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Episode Description
What if anxiety isn’t the problem—but how we respond to it is? In this episode of Neural Compass, host Mark Jacobstein (co-founder and president of Jimini Health) sits down with Dr. Luana Marques, Harvard psychologist and author of Bold Move, to reframe how we think about anxiety, avoidance, and the science of behavioral change.
Dr. Marques shares her journey from growing up in Brazil to leading research at Harvard Medical School, and explains why avoidance—not anxiety itself—may be the real barrier to success, mental health, and resilience. With real-world stories and deeply pragmatic tools, she offers a roadmap for anyone feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or out of alignment with their values.

This episode touches on:

• Why avoidance—not anxiety—is often what keeps us stuck
• How to spot avoidance in subtle, everyday behaviors (including "productive" ones)
• Practical, science-backed tools to retrain your brain
• The connection between behavioral activation and leadership
• How AI could help scale access to proven therapeutic skills

"Avoidance always will win short term because it's quick, it's fast, it brings you that quick relief and it will win. The question is, will it lead to the life that you want to live?"

Mentioned In This Episode
Bold Move: A 3-Step Plan to Transform Anxiety into Power – Dr. Marques’s book on how to stop avoiding discomfort and start living with intention.

Effectiveness of a Modular Cognitive-Behavioral Skills Curriculum in High-Risk Justice-Involved Youth - Dr. Marques’s study showing that CBT-based skills training can significantly improve outcomes for youth reentering society after incarceration.