Make Your Brain Work – The Neuroscience of High Performance Without Burnout - with Amy Brann
About This Episode:
What if better performance isn't about pushing ourselves harder, but understanding how to work more effectively with the way our brains are designed?
Amy Brann is a leading authority on applying neuroscience to business performance. Through her work with organisations including EY, Twinings and Haleon, she translates cutting-edge brain science into practical strategies that help people think, lead, collaborate and perform more effectively.
When Amy first joined Chris Cooper on The Business Elevation Show, they explored the neuroscience behind productivity, distraction, willpower, behaviour change, connection and contribution. They even discussed why helping others can activate the brain's reward systems and why organisations should be designed around how human beings actually function.
Much has changed since then. AI is transforming work, distraction has intensified, burnout remains a significant challenge and our ability to adapt, connect and perform sustainably has arguably never been more important.
So what does neuroscience tell us today about unlocking our potential?
In this episode, Chris reconnects with Amy to explore what we now understand about the brain and how we can turn that knowledge into meaningful behaviour change. They discuss attention and productivity, habits, motivation, resilience, leadership and human connection — and why some approaches to improving performance work while others don't.
They also explore how leaders can create environments that enable people's brains to work at their best, how neuroscience can help us navigate accelerating change and AI, and whether purpose, contribution and helping others can actually enhance our own ability to thrive.
Join us for a fascinating and highly practical conversation about making your brain work better, elevating performance and achieving more — without burning yourself or those around you out.
More about Amy Brann:
Amy Brann is a leading authority on applying neuroscience to business performance, helping organisations move beyond theory to measurable impact.
As a trusted advisor to global brands including EY, Twinings, Haleon, and government agencies, Amy translates cutting-edge brain science into practical strategies that transform the way people think, lead, and collaborate. Unlike many speakers who simply share research, Amy works on the frontline of behaviour change - embedding sustainable shifts in mindset and performance.
She is the author of three acclaimed books - Make Your Brain Work, Neuroscience for Coaches, and Engaged - each offering science-backed approaches to people development. Through Synaptic Potential, the organisation she founded, Amy has partnered with the Wales Centre for Behaviour Change, collaborated with the Møller Institute at the University of Cambridge to deliver leadership programmes, and led the neuroscience component of MBAs, and Sports Directorship at MMU and the Diploma in Sports Leadership run by the UN.
Her insights have been featured in Harvard Business Review, The Guardian, BBC, and The Observer, and she has been recognised as one of HR’s Most Influential Thinkers - testament to her impact at the intersection of science and performance.
What sets Amy apart is her ability to make complex science engaging, humorous, and immediately actionable. Audiences don’t just listen - they experience light-bulb moments that shift their approach to work on the spot. Her keynotes go beyond inspiration, equipping leaders with tools to unlock innovation, agility, and productivity - without burnout.
For organisations looking to future-proof their people, elevate leadership, and unlock untapped potential, Amy Brann delivers more than insight - she delivers transformation.