Send a text

Sometimes the most powerful conversations begin imperfectly — a shared screen, a few laughs, a little chaos — and then unfold into something deeply meaningful. In this heartfelt session, May Bagnell, IHP joins a live audience for an honest, grounding conversation about mindset, healing, and the nervous system, offering a perspective that is both practical and profoundly encouraging.

Centered around the framework Awaken, Align, Act, and Ascend, this episode explores how our thoughts shape our physiology, how identity influences behavior, and why true wellness must begin with nervous system regulation rather than symptom chasing. May shares insights from her work alongside Dr. Michael Bagnell, highlighting a root-cause, systems-based approach to health while emphasizing a truth many overlook: the body often reflects the stories we tell ourselves.

This conversation moves beyond traditional health advice and into the deeper drivers of transformation — self-perception, stress patterns, rest, and intentional habits. From the concept of “training for calm” to the importance of morning and evening routines, listeners are invited to reconsider what healing really requires and how small internal shifts can unlock significant change.

A standout theme of the episode is identity. Rather than focusing on breaking bad habits, May reframes growth as outgrowing limitations through new self-identifiers, illustrating how the way we see ourselves quietly directs our capacity for change. The discussion ties mindset to biology, performance to regulation, and ambition to internal alignment.

Whether you are navigating fatigue, stress, health challenges, or simply a desire for a new season of life, this episode offers a grounded reminder: sustainable transformation begins internally, and progress is often closer than it appears.

• Why thought patterns directly influence the nervous system
• The hidden cost of living in chronic stress physiology
• The power of rest as a neurological skill, not a luxury
• “Training for calm” and regulating your state on command
• How identity shapes habits, motivation, and resilience
• The Awaken → Align → Act → Ascend framework for change
• Rethinking wellness through a root-cause lens
• Using shorter timelines to accelerate growth and momentum

This episode is a powerful blend of neuroscience, mindset, and real-world application — designed to inspire reflection, clarity, and forward movement.

Request your Discovery Call with May.

https://www.bagnellbraincenter.com/online-consultation.html

Send a text

Screen time and social media have become woven into everyday life, but what happens when digital exposure begins reshaping how the brain functions?

In this episode of The Neuro Collective Podcast, Dr. Michael and May Bagnell,IHP explore how excessive screen use can influence attention, emotional regulation, sleep rhythms, and mental clarity in both children and adults. They unpack why digital overload can mimic ADHD-like patterns, contribute to anxiety, amplify emotional reactivity, and leave people feeling wired yet exhausted.

This conversation moves beyond fear-based narratives and instead focuses on understanding the brain’s adaptive mechanisms. From white matter development and dopamine activation to nervous system fatigue, the discussion highlights how modern digital habits interact with core neurological processes.

You’ll also hear practical, realistic strategies for recalibrating the brain without extreme measures — including simple daily shifts that support focus, emotional stability, and restorative sleep.

If you’ve noticed focus challenges, mood swings, brain fog, or digital burnout in your household, this episode offers clarity, insight, and a path forward.

Healing is not about rejecting technology — it’s about restoring rhythm, regulation, and agency.

Send a text

In this insightful episode of The Neuro Collective Podcast, Dr. Michael and May Bagnell, IHP explore a powerful reframe: your brain isn’t failing—it’s adapting. Continuing the conversation on exhaustion despite normal labs, they explain why symptoms like fatigue, pain, anxiety, and poor sleep are often signs of a nervous system stuck in survival and safety mode, not evidence that something is broken.

Through clinical insight, relatable analogies, and personal experience, they discuss how the brain prioritizes protection over performance, why symptoms are a form of communication, and how shifting from frustration to curiosity and personal agency can transform the healing journey. This episode highlights the importance of personalized guidance, early nervous system regulation wins, and understanding the why behind your symptoms so you can stop pushing through and start working with your body toward sustainable healing.

Send a text

In this powerful kickoff episode of The Neuro Collective Podcast, Dr. Michael and May Bagnell begin a new series focused on helping you rewrite your health this year by addressing a question they hear every day in clinical practice: Why are you exhausted even when your labs are “normal”? This conversation speaks directly to those who feel chronically fatigued, foggy, unmotivated, or overwhelmed despite being told that everything looks fine on paper.

The Bagnells unpack why normal labs do not always equal optimal function, and why so many people fall into the gap of being “not sick enough to diagnose, but not well enough to thrive.” Through a brain-based and systems-oriented lens, they explore fatigue through neurological, metabolic, immunological, and stress-related pathways, highlighting the critical role of ATP production, mitochondrial health, inflammation patterns, and insulin resistance. You’ll learn how chronic stress, nervous system dysregulation, and modern life demands silently drain energy, why the brain conserves fuel under threat, and how standard testing often misses the deeper story of resilience, recovery, and regulation.

This episode lays the foundation for understanding the “why behind the what” of persistent fatigue—and sets the stage for the next episode, where they dive deeper into how the brain heals and how energy can be restored. If you’re tired of being told you’re fine when you don’t feel fine, this episode is for you—or someone you love.

Send us a text

In this inspiring Men’s Health Series episode, Dr. Michael join LMD’s Alive Educational Series to dive deep into the foundations of brain health, metabolic balance, energy, stress resilience, and longevity. With over 35 years of experience in functional neurology, Dr. Bagnell shares his personal journey into neuroscience—shaped by his father’s traumatic brain injury—and how it ignited his passion for helping others achieve optimal brain performance and whole-body wellness. This powerful conversation explores how advanced tools like brain mapping (qEEG), eye-tracking, and personalized evaluations provide actionable data to uncover root causes behind symptoms such as brain fog, low energy, poor focus, sleep disruption, and cognitive decline.

You’ll also learn how inflammation, blood sugar imbalance, low testosterone, and impaired mitochondrial function directly impact the brain—and why strategies like omega-3 optimization, restorative sleep, lifestyle alignment, and emerging peptide therapies (including NAD, BPC-157, and TB-500) can support neuroplasticity, recovery, and long-term vitality. Dr. Bagnell emphasizes the importance of treating health as a lifelong investment, not a quick fix, while offering practical guidance for men ready to take charge of their well-being. Whether you’re seeking sharper cognition, better sleep, or sustainable performance, this episode delivers science-backed insights, real-world tools, and heartfelt encouragement to help you elevate both your brain and body health—starting today.

Send us a text

In this enlightening episode of The Neuro Collective Podcast, May Bagnell sits down with Ellie, MD for an honest and empowering conversation about women’s health through a brain-based lens. Together, they explore how hormones, metabolism, and the nervous system work together—and why so many women experience symptoms like brain fog, fatigue, mood changes, sleep disruption, and weight shifts during different seasons of life.

Ellie, MD shares clinical insight and practical wisdom on perimenopause, menopause, metabolic health, and the importance of addressing the root cause rather than chasing symptoms. May brings clarity to how brain health influences hormonal balance, emotional resilience, and long-term vitality. This episode reframes women’s health as something to be understood, supported, and optimized—not feared or dismissed.

If you’ve ever felt unheard, overwhelmed, or unsure why your body feels “off,” this conversation will leave you feeling informed, hopeful, and empowered. It’s a must-listen for women ready to take a smarter, more compassionate approach to healing—starting with the brain.

🎧 Tune in and discover how understanding your brain can transform your health journey.

Send us a text

In this powerful and deeply human conversation, Dr. Michael & May Bagnell welcome Jimmy Hill, former Royal Marine Commando and UK Special Forces operator, filmmaker, and advocate for healing after military service.

Jimmy shares his extraordinary journey—from high-tempo special operations to surviving multiple gunshot wounds, years of rehabilitation, and redefining purpose beyond the battlefield. This episode sheds light on the realities of military life, the often invisible wounds of trauma, and the strength found in vulnerability.

Together, the conversation explores Jimmy’s upcoming documentary In the Shadows, a film dedicated to amplifying the voices of operators, spouses, and specialists working behind the scenes to support those who serve.

Listeners will gain insight into:

• Military trauma, PTSD, anxiety, and depression
• The difference between visible and invisible injuries
• Why community, connection, and honesty are essential to healing
• How identity shifts after service—and how to rebuild purpose and meaning
• The importance of having something to train for, not just something to live for

A standout moment of the episode includes a live review of Jimmy’s brain map, offering rare insight into brain connectivity, power levels, alpha and gamma brain waves, and how targeted brain training can support resilience, focus, emotional regulation, and long-term brain health.

This episode is a message of hope for:

• Veterans and active-duty service members
• Families and spouses walking the journey alongside them
• Anyone navigating trauma, identity shifts, or feelings of hopelessness

Key takeaway:

This conversation reminds us that healing is possible, support is available, and resilience can be trained—both in the body and the brain.

🎧 Tune in, share with someone who needs encouragement, and be reminded:
You can heal. We can help.

Send us a text

In this compelling episode, Dr. Michael Bagnell take a deep dive into dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, breaking down long-standing myths and revealing what modern neuroscience is teaching us about prevention, progression, and brain resilience. The discussion begins by clarifying that Alzheimer’s is NOT caused by aluminum, dispelling outdated fears, while emphasizing that toxins, inflammation, and lifestyle choices still matter when it comes to long-term brain health.

A major focus of this conversation is the powerful link between blood sugar dysregulation and Alzheimer’s, often referred to in research as “Type 3 Diabetes.” Dr. Bagnell explains how chronic blood sugar imbalance creates inflammation in the brain, dramatically increasing the risk of cognitive decline—especially in women, who are statistically more vulnerable. The takeaway is clear and urgent: controlling blood sugar may be one of the most effective ways to reduce Alzheimer’s risk.

The episode also explores the often-overlooked role of brain injuries and concussions, even a single impact, in increasing the likelihood of Parkinson’s, dementia, and Alzheimer’s later in life. Dr. Bagnell shares a deeply personal story about his father, illustrating how unrecognized traumatic brain injury can shape emotional health, behavior, memory loss, and early dementia. This segment powerfully humanizes the science and highlights why brain inflammation and injury must be taken seriously.

Listeners will gain clarity around memory concerns as well. Forgetting words or losing your train of thought is NOT automatically Alzheimer’s—it is often a sign of working memory stress, not neurodegeneration. While many people turn to crossword puzzles and Sudoku, Dr. Bagnell explains that these offer limited benefit compared to one proven intervention: movement. Research shows that physical movement activates more of the brain than passive cognitive tasks, making exercise one of the strongest protectors of brain health.

The conversation expands into neuroplasticity, emphasizing that movement is the doorway to brain change. Activities that are new, challenging, engaging, and even frustrating stimulate dopamine, the chemical that fuels learning and adaptation. Whether it’s learning a new skill, coordinated movement, or combining physical activity with cognitive tasks, these experiences retrain and strengthen the brain far more effectively than passive mental exercises.

Dr. Bagnell also addresses the growing neurological impact of long COVID, explaining how neuroinflammation and brainstem dysfunction can lead to brain fog, heart rate instability, balance issues, and dysautonomia. He stresses that, just like a physical injury, the brain may require rehabilitation, not just medication. This insight offers hope for those struggling with persistent post-COVID symptoms.

The episode then unpacks addiction and dopamine, revealing how social media, gambling, substances, and high-stimulation environments hijack the brain’s reward system. Addiction, Dr. Bagnell explains, is less about the substance itself and more about dopamine-driven desire and pursuit. Understanding this mechanism opens the door to more effective healing and recovery strategies.

In a holistic close, the conversation moves beyond biology into the deeper dimensions of healing—the body, the soul, and the spirit. Dr. Bagnell explains why treating only the physical body leaves healing incomplete and why emotional and spiritual health play a critical role in true recovery. The episode concludes with a fascinating discussion on dolphin-assisted therapy, wher