The brain behind lasting change: Dr Rosalyn Vann-Jackson on Brain Based Leadership Coaching
Episode 2 of the Coaching Life podcast series explores Rosalyn's journey from ministry to coaching, the promise of neuroscience-informed leadership and what evidence means for everyday practice.
What helps a coaching conversation become lasting change? In Episode 2 of the Coaching Life podcast, Editor-in-Chief Liz Pickworth explores that question with Dr Rosalyn Vann-Jackson, CEO and founder of Bloom Bigger Coaching. Their conversation brings together a personal journey, a commitment to helping others grow and an approach to leadership coaching informed by neuroscience. Rosalyn is a firm believer in neuroplasticity (that the brain can be shaped, moulded and grow new neural pathways) by engaging in exercises of mental fitness.
From her beginnings in ministry to her work as a brain-based executive and leadership coach, Rosalyn offers a lens on how people think, respond to pressure and navigate change. For coaches curious about the science behind their practice, this episode opens up an important conversation: how can emerging research inform coaching without the evidence getting lost in the excitement?
A personal journey, not just a professional interest
Rosalyn’s personal story includes her sister’s diagnosis of early-onset dementia, which inspired her to want to help by studying neuroscience and how the brain works. This deep personal motivation is felt within Rosalyn’s practice as she expresses not only empathy for her sister, but deep care for her clients, even when other coaches say you shouldn’t be so invested in someone else’s journey.
Helping people Bloom Bigger
Bloom Bigger Coaching works with individuals, leaders and organisations through coaching, team workshops and speaking engagements. Its philosophy centres on expanding what is already working, rather than treating growth as a repair job. The aim is to create room for clearer thinking, more intentional leadership and sustainable development—not simply another demand to work harder.
Rosalyn’s published biography describes an approach informed by doctoral research in strategic leadership, with particular attention to how pressure, cognitive load and emotion shape decision-making and behaviour. Her 2026 doctoral project, Your Brain Called. It is Ready to Lead Better, draws on neuroleadership, brain-based coaching and positive psychology to develop a scientific foundation for the Bloom Bigger venture.
For us coaches, the appeal is the connection between research and real-world questions. What happens when a client is under pressure? How do familiar patterns influence a decision? What might make a new response easier to practise? These are useful questions to bring to neuroscience-informed coaching, while keeping the individual client’s experience at the centre.
What functional MRI brings to the conversation
Liz and Rosalyn also explore the role of neuroplasticity and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Unlike a conventional MRI’s detailed images of a brain’s structure, fMRI tracks small changes in blood flow associated with brain activity. It lets researchers investigate brain function while people perform specific tasks.
The distinction matters: fMRI is an indirect measure, not a direct recording of thoughts or neurons firing. Researchers must interpret findings carefully, and a brain image alone does not prove a coaching technique works. Nor does drawing on fMRI research mean a coach scans clients or makes clinical assessments.
Rosalyn describes drawing on peer-reviewed research, studies, case studies and meta-analyses to inform her coaching. That emphasis provides a useful starting point for listeners: the value lies in evaluating the research and translating it responsibly, rather than using neuroscience language as a shortcut to credibility.
Bringing evidence into everyday coaching
If you are looking to incorporate cutting-edge neuroscience into your practice, the conversation is an invitation to be curious and discerning. These practical considerations offer a starting point for reflection, rather than a substitute for training or a summary of specific techniques taught in the episode:
- Follow the evidence. Look beyond a compelling headline to the research behind a claim. Ask who was studied, what was measured and whether the findings support the proposed application in coaching.
- Keep explanations proportionate. Use accessible language about attention, pressure and patterns of behaviour without claiming to know exactly what is happening inside a client’s brain.
- Make the application clear. Connect an idea to the client’s goals and agreed actions. Review what changes in practice rather than treating a neuroscience label as evidence of success.
- Respect professional boundaries. Neuroscience-informed coaching does not replace medical assessment or treatment. Stay within coaching competence and seek appropriate referral when a concern falls outside that scope.
A conversation about growth—with science and humanity
For the Coaching Life community, the invitation is to explore neuroscience with both openness and care: stay interested in what the science can contribute, be precise about what it demonstrates, and keep coaching grounded in the person—not just the theory.
Listen to Episode 2 of Coaching Life with Editor-in-Chief Liz Pickworth and guest Dr Rosalyn Vann-Jackson, CEO and founder of Bloom Bigger Coaching, for a conversation about brain-based leadership, evidence-informed practice and the journey behind her work. You can listen to the Coaching Life Podcast on Spotify, Google Play and Apple Podcasts.