What if the biggest problem in your leadership… isn’t your team—but your thinking?

In this powerful episode of Speaking With Authority, Jim Koetting sits down with Dr. Lee Warren, a brain surgeon who has performed over 200 surgeries in Iraq—and then faced something far more difficult: rebuilding his own mind after unimaginable loss.

This conversation goes far beyond neuroscience.

It reveals a truth most leaders miss:

You are not stuck with your thinking—and the way you think is shaping everything in your life.

Dr. Warren breaks down:

• Why your brain creates “ruts” that control your behavior
• How your thoughts physically rewire your brain (not metaphor—biology)
• Why leaders fail—not from lack of knowledge, but flawed thinking
• The difference between your brain and your mind (this will challenge you)
• How trauma doesn’t define you—your response does
• The concept of “Self-Brain Surgery”—and how to apply it immediately

Jim connects it directly to leadership:

Why people don’t change… even with evidence

Why leaders struggle to influence others

And why the hardest leadership challenge is leading yourself

This is not theory.

This is practical, life-changing insight that can transform how you think, lead, and live.

If you’ve ever thought:

“Why do I keep doing this?”

“Why can’t I change this pattern?”

“Why won’t people see what I see?”

This episode will hit you hard—in the best way.

W. LEE WARREN, M.D. is an award-winning author, practicing neurosurgeon, and Iraq War veteran. Outside of the operating room, his writing and teaching serve as prescriptions for connecting neuroscience to faith for radical life transformation. He teaches the art and science of human flourishing on The Dr. Lee Warren Podcast, which is heard in 150 countries around the world weekly, on Substack (the bestselling Self-Brain Surgery™ Letter), and in his books. His latest book is The Life-Changing Art of Self-Brain Surgery: Connecting Neuroscience and Faith to Radically Transform Your Life. His book, Hope is the First Dose: A Treatment Plan for Recovering from Trauma, Tragedy, and Other Massive Things, was Outreach Magazine’s 2024 award winner for counseling and relationships. His stunning medical memoir, I've Seen the End of You: A Neurosurgeon's Look at Faith, Doubt, and the Things We Think We Know, was the Christian Book Award winner for Biography/Memoir in 2021. His first book, No Place to Hide, was named to the 2015 U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff's Professional Reading List. Dr. Warren lives in Nebraska with his wife Lisa.

https://wleewarrenmd.com/

https://wleewarrenmd.com/books/the-life-changing-art-of-self-brain-surgery/

Why do some messages inspire action while others get ignored?

In this episode of Speaking With Authority, Jim Koetting sits down with Joanna Wiebe, founder of Copyhackers and a pioneer of conversion copywriting, to explore the psychology behind persuasive communication.

Many leaders believe they are communicating clearly — yet poor messaging costs companies billions every year in lost opportunities, confusion, and disengagement. Joanna explains why the words we choose matter more than most leaders realize and how understanding human psychology can dramatically improve communication with customers, employees, and partners.

Together they explore how small changes in language can produce massive business results, why most communication fails inside organizations, and what leaders can do immediately to become more persuasive communicators.

If you're a leader, entrepreneur, marketer, or communicator, this conversation will change the way you think about words.

What You'll Learn in This Episode

• Why most business communication fails

• The psychology behind words that move people to act

• How a single sentence increased conversions by 400%

• Why persuasion is one of the most important leadership skills

• The “You Rule” that instantly improves your messaging

• Why AI can generate words but still struggles with persuasion

• How great leaders use storytelling to influence and inspire

About Joanna Wiebe

Joanna Wiebe is the founder of Copyhackers and Copy School, where she has trained thousands of marketers, founders, and entrepreneurs in conversion copywriting and persuasion psychology. Her work has helped companies generate millions in revenue simply by improving how they communicate.

About the Host

Jim Koetting is a Trusted Mentor and Coach who helps leaders increase influence, improve communication, and build stronger organizations through greater self-awareness and leadership development.

Subscribe for More Conversations on Leadership and Influence. On Speaking With Authority, Jim Koetting interviews leaders, entrepreneurs, and communication experts about what it really takes to influence people, build trust, and lead effectively.

Ginny Burton’s life includes nearly 30 years of addiction, incarceration, and a complete personal rebuilding that began at 40. In this conversation with Jim Koetting, she challenges the modern recovery and homelessness landscape—arguing that many incentives reward long-term management over real transformation. They talk candidly about withdrawal, discomfort, and why accountability can do what sympathy never could. Ginny also shares the outcomes of her prison-based program, her focus on abstinence-based stability, and why lived experience matters when rebuilding broken lives—and broken systems.