EEC 457: Why Knowing Better Isn't Enough to Change, with Dr. Irena O'Brien
Dr. Irena O'Brien is a cognitive neuroscientist and the founder of The Neuroscience School. A former CPA, she teaches coaches, leaders, and helping professionals how to use neuroscience in a way that holds up in the brain and in the real world.
- Why is "if they understand it, they'll change" one of coaching's biggest myths?
- Why is willpower a body-budget problem rather than a mindset problem?
- How does the predictive brain explain why clients repeat patterns even when they know better?
- How can coaches tell real neuroscience from third-hand, pop-neuro claims?
- Why does a solid grounding in neuroscience help coaches stand out and earn credibility?
Dr. Irena O'Brien
Dr. Irena O'Brien is a cognitive neuroscientist and the founder of The Neuroscience School. Before earning her PhD, she was a CPA, which gives her a practical, no-nonsense lens on everything she teaches. She teaches coaches, leaders, and helping professionals how to use neuroscience in a way that holds up in the brain and in the real world.
Her work sits at the intersection of brain science, behavior change, and human performance. She focuses on what drives durable change: why insight so often fails to translate into action, how the predictive brain shapes identity and decision-making, and why willpower is usually a body-budget problem before it is a mindset problem.
Irena runs the Certificate Program in Applied Neuroscience, an ICF-accredited, cohort-based program for experienced practitioners, and teaches advanced alumni trainings. She also hosts the Neuroscience of Coaching podcast. Her style is direct, science-first, and deeply human.
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