Jay Shetty & Emily McDonald ON Training the Brain to Manifest

Is it possible to step into your desired reality by understanding how your brain works?

In this On Purpose episode, Jay Shetty welcomed Emily McDonald, a neuroscientist and founder of MindCraft, an initiative that provides neuroscience-backed tools to help people rewire their brains and master their reality. She shared how understanding brain function is essential for breaking free from restrictive patterns, managing emotions more consciously and effectively, and ultimately creating the life you desire.

Rewiring Your Brain

Emily McDonald is confident that the principles behind MindCraft work and show results for her and others alike. She told Jay Shetty that they have the power to change every aspect of your life, and added that members of MindCraft reported significant improvements in their relationships or personal growth since starting the coaching.

McDonald believes that her teachings are universally applicable, but their result depends heavily on the user's intention. Before starting the change, you need to be crystal clear about what you choose to focus on and what you'd like to change.

It's crucial to understand how your brain functions, McDonald told Jay Shetty. Similar to driving a car, if it breaks down in the middle of the road, you need at least some knowledge to fix it or recognize what may be wrong. When we are stressed or overwhelmed, we may start to fight against our own minds instead of recognizing the struggle and addressing it. 

Why We Feel Stuck

McDonald told Jay Shetty that feeling stuck is a normal neurological emotion. She explained that, from a biological and neuroscientific perspective, the brain loves to keep you safe. Our brains work like a prediction machine, filtering sensory inputs while simultaneously predicting what will happen. What we believe to be real is often a projection of our minds, which leads to anxiety.

She listed three big causes behind the feeling of being stuck:

1. Identity mismatch.
2. Fear.
3. Cheap dopamine.

Identity Mismatch

Emily McDonald explained that people experience an identity mismatch when their core sense of self doesn't align with the goal they're pursuing. This misalignment is coordinated by the brain's Default Mode Network (DMN), which regulates default behaviors and constructs a person’s overall life narrative. If the current identity does not match the desired action, the DMN will not help propel the required behaviors.

To bypass the resistance of the DMC, Emily McDonald advises listeners to identify with the version of themselves who has already achieved the desired outcome. She told Jay Shetty that you have to act like you already have it, and you will train your brain to feel like you have achieved that goal. It's like falling asleep, she added – you need to lie down, close your eyes, and simulate sleep in order to truly fall asleep.

Emily McDonald was scared to claim the author title for herself. To overcome procrastination, she simply started declaring that, moving forward, she was an author. Choosing a new identity means writing a new story, which causes the brain to stop using the past to predict future behavior and instead uses the present, chosen identity as the predictor.

Overcoming Fear

Some people may feel stuck because of fear, McDonald told Jay Shetty. This hidden fear keeps many of us from moving forward because we worry about what success may entail. McDonald realized that what kept her from filming her podcast was the fear of showing vulnerability; long-form content reveals a lot about you as a person, as she was self-conscious about how others might perceive her.

If you want to overcome fear, you must get specific; unknown fear may control you, but once you label it, it becomes more tangible. At the brain level, your prefrontal cortex (the logical center) gets activated and decreases the activity of the amygdala (the emotional center), thereby giving you back control over your thoughts.

Only if this activity is safe for you, McDonald recommends visualizing the goal and mentally following its consequences to the extreme. When you see in your mind what potential risks are associated with your desired endeavor, you'll realize that your brain is only trying to keep you safe. Once you identify your fear, the story can be rewritten: while vulnerability might bring judgment, it might also bring equal or greater love and support.

No More Craving Cheap Dopamine

Cheap dopamine was the third reason why we get stuck, McDonald told Jay Shetty. It comes from social media scrolling, fast food, and binge-watching TV series. This cycle is about automating and repeating behaviors, so you constantly feel rewarded and crave more.

McDonald advocates for withholding reward; since dopamine drives behavior, she suggests identifying a desired reward (like a new purchase or a favorite dessert) and delaying gratification until a major, procrastinated task is complete. She told Jay Shetty that getting constant dopamine throughout the day is like snacking: your stomach won't be ready for a full, nutritious meal.

If you consistently feed the brain cheap dopamine, it will lack the drive to pursue the substantial, long-term reward of a dream. Engaging in cheap dopamine often happens at night, such as scrolling or late-night eating, and it prevents the dopamine system from restoring itself during sleep and desensitizes dopamine receptors. This results in waking up with low motivation. McDonald explained to Jay Shetty that, by withholding these rewards, you can train your brain to find the challenging, big tasks more valuable.

The Significance of "Why" and Self-Celebration

To make the big tasks more fulfilling than quick dopamine hits, Emily McDonald shared with Jay Shetty two strategies: first, get super specific about the "why" behind your goal; motivation is unreliable, but knowing your purpose sustains the effort. According to her, discipline isn't a strict obligation, but an intentional act of looking out for the future you. 

Secondly, rather than attempting to convince the brain that the big task is rewarding, you must actively train your brain through reward systems, just like you would train a dog. Waiting until you finish a challenging task to reward yourself, and, similarly to training a dog, you can reinforce treats until this behavior becomes automatic.

It's also essential to celebrate small wins. Positive self-talk and self-affirmations activate the brain's reward centers and boost dopamine, McDonald told Jay Shetty. Acknowledging intermediate steps (like finishing a workout or posting a video) provides the small dopamine boosts necessary to build momentum and teaches the brain that the action is meaningful. This is how you prevent the stagnation that comes from only waiting for the massive, distant end goal.

Don't Get Too Attached

Emily McDonald explained to Jay Shetty that desperately wanting or being overly attached to an outcome actually blocks success, as it increases cortisol levels. High cortisol triggers tunnel vision, restricting the brain’s perception and awareness of alternative pathways that may lead to the goal.

Moreover, chronic stress puts the nervous system into fight-or-flight mode, making brain rewiring significantly harder. A highly stressed state prevents the incubation effect, the subconscious processing that occurs when the conscious mind steps away from a problem, allowing answers and connections to emerge naturally. Desperate fixation prevents the subconscious from doing the behind-the-scenes work.

Manifestation Is Rewiring Your Brain

Emily McDonald firmly believes in manifestation; to her, it's the neurological process of rewiring the brain to perceive reality. She shared with Jay Shetty a kitten study from the 1970s, where kittens raised seeing only horizontal lines could not perceive vertical objects, bumping into table legs, because their brains were not programmed to construct that vision.¹‍

McDonald understood that we can only see or perceive in our reality what our brains were wired for. Opportunities may be right in front of you, but you're not trained to see them yet. Therefore, manifestation is a way to rewire your brain to align with your desired experience.

McDonald shared with Jay Shetty a three-step neuroscience-based process for manifestation:

1. Identify the feelings: Determine the underlying emotions that the desired outcome is supposed to bring you.
2. Acknowledge current worthiness: Write a list of all the reasons why you should already feel those desired emotions in the present moment.
3. Take action to reinforce the feeling: Create a list of controllable activities you can perform today to actively generate those feelings.

That's for Me!

When it comes to jealousy, McDonald calls it fear with a mask. She explained to Jay Shetty that it's the fear of never achieving the success we see in others. This feeling reinforces the thought that whatever they have is not for you.

Instead, McDonald suggests adopting the mantra, "That's for me," and using it whenever you see someone who has what you desire. This forces the brain to recognize the potential for that success in your own life.

Self-Worth

Emily McDonald and Jay Shetty discussed the feeling of worthiness, which is linked directly to self-love. It involves acknowledging and accepting all parts of oneself. If you struggle with shame and guilt around wanting success, McDonald reminded the listeners that abundance is the natural state of the universe.

When you want more for yourself, it is usually a desire fueled by positive intentions, such as freedom, safety, and the ability to care for your family. The first step toward letting go of shame is to understand that your beliefs about money are learned stories, not the truth.

The Three Ms for Daily Success

Give yourself grace for every step forward you take, McDonald said. Instead of thinking you're not good enough, appreciate that you have become better than you were in the previous chapter in your life. You may not be perfectly ready for the next one, but you're on your way, building the skills you need to move on.

Lastly, McDonald shared with Jay Shetty three actionable steps for daily success:

1. Movement is essential for clearing waste dumped by the brain into the glymphatic system during sleep; lack of movement is linked to cognitive decline.
2. Mindfulness (including meditation or breath work) is like raking the soil.
3. Mindset is like planting the seeds: set an intention or affirmation for the day.

More From Jay Shetty

Listen to the entire On Purpose with Jay Shetty podcast episode “Neuroscientist Emily McDonald: #1 Science-Based Hack to Rewire Your Brain to ACTUALLY Manifest the Life You Want” now in the iTunes store or on Spotify. For more inspirational stories and messages like this, check out Jay’s website at jayshetty.me.

Disclaimer: The practices described are based on personal experiences and preliminary research. They are not medical advice, nor are results guaranteed. Individual outcomes vary, and some claims are still being studied. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before beginning any new health, wellness, or therapeutic practice.

‍¹BLAKEMORE, C., COOPER, G. Development of the Brain depends on the Visual Environment. Nature 228, 477–478 (1970). https://doi.org/10.1038/228477a0