A conversation with Dr Lara Boyd - Harnessing Neuroplasticity & Mastering Change in Uncertain Times

“The brain is always capable of change ... behaviour is the price of admission.”

How much can the brain really change - and what does it take to make that change last?

In this episode, Dr Lara Boyd shares her winding journey from sport and physical therapy into neuroscience, sparked by a deep fascination with how the brain adapts through learning and recovers after damage. Along the way, she unpacks how advances like MRI and brain stimulation helped overturn the old idea that the brain is “hardwired,” revealing instead a lifelong capacity for functional, chemical, and structural change.

We explore why change is still possible at any age, but often requires more effort later in life, especially when it involves unlearning long‑held habits. A key message runs through the conversation: behaviour is the true driver of brain change, and there’s no shortcut or pill that can replace it. Sleep, movement, and how we spend our attention matter more than we think, also breaks down how exercise supports learning by boosting brain‑derived neurotrophic factor and lowering cortisol, a stress hormone that can block learning and damage health when chronically elevated.

We discuss device addiction, chronic pain, and how ongoing stress can push memory toward survival‑based learning in the amygdala—making negative patterns harder to shift.

The episode closes with practical, science‑grounded ways to support brain health and resilience, from limiting doomscrolling to practices like meditation, loving‑kindness, and yoga that reduce stress reactivity and support cognition.

It’s a hopeful, empowering conversation about shaping the brain through small, intentional choices over a lifetime.