Neuroscientist. Author. Decision Expert.
Empowering the science of smarter decisions for leaders, teachers, students.
About
Dr. Stuart Zola
Dr. Stuart Zola is a neuroscientist whose work has shaped how we understand memory, decision-making, and cognitive health. From pioneering research on the brain’s memory systems to co-founding innovative neurotechnology companies, his career bridges science and real-world impact.
Today, he brings that expertise into classrooms and organizations through engaging talks using Visual Thinking approaches, rooted in the teachings of his mentor Tony Buzan, the grandfather of Visual Thinking, designed to make better decision-making accessible to all.
The 3 Ms Decision Making Workshop
The 3 Ms Decision Making Workshop brings decision-making to life by combining proven frameworks with powerful visual tools like mind mapping. Designed for corporate and industry leaders, K-12 educators and students, the workshop transforms abstract thinking into something visible, structured, and actionable.
The Map, The Mix, & The Masters
Every strategic call your team makes is a bet on the future.
The cost of a bad decision isn't just the outcome. It's the wasted budget, the hire you shouldn't have made, the deal you should have walked away from. Most leaders make decisions, in large part, on their instincts.
The 3 Ms: Three ways of thinking, one better decision.
I help leaders and teams decide better, with real confidence, using The 3 Ms — a framework built from visual thinking, decision neuroscience, and the hard-won wisdom of professional decision-makers, including poker players, mountain guides, and magicians. Each workshop session weaves The 3 Ms together into a single, practical way of approaching any high-stakes decision.
Dr. Stuart Zola presents his Decision Making workshop at Emory University.
COVID provided a good example of the challenge of forced decisions.
Leading with a Full Deck
Leading with a Full Deck uses a deck of ordinary playing cards to support rich metaphors and structural devices for leadership, coaching, startup design, healthcare, and scientific research. Each suit, rank, color , and Joker provide credible scaffolds for ideas, e.g., the leader as the ”dealer” and strategist of the deck, card values as ranks or levels and roles, colors and jokers as uncertainty and adaptability, and the idea that a leadership team plays with a full deck. The metaphor also reinforces the understanding of risk and role of luck in outcomes, and the importance of thinking inside the box.
Keynotes and 1.5-3.0 Hour Interactive Workshops Available with Dr. Stuart Zola
Upcoming Events
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Don't Fear the Robot
Holbrook, Decatur
October 14 at 2:00 PM
Is AI the end of civilization, or just an eager assistant that never gets tired? Bring your iPads and computers to this talk, and together we'll have ChatGPT write a firm but polite letter about the neighbor's barking dog. No tech skills required. We'll also discuss big questions: Are students using AI to cheat? Why are the industry's own leaders urging caution and guardrails? And what should we make of the doomsday headlines? Plus, learn how to spot AI-powered scams, protect your privacy, and know when AI sounds confident but is wrong. You'll leave informed, amused, and unintimidated.
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Decisions: Brain Mechanisms for Deciding - Workshop
4th International Conference on Neurology & Neurological Disorders
Paris, France
Oct 15, 2026, 3:00 AM - Oct 16, 2026, 12:00 PM (EST)
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Decisions, Decisions! How to Make Better Ones.
Canterbury Court, Buckhead
October 26 at 11:30 AM
The 3 Ms Decision Making Workshop brings decision-making to life by combining proven frameworks with powerful visual tools like mind mapping. Designed for corporate and industry leaders, K-12 educators and students, the workshop transforms abstract thinking into something visible, structured, and actionable.
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Really Strange Things People Do In Their Sleep: The Science of Sleep and Dreams
Canterbury Court, Buckhead
November, 2026 TBA Date and Time -
Decisions, Decisions - How To Make Better Ones - Workshop
4th International Congress on Psychology & Behavioral Sciences
Barcelona, Spain
Mar 18, 2027, 4:00 AM - Mar 19, 2027, 1:00 PM (EST)
Four Points by Sheraton Barcelona
Companies and Credentials
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Fellow
ThinkBuzan
Official Licensed Instructor
Mikki Williams Speakers School
Graduate
Member, Georgia Creative Economy Collective (CEC)
Member
Northeastern University
PhD, Neuroscience
Neurotrack, Inc.
Co-Founder
MapHabit, Inc.
Co-Founder
Quiet Developments, LLC
Founder & CEO