The Neuro Collective Podcast

Part 1 - Lighting the Way: The Breakthrough Brain Science That Brightens The Coming Year-Episode 135

Dr. Michael Bagnell & May Bagnell

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In this opening episode of our December series, Lighting the Way: The Breakthrough Brain Science That Brightens the Coming Year, Dr. Michael and May Bagnell, IHP broadcast from their peaceful outdoor garden—a fitting backdrop for today’s focus on calm, clarity, and creating a healthier way of living

As we enter a busy season filled with commitments and expectations, we explore how intentional choices can help you build a peaceful, focused, and resilient nervous system. Before diving into advanced topics like peptides, genetics, and neuro-optimization, this episode brings us back to the foundation: your lifestyle

You’ll learn how a major 2025 landmark trial—the POINTER Study funded by the Alzheimer’s Association—reveals that a structured multi-domain lifestyle intervention built on nutrition, movement, cognitive training, and health monitoring can significantly improve cognitive function and help prevent age-related decline. 

Inside this episode, we break down: 

  • Why the nervous system must come first in every healing or optimization plan
  • How simple choices like saying “no” can protect your peace during the holidays
  • The importance of structured movement for longevity
  • How to elevate daily nutrition by prioritizing protein, healthy fats, and minimizing fast-burning sugars
  • The power of tools like continuous glucose monitoring, sleep tracking, and yearly labs
  • Why cognitive training must go beyond puzzles into deeper areas such as executive function, impulse control, and brain network strengthening


Whether you are seeking healing or looking to optimize already good health, this conversation gives you clear direction on how to step into 2026 feeling prepared, grounded, and informed—not overwhelmed or uncertain.


You can heal, and we can help.