The Power and Potential of Environment
Author: Tsara Shelton
Published: 2026/05/10
Publication Type: Submitted Article
Category Topic: Tsara's Column - Related Publications
Contents: Synopsis - Introduction - Main - Insights, Updates
Synopsis: This article shares a personal reflection on how environment influences mental and physical health, drawing on the author's experience as the daughter of Dr. Lynette Louise, also known as The Brain Broad, a practitioner who has worked with people facing a wide range of brain challenges for more than thirty years. The piece explains that physical surroundings, relationships, belief systems, cultural settings, and daily habits all shape wellbeing, and that simply recognizing this dynamic gives families a practical tool for supporting one another. The author also notes the difficult choices parents sometimes face when an environmental change benefits some family members while affecting others differently. For people with disabilities, seniors, parents of children with cognitive or behavioral differences, and family caregivers, the article offers a reminder that environmental awareness does not require specialized training or formal education and can be applied in any home, community, or cultural setting - Disabled World (DW).
Introduction
For over thirty years my mom (Dr. Lynette Louise, The Brain Broad) has worked successfully with people who have all types brain challenges around the world.
One of the things she has made clear to me in our conversations about her work is this: Your environment is affecting you. Psychologically and physically. Be aware, purposeful, and willing to make big changes in the choosing and creation of your environment.
Main Content
One of the things I find fascinating about this truth is that simply knowing and believing it gives you a most important tool to help yourself and your loved ones, regardless of your surroundings! You don't need to have overwhelming smarts or a fancy education to use this info. Just pay attention to yourself and your loved ones, and keep an eye open for clues, and be willing to make changes.
So, knowing that your environment plays a big role in your mental and physical health can help you get healthy, no matter your environment!
Funny, right? I mean, my mom works in homes of every style and culture, yet this important fact, that the world we immerse ourselves in matters to such a powerful degree, helps my mom effectively help her clients regardless of their environment.
So look around you, friends. Be willing to make big and small changes to your chosen environment of beliefs, friends, culture, and habits.
When us eight kids were small (my adopted siblings still multi-diagnosed and overwhelmingly challenged) my mom often moved towns, tweaked her belief systems, and changed professions in order to create a safe and healthy world for us kids. It always helped! Always, always! (Sometimes it helped lots of us and hurt some of us, in which case mom had real hard choices to make. Caring about a lot of kids is a lot of ... well, a lot.)
Regardless of where or how you live, you are able to help your family by being aware and purposeful of where and how you live while keeping an open eye on how it is affecting you and being willing to make changes.
That's some empowering stuff!
I encourage you to watch my mom's award winning international docu-series FIX IT IN FIVE with THE BRAIN BROAD in order to see how well she uses any and every environment - along with neurofeedback and behavior science - to point out problems, make changes, and begin healing. (I almost want to insist that you watch it, but you would probably feel like I was being bossy and then purposefully push back against my insistence to prove your independence, which is something I do far more often than I care to admit, push away from a good idea just because someone seemed to be acting like they know what's best for me and so I want to put my own adulthood on display while acting like a child and giving into a knee jerk reaction to be my own woman by saying no, and then making up some reason I pretend is smart about why I'm saying no... not that you would act that way just because I sometimes do but, you know, I don't want to risk it and then you don't watch the show and you miss out on amazing entertainment and learning.) Giggle!
The family we are given, the family we choose, and the family we build is complex and interwoven. We aren't responsible for making the world be the way we want it to be, and we shouldn't make the mistake of trying to make our family members be the way we imagine they should be, but we do want to take steps to build, discover, and allow for a world and family that is healthy for us at any given time in our lives.
There is a heavy responsibility in this knowledge. I know. But, along with that, there is freedom and potential in it! So try to accept the responsibility while focusing on the fun of the freedom! Build on that potential and discover the various environments and surroundings that suit you!
Our environment is affecting us. It is helping grow us, and our families, into who we are. Let's have fun and play the important role of being purposeful and open to change!
Insights, Analysis, and Developments
Editorial Note: While written in a conversational and personal voice rather than a clinical one, this commentary touches on a principle widely recognized in neuroscience and behavioral health, namely that the spaces, relationships, and routines surrounding a person measurably influence brain function, stress response, and emotional regulation. Readers interested in exploring the topic in greater depth may wish to look into research on neuroplasticity, environmental psychology, and family systems theory, all of which reinforce the article's central observation that purposeful, attentive changes to one's surroundings can support healing and growth across a wide range of life circumstances and family configurations - Disabled World (DW).
Author Credentials: Tsara Shelton, author of Spinning in Circles and Learning From Myself, is a contributing editor to Disabled World. She is also the oldest daughter of international brain change and behavior expert Dr. Lynette Louise ("The Brain Broad"). Explore Tsara's complete biography for comprehensive insights into her background, expertise, and accomplishments.