Podcast Episode
She Lost Her Arm But Found a Stronger Brain. Bethany Hamilton’s Incredible Post-Traumatic Growth Journey
August 24, 2026
What if your greatest trauma could literally reshape your brain and your life for the better? After surviving a shark attack that took her arm at just 13 years old, Bethany Hamilton became a global symbol of resilience. But what actually happened inside her brain? In this powerful conversation, Bethany sits down with renowned psychiatrist and brain imaging expert Dr. Daniel Amen, alongside Tana Amen, to explore the science behind her extraordinary post-traumatic growth. For the first time, Bethany examines her brain through advanced imaging, uncovering how faith, purpose, resilience, and intentional habits may have transformed her mind after unimaginable adversity. Together, they dive into the neuroscience of trauma, healing, grit, motherhood, high performance, and why some people don't just recover—they grow stronger. Whether you've experienced loss, trauma, or simply want to build a healthier brain, this episode offers hope backed by both science and an inspiring real-life story. In this episode:
- Bethany Hamilton's brain scan results with Dr. Daniel Amen
- The science of post-traumatic growth
- How trauma can change the brain—for better or worse
- Faith, resilience, and the mindset behind extraordinary recovery
- Practical habits for building a healthier, more resilient brain
- Why purpose is one of the brain's greatest healing tools
This isn't just a story of survival; it's a masterclass in becoming stronger because of what you've been through.
Categories
- 4 Circles
- Abuse
- ADD / ADHD
- ADD in the Bedroom
- Addiction
- Advice
- Aging
- Alcohol
- Alternative Therapies
- Alzheimer's Disease
- Anger Management
- Antidepressents
- ANTS
- Anxiety
- Attraction
- Autism
- Automatic Negative Thoughts
- Beauty
- Bipolar
- Blood Pressure
- Body Image
- Boundaries
- Brain
- Brain Fog
- Brain Function
- Brain Health
- Brain in Love
- Brain in The News
- Brain Scans
- Brain Tips
- Caregiving
- CBD
- Change
- Change your brain
- Change Your Grades
- Child Psychiatry
- Children
- Cholesterol
- Chronic Illness
- Chronic Pain
- Coffee
- Communication
- Community
- Confidence
- COVID-19
- Culture
- Depression
- Diet
- Disasters
- Driving
- Drugs
- Eating Disorders
- Emotions
- Empathy
- End of Mental Illness Book
- Energy
- Entitlement
- Exercise
- Faith
- Family
- Family Health
- Finding Value
- First responders
- Fitness
- Focus
- Food
- Forgiveness
- Gender
- Get to Know Tana
- Gluten
- Goal Setting
- Gratitude
- Grief
- Grieving
- Gut Health
- Habit Forming
- Habits
- Happiness
- Heal Your Mind
- Healing
- Health
- Healthy Habits
- Healthy Lifestyle
- Heart Health
- Holiday
- Holiday Health
- Hormones
- Hyperbaric Oxygen
- Hypertension
- Hypnosis
- Immune System
- Inflammation
- Inspirational
- Internal Medicine
- Intimacy
- Introduction
- Irlen Syndrome
- Judgement
- Learning
- Learning Disabilities
- Logic
- Love
- Marijuana
- Marriage Health
- Martial Arts
- Medicine
- Meditation
- Memory
- Memory Loss
- Mental Health
- Microbiome
- Mitochondria
- Mold
- Mom Hacks
- Mommy Guilt
- Mood
- Motherhood and Health
- Motivation
- Music
- Nutrition
- OCD
- Omega-3
- One Page Miracle
- Opioids
- Overcoming
- Oxygen
- Panic Attacks
- Parenting
- Personality Disorders
- Physical Health
- Positive Thinking
- Positivity
- Power of Forgiveness
- Procrastination
- PTSD
- Purpose
- Q + A
- Racism
- Rejection
- Relating
- Relationships
- Self Esteem
- Self Sabotage
- Self Talk
- Sex
- Sexual Harassment
- Shame
- Sleep
- Smoking Health
- Social Media
- SPECT
- Spirituality
- Sports
- Stress
- Substance Abuse
- Success
- Sugar
- Suicide
- Surgery
- Surgery Tips
- TBI
- Teenagers
- The Relentless Courage of A Scared Child Book
- Tips
- Toxic Products
- Toxins
- Toxins and Health
- Trauma
- Violence
- Voice And Your Brain
- Vulnerability
- Weight Issues
- Weight Loss
- Women's Health
- Workplace Relationships
- Your Brain Is Always Listening Book
Guests
- Alize Castellanos
- Andy Ramage
- Anne-Marie Principe
- Anthony Davis
- Barry Goldstein
- Bob White
- Chase Mattioli
- Chloe Amen
- Chris Browning
- Colonel Jill Chambers
- Dan Sullivan
- Darin Olien
- Dave Asprey
- Denny Salisbury
- Dr. Caroline Leaf
- Dr. Charles Fay
- Dr. Dale Bredesen
- Dr. Daniel Emina
- Dr. Darria Gillespie
- Dr. David and Daniel Root
- Dr. David Perlmutter
- Dr. Derose
- Dr. Derwin Gray
- Dr. Earl Henslin
- Dr. Emily Morse
- Dr. James Gordon
- Dr. Jay Faber
- Dr. Jeffrey Zeig
- Dr. Jennifer Farrell
- Dr. Jennifer Love
- Dr. Jim Fay
- Dr. John Townsend
- Dr. Jonny Bowden
- Dr. Joseph Pizzorno
- Dr. Josh Axe
- Dr. Judith Orloff
- Dr. Kabran Chapek
- Dr. Lisa Strohman
- Dr. Mark Filidei
- Dr. Mark Houston
- Dr. Mark Hyman
- Dr. Martin Katz
- Dr. Michael Breus
- Dr. Mike Dow
- Dr. Nancy Bohl-Penrod
- Dr. Parris Kidd
- Dr. Rebecca Siegel
- Dr. Robert Lustig
- Dr. Shane Creado
- Dr. Sharon May
- Dr. Stephen Hayes
- Dr. Steven Masley
- Dr. Todd Ovokaitys
- Dr. Uma Naidoo
- Dr. Wayne Jonas
- Gary Busey
- Guy Finley
- Helen Irlen
- James Ackerman
- Jay Shetty
- Jerri Sher
- Jim Karol
- Jim Kwik
- Joan Lunden
- Josh Perry
- Julianne Hough
- Justin Wren
- Kathy Smith
- Kelli Davis
- Kelly Vlahakis-Hanks
- Leeza Gibbons
- Lisa Ackerman
- Lisa Sasevich
- Mareya Ibrahim
- Maria Shriver
- Mark Wolynn
- Mary Schlesinger
- Max Lugavere
- Michael Peterson
- Miles McPherson
- Rachele Brooke Smith
- Rice Broocks
- Roger Love
- Sandra Maddox
- Shannon Kenitz
- Shawn Stevenson
- Tom Bilyeu
- Troy and Shannon Zeeman
- Winn Claybaugh
- Wymford Dore
- Zoe Davis
