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

Dyslexia

by Silvia Damiano on 4 July 2010

Watching the 2005 film “In her shoes” with Cameron Diaz and Toni Collette reminded me of dyslexia. My daughter showed signs of dyslexia when she was around 6 years of age so I have been quite close to it. Many parents usually ask me how we navigated through it. Here are some ideas for …

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The Value Of Being Grateful

by Silvia Damiano on 20 June 2010

Reading this thought provoking book called “The Me Myth” by Andrew Griffiths reminded me of the importance of cultivating gratitude.

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Remembering India

by Silvia Damiano on 13 June 2010

Remembering India

Putting things into perspective for busy people. More than a year ago I went on a “renewal trip”. One of my destinations was India, an exotic land full of contrasts.

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The Chemistry Of Love

by Silvia Damiano on 27 May 2010

“Love is in the Air”… in the words of the song by Australian rock singer John Paul Young. But what does love actually look like in the brain? A great documentary on the chemistry of love was shown in Sixty Minutes last week - and definately worth watching!

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What’s The Point? The Magic Of Purpose

by Silvia Damiano on 17 May 2010

“A ship is safe in harbor, but that's not what ships are for.” William Shed. Over the weekend, I have been watching Jessica Watson arriving into the Sydney Harbour in her small yacht named Pink Lady.

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Why An Effective Leader Needs To Provide Certainty

by Silvia Damiano on 11 May 2010

While conducting interviews and doing the research I needed for writing my book on engagement at work, it became apparent to me that several crucial ingredients are needed to being fully engaged with what we do.

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Eureka Moments

by Silvia Damiano on 6 May 2010

Being as passionate as I am for creative thinking, - a few years ago I started to notice how moments of insight (or “eureka”) were occurring within me. And the more I understand them, the more I seek these moments as they are extremely energizing.

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Prejudice And Empathy

by Silvia Damiano on 29 April 2010

Is “being human” a function of how our brain responds to certain types of people? Is “dehumanization” towards others the reason why some leaders are not empathetic? How does the lack of empathy affect the bottom line? How many times do we miss opportunities due to the inability or the …

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Decisions And Attention

by Silvia Damiano on 27 April 2010

The first thing that comes to mind when thinking about decisions and attention is how little most leaders in organisations know about the impact of technology and its use on our ability to concentrate and maximize what we need to do at work. We have been led to believe that we are ver …

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The Impact Of The Prefrontal Cortex On Behaviour

by Silvia Damiano on 19 April 2010

A couple of years ago, while teaching my 17 year old son to drive, I was able to have probably one of the best opportunities to observe the pre-frontal cortex (known as PFC) in action.

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Key Trends That Will Shape The Way We Learn

by Silvia Damiano on 16 April 2010

I have recently come across “The Horizon Report 2010″, a publication by The New Media Consortium and Educause Learning. This annual report is put together every fall by an Advisory Board with the aim of identifying and describing emerging technologies that most likely will impact on t …

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Unraveling the Mysteries of Dopamine: How It Influences Learning, Motivation, and Leadership

by Silvia Damiano on 13 April 2010

Unraveling the Mysteries of Dopamine: How It Influences Learning, Motivation, and Leadership

What Is Dopamine? Discovery and Functions Dopamine, a vital neurotransmitter, is produced by a select group of cells known as dopaminergic neurons or dopaminergic cells located in the brain stem. Its discovery can be attributed to the groundbreaking work of Swedish scientist Arvid Car …

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