In this must-listen episode, Dr. Amen and Tana Amen sit down with Brandon Salawich, President and CEO of Starkey, the largest U.S.-based hearing aid manufacturer, to explore the critical link between hearing and brain health. They uncover how hearing loss isn’t just about missing sounds—it’s a major risk factor for dementia, depression, and relationship struggles. You’ll also discover surprising causes of hearing issues, including why 1 in 6 teenagers are already experiencing hearing loss. If you want to protect your brain, start by protecting your hearing—tune in to learn how.
00:00 Intro
01:01 Hearing & The Brain
01:45 Sponsor
03:03 Hearing is One of the Major Functions of the Brain
06:26 Hearing & Stigma
08:23 Can Your Brain Forget Sounds?
09:16 Overstimulation
10:08 Brandon’s Story
13:31 The Impact of Hearing Loss on the Brain
14:56 Overcoming Vulnerability
17:43 The Causes of Memory Loss
19:41 Damage Elimination
21:56 The Future of Hearing Augmentation/Automatic Translation
25:30 Brands
27:05 Hearing & AI Technology
28:45 Comfort
29:57 Hearing Sound for the First Time
40:16 Superpowered Hearing
46:31 Sponsor
46:54 Wrap Up
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
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Dateline NBC
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