Podcast Episode

Tarek El Moussa: The Painful Secrets Behind His Wild Success
June 9, 2025
“Flip or Flop” star Tarek El Moussa seemed to have it all—hit TV shows, fame, fortune—but behind the scenes, his life was falling apart. In this deeply revealing episode, Tarek opens up to Dr. Daniel Amen and Tana Amen about the hidden brain struggles that shaped his life: birth trauma, multiple mental health diagnoses, alcoholism, cancer, toxic self-talk, and a near breakdown at the height of his career. After a revealing brain scan and emotional conversation, he begins to understand why he’s struggled for so long—and what he can do to finally heal. This is a relatable story of turning pain into passion and rebuilding from within.
00:00 Intro
00:44 Sponsor
01:08 Chance Encounter
05:45 Why I Am the Way I Am
08:13 Your Brain is Hurt
13:23 Coming Off of Meds
16:09 Turning Pain into Fuel
18:03 The Birth of the “Flip” Empire
24:04 The Brain’s Rejection of Success
26:06 The Last Day as a Family
31:46 Self-Medication
34:32 Tarek’s Brain SPECT Scan (Surface)
36:30 Neuropsychological Testing
42:04 Mental Hygiene
48:48 Parents/Self-Talk
51:33 The Plan
57:48 Sponsor
58:36 Wrap Up
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