When my first child was born she stopped breathing. Yes, she did survive—but it kept happening. Three years later we learned she was missing a part of her brain that controlled breathing. I desperately wanted to fix her and I didn’t know how. A band aid wasn’t going to be enough. It became my mission to learn all things neuroscience. Drawing on my 30 years’ experience as a teacher and curriculum developer I hunted down knowledge with neurologists across the world and in universities across Canada and the States. You can probably guess that my baby shower gifts didn’t include a manual on rare brain disorders. You know what I learned? If we understand our brains, we can trick our brains into helping us live better.When it comes to human behaviour we may not even know why we are reacting a certain way. Too often behaviours caused by anger and anxiety issues can destroy a work environment. Your whole work team may be walking on eggshells hoping they don’t say the wrong thing to one person. But that can change. It’s been my joy over 20 years to be the keynote speaker or workshop facilitator to groups learning the benefits of applying the principles of neuroscience. These simple but effective techniques have been used by organizations like the University of Windsor, the Greater Essex District School Board, the OSSTF and the Council of Exceptional Children. Countless participants say they have discovered their calmer, more effective and even more likeable selves. They become champions of healthy thinking, restoring harmony to their families and work teams.It’s unfair but people with intrusive behaviours often get judged harshly in this world. As President of the International Joubert Syndrome Foundation I advocated for sufferers of brain-behaviour problems like my daughter. Advocacy—driven by compassion and science—is still a part of my work today. Remember, your brain has a mind of its own but you can outsmart it.