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A year-long journey in understanding your brain, outsmarting your phone, real-life skills, and leadership.
Four strands, each its own world — Headquarters (how your brain works), Tech Traps (outsmarting the algorithm), The Playbook (real-life skills), and Character Code (leadership). Tap any lesson below to see what a session looks like.
Daily Check-In Monthly Calendar
The Full Curriculum
September · Respect
HEADQUARTERS S1
Welcome to the City in Your Head
Your brain has four districts — and they don't always agree.
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TECH TRAPS S1
Your Digital Identity + How Apps Hook You
Who you are online
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THE PLAYBOOK S1
Negative Self-Talk
The inner critic
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CHARACTER CODE S1
What Does Respect Actually Look Like?
4 types of respect
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HEADQUARTERS S2
The 911 Center Is Always Watching
The amygdala
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TECH TRAPS S2
The Slot Machine
How apps keep you scrolling
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THE PLAYBOOK S2
All-or-Nothing Thinking
Black-and-white thinking
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CHARACTER CODE S2
Respect in Action
Knowing it is one thing. Doing it is different.
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HEADQUARTERS S3
The City Library Remembers Everything
Hippocampus
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TECH TRAPS S3
Online vs. Real Self
How different are you? The gap between who you are and who you perform being.
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THE PLAYBOOK S3
Catastrophizing: The Worst-Case Trap
When your brain turns a small problem into a disaster before it even happens.
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CHARACTER CODE S3
Respect: Lock In the Definition
Month wrap-up
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October · Responsibility
HEADQUARTERS S4
Reward Plaza: Wired to Want More
Dopamine
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TECH TRAPS S4
Screen Time + Sleep: The Real Cost
What your phone does to your brain after dark.
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THE PLAYBOOK S4
Smart Money Moves
Needs, wants, and the real cost of 'now.'
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CHARACTER CODE S4
Owning Your Choices
Accountability without excuses — what it actually looks like.
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HEADQUARTERS S5
City Hall Is Still Under Construction
Prefrontal cortex
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TECH TRAPS S5
Before You Post
Your digital footprint
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THE PLAYBOOK S5
Filtering: Only Seeing the Bad
When your brain zooms in on what went wrong and ignores everything else.
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CHARACTER CODE S5
Responsibility in Relationships
When it gets complicated — conflict, loyalty, and showing up.
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HEADQUARTERS S6
The 911 Center Takes the Wheel
The full hijack
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TECH TRAPS S6
Comparison Culture
Highlight reels
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THE PLAYBOOK S6
The Comparison Trap
Why comparing yourself to others is a rigged game — and what to compare instead.
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CHARACTER CODE S6
The Long View
Responsibility + consequences
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November · Gratitude
HEADQUARTERS S7
Dopamine + What Gratitude Does
Why noticing what you have rewires Reward Plaza.
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TECH TRAPS S7
FOMO vs. Reality
Fear of missing out
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THE PLAYBOOK S7
Perfectionism: When Good Enough Isn't
The trap of setting a standard nothing can reach.
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CHARACTER CODE S7
Gratitude: Real vs. Performed
What actual gratitude looks like — and what's just going through the motions.
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HEADQUARTERS S8
Reward Plaza: Real vs. Fake Satisfaction
Pleasure vs. meaning
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TECH TRAPS S8
Online Kindness + Cruelty
Why people say things online they'd never say in person
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THE PLAYBOOK S8
Fear of Failure, Pt 1: Why We Avoid
What failure actually threatens
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CHARACTER CODE S8
Gratitude: Lock In the Definition
Month wrap-up
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December · Kindness
HEADQUARTERS S9
Empathy + Oxytocin
The connection chemical
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TECH TRAPS S9
The Bystander Effect
Why watching feels neutral but isn't
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THE PLAYBOOK S9
Fear of Failure, Pt 2: What It Teaches
When failing is the only way to actually learn something.
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CHARACTER CODE S9
Kindness vs. Nice
They're not the same — and knowing the difference matters.
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HEADQUARTERS S10
The Stress Response
Cortisol
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TECH TRAPS S10
Your Feed + Your Mental Health
What the research actually shows
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THE PLAYBOOK S10
Self-Esteem vs. Self-Compassion
Why 'feel good about yourself' is harder advice than it sounds.
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CHARACTER CODE S10
Self-Kindness
Being kind to yourself is not the same as letting yourself off the hook.
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HEADQUARTERS S11
Neuroplasticity, Pt 1: Your Brain Can Change
The brain rewires based on experience
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TECH TRAPS S11
Your Feed Is a Mirror
Thinking traps online
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THE PLAYBOOK S11
People-Pleasing: When 'Nice' Is About You
The difference between being kind and needing everyone to be okay with you.
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CHARACTER CODE S11
Kindness: Lock In the Definition
Month wrap-up
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January · Tolerance
HEADQUARTERS S12
Neuroplasticity, Pt 2: Practicing Change
Using the gap
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TECH TRAPS S12
Breaking Out of the Bubble
The algorithm built your bubble — here's how to poke holes in it.
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THE PLAYBOOK S12
Boundary Setting, Pt 1: Knowing Your Lines
What a boundary actually is — and what it isn't.
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CHARACTER CODE S12
Tolerating vs. Accepting
They're not the same — and knowing the difference changes how you lead.
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HEADQUARTERS S13
Growth Mindset, Pt 1: The Phoenix Moment
What happens in the brain when something hard makes you better.
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TECH TRAPS S13
Fake News: Why Your Brain Wants to Believe It
Confirmation bias
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THE PLAYBOOK S13
Boundary Setting, Pt 2: Saying It Out Loud
The actual words
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CHARACTER CODE S13
Tolerance: Lock In the Definition
Month wrap-up
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February · Fairness
HEADQUARTERS S14
Growth Mindset, Pt 2: The Brain That Grows
What fixed vs. growth beliefs actually do in City Hall.
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TECH TRAPS S14
Misinformation: How It Spreads, How to Stop It
The chain of spread
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THE PLAYBOOK S14
Emotional Regulation: Reading Your Escalation
You can't regulate something you can't see coming.
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CHARACTER CODE S14
Fairness: Equity vs. Equality
Same treatment isn't always fair treatment.
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HEADQUARTERS S15
Emotions in the Body
Where feelings actually live
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TECH TRAPS S15
Check Before You Share
The actual moves
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THE PLAYBOOK S15
Coping Menu: Building Your Toolkit
What works for you specifically
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CHARACTER CODE S15
Scenarios: Fairness Under Pressure
When fair is hard — real dilemmas where fairness gets complicated.
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HEADQUARTERS S16
Emotional Regulation: Keeping City Hall Online
The toolkit
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TECH TRAPS S16
Privacy + Digital Footprint
Permanent records
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THE PLAYBOOK S16
Self-Regulation: Knowing → Doing
The gap between trigger and action
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CHARACTER CODE S16
Fairness: Lock In the Definition
Month wrap-up
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March · Integrity
HEADQUARTERS S17
What Hard Things Do to Brain City
Trauma basics
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TECH TRAPS S17
Your Data: Who Owns It, Who Sees It
The data economy
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THE PLAYBOOK S17
Stress Management: What Actually Helps
Not all stress is the same — and not all fixes are either.
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CHARACTER CODE S17
Integrity: Who You Are When No One's Watching
The gap between public and private behavior.
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HEADQUARTERS S18
Brain City Map Upgrade
Everything you know now
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TECH TRAPS S18
Online vs. Real: How Big Is Your Gap?
Who you are vs. who you perform
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THE PLAYBOOK S18
Growth Mindset Applied: Effort vs. Outcome
Putting the year's thinking skills into practice.
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CHARACTER CODE S18
Integrity Under Pressure
When the cost of doing right goes up — what actually determines what you do.
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HEADQUARTERS S19
Habits: Cue, Routine, Reward
How your brain automates behavior — and how to use that.
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TECH TRAPS S19
Screen Time Audit: Your Guess vs. the Average
What you think you do vs. what the average teen does.
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THE PLAYBOOK S19
Soft Skills, Pt 1: Communication + Listening
Why most people aren't actually listening — and how to be different.
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CHARACTER CODE S19
Integrity: Digital + Pledge
Who you are online
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April · Dedication
HEADQUARTERS S20
Why Systems Beat Willpower
Decision fatigue
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TECH TRAPS S20
Comparison Trap: How It Kills Dedication
Why comparison and commitment can't coexist.
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THE PLAYBOOK S20
Soft Skills, Pt 2: Conflict + Repair
What a real apology does that a fake one doesn't.
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CHARACTER CODE S20
Dedication: What It Costs
Real commitment vs. convenient commitment.
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HEADQUARTERS S21
Never Miss Twice: The Science of Bouncing Back
Why one slip doesn't break a habit — and what actually does.
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TECH TRAPS S21
Designing Your Tech Relationship: On Purpose
From reactive to intentional
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THE PLAYBOOK S21
Soft Skills, Pt 3: How I Come Across
The gap between your intention and your impact.
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CHARACTER CODE S21
Dedication: Staying vs. Quitting
When quitting is actually the dedicated thing to do.
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HEADQUARTERS S22
Stress + Resilience: Neuroplasticity in Action
How recovering from hard things literally rewires Brain City.
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TECH TRAPS S22
Tech + Stress: What Scrolling Does When You're Struggling
Using your phone to cope
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THE PLAYBOOK S22
Using the Toolkit: What Resilience Looks Like
Putting the whole Playbook together when things actually get hard.
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CHARACTER CODE S22
Dedication: Lock In the Definition
Month wrap-up
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May · Resilience
HEADQUARTERS S23
What You Can Actually Control
Locus of control
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TECH TRAPS S23
Digital Detox: What Actually Happens
What your brain does when you unplug — the discomfort is the point.
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THE PLAYBOOK S23
Bouncing Back: When You Fall Off
The skill is how fast you get back up, not whether you fall.
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CHARACTER CODE S23
Resilience: What It Actually Looks Like
Not bouncing back — bouncing forward.
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HEADQUARTERS S24
Post-Traumatic Growth: When Hard Makes You Stronger
The full PTG picture
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TECH TRAPS S24
Your Tech Relationship: Year in Review
What changed
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THE PLAYBOOK S24
The Playbook: Year in Review
What actually changed
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CHARACTER CODE S24
Resilience in Practice
What resilience actually looks like in the middle of something hard.
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HEADQUARTERS S25 · Final
Brain City: Full Year Wrap
25 sessions
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TECH TRAPS S25 · Final
Tech Traps: Full Year Wrap
25 sessions
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THE PLAYBOOK S25 · Final
The Playbook: Year Closing
Real skills for real life — they're yours now.
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CHARACTER CODE S25 · Final
Character Code: Year Closing
Nine traits. Nine definitions. One group.
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RISE UP · RISE Academy Leadership Group · demo build
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