The Anxiety Scientist: Feeling Overwhelmed? Rewire Your Brain With This Science-Backed Method

Feeling anxious, overwhelmed, or like your brain won’t slow down is incredibly common, especially when there’s pressure to be calmer, more productive, or more “together.”

Many people blame themselves for this: for not being disciplined enough, resilient enough, or mentally strong enough. But what if anxiety isn’t a personal failure and what if your brain is actually doing exactly what it was designed to do?

This is exactly why Tamsen sat down with Dr. Wendy Suzuki, a world-renowned neuroscientist, NYU professor, and expert on brain plasticity: the brain’s ability to change and adapt.

Dr. Suzuki has spent decades studying how stress, anxiety, movement, sleep, and daily habits shape the brain. Her work shows that anxiety isn’t just a feeling, it’s a biological response that can hijack focus, memory, and emotional regulation when the brain is under pressure.

In this episode, she breaks down what’s really happening inside your brain when anxiety shows up and explains why trying to “push through” or “calm down” often backfires.

Most importantly, she shares the science-backed tools that actually help your nervous system reset and restore a sense of control.

They discuss:

• Why anxiety is a fight-or-flight response, not a mindset problem
• What chronic stress does to focus, memory, and emotional regulation
• Why anxiety can make you feel foggy, tense, or unlike yourself
• The role movement, cardio, and sleep play in calming the brain
• Simple tools you can use in real life to calm your nervous system today

This conversation cuts through the shame and confusion around anxiety and replaces it with clarity, relief, and understanding.

Instead of asking you to “fix yourself,” it shows you how to work with your brain.

If anxiety has been running the show and leaving you feeling overwhelmed or out of control, this episode offers a grounded, science-backed way to understand what’s happening and what actually helps.