The MindScience Playbook

Want to shift your perspective? Start using an ‘asset model’ to build on natural strengths instead of identifying weaknesses with a ‘deficit model’. Drs. Ron Bonnstetter and Dave Gosselin learn from Randy Vlasin, head of Personal Horizons Consulting. Bringing 36 years of experience as an educator, Vlasin believes that an educator's primary role is to provide opportunities for students to discover their innate talents and create their own success. Find out how that translates to entrepreneurship and personal and professional success.

Excellent teams don’t happen by accident, and peak collaboration doesn’t happen overnight. Dig into the brain science behind peak collaboration, revealing how mirror neurons and interpersonal neural synchrony help teams get “in the zone.”Dr. Ron Bonnstetter and Dr. Dave Gosselin uncover how empathy, emotional intelligence, and active listening unlock the brain’s natural drive to connect, creating unstoppable team performance.

What’s your story? Find out with Dr. Bonnstetter’s book, Defined by Moments: An Invitation to Revisit, Rethink, and Refine Your Story. In this episode, he shares personal stories in an illustrating the importance of self-reflection to understanding personal motivation and his own behavioral drivers. Discover the brain science behind motivation, retrospective analysis, and the deep self-awareness that guides effective leadership and interpersonal relationships.

Let’s end the year strong! What was the MindScience Playbook's biggest lesson from 2025? Leaders must first understand and manage themselves before they can lead others. Explore the hidden self-awareness gap, why psychological safety is non-negotiable, and how neuroscience reshapes what high-performing teams need to thrive.Join Drs. Ron Bonnstetter and Dave Gosselin as they challenge traditional leadership development and invite leaders to shift from being skilled “doers” to intentional “beings” who lead through who they are, every day.

What does great leadership start with? Leading yourself.  Guest Chip Scholz shares the Five C’s Framework—Context, Clarity, Conditioning, Choice, and Character—as a roadmap for personal growth. Learn how to shift from “doing” to “being” through reflection, intentional development, and seeing leadership as its own profession.Dig into these insights with Drs. Ron Bonnstetter and Dave Gosselin, and find out how Chip’s approach supports psychological safety, strong teams, and more purposeful living.

How do you overcome subconscious barriers to success? Drs. Ron Bonnstetter and Dave Gosselin reveal through the story of Cindy Miller, founder of the nonprofit Pursue Your It, Inc. Cindy’s journey from “the worst of the best” on the LPGA tour to a successful coach and youth advocate is one you have to hear to believe. Learn how to empower yourself and others, quiet outside voices that limit your potential, and train your brain for maximum success.

What makes leadership truly human? Guest expert Joan Graci joins Dr. Ron Bonnstetter and Dr. Dave Gosselin to explore how understanding behavior and managing emotions create more effective leaders. She reveals why 70% of leaders think they’re self-aware—but only 10% of their teams agree.Discover how our brain’s instinct for safety shapes leadership blind spots, and learn why mastering “human skills” and the science of human behavior are essential to building authentic, connected leadership.

What one aspect improves self-awareness, psychological safety, and effective leadership? Developed listening skills. Dr. Ron Bonnstetter and Dr. Dave Gosselin sit down with Jeff Kincaid, author of the forthcoming book "Listening to Lead."They talk about increasing awareness, focus, patience, silence, and comprehension, and the tools you need to get it done.

What truly drives impactful leadership? Guest expert Dr. Kevin Gazzara breaks it down with Dr. Ron Bonnstetter and Dr. Dave Gosselin by outlining the importance of self-accountability for leaders. He shares a practical path for growth through the Behavioral Change Cycle.Find out why successful leadership is about courage, not control, and discover the practical steps you can take today to pursue conscious, consistent growth.

Technical skills get you hired, but behavior drives lasting success. There’s an often-overlooked importance of behavioral skills in long-term success, both for individuals and teams. Dr. Ron Bonnstetter and Dr. Dave Gosselin discuss how to bridge the gap between knowing and doing, advocate for a holistic approach to performance improvement, and explain exactly why it’s an ongoing process rather than a one-time approach.

Psychological safety is essential in every human interaction—whether in education, business, sports, or personal relationships. When people feel safe, their brains can shift from survival mode to higher-level functions like learning, collaboration, and growth, paving the way for success.Dr. Ron Bonnstetter and Dr. Dave Gosselin discuss how psychological safety is the foundation of trust, growth, and success, the role of diverse perspectives in driving progress, and practical ways to build safe, supportive environments professionally and personally. 

Great teamwork starts with intentional communication. Find the right framework as your hosts and guest, Michael O’Rourke, explore the Toolbox Dialogue Initiative, a structured approach that helps teams practice communication like athletes or orchestras hone their craft. By fostering dialogue, self-reflection, and perspective-taking, this method strengthens team culture, builds trust, and drives collaboration that lasts.

Oxytocin, dopamine, and cortisol—these neurochemicals shape trust, motivation, and stress. How do you maximize positive results while addressing negative responses? Dr. Ron Bonnstetter and Dr. Dave Gosselin explore these neurochemicals in a team setting, sharing strategies for leaders to foster trust, recognize contributions, provide healthy challenges, and create balanced environments that support both performance and well-being.

The desire to connect with others is one of the most human impulses there is. Dr. Ron Bonnstetter and Dr. Dave Gosselin discuss how social thinking, brain micro-states, and the distinction between emotions and feelings shape decision-making and bias. Walk away with practical strategies—like using wait time, creating pauses, and practicing active listening—to improve communication, reduce bias, and build stronger connections.

Strong leadership isn’t just about today—it’s an investment in your organization’s future. In this episode, guest Dr. David Pistrui joins the hosts to share research comparing current CEOs with next-generation leaders and engineering managers. The results reveal the high-value skills and mindsets that drive long-term business success: entrepreneurial thinking, market engagement, creativity, strategic decision-making, and diplomacy.

If you want to work better, perform at your best, and feel good as an individual, you need three things: safety, belonging, and purpose. Your hosts, Dr. Ron Bonnstetter and Dr. Dave Gosselin, dive into the brain science behind these needs, from how neurosynchrony and oxytocin build trust, to why self-awareness, personal growth, and knowing your unique role matter for team success. Discover a process-focused approach to building teams—one that replaces assumptions with real communication, empathy, and understanding.

The HostsRon BonnstetterDr. Ron Bonnstetter serves as the Senior Vice President of Research and Development for TTI Success Insights and Executive Director of the MindScience Center. He is also a professor emeritus of University of Nebraska – Lincoln. Ron has amassed an arsenal of recognition and research even before entering the field of cognitive neurology, including the first recipient of the National Senior Outstanding Science Educator of the Year Award and the only secondary science preparation program recognized in the national Search for Excellence in Science Education. His current gamma asymmetry electroencephalography (EEG) research has resulted in two patents. Plus, he was honored with the 2019 Joe Kamiya First-Person Science Award during the annual conference of the International Society of Neurofeedback and Research (ISNR).Ron was also honored with the 2024 Gold Medal by the National Book Awards Association for his co-authored book titled The Five Sciences of Self in the category of Entrepreneurial Business, as well as a Bronze medal for Inspirational literature.  Dave GosselinDr. Dave Gosselin is a collaborative leader, educator, and coach who has over 30 years of professional and practical experience connecting people and resources, working across organizational boundaries, and positively impacting the development of individual students, athletes, and teams.    His “Why”, to employ the concept from Simon Sinek’s work, is to help others positively impact the people and places where they live. Dr. Ron introduced Dave to the importance of understanding the science of the brain and its application to the development of effective learning, collaborative and coaching environments. Coaching, teaching, and leading all build on the often unacknowledged premise and goal of helping individuals, teams, and organizations move from where they are to some place new. Employing knowledge of how the brain works and processes information to learn along with the importance of understanding self and others, Dave has developed the concept of the Collaborative Team Action Model as a guide to increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of coaching, teaching, and leading.Dave has been honored by Nebraska Association of Teachers of Science from which he received the 1999 Catalyst Award in appreciation for his dedicated service to science education. During his 28 years of involvement as a youth and high school soccer coach, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Nebraska State Soccer Association in 2007 and the 2009 Regional Coach of the Year from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (now United Soccer Coaches). In recognition for his service to the YMCA and its youth sports programs he was honored as the 2005 Volunteer of the Year Award. For his work at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, he received the Omtvedt Innovation in Education Award in 2014 and was nominated by his employees for the 2013 Boss of the Year Award.  Many of Dave’s ideas have been captured in numerous publications including two books, Focus On Them – Leading the Mindset Revolution for Coaches, Educators, and Business Leaders (Aloha Publishing), and A Practical Guide for Developing Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration Skills (AESS Book Series – Springer).