The Cabrera Lab Podcast

Get 20% off any STSI course with code OOT20 — become a systems thinker today! In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University explain the power of OOTing: object-oriented thinking. They explore why getting ideas out of your head and into visible, movable objects—whether blocks, drawings, sticky notes, whiteboards, or even visual objects in your mind—can dramatically improve thi...

Get 20% off any STSI course with code ISISNOT20 — become a systems thinker today! In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University break down one of the simplest and most powerful systems thinking tools: the Is/Is Not List. They explain why this move is not just about making a list, but about building a strong distinction—one that clarifies what something fundamentally is, what...

Get 20% off any STSI course with code LIST20 — become a systems thinker today! In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University explore one of the simplest but most powerful thinking tools we use every day: lists. They break down why lists are more than just a way to remember tasks—they are a systems thinking tool that helps us distinguish what matters, break overwhelming wholes...

Get 20% off any STSI course with code FEEDBACK20 — become a systems thinker today! In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University explore what happens when someone gives you difficult feedback—and why your first reaction may not be the most useful one. Starting with a question about being perceived as “argumentative,” they unpack the difference between reacting and understandi...

Get 20% off any STSI course with code TEAM20 — become a systems thinker today! In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University answer a common leadership question: why do talented people often struggle to work together as a team? They explore the difference between a group and a true team, showing how friction, duplicate effort, competing priorities, and communication breakdown...

Get 20% off any STSI course with code CULTURE20 — become a systems thinker today! In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University explore a powerful idea: culture may be the single greatest advantage an organization can create—and most leaders fundamentally misunderstand how it works. Starting with an unexpected question about marketing, they unpack why changing minds—not promo...

Get 20% off any STSI course with code YODA20 — become a systems thinker today! In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University explore the difference between “trying” and “doing”—and why that distinction matters more than most people think. They unpack how words like “trying” or “I didn’t mean to” can function as subtle ways of avoiding reality, ownership, and feedback. Through...

Get 20% off any STSI course with code SYSTHINK20 — become a systems thinker today! In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University tackle three common misconceptions that stop people from becoming systems thinkers. They explore the difference between unconsciously using DSRP patterns and purposefully applying them with awareness, why more information does not automatically lead...

In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University explore one of the most difficult systems thinking challenges in relationships: understanding responsibility for our emotions. They unpack the dynamic between action and reaction, why emotional regulation creates agency and empowerment, and how faulty mental models can lead people to either take responsibility for everyone else’s...

Get 20% off any STSI course with code CRISIS20 — become a systems thinker today! In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University explore how to think through moments of crisis using systems thinking. They break down a critical first step—questioning whether something is truly a crisis or a product of inflated thinking—and show how unchecked mental models and worst-case assumpti...

Get 20% off any STSI course with code STARTNOW20 — become a motivated systems thinker today! In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University break down a powerful systems thinking model for understanding human behavior: the dynamic relationship between cognition (thinking), emotion (feeling), motivation (conation), and embodiment. They explore how these elements constantly inte...

Get 20% off any STSI course with code ETHICS20 — become a systems thinker today! In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University explore the deeper layer of systems thinking that most people miss: its connection to ethics, empathy, and human behavior. They break down how the four patterns of DSRP—distinctions, systems, relationships, and perspectives—shape the way we include or...

Get 20% off any STSI course with code TEACH20 — become a systems thinker today! In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University explore how systems thinking can transform the way we learn—especially for people who struggle with traditional, language-based learning. They break down why reading alone doesn’t lead to understanding, and how organizing information structurally—throu...

Get 20% off any STSI course with code LEARN20 — become a systems thinker today! In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University explore a fundamental systems thinking challenge: the tendency to confuse our mental models with reality itself. They unpack how the brain constructs meaning, why we often blend what we think with what actually exists, and how this conflation leads to...

Get 20% off any STSI course with code POSIWID20 — become a systems thinker today! In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University explore a powerful systems thinking principle: the purpose of a system is what it does—not what it was intended to do. They break down the critical difference between aspirational outcomes and actual outcomes, and why so many organizations, policies,...

Get 20% off any STSI course with code CHANGE20 — become a systems thinker today! In this Think It Through episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University explore how to navigate big life changes without getting overwhelmed. Whether it’s moving, getting married, having a baby, sending a child to college, or making a major career shift, they break down why these transitions can feel so h...

Get 20% off any STSI course with code STRESS20 — become a systems thinker today! In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University unpack a powerful idea: stress is not just something that happens to you—it’s a reaction to the mental model you’re using to interpret what’s happening. They explore how stress grows when we assume we can’t handle a situation, how anxiety comes from p...

Get 20% off any STSI course with code MODEL20 — become a systems thinker today! In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University answer a listener question: what are the biggest things that prevent someone from becoming a systems thinker? They break down three major barriers—reality bias, confirmation bias, and the lack of deliberate practice in how we organize information. The...

Get 20% off any STSI course with code REALITY20 — become a scientist today! In this Think It Through episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University tackle a hard question: what do you do when reality is showing you something you don’t want to believe? They break down what “love reality” actually means (it’s not about enjoying it), why most “sudden” crises are built one tiny decision a...

Get 20% off any STSI course with code VALID20 — become a scientist today! In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University unpack one of the most overlooked distinctions in science—and in life: the difference between studying whether something exists and studying its effect. Before you measure outcomes, before you test benefits, before you publish results, there’s a deeper quest...

Get 20% off any STSI course with code LOVE20 — start loving reality today! In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University unpack a radical but deeply practical idea: love is not a feeling — it’s a behavior. While most of us are taught to think of love as romance, chemistry, or intense emotion, the Cabreras argue that those experiences are often hormonal surges or evolutionary...

Get 20% off any STSI course with code INTEGRITY20 — start building your mental fitness today! In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University unpack one of the most uncomfortable—but important—distinctions in human behavior: the difference between being passive-aggressive and being direct. They challenge the common belief that passive aggression is somehow “nicer” or less harmf...

Get 20% off any STSI course with code SIMPLE20 — start building your mental fitness today! In this Think It Through episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University tackle a deceptively hard question: what do you do when someone is overwhelmed, talking a mile a minute, and stuck inside their own thoughts and emotions? Rather than offering advice or arguing content, they show how to slow...

In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University tackle a problem nearly everyone feels but few can name: constant overwhelm in a world flooded with information. From social media and news to work demands and family pressures, it feels like there’s simply too much coming at us all the time. But the real problem isn’t information overload—it’s organization overload. The Cabreras...

Get 20% off any STSI course with code THINKING20 — start building your mental fitness today! In this Think It Through episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University tackle one of the most frustrating human experiences: knowing exactly what you should do—and doing the opposite anyway. Is this a motivation problem, a discipline problem, or something deeper? Using systems thinking and re...