Growing up in Tulsa, Okla. my parents, my two younger siblings and I were the neighborhood oddballs. Both of my parents had college degrees. My mother was Jewish. My dad didn’t drive to work; instead, he took the bus and then later rode his bike. We grew our own vegetables and composted.

My parents were ahead of their times, especially in how they encouraged my siblings and me to exercise, explore, and enjoy life. Research now supports their practices.

For example, consider my pre-school bedtime routine. I regularly pleaded to stay up after one or both parents finished reading me my bedtime story. My parents used my love of music to motivate me by saying I could listen to a Broadway musical IF I did so in bed. I always agreed. Peter Pan was one of my favorites. I’d sing along, crowing and then exclaiming “Lovelier thoughts, Michael!” during the  “I’m Flying” tune before I’d fall fast asleep. (The children needed to think lovely thoughts to fly with Peter Pan to Neverland.)

These memories came rushing back this fall as I learned how to use two new, very cool tools designed by the neuroscientist and Neuroplastician Dr. Justin James Kennedy to support neuroplasticity. It describes the brain’s organic ability through its neural networks to rewire itself, reorganize and adjust, which supports behavior change.

Neuroplasticity, which I started studying in earnest a year ago also with Dr. JJ, differs from other types of behavior changes in two ways, as I explained in this Forbes Coaches Council article, Want To Improve? Rewire Your Brain’s Neural Pathways, earlier this year:

1. Neuroplasticity relies on you developing and maintaining a strong mind-body connection to help your brain and your overall well-being. (Here’s why: the brain’s highest priority is to control your body’s overall energy needs through allostasis. To do this well, the brain requires energy that it receives from your body’s sleep, nutrition and exercise.)
2. When you seek and enjoy experiences that cause you to feel positive emotions, these emotions influence the rewiring of your brain’s neural pathways. Yes, think lovely thoughts and you too may be able to fly like Peter Pan!

The first tool, the brand-new Neurostarter™, that Dr. JJ developed with David Sherwin, is a groundbreaking way to make positive improvements in your individual performance. For example, you can learn how to increase your energy, get more clarity, reduce tension and anxiety, find more joy, improve your resilience, and sharpen your attention and memory. You can also improve your social connections and working relationships.

The science behind Neurostarter™ involves understanding and using the brain’s neuromodulators and neurotransmitters. These are the brain’s chemical messengers that govern our behavior. Typically, these neuromodulators and neurotransmitters change in response to new experiences we have, new challenges we face, or injuries.

However, you also can activate the brain’s rewiring and the associated change on your own (or with help from a coach trained in neuroplasticity) if you grasp how these neuromodulators and neurotransmitters work and relate with each other and you take targeted actions that feel more like a reward than punishment. The brain is highly responsive and adaptable, capable of change and growth throughout our life. In other words, you can use Neurostarter™ to connect your emotions and experiences to your brain chemistry, identifying the best activities for boosting the neurotransmitters to drive change. Or, if want to change without going deep into the neuroscience, you can work with a Master Neuroplastician™ (Many of us are members of the npn.Hub.)

Using Neurostarter™ is a four-step process. You first observe and note your current state, including mood. Then you identify the neuromodulators, neurotransmitters and hormones associated with your emotional state. Then ideally working with a coach trained in neuroplasticity and this tool, you brainstorm interventions that will leverage the power of neuromodulators to drive positive change and overcome resistance. Next, you’ve got to monitor your progress and make adjustments.

As an example, assume you’re feeling stressed and want to get relief. You’ll need to pay attention to endorphins, as confirmed by Neurostarter™. These neurotransmitters are known for their role in pain relief and mood enhancement. You release endorphins during exercise, such as brisk walking, jogging, and dancing. You also laugh more by watching comedies. When you laugh, you release endorphins, putting you into a positive emotional state that reduces stress.

The second tool, the Brain Hack Deck, features cards to help you figure out effective ways to enhance your mental and emotional well-being, using the brain’s natural ability to adapt.

Here’s how this works. The front of each card presents a challenge, a question, and an actionable brain hack to use. The back of the card explains how specific neurotransmitters support the brain hack.

In this example you want to increase your courage to face your fears. The hack involves writing your fears down and creating a plan to face them. As support, you’ll want to increase your GABA levels to reduce your anxiety and help you become calmer.

GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) is a naturally occurring amino acid that’s also a neurotransmitter. It functions like the brakes on a car for your nervous system. GABA calms your nervous system by slowing the level of information transmitted. That keeps you from being overwhelmed, similar to how the car’s brake pedal slows your car.

You can increase GABA naturally through yoga, meditation, deep breathing, exercise, drinking tea with high GABA content, and eating certain foods that boost GABA production. You also can take a GABA supplement, ideally with your doctor’s knowledge.

Both the Brain Hack Deck and Neurostarter™ help me determine what transmitters are at play and then what coaching interventions will work the best. As a result, I can better support my clients’ individual needs and goals with a more personalized plan and achieve better outcomes for them.

This is neuroplasticity in action! Plus, it’s an enjoyable, effective way to achieve positive change!