Surviving to Thriving: A Neuroscience Roadmap to a Better Me

Work stress is an inevitable part of our professional life, impacting every aspect from workplace communications to work performance and leadership approach. Neuroscience research now shows that repeated stress-exposure can lock our brain and nervous system into “survival mode,” causing one to function mentally, emotionally and physically at a suboptimal state. This caps our career growth and erodes both our own well-being and workplace relations, often resulting in burnout. 

In this training, attendees will learn practical neuroscience-based knowledge and apply hands on skills to shift themselves from a “surviving” to “thriving” mode. By integrating self-awareness, self-regulation and self-compassion, attendees will equip themselves with a resilient nervous system foundation where they can tap into existing strengths, uncap growth potential and step up as their better self.

By the end of the workshop, you will be able to:

• Understand the neuroscience behind stress, as well as their hidden survival-function
• Identify your primary and secondary automatic stress reactions
• Assess your default functioning state
• Practice early stress detection
• Self-regulate your brain & nervous system via quick neurosensory exercises
• Identify key differences between empathy & compassion
• Understand the neuroscience behind self-compassion and its role in developing resilience
• Build inner resilience and a trusting relationship with yourself via self-compassion exercises

Learning Methodology

• Neuroscience-based Psychoeducation: Understand how stress is biologically produced in our body, as well how we can unblock our natural capacity for increased stability, compassion and resilience.
• Interactive Games: Accurate identification of 4 stress responses via visual examples.
• Personal Wellness Chart: Identify your primary and secondary automatic stress reactions & create customised strategies for early stress detection and self-regulation.
• Pair Group Discussion: Collaborate with a partner to identify mental, emotional & physical signs of dysregulation.
• Real-life Case Examples: Examining corporate scenarios to identify successful self-regulation and self-compassion strategies, as well as how these can positively impact work performance, communications and leadership efficacy.
• Neurosensory Exercises: Hands on exercises to quickly soothe and down-regulate the brain and nervous system.
• Self-compassion Exercises: Hands on exercises to develop inner safety, connection and capacity for resilience.
• Interactive Group Discussions: Explore shared experiences and practical strategies to return to a “thriving” state.
• Self ARC System: Systematically applying self-awareness, self-regulation and self-compassion to “return home” to one’s thriving self.
• Visualisation Exercises: Visualising step by step strategies to navigate future challenges. This builds positive neuropathways and inner confidence,

• Corporate Professionals: This includes executives, senior managers, project managers, sales representatives, financial analysts, and HR professionals. These roles often involve high-stress environments, tight deadlines, and significant responsibilities, making them ideal candidates to benefit from stress management and resilience-building strategies.
• Managers and Leaders: Team leaders, department heads, startup founders, middle managers, and change management specialists can greatly benefit from this course. By learning neuroscience-based techniques, they can enhance their leadership approach, improve team dynamics, and create a more resilient work environment.
• Teams: Cross-functional project teams, customer service teams, R&D teams, marketing teams, and operations teams can all benefit from attending this course together. It helps build a shared understanding of stress management and resilience, leading to improved collaboration, communication, and overall team performance.

Our company of 80 Executive Assistants participated in a psychoeducational workshop focused on finding our inner balance facilitated by Yi Shan. The session was incredibly helpful in helping us understand the importance of soothing our nervous system and setting healthy boundaries. Yi Shan was knowledgeable, supportive and created a safe environment for open discussion. The workshop helped us to foster a more supportive and empathetic work environment. The self-care strategies provided have been invaluable in helping our team maintain their well-being. Thanks to this workshop, we’ve moved from surviving to thriving, and we’re better equipped to handle the challenges we face. We highly recommend this workshop to any company looking to prioritise the mental health and well-being of their employees. ~Serene Ong, Executive Assistant, Amazon Web Services

Yi Shan delivered an engaging and insightful talk at the Career Development Association of Singapore (CDAS) last November, sharing her expertise and passion with the audience. Her presentation was well-structured, informative, and thought-provoking, leaving a lasting impact on the attendees. Her ability to connect with the audience and facilitate meaningful discussions was truly impressive! ~Chong Kum Hong, CDAS Vice-president



Yi Shan's sessions were highly engaging for our EMCC-Barclays participants, focusing on self-awareness and self-regulation. Most participants found the workshop valuable, particularly appreciating the hands-on discussions and group activities that allowed them to practice their learnings with one another. It was heartening to see that many participants had positive takeaways from her workshops! ~Christine Chew, Senior Executive, Training & Education

Yi Shan is a corporate wellness trainer, therapist and founder of Wholehearted Therapy and Counselling. She uses a neuroscience-based approach to shift clients from a surviving to thriving state of being, where they can consistently step forward as their better selves. She has facilitated trainings at Amazon Web Services (AWS), the Singapore Ministry of Defence (MINDEF), Eagles Mediation and Counselling Center (EMCC), the Career Development Association of Singapore (CDAS) and the Singapore Association of Counselling (SAC).