In this solo NeuroLeadership podcast episode, Claire Hayek explains how speaking affirmations aloud can instantly rewire the brain, shift identity, and improve performance under pressure. She opens with a relatable anecdote about being cut off in meetings as a young engineer, then describes the moment she whispered, “I have something important to say,” which transformed her self‑perception from nervous engineer to confident leader. Hayek introduces the neuroscience behind the effect – the production effect (simultaneous motor, auditory, and memory activation) and identity activation (triggering neural networks tied to a chosen self‑concept). She outlines a simple 10‑second, out‑loud affirmation practice and a three‑step “Triple S” method (Scan, Shrink, Shift) for managing the inner critic, moving the brain from the amygdala to the prefrontal cortex. Throughout, she ties these tools to leadership, urging listeners to use them before high‑stakes moments, and provides practical tips on where and how to say the affirmations. The episode also promotes her TEDx talk on the “Say It Out Loud Rule,” her Mental Fitness Masterclass (Step Into Your Power), and live coaching labs, offering QR codes and links for further engagement. The overall message is that vocalizing empowering statements reshapes neural pathways, enhances presence, and enables bold, human leadership.
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You ever catch yourself whispering something under your breath before a big moment? Maybe it's right before a meeting, a presentation, or a tough conversation. Something like, don't mess this up, you know, or you got this, you know, really whispering. Most people don't think twice about those words, but the truth is what you say out loud literally rewires what your brain believes. And the first time I really saw that happen, it completely changed how I lead, how I coach, and honestly, how I talk to myself. Welcome to the NeuroLeadership Edge, brain science for bold leaders ready to master their mind and own their voice. I'm your host, Claire Hayek, NeuroLeadership expert, ex-engineer, TEDx speaker. Lifelong musician and founder of Mind Soul Purpose team building. Today we're talking about the power of saying things out loud and how one sentence can shift your entire state, activate a different version of you, and change how you show up under pressure. We're going to look at the science behind why it works and how to use it before high-pressure, high-stakes moments, and I'll share a story from my early engineering days when I didn't quite have a handle on my own voice yet. By the end, you'll have one simple mental fitness tool that takes less than 10 seconds and changes everything about how you lead. Let me take you back. When I was an engineer early in my career, I was that person in meetings who always got cut off. I'm sure a lot of us can relate. I'd start sharing an idea and someone louder, usually higher up, would jump in and finish my sentence or redirect the conversation. Every time my chest would tighten, my brain would go straight into fight or flight. They don't respect you. You're not being heard. And the more that happened, the more I started to keep it all in. I'd show up to meetings already bracing for it. Shoulders tense. Half expecting not to be heard, half expecting to be cut off. But then actually one day I was prepping for a big presentation and I remember looking at myself in the mirror before walking into the room. My heart was pounding. I was really nervous. Then something in me snapped. I just said out loud, I have something important to say. Just like that. That's it. 5 words. And it was like something clicked. It wasn't about arrogance or ego. It was about identity. In that moment, I wasn't the nervous young engineer anymore. I was a leader, someone whose voice really mattered. Now, when I walked into that room, the tone of my voice had changed. My presence changed. People listened. That was the first time I realized that words don't just describe reality, they create it. And here's what was actually happening in my brain, if you're interested. And this is really what happens in yours when you do the same. When you say something out loud, your brain treats it as sensory evidence. It's called the production effect. Actually, there's a lot of research on this. The production effect is the act of producing sound, speaking, which activates motor, auditory, and memory regions at the same time, and emotional as well. This triple activation tells your brain this must be important, so listen up. But there's something even more powerful going on right when you do that. It's identity activation. Your brain has neural networks for every identity you've ever took on or embodied— leader, parent, friend, teammate, colleague, maybe even the version of you who doubts yourself. So when you declare something like, I am calm, I am focused, I'm a confident speaker, I got this, you're not making it up. You're literally activating the neural network associated with that identity. So instead of your nervous network running the show, you're switching the circuits, moving from a fear-based pathway to a focused, calm one. And if you don't have, or you've never had, the I'm calm, I'm confident, I got this network, you can literally wire it by choosing to say it out loud, because it's going to wire it much quicker and much deeply In your memory, it's why affirmations only work when they're embodied. You you can't just think them because it just is an idea in your head. You have to say them. So your voice, the vibration of it becomes the trigger that tells your brain and your body we're in a new state now. Pay attention, listen up. And here's the the fun part. You Your brain doesn't fact-check you. It doesn't. It just follows your lead. How wonderful is that? That's how saying one sentence can change everything about how you show up. Is that crazy or what? Now, if I bring this into leadership, okay, you've probably heard me say before that leadership isn't about control. It's about clarity. And clarity starts with the stories you tell yourself. For instance, before a big presentation— let's pause there. Let's look at that. Let's unpack this. So you have a big presentation coming up. Your brain's default wiring will scan for danger. It'll say, what if I fail? What if they don't like it? What if I'm not ready? What if they leave the room? What if they look at their phone? What if They yawn. That's your brain doing its job. It's trying to just keep you safe. But the safest version of you is rarely the most impactful one. So instead of trying to calm down, try this. Before you walk into that meeting or that conversation, say out loud, I am focused. I am calm. I got this. I know my material. I am confident. Whatever you need to tell yourself, you'll feel your body shift almost immediately. Your breath probably gonna slow, slow down. Your shoulders are gonna drop. Your tone is gonna just deepen. You, when you do that, you're basically engaging your vagus nerve. It's the system that links your brain and body which regulates your heart rate and stress response. When you speak those words slowly with breath, you're literally telling your nervous system, we are safe. Let's do this. So here's a little tip here. This is a little experiment that you can actually try right after listening to this episode. Before your next high-pressure moment, important high-stakes moment, Go somewhere private. I actually do that a lot just before giving a workshop or getting on stage. I regroup, I go to the bathroom, look at myself in the mirror, and I say things out loud that I need to tell myself in order to, to just be ready for what I, what I'm about to do and prep my brain for safety and for confidence and courage. So you can go somewhere private. It could be a mirror, it could be in your car, it can even be the washroom. Whatever works for you. And say out loud, I am calm. I am a confident leader. And add whatever you need to say to help you. Don't whisper it. Don't, you know, don't do that. Don't do that. Say it out loud. Now, you don't have to yell on top of your lungs. That's not the point. But you need to say it. Say it with a tone that is clear. I am calm. I am confident. I'm a leader. I got this. And the most important part is that you say it like you mean it. You're not just rolling your eyes and, I got this. I am calm. No, no. You say it like you mean it. This is why looking at yourself in the mirror is great. And if you're not in front of a mirror, you can look at your phone. You can be in a car or in a room, right? So when you say that, I'm going to ask you to notice what happens. Most probably, and we see that a lot, that your posture will shift first. Then your breath is going to shift. Then your thoughts. Because the brain follows the body, not the other way around. Especially when you are activating the body, when the body is trying to communicate with the brain. Right? It's just gonna follow it. So try this next time. I'm really, really curious to hear your comments and for you to share your stories and wins when you do this. Now, if you want to go deeper into this idea, how your voice shapes your identity and your courage, check out my TEDx talk basically that is titled The Say It Out Loud Rule. Why Your Voice Matters More Than You Think. If, um, basically you can scan the QR code that you see here on screen when it's available. It should be available right now. You can scan it and, and listen to it on YouTube, or you can just DM me and I'll send you the link. Either way, you can find me on all socials— LinkedIn, Instagram, everything else. The reason why I mentioned the TEDx is because it's where I first shared the story behind the shift, behind the whole sing it out loud rule. And I didn't say, you know, do the keynote at the TEDx. It wasn't just from a leadership lens. It was a deeply personal one. I really talk about my voice journey and where it brought me and how I came to the realization of the say it out loud rule and how I leverage that and how I use it in my day-to-day. Again, you can scan the QR code in the— that you see here on screen, or you can check the— if you're listening to this, if this is an audio, please do check the comments and the description of the episode. I always leave a link there. It's usually my Linktree where you see all my links taking you to my website, to a Mind Soul Purpose team building website, as well as free resources and relevant talks and keynotes. Let me share with you a little brain tip for the week. When you catch yourself spiraling, shaming yourself, overthinking, doubting, replaying that moment over and over again, beating yourself up, that's first of all, I want to remind you, that's not you. That is your inner critic, your inner judge. And we want to shift that inner critic, inner judge into the wise inner coach. And in order to do that, we need to shift the, uh, your brain from the amygdala, which is the fight or flight, freeze, fawn response, into your prefrontal cortex, your brain CEO. And I use this method called the Triple S method: the scan, shrink, shift. It's very easy. Scan number one. Okay, so you notice what's happening in your body. Just observe. Don't judge. Just observe your body. Where's the tension? Where's the heat? Where's the tightness? Is it in my gut? Is it in my chest? Is it in my breath? What's happening right now? Let's scan your body. Label it. Say, okay, this is what's happening. 2, we shrink it. Just label it, name it. So we name it to tame it. This is actually based on research. Name it. This is anxiety. This is me feeling threatened. This is me being scared. Just label it. Don't judge, just label it. Put a label on it. Take one slow inhale, maybe on a count of 4, and a slow exhale on a count of 6. To shrink the physical reaction. Okay, so already by naming it is already first step in, in calming down your nervous system. But the way to shrink it is by using the breath. So take 4, 4-count inhale, 6-count exhale. So we can reduce the physical reaction and move the blood flow from the amygdala to the prefrontal cortex. And the 3rd S is shift. Say something out loud that represents who you choose to be in this moment. Who do you want to be? Example, instead of saying— instead of, I'm so behind, say, I'm prioritizing what matters. Instead of, I'm overwhelmed, oh my God, Say, I'm focused, I got this. You're not lying to yourself. You're just giving your brain new instructions. And if basically you're helping your brain believe this information and shift and wire new— fire and wire new neurons and eventually neural pathway towards calm, focus, priority, prioritizing what matters, that you've got this, that you're courageous, that, you know, whatever affirmations you did and whatever you declared out loud. That's how we train mental fitness. Little teeny micro moments at a time. Don't think of this as a big, big thing that you're doing. Just every time you, you find yourself in a situation like that, do the scan, shrink, shift. It's about bouncing back and bouncing back quickly. And this is what develops resilience. Everybody talks about resilience, but nobody knows how to develop resilience. Okay? So if this resonates and you want to train your brain to lead with clarity, with confidence under pressure, that's exactly what I do and what I teach when we do inside my Mental Fitness Masterclass, actually called Step Into Your Power. Because if you're tired of playing small, if you're tired of scratching the surface of your potential and you really want to step into your power and own your voice fully, and lead with clarity, focus, and calm, then you definitely need to do this masterclass. It's a, it's a great masterclass. I poured all my knowledge into it. It's 4 modules, about 5 lessons per module, very short, 10 minutes. It is practical. It's got tons of tools. It's going to get you to reflect, reassess, rewire, and transform yourself and your life to the life and the version of you that you deserve to have and that really lives inside of you, that doesn't sabotage itself, and that is not standing in his— in her or his own way. Again, scan the QR code, you'll be able to get more information on the mental fitness class, masterclass. And if I can help you with anything with that, please do reach out to me, especially on LinkedIn. I check my messages more often, I can say. I'm a bit more active on LinkedIn and I can answer any of your questions. And I do check Instagram as well. Now, remember with the masterclass, I want to add one more thing about it is that we do live labs. And these live labs are really useful because they're live coaching labs where you put things in practice. So you're not only learning at your own pace and listening to these videos, but you're really leveraging this live, the community and the support. and learning from each other. So you're gonna, you're gonna literally learn how to catch these patterns in real time and rewire your brain to work for you instead of against you. Again, check the Linktree link in the show notes or scan the QR code that you see right here on screen to join the next live session and basically get— take advantage of the masterclass. It's the best investment you can make in yourself. Your voice is more than powerful. It's just the most influential tool you have. And it's more powerful than, than you think, than you've ever even thought about. Say it out loud, and you're gonna watch your brain follow. If you like this episode, and if you like this podcast, please do follow and subscribe. And share this episode with somebody that could benefit from it, that could help somebody in your life. And on a final note, lead boldly, stay human, and turn every challenge into a
