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In this episode of The Neuro Collective Podcast, Dr. Michael Bagnell sit down with Shawn Ryan, former Navy SEAL and podcast host, for an in-depth conversation on short-term memory loss and what it reveals about brain health.

Shawn shares his personal experience with forgetting thoughts mid-sentence—whether in conversation, on camera, or in everyday life and how those symptoms briefly improved following psychedelic treatment before returning. This opens the door to a deeper discussion on how the brain manages working memory, speech, and attention, and why these disruptions may occur.

What does it really mean when your mind goes blank in the middle of a sentence?

In this episode, Dr. Michael Bagnell explains short-term and working memory through the lens of functional neurology, focusing on how brain regions and networks must work together in real time. Rather than isolating memory or speech as standalone problems, this conversation explores the brain globally—looking at executive function, the frontal and temporal lobes, and how disconnections between networks can create everyday cognitive symptoms.

The discussion also dives into how trauma, concussions, PTSD, ADHD, inflammation, stress, and lifestyle factors can layer over time, affecting brain performance long after the original event. Dr. Bagnell explains why brain mapping matters, how EEG and QEEG data can guide care, and why identifying the right intervention depends on understanding the individual brain.

Shawn and Dr. Bagnell also explore non-traditional therapies, including psychedelics and marijuana, offering a balanced, data-informed perspective on their potential benefits, limitations, and risks. The episode addresses the default mode network, memory suppression, neuroplasticity, and why some people experience powerful breakthroughs while others may not.

This conversation is thoughtful, grounded, and honest—designed to help listeners better understand their brain, their symptoms, and the importance of personalized brain-based care.

As this conversation comes to a close, we’re reminded that memory lapses and cognitive symptoms are often signals, not failures. They reflect how the brain adapts, protects, and responds to experiences over time.

Our goal with this episode is clarity—helping you understand what may be happening in your brain and why individualized data, thoughtful evaluation, and the right support matter. Healing begins with understanding.

Thank you to Shawn Ryan for his openness and willingness to explore these topics with honesty and depth. And thank you to our listeners for joining us on The Neuro Collective Podcast. If this episode resonated with you, be sure to subscribe, share it with someone who may benefit, and continue the conversation with us in future episodes.

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Welcome to a special bonus episode of The Neuro Collective Podcast as we step into 2026 together.

In this episode, May Bagnell, IHP reflects on the recently completed December series, Lighting the Way, and shares what was still on her heart as the new year began. Rather than focusing on resolutions, rigid plans, or “fixing” ourselves, this conversation invites you into a different way forward—one rooted in intention, nervous system support, and sustainable healing.

You’ll explore the powerful difference between pressure and direction, and why the brain responds more effectively when we choose clarity over force. May walks you through reflective questions designed to help you understand what your brain and body truly need more of in 2026, what quietly drains your nervous system, and what feels nourishing instead of demanding.

This episode introduces the concept of a guiding word for the year—a simple yet powerful filter for decision-making, habits, and boundaries. You’ll also learn how small, consistent daily practices can turn intention into lived experience, without perfection or overwhelm.

If you’re longing to begin 2026 feeling more grounded, calm, confident, and aligned—this episode offers a gentle but meaningful starting point.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why intention is more effective than traditional New Year’s resolutions
• How the brain responds to direction rather than pressure
• Reflective questions to support nervous system regulation
• How to choose a guiding word for 2026
• Simple daily practices that support healing and consistency
• Why compassion, predictability, and patience matter for brain health

As always, our mission is to remind you that healing is possible—and you don’t have to do it alone.

Remember:
You can heal, and we can help.

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As we close out 2025 and step into a new year, Dr. Michael and May Bagnell, IHP welcome you to the final episode of the Lighting the Way series. This conversation marks both an ending and a beginning—a moment to pause, reflect, and intentionally step forward into 2026 with clarity, confidence, and hope.

This episode is not about learning one more thing. It is about integration. Over the past seven episodes, we have explored powerful breakthroughs in neuroscience that are reshaping how we understand healing, recovery, and long-term brain health. From lifestyle medicine and gut-brain science to sleep, neuroplasticity, peptides, inflammation, and sensory integration, this finale brings it all together and focuses on how to apply what you’ve learned in a way that truly fits your life.

We discuss why the greatest challenge in health today is not a lack of information, but overwhelm. Most people know what they should do—eat better, move more, sleep well, manage stress—but knowing is not the same as integrating. Healing happens when systems work together: the brain, body, nervous system, emotional health, habits, purpose, and mindset.

In this episode, we revisit the eight pillars of the Holistic Brain Blueprint, not as a checklist, but as a framework to help you identify what is already working and where you want to focus in the year ahead:

• Lifestyle as medicine
• Gut-brain health
• Sleep and glymphatic detox
• Neuroplasticity
• Regenerative support
• Inflammation and immune balance
• Sensory integration and nervous system safety
• Mindset and personal agency

We also reframe New Year’s resolutions by shifting the focus from vague goals to sustainable habits, explaining how habits shape our current health and how intentional habit changes can create lasting transformation. You’ll hear why healing is rarely linear, why brain-based care requires a different way of thinking than traditional medicine, and how aligning the right supports in the right order can help collapse the timeline of healing.

As we close this season, we leave you with a simple but powerful reminder: your brain and body are capable of change. Healing accelerates when you believe it is possible and when you partner with your body instead of fighting it.

We end this episode with a reflection on Auld Lang Syne, honoring the past while stepping forward with hope, gratitude, and renewed intention.

Thank you for joining us on this journey through the Lighting the Way series. If these conversations have resonated with you, we invite you to revisit them, share them with someone you love, and carry this message of hope into the year ahead.

Wishing you a healthy, grounded, and hopeful 2026.
— Dr. Michael & May Bagnell, IHP