The Cabrera Lab Podcast

Get 20% off any STSI course with code MOTIVATION20 — start building your mental fitness today! In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University unpack a new research paper on mental fitness and challenge nearly everything we think we know about intelligence, burnout, and mental health. Mental fitness, they explain, isn’t a trait, a feeling, or a mindset—it’s a complex adaptive s...

Get 20% off any STSI course with code MENTALFITNESS20 — start building your mental fitness today! In this Think It Through episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University explore a struggle many people quietly live with every day: a negative inner voice that puts you down, limits your confidence, and distorts what you believe about yourself. They explain how this voice often isn’t trul...

Get 20% off any STSI course with code 20FOR100 — start building your mental fitness today! In this special milestone episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University celebrate the 100th episode of the Cabrera Lab Podcast by doing something big: ranking the top 10 themes that have emerged across the entire show. From simple rules creating complex results to embracing both-and thinking, f...

Get 20% off any STSI course with code REFLECT20 — start building your mental fitness today! In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University unpack what reflection actually is—and why most people misunderstand it. Reflection isn’t a feeling, a yearly ritual, or a vague act of looking back. It’s a structural process rooted in how the mind organizes information. Using systems thin...

Get 20% off any STSI course with code HOLIDAY20 — start building your mental fitness today! In this holiday edition of Think It Through, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University tackle one of the most common—and least talked about—seasonal struggles: why fully capable adults suddenly feel like children again the moment they walk into their childhood home. They break down how identity shi...

Get 20% off any STSI course with code SYSTEMS20 — start building your mental fitness today! In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University tackle a deceptively simple question they were asked at a social event: “What can you do that other people can’t do if you’re a systems thinker?” Their answer is grounded in research, not hype. They break down the stunning cognitive law sho...

Get 20% off any STSI course with code THINKITTHROUGH20 — start building your mental fitness today! In this Think It Through episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University break down a problem facing kids, college students, and professionals alike: what do you do when you do exceptional work—but the system only rewards strict compliance? Using a real classroom story, workplace examples...

Get 25% off any STSI course with code THANKS25 - Happy Thanksgiving! In this Think It Through episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University tackle a listener’s real-life parenting dilemma: a 10-year-old boy terrified of monsters lurking in his house. What begins as a bedtime fear unfolds into a profound lesson on mental models, evidence, and how we teach kids to tell what’s real from...

Get 15% off any STSI course with code THINK15 — start training your brain today! In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University explore one of the simplest—but most profound—thinking skills: drawing the boundary between what something is and what it is not. They unpack how this move, called Is/Is Not List, sits at the core of systems thinking and shows up in everything from te...

Get 15% off any systems thinking course with code ST-15 - become a professional systems thinker today: https://www.stsi.pro/category/credential In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University revisit two of their most powerful ideas about the future of education: “We teach humans, not subjects,” and “What if we taught thinking through content, not content through thinking?” The...

In this Think It Through episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University unpack one of life’s most universal challenges: how to take feedback that clashes with your self-image. What starts as a simple question—“How do I handle feedback that hurts?”—turns into a deep exploration of identity, ego, and growth. They reveal how most people unconsciously build mental “castle walls” around th...

In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University take a rapid-fire tour through some of the most famous systems thinking quotes from legends like Donella Meadows, Peter Senge, Russell Ackoff, W. Edwards Deming, and even the Buddha. Laura reads each quote, and Derek rates them 1–10 on validity, reliability, and usefulness—revealing which ideas stand up to science and which ones f...

In this Think It Through episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University tackle two everyday problems that reveal the hidden power of systems thinking. They start by breaking down why theory and practice are never truly separate, showing how real solutions emerge when people think structurally—whether they’re leading teams or navigating family life. Using a 7% market growth challenge a...

In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University help a listener untangle a familiar problem: saying yes to everything and ending up exhausted, resentful, and burned out. They diagram the hidden mental model behind overcommitment—a self-made loop of guilt, fear, and misplaced responsibility—and show how systems thinking can break it. You’ll learn how to set real boundaries witho...

In this practical episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University show how the same underlying mental structures shape both family life and organizational culture. From a frustrated parent arguing with a teen about driving to a CEO dealing with conflicting rules in the workplace, the problem isn’t people—it’s the invisible mental models guiding their behavior. Using simple systems thin...

In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University take a wrecking ball to the confusion surrounding systems thinking. Whether you’re brand new to the field or knee-deep in its many (often conflicting) methodologies, this episode will save you years of frustration by cutting straight to the core: what systems thinking is, what it’s not, and how to actually get good at it. They rev...

In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University answer a simple but urgent question from a parent: “Can you teach systems thinking to kids?” Spoiler: not only can you, you should—and it may be the most important thing you ever do. They break down why kids are actually better systems thinkers than adults (fewer bad habits), how to teach the Six Moves in everyday life (with groce...

How do two people work together, parent together, and live together every day without driving each other nuts? In this personal and powerful episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University share the six systems thinking principles that transformed their relationship—and how you can apply them to yours. They break down the practical tools that help them avoid blame, navigate patterns, e...

In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University confront a hard truth: our schools are failing because we're teaching information, not thinking. They expose the real problem behind education’s struggles—what they call the tyranny of “Content is King”—and make the case for O-based education: teaching students how to organize information and build mental models, not just mem...

In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University challenge the binary of Kahneman’s System 1 (fast but often wrong) and System 2 (slow but usually right) thinking—and introduce a third way: System 3 Thinking. System 3 is both fast and accurate. But it doesn’t happen by chance—it’s built through metacognition and daily practice. Drawing on research and real-world examples from sp...

In this final chapter of the Culture Code series, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University share the last 12 guiding principles that shape their team's character, cohesion, and capacity to adapt. These aren’t just nice ideas—they’re lived systems of belief and behavior. You’ll explore ideas like Carhartts & Cufflinks (being comfortable anywhere), Extreme Ownership, No Discipline...

In this next installment of the Culture Code series, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University reveal the next 9 culture principles that guide their team, their leadership, and their lives. These aren’t corporate slogans—these are lived mental models rooted in systems thinking, science, and character development. They unpack what it means to Get the GETs, be Vitruvian, Make Monergy, and p...

In the follow-up to Episode #79, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University continue walking through their organization’s Culture Code—a set of shared values and mental models that drive everything from personal growth to organizational excellence. This time, they explore seven powerful principles: Love Reality, Find Your Fit, Serve Others, Be Vulnerable, Have Integrity, Be Courageous, and...

In this new episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University unpack the first six principles in their organization’s Culture Code—a practical, modular set of mental models that shape character, guide behavior, and build real culture from the inside out. You’ll learn why culture isn’t about surface-level swag, but shared mental models; how to truly listen (with more than just your ears);...

In this special “IRL” (in real life) episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University sit down with a parent struggling to navigate one of the most common and emotionally charged family issues: what kids eat. Their guest, "John," opens up about his 8-year-old daughter’s ultra-processed diet, his fear for her long-term health, and how dinner has turned into a battleground. Thro...