Episode 6: Learning That Actually Sticks — Why Your Brain Loves the Easy Stuff (and Why It Fails You)
with Sheila B. Robinson

What if the way you think you learn is the very thing keeping you from learning at all?

In this episode of The Underlayer, I sit down with teaching and learning expert Sheila B. Robinson to unravel one of the biggest lies we tell ourselves: that feeling fluent equals knowing.

It doesn’t. That warm glow from rereading and highlighting?
It’s a fluency illusion, and it’s costing you mastery.

We go beneath the surface of real learning to break down why the strategies that feel hardest are the ones that actually make knowledge stick.

You’ll hear:

• Why rereading feels productive but produces almost zero retention
• How retrieval practice, spacing, and blank-page testing train your brain to remember
• The power of simple language and teaching concepts back to yourself
• Why learning styles are a myth, but preferences still shape how you engage
• How mnemonics, meaningful imagery, and the Feynman Technique boost memory
• The surprising science behind “desirable difficulties” and productive friction
• What Sheila learned from writing a book, and why struggle is the secret ingredient
• How to use AI for quizzes, prompts, and feedback without outsourcing the thinking

By the end, you’ll know exactly how to turn information into skill: retrieve it, space it, & apply it until it sticks.

🎧 The Underlayer — Where the Real Story Lives.

If this episode helps you learn better, subscribe, share it with a friend who’s studying or teaching, and leave a quick review to tell us which strategy you’ll try first.

Sheila's LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheilabrobinson/

Sheila's Website:

https://www.sheilabrobinson.com/

The Underlayer YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/@the_under_layer

The Underlayer Podcast Website: https://www.theunderlayerpodcast.com/

David's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-young-mba-indy/

Bonus Episode — The Comedy Hidden Inside Everyday Life

with David Young

What if the funniest set you’ve ever heard was hiding inside ordinary life?

In this special bonus episode of The Underlayer, I took on a dare to create 30 minutes of standup from nothing but real stories. TV dinners, botched Jeopardy guesses, stubborn tech, parenting misfires, and a dog whose tail might be issuing warnings instead of wagging.

What started as a challenge turned into a map of everyday misunderstandings: the comedy that shows up when confidence outruns context, and how the smallest misfires reveal the most about us.

You’ll hear:

• A family dinner ritual that migrated to the couch, and why Jeopardy contestants can name obscure rivers but miss rock’s most iconic front man

• Kobe the Wheaten Terrier, his new behavioral meds, and a vet-approved revelation: wagging isn’t always joy

• Parenting moments featuring C–minus chores, a mysteriously “vanished” recycling bin, and a permit drive that ends with a garage door incident

• Contractor contradictions about rollers and springs plus a smart garage system that’s easy until the app demands a router extender

• Travel mishaps in Toronto, including a refused drink, a rogue latte lid, and a stranger who parked a personal trash can beside the hidden shop bin

• Parents with modern phones who still can’t follow Maps, a detour to the wrong city, and why Bluetooth always gets blamed

By the end, you’ll see why the funniest stories are the true ones, and how everyday chaos becomes comedy when you zoom out just enough to notice it.

🎧 The Underlayer — Where the Real Story Lives.

YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/@the_under_layer

The Underlayer Podcast Website: https://www.theunderlayerpodcast.com/

David's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-young-mba-indy/

Episode 3: Human Design, Frequency, and the Decisions Your Body Already Knows

with Lauren Ammon

What if your best decisions aren’t made in your head?

In this episode of The Underlayer, I sit down with Human Design coach and practitioner Lauren Ammon to explore a simple, liberating shift: your body already knows the truth, your mind is just louder.

We go beneath the surface of Human Design to break down how your energy is meant to move through the world, where friction begins, and why most people spend years overriding the signals that would make life feel easier, lighter, and more aligned.

You’ll hear:

• The 4 Human Design types—Generators, Manifesting Generators, Projectors, and Manifestors, and what each is built to do
• Why authority matters more than mindset, and how your body gives you a clean yes/no
• How the 5/1 profile carries projection and pressure to “fix” everything
• The truth about conditioning: career paths, marriage expectations, success scripts, and where they drain your energy
• How to spot the difference between a true response and a mind-made plan
• Practical ways to decondition without blowing up your entire life

By the end, you’ll understand how to trust your design, follow your authority, and make decisions that feel aligned, not forced.

🎧 The Underlayer — Where the Real Story Lives.

Lauren's website: https://www.performancereimagined.com/

Lauren's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenammon/

YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/@the_under_layer

The Underlayer Podcast Website: https://www.theunderlayerpodcast.com/

David's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-young-mba-indy/