The Dr. Lee Warren Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Chuck DeGroat: Who You're Becoming (S15E24) Oct 22, 2026

Show notes

Dr. Lee Warren interviews therapist and author Dr. Chuck DeGroat about deep, lasting identity-level transformation and DeGroat’s new book, "Who You Are Becoming: The Slow and Courageous Work of Cultivating Character in a Narcissistic Age."

They clarify how “narcissism” is often overused, describe it as a spectrum that can include narcissistic personality disorder, and discuss defensiveness as a nervous-system survival strategy that requires safety, accountability, and time to reshape. The conversation explores cultural pressures toward performance, platform, instant maturity, and social-media mirroring, contrasting them with integrity, compassion, and becoming the beloved.

DeGroat connects ancient Christian wisdom (Augustine, Teresa of Avila, Brueggemann’s orientation/disorientation/reorientation) with contemporary neuroscience to describe the path from fragmentation to wholeness through slow, courageous, grace-filled inner work.

Get your copy of "Who You're Becoming": https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HJF5GD2C?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback

Connect with Mark Batterson: https://www.chuckdegroat.net/

The most important book you'll read this year (besides the Bible) is my new one, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Life-Changing Art of Self-Brain Surgery

Check out the Self-Brain Surgery® Coaching App! https://studio.com/apps/selfbrainsurgery/brain ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

The School of Self-Brain Surgery is live! You can get a taste for free by taking my powerful 3-part video training course, You Can Change Your Life. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get instant access for free by clicking here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

My book, 2021 ECPA Memoir/Biography of the Year, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠I've Seen the End of You⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Mark Batterson: Not My Circus (S15E23) Oct 19, 2026

Show notes

I'm excited to welcome my friend, New York Times bestselling author and pastor Mark Batterson, back to the show today! In this episode, we discuss his incredible new book, "Not My Circus: Living with Courage, Conviction, and Compassion in a World of Chaos."

After nearly thirty years pastoring just steps away from the halls of power in Washington, DC, Batterson brings hard-won wisdom to the defining challenge of our moment. You’ll learn how to cultivate a non-anxious presence by developing:

Holy courage—the boldness to stand firm in your convictions without being controlled by others’ opinions.

Spiritual discernment—the sense to know which battles are yours to fight and which ones aren’t.

Amazing grace—the ability to engage those you disagree with, maintaining your witness without taking on their anxiety.

For anyone ready to stop reflecting culture and start transforming it, Not My Circus offers a road map to escape the cult of conformity—and live for the applause of nail-scarred hands.

Get your copy of "Not My Circus": https://www.amazon.com/Not-My-Circus-Conviction-Compassion/dp/B0GSHTJ45M?_encoding=UTF8&sr=1-1&language=en_US&gaOptInStatus=true

Connect with Mark Batterson: https://www.markbatterson.com/

Check out the Self-Brain Surgery® Coaching App! https://studio.com/apps/selfbrainsurgery/brain ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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The Obedience Rewire (Stanley's Principles Pt. 3) Oct 16, 2026

Show notes

By popular demand, I'm releasing this 3-part Self-Brain Surgery series from my YouTube channel covering Dr. Charles Stanley's 30 Life Principles.

This is part 3 of a series connecting Pastor Charles Stanley's classic Principles for Living with Dr. Warren's Self-Brain Surgery to help you flourish with scripture and science working together.

InTouch Ministries with Dr. Charles Stanley: https://www.intouch.org/

Check out the Self-Brain Surgery® Coaching App! https://studio.com/apps/selfbrainsurgery/brain ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Your Mind is the Battlefield (Stanley's Principles Pt. 1) Oct 16, 2026

Show notes

By popular demand, I'm releasing the other 2 episodes in the 3-part Self-Brain Surgery series from my YouTube channel covering Dr. Charles Stanley's 30 Life Principles.

Go back to my neurosurgery training with me to the day I had my first experience of delivering a fatal brain cancer diagnosis. I had to learn to be empathetic, truthful, and realistic while noticing my own body’s fear response before anything had happened.

This episode is the first in a three-part series connecting Dr. Charles Stanley’s “30 Life Principles” with my Ten Commandments of Self-Brain Surgery. You’ll learn that disappointment is an inevitable amygdala-driven reaction, while discouragement is a choice shaped by the prefrontal cortex’s interpretation.

Using Psalm 42 and David and Goliath, I teach you that most automatic thoughts are untrue predictions, so you must learn to interrogate them. Your mind, submitted to God, can regulate the brain through top-down control, and listening to God supplies truth to rehearse. Then I share a patient story and prescribe you a three-step weekly practice: name disappointment, verify thoughts, and load truth daily.

InTouch Ministries with Dr. Charles Stanley: https://www.intouch.org/

Check out the Self-Brain Surgery® Coaching App! https://studio.com/apps/selfbrainsurgery/brain ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Dr. Zach Clinton Mental Health, Neuroscience, and Faith (S15E22) Oct 12, 2026

Show notes

Dr. Lee Warren introduces Dr. Zach Clinton, Executive Vice President of the American Association of Christian Counselors, host of the Built Different podcast, licensed professional counselor, and Liberty University athletic counselor. This is a deep conversation at the intersection of neuroscience and faith.

Clinton shares his background, struggles with identity and performance, and a pivotal 2019 spiritual breakthrough that shaped his calling into counseling. They discuss how identity is formed through narrative, the church’s evolving view of mental health as holistic discipleship, and why medication can be appropriate for brain-based conditions. Clinton offers counsel for listeners facing addiction (healing can’t be found in hiding), betrayal trauma (forgiveness vs. reconciliation and earned trust), acute grief (finding the light step by step), shame, and joy diminished by comparison, ending with a prayer for hope and healing.

American Association of Christian Counselors: https://aacc.net/

Built Different Academy by Zach Clinton: https://builtdifferentacademy.com/

Check out the Self-Brain Surgery® Coaching App! https://studio.com/apps/selfbrainsurgery/brain ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Ryan Miller: Meek as a Mustang (S15E21) Oct 05, 2026

Show notes

An incredible conversation with social media star, podcaster, and filmmaker Ryan Miller about his new book, "Meek as a Mustang." This one will redefine an ancient virtue that many of us have misunderstood, and help you step into the character and power of the life God is calling you to.

Order Ryan Miller's new book, "Meek as a Mustang": https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GQP93D78?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback

Learn more about Ryan Miller via JesusPeople: https://www.thejesuspeoplemovement.org/

Check out the Self-Brain Surgery® Coaching App! https://studio.com/apps/selfbrainsurgery/brain ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Adversity is the Operating Room (Stanley's Principles Pt. 2) (S15E20) Sep 28, 2026

Show notes

The second part of a three-part series connecting Dr. Charles Stanley’s “30 Life Principles” with my Ten Commandments of Self-Brain Surgery. In this episode, I take you to Iraq, during my time there as a combat neurosurgeon to share the exhaustion I felt during mass casualties, how they made me question God about why suffering happens, and I argue that adversity is never wasted.

You’ll learn that God doesn’t cause adversity, but that he will use it for the good of those who love Him. We unpack what Romans 8:28 really means and why it’s a game changer for your life. We connect more of Dr. Stanley’s principles to the first, seventh, and ninth commandments of self-brain surgery a trajectory rather than a destination.

This is a powerful episode that will change your life if you’re willing to do the hard and holy work of reframing adversity as opportunity for personal growth.

Check out the Self-Brain Surgery® Coaching App! https://studio.com/apps/selfbrainsurgery/brain ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Don’t Snatch Anxiety from the Jaws of Awesome (S15E19) Sep 21, 2026

Show notes

In this powerful episode, I share how chronic stress can make us respond to answered prayers with fear instead of gratitude, illustrated by a patient whose clear MRI still triggered anxiety and a father who anticipated his son’s relapse even after 90 days sober.

I explain the neuroscience behind hypervigilance; elevated cortisol, negativity bias, and hedonic adaptation, and how the brain treats vivid worry like real danger. Drawing on Ian McGilchrist’s work on attention in the brain’s hemispheres, I show how stress narrows us into “what’s next” mode, stealing awe.

I connect this pattern to scripture (Luke 17, Psalm 103, Philippians 4:8, Habakkuk 3, Nehemiah 8, 1 Thessalonians 5) and teach a five-step “Turnback” practice: catch it, name it, imagine it, pause 60 seconds, and give thanks, to stop “snatching anxiety from the jaws of awesome.”

Don’t biopsy the blessing anymore. This episode will teach you how.

Resources and Links⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Check out the Self-Brain Surgery® Coaching App! https://studio.com/apps/selfbrainsurgery/brain ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Healing What You Can’t Erase with Christopher Cook (S15E18) Sep 14, 2026

Show notes

Trauma leaves a mark, on our minds, in our bodies, and all over our lives. My friend Christopher Cook, author of Healing What You Can’t Erase, returns to the podcast this week to discuss trauma, loss, and the role of faith and trust in our ultimate healing. This is one of the most powerful talks I’ve ever had on the show, and it will help you understand the difference in surviving and flourishing after life brings you pain.

Christopher Cook on YouTube

The most important book you'll read this year (besides the Bible) is my new one, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Life-Changing Art of Self-Brain Surgery ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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It’s Time to Heal with Dr. Derwin Gray (S15E17) Sep 07, 2026

Show notes

Dr. Derwin Gray on Trauma, Faith, and Renewing Your Mind

Press play and let’s do the hard and holy work of healing.

In this episode, I sit down with my friend Dr. Derwin Gray, a former NFL player, pastor and founder of Transformation Church near Charlotte, and author of the new book "It’s Time to Heal."

We have a powerful talk about the unseen wounds we carry from trauma, relationships, and words spoken over us or by us. Derwin shares how chronic pain and childhood trauma shaped him, why healing can be difficult, and how the gospel, Scripture, and renewing the mind connect with neuroscience and psychology.

He unpacks his HEAL framework: be Honest with God, Expect healing to be hard, Accept what happened without affirming it, and Live from love, not for love. We also talk about grief, forgiveness, professional mental health help, and turning pain into purpose.

Learn more about Pastor Derwin Gray here.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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