Silvia Damiano

Silvia Damiano

Founder & CEO
About my Brain Institute

Scientist, educator, author, speaker, coach, award-winning leadership specialist, filmmaker and creator of the i4 Neuroleader Model & Methodology.

Silvia's scientific background and curiosity about the human brain led her to a decade long journey of research into optimal brain functioning and the application of neuroscience in leadership and daily life. Her past and current roles have uniquely prepared her for the current undertaking, that of leadership activist & change agent.

Silvia Damiano founded The About my Brain Institute in 2009, with the purpose of democratising leadership & neuroscience. She has a passionately held belief, that leaders in our 21st century global economy and their organisations must radically change long-held ideas of what constitutes effective leadership

In her ground-breaking books ‘Leadership is Upside Down’, ‘Brain-Friendly Leadership’ and the 2018 documentary ‘Make Me A Leader’, Silvia provides both compelling evidence and explores the importance of leadership in our personal and professional lives and what it takes to develop the human behind the leader.

Silvia has worked in different countries, across many industries, helping teams and organisations improve business performance. Silvia’s clients have described her as a passionate, dynamic, a highly experienced speaker and master facilitator on the topics of Emotional Intelligence, Cultural Change, Neuroleadership & Engagement.

Silvia is passionate about leaving a legacy of well-rounded leaders who can act and decide in a way that better serves humanity. Her clients include Microsoft, Australian Stock Exchange, NSW Government, VISA, Fuji Xerox and Manpower amongst many other global companies.

Posts by Silvia Damiano

Welcome To Our New Website

By Silvia Damiano on 9 June 2013

This month we are launching the About my Brain Institute, and we would like to take this opportunity to share with you some of the work that is underway. Having been on this journey since 2009, we have seen significant growth in people’s interest towards learning more about their brai …

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How Did The Croods Deal With Change?

By Silvia Damiano on 2 April 2013

Can we learn how to deal with change from the recently released movie The Croods? I definitely think we can. This is a great film with a powerful message for any audience (particularly those who are still in touch with their inner child).

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When We Are Shy

By Silvia Damiano on 20 January 2013

When I was young, I usually tried to hide behind my mum’s skirt while queuing at the supermarket's cashier so people would not engage in conversation with me.

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The BrainArt Exhibition Launch For 2012 Approaches

By Silvia Damiano on 15 October 2012

As the BrainArt Exhibition Launch for 2012 approaches fast, it occurred to me that explaining once more the relationship between pleasure and brain could be worthwhile. One of the best ways to gain a deeper understanding of what this relationship means and why it is important to enhan …

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What Turned You On Today?

By Silvia Damiano on 9 May 2012

For those familiar with brain principles, neuroscientists have identified that our brains know how to do one of these two things very well: avoid pain or seek pleasure. As humans, we have always pursued pleasure as an essential part of our survival, devoting time and resources to get …

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On Entrepreneurship & The Creative Brain

By Silvia Damiano on 2 May 2012

“Being an entrepreneur means you have to wear many hats”, say the experts. I would like to suggest that being an entrepreneur requires the person to have the ability to use brain circuits that he/she may not have explored before.

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The Story Of The Busy Business Man, The Sage & The Value Of Self Knowledge

By Silvia Damiano on 14 April 2012

What would you do differently if you knew yourself better? The sage asked the busy businessman. I would not take my reactions so seriously. That is why I have asked you to come, so you can teach me how to do it, the business man replied impatiently. And how do your reactions affect yo …

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On Time

By Silvia Damiano on 6 September 2011

In the last four months, I have run many workshops, many coaching sessions and travelled many miles. In the middle of all this, I realised that when I hit the pillow at night my usual writing was not being done. It was then, when I decided that although it would be nice to have more h …

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Does Anyone Listen To My Ideas?

By Silvia Damiano on 23 July 2011

Nelson Mandela turned 93 years of age a few days ago in South Africa and 12 million school kids sang “Happy Birthday” early in the morning on that day. In the meantime, a colleague of mine shows me one of his famous quotes: “As a leader, I have always endeavored to listen to what each …

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Working Memory

By Silvia Damiano on 29 June 2011

Last week I met with a friend who now works for a company called COGMED. This company specializes in assisting people to improve their working memory. As we all need it for working and learning I thought it would be useful to my readers to learn about some of the important aspects of …

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Technology, Mirror Neurons & Empathy

By Silvia Damiano on 9 May 2011

Technology has its pros and cons like everything else in life. In neuroscience research, however, the advances of imaging techniques such as positron emission tomography (PET) has made it possible to measure blood flow or energy consumption in the brain.

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The Power of Storytelling

By Silvia Damiano on 6 April 2011

Much has been said about the need for senior leaders in organizations to learn to convert the vision and the strategy in a “story” as a way to engage people. In the personal realm, many parents know that children like to hear stories from their parents and being read books before goin …

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Topics: Imagination

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