Creating Lasting Change Through Small Actions
41:43 Dr. Bills’ Mechanical Neurostimulation Research
44:13 How Spinal Stimulation Influenced GABA and Dopamine
48:59 Testing Neurostimulation for Substance Use Disorders
50:49 Creating a Noninvasive Vibration Chair
52:40 Human Anxiety Trials and NIH Funding
54:23 How the Vibration Chair Works
56:42 How Long the Effects Last
58:23 Phase Two Trials, FDA Approval, and Clinical Availability
1:00:50 Potential Research for Sleep, ADHD, PTSD, and Parkinson’s
1:02:36 Closing Thoughts on Science and Intentional ChangeShow More

It May Not Be ADHD | How Hidden Vision Problems Affect Attention, Reading, and Learning

A child can have 20/20 eyesight and still struggle to use vision ...

A child can have 20/20 eyesight and still struggle to use vision efficiently for reading, attention, handwriting, sports, and learning. In this episode, family physician Dr. John Sanders talks with ...neurodevelopmental optometrist Dr. Jeremy Gardner about the hidden connection between the eyes, the brain, and development.

Dr. Gardner explains why a basic eye chart or school screening may not reveal problems with eye tracking, teaming, focusing, visual processing, peripheral awareness, or the brain's ability to organize what it sees. These challenges can contribute to headaches, eye strain, losing one's place while reading, rereading, skipped words or lines, poor comprehension, frustration, and behavior that may resemble ADHD or dyslexia.

The conversation explores vision therapy as “brain therapy through the eyes,” combining visual activities with movement, balance, vestibular input, and other senses. Dr. John and Dr. Gardner discuss how comprehensive evaluation can help identify the root of a learning challenge and determine whether a child may benefit from vision therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language support, auditory processing care, reading intervention, or another resource.

They also share practical ideas for parents: encourage outdoor movement, make reading a positive connection rather than a punishment, read aloud above a child's independent level, use drawing and imaginative play to build comprehension, and seek deeper evaluation when repeated practice only creates more frustration.

This conversation is educational and is not individualized medical advice. Attention, reading, developmental, neurological, and vision concerns can have multiple causes. Discuss persistent symptoms with qualified healthcare and educational professionals who can evaluate the whole child.

Learn more or sign up for Direct Primary Care with Voyage Clinics:
https://voyageclinics.com

Direct Primary Care gives members easier access to their physician, longer visits, transparent membership pricing, and relationship-focused care without insurance billing driving the visit.

CHAPTERS
00:00 Vision as a window into brain development
01:12 What a neurodevelopmental optometrist does
03:31 Why 20/20 eyesight is only the beginning
04:47 When vision problems look like ADHD or dyslexia
06:10 Attention, movement, screens, and the developing brain
09:02 Vision therapy as brain therapy through the eyes
10:26 Tracking words, eye strain, and losing your place
13:02 Signs parents can watch for at home and school
15:09 Testing eye tracking, teaming, focus, and movement
17:01 The difference between eyesight and vision
18:40 Reading fluency, memory, and comprehension
21:01 Headaches, agitation, and performing below potential
24:03 Dyslexia and the many systems behind reading
26:16 Handwriting, visual planning, and motor output
29:01 Language processing and understanding symbols
31:01 Evaluating the whole child—not just a test score
32:48 Matching children with the right specialists
34:15 When children should receive comprehensive eye exams
37:00 Closing the blind spots between health and education
39:00 Parents, teachers, and clinicians working together
41:28 Reading aloud builds language and readiness
42:52 Drawing and imagination strengthen comprehension
44:14 Movement, family activities, and visual development
45:01 When reading becomes a fight, look for the cause
46:04 Helping children find books they genuinely enjoy
47:10 Final guidance for parents and cliniciansShow More

Build a Business That Runs Without You | Amy Walker on Freedom, Legacy, and Whole-Person Wellness

What if the business you built could support your family, strengthen ...

What if the business you built could support your family, strengthen your health, and keep creating value without depending on you every day?

Business growth strategist and Exit School founder Amy ...Walker joins Dr. John Sanders to explore the connection between entrepreneurship, financial health, personal alignment, and whole-person wellness. Amy shares how starting her first business at 22 eventually led to six companies—and how stepping away to care for family exposed a critical weakness: she had built a job that could not run without her.

Amy explains how that experience changed the way she thinks about leadership, legacy, business acquisitions, and exit planning. She and Dr. John discuss why buying an established, cash-flowing business can sometimes be smarter than starting from scratch, how entrepreneurship can develop humility and resilience, and why a healthy company should have value beyond its founder.

They also connect business ownership to physical, emotional, spiritual, and financial wellness. From protecting time for family and exercise to maintaining mental clarity and building community resources, this conversation is about creating success that supports the whole person—not success that consumes them.

Learn more about Amy Walker and Exit School:
https://theexitschool.com

Learn more or sign up for Direct Primary Care with Voyage Clinics:
https://voyageclinics.com

Direct Primary Care gives members easier access to their physician, longer visits, transparent membership pricing, and relationship-focused care without insurance billing driving the visit.

CHAPTERS
00:00 Entrepreneurship as part of whole-person wellness
01:11 Meet Amy Walker: mother, founder, and growth strategist
02:33 Why Amy was wired for entrepreneurship
04:17 When family caregiving changed the business
05:55 Building a company that can run without you
07:42 Business ownership as a tool for community impact
09:30 How entrepreneurship shapes better people
10:47 Alignment, faith, priorities, and sustainable success
13:20 Feedback, humility, and continuous growth
15:02 Businesses supporting stronger communities
17:32 Using entrepreneurship to help a family in crisis
20:04 Should you start a business or buy one?
24:07 How to find and evaluate a business for sale
28:08 Exit planning is not retirement planning
32:01 Why medical practices have real enterprise value
34:40 Business, physical health, and mental clarity
38:27 Freedom to prioritize family and wellness
39:30 Financial freedom, acquisitions, and buying cash flow
41:34 Entrepreneurship, neuroplasticity, and closing thoughtsShow More

Why Concussion Symptoms Linger | Brain Fog, Headaches and the Science of Recovery

Why do concussion symptoms sometimes continue even when an MRI or CT ...

Hard Things Change Your Brain | Building Grit, Resilience and Confidence Through Discomfort

What if making life easier is also making it harder to become ...

What if making life easier is also making it harder to become resilient?

Dr. John Sanders talks with Craig LaMont about grit, personal progression, parenting, discomfort, technology, and the value of ...doing difficult things. Drawing from wrestling, coaching, rural life, therapy, and raising teenagers, they explore why meaningful growth usually includes struggle—and how removing every obstacle can leave kids and adults less prepared for real life.

The conversation also examines social media and constant digital stimulation, the difference between productive discomfort and needless suffering, why time outdoors can help us reset, and how families can build a healthier relationship with technology without pretending it can disappear completely.

In this episode:
• Why wrestling and demanding pursuits can develop resilience
• The relationship between discomfort, progress, and confidence
• How parents can support children without removing every struggle
• Why instant gratification can undermine long-term growth
• How technology and social media compete for attention
• What nature, physical work, and deliberate challenge can teach us
• How to pursue balance in a world that requires technology

Voyage Clinics offers Direct Primary Care built around time, access, and a real relationship with your physician. Learn more or sign up at https://voyageclinics.com

This podcast is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for individualized medical advice.

CHAPTERS
00:00 Meet Craig LaMont
03:18 What Wrestling Teaches About Resilience
07:42 Why Growth Is Supposed to Be Uncomfortable
11:56 Valuable Things Usually Involve Pain
15:52 Parenting Without Removing Every Struggle
19:58 Rural Life, Work and Earned Confidence
23:54 Why an Easier Life Can Become Unhealthy
27:48 Talent, Effort and Deliberate Practice
31:52 How Social Media Rewires Attention
35:58 Nature, Grounding and Mental Reset
39:56 What Phone-Free Teenagers Do Differently
43:58 A Radical Experiment With the Cell Phone
46:22 Productive Discomfort vs. Needless Suffering
48:01 Why Technology Cannot Simply Disappear
49:39 Finding Balance, Grit and ProgressionShow More

The Science of Believing You’ll Get Better | Placebo, Nocebo and the Brain-Body Connection

Can belief change what happens inside the body—and where is the line ...

Can belief change what happens inside the body—and where is the line between legitimate science and medical snake oil?

Dr. John Sanders sits down with Derek Fairbanks and Eric Cheney to ...examine evidence, supplements, research bias, placebo, nocebo, and the power of expectation. They explain how randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses help separate promising ideas from persuasive marketing, why scientific language can make weak claims sound credible, and how financial incentives can complicate medical decision-making.

The conversation then takes a deeper look at placebo as belief rather than “fake treatment.” They explore how trust, time, language, and expectations can influence symptoms and treatment experiences—without pretending belief can replace appropriate medical care. They also discuss the nocebo effect, the neuroscience linking the brain and body, and why the words clinicians use matter.

In this episode:
• How researchers control for bias and placebo effects
• What meta-analyses can—and cannot—tell us
• How to evaluate supplement and wellness claims
• Why sophisticated scientific language can still mislead
• Financial conflicts of interest in healthcare
• How trust can work alongside evidence-based treatment
• Why negative expectations may intensify symptoms
• What neuroscience actually says about belief and the body

Voyage Clinics offers Direct Primary Care built around time, access, and a real relationship with your physician. Learn more or sign up at https://voyageclinics.com

This podcast is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for individualized medical advice. Do not start, stop, or replace treatment based solely on this discussion.

CHAPTERS
00:00 Placebo, Snake Oil and Belief in Medicine
04:58 Why the Human Body Is So Difficult to Study
09:58 What a Meta-Analysis Actually Does
14:58 Double-Blind and Placebo-Controlled Research
19:58 Finding Trustworthy Supplement Evidence
24:58 When Scientific Language Becomes Marketing
29:58 The Ethics of Selling Treatments
34:58 Financial Conflicts Inside Healthcare
40:01 Placebo Is More Than a Fake Treatment
44:58 Why Time and Trust Matter in Medicine
49:58 How the Nocebo Effect Can Shape Symptoms
53:58 Manifestation, Belief and Neuroscience
55:01 How the Brain Influences the Body
57:02 What Belief Cannot Do
59:03 Using Expectation Without Abandoning ScienceShow More

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Why Trying Something New Matters | Creativity, Learning and Finding Joy

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