I suspect that there are times you may feel overwhelmed by the sheer number and complexity of nonstop decisions you need to make. To further complicate matters, you may believe that some decisions require rational (brain) decision making, while others call for you to “go with your gut.” But what if you could integrate the two – your brain and your gut – in a way to help you become the calm and steadfast person, and leader, you would like to be. What if you could combine both rational logical thoughts with your more instinctual feelings? 

With their combined expertise in both business and medicine, Drs. Geoffrey VanderPal and Randy Brazie have developed an approach to do just that – by taking the latest scientific understanding of the human nervous system, drawing upon the Polyvagal Theory, to understand how the brain and the gut can make decisions together. 

In their new book, The Steadfast Leader: Control Anxiety, Make Confident Decisions, and Focus Your Team Using the New Science of Leadership, they provide an approach that shifts away from the tension caused by “either-or” to using “both-and” and how that works better in every situation. Their work provides fascinating research findings along with real-world case studies and relatable examples that demonstrate practical, cutting-edge neuroscientific concepts that can help you stay focused and make better decisions―for yourself, your team, and your organization

Drs. Brazie and VanderPal are pioneers in the application of the Polyvagal Theory’s application in not only leadership and business situations, but also to each of us as individuals as a means to forge deeper and more authentic connections and Relationships. In doing so it provides another approach for all of us to use as a way to help us live our lives more fully, and make better decisions.

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Dr. Chris Stout Clinical Psychologist

Dr. Chris Stout is a licensed clinical psychologist and international humanitarian with a diverse background in various domains. He is the Founding Director of the Center for Global Initiatives (a Top-Rated Nonprofit) and is the Executive Producer and Host of the popular “Living a Life in Full” a top-ranked podcast with an audience of over 3 million. He was a Fellow in the School of Public Health and Full Professor in the Department of Psychiatry in the College of Medicine at the University of Illinois, Chicago and prior to that he held an academic appointment at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. He served as a NGO Special Representative and had the honor of speaking at the United Nations; he holds the distinction of being one of only 100 world-wide leaders appointed to the World Economic Forum’s Global Leaders of Tomorrow and was an Invited Faculty at the Annual Meeting in Davos.