"I Couldn't Think Straight": Jennie Garth Opens Up About Years of Unexplained Brain Fog & Memory Issues"I Couldn't Think Straight": Jennie Garth Opens Up About Years of Unexplained Brain Fog & Memory Issues
The Brain Warrior's Way Podcast
Dr Daniel Amen talks with Jennie Garth about years of brain fog, memory fears and depression, and how brain scans and daily habits changed her outlook. The conversation touches on shame around medication, negativity bias and practical ways to care for brain health over the long term.
1:00:40•15 Jun 2026
Jennie Garth on Brain Fog, Shame and Finally Giving Her Mind a Break
Episode Overview
- Reframing "mental illness" as a brain health issue can reduce shame and make it easier to accept help, including medication.
- Simple habits such as gratitude, positive morning statements and not believing every automatic thought can calm an overactive emotional brain.
- Negativity bias makes the brain cling to criticism; consciously shifting attention to supportive thoughts and comments changes how you feel.
- Tracking low moods and treating them with rest, self-compassion and reduced demands can stop "little dips" of depression from spiralling.
- Targeted supplements, healthy food, movement and supportive relationships often matter more than chasing every new bio-hacking trend.
“"Stop believing every stupid thing you think."”
What can we learn from those who have battled feeling "broken" by their own minds? This chat between Dr Daniel Amen and actress Jennie Garth pulls back the curtain on years of brain fog, memory worries, depression and shame around needing help. Jennie talks honestly about fearing she was losing her memory, only to find her first brain scan showed a "stunningly beautiful brain" with an emotional centre that was working overtime.
Five years on, her follow-up scan looks calmer and healthier, and she credits simple daily habits: supplements, MCT oil in her morning smoothie, meditation, Buddhist teachings, and one deceptively simple rule: "Stop believing every stupid thing you think." You’ll hear them break down negativity bias, that tendency to obsess over the one hurtful comment and forget a hundred kind ones, and how this fuels anxiety and low mood.
There’s a powerful reframing of “mental illness” as “brain health issues”, stripping away shame and making medication just another tool, like glasses for the eyes: "Don't you want the lens that works for you?" Jennie also shares how she rides out her "little dips" of depression now: noticing them early, resting more, pulling back for a couple of days and giving herself grace instead of panic.
Dr Amen throws in practical tools like gratitude at night, saying "Today is going to be a great day" each morning, havening for emotional triggers, and focusing on whole foods, movement, relationships and sensible supplements before chasing every new bio-hack.
If you’ve ever worried your bad days mean you’re broken or weak, this conversation shows how much can change when you treat your brain kindly, get curious about your low moments and drop the guilt about needing a bit of help. What small brain-friendly habit could you add to your day next?
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