Unstoppable Brain

The New Neuroscience That Frees Us from Failure, Eases Our Stress, and Creates Lasting Change

By: Kyra Bobinet

Narrated by: Kyra Bobinet MD MPH

We all want the power and motivation to create change in our lives. But how to get that in a stumbling dance of one step forward and two steps back? Negative emotions run rampant in many people's lives today; a reality that feels like a shrink wrap of suffering. Popular fallback solutions of performance-based goals and tools focus on extrinsic rewards like fame, wealth, or winning. But overuse of those rewards doesn't work for the long term and in fact weakens our confidence and motivation over time, leaving us vulnerable to failure and shame.

It doesn't have to be that way. Through three decades of researching and tracking such universal struggles to change our behavior, Dr. Kyra Bobinet unveils the way out, using novel neuroscience research on a compelling new brain area, the habenula. In this book, she reveals the habenulas powerful role in killing our motivation and causing anxiety and depression and offers a foolproof way to escape its clutches.

©2024 Kyra Bobinet, MD, MPH (P)2024 Kyra Bobinet, MD, MPH

Thank you from a neuroscience geek!

This book is a wonderful, new look at how to better your life through neuroscience. It walked me through why things work for me for a while, then they totally don't, why I lie to my calorie tracker, why, even though I'm a dedicated hard worker, I give up so easily sometimes. And so importantly, Kyra gives a list of things that can go wrong, and strategies to deal with them. I so wish she had a pdf of the various "failure diseases" and how to avoid them.

Usable Information and so Inspiring!

I loved the real life examples, and the practical information that I'll be able to start implementing today! The author seems authentic and I'm excited to put her recommendations into practice! I can't wait to have the life changing experiences that she described, and to have an iterative mindset instead of a failure mindset. Everyone needs to read this book! I'm a teacher and there's so much that I learned that applies to my teaching practice too.

Must Read Brain Science on Motivation and Personal Change

This is one of the books I've been looking for all my life. A practical guide that is research based that not only explains our personal struggles with behavioral modifications but provides actionable steps to make changes that last. The book is crystal clear about the mindsets that best support these efforts.

This book is all the.more unique because it's part memoir. A Doctor, cutting edge researcher shares first hand struggles with addiction, weight loss, exercise and some of life's greatest challenges. This personal insight motivated and inspired and brings a personal touch that is rare in this genre. She also draws upon clinical experience with many top level achievers. it feels like receiving a personal letter from the front lines of brain and behavioral research just when I needed it. This the kind of book that happens when someone is acting in their gift and has the bravery and courage to transparently share her challenges with her audience. I can't wait to learn more.

Healing wisdom

This book helped me better understand my own mind and see clearer the barriers and solutions to leading a happier life. It’s a science-based, human-centered philosophy to live by. I feel energized to walk slowly and deliberately towards my best life, and maybe change the world along the way.

Acknowledging fear without shaming

Unstoppable Brain came to me at a time when I struggled with imposter syndrome and CPTSD issues. I listened to the audiobook a chapter or two at a time, as the level of scientific knowledge and experiences painted a picture I needed to absorb to truly integrate.

This is a great book for anyone who wants to change their lives, advocate for health and wellbeing, or even accept themselves when they perceive their actions as failures.

Well-read, packed with information and insights, and engaging.

Stick with it

Skip the first sections (10 minutes of praise for the book??) and bear with the badly overwritten introductory passages, which work much too hard to be cute and attention-grabbing. Eventually the book settles in for an interesting discussion of the neuroscience of motivation, providing a new, biologically-grounded understanding of habit formation and such psychological concepts as learned helplessness.

Unworthy of a credit or money

Simple, basic and ridiculous suggestions. Full of her personal stories, celebrity examples and one solution, in my opinion, is no solution. The author writes about the part of the brain called the habenula which is supposedly the cause of all of our depression. The one solution she provides in the last 2 chapters is to.. iterate.

In chapter 7, titled "Iterators never fail", she repeats "iterate" over and over, which seemed like a thousand times.

Here are some of her suggestions from this book:
When you try to do something and it fails, iterate. When life gets you down it's time to iterate. Tap into your"try". Fake it till you make it. Outcomes to any behavior change, is your poor efforts, they are controlling you and taking away your power. Anyone, anywhere can stop the motivation kill switch, by using iteration. The next suggestion is simply bizarre.... For people who have addiction problems with alcohol, she suggests... if you can't stop drinking, try drinking club soda with a lemon or lime at your cocktail party. Put dental floss by the sink so you remember to floss. Keep vitamins next to the sink or a water bottle at your desk to build a healthy habit. Take a deep breath, at the light when you're out, to calm your anger. If you're practicing not eating carbs but ate a cookie, all you have to do is reframe it to yourself. Tell yourself... If that was the right practice for me, right now, I wouldn't have forgotten and eaten the cookie. So then you're not a failure.

She writes... In this preiterate sense world, now you know. You have all the power you need. I don't like to write bad reviews, however, this book and her stories was a waste of my precious time and credit. I don't want others to waste their time and money.

What a disappointment

I heard the author on a podcast and couldn't wait until I read the book. Not a lot of concrete advice on how to reverse the impact of constantly feeling like a failure. She may as well have said, "Don't give up." That's about sums up the message of this book. I got more out of the podcast. The science is interesting so I thought there would be more practical advice.

Old Methods in New Packaging

An academic who has reworded positive self talk and calls it iteration. The habenula in the brain may be a new discovery but how it works is not. Simply put abstract thinkers like MacGyver, Edison, Bill Gates and Musk all have mastered the habenula. They accept failure as getting closer to success. While concrete thinkers struggle with failure and fear it.