Extraordinary minds are built from ordinary brains.
I'm a neurologist and a four-time bestselling author. My new book, The Genius and the Impostor, reveals two competing forces inside every brain. One is the source of your extraordinary capabilities. The other has spent your whole life trying to convince you they don't exist.
A Next Big Idea Club Must-Read
"The Genius and the Impostor challenges everything we think we know about intelligence, talent, and potential. A compelling invitation to rethink what's possible for your brain."
"A powerful reminder that extraordinary ability isn't reserved for a gifted few. Josh Turknett makes the science of human potential both fascinating and deeply inspiring."
"Your brain is far more capable than you believe. Turknett's gift is showing you who's been writing the script, and handing you the pen."
"As a physician, neuroscientist and somatic therapist who has studied the brain and emotion for 35 years, I rarely find a popular book on the subject that is actually fun to read. The Genius and the Impostor was."
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The Genius and the Impostor
The Neuroscience of Unlocking Human Potential
There are two forces at work inside every brain.
The Genius is the part of you that learns. It builds every skill you have, from walking and talking to whatever you're best at, and it runs those skills without you having to think about them.
The Impostor is the voice in your head that narrates your life. He's also a compulsive liar, and his masterpiece is the Special Brain Story: the idea that each of us is born with a certain kind of brain, and the brain you got decides what you can do.
In the book, you'll learn:
- How the Genius builds intelligence through learning
- Why the Impostor gets loudest when the stakes are highest
- How to quiet the Impostor so the Genius can do its work
Speaking
I speak to people whose work depends on learning and performing: business and HR leaders, educators, physicians and researchers, musicians, athletes, and coaches. I build every talk around the problems your audience is facing, and every keynote includes live music.
About Josh
I'm a board-certified neurologist. The question that's driven most of my career is how the brain builds extraordinary skill, and why we so often underestimate what it can do.
For years I've put what I've learned to work with thousands of adult music learners through Brainjo, the music-learning method I created. I founded the Institute for Performance Neurology to bring that work to leaders, educators, clinicians, athletes, and anyone else who has to perform when it counts.
More about me →Brains, Banjos & Beyond
Every week I write about the brain, learning, and music for more than 50,000 readers. Join them.