Podcast · Learning

The Cabrera Lab Podcast

by Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera · English · Learning

Join Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera from Cornell University as they inspire you to approach life's challenges with a fresh perspective. Witness their use of GOAT-level thinking to enhance your problem-solving skills. Discover new possibilities, approaches, and solutions you never knew existed. Elevate

New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 30 min
Latest: 14 Oct 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

14 Oct 2026 · 32 minNew

#141: You Built the System That’s Stressing You Out

Get 20% off any STSI course with code CAL20 — become a systems thinker today! In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera explore a simple idea with big implications: your calendar is a mental model. What you schedule—and what you leave off—reveals something about how you organize your priorities, time, work, and life. Derek and Laura discuss how calendars, to-do lists, meetings, and deadlines can become useful tools, but can also create busyness, unnecessary pressure, and systems that qu...

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

7 Oct 2026 · 27 min
#140: The Mental Model Keeping Your Team Stuck
Get 20% off any STSI course with code BRAIN20 — become a systems thinker today! In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera deconstruct a familiar phrase: “That’s just the way it is.” They explore the difference between accepting reality and surrendering to an outdated mental model. Sometimes “that’s the way it is” means acknowledging a real constraint. Other times, it means accepting a pattern, policy, culture, or way of working simply because it has existed for a long time. ...
30 Sep 2026 · 36 min
#139: What Does It Mean To Be "Smart"?
Get 20% off any STSI course with code IQ20 — become a systems thinker today! In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera challenge the way we think about intelligence. They argue that most people do not have an intelligence problem—they have a problem with the structure of their thinking. Rather than defining “smart” by IQ, credentials, memorized information, or expertise, they explore intelligence as the ability to adapt to reality, reorganize information, solve novel problems, and respo...
23 Sep 2026 · 31 min
#138: How to Think Better Without Thinking Harder
Get 20% off any STSI course with code SMARTER20 — become a systems thinker today! In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera tackle a deceptively difficult question: how do you explain systems thinking to someone who knows nothing about it? They start with one simple idea: your brain is constantly taking information and organizing it to create meaning. That meaning becomes your mental models—and those mental models directly shape your decisions, actions, emotions, and behaviors. Systems ...
16 Sep 2026 · 33 min
#137: Are You Burnt Out? Or Just Stressed?
Get 20% off any STSI course with code BURNOUT20 — become a systems thinker today! In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera think through the difference between stress and burnout—and why treating them as the same thing can lead us to solve the wrong problem. They explore stress as something that can sometimes be functional, while burnout emerges as a longer-term pattern of depletion without enough recovery. Rather than blaming the individual, they show how burnout can be understood as ...
9 Sep 2026 · 29 min
#136: The Four Thinking Tools That Replace Thousands
Get 20% off any STSI course with code UNIVERSE20 — become a systems thinker today! In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera explore why the most powerful thinking tools are often the simplest. They unpack the ideas of universality and elementalism: the importance of learning the fundamental patterns that show up across cooking, sports, business, medicine, education, and everyday problem solving. Instead of memorizing thousands of recipes, frameworks, or facts, Derek and Laura explain w...
2 Sep 2026 · 39 min
#135: How to Raise Kids Who Can Solve Their Own Problems
Get 20% off any STSI course with code LRL20 — become a systems thinker today! In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University answer a practical question from a listener: how do we help kids run the Love Reality Loop for themselves? They explore how adults can move from solving conflict for kids to coaching kids through the process of testing their own mental models against reality. The conversation breaks down how children can learn to pause, regulate emotions, separate...
26 Aug 2026 · 40 min
#134: How Do You Know If You’re a Good Person?
Get 20% off any STSI course with code MORALS20 — become a systems thinker today! In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera explore how to build and test your own moral compass. They discuss what happens when a pre-made moral structure—such as religion, family norms, or inherited beliefs—no longer fully guides you, and how systems thinking can help you develop a more conscious ethical framework. Using DSRP, they unpack the moral implications of identity and other, part-whole systems, rel...
19 Aug 2026 · 30 min
#133: The Real Reason People Get So Triggered
Get 20% off any STSI course with code IDENTITY20 — become a systems thinker today! In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera explore why everyday disagreements can escalate so quickly. They explain how identity works as a boundary—and why people often feel threatened when their beliefs, opinions, roles, politics, or preferences are challenged. The problem is not disagreement itself, but identity conflation: mistaking what you think, believe, or do for who you are. When that happens, eve...
12 Aug 2026 · 28 min
#132: Goop Is Everywhere—And It’s Making Us Worse
Get 20% off any STSI course with code GOOP20 — become a systems thinker today! In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera expand the idea of “goop” beyond food and into the systems all around us. They explore how heavily processed food, social media, education, news, consumer products, and even AI can become forms of goop: things that appear useful, nutritious, or informative, but are often stripped of real value and repackaged in ways that manipulate us. From chicken nuggets and plug-in...
5 Aug 2026 · 33 min
#131: How Healthy Couples Handle Conflict
Get 25% off any STSI course with code FIGHT25 — become a systems thinker today! In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera answer a personal question from Training Camp: how do they handle conflict as a couple? They explain how understanding mental models changes the way people disagree. Instead of seeing conflict as “you versus me,” they show how many disagreements are really differences between two mental models—two ways of organizing information and interpreting reality. That shift ma...
29 Jul 2026 · 30 min
#130: How to Adapt When Everything Changes
Get 20% off any STSI course with code STUDIO20 — become a systems thinker today! In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cabrera Research Lab explore what really happens when we go through change. Using their move to Montana and the new podcast studio as a starting point, they unpack the difference between change itself and the transition into a new reality. They explain why change often feels stressful—not because the change is “bad,” but because our old mental models no longer ma...
22 Jul 2026 · 25 min
#129: Stop Putting Out Fires—Fix the System
Get 20% off any STSI course with code PATTERN20 — become a systems thinker today! In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University explore why the same problems keep showing up in organizations, relationships, and teams—even when they look different on the surface. They break down the difference between an instantiation and a pattern, showing how people often get stuck solving individual conflicts, communication breakdowns, or “fires” without seeing the deeper structural ...
15 Jul 2026 · 32 min
Episode #128: What I Wish I Knew as a Neurodivergent Kid
Get 20% off any STSI course with code NEURO20 — become a systems thinker today! In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University explore neurodivergence through a systems thinking lens. Derek reflects on what it means to understand your own mind, why neurodivergence itself is not the problem, and how friction often comes from living inside systems designed around the neurotypical norm. They discuss structure, self-knowledge, masking, passive aggression, focus, hyperfocus, ...
8 Jul 2026 · 28 min
#127: How to Make Invisible Thinking Visible
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 thinking, communication, and understanding. By making mental models visible, OOTing helps people s...
1 Jul 2026 · 20 min
#126: How to Stop Misalignment Before It Starts
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 it is not, and where the boundary really belongs. From leadership and management to safety, AI, ...
24 Jun 2026 · 20 min
#125: Stop Holding Everything in Your Head
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 into manageable parts, and create perspective on what actually needs to get done. From moving,...
17 Jun 2026 · 23 min
#124: How to Take Feedback Without Getting Defensive
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 understanding, how our internal voice can interfere with genuine listening, and why self-awareness is one ...
10 Jun 2026 · 23 min
#123: Think It Through: Why Smart Teams Still Don’t Work Together
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 breakdowns often stem from one root cause: misaligned mental models. Using systems thinking and DSRP, the...
3 Jun 2026 · 28 min
#122: What Great Leaders Understand About Culture
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 promoting products—is the real work behind both marketing and leadership. They explore how organizat...
27 May 2026 · 24 min
#121: Why “I’m Trying” Is Often a Cop-Out
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 examples from parenting, communication, goals, and relationships, they show how systems thinki...
20 May 2026 · 41 min
#120: You’re Already Thinking — Just Badly
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 to better understanding, and how hidden “externalities” distort the way we make decisions. Thr...
13 May 2026 · 32 min
#119: You’re Not Responsible for Everyone’s Feelings
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 feelings—or none of their own. Through ideas like “buttons,” emotional wounds, constructive vs. ...
6 May 2026 · 21 min
#118: How to Think Clearly in a Crisis
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 assumptions can create unnecessary stress. Using the DSRP framework, they walk through how to set bound...
29 Apr 2026 · 31 min
#117: The Psychology of Motivation, Emotion, and Thought
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 interact in feedback loops—how thoughts shape emotions, how motivations frame what we see, and how ...
22 Apr 2026 · 30 min
#116: Why Better Thinking Makes You a Better Person
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 exclude others, assign responsibility, regulate emotions, and take perspective. From the idea ...
15 Apr 2026 · 34 min
#115: How to Learn When Words Don’t Work for You
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—through visual, tactile, and object-oriented thinking—can dramatically improve comprehension, memory...
8 Apr 2026 · 38 min
Episode #114: How to Raise Better Thinkers
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 misunderstanding, poor decisions, and unnecessary conflict. Through systems thinking principles,...
1 Apr 2026 · 26 min
#113: Why Nothing in Your Life Is Changing
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, and personal habits consistently produce results that don’t match their goals. Through real-w...
25 Mar 2026 · 29 min
#112: Think It Through: How to Break Big Changes Into Manageable Parts
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 heavy—and how systems thinking can help. They unpack how we often conflate big change into one g...

About The Cabrera Lab Podcast

The Cabrera Lab Podcast is a English learning podcast from Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera
Language: English
Category: Learning
New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 30 min
Latest episode: 14 Oct 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1738320168

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