Australia is the first country in the world to have Olympic Head Coaches fully qualified as Brain Coaches.
The Australian Institute of Sport AIS sought Dr Michael Hewitt-Gleeson of the School of Thinking to conduct two SOT Brain Coaching masterclasses at a Summit of Australian Olympic Head Coaches of 20 sports. On completion of the masterclasses the elite level coaches qualified for a Diploma of Applied Brain Coaching DipABC(SOT) and received their Brain Coaches’ Handbook to assist their own Brain Coaching activities.
Australia is the first country in the world to have Olympic Head Coaches fully qualified as Brain Coaches.
Do a GBB! That’s the new mantra of the Sydney Roosters, Sydney’s most successful professional NRL football team.
In November, Michael ‘Hewi’ presented a Brain Coaching masterclass on Lateral Thinking and AI. On how to use AI to do x10 thinking. How to ‘Do a GBB’ with ChatGPT, Meta or Claude etc to assist. Here’s some feedback from the Roosters Coaching and Leadership Team …
The Radical Experiment That Taught the World to Think
Long before online learning and AI tutors, a Los Angeles college without classrooms quietly reinvented education. Its boldest project—run by Michael Hewitt-Gleeson and Edward de Bono—taught 40,000 hospital workers how to think better. It worked.
April 1983 Reader’s Digest cover referencing “Seven Steps to Better Thinking.”
The College With No Campus
In 1970, International College launched in Los Angeles with an idea so radical it almost sounded medieval: one student, one tutor, one mission. No departments. No lecture halls. Just pure intellectual apprenticeship.
Each scholar worked directly with a mentor to design a bespoke project—real-world, measurable, and original. It was a university without walls, long before the internet made that phrase fashionable.
Turning Creativity Into Code
Among its boldest experiments was the partnership between Dr Edward de Bono, inventor of Lateral Thinking, and Dr Michael Hewitt-Gleeson, an Australian systems thinker who turned creativity into data, code, and algorithms.
Together, they conducted one of the first large-scale cognitive-training experiments: 26 New York hospitals, 40,000 participants, and a single question—could thinking itself be improved through structured practice?
The answer was yes. Thinking could be taught, measured, and improved.
The project’s measurable success proved that cognition wasn’t a mystery—it was a design problem.
When Thinking Went Global
Their work culminated in the 1982 book Learn-To-Think: Coursebook and Instructor’s Manual—a step-by-step guide for teaching creativity and logic as trainable skills. A year later, the coursebook became a global sensation when Reader’s Digest featured it in a cover story—“Seven Steps to Better Thinking”—across all international editions, reaching 68 million readers worldwide.
The Legacy
Though International College closed in 1986, its DNA thrives in modern education: mentorship-based PhDs, design thinking, and cognitive coaching.
The Hewitt-Gleeson–de Bono collaboration proved that serious scholarship doesn’t need ivory towers—just imagination, autonomy, and applied rigour. In an age shaped by algorithms and artificial intelligence, their insight feels prophetic:
Human cognition isn’t fixed. It’s upgradable.
The most powerful classroom isn’t a campus. It’s the mind.
Reference: Academic Paper: A College Without Walls
Dr Michael Hewitt-Gleeson, Founder of the School of Thinking
Neuroscience 101 Should Be Taught in all Australian Primary Schools.
Here’s Ten Reasons Why …
1. *Improved learning outcomes*: Understanding how the brain learns can help students develop better study habits and improve academic performance.
2. *Enhanced self-awareness*: Neuroscience education can help children recognize and manage their emotions, leading to improved mental health and relationships.
3. *Informed decision-making*: By understanding the brain’s vulnerabilities, students can make informed choices about substance use, screen time, and lifestyle factors.
4. *Developing growth mindset*: Teaching neuroplasticity can encourage students to view challenges as opportunities for growth.
5. *Better emotional regulation*: Neuroscience can help children understand and manage their emotions, reducing stress and anxiety.
6. *Improved focus and concentration*: Understanding attention and focus mechanisms can help students develop strategies to stay on task.
7. *Enhanced creativity and problem-solving*: Neuroscience can inspire students to explore creative thinking and innovative problem-solving.
8. *Brain health and wellness*: Educating students about brain health can promote healthy habits and reduce risk of neurological disorders.
9. *Increased empathy and understanding*: Neuroscience can help students appreciate individual differences and promote inclusivity.
10. *Preparation for future careers*: Understanding the brain is essential for careers in fields like psychology, neuroscience, and medicine.
Neuroscience should be taught in Australian Primary Schools.
– Michael Hewitt-Gleeson
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On Friday, 16th August 2024. To launch this project Dr Michael Hewitt-Gleeson, co-founder SOT, has agreed to design an introductory training program for teachers called Neuroscience 101. It will be a foundational professional learning course designed for teachers, especially those who wish to teach neuroscience to kids in primary schools.
It explores how we think about thinking, introducing key neuroscience concepts like neuroplasticity. Based on Dr Hewitt-Gleeson’s bestselling books Software For The Brain and The Fourth Brain, this online course empowers educators to bring neuroscience into the classroom and spark curiosity in young minds. Participants can learn how the brain works—and why every teacher should teach it.
SPECIAL EDITION NOTES:This smartphone edition (5.0) is designed with larger font and less words per page to make it easier for smartphone readers. So there are more pages (415) but much faster to read. This edition is free, so pass it on to others if you wish. Previous editionstitled ‘Sofware For Your Brain’ have been international best-sellers since 1989.
In this exciting book, Michael Hewitt-Gleeson introduces a new way to think about business. He describes the x10 meme – the innovative idea of multiplying your business by 10.
Currently the business growth meme in most people’s brain is 10% per annum. Here the author stresses that the market is changing rapidly and businesses cannot stay the same. The 10% per annum meme is outdated and needs to be upgraded.
X10 is the focus for future thinking and for customer-driven businesses bent on profit share. Using three easy-to-follow tutorials, Hewitt-Gleeson guides you through The x10 Memeplex. Finally, a case study plan helps people to transfer these ideas into their own business practices.
This book will change the way everyone thinks about business. Go ahead. Read the x10 gospel. Infect your mind with the x10 meme. Be like Larry Page and multiply your business by ten!
