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What does it really look like to build a meaningful life in one of the most demanding professions in the world?

In this episode of It’s Brain Surgery, Andrew Brunswick sits down with Dr. Betsy Grunch, board-certified neurosurgeon, researcher, mother, and globally recognized creator known as @LadySpineDoc.

Dr. Grunch shares her personal journey into neurosurgery, inspired by her mother’s spinal cord injury, and how that early experience shaped the way she treats patients, delivers difficult news, and leads with empathy in a high-stakes field. Together, they explore what neurosurgical training is actually like, how surgeons learn to carry responsibility without losing their humanity, and why communication matters just as much as technical skill.

The conversation also dives into how Dr. Grunch built a powerful educational platform on social media, why evidence-based medical voices matter online, and how she balances medicine, family life, creativity, and leadership in a traditionally male-dominated specialty.

This episode is an honest, thoughtful look at purpose, resilience, and redefining what a neurosurgeon can look like in the modern world.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

What inspired Dr. Betsy Grunch to become a neurosurgeon

How empathy shapes patient care and family communication

The realities of neurosurgical training and life after residency

Balancing surgery, motherhood, marriage, and leadership

Building trust and education through social media

Redefining success in medicine and beyond

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Follow Dr. Betsy Grunch:
Instagram & TikTok: @LadySpineDoc

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Dr. Howard Weiner is one of the most respected pediatric neurosurgeons in the country — Chief of Neurosurgery and Endowed Chair at Texas Children’s Hospital, and Professor at Baylor College of Medicine. But titles barely scratch the surface of who he is.

In this deeply personal conversation, Andrew talks with his former mentor about the part of medicine most people never hear about: how you stay human while doing the hardest job in the hospital.

They get into:

• How a childhood shaped by empathy led him to neurosurgery
• Why “hospitality” in medicine matters more than people think
• Leading teams through trust, warmth, and integrity
• How he navigates complications and the mental toll of surgery
• The role of spirituality, Sabbath, family, and giving in avoiding burnout
• The surprising tools that help surgeons build long, meaningful careers
• What it means to build a life you’re proud of — not just a career

If you’re in medicine, leadership, or just trying to build a meaningful life without burning out, this episode will hit home.

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Most of us think of a sauna as just “a hot room.”

In Finland, it’s a way of life, a ritual, a community practice, and surprisingly a powerful tool for training the mind.

In this episode of It’s Brain Surgery, Dr. Andrew Brunswick sits down with Lassi Liikkanen, one of the world’s leading experts on Finnish sauna design, tradition, and research. His books The Secrets of Finnish Sauna Design and Finnish Sauna: Steam, Wood, Stone, and How to Build Your Own have reshaped how the world understands authentic sauna culture.

We dive into:

• Why Finnish sauna culture is nothing like the “sauna” trend in the U.S.
• How heat trains the mind like surgery: presence, discomfort, clarity
• The true purpose of steam (löyly) and why humidity matters
• Sauna as meditation, community, and digital detox
• Why infrared is not a Finnish sauna—and what the research says
• What Americans consistently get wrong about sauna design
• How sauna shapes honesty, connection, and vulnerability
• Why even infants in Finland go to the sauna
• The right way to think about temperature, cycles, and cooling
• How to build a sauna that actually works (and why most don’t)

If you’ve ever wondered what a sauna really is or if you’re trying to deepen your own practicethis episode will change how you think about heat forever.

Guest Information
Lassi Liikkanen
Author, researcher, and one of the leading authorities on Finnish sauna design.
Books:
• The Secrets of Finnish Sauna Design
• Finnish Sauna: Steam, Wood, Stone, and How to Build Your Own