The Dr. Lee Warren Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Your First Time at War (S15E27) Nov 09, 2026

Show notes

Dr. Lee Warren describes what it felt like to go to war, and how not knowing where the bullets would come from was one of the scariest moments. Then he explains that this is also true in the wars of our lives, when sometimes it's the friendly fire that hurts the most. As part of Veterans Day week, this episode sets the stage for a look at going to war, searching for control, and learning there's only one place to turn when the bombs are falling in our lives.

Want to know more about my time in Iraq? Order my book, "No Place to Hide" here: https://www.amazon.com/No-Place-Hide-Surgeons-Journey/dp/031035756X/ref=sr_1_5?sr=8-5

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 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Sign up for my weekly ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Self-Brain Surgery Newsletter here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

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

New Thing November (S15E26) Nov 02, 2026

Show notes

Using Scripture and neuroscience, this episode walks you through how to stop all-or-nothing thinking, reshape the way you relate to past setbacks, and build one small daily habit you can actually sustain.

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

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

The Prescription No One Expects (S15E25) Oct 26, 2026

Show notes

Dr. Lee Warren addresses late-night anxiety and intrusive thoughts, explaining that the brain’s alarm response isn’t proof you’re broken but a reaction to untested, often-untrue automatic thoughts. He teaches self-brain surgery, beginning with a thought biopsy (catching and evaluating thoughts), then removing harmful falsehoods and transplanting truth, using Philippians 4:4–9 as a practical prescription: pray, present requests with thanksgiving, and let God’s peace “guard” heart and mind.

He connects gratitude research to brain function (amygdala, prefrontal cortex, hippocampus) and emphasizes that focused, repeated attention reshapes the brain. He links Paul’s list (true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, praiseworthy) to Psalm 19’s description of God’s Word, urging meditation and repeated practice.

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

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

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/

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

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

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 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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

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 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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

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 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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

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 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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

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 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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

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 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

The Dr. Lee Warren Podcast

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected