Music, Creativity, and Unlocking the Brain’s Full Potential with Genein Letford

mgraziano45
Aug 26
4 min read

If you’ve ever wondered how music, leadership, and neuroscience could fit together in one inspiring conversation, meet Genein Letford – keynote speaker, trainer, and founder of the Lyrics and Leadership Institute. Amani and Mandi spoke with Genein on this episode of Adventures in Business to talk about creativity, brain health, and how the arts can prevent dementia, Alzheimer’s, and stroke – and how it can make you a better business owner, speaker, and more.

Meet Genein Letford

Genein Letford is an award-winning speaker, best-selling author and corporate trainer on brain capital, brain health, creative thinking and NeuroSomatic Creativity®. She is the founder of CAFFE Strategies, and Lyrics ‘N Leadership and has inspired and led many to reconnect to their creative abilities and build brain health in order to produce innovative ideas for a creative workspace. Her unique interactive training intersects creative thinking development with building a culture of brain health and well-being. She believes creative literacy is a critical skill and she is often called ‘America’s Creativity Coach’ for her work in reigniting creativity and brain health in our workforce.

The Lyrics’n’Leadership Institute

Genein’s non-profit, the Lyrics’n’Leadership Institute, merges leadership training, life skills, and brain health education. The goal? To help people understand the brain as an asset, and how to take care of it early.

Through courses, creative workshops, and even a free “Prince’s Super Bowl Show” leadership breakdown, the Institute serves individuals of all ages, from those in their 20s to those in their 60s, who want to keep their minds sharp. With Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases on the rise, Genein emphasizes starting brain health habits early, even in childhood.

Music and the arts play a central role in her teaching because they not only inspire creativity but also shift mental and emotional states. As Genein puts it, Prince wasn’t just a musician – he was a poet, a photographer, and a storyteller.

Escaping “Brain Jail”

One of Genein’s signature phrases is “brain jail.” It’s the idea that our cultural conditioning, whether from family, school, or community, can limit our creative thinking.

Genein draws from her background in intercultural creativity, a concept she developed and trademarked, which connects cultural competence with creative thinking. By understanding how our early environments shaped our thinking patterns, we can reframe limiting beliefs and unlock more innovative ideas.

Building a Speaking Career

Genein’s journey from the classroom to global keynote stages wasn’t accidental. After leaving her teaching position in 2019, she joined networking groups like Innovation Women, sought speaking opportunities, and carved out her niche with unique concepts like intercultural creativity.

Her advice for aspiring speakers and entrepreneurs is this:

Own your ideas and protect your intellectual property
Find what makes you unique and then lean into it
Practice authentic adaptation (stay true to your personality while adjusting to your audience)

Why Your Brain Needs to Wander

Genein explains that our brains aren’t machines, but they are constantly working and they need rest to function at their best. Research shows that short breaks (five minutes, five times a day) can boost creativity, problem-solving, and learning.

This is thanks to something called the default mode network (DMN). When you pause from focused work – whether you’re simplifying fractions, writing a proposal, or washing dishes – your brain’s DMN “revs up,” making new connections between ideas and experiences. That’s why solutions often show up in the shower or during a walk.

Turning Heavy Science into Everyday Action

Neuroscience conferences might serve up eight-hour lectures, but Genein’s gift is translating complex research into everyday language. She credits her training as an elementary school teacher for this skill – if she can’t explain a concept to a 6-year-old, she knows she doesn’t fully understand it herself.

Her secret is storytelling and the arts. Whether she’s using Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5” to spark conversations about workplace fulfillment or Lauryn Hill’s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill to inspire self-reinvention, Genein uses music and metaphor to make big ideas relatable.

Creativity Is More Than Art

When people say, “I’m not creative,” Genein often finds it’s because they equate creativity with artistic talent. But creativity is simply the ability to produce something new that has value – and that can happen anywhere, from the art studio to the accounting department.

She also warns about “creative abuse,” when a person’s creativity is shut down early in life – like the person who stopped singing in third grade after a teacher told him he couldn’t carry a tune. Part of her mission is to help adults reconnect with the creative spark they may have lost.

Additionally, Genein is passionate about showing that creativity outside your field can sharpen your other skills. A lawyer who takes improv may become a better communicator. A surgeon who paints might improve precision and observation skills. Creativity fuels innovation in unexpected ways.

Why This Matters for the Next Generation

Genein believes access to the arts isn’t just nice to have – it’s an injustice to withhold from someone, especially in the first 10 years of life. Early exposure to music, painting, dance, and theater strengthens brain connections, fosters emotional intelligence, and builds skills that last a lifetime. For her own son, she made sure to start arts education early, knowing it would shape how he thinks, learns, and connects with others.

Attend the Brain Capital Conference

Whether you’re leading a team, raising kids, or want to keep your brain healthy and guard against Alzheimer’s and dementia, creativity and the arts can help. Attend the Brain Capital Conference on September 6, 2025 in Avondale Civic Center, AZ!