What excites you the most about your job?
As the Founder of AvaTrends, I get excited by the chance to improve human lives by empowering all people to be more than they are regardless of what their challenges are today.
Please tell us about your interest in applied brain science. What areas are you most interested in? What motivated you to pursue work in your field?
My interest began as a personal effort to get through a hard time in life. Once I learned to visualize a new future and take steps to get there, I felt the desire to help others do the same. I could feel my own brain growing in the same way a muscle does when it is exercised. I am most interested in bringing brain-growing solutions for often ignored groups like prisoners and those living in poverty.
What is one important thing you are working on now and where can people learn more about it?
We are developing a fun and engaging system to help mainstream users unlock their potential. It will allow them to develop their own growth plans based on their personality and desires. Some basic info is already available at www.avatherapy.com
What are 1–2 key things you’d like every person to understand regarding his/ her own brain and mind that you think is commonly misrepresented or not addressed in the popular media?
I believe we should all live a creative life. So many areas of life are designed to deal with people in a one-size-fits-all way: the public school system, welfare programs, parenting methodologies, etc. People need to understand that the best way to create productive humans is to spend as much time growing a person’s brain in the areas of their own unique gifts, talents and interests. This process will naturally enhance self-esteem while moving people way from unhealthy behaviors and potential limiting features.
Where do you see clear “low-hanging fruit” to enhance behavioral and brain health based on neuroscience and innovation?
Any system that gathers a lot of user data about preferences, efficacy and methodologies as applied to brain growth. Take the same efforts the technology world is spending on “shopping preferences” via ads, ad words, etc. and apply it to something useful like unlocking human potential.
What would you like the 2013 SharpBrains Virtual Summit to accomplish?
To set clear, measurable goals for improving brain health and human development, and a process / methodology to measure progress in this regard.
Finally, what do YOU do to stay sharp?
I look everywhere for problems that scalable technology can solve, and work hard on creating as many solutions as I can think of.
—This conversation is part of a new interview series with Speakers and Participants in the upcoming 2013 SharpBrains Virtual Summit (September 19–20th). You can register with a 20% discount using promotional code: sharp2020
