Welcome And Guest Introduction

Dr Andrew Greenland 0:00

Welcome back to Voices in Health and Wellness, where I speak with practitioners, founders, and innovators about their professional journeys, their work with patients, and the realities of building a healthcare business. Today I'm joined by Dr. Maryna Yudina, founder of Pacific Neurocentre and Quant Synaptic Solution. Maryna originally trained in Ukraine as a neurologist and gastroenterologist before moving to a very different model of personalised brain healthcare. For more than a decade, she's been developing her approach to neurofeedback and EEG brain mapping, working with everyone from children and veterans to entrepreneurs and high performers. So with that, Maryna, I'd love to welcome you to the show. Thank you very much for joining me today for this podcast.

Dr Maryna Yudina 0:42

Hello and thank you, Andrew. Thank you for the invitation, and I'm happy

From Ukraine Training To US Leadership

Dr Maryna Yudina 0:46

to be here.

Dr Andrew Greenland 0:46

Thank you. So could you take us through your journey from medical training in Ukraine to the work you're currently doing today? Very interested to hear about your journey and your path.

Dr Maryna Yudina 0:57

Yeah, the journey was long and interesting. I finished medical school in Odessa in Ukraine in 1998, 96. And I specialize in family medicine, neurology, and gastroenterology. I work with the different uh types of patients. Uh, and uh part of my um PhD uh materials and studied with also the trauma and cognitive functions and restoring the cognitive functions uh and gut-brain connection um in the patients after the Chernobyl catastrophe, uh the veterans. So that was part of my um my journey as well. And then the life became uh more interesting for me. I moved to the United States and uh I moved to Alaska and I work in a different leadership positions in the hospital level at the infection control officer, um, quality improvement director, uh, working with the implementing different programs for the hospitals in United States and specifically in Alaska. Um that was a more leadership position. And then I transitioned, I start looking for um utilizing my um medical um education and my knowledge of conventional medicine as well, and uh but try to find the approach that will help um people in a different level, more holistic approach. Uh, because what I notice when we are treating only the symptoms, uh so the another part of the symptoms we improve with the medication, but another part of the life it's still the same, and uh that's require a more different approach. And I always been interested on the brain, on the cognitive functions, and that's what uh um led me to the California. I moved from Alaska to California, and I was uh involved in the E, it's called EEG Institute and the company, it's a BMEDIC, that provides a very good uh uh training. Um and also I started looking more for implementing like an EEG-based electroencephalography uh-based neuro approach, neurofeedback. And uh I did like the program. I did like that it's a non-invasive medication-free approach that helped the brain to self-regulate. And uh from there on, um, using my uh expertise and all the knowledge of the medical doctor, um, I create a program that did Cognitive Performance Programs. And uh I started 12 years ago in California, started my business and uh still involved in the EG Institute as well with the different programs and been involved with the uh it's called the program Homecoming Veterans uh for VA with the PTSD. We did a good job and we continue working in that um that uh um field as well. Uh, like you mentioned before, I work uh a lot with the kids, with adults, different groups uh, and now I'm more transition. I still 5% of my practice or my business, it's uh working with the kids, and another part with the different groups with adults, it's uh women in crisis, PDSD, uh veterans, and uh mostly now for the last three years, I uh seen a big demand in the business world, and that's what uh led me to work with the CEO and the business people and the pick performers actually who are suffering with the burnouts, and not only that. So, yeah, and um I opened a company, my company is Pacific Neurocenter, uh based in California, and another um company, Quant Synaptic Solution, that I'm a founder, and it's based on Florida. So I am in two locations between two beautiful states, and actually now I'm growing more globally and um uh going from the like uh um business one-to-one to uh more working with the teams and uh working with the different environments.

Why Symptom-Only Care Breaks Down

Dr Andrew Greenland 5:41

Thank you. You've what a fascinating journey, very interesting. You've done lots of things along your path. Was there a um because obviously you're not practicing conventional medicine now in the in the normal sense of the word? So was there a particular point when you started realizing the conventional model was not giving you or your patients everything they needed? And what was that moment?

Dr Maryna Yudina 6:02

I mean, it was a lot of moments before in my life and uh in the medical field, but when I moved to the United States, um what I noticed, and working in the hospital level, um I noticed the system, it's not the not communicate with the with the physicians very well. So uh when it's too many uh people involved in a patient treatment sometimes that what they uh we're losing the communication between two departments or physicians or the nurse and the doctors, and that's where the medical errors occur. And also I've been seeing and uh at the uh at the big time respect conventional medicine, but uh I repeatedly saw that uh treating only symptoms alone uh did not always uh restore how people functioned. And that's why I start looking for something maybe different and utilize my expertise uh in the medical field in conventional medicine and uh uh moving forward to help people in a more at the whole. Um, even like some examples, um some of my clients um they we restore the sleep. For example, we help you know with the sleep or with the um with the mental clarity, but uh when I look uh in a bigger picture, the environment uh of the person that he or she lives still the same. So it requires uh changes in a different level, in the physical activity, in the nutritional part, in uh environmental level as well, checking this uh um where the person lives, where the person works. Uh, it's a lot of different um puzzles that we need to put together, and it's not always work with the conventional medicine.

Neurofeedback Explained With Simple Analogies

Dr Andrew Greenland 8:04

Got it. So if somebody walked into your clinic knowing absolutely nothing about neurofeedback, how would you explain it to them? And obviously, our listeners will be very interested to hear.

Dr Maryna Yudina 8:15

Uh, it's a very good question. And uh I uh I tell you the truth, I still struggling um explaining. Uh uh, like people tell me you need to explain me how like I'm a 10 years old. But like, you know, for the 10 years old, I will tell like you will be watching movies with me, you know, while I'm uh training your brain. But uh um yeah, I explained that it's we are it's a non-invasive, very important part that it's non-invasive, medication-free uh technology that helps the brain uh to self-regulate. What we're doing, we are showing the own uh activity, all on the own brain activity to the screen, and that the feedback the brain learns from the own activity. If the screen or in the no sound or the vibration goes slower, that means you are losing the attention when it's uh getting bigger. That's when it's a reward mechanism. It's like you staying it's a mirror. We have a mirror neurons in our brain. So, and also it's like uh working at the mirror when you uh uh look in the mirror, when you're walking by the mirror and you look at yourself and you note it that you are staying like that, would be would be your first response. You'll chin up, you'll shove your shoulders back, and you want to walk like that. So that's what feedback for that to note it that we need the feedback. So that's what actually we are showing the brain the own activity, and the brain we help the brain to learn how to perform better.

EEG Brain Mapping As A Roadmap

Dr Andrew Greenland 9:57

Thank you, very clear. Um, I think you told me that your process starts with EEG brain mapping. Um, what are you looking for when you map someone's brain?

Dr Maryna Yudina 10:07

Uh EG mapping helps me uh to uh see the different areas. We are mapping it's uh 19 regions of the brain and plus 55 areas of the brain, and we are checking for some uh neural markers that it's a potential um uh potential situation that can be happening with the if uh uh anxiety gets worse or cognitive functions get worse. Uh, it helps me to see uh which area of the brain not uh performing well enough. And uh it's a part of uh uh assessment, one of my assessments, uh as well as a um very detailed um gathering of the history or information about the person, and not only about the person, but also, like I mentioned before, about the environment. I always start with a um conversation about that. I'm not a magician, I am um a highly professional person and I'm happy to help, but no magics. Uh, it's work and it's required two people. It's like a tango dance. Uh, we have to dance together. So I'm contributing my time and effort and expertise, and the person needs to be uh fully uh engaged and come to contribute his or her time. And I always ask about what the goals, what the three goals, what you want, what do you want? What do you want to improve or what your situation? Uh not just in general, like, oh, I want to sleep better. Okay, sleep better, but then we go to the details, what what how your sleep. It's a uh fragmented sleep. How is it is it hard for you to fall asleep? Is it hard for you to stay asleep? It's a lot of different details that I go through that, and plus uh brain mapping helps me to create a road map. Uh, where are we going? Yeah, it's like a Google map.

Personal Protocols That Change Session

Dr Andrew Greenland 12:16

Got it. I was gonna my next question was gonna be how do you go from that initial brain map to developing an individual protocol for that person? What are some of the key things that help you to design that protocol? You might have already answered me, actually.

Dr Maryna Yudina 12:30

Yeah. Um the the you I'm glad you mentioned the personal protocol. So my approach is very, very personalized. I work on one-on-one with the person. It's not like uh even if I decided to what what area of the protocol. So the protocol can change every time when the person coming to my office. My work even starts when I met the person first time, um, how the person uh found my office and communication even through the messages. Uh, that's already giving me uh idea, like I have in my brain, I have a checklist, like how uh good you are with the uh directions, how good you are with the timing if you late or if you are before time. So all these small things it's created in my brain. Um, it's create a bigger picture about the person. And um plus uh brain map helps uh plus I do the first when I meet with the person, it's uh always like a first consultation that I need to see if we are a good fit for each other and or the program is a good fit for the person, and um it can be different situations. If the person told me, like, oh, I'm drinking uh everyday uh bottle of wine, and my question is, uh, would you consider to change your lifestyle? And if the answer, oh no, uh, somebody told me that you can fix my brain, and uh that will be like a magic, that like I said, it's no magic. So you need to consider to change your lifestyle as well. As you know, so you can go to the gym and uh exercise and then go home and eat a burger and drink beer and expect the result that you will lose weight and gain like good muscles. Uh no, it doesn't work like that. So it's require um uh require changes of your lifestyle. Uh protocol again. I consider all the factors, not only the brain map, of course, not only the uh when I do on my consultation, I do the demo session. I use the different uh uh screens, like some it's like a more boring task. You are watching the screen when you are walking through the woods, and it's requiring your more attention because it's it's a boring task. And I see how the electrical activity of the brain works during that uh task, then I switch to the more active task, for example, the jet going through the tube. So it's required, it's more visual, it's more engaging, and then another like uh I choose, like, for example, um uh the jet skis, uh the game, so and see how the person engages in that. And based on all of that, based on all of the information, the history, it's like in conventional medicine, we do the history and physical, the same approach I use uh uh with the neurofeedback. Um uh then when I decided of the preliminary protocol, it's not the protocol that okay, that's it, and now I have an assistant and I give it to the assistant, and she or he will uh do the work. No, on the last 12 years, that's why probably I've been uh quite successful in that field, uh, because my approach is very personal, and I work with one-on-one with the people. And like I said, every time when you coming, when the person coming to the session, I ask specific questions, we have a conversation, and then based on that, I decided do I on the moving forward with the protocol I already designed, or maybe today I change the protocol and uh I do the something different based on the information what person told me. For example, uh yesterday the person had a um had a very stressful day at the office, and then she cried in the evening and she couldn't sleep. So today, instead of working with your uh prefrontal area where the executive functions, I would change my protocol and do the more calming protocol to calm down and regulate the nervous system and help the person to go through the day and recover. That's what the recover process. So it's a complex thinking and uh always critical thinking as well, included in my uh in my approach, how I work with the people.

What You Do During Training

Dr Andrew Greenland 17:22

Thank you. Very comprehensive. So, just so we can get some some tangible understanding of what the protocol actually looks like in terms of the things the patient will have to do as part of their program. Could you just give us some examples of the kind of activities they might have to do? Because we're talking about a protocol a lot, but I think they'd be very interested to know what the actual outputs are.

Dr Maryna Yudina 17:44

Actually, the person doing nothing, I'm doing everything. Uh uh, so it's um if I use when I use the it's uh called um ILF protocol, infra-low frequency protocol, it's an Othmer method, and I use it a lot. It's um so it's a three components of the of the protocol. It's a visual component when the person is sitting and watching the screen with the different images, it's a uh tactile component. We have a little device, and uh the device vibrates that attach to the um neuroamp, the device that's reading the electrical activity from the specific area of the brain, and that's also vibrate uh during the session. And the audio component, when we are putting the headset on the uh ears, and we are listening to the um the sound of the game or sound of the movie or sound of the music that it's in the screen. So, for the person, actually, like I said, my um my people ask me that question all the time, uh, specifically at the beginning. Oh my god, should I like look like that? Look, look very concentrate very much. Uh no, exactly. I need you to do opposite, I need you to do be fully relaxed and not to try to force anything, because I need your baseline, I need to see how you your brain needs to see and compare the state when you are relaxed and try to concentrate, and what you can do if you are uh more engaged without the burning energy. So it takes time, uh, but um physically you are sitting in a very comfortable environment and in a very comfortable uh reclining chair, and uh you are just uh absorbing the screen and holding this little bear or you know the device and uh listening to the movie, watching the movie. I have a different movie that I can um use for the neurofeedback, and the most important point because my sessions it's uh sometimes it's uh uh 90 minutes, double sessions, so it's a lot of time. I need time to for brain to really work uh and pick up the right frequencies and uh uh establish this new pathways, it takes time. So to sit in the chair and kind of do nothing or watching only the jet, uh, that's not enough. So I need you to be fully engaged and be present. So for that, uh I have a ability to run uh the uh movies, different movies or um animated movies or documentaries. Uh we choose what the person would like to watch and actually educate uh himself or herself. And uh that's how the session works. Very simple for the person, um, not behind the scenes for me, because I'm constantly monitoring and I'm sitting in the room, I'm not moving, I'm not going anywhere, I'm not just set up a uh session, um, put the sensors on the head and move away and to talk to another person. Like I said, that's my my specifically. I'm talking about my uh approach, uh, that's a very one-on-one um approach. Now I'm moving a little bit forward with the older already like um 12 years of uh in this field. I uh have a um I established like a basic protocols that I can use for the different groups of people, and that's what I'm moving forward with that.

Misconceptions And Individual Needs Across Groups

Dr Andrew Greenland 21:37

Thank you. So, what are most people uh commonly misunderstand about uh neurofeedback in your experience?

Dr Maryna Yudina 21:45

Uh no, first of all, uh they don't even know what it means, neurofeedback, or lack of uh knowledge about that uh uh that field at all. And that's a part of my also of my journey. To educate people, how it works and what does it mean, and if it's good for you, or you know, if it's uh you can consider to for you or for your kids or for your business partners. Um educational part is very important. The people think that sometimes that okay, the question sometimes, like, are you going to electrocute my brain? That's the most uh common question, and the answer, of course, not. Nothing has been transmitted to the brain. Um, but that's one that's also the part of explanation. Like I said during the my consultation, I explain everything in the details, everything that all the questions the person had, I answer. Uh, of course, it's uh um the questions people ask me, uh uh if if it will change my personality. I don't want to change my personality, and that's a good question. Uh, nothing to do with just enhance your personality. It will you will manage your life better, easier a little bit. So that's uh, but nothing to change your personality. You are who you are, you will be just a better version of you, calmer, more present, and more successful.

Dr Andrew Greenland 23:24

Thank you. So you're working with a really varied group of people from children with autism and ADHD, veterans with PTSD, women experiencing postpartum depression, high-performing business owners. What are you seeing across those very different groups that tell you the brain needs such an individualized approach?

Dr Maryna Yudina 23:44

Um, yeah, they all kind of like suffering from the different uh um from the same the same situation. Like, for example, all of these groups uh that have problems with the sleep. Maybe uh the only one group, the kids, they usually don't have problems with the sleep, but the adults, yes. So, but the environment, that's what the difference, of course. And the person who are um uh who I'm working with the PTSD with the trauma uh and uh helping with the sleep problems, and the person CEO of the business and helping with the sleep problems, it will be different protocol because with the trauma, I need to address the trauma first and uh calm the nervous system and do more emotional stability protocol instead of uh young 35, 45-year CEO or a business owner and who are you know performing well, but uh the problems with the burnouts and uh um fragmental sleep, that would be a different approach. So I do need to work also with the emotional stability, but probably less than a person with uh trauma, uh post-traumatic stress disorders. Yeah.

Burnout Signals In High Performers

Dr Andrew Greenland 25:07

And with the high performance, what are the warning signs that someone's cognitive performance is starting to suffer, even though they're actually functioning at a high level?

Dr Maryna Yudina 25:16

Um, yeah, it's a good question. Actually, uh, yesterday I have a uh new client who came uh to me um with uh he's a high-level performer, and uh he had eight businesses, and outside his look very uh professional, of course, and very successful. And that's what the outside. But when we start talking, the inside, so he told me Maryna, uh sleep the biggest number one. The sleep, uh uh, the big problem uh problem with this and those high performance people, uh, hard to fall asleep, hard to stay asleep. As soon as he said, as soon as I get up in the three o'clock in the morning, I start thinking constantly, and I can shut down my brain, I can calm down, I have to go and start working. Also, the ability to focus without pushing yourself. That's also part, uh, it's a sign of the already starting the burnout. If you spending more than an hour on the one task and try to concentrate and tell yourself, like, I can do that, I can do that now, I can do, and that the pushing, pushing yourself, and then by the end of the day, realize that you probably have done that one part, one task, but you failed to do everything else. And now, in the end of the day, like, oh my god, I have another 10 things to do. Okay, I will do it tomorrow. So when the ability to concentrate and focus without uh the pushing yourself too much, the uh that's also a sign of uh starting like burnout. Also, the concentration when the person tried to read the information and then looking in the information and then, like, I don't understand what is that. I need to read it again and again and again, and still I can't quite comprehend. Uh, memory starts slipping away. So I always recommend like test yourself, um, get a short poem and uh memorize it and see what you recall next day. Uh, believe me, unfortunately, a lot of young people, I mean young professionals, uh, the next day they discover that uh or they don't remember or they remember very little. And we're talking about the 45 years old people. So that's what the science of the burna. I'm not saying that it's a collapsing, you are collapsing, no, but that's what you need to pay attention on. That's so how you also irritability, the big part on the um business people, not only business people, when you became more snappy, when you became more irritable even at your home environment, that's a big sign of okay, you put too much energy and effort at work. When you're coming home, you're not engaged uh in the in the home environment with your family. And if you answer your wife or your husband or your child, like um, I will be with you in the five minutes. Can you see I'm busy? I need to finish that. So you need to kind of like uh stop yourself and think about like what is that? Am I tired? What happening to me? So it's a lot of small things, but then all the small small uh things get into the bigger picture, and then we have what we have.

PTSD And The Brain Under Trauma

Dr Andrew Greenland 28:54

And with the PTSD patients, what have those patients taught you about what chronic trauma does to the brain? Uh what the training does for the brain, or what the uh what what yeah what PTSD itself does to the brain from what you've learned?

Dr Maryna Yudina 29:10

Oh, that's a big question and um uh big subject actually to cover. Uh so they are suffering with the nightmares, uh, they're suffering with the uh flashbacks uh from the uh different fields, and they if they are active military, um engaging again engagement in the social life, it's very hard for them. I'm working right now with the one of the um veteran um in Florida uh as a part of the uh United Health System, and I'm a part of the uh Homecoming Veterans and that uh that platform. And I I took like sometimes uh um three uh people uh to work pro bono and um help them with the PTSD. So they are uh that's a very it's a complex trauma. So it's uh nightmares, it's uh uh waking up in the morning with the uh lack of energy, uh socializing, socialization, it's very hard to because they it's a different world, like moving from the military world to civilian world. And I tell you my own experience. I work in Odessa, I work in the military hospital, and uh the physician and uh I was a chief of staff. Um I was I so I expect in the military, uh I expect everyone I give the uh the task and they they follow the rules and uh they obey the rules, and then like if I ask, like uh is it I expected that from another team uh um to finish the task. So when I transitioned to the civilian world and the hospital, regular hospital, and when I was quite surprised uh when I work in uh uh in the different hospitals in the United States, I was surprised like why you didn't finish, why you didn't follow the results or this. And the answer was like, oh, I will do it tomorrow. I feel a little bit under the weather. And for me, it was like, what are we talking about? So it was hard for me to transition to the like a different life, you know, uh, even in the hospital, and even we expected like results kind of right away, but or something right away, but it's not the case. And the people in the uh the the military people say with the with that trauma, so they don't know it's very hard to manage the civil life that normal, let's put you know, normal life without the battlefield. So that's part uh um headaches, uh the experiencing headaches, they're experiencing the um again the high-level anger, anger issues. That's a big part of that. Uh yeah, I can go on and on in that. So, yeah.

Measuring Success Beyond The Brain Map

Dr Andrew Greenland 32:20

Thank you. Um, I think when we first spoke, you mentioned that you've seen roughly a 90% success rate with your protocols. How do you define success when you talk about that figure? And what outcomes are you measuring with the people that you see?

Dr Maryna Yudina 32:34

Um, so that's uh also a very good and complex question uh to measure the results. Uh um usually, even in the medical field, how we measure the results, we prescribe the medication. If the medication works, uh, we see the person, the patient, uh feel better, recover better. For example, blood pressure goes down and all the lab work starts getting better. Uh, the same with the neurofeedback. Uh, I use the same approach. Uh the symptoms, uh we are tracking down the symptoms. For example, the most important symptoms, um, like again, like sleep, uh, morning uh uh energy, uh, if the person has a migraine headaches, headaches, uh, anxiety in the scale 1 to 10, 10 would be the worst. We are monitoring that uh uh specific uh measurements. Plus, like I said, I do the uh QEG before uh we start the protocol, not always the case, but uh usually like 90 percent uh I use uh uh brain mapping before, and then I do remapping like after the certain amount of sessions. And uh like for example, like after 20 uh 20 sessions or 20 hours of my work to see the uh what the changes plus symptoms plus uh monitoring the um environmental changes, life changes, lifestyle changes, and uh all of that together, that's uh what gets me the um monitoring the results. It's not only one measure, it's not any like somebody asked me, like, oh, can you just see it by the brain map? Brain map, it's a good tool. It's not we I'm always very specific about that, it's not a medical or diagnostical tool that we are diagnosis with the making diagnosis. No, no, no. It's just to show the different areas of the brain, how the areas of the uh like this neuromarking, how they pre-perform, and but it's not hundred percent uh accurate that yes, we can say, like, oh my god, this person, I can see the person had a memory problems. Uh it's giving me some ideas for sure, but like I said, using all the knowledge and expertise and knowing the uh the brain and knowing the physiology, knowing the biochemistry, knowing the anatomy, uh, that would help me, uh, knowing the history of the person, that would help me to move forward and measure the results. Yeah. Okay.

Doctor To Founder Learning Business Skills

Dr Andrew Greenland 35:16

So we'll switch gears a little bit now, moving on to the kind of the business side of what you do. I'm very curious to know what's been the hardest part of making the transition from doctor to business owner.

Dr Maryna Yudina 35:27

Yeah, it was uh it was hard. It was hard to say because I always work in the hospital settings, and uh that's uh uh but I always want my dream always uh been to have my own business or my own practice, and I think that dream became uh true uh in uh when I moved to United States, uh the land of the opportunity, and uh I was able to um to achieve what I've been dreaming for. Uh so the but transition, and it's still I'm still in transition and I'm still learning a lot because my how I'm a clinician, I'm a physician, so in medical school, we didn't learn a business or business approach, like probably in the United States. Even in the United States, it's a different education, it's a business education for CEO, so of the hospital. You're not supposed to be even a doctor if you're a CEO of the hospital. In my country, you have to be a physician uh to be in the position of the uh running the hospital or the clinic, but nobody trains you and nobody teaches you the business side. So, and uh that would require for me. Um, I was um um able to work with the different companies uh to obtain the different uh uh even degrees in uh business coaching, executive coaching, team leaders coaching, to understand the language of the business and how to approach business leaders as well. And um that what really helps me, and we talk about that a little bit before the interview. I um, after 12 years been a successful businesswoman, um, I I think you know, also I use just my intuition, and um, I have this question a lot like, how did you build that? I don't know. I'm just passionate what I'm doing, and I'm very passionate about helping people. Uh, the money never been in my head, never, ever. I just want I saw that opportunity, like, oh my god, I can help so many people to with this approach and utilizing and using my expertise. That was the first, and then everything comes after that, like a structure of the business, more business structure, but uh, and uh it's still uh it's hard for me in the business world, but of course, after 12 years, it's little getting a little easier. And um, my business I was uh chosen by the um uh company, it's uh uh Goldman Sachs, and it's a program, it's a 10,000 small business uh uh program. And uh I was admitted to that program after the certain amount of interviews, and I was chosen among another 2,000 candidates. It was a 28 candidates, and I'm one uh was chosen among them, and I'm very proud uh to be a part of that training. And that's what I just graduated like uh three weeks ago uh from that program in Miami, and that's what really helps me uh to see more like okay, I already uh built the business, and now I am kind of in a situation that I would like to grow, but I I don't know how. And that's what helped me to with my roadmap and how to from the it's like a small MBA program that it's very important for the business people. If you want to run your business, you need to learn your finances, you need to learn how to even look on these numbers and understand those numbers. Uh, you need to learn how to do the marketing as well, uh, because my marketing, it was all word of mouth. Uh, the only thing I knew that I have to be the best of the best in my area, and that works pretty well. But if you want to um uh scale your business or grow uh your business, you need to get a little bit more uh knowledge about how to run the business and uh how to approach different business leaders and the business opportunities. So that's what helps me to move forward. Not easy, nothing easy, but I'm very um passionate what I do, like I said already, and I'm uh very determined and I'm overachiever myself and very competitive. Um, and that's why like I'm now I'm kind of like unstoppable. What else I can do? What else I can do, how else I can explore different areas, and like right now I am planning and I'm already starting the pilot project with the different organizations to help uh uh to help different groups of people to move forward and make it like maybe start to educate another clinicians part of them, you know, the that journey, educate uh certification process. Uh maybe this area uh will be also not maybe this area on my growth plan opportunity as well.

Scaling White-Glove Care With Teams

Dr Andrew Greenland 40:56

Amazing. So your your model is very um and deliberately personalized. You described it as a white glove service. So you're talking a lot about growth just now. How do you grow a practice that's fundamentally built around individualization without losing the thing that makes it effective?

Dr Maryna Yudina 41:12

Um so it's still, even if I'm like I'm growing and working with the bigger number of larger number of people, um, I'm still uh and it's always will be in my uh business or my practice one-on-one. It's never go, it never will go away. That's let's put this way, but also working with the teams, like at 15 or more people, uh, it still requires my personal um approach or presence. So it's uh never will be I train somebody and that somebody will take over and I will just be a big boss. Uh no, I will be and I am in the field. It's just a different approach with the different groups of people, what they need. For example, I start working with uh uh one um business organization, and what they we first do like assessment and assessment I do. I am coming for the meetings and I'm listening with the what the problem or what the where the pain. It's like kind of the same uh approach when I work one-on-one. What's your pain? What you need, what your goals. The same when I work with the company. I'm going and I'm listening for the board members uh on the meeting, like and I ask the same question. What the pain of the company? Well, what the sufferer, where are you suffering? Tell me what your goals, three goals, three. Don't give me 10. I need three most important goals and build from there. Okay, so how many people? Who is these people? And then I meet personally with all the team members and explain how it works, what are we going to do? But then I do have an assistant, then uh assistant who does the technical uh work, but I create uh uh like uh finalize all the protocols even for the company because some people require a personal, little bit more personal approach. It never will be specifically in my practice, uh in my business, it never will be um only uh the protocol that it's uh um like a general protocol, because it's no way you will make a difference if you do the general protocol for the everyone. No, we're all different, and uh different people, different age, different needs, uh different gender, uh, different culture. Uh that's also big things. Different culture, different culture, different work etiquette. Uh So it still required the personal touch, that it's my touch, but then everything else I can observe or I can lead, I can give it to the person who I train, and uh I just uh uh monitor the progress and uh move on with that. And still, and while I'm doing that, I still I will work with my one-on-one clients.

Dr Andrew Greenland 44:25

So you clearly have much success doing this, but what are the things that are the biggest challenges for you right now and the bottlenecks as you you try and grow, or even just maintaining operations as they are? What are those kind of things that get in your way?

Dr Maryna Yudina 44:41

Oh, yeah, that's uh um getting a way uh to reach out to the right people, to reach out to the um to the right people to to bring the message. And um I just want to few pilot projects right now that I need to start and to show the results, and then it will start growing like that. And that's what the hardest part right now for me. So I am it's gonna require a lot of work and a lot of effort, and I'm not afraid of work, and I'm not afraid to put uh uh effort. Um, but that's what yeah, reach out to the right people, reach out to the people who will be open uh for the non-invasive uh technology and uh listen to me and uh uh you know, and uh maybe do some fundraising, or because of course as everything requires my time and uh technology using its require finances and uh to create a bigger, larger, better program, I need the financial support, and that's what I'm now in. And uh, if anyone interested on my pilot project, I would be happy to kind of uh connect and uh uh let's do it, let's do it together.

Gratitude Routines And Box Breathing Tools

Dr Andrew Greenland 46:00

So as a CEO founder, you wear all the hats at various points in growing your business. What um things keep you up at night with any of this in terms of um cause you stress, time or cost you undue time, energy, or money? What are the things that keep you up at night?

Dr Maryna Yudina 46:19

No, actually, uh I sleep very well at night, nothing keeps me up, and that's a part of my training as well, because a lot of my clients they ask me, Maryna, uh, do you do the brain training, neurofeedback for yourself? Uh, definitely, yes. That's what helped me with the not to get to the burnout because I, like you mentioned, I do wear a lot of hats, and I'm uh uh like a solo, uh not like a solo person. I have a team, uh, but uh I'm the one who running everything and running the business. Um, what wakes me up in the morning, actually, first of all, I woke up with the gratitude every single morning, and that's what how I set up my day. I'm grateful for everything, whatever this day will bring me. I'm grateful for everything I had, and I grateful for everything I will have. And the gratitude that would keep me uh like the first, uh, that's how I set up my morning, and then move on. Um uh move on with the day, thinking about okay, who I'm going to reach out today, how I'm going to uh manage my day, and plus keep in balance myself, my life. I uh play golf. I'm a golfer, I'm not a golfer, but I play golf and I love it. It's a mental game, and that would keep me in balance. And when I was in uh uh, for example, I also changed my um uh my life or my schedule as needed. For example, when I was admitted to the Goldman Sachs School, uh it's required my personal presence and the classes. So, and I have a client in California, and I have a client and work and business to run in Florida. So I have to fly uh like I have to attend the class, and then uh once in the two weeks I have in the after the class in the nine o'clock flight, I have to go overnight to California uh from the airport. I have to go to my office and work with the clients for five days, and then on Wednesday night I'm taking the flight back to Florida, arriving at six o'clock in the morning, uh, taking a shower, change, drink my coffee and uh uh go to the class and be present, not just sit in the class and be present and absorb the information. To do all of that, of course, I need to change my routine. So for that period of time when I was in the school, I was uh uh I I cancel all my network groups, meetings, everything that will be keep me uh uh keep my um like take my more my energy. So I just keep my work schedule, I learn how to, I like manage, I talk to my brain and I manage um to uh rest during the flights at the night and reading books when I was flying on the flights. So I change for that period of time, I changed my life, and that would help me uh to prevent the burnouts and stay in balance and try to play golf no matter what, even like one hour of practice that would set my, you know, like put me like okay, grounded me, and um um take off from my uh busy schedule all the list of the different social activities that I restoring uh now. So yeah, it's really it takes uh, but nothing human. Like I sleep very well, thank god. Yeah, that's what actually helps to restore the energy. But now I'm constantly like thinking about like today we're finishing our uh interview, and I have a couple appointments uh to discuss uh uh about the pilot project or discuss my program. And also I'm involved, I do the uh workshops and um lunch and learn uh to educate people about their mental health and giving them practical tools, not only with my uh train, brain training, but how they can train uh their brain by themselves at home or to prevent some situations. Yeah. For example, uh box breathing exercises. When you go into the busy environment and meeting and you are um a little anxious or anxious a lot, uh take your time and do the breathing exercise before you're entering the room, or even during the very busy meeting and you feel you're anxious, uh take a five minutes break or a few minutes break, go to the bathroom and breeze. Breathe in, stop, breeze out, so box breathing exercises, and that will help to uh to calm the nervous system, to calm the brain, and then when you get back to that room, you will see it a little bit different. Yeah.

Closing Thanks And Final Reflections

Dr Andrew Greenland 51:28

Maryna, thank you so much for joining me today. I think now's a good time to end the conversation because you were talking just then about gratitude, and I want to end this with gratitude for your time having this conversation. It's been fascinating hearing about your journey. Uh you've done lots of amazing things on your path, and you've given us some very informative and educational insights into neurofeedback, the applications of it, and how you're helping so many people in so many different um challenges with their lives and the way their brains are functioning. So, thank you so much for joining me today. It's been an absolute pleasure.

Dr Maryna Yudina 52:01

Thank you so much for having me.