Podcast Summary: Change Your Brain Every Day

Episode: The Dark Side of Glory & The Faith That Brought Me Back
Date: November 3, 2025
Host: Dr. Daniel Amen & Tana Amen
Guest: Tim Tebow

Episode Overview

This episode features a candid, in-depth conversation between Dr. Daniel Amen and Tim Tebow, exploring the dark side of fame and the challenges of living with brain injury. It also highlights Tebow’s faith-driven journey, his passion for helping the world’s most vulnerable through the Tim Tebow Foundation, and the ongoing pursuit of brain health and purpose after trauma. The discussion is deeply personal, rich with practical advice, medical insights, and spiritual reflection.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Tim Tebow’s Mission & Calling

• Early Spiritual Experience: Tim recounts his conversion experience at age six, guided by his parents’ missionary work and his own conviction of faith ([06:41]).
• Most Vulnerable People as the ‘MVPs’: Tim discusses moving from chasing “Most Valuable Player” to focusing on “most vulnerable people”—children in crisis, the trafficked, and those with special needs ([04:36]).
  • Notable quote: “He kindly but reiterated many times to me, I have a more important MVP for you to chase. It’s not Most Valuable Player. It’s the most vulnerable people.” — Tim Tebow ([04:36])

2. The Dark Side of Fame & Trauma

• Shocking Football Injury: Tebow describes a severe concussion in 2009, which led to a hospital stay and brain bleeding, fundamentally shifting his awareness of football’s risks ([10:17]).
  • Notable quote: “I got hit and I was falling back and my head snapped against the other tackle’s knee and it whiplashed... and I was unconscious.” — Tim Tebow ([10:17])
• Chronic Migraines & Dyslexia: The ongoing effects of cumulative head trauma and challenges growing up dyslexic ([17:19], [34:35]).
• Dr. Amen’s Medical Perspective: Football and firefighting are cited as “brain-damaging professions,” with most players showing dramatic improvements when they follow brain rehabilitation programs ([08:04], [23:21]).

3. Ultimate Purpose and Stewardship

• Living with Tension: Tebow discusses the emotional tension between urgent humanitarian work and personal health, describing his desire to serve to the point of exhaustion but wrestling with the need for self-care ([59:17]).
  • Notable quote: “One of my biggest goals in life would be to show up to heaven exhausted. Because I feel like it would be a really bad day if I got to heaven and I was well rested.” — Tim Tebow ([59:22])
• Biblical Foundations:
  • Stewardship as a calling—not just financially but in all aspects, especially health: “When the owner shows back up, is everything in place and we have to do a good job in every area of our life.” — Tim Tebow ([37:35])
  • Romans 12:1–2 as a framework for holistic health and transformation (spiritual, physical, mental) ([61:13]).

4. Healing, Brain Health, and Practical Strategies

• Personalized Brain Plan: Dr. Amen shares findings from Tebow’s brain scan, revealing trauma-induced low activity centers and offering optimism for improvement with specific interventions ([30:14], [31:45]):
  • Erlin Syndrome: Possible sensitivity to certain lights causing migraines. Suggests testing and using filtered glasses ([17:03] onwards).
  • Supplement Protocol: Creatine, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, and B2, among others ([41:19], [46:23]).
  • Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy: Strongly recommended (40+ sessions in a “hard chamber”) for brain rehab, referencing cases like Joe Namath ([39:38]).
  • Emphasis on Gut Health: The importance of digestive health’s connection to brain health ([21:58]).
  • Work-Life Structure: Techniques like slow breathing, “What Went Well Today” gratitude exercises, stricter sleep routines, and careful boundary-setting ([49:32]–[52:07]).
  • Processing Trauma: Encouragement to use resources like EMDR, trauma-informed care, and spiritual counseling ([75:50]).
• Stress, Sacrifice, and Burnout: Dr. Amen and Tebow discuss the challenge of compassion fatigue and the need for first responders and faith leaders to care for themselves as well as their mission ([68:19], [86:59]).
  • “There is that tension. I just love your neighbor as yourself, which means you have to love yourself.” — Dr. Daniel Amen ([73:52])

5. The Tim Tebow Foundation & Legacy

• Foundation’s Multi-Faceted Work: From survivor care, hospitals, and special needs to rescue operations, law enforcement partnerships, and global advocacy ([65:49]).
• Impact Stories: Heart-wrenching examples of being present for children who’ve experienced extreme abuse, and grappling with introducing the concept of a loving father to those who’ve only known betrayal ([68:19], [71:15]).
  • Notable quote: “How do I bring up a heavenly father when their idea of a father is their idea of their first rape?... How do I bring up love, when their idea of love was the first person to sell me or buy me?” — Tim Tebow ([68:19])
• Call to Action: Encouraging listeners to get involved in any front-line organization, not just his foundation ([67:01]).

6. New Book: “Look Again”

• Core Message: Rediscovering worth, hope, and purpose through a biblical lens and seeing other people as royalty—"made in the image of God" ([77:38]).
  • Story of encountering a child marked as “royalty on board” at a Foundation event ([77:38]).
• Societal Comparison & Suicide: The crisis of self-worth fueled by social media comparison, and the epidemic rise in youth suicide ([83:50], [84:24]).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Stepping Into Purpose:
  “I spent most of my life chasing Most Valuable Player awards... God kindly reiterated... I have a more important MVP for you to chase, it’s the most vulnerable people.” – Tim Tebow ([04:36])
• On Football’s Hidden Toll:
  “Playing football is a brain damaging sport. Own it... but 80% of our players got better.” – Dr. Daniel Amen ([08:04])
• On Stewardship Beyond Money:
  “It’s everything that we have been allowed to borrow—our talents, our resources, our ability, our brain, every bit of it.” — Tim Tebow ([37:35])
• On Living for Others:
  “If we know that’s where he [God] is, that’s where I want to be.” — Tim Tebow ([60:39])
• On Trauma and Resilience:
  “[Healing] is carefully, and time. With time. ...We show up and we don’t want anything. We just want something for them...” — Tim Tebow ([71:15])
• On True Worth:
  “Your actions don’t equal your value. You are valuable before you ever do an action.” — Tim Tebow ([79:18])

Timestamped Breakdown of Important Segments

• 00:00–01:05 – Opening: Tim’s firsthand account of encountering profound trauma in children rescued from trafficking.
• 03:36–06:19 – Tebow’s path from sports stardom to humanitarian work, and his pivotal calling.
• 10:17–13:24 – The 2009 concussion story; early football memories; linking brain trauma and lifelong migraines.
• 16:57–18:13 – Migraines, possible Irlen syndrome, and solutions.
• 21:58–23:08 – Lifelong gut issues and their impact on brain health.
• 26:56–27:23 – Sensitivity to food dyes; lessons on migraine triggers.
• 30:14–32:05 – Analysis of Tim’s brain scan and explanation of damage.
• 34:35–36:24 – Dyslexia’s effect in school, reframed as a “superpower.”
• 44:38–45:47 – Exercise habits and Dr. Amen’s advice on HIT and cardio adapted to Tebow’s travel schedule.
• 49:04–53:10 – Sleep struggles, routine challenges, and the “what went well” nightly gratitude practice.
• 56:12–60:00 – The tension between service and self-care; pursuit of purpose and the perils of burnout.
• 65:49–67:13 – Overview & mission of the Tim Tebow Foundation; how to get involved.
• 71:15–72:15 – Trauma-informed care and the foundation’s approach to healing.
• 77:38–83:50 – The message behind Tebow’s new book, “Look Again,” and how identity reframed through God’s eyes renews hope.
• 83:50–86:58 – Suicide, social media’s impact on self-worth, and the critical need for gratitude and positivity.
• 87:36–89:41 – Dr. Amen offers to be a permanent resource for Tebow’s personal and mission-related brain health.

Final Thoughts

This episode blends inspiring testimony with practical neuroscience and spiritual counsel, portraying Tim Tebow as a man living in the tension between a driven calling and the toll of that calling on mind and body. Listeners leave with a deep appreciation for the price of leadership, the ongoing battle against trauma, and hope for healing—through science, structure, faith, and relentless stewardship of the gifts we’re given.

For more:

• Tim Tebow Foundation: timtebowfoundation.org
• Book: “Look Again” (Available November 4th)
• Learn more about Dr. Amen’s brain health programs at Amen Clinics