Brain Optimization for Effective Leadership (feat. Lee Gerdes)

Mental health and emotional wellbeing aren’t just buzzwords anymore. 

Today, mental health is an essential component of the enlightened workplace. 

Employees spend the majority of their time at work—whether at home, hybrid, or in the office. It stands to reason that they want to limit the amount of stress and anxiety they carry, both in and outside of work.

Lee Gerdes believes brain optimization is the first step to rebalancing and minimizing the impact of stress.

After a traumatic brain injury in the 1990s, Lee spent eight years losing sleep and experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder. In 2004, he founded Brain State Technologies (now Cereset).

Cereset is a growing company with a neuro-technology that decreases the impact of stress, anxiety, and sleep issues. At the beginning of 2021, Cereset had 29 offices across the US and EU. Now, they have about 50 and are on track to open 100 by the end of 2022.

In the latest episode of The Enlightened Executive podcast, Lee and I discuss how to optimize your brain and retain high-performing talent by focusing on mental health.

The importance of self-awareness as conscious leaders 

The first step to helping others find balance is to understand your own mental, emotional, and physical health. Getting adequate sleep is crucial to all aspects of your health, yet 42% of leaders sleep just six hours or less a night.

“To be a leader,” Lee says, “We’ve got to understand how am I? And the best way to answer that question is to say, How am I sleeping? Do I wake rested? Do I wake positive?”

If the answer is no—you’re struggling with sleep and waking up stressed and overwhelmed—it may be time for a reset.

One way to reset is using Cereset (Cerebellum plus reset together). The company uses neuro-technology to translate the brain’s patterns to a computer and plays the brain’s frequency back as a sound. As the brain hears its own echo through sound, it begins to self-balance.

Other options for finding balance and resetting include: 

• Investing in therapy to untangle negative thought patterns and develop healthy coping strategies
• Connecting with a leadership coach to develop yourself personally and professionally to lead high performing teams
• Practicing gratitude to mitigate stress and anxiety

By setting the foundation with a balanced brain, executives and entrepreneurs can more effectively lead high-performing, emotionally intelligent teams.  

Promoting mental health across your company 

Conscious executives and entrepreneurs must go beyond protecting their personal brain health. They have to promote the mental health and wellbeing of their employees, too.

It’s not enough to provide a discounted gym membership or another health stipend for your employees.  What will help your team members thrive?

In this episode, Lee shares a great story about how one executive addressed mental and emotional wellbeing. After resetting with Cereset, a manufacturing executive wanted to help his employees find inner peace. He decided to provide his employees with access to Cereset, even though it meant making a significant investment and bringing a Cereset office to his company.

When it comes to promoting mental health across your company, executives and entrepreneurs must be willing to think outside of the box.

What stress management tools, emotional awareness techniques, or brain optimizing strategies can you put into practice with your whole team?

Challenge yourself to reset your brain, find balance, and share your newfound emotional peace with others. 

“​​It’s a matter of being at peace, and in that peace, being confident, and in that confidence being outward rather than inward.” – Lee Gerdes

Lee also talks about…

• The science behind Cereset technology
• How he healed from a brain injury and post-traumatic stress
• The powerful influence of soundwaves on the brain

If you liked this episode, you may also benefit from hearing:

• Building trust as a foundation of team effectiveness with Christopher Michel 
• Inspiring employee loyalty with Brittany Hodak
• Navigating the hybrid return to work with Robert Glazer