The Dr CK Bray Show

Hosted by Dr. CK Bray

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Episodes

100

Latest episode

Aug 2026

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About the show

The Dr. CK Bray Show is a 20-minute science and research-based podcast that aims to provide the information you need to create a better life and career. Dr. Bray shares the latest research findings in the areas of business, personal excellence and achievement, resilience and thriving, career, learning, leadership, change, and health. He also provides a one-stop resource for actionable advice and tools to cover every aspect of your life. Be prepared to be simultaneously educated and entertained.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

September 7, 2026Episode 62712 min

Episode 644: How to Influence Others When You Lack Authority

What happens when you need someone to support your idea, prioritize your project, or change direction, but they don't report to you? In today's cross-functional workplace, some of the people most critical to your success may be people you have absolutely no authority over. In this episode, Dr. Bray explores the psychology and neuroscience of influence and four practical ways to become more influential without relying on a title: understanding what matters to others, building trust before you need it, identifying the people others actually listen to, and creating ownership instead of compliance. You'll also learn simple tools you can immediately use to gain support, move ideas forward, and become someone people choose to follow, even when they don't have to. Quotes from Dr. Bray "Influence is rarely just about making a stronger argument. It's about understanding the brain and the person receiving that argument." "Stop asking, how am I going to convince them? And instead ask, what does the world look like from their chair and from their brain?" "Good influence begins before you make your case. It begins when you become curious enough to understand the case the other person's brain is already making."

August 31, 2026Episode 64310 min

Episode 643: Emotional Contagion:Your Nervous System Walks Into the Meeting Before Your PowerPoint Does

Have you ever walked into a meeting and immediately sensed something was wrong, even though nobody had said a word? There is a reason for that. Our brains are constantly reading the emotional signals of the people around us, and those signals can influence how we feel, think, communicate, and perform. In this episode, Dr. Bray explores the fascinating science of emotional contagion and why the emotional state you bring into a room may matter more than you realize. You will learn how the brain processes social cues, why uncertainty makes us pay even closer attention to the people around us, and how the emotional climate of a team can influence attention, decision making, psychological safety, and performance. You will also discover why emotional regulation is not about pretending to be positive and how a simple pause before your next meeting can change what you bring into the room. Whether you lead an organization, manage a team, or work alongside others every day, this episode will make you think differently about something you bring to every interaction: yourself. Your nervous system is already in the meeting. What is everyone else's nervous system learning from it? -------------- QUOTES FROM DR. BRAY "The leader's words did not create the anxiety. The uncertainty surrounding her behavior did." "The signal is not that everything is fine. The signal is that something difficult happened and we're capable of responding to it." "Your ability to recognize and regulate your own state affects not only your experience of work, but potentially the experience and performance of the people around you."

August 24, 2026Episode 64212 min

Episode 642: Bloomscrolling: What If We Changed Our Scroll?

We hear a lot about doomscrolling and the negative effects our digital habits can have on attention, stress, and well being. But what if the answer is not simply to scroll less? What if we changed what we scroll through? In this episode, Dr. Bray explores the emerging idea of bloomscrolling and the fascinating science behind what happens when we intentionally fill more of our digital environment with nature, awe, beauty, humor, curiosity, kindness, and human connection. You will learn why the brain is naturally drawn toward negative and threatening information, how the content you consume can influence the state you carry into your next meeting or conversation, and why your digital environment may be affecting your workday in ways you have never considered. Dr. Bray also introduces the idea of Attention Architecture and shares a simple experiment you can try this week to become more intentional about one of your brain's most valuable resources: your attention. Maybe the goal is not to stop scrolling altogether. Maybe it is time to change our scroll. -------------- QUOTES FROM DR. BRAY "What if it isn't only how much we scroll that matters... but actually what we are scrolling through?" "We can decide whom we follow. We can decide what notification deserves access to us." "Behavior change becomes more interesting when we don't simply ask what we should stop doing, but ask how can we change it instead."

August 17, 2026Episode 63017 min

Episode 641: Sharenting: What Is It and What Are The Hidden Costs?

Every time we post a photo of our children, we're doing more than sharing a special moment. We're helping shape a digital identity they may carry for the rest of their lives. In this episode, Dr. CK Bray explores the growing phenomenon of sharenting, the surprising risks created by social media and artificial intelligence, and the thought-provoking question every parent should ask before hitting "post." You'll discover why this issue goes far beyond privacy, what we can learn from the heartbreaking story of a Utah family whose online fame had devastating consequences, and how small changes today can help protect your child's future. If you're a parent, grandparent, or anyone who loves a child, this episode will change the way you think about sharing life's biggest moments online. What Parents Need to Know Before Sharing Their Children's Lives Online. Efua Andoh. Monitor on Psychology, June 2026 QUOTES FROM DR. BRAY "Where's the line between celebrating our children and unintentionally taking ownership of a story that one day should belong to them?" "A like happens today. A comment from a grandparent happens today. But the consequences of creating a permanent digital identity for our children may not appear for another 10 or 20 years — and our brains simply aren't wired to give those future outcomes the same emotional weight." "Awareness doesn't necessarily change our behavior. We know the risks, yet we keep posting because the immediate rewards feel more important than the distant consequences."

August 10, 2026Episode 64013 min

Episode 640: What If Our Children Are More Capable Than We Think?

When four indigenous children survived 40 days alone in the Colombian Amazon after a plane crash, the world called it a miracle. But what if their survival began years before the crash? In this episode, Dr. CK Bray explores the remarkable story behind their resilience and what it reveals about raising children who are confident, capable, and prepared to navigate life's unexpected challenges. Discover why confidence isn't built by protecting children from every struggle but by gradually giving them opportunities to learn, contribute, solve problems, and grow. You'll walk away with practical parenting insights and a fresh perspective on how to raise children who don't just survive adversity, but thrive because they've been prepared for it. QUOTES FROM DR. BRAY "Confidence is not created through encouragement alone. Confidence is built through experience." "Children do not become capable because we repeatedly tell them they are capable. They have to discover it for themselves." "When we remove every obstacle, solve every problem, and rescue them from every uncomfortable experience, the very challenges we try to eliminate are the ones that help them build resilient, adaptable brains."

August 3, 2026Episode 6393 min

Episode 639: The Neuroplasticity of First Attempts

What if the hardest part of learning something new isn't the skill—but your brain? In this episode, Dr. Bray dives into the neuroscience of first attempts and explains why your brain naturally resists change, how new neural pathways are built, and why feeling awkward is actually a sign of growth. Discover why confidence doesn't come before action, it comes because of it. If you've ever wanted to try something new but hesitated, this episode is for you. And for once, Dr. Bray kept it under 5 minutes! Aditi Subramaniam, The Neuroplasticity of First Attempts. May / June 2026 Psychology Today QUOTES FROM DR. BRAY "Novelty, aerobic exercise, and repeated practice all act like fertilizer for new connections in the brain. Slow fertilizer, but fertilizer nonetheless." "Novelty, in short, rewires our brains. Each stumble and recovery forces the adult brain to reroute, reconnect, and revise." "Try something new at least every 30 to 60 days. Go out and do something totally different."

July 27, 2026Episode 63820 min

Episode 638: Find Your No!

Why is it so hard to say "no" even when we know we should? Most of us believe we'd stand up for our values in difficult moments, yet research shows we often choose compliance over conviction. In this episode, we'll explore the fascinating psychology behind why we say yes when we mean no, why authority and social pressure are so powerful, and how understanding your values can help you make decisions you'll be proud of long after the moment has passed. QUOTES FROM DR. BRAY "In every workplace, home, and classroom, defiance is the exception and obedience is the rule. But it doesn't have to be that way." "That discomfort is the key to our power to defy. It shows up as tension in the back of your neck, a headache, a stomach cramp, general uneasiness. It's an internal compass guiding us back to our values." "Learning to say no isn't just about courage. It's about preparation." Sunita Sah, DEFY, The Power of No in a World That Demands Yes Sunita Sah, Psychology Today, January/February 2025 Issue If you need to speak with someone about sexual harassment, abuse, or any related topic, please call 1-800-656-HOPE or Text Hope to 64673. This is a free service operated in the US by RAINN to provide hope and healing.

July 20, 2026Episode 6358 min

Episode 637: The Quiet Cracks We Don't See

What if your best employee is not burned out or ready to quit, but is slowly losing the energy, curiosity, and enthusiasm that once made them exceptional? In this episode, Dr. CK Bray explores the emerging concept of quiet cracking, the slow and often invisible erosion of engagement and human potential that can occur long before performance begins to decline. Drawing on neuroscience and organizational psychology, he explains why it happens, why leaders often miss it, and what they can do to create workplaces where people do not simply survive the demands of work, but truly thrive. If you care about building healthy, high performing teams while helping people become the best version of themselves, this is an episode you will not want to miss. QUOTES FROM DR. BRAY "We stop asking what's possible and start asking what is only necessary. Curiosity quietly gives way to caution. Creativity is replaced by efficiency." "Many people quietly assume this is simply what success feels like — that adulthood or leadership or ambition inevitably requires living in a state of constant depletion. I don't believe they do." "Work should challenge us, but it shouldn't slowly diminish us."

July 13, 2026Episode 63612 min

Episode 636: We've Been Thinking About Thriving at Work All Wrong

In this episode, Dr. CK Bray explores a question every leader should be asking: If organizations have invested so much in employee wellbeing, why are so few people truly thriving at work? Drawing on neuroscience and organizational psychology, he challenges the idea that wellbeing is the ultimate goal and offers a different perspective: wellbeing is the doorway, but human thriving is the destination. You'll discover why thriving is about much more than happiness or work-life balance, what the brain actually needs to perform at its best, and how leaders can create workplaces where people have the energy, trust, purpose, and resilience to do their best work. If you want to build healthier teams, stronger leaders, and sustainable high performance, this episode will change the way you think about wellbeing and what it really means to thrive. QUOTES FROM DR. BRAY "Thriving isn't about making employees happier. It's about creating the biological conditions where people can do their very best work." "Recovery is not separate from performance. Recovery is actually a key part of performance." "Perhaps the opposite of quiet cracking isn't simply avoiding burnout. Perhaps it's creating workplaces where people feel engaged, valued, challenged, and supported enough that they become more of who they are, not less."

July 6, 202615 min

RERUN: The 80/20 Rule Should Rule Your Life

Wouldn't it be fantastic if we could cut down the work we do while still increasing our productivity? If we could discover what things we do in a day that have the most impact on our success and happiness! The answer has been around for more than 70 years—the Pareto Principle. Most individuals have heard of the Pareto Principle but don't understand the impact and influence it can have in our lives. Jump into this week's podcast with Dr. Bray and learn the history of the Pareto Principle and how it can quickly impact your life. Dr. Bray will also discuss how to discover the 20 percent of actions you take in a day that creates the most impact. Don't miss this episode on how to impact your life with the 80/20 rule quickly. QUOTES BY DR. BRAY "Live your life in 15 minute segments to find where you're spending your time." "Go for the big wins!"