Natalie Baker On Unlocking Mental Wellbeing And Cognitive Performance As A Social Entrepreneur

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Natalie Baker, Founder and Certified Neurofeedback Trainer at Neurofeedback Training Co., pioneers the intersection of mental health, entrepreneurship, and technology.

With over 25 years of experience as a licensed psychotherapist and meditation teacher, Natalie has helped thousands transform their mental wellbeing by blending Eastern and Western psychology. She founded Neurofeedback Training Co. 12 years ago, building one of the largest NeurOptimal® neurofeedback rental fleets in the U.S., supporting families, individuals with ADHD and anxiety, and peak performers.

Passionate about democratising brain training, Natalie developed a national home neurofeedback program, empowering clients to take control of their mental health. She regularly teaches workshops on neurofeedback and meditation for professionals and the public.

Natalie’s entrepreneurial approach is grounded in compassion, mindfulness, and sustainability, creating solutions that foster resilience and self-awareness. When not working, Natalie teaches Buddhist psychology, hikes with her husband and daughter, or deepens her meditation practice.

Natalie discusses tthe transformative power of neurofeedback, why social entrepreneurs are particularly vulnerable to burnout, and practical strategies for maintaining cognitive resilience and enhancing emotional wellbeing.

Highlights from the interview (listen to the podcast for full details)

[Indio Myles] - To start off, can you please share a bit about your background and what led to your work in psychology, mental health, and entrepreneurship?

[Natalie Baker] - It’s funny how we end up doing what we do. My journey started early in childhood. I grew up on a small island off the coast of British Columbia, surrounded by nature, which felt like my first true home.

My family was loving, but we struggled with communication, and as a teenager, I remember thinking it shouldn’t be this difficult for families to express themselves. I believed that open, honest communication could foster greater love, connection, and harmony.

When my family moved from the small island I grew up on to Victoria, a larger city in British Columbia, I became curious about meditation, though I can't quite explain why. This was in the late 1980s, a time when meditation wasn’t widely practised outside of spiritual communities.

Despite that, I felt drawn to it, and while studying at university, I discovered a Buddhist community that resonated with me. I immersed myself deeply in meditation practice, and over time, this experience naturally combined with my Western upbringing.

My interest in psychology and mental health developed as I realised families should have the tools to communicate effectively and process their emotions in a healthy way. At the same time, my meditation practice taught me that self-awareness is key—we can peel back the layers of who we are and develop more compassionate relationships with ourselves.

This intersection of practical psychology and mindfulness shaped my approach to mental health, ultimately leading me to the work I do today.

As the founder of Neurofeedback Training Co., can you please share more about your organisation and what exactly neurofeedback is?

I became a psychotherapist and started working in private practice in New York City, but my journey into neurofeedback began unexpectedly about 13 or 14 years ago. I was teaching a meditation workshop when a participant approached me and asked, “Natalie, have you ever heard of neurofeedback?”

He had been invited to invest in a peak performance neurofeedback clinic and was curious about its potential. At the time, I had never heard of it. He explained neurofeedback was a technology that monitored brainwaves and could help reset the brain from stress, anxiety, depression, and even conditions like ADHD. I was immediately intrigued.

I began researching neurofeedback and decided to try it myself. Essentially, neurofeedback is an advanced form of biofeedback. Most people are familiar with biofeedback in the form of monitoring heart rate or skin temperature as indicators of stress, which then allows for interventions like deep breathing to regulate the nervous system.

Neurofeedback takes this concept further by targeting the brain directly, focusing on the limbic system and brainstem—areas responsible for our survival instincts and stress responses.

The brain's survival mechanisms are based on the fight, flight, or freeze response, which are often at the root of mental health conditions. Chronic anxiety, for example, is an overactive stress response, while depression can be linked to a persistent freeze state.

In mental health treatment, one of the biggest challenges is addressing these deeply ingrained patterns, which are automatic and not under conscious control. Neurofeedback helps by monitoring brainwave activity and providing real-time feedback.

The process involves placing sensors on the head and ears to measure the brain’s electrical activity. This data is then fed into a computer, which detects subtle shifts in brainwave patterns just before the brain transitions into a state change. At that precise moment, an auditory cue—such as a brief pause in music—alerts the brain.

Since the limbic system is constantly scanning for changes in the environment to assess potential threats, this interruption prompts it to become aware of its own habitual patterns. When the brain receives accurate information about its maladaptive responses, it naturally begins too self-correct.

For me, this discovery was incredibly exciting, because mental health and neuroscience are still in their early stages of understanding how to create lasting change and help people.

Neurofeedback is a breakthrough tool that has emerged as technology has advanced to the point where computers can now process information at the speed of the human brain. This allows us to provide the brain with real-time feedback, offering a powerful new approach to mental health treatment.

Why are we increasingly seeing entrepreneurs experiencing burnout and mental fatigue? What signals or key indicators should people be looking for to identify when this is happening?

That’s an important question because burnout is becoming more prevalent, particularly among entrepreneurs who are driven by a strong sense of purpose. I think about this a lot, and one key factor is the speed at which our society operates today.

The rapid evolution of communication, social networking, and social media has fundamentally shifted our mindset. We’re now constantly exposed to global challenges, and for those of us in this space, that creates an urgent desire to do more and make a difference.

At the same time, our brains have adapted to a world of instant stimulation. If you watch a thriller from the 1970s, the pacing feels slow, with long, unbroken shots. Compare that to today’s films, where scene changes happen in milliseconds—our brains now expect that same rapid pace. This heightened state of arousal contributes to stress and burnout because we’re operating under the pressure of constant change and immediacy.

Burnout happens when we push ourselves too hard, particularly our brains, which either continue functioning or begin showing signs that they need support. In my practice in New York City, I often see entrepreneurs and professionals in their early forties experiencing burnout.

Interestingly, I find that women tend to recognise the signs earlier than men, as they are generally more attuned to their inner experiences. One of the more dramatic indicators of burnout is a panic attack—I've had clients come to me after being referred by their doctors, believing they were having a heart attack, only to be told they were suffering from acute anxiety by their doctors. That kind of wake-up call can be life-changing.

The more common signs of burnout include difficulty sleeping, particularly among those who I call my ‘Wall Street Warriors’, high achievers who believe they can function on five hours of sleep a night. Chronic sleep deprivation impacts mood regulation, making people more irritable and impatient.

Other signs include gastrointestinal issues, high blood pressure, constant mental rumination, feeling like you have an inability to take time off, and generally just a loss of joy. When the brain is in a regulated state and perceives the environment as safe, it naturally supports spontaneity, focus, openness to others, and the ability to take appropriate risks. When these qualities start to diminish, it’s a clear sign that burnout is setting in.

What common mistakes have you observed founders making when attempting to manage stressors for themselves or their team?

It’s important to understand why the stress response becomes a chronic issue in the first place. The brain is designed to conserve energy, so when we encounter experiences that feel threatening—especially in childhood—our nervous system learns patterns of response that can persist into adulthood.

For example, as children, we rely entirely on caregivers to meet our needs. If a caregiver is absent for too long, our brain interprets that as a threat to survival. These early experiences, even if they are relatively minor, can condition the nervous system to perceive the world as unsafe.

This can lead to ingrained responses like anxiety (the fight-or-flight reaction) or depression (a freeze response). As we grow older, our brains continue to associate present-day situations with past experiences, triggering stress reactivity even when there is no immediate danger.

This is why some people are more prone to burnout—they may not have experienced extreme trauma, but their nervous system has developed habitual stress patterns. I often hear clients say, "I had a good childhood, so why do I struggle with stress?"

I have one client who often likes to say, “I wasn't a child starving in Africa. I could understand why that individual might have post-traumatic stress or might be prone to that stress reactivity, but I had a good childhood!”

Often, we can use these comparisons with very dramatic, traumatic experiences, but the reality is that even small experiences can shape our long-term stress responses.

One of the biggest mistakes founders make is neglecting their own self-care while focusing on creating positive social impact.

Many entrepreneurs are driven by a deep desire to help others, often because they recognised gaps in care or support during their own upbringing. However, this can lead to an unconscious tendency to prioritise others while failing to care for themselves.

What can founders do? The first step is self-assessment—taking stock of basic wellbeing habits. Ask yourself:

Am I getting enough sleep? Less than six and a half hours is a warning sign.
Do I have control over my sleep schedule, or am I waking up due to stress hormones like cortisol?
What is my diet like? Am I relying on processed foods and eating on the go, or am I making to have proper meals?

Recognising these patterns is crucial because sustained stress without intervention can lead to burnout. By prioritising their own wellbeing, founders can not only sustain their energy but also set a positive example for their teams.

What actionable strategies and practices can founders implement to enhance their cognitive performance and manage their wellbeing?

There are several key pillars to maintaining cognitive performance and mental wellbeing, and it starts with sleep. Diet and exercise are also crucial, but if I had to rank them, exercise is probably the second most important factor after sleep.

Research consistently shows physical activity plays a major role in brain health and regulation. One simple yet effective practice is doing two minutes of exercise every 20 minutes—it has been shown to improve focus, working memory, and overall brain function. Integrating small bursts of movement into your daily routine can have a significant impact.

Beyond sleep, diet, and exercise, down-regulating activities like meditation and mindfulness are valuable tools. Even simple habits, like taking a deep breath before starting your car or pausing for a moment in the morning to check in with how you're feeling, can help regulate stress.

Journaling is another powerful tool—many female entrepreneurs I’ve spoken with use it to process emotions, writing down thoughts they may not necessarily want to share but need to acknowledge.

Another strategy is brain training, whether through neurofeedback or other methods that help the brain de-stress. At Neurofeedback Training Co., we work with businesses to offer neurofeedback as a tool for cognitive performance.

What’s unique about it is that employees don’t need to verbalise their stressors—the training simply provides the brain with feedback on its maladaptive patterns, allowing it to self-correct.

We’ve seen fascinating outcomes, with employees reporting that while their workload remains the same, they feel happier and more capable of managing challenges. Another observed benefit is reduced sick days, as improved brain function has positive ripple effects on the immune system.

One of the most interesting aspects of neurofeedback is that around the 10-12 session mark, people naturally start making healthier choices. They’ll say things like, "I think I’m ready to go to the gym," or "I know my diet isn’t great, but now I feel like I can make changes." This tells me that their brain is becoming more resourced and receptive to additional support.

I always encourage people to think of themselves as a whole system—your body, brain, emotions, and communication are all interconnected. In the Western medical model, we tend to look for one magic solution, but true wellbeing comes from a combination of small and large interventions.

If I had to give just one piece of advice to someone looking for a starting point, I’d say: walk. And if you can walk in nature, even better. If you can walk in nature with a friend, that’s even more powerful. Those three elements—nature, movement, and connection—are proven to help regulate the brain and support overall wellbeing.

To finish off, what books or resources would you recommend to our audience?

For those who feel they need to work on their mindset but aren’t quite ready for meditation, I highly recommend Eckhart Tolle. His short videos on YouTube are a great starting point for developing awareness and separating from the constant stream of thoughts. His teachings help people cultivate a deeper sense of presence, which is a fundamental step toward mental clarity and emotional balance.

For those interested in meditation from a secular perspective, Ten Percent Happier by Dan Harris is a great read. Harris, an American journalist, openly shares how he struggled with anger and stress in the workplace before turning to meditation as a tool for self-regulation. His book is incredibly approachable and practical, especially for those sceptical about mindfulness.

If you're interested in understanding trauma and its impact on the body and mind, I highly recommend The Body Keeps the Score by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk. The first half of the book explores the history of trauma research, while the second half introduces a range of supportive practices, including meditation, yoga, and neurofeedback. It’s an insightful resource for anyone wanting a holistic approach to healing.

For those curious about neurofeedback and its potential, A Symphony in the Brain by Jim Robbins is a fascinating read. Written by a New York Times science writer, it explores the history and development of neurofeedback technology. It’s a great resource for anyone wanting to dive deeper into the science behind this innovative approach to brain training.