Research is a productive and fun way to unleash my inner four-year-old—the version of me who incessantly asked “how” and “why” and genuinely believed we could help one another flourish if we put our heads together. The only difference between then and now is that I’ve learned to use the scientific method to seek empirical answers and—fun fact! —generate even more questions and practical solutions!
A research endeavor is the *chef’s kiss* blend of interest, curiosity, and active exploration. Here are some of my areas:
- The brain-body connection!
- Qualitative research: case study, phenomenology, and grounded theory
- Conducting research “in the wild” (i.e., in context)
- Enactivism—the mind-brain-body-environment connection from the lenses of neuroscience and philosophy of mind
- Helping people understand cognition as embodied, enactive, embedded, and extended to reimagine teaching practices.
- Creativity as a critically crucial 21st-century skill
- How exercise boosts mental health
- What evolutionary biology tells us about human exercise behavior
- The relationship between sedentary behavior and mental health
- Health as a multidimensional construct—physical, cognitive, emotional, social, spiritual (experiencing awe), and lifestyle
- The interaction between the movement of our bodies and our brain functions—the physical stuff (like structures and chemicals) and the mental stuff (like feeling and thinking).
- How we create emotions from bodily sensations (affect: valence and arousal) and how these meanings factor into our motivation and behaviors
- How to help people cognitively reappraise past unpleasant experiences with physical activity (PA)
- How to leverage imagery to foster competence and intrinsic motivation in bodily movement
- How to leverage neuroscience to create new ways to think about, talk about, participate in, and teach physical activity in ways that foster enjoyment and sustainability for a lifetime (neuroeducation)
- How unintended consequences in exercise teaching practices, slogans, and fitness industry messaging may be contributing to low physical activity levels.
- Moving beyond cognitivism to include affect in the exercise paradigm.
- Intrinsic motivation’s relationship to exercise sustainability
- Developing innovative, evidence-based exercise practices that foster joy, agency, and autonomy in bodily movement.