What's God Got To Do With It? With Leanne Ellington

We have more mental health resources, more awareness, more support than ever before. So why are anxiety, depression, and suicide rates at all-time highs?
In this first episode of our brand-new Spiritual Brain Surgery series, Dr. Lee Warren and I dive into the paradox that's plaguing our culture: more help, worse outcomes. We unpack the stats, explore what's missing from the current mental health model, and ask the hard question: what if the foundation itself is incomplete?
Dr. Warren explains why most mental health approaches are built on theory, not on how the brain actually works. We talk about the difference between managing symptoms forever and actually repairing the root problem. And we dig into why knowing the "why" behind your patterns isn't enough if your subconscious self-image is still running the old story.
Here's the truth: if your beliefs and self-image undermine what Scripture says about you, it doesn't matter how much therapy you've done or how much you intellectually "know." Your brain will keep automating the old patterns until you learn how to interrupt them at the root.
This episode is the foundation for everything we're going to unpack in this series. If you've ever felt stuck—like you're doing all the "right things" but nothing's actually changing—this conversation will show you why, and what's missing.
GUEST: Dr. Lee Warren // wleewarrenmd.com // @drleewarren
Listen to Dr. Warren's Podcast here.
Order Dr. Warren's New Book, The Life-Changing Art of Self-Brain Surgery.
HOST: Leanne Ellington // StresslessEating.com // @LeanneEllington // @theteenagerbrain
To learn more about Leanne, head over to www.LeanneEllington.com, and to share your thoughts, questions, feedback, or guest suggestions instantly, head on over to www.WhatsGodGotToDoWithIt.com.
Follow Leanne on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leanneellington/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this final episode of the Teenager Brain series, Leanne dives into the root of it all: the identity crisis.
Teens today don't have a stable sense of self. They don't know who they are, what they value, or what they stand for. And their sense of self rises and falls with every like, every comment, every comparison.
One day they're confident. The next day they're convinced they're not enough. And you're watching it happen—not knowing how to help them.
Here's what makes it even worse: Nobody knows what's real anymore. Your teen is scrolling Instagram, comparing themselves to someone's "perfect" skin—but they don't know it's a filter. They're comparing themselves to someone's "perfect" body—but they don't know it's AI-generated or Photoshopped. They're measuring themselves against a standard that doesn't even exist.
Their self-image is being shaped by lies. By filters. By comparison culture. And they have no stable sense of who they are.
But here's the good news: We can teach students how to build a self-image that's rooted in internal truth—not external validation.
Leanne peels back the curtain on the 4-step system taught inside the Teenager Brain curriculum—the system that builds emotional fitness, which builds emotional resilience:
Step 1: Regulate – Go from panic to calm in under 30 seconds
Step 2: Separate – Separate truth from lies, data from drama
Step 3: Narrate – Take ownership of your story instead of letting your brain spin worst-case scenarios
Step 4: Use Your Inner Compass – Build a self-image rooted in who you are, not what the world says about you
This is what happens when we teach students the 4-step system. Not perfection. Not eliminating hard things. Just giving students the tools to build emotional fitness—which builds emotional resilience—before these patterns become decades of struggle.
Ready to bring these tools to your school or teen? Head over to TeenagerBrain.com to request a free sample lesson. You'll see exactly how the Teenager Brain curriculum works and test-drive a full lesson from the perspective of both the student and the facilitator.
We're looking for our next 25 pilot schools for Fall 2026. This is a 4-week plug-and-play emotional fitness program that teaches students how to regulate their emotions, separate truth from lies, and build a self-image that lasts—without adding to your workload.
The window is open. Their brains are ready. The time is now.
HOST: Leanne Ellington // StresslessEating.com // @LeanneEllington // @theteenagerbrain
To learn more about Leanne, head over to www.LeanneEllington.com, and to share your thoughts, questions, feedback, or guest suggestions instantly, head on over to www.WhatsGodGotToDoWithIt.com.
Follow Leanne on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leanneellington/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Leanne dives into emotional dysregulation—why your teen melts down over the smallest things and can't bring themselves back down.
When a teen experiences something that feels threatening, stressful, or overwhelming, their brain's alarm system (the amygdala) goes off and sends them into fight-or-flight mode. Their heart rate spikes, their breathing gets shallow, and their prefrontal cortex—the part of the brain responsible for rational thinking and emotional regulation—goes offline.
That's why your teen can't "just calm down" when you tell them to. Their "sound mind" is literally offline.
And here's the thing: In teenagers, the prefrontal cortex is still under construction. It's not fully developed until around age 25. So when a teen's brain goes into fight-or-flight, it's even harder for them to bring themselves back down.
But here's the good news: We can teach students how to regulate their nervous system. We can teach them how to go from fight-or-flight to calm in under 30 seconds. Even if they've never been able to calm down before. Even if meditation doesn't work for them. The way we teach it at Teenager Brain is different—it's a foolproof way to access the nervous system through the sensory system, and anyone can do it.
Leanne shares powerful examples of what changes when students learn to regulate—from handling friend drama without spiraling, to processing a bad grade without melting down, to navigating social media rejection without falling apart.
This is what happens when we teach students how to regulate their nervous system. Not perfection. Not eliminating hard things. Just giving students the tools to process their emotions, respond instead of react, and be emotionally available to themselves.
Ready to bring these tools to your school or teen? Head over to TeenagerBrain.com to request a free sample lesson. You'll see exactly how the Teenager Brain curriculum works and test-drive a full lesson yourself.
We're looking for our next 25 pilot schools for Fall 2026. This is a 4-week plug-and-play emotional fitness program that teaches students how to regulate their emotions, separate truth from lies, and build a self-image that lasts—without adding to your workload.
HOST: Leanne Ellington // StresslessEating.com // @LeanneEllington // @theteenagerbrain
To learn more about Leanne, head over to www.LeanneEllington.com, and to share your thoughts, questions, feedback, or guest suggestions instantly, head on over to www.WhatsGodGotToDoWithIt.com.
Follow Leanne on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leanneellington/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Leanne exposes the attention crisis that's affecting every single teenager right now—and reveals what social media platforms know about teen brains that most parents and educators don't.
The average teen now spends between four and five hours a day on social media. And teens who spend three or more hours a day have double the risk of anxiety and depression. Heavily addicted younger teens show two to three times the risk of suicidal behavior.
But it's not just about the time. It's about how their brain is interacting with the content.
Every swipe, every like, every new video delivers a hit of dopamine—the "feel good" neurotransmitter. And over time, the teenage brain learns to crave that dopamine hit. It becomes addicted to the scroll. And when the scroll stops, the brain goes into withdrawal.
Leanne breaks down the three major forces rewiring teenage brains: dopamine dysregulation, chronic distraction and the death of deep focus, and comparison culture that ties self-worth to external validation.
But here's the good news: Dopamine dysregulation can be reversed. Attention can be retrained. And self-worth can be rebuilt from the inside out.
Leanne shares powerful examples of what changes when students learn to notice the dopamine trap, separate their worth from their likes, and retrain their attention—so they're not slaves to the scroll anymore.
Ready to bring these tools to your school or teen? Head over to TeenagerBrain.com to request a free sample lesson. You'll see exactly how the Teenager Brain curriculum works and test-drive a full lesson yourself.
We're looking for our next 25 pilot schools for Fall 2026. This is a 4-week plug-and-play emotional fitness program that teaches students how to regulate their emotions, separate truth from lies, and build a self-image that lasts—without adding to your workload.
HOST: Leanne Ellington // StresslessEating.com // @LeanneEllington // @theteenagerbrain
To learn more about Leanne, head over to www.LeanneEllington.com, and to share your thoughts, questions, feedback, or guest suggestions instantly, head on over to www.WhatsGodGotToDoWithIt.com.
Follow Leanne on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leanneellington/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Leanne dives into why schools have become mental health first responders—and why they're not equipped to handle it.
96% of schools report skyrocketing mental health needs, but only half have the staff to address them. Counselors are managing caseloads of 400-600 students. And teachers—who became educators to inspire minds—are now carrying the emotional weight of 30+ students every single day, leading to record burnout rates.
60% of teens who receive mental health support get it exclusively at school. So when the system is overwhelmed, students fall through the cracks—and parents feel stuck with nowhere to turn.
Leanne pulls back the curtain on what's really happening in schools, why teachers and administrators are drowning despite working their butts off, and why this is a systemic problem no one could have seen coming.
But here's the good news: There IS a solution. And it doesn't require hiring more counselors, years of therapy, or overhauling the entire system. It just requires teaching students the tools to regulate themselves.
Leanne shares real examples of what changes when students learn to regulate their emotions in under 30 seconds, separate data from drama, and build a self-image that doesn't crumble—so parents and teachers aren't carrying it all.
Ready to bring these tools to your school or teen? Head over to TeenagerBrain.com to request a free sample lesson. You'll see exactly how the Teenager Brain curriculum works and test-drive a full lesson yourself.
We're looking for our next 25 pilot schools for Fall 2026. This is a 4-week plug-and-play emotional fitness program that teaches students how to regulate their emotions, separate truth from lies, and build a self-image that lasts—without adding to your workload.
HOST: Leanne Ellington // StresslessEating.com // @LeanneEllington // @theteenagerbrain
To learn more about Leanne, head over to www.LeanneEllington.com, and to share your thoughts, questions, feedback, or guest suggestions instantly, head on over to www.WhatsGodGotToDoWithIt.com.
Follow Leanne on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leanneellington/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.