by Noel Foy | Nov 1, 2022 | Newsletter
Hi Brain Changers, I hope you enjoyed an amazing summer and are ready for a productive school year to take flight! I’m flying high about the release of my second book, Are You a Bird Like Me? The story features colorful characters who demonstrate the powers of kindness, courage, and connection. These friendly critters address important themes such as friendship, perseverance, and working together, even with folks who aren’t “just like us.” Are You a Bird Like Me? joins the children’s literature circuit with my first story, ABC Worry Free. That book responds to the current public mental health crisis by providing kids (and adults!) with a 3-step approach to managing anxiety. Both books are valuable additions to classrooms, resource/counselor offices, and home libraries. As a children’s author, neuroeducation consultant, and anxiety/executive function coach, it’s a thrill to combine these areas of expertise with my passion for reading and writing literacy. Everyone gains when they are informed and literate about anxiety/stress, executive function, and how it relates to learning. It would be my honor to support you in these areas via my two books, workshops, or one-on-one coaching. If you’re interested in practical language and productive responses to help kids and adults reduce anxiety, persevere through challenges, and learn more, let’s talk! You’re welcome to schedule an author visit, workshop, or discovery call by emailing noel@neuronoel.com. Stress less, enjoy more, Noel Quick Tips It’s hard to learn when you’re feeling anxious, frustrated, angry, bored, or don’t see relevance to what you’re learning. These stressful states affect the quality of your attention, memory, thinking, executive function, and behavior. That’s...
by Noel Foy | Jul 5, 2022 | Newsletter
Hello Brain Changers! I hope this newsletter finds you well and looking forward to fun, adventures, and good summer reads! Speaking of which, my second book Are You a Bird Like Me? is set to release on Thursday, June 23rd, just in time for summer reading! More on this in a minute. You’ve likely noticed “mental health” making consistent headlines throughout May (Mental Health Awareness Month). So, I wanted to check in. How’s your mental health literacy? Are you paying attention to the warning signs of stress, anxiety, and burnout? As the window of stress tolerance has grown smaller for many folks, anxiety has continued to climb among kids and adolescents to over 30%. This increase in anxiety has caused the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) to call it a national emergency. When you take into account the increase in stressors and lack of training in mental health literacy, it’s no surprise many kids and adults are having difficulty coping. Stress and anxiety impact learning, relationships, behavior, mood, sleep, health, school/job success, and overall life enjoyment. At an earlier point in my life, I didn’t have the language or tools to understand the impact of stress/anxiety or how to respond to it productively. Equipping myself with these skills has been a game-changer, and it can be for you, too! By empowering yourself with accurate information, practical language, and productive responses to anxiety/stress, you can learn better, feel better, and work more efficiently. This is the core of my work. I’ve been thrilled to provide keynotes and workshops to schools,...
by Noel Foy | Apr 11, 2022 | Newsletter
Welcome Brain Changers! With spring around the corner, the season beckons a sense of new beginnings and growth, which makes it extra fitting to announce the “birth” of my second book, Are You a Bird Like Me? It’s about a hatchling named Sky who believes her nest is the “whole entire world” — until she falls out of it! We can all relate to times when we find ourselves in a world outside of our comfort zone. In those times, we need to manage the uncertainty that accompanies the unknown. From discussions with teachers, parents and professionals, the ever-changing developments of the last two years have led to an increase in stress/anxiety at work and the prevalence of more behavior issues in school and at home, particularly in regard to anxiety and lack of self-regulation. Consequently, mental health literacy and anxiety/stress management skills are more important than ever for kids and adults. This is where I can help. I provide schools, families, and businesses an understanding of anxiety/stress. Through workshops, keynotes, and one-on-one coaching, clients learn practical language to talk about anxiety/stress and productive responses to manage it. Additionally, I find storytelling an approachable and playful way to tackle uncomfortable or complex topics. In ABC Worry Free, I provide readers a relatable story and actionable approach to curb anxiety’s vicious cycle. In Are You a Bird Like Me?, Sky meets a diverse group of friends who help her discover a world beyond her nest and the amazing things that happen by working together. Both books encourage productive change and the will to face fears through courage, perseverance, and friendship....
by Noel Foy | Dec 11, 2021 | Newsletter
Season Greetings Brain Changers! With a name like Noel, it’s no surprise I have a weakness for the holidays, but you wouldn’t know that from looking at my first Santa visit Yep, that’s me on Santa’s lap, consumed by catastrophic thinking, avoidance, and inflexibility–anxiety’s hallmark patterns. The other kids enjoyed this moment and wanted to get closer to Santa, while I felt uncomfortable and didn’t see myself ever liking this experience. I wanted out! At the time, I had no clue I was dealing with anxiety or could do anything to combat it. Thankfully, that’s no longer the case! In my commitment to supporting schools, organizations, families, and individuals with anxiety management, I teach kids and adults what anxiety looks, sounds, and feels like in the mind and body. More importantly, I empower them with practical “real-time” tools to help them feel better. By understanding how anxiety works and how to respond to it in more productive ways, you can turn down its volume, reset, and pivot. You may be aware that a little stress can actually be good. It can enhance performance and growth, just like when doing strength training in the gym. However, if you never stop working or never give your muscles (and mind) an opportunity to rest and repair, it can lead to burnout and chronic stress. The brain has the ability to rewire itself, so why not train it to your advantage! The ability to reset and pivot is key, especially given the ever-changing stressors of the pandemic, coupled with the excitement and triggers of the holiday season. This holiday season and throughout the...
by Noel Foy | Jul 13, 2021 | Newsletter
Hello Brain Changers! Welcome to my first newsletter and what better way to kick it off than with some great news! I am thrilled to announce that my book ABC Worry Free has just received the prestigious Mom’s Choice Award®! Parents, educators, retailers, and media sources worldwide look for the MCA seal of approval when selecting high quality, family-friendly books, products and services. This award is an honor and proof that individuals like you are interested in practical solutions to help manage stress/anxiety. This interest has heightened with the rise in anxiety and recent pandemic, which is why I decided to start this quarterly newsletter. My goal is to bring you helpful tips and resources, so you can train your brain in the best possible way, build better executive function and develop a resilient mindset to adapt to our ever-changing world. As you may know, my transition from classroom teacher and learning specialist to neuroeducator began when my own sons experienced stressful, emotional states during learning. Paired with one son’s diagnosis of Post-Concussion Syndrome, this sequence set me in motion, determined to find answers. I learned how to transform key neuroscience findings into immediate applications that decrease stress, appeal to how the brain learns best and boost performance. From there, I started Neuro Noel Consulting with the mission of empowering my clients with practical ways to help lower stress/anxiety and achieve more success at school, home, work or beyond. Whether you’ve attended one of my workshops or are a friend, colleague or client, I appreciate you being on this brain-changing journey with me. Let me support and empower you...
