Q&A with Chris Parker: Co-author of The Brain Always Wins2

Q: What first inspired you and Dr John Sullivan to create The Brain Always Wins — and what made you want to revisit and expand it with this second edition?

A: For me, the inspiration for The Brain Always Wins was meeting the genius that is Dr John Sullivan! Within a few minutes of talking to him, he used the phrase ‘the brain always wins’ whilst answering a question I had asked him about managing human health and performance. Over the course of our conversation, John returned to the phrase several times.

By then, I had come to realize that, not only was he a highly knowledgeable Clinical Psychologist and Sport Scientist with decades of experience working with some of the most elite individuals, teams and organization in the worlds of sport, the military, aerospace exploration and business, but that his expertise needed to be shared with a much wider audience, and that ‘the brain always wins’ was the perfect title for the book that could serve this purpose.

Now, I’m a writer and an educator, with a lifelong commitment to studying and teaching interpersonal communication and influence. So, I know how to model the work of experts and how to present it in an accessible written format. John had spent his professional life working in the shadows, enabling others to improve their performance and achieve their goals. To me, it was clearly time to bring him – and the many benefits he offers – into the limelight. John is not only committed to helping people get better safely, he is also brilliant at making science accessible and actionable by all.

As I wanted to write a book with, and about, John, I had to turn my attention to convincing him and then my Publisher that, not only was this a good idea, it was imperative! In simple terms, I wanted us to produce a book that would enable everyone from mid-teens upwards to a) realize the absolute importance of brain health and function in enhancing wellbeing and performance in all aspects of their lives, and b) create their own, bespoke brain management process. How could we possibly justify not sharing this knowledge with the world?

Consequently, in 2016, the original The Brain Always Wins was published. It introduced the world to the model we had created – John’s Brain Always Wins P.R.O.C.E.S.S. incorporating Physical activity, Rest and recovery, Optimum nutrition, Cognitive function, Emotional management, Socialization and communication, and Synergy. I’m delighted to say that the book was very well received.

What made us want to revisit and expand it with this second edition? A combination of factors. Scientific knowledge continues to grow, so John was keen to share this. The message about the importance of brain health, and the fact that we can do many things to influence it positively, is still relevant and needed. We had also decided to add a range of valuable new content to make this book even more useful than the first.

So, along with the new information, we added extracts from our many conversations at the beginning of most chapters, new stories, and new activities for readers to choose from when creating or updating their own brain management P.R.O.C.E.S.S.. Plus, there are lists of new recommended reading. As well as all of this, one of the most valuable new additions to the book is the inclusion of safe and valid technologies, providing our readers with an unbiased perspective, allowing them to make informed decisions about the tools and advancements that would best fit their own bespoke P.R.O.C.E.S.S..

As a writer, my first book – a novel – was published in 1986. Since then, I’ve been fortunate enough to write a mix of fiction, non-fiction, poetry and biography. The Brain Always Wins2 is my 25th book and I think it is most the important and useful work I’ve written.

Q: How has your understanding of brain health and performance evolved since the first book was published?

A: My understanding of brain health, overall wellbeing and performance, and the relationship between the three, began changing – growing – in that very first meeting! One of the joys of being a writer, is that I get to meet, learn from, and write about, a wide range of experts. And John is not only a great expert, he also welcomes opportunities to share his knowledge and to help others improve. Given that, although John and I have now been very good friends for quite a few years, I still take every opportunity to learn from him; he still shares practical wisdom in the most apparently simple, yet powerfully moving, ways. And I keep learning.

Having said that, I am still highly influenced by some of my first realizations and the attitudinal changes they created within me. For example, the very fact that I have a brain – what John describes as, ‘the most sophisticated survival system in the known universe’ – fills me with optimism and hope; whenever I doubt myself, and my ability to learn and change, I remember that, because of my brain, I really do have the capability to do more than my beliefs might suggest. And this really helps to boost my confidence.

I’m also acutely aware of the need to prioritize brain health. For example, I exercise now because I know it’s good for my brain, not just the rest of my body. Likewise with my deliberate management of rest, recovery and nutrition.

Essentially, John’s brain management P.R.O.C.E.S.S. provides the ideal framework for reminding – and enabling – me to focus on brain health as the living foundation for wellbeing, improved performance, and longevity.                                  

Q: The book takes a very conversational tone. Why was it important to you to maintain that style, rather than writing a more traditional science manual?

A: Because, for science to be useful for the public, it needs to be presented and shared in ways that make it easily understandable and easy to use.

In this regard, John and I both value conversations; we recognize and appreciate their role in education, collaboration, personal and professional relationships, creating social cohesion and building communities. As John says in the book:

‘Conversations have a way of changing things as they are layered with opportunities for connection, reinforcement, and change. Conversations are rarely one–sided. Rather, they are dynamic and multidimensional.

‘This is important because we’ve seen the world be divided in many ways...But if we are going to survive, if we are going to be productive, if we are going to live healthy lives, we must use conversations to help us connect, calibrate, clarify and collaborate.

‘For all of these reasons, it was essential that The Brain Always Wins2 developed the conversational tone. It’s important that we emphasize the need for, and importance of, conversations based on mutual respect.’

As I mentioned earlier, I’ve been studying and teaching interpersonal communication for many decades. It has been my life’s study because I believe that communication shapes our world. And, quite simply, conversations are the building blocks of human communication. That’s why they are building blocks of the book. That’s why the book’s strapline is, The conversations continue.

Q: If readers take away just one mindset shift after reading The Brain Always Wins2, what would you hope it would be?

A: It would be what Julian Edelman, New England Patriots 3x Super Bowl Champion, FOX Sport Analyst, and podcast host of Games with Names and Dudes on Dudes, wrote in his testimonial at the beginning of the book. He said, ‘Training and taking care of the brain is the most important step in the pursuit of success.’

So, however you define success in your life, be brain-wise and put your brain first, because there is nowhere in the process of life that the brain is not directly involved. It is a directing force in everything we do. Ultimately, even if we are not aware of it, the brain always wins. Dr John Sullivan calls it ‘The Governor’ for a very good reason.

Q: In the book, you reference technologies like NeuroTracker that support cognitive development. What role do you believe tools like these play in a brain-first performance strategy?

A: They play a vitally important role. The fact that consistent use of NeuroTrackerX can lead to improvements in cognitive resilience, situational awareness, and decision–making, makes it a valuable tool for all of us, not just for those seeking to be – or who already are – elite in certain domains.

And let me make one thing clear, John is not introducing NeuroTracker and the other technologies to our readers because he is employed by you and the other companies. He has never accepted any form of compensation for suggesting or promoting specific technologies, devices, or advanced clothing. His goal is – and has only ever been – to make the results of rigorous, well-tested, science available to people who can benefit from it.

Q: The book emphasizes customization through the P.R.O.C.E.S.S. model. How important is it for professionals—coaches, clinicians, or educators—to create individualized brain management programs?

A: It is vital that all learning and training be individualized. As John is quick to point out, the law of human variance, or difference, is the rule not the exception when it comes to the brain. For all our wonderful similarities, we are also uniquely different. For example, we have different starting points, different ways of learning and operating and different end goals. It’s because of the inevitability of human variance that there can be no ‘one size that fits all’; no single approach that works equally well for everyone.

That’s why the book offers readers the opportunity to create their own personalized brain management P.R.O.C.E.S.S. based on their self–understanding, lifestyle, values and purpose. Whilst there are certain principles or practices that benefit us all, we also need the guided freedom necessary to create our own personal P.R.O.C.E.S.S. for success.

Q: For athletes or clients already training cognitive skills with NeuroTracker, how would you recommend they layer in additional elements from The Brain Always Wins2?

A: Firstly, know your starting point. Identify clearly how you are managing all of the individual aspects of P.R.O.C.E.S.S. Consider to what degree these align with your purpose or goals. Then adapt, or develop, your behaviors as necessary, seeking the best possible support as and when necessary.

Whilst each individual element of our P.R.O.C.E.S.S. – Physical activity, Rest and recovery, Optimum nutrition, Cognitive function, Emotional management and Socialization and communication – is important, the final ‘S’ stands for ‘Synergy’. It is only by combining the elements appropriately that we create the maximum benefit for ourselves.  

Q: Many of our NeuroTracker clients work with youth and young athletes. What advice would you offer for helping younger generations build sustainable brain health habits early?

A: Teach them about their incredible brain! Help them to understand how, and why, it changes and influences them as they grow to adulthood. This alone will help them to understand some of their personal experiences as they manage their teenage years, for example. Teach them, too, how to be brain-wise in all of their endeavours. In other words, show them how to create their own, bespoke brain management P.R.O.C.E.S.S..

Let’s just take one example – academic learning. Imagine if every student had a copy of, and knew how to use, The Brain Always Wins2! Imagine if every student had their own individualized brain management P.R.O.C.E.S.S. to help them manage the cognitive, emotional and social challenges of student life!

I’m passionate about this, because I was in my fifties when I first met Dr John Sullivan and began to understand and apply this knowledge. I so wish I had known it when I was young!

Q: Do you have a final comment?

A: Only to say, ‘Thank you’, for your support of The Brain Always Wins2, for providing this platform, and for the brain-wise work you are doing.

I’ll end, if I may, with a final quote from Dr John Sullivan:

''As individuals we can take responsibility for our own brain management. There’s enough information available now, being provided on an almost daily basis by scientists around the world. Our brain has been vital to our evolution and success as a species. It’s central to our humanity. We owe it to our self and others to make the most of what we’ve got.''

The Brain Always Win 2 is now available for purchase.