Podcasts about Dopamine

Joining Kiri Pritchard-McLean this week is comedian Michelle Wolf who reflects on home births, Professor Stephen Wallace explains how old plastic bottles can be transformed into a form of Dopamine that can be used to treat Parkinson's disease, and Dr Matt Clarke demonstrates the power of medical collaboration in helping to identify and treat brain tumours.Best Medicine is your weekly dose of laughter, hope and incredible medicine. Award-winning comedian Kiri Pritchard-McLean is joined by a funny and fascinating panel of comedians, doctors, scientists, experts and historians to celebrate medicine's inspiring past, present and future.Each week Kiri challenges a panel of experts and a comedian to make a case for what they think is 'the best medicine'. Each guest champions anything from world-changing science or an obscure invention to an everyday treatment, an uplifting worldview, an unsung hero or a futuristic cure.Whether it's groundbreaking surgery, seaweed underwear, AI glasses to help people with dementia, horse therapy, sports, revolutionary gene therapy for Huntington's disease or yesterday's rubbish becoming tomorrow's medicines - it's always something worth celebrating.Hosted by Kiri Pritchard-McLeanFeaturing: Dr Matt Clarke, Professor Stephen Wallace and Michelle WolfWritten by Edward Easton, Jordan Gray, Kiri Pritchard-McLean and Ben RowseProducer: Tashi RadhaExecutive Producer: Ben WorsfieldTheme tune composed by Andrew JonesA Large Time production for BBC Radio 4

Jason chats with Eric Dittmore.

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Stop Doom-Scrolling! In 2026, the global average screen time has climbed to a staggering 6 hours and 38 minutes a day. We are constantly plugged in, but is it a lack of willpower, or are we just losing a rigged game? Today on the podcast, we sit down with Aditi Mandal to find out. Aditi spent a time working as a UX researcher, designing and making highly engaging digital products.  But in 2017, she realized she was falling victim to the very systems she helped build. After embarking on a digital fitness journey, Aditi successfully beat the algorithms, engineering her own screen time down from 6 hours to just 1 intentional hour a day., Now, through her company Take Back Your Time, she coaches adults on how to build sustainable digital habits.  We break down the exact mechanics of why we are addicted to our phones, the specific design tricks apps use to keep you scrolling, and the step-by-step toolkit you need to reclaim your attention without deleting the apps you need for work. Whether you're an entrepreneur struggling to focus or just someone looking to reclaim your attention span, Aditi breaks down actionable strategies—from introducing "positive friction" to buying an old-school alarm clock—that actually work in the real world. Key Takeaways from this Episode The UX of Addiction: Why screen addiction isn't your fault—it's the consequence of thousands of engineers designing platforms to capture your attention. How Aditi: operates as a solopreneur and runs her 5-week cohort programs. Navigating the social perception of screen addiction and convincing people to invest in digital fitness. Real client stories: Better sleep, increased energy, and a touching story of a father bonding with his son. Beating the Algorithm: We break down the specific mechanical tricks apps use to keep you hooked, and the exact counter-strategies you need to fight back. The 4 Foundational Digital Habits: The exact, step-by-step mechanisms Aditi uses to help her clients break free from endless scrolling. The "Necessary App" Dilemma: How to set boundaries with mandatory apps like WhatsApp and LinkedIn that you simply cannot delete. Building a Wellness Business: Aditi's journey of bootstrapping Take Back Your Time, finding her first paying clients, and growing her WhatsApp community. The Myth of Device Addiction: The core issue isn't an addiction to the physical device, but a compulsion to consume content every 10 to 15 minutes. Engineering "Positive Friction": How to make content consumption inconvenient by changing settings like YouTube autoplay, pausing your watch history, and keeping devices in another room. The "Long-Distance" Phone Relationship: Why keeping your phone physically away from you in a backpack or another room creates the necessary pause between a thought and a distraction. Why Digital Detoxes Fail: Retreats offer temporary peace, but they remove you from your real-life context. Sustainable change requires doing the habit work in your actual environment. and much more! Links www.takebackyourtime.in https://x.com/takebackyortime https://www.linkedin.com/in/aditi-mandal-77139742/ Hosted And Produced by Neil Patel https://www.linkedin.com/today/author/neilpatel2 Enjoyed this episode? Don't forget to subscribe and leave us a review! Share this episode with your friends. Listen and Subscribe to More Episodeshttps://www.indianstartupshow.com/ Music by Punch Deck.https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kdduxAVaFnbHJyNxl7FWV

நாம் தொழில்நுட்பத்தை கட்டுப்படுத்த வேண்டும்.தொழில்நுட்பம் நம்மைக் கட்டுப்படுத்தக் கூடாது.

The neuroscience behind why willpower fails — and what actually works instead Productivity improvement isn't about forcing focus, it's about alignment. Tracy Brinkmann explores the neuroscience of why willpower-driven focus damages your brain and destroys real productivity. Discover how flow states, natural cognitive alignment, and authentic success mindset create sustainable results. Perfect for entrepreneurs tired of hustle culture shortcuts. https://YourSuccessDNA.com https://DarkHorseEntrepreneur.com Tracy argues that struggling to force yourself to work isn't laziness but a neurochemical warning sign of misalignment. It explains that forced focus activates the anterior cingulate cortex (conflict detection), dysregulates dopamine and destabilizes norepinephrine (and acetylcholine), and can intensify default mode network activity, leading to mind-wandering, depletion, and decision fatigue. The host critiques productivity hacks like Pomodoro when used on purpose-conflicting tasks, claiming they can train the brain to associate focus with internal conflict. The alternative is aligned focus, which reduces internal conflict, stabilizes attention chemistry, and enables flow. Listeners are urged to ask three alignment questions before pushing through, distinguish protective resistance from fear-based avoidance, and complete a writing prompt: “The task I keep avoiding is avoiding me because ____.” 00:00 Forced Focus Myth 00:52 Willpower vs Brain 01:15 Conflict Alarm System 02:10 Ego Depletion Chemistry 03:59 Default Mode Rebellion 04:45 Aligned Focus Flow 05:56 Alignment Over Hacks 07:06 Decision Fatigue Spiral 08:44 Three Alignment Questions 10:40 Meaningful Work Triad 13:23 Discern Resistance Types 15:48 Whiskered Wisdom 17:17 Final Takeaway Focus, why cant I focus, procrastination, how to stop procrastinating, neuroscience of focus, forced focus, flow state, what is flow state, burnout symptoms, dopamine, how to increase dopamine naturally, productivity tips, decision fatigue, how to align your goals, authentic success habits, entrepreneurial success habits, habits for success, habits improvement, mindset habits, mindset success, self improvement mindset, success mindset habits, productivity improvement, productivity habits, authentic success habits Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today on The Gist, guest host Adaam James Levin-Areddy steps in as host Mike Pesca remains away. Mike brings on CUNY philosophy professor Justin Garson to discuss his book, The Madness Pill, and the legacy of 20th-century neuroscientist Dr. Solomon Snyder. Garson details how early psychiatric experiments using LSD and amphetamines led to the discovery of the dopamine hypothesis, revolutionizing the treatment of schizophrenia. Stop online threats before they become real-world attacks. Visit ironwall.com/GIST and request a free Risk Assessment to see exactly how exposed your executives are. Produced by Corey Wara Video and Social Media by Geoff Craig Do you have questions or comments, or just want to say hello? Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠thegist@mikepesca.com For full Pesca content and updates, check out our website at https://www.mikepesca.com/⁠ For ad-free content or to become a Pesca Plus subscriber, check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ For Mike's daily takes on Substack, subscribe to The Gist List https://mikepesca.substack.com/ Follow us on Social Media:⁠⁠⁠⁠ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/pescagist/ X https://x.com/pescami TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@pescagist To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠sales@amplitudemediapartners.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A clinical neuroscientist breaks down the two things that actually make you happy, a quest and a crush, and the brain science behind why a little whimsy is so good for you. Dr. Caroline Leaf sits down with her daughter and producer Dominique to unpack Dominique's theory of happiness: to feel happy, you need a quest and a crush. It sounds playful, but the neuroscience runs deep. Dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin, cortisol, theta waves, and the resilience networks that form every time you choose a bit of whimsy over the grind. If you have felt flat, stuck in hustle mode, or like the fun drained out of ordinary days, this one is for you. It is a warm, funny, science-backed conversation about how to be happy again by bringing whimsy back on purpose. What you'll learn:- Why a quest and a crush flip your brain into its healthiest, most efficient state- What actually happens in your brain and body when you have a crush (dopamine, norepinephrine, and those butterflies)- Why early infatuation shows serotonin levels that look almost identical to OCD, and why that is completely normal- How to read anxiety as useful data when a quest starts to tip from healthy toward toxic- Why your mind is in charge and your brain carries out its instructions, and what that means for how you feel- How small whimsical moments wire lasting resilience into your brain- Simple ways to turn errands and mundane days into a quest Resources:Dr. Leaf's Website: https://drleaf.comNeurocycle Certification, Clinical: https://drleaf.com/clinical-certificationNeurocycle Certification, Strategist: https://drleaf.com/certified-strategist1:1 Coaching with Dr. Leaf: https://drleaf.com/coaching-1-1Neurocycle App: https://drleaf.com/neurocycle-app Support the sponsors:-Veracity, up to 65% off GLP-1 support: VeracityHealth.co (code DRLEAF) (edited)  -OSEA, 10% off your first order sitewide: OSEAMalibu.com (code LEAF) -Shopify, start your free trial: shopify.com/leaf Subscribe so you don't miss the next one. New episodes every Wednesday.What is one quest or one crush you could give yourself this week? Tell me in the comments.

Why does it feel so hard to put your phone down? From endless scrolling to social media, pornography, and constant notifications, modern technology has learned how to capture our attention in ways previous generations never experienced. In this episode, Andrew and Benjy unpack the science of dopamine and explain why the problem isn't dopamine itself. It's the way our natural reward system has been hijacked by instant gratification. They explore how technology offers rewards without effort, why that leaves us feeling emptier over time, and what it looks like to build a healthier relationship with our attention. Along the way, they discuss digital detoxes, novelty, purpose, relationships, faith, and why lasting joy is found through growth, not endless stimulation. What you'll hear in this episode: What dopamine actually does and why it isn't the enemy How social media and pornography exploit your reward system Why scrolling never feels satisfying The difference between earned rewards and instant gratification How novelty can either deepen your life or distract from it Practical ways to create healthier technology habits Why purpose, effort, and real relationships lead to lasting joy Technology isn't going away. The question is whether you'll use it intentionally or let it shape the person you're becoming.

Joining Kiri Pritchard-McLean this week is comedian Michelle Wolf who reflects on home births, Professor Stephen Wallace explains how old plastic bottles can be transformed into a form of Dopamine that can be used to treat Parkinson's disease, and Dr Matt Clarke demonstrates the power of medical collaboration in helping to identify and treat brain tumours.Best Medicine is your weekly dose of laughter, hope and incredible medicine. Award-winning comedian Kiri Pritchard-McLean is joined by a funny and fascinating panel of comedians, doctors, scientists, experts and historians to celebrate medicine's inspiring past, present and future.Each week Kiri challenges a panel of experts and a comedian to make a case for what they think is 'the best medicine'. Each guest champions anything from world-changing science or an obscure invention to an everyday treatment, an uplifting worldview, an unsung hero or a futuristic cure.Whether it's groundbreaking surgery, seaweed underwear, AI glasses to help people with dementia, horse therapy, sports, revolutionary gene therapy for Huntington's disease or yesterday's rubbish becoming tomorrow's medicines - it's always something worth celebrating.Hosted by Kiri Pritchard-McLeanFeaturing: Dr Matt Clarke, Professor Stephen Wallace and Michelle Wolf Written by Edward Easton, Jordan Gray, Kiri Pritchard-McLean and Ben RowseProducer: Tashi RadhaExecutive Producer: Ben WorsfieldTheme tune composed by Andrew JonesA Large Time production for BBC Radio 4

When you quit drinking, you expect the hard part to be over, but sometimes, the brain finds a new outlet for the same addictive patterns. In this episode, Sara opens up about her personal experience with transfer addictions - how her addictive tendencies shifted from alcohol to food tracking, sugar, and weed, and what she learned about herself in the process. Through stories, science, and self-compassion, Sara breaks down: What transfer addiction (or cross-addiction) actually is Why our brains latch onto new sources of dopamine when we remove alcohol How dopamine depletion and reward substitution keep us chasing “the buzz” Why it's normal to experience new compulsions in early sobriety and how to move through them 7 powerful ways to heal the void and rebuild balance in recovery You'll also hear Sara share research-backed insights on dopamine regulation, neuroplasticity, and the incentive sensitization theory, explaining why we crave even when we no longer enjoy the thing we're craving. Whether your new obsession is sugar, scrolling, or staying “in control,” this episode reminds you that awareness is the first step toward freedom. 00:00 Introduction and Personal Journey 01:16 Understanding Transfer Addictions 03:36 Promoting the 30-Day Alcohol-Free Challenge 04:43 Realizing Transfer Addictions 07:40 Defining Transfer Addiction 10:40 The Science Behind Addiction 20:27 Recognizing and Managing Transfer Addictions 22:06 Practical Tools for Overcoming Addictions 26:02 Conclusion and Final Thoughts  

SHE THREW AWAY EVERY FINANCIAL MODEL SHE HAD BUILT IN EIGHT YEARS ON WALL STREET. Whitney Johnson graduated from college with a music degree, arrived in New York newly married and broke, and took the only job she could get: secretary to a retail stockbroker. She watched the brokers around her open accounts and thought, I want to do that. So she took business courses at night. A boss took a chance on her and moved her into investment banking. Then, while she was pregnant and on the strength of good performance reviews, she was pushed into equity research, a move she did not want and that felt like a step down. It became the making of her career. She spent nearly eight years as an equity analyst and was Institutional Investor-ranked every single year. Then she read Clayton Christensen's The Innovator's Dilemma and realized disruption theory did not just explain the Latin American telecom stocks she covered. It explained her. She left Wall Street without keeping a single one of her models, cold-emailed Christensen one of her research reports, and eventually co-founded the Disruptive Innovation Fund with him. Today she is the CEO and co-founder of Disruption Advisors, ranked by Thinkers50 among the top ten management thinkers in the world, and the author of four bestselling books with a fifth on the way. In this conversation with host Laurie McGraw, Whitney breaks down the S Curve of Learning: why the launch point feels terrible even though your growth is mathematically at its fastest, what the sweet spot actually feels like, and why mastery is the most dangerous place to linger. IN THIS EPISODE - From music major to secretary to Institutional Investor-ranked equity analyst - The maternity-leave moment that turned an unwanted job into a career-maker - Reading The Innovator's Dilemma and realizing it applied to people, not just products - Leaving Wall Street and burning the bridges on purpose - How she reached out to Clayton Christensen, and what came of it - The S Curve of Learning explained: launch point, sweet spot, mastery - Why growth feels slowest at the exact moment it is fastest - Dopamine, inaccurate predictive models, and why beginners feel like imposters - Dr. Dan Siegel's "name it to tame it" and how to talk yourself through the discomfort - Why mastery is where careers quietly stall - "If I don't disrupt myself, the market will do it for me" - The research on women needing 100% of qualifications versus men needing 70% - Being judged on track record while men are judged on potential - Getting her hand slapped asking for compensation, and what she'd do differently - Sally Helgesen's How Women Rise and Sheryl Sandberg on naming the discomfort before the conversation - Whether Whitney still disrupts herself, and what that looks like now - AI as external disruption, and why self-regulation and calm are the real response - Pulling the stake out of the ground: self-limiting beliefs women carry - Her closing advice on connection, intuition, and discernment as superpowers Hosted by Laurie McGraw. Full episode on Inspiring Women. Link in comments. #InspiringWomen #WhitneyJohnson #LaurieMcGraw #DisruptYourself #SmartGrowth #Leadership #WomenInLeadership #PersonalDisruption #CareerGrowth

Yesterday's 2pm emergency alert sent Australia into a spin, but not everyone got it, prompting Christian to launch a few conspiracy theories. Plus, it's Monday Winner or Loser, Patsy's household appliances are dropping like flies, Rio reveals his crush on the local postie, and Christian recaps his unforgettable book launch weekend. The team also celebrate the ultimate signs you're an adult with a massive toaster giveaway, and play At Work Time Waster with hilarious bird-themed band names.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ADHD is often described as a problem with focus, organisation & hyperactivity, but that leaves out a huge part of the picture.In this episode, we are exploring five things doctors can still get wrong about adult ADHD, including:Why emotional dysregulation is a major part of ADHDWhy success does not rule out a diagnosisHow ADHD in women can hide behind anxiety, depression & competenceThe impact hormones can have on symptoms & medicationWhy ADHD is not an inability to pay attentionWe also look at why lived experience matters, how outdated assumptions can lead to people being dismissed & what a fuller understanding of ADHD can look like.LINKS TO MORE GOOD SH*T FROM US:*Join Adulting with ADHD your ADHD toolbox & everything you need to work with your brain*Get our ADHD Coach in your pocket! + the ADHD Goal Setting Workbook (life planner tool)*12 Things I wished my Doctor had told me about Adult ADHD*Find out if you might be living with ADHD - Download Symptoms List*Check out Courses & Coaching with Xena*Learn, Inspire, Share & Connect inside our Facebook Community *Come hang out with me on Instagram!

Dr. Cristine Hull is an integrative mental health practitioner, author, and developer of the Zero Point Meridian technique. With a Master's in Psychology and a Ph.D. in Natural Medicine, she brings over two decades of experience as a substance abuse counselor, school psychologist, and private practitioner. Drawing from her own journey through depression, anxiety, addiction, and a profound spiritual awakening, Cristine works at the intersection of brain chemistry, energy medicine, and the quantum field. She is the creator of the Four Bodies model and trains practitioners in tools that address the physical, vital, mental, and quantum levels of healing. Based in northern Utah, she continues to teach, write, and guide people toward deeper wholeness through her work at Health, Healing & Wholeness.In this episode, Cristine and I cover a wide-ranging conversation that moves from brain chemistry and addiction into spiritual awakening, energy medicine, and what real healing actually requires.Cristine shares her personal journey through severe depression, anxiety, and substance use, and how those experiences led her into decades of work as a counselor and integrative practitioner. She introduces her Four Bodies model (physical, vital, mental, and quantum) and explains why most lasting change has to address more than just the physical level. The conversation explores sugar as part of the narcotic continuum, the difference between dopamine and endorphin addiction, the spiral of recovery she developed while teaching in a jail, and the powerful spiritual experience she had on Yom Kippur that shifted everything. We also dig into entities and generational energy, the development of her Zero Point Meridian technique, the “neutral game” for quieting the mental body, and why conventional mental health often falls short with personality disorders and chronic pain. Cristine closes by pointing back to the deeper truth underneath the endorphin chase: capital-L Love.Timestamps0:00 – Elevator pitch / “junkyard love” framing and four bodies intro1:30 – Four Bodies for Medicines ebook and physical vs. vital/mental/quantum3:00 – Wind analogy for spirit/effects on the physical body4:30 – Personal history: chemical imbalance, depression, anxiety, substances6:30 – First career in substance-abuse counseling; self-medication insight8:00 – Serotonin, carbs, Potatoes Not Prozac, wheat sensitivity discovery9:30 – Endorphins as “inner orphan” / morphine parallel; sugar as narcotic continuum11:00 – Dopamine vs. endorphins; cocaine, bipolar diagnosis, mastering the middle path13:00 – Love addiction, romantic craving, spiral model (abstinence → moderation → attainment)15:00 – Jail curriculum development; 20 years clean vs. relationship patterns still unresolved16:30 – Yom Kippur night/boyfriend breakup; Day of Atonement context18:00 – Light shaft experience through the crown/spine; “whole and complete through divine connection”19:30 – Kundalini as vital-body tool (chakras, meridians, aura)21:00 – Growing up Christian, leaving religion, seeking freedom from guilt and pain22:30 – Cocaine phase; friend returning from overdose funeral; entity/attachment theory24:30 – “Perverse energy” (Quantum University language); generational clearing26:00 – First Kundalini session clearing grandfather's heavy emotion27:30 – EFT training (2002–2003, Gary Craig); shift to private practice29:00 – Zero Point Meridian (ZPM) development; claimed superiority data vs. EMDR31:00 – Mental body chaos of positive/negative thinking; neutrality / “neutral game”34:00 – Yoga entry via client accountability + Baron Baptiste Journey into Power36:00 – Gap between stimulus and response; mind-body necessity of yoga37:30 – TM interest; Vipassana documentary (Doing Time, Doing Vipassana)39:00 – Mahasati movement meditation; fear that stillness = non-existence / black hole41:00 – Moving through zero; zero-point field → unified field; John Hagelin / Frank Kinslow52:00 – Limits of conventional mental health on personality disorders (narcissism, borderline, ego structures)54:00 – Spiritual/quantum solution as transformative where pills and talk therapy fall short56:00 – Quantum Solutions Masterclass / ego-structure component57:30 – Chronic pain and the pain body (Eckhart Tolle); noticing pain-free body parts as anchors59:00 – Endorphins at quantum level = capital-L Love; closing gratitudeKEYWORDS:Four bodies model, Zero Point Meridian, ZPM technique, quantum body, vital body, endorphin continuum, sugar addiction recovery, love addiction spiral, attainment model, perverse energy, generational clearing, Yom Kippur awakening, Kundalini vital body, neutral game mindfulness, Quantum Wholeness Meditation, Love Solve Method, Frequency Formulas, personality disorder spiritual solution, pain body Eckhart Tolle, brain chemistry natural balance, EFT to ZPM evolution, Cache Valley healer, integrative mental health Utah.Checkout more Cristine here! :Website: Cristine HullYoutube - Health, Healing, & Wholeness - YouTubeInstagram - Author Cristine Hull (@cristine.author)LinkedIn - Cristine Hull PhD LinkedinFaceBook - Author Cristine Hull • FacebookQuotes from Cristine in the episode:“Love is an answer. It's a solution for sure.”“The wind is actually the spirit. The effects are the physical body.”“Endorphins… stands for inner orphan, which like morphine… highly addictive… sugar.”“The trick was not to try to change it and stay up. The trick was to realize when I was down, there was some work to do…”“Really, all that matters is that you are whole and complete through a divine connection. And you bring your whole self to it.”“I believe the person who overdosed came with her and walked through the door… this entity… attached to me.”“If we try to use the mind to correct the mind, we can get just a lot of chaos… the solution… is neutrality.”“There's not a lot in mental health and psychology to solve personality disorders… the problem is because there's not really a spiritual solution in the mental health field.”“Notice where you're not in pain - tune into even if it's your hair… their hair doesn't hurt, the tip of their nose probably doesn't hurt…”“What people are looking for in the endorphin experience is love. And it's a capital L-O-V-E…”If you enjoyed our conversation - please like, subscribe, and we'll see ya next on the next episode!

JENNIFER MELLEN Artist & Illustrators of the Future Winner – Biography Jennifer Mellen is an artist, illustrator, creator and mother living in the beautiful state of Utah. She was born in 1988 in Salt Lake City and raised in Magna, Utah. She has always been passionate about art and expanding her skills with a love for all things fantasy which includes creating strange creatures and dragons in her artwork. Her body of work mainly consists of fantasy creations, realistic works, and bold logos. Jennifer has been drawing from a very young age and, in growing up, she has explored every medium she could find including traditional, digital, and sculpting mediums such as pencils, watercolor, oils, polymer clay, wax, and digital programs. JOHN ERIC SCHLEICHER Author & Writers of the Future Winner – Biography John Eric (“J. E.”) Schleicher is an award-winning author who writes stories that leave behind a fantastical aftertaste long after reading. His short fiction has appeared in L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 40, Creepy Podcast, The Colored Lens Speculative Fiction Magazine, and Tiny Terrors Volume 1, among other publications. His short story, “Squiddy,” was a winner of the Writers of the Future contest and is currently being novelized. When not reading or writing, he enjoys wandering wonderstruck (on two legs or knobby wheels) the mountains near his home in Missoula, Montana. Can't get enough of J.E.? You're coming on a bit strong. But okay. He came ready. Discover his delights on his blog Dopamine's Delight or connect with him on Threads & Instagram @JESchleicher. Find out more at: www.JESchleicher.com In 2014 she experienced great inspiration after attending the first and only Fantasy Con getting to meet amazing illustrators who she is each a big fan of today. In 2016 Jennifer earned an associates degree in Visual Arts and Design with an illustration emphasis from Salt Lake Community. While attending college she had her first two children with her husband Nathan Mellen. Ms. Mellen worked for some years in graphic design for a company called High School Blanket and developed her graphic design skills further having created many mascot designs. In 2020 she had her third child and started to have dreams of doing more art. Having been unsuccessful at becoming an illustrator, she looked into using her graphic design skill to benefit her family. In 2021 she and her husband started a business called SeaDragon Cove producing and selling fantasy products at various renaissance festivals, conventions, and Evermore Park theme park. This became a successful business and they have now joined their company with We Geek Together Entertainment. In 2023 Jennifer was inspired to submit illustration work she created in college to the Illustrators of the Future contest having met Joni Labaqui (contest director) and Brian Hailes (contest judge) in their panel at the Life, the Universe and Everything Symposium. After receiving encouragement from other fantasy illustrators at Evermore Park theme park and at The Dog and Dragon group at various conventions, she entered the contest which resulted in her winning her most recent award and having her art published in L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 40.United Public Radio & UFO Paranormal Radio www.uprntalkradio.com

In this School of Doza episode, Nurse Doza reframes "I'm so tired" as a code with five different signals—and shows how to read yours. He breaks down the five types of energy the body actually runs on: dopamine for drive, cortisol for the morning wake-up, blood sugar and mitochondria for cellular fuel, glutathione to clear cellular clutter, and NAD for turning food into energy. Instead of masking fatigue with more caffeine, he explains how to spot the one you're missing and fuel it. FEATURED PARTNER Boost by MSW Nutrition is the "multivitamin you can feel"—the raw-materials approach to energy Nurse Doza describes in this episode. One stick delivers a big hit of methylated B12, electrolytes and minerals, plus antioxidants like glutathione and vitamin C, and it uses a slow-release caffeine technology for steady, usable energy instead of a spike-and-crash (a Caffeine Free option is available too). That's why Boost is his go-to for filling the nutritional gaps behind low energy.

In this episode of Reading With Your Kids, Jed welcomes Ana Karina de Silva, a neurodivergent author, comedian, and educator, to celebrate her new picture book Pedro's Dream. The story follows Pedro, a passionate young soccer player with ADHD who learns to understand his brain, advocate for himself, and build strategies for success—like using checklists and visual cues, and working with a supportive coach and dad who also has ADHD. Ana shares how her own late ADHD diagnosis reshaped her understanding of "forgetfulness" and "not finishing tasks," reframing them as brain-based challenges rather than character flaws. She offers practical examples of "dopamine hits" that help her complete tasks—like calling a friend, listening to music, or tuning into podcasts. Ana and Jed dive into the importance of seeing neurodivergence not as something to "fix" but as a different way of thinking that deserves support, accommodations, and respect. They celebrate books as mirrors and windows, helping kids see themselves and understand others. Ana also describes her work teaching stand-up comedy to kids on the spectrum, using exaggeration, silliness, and performance to help them process big feelings, build confidence, and develop a strong sense of identity. Her broader "Emma's Dream" curriculum focuses on uncovering children's strengths—like pattern recognition—and helping families and schools nurture them. Later in the episode, Jed speaks with Joyce Fitt, author of Are You Ready For Us?, a playful, thought-provoking picture book for aspiring parents narrated by Spermio and Agatha. Joyce draws on her experiences as a war refugee, educator, and songwriter to encourage adults to consider preconception health, finances, mental well-being, and, most importantly, children's emotional needs before bringing them into the world.

Artist: Radoo (Russia) Label: Dopamine Machine Genre: Indie Dance Release Date: 24.07.2026 Band.link: https://band.link/b8bGm Dopamine Machine: @dopaminemachine Radoo (RU) ‒ @radoomusic Instagram: www.instagram.com/radoo.music/ CONTACT (DHM): Email — deephousemoscow@hotmail.com

Oscar-winning producer Steven Puri shares Hollywood storytelling lessons, flow states, and dopamine management tactics to help writers beat procrastination and finish their work.

Everything is faster. Everything is easier. So why does it feel like everyone is more anxious, distracted, and exhausted than ever? This week, Shane takes a look at modern culture through the lens of performance, sobriety, and a healthy dose of sarcasm. From AI coworkers and wellness gadgets to dopamine addiction and convenience culture, we explore why we're optimizing everything except the things that actually matter. Has technology made us better... or just busier? If success is easier to access than ever before, why are so many people still stuck? This episode isn't about rejecting technology, it's about asking better questions, taking back your attention, and removing the distractions that quietly keep you from becoming the person you're capable of being. Because maybe the greatest performance hack isn't another app... Maybe it's learning to live with a little more intention. Episode Highlights: Why convenience may be making us weaker AI, productivity, and the illusion of having more time The billion-dollar wellness industry vs. real health Dopamine: the new performance drug Why alcohol isn't always the problem, the distraction is How to reclaim your focus and perform at your highest level ️ If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who's ready to stop optimizing everything except their own life. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Why should you always be training for something?In this conversation on the Everyday Spy Podcast, Andrew Bustamante sits down with Coach Alex VanHouten to talk about faith, fitness, agency, hope, chronic pain, marriage, truth, and why the pursuit of a goal often changes us more than achieving the goal itself.Coach Alex explains why training should never be reduced to vanity, random workouts, or checking a box. Instead, training becomes powerful when it is tied to mission, identity, and the kind of person you are becoming.Andrew brings the intelligence-world lens, unpacking how the CIA understands dopamine, cortisol, pursuit, manipulation, defeatism, and fatalism. Together, Andrew and Alex explore how failed attempts can train people to stop trying, how “hopium” keeps people stuck, and why real agency begins when you make one practical change today.This episode also moves into deeply personal territory: Alex's experience with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and chronic pain, Andrew's reflections on marriage, what it means to support a spouse through anxiety and depression, and how truth can feel like a burden before it becomes freedom.Together, they discuss:Why the pursuit of a goal is often more rewarding than achieving itHow failed attempts can create fatalism and defeatismWhy training for something gives your fitness purposeHow faith is not just belief, but actionWhat “hope molecules” are and why exercise can change your moodThe difference between hope and “hopium”Why agency starts with one practical step todayHow chronic pain changes the way you define progressWhy meaningful fatherhood sometimes requires sacrificeHow marriage exposes the need for continual growthWhy truth is uncomfortable, necessary, and freeingWhat Jonah, Moby Dick, and fitness have in commonThis is a powerful conversation for anyone who feels stuck, discouraged, tired of starting over, or unsure whether change is still possible.You are not trapped by your past attempts.You are not done yet.You can do something about it today.Main Discussion ThemesAlways Train for SomethingTraining becomes more powerful when it is attached to a mission, event, role, or identity. Random exercise is easy to quit. Training for something gives discipline direction. Fatalism and DefeatismWhen people try repeatedly and fail, they can begin to believe, “I can't,” or worse, “Nothing works for me.” Andrew connects this to agency language, while Alex frames fitness as a place where people can reclaim responsibility. Faith as ActionFaith is not merely an internal belief. In the fitness context, faith looks like doing the work today without fully seeing tomorrow's results yet. The Chemistry of HopeExercise does not just symbolize hope. It can create biochemical changes that affect mood, cognition, and resilience. Agency Versus HopiumThe fitness industry often sells hope without transformation. Real agency is not buying another product. It is taking a concrete action today. Pain, Fatherhood, and SacrificeAlex shares how chronic pain complicates his life, but also how meaningful experiences with his sons are worth facing discomfort for. Marriage and TruthAndrew and Alex move into a candid conversation about marriage, sacrifice, failure, anxiety, depression, and the daily work of becoming a better husband. Jonah, Moby Dick, and the Burden of TruthThe final section uses literature and Scripture to explore why truth is hard to face, but ultimately becomes the mechanism that sets people free.Timestamps00:00 – “I've tried things before and they didn't work”00:45 – Why Andrew asks Alex about always training for something00:57 – Why pursuit can be more satisfying than achievement01:45 – Dopamine, cortisol, and the CIA lens on goal pursuit03:30 – What happens when people try and fail repeatedly05:07 – Fatalism, defeatism, and why people stop trying07:22 – How Coach Alex defines faith08:40 – Faith as doing the work before seeing the result09:16 – Myokines, irisin, and “the hope molecule”11:05 – The danger of keeping people in a cycle of hope12:54 – Hope without work versus real transformation14:57 – “We can do something about that today”15:16 – Agency, nutrition, movement, and practical change17:14 – Alex's ongoing struggle with chronic pain18:41 – Why some pain is worth facing for your family19:00 – Andrew opens up about struggling as a husband21:08 – Marriage as sacrifice, growth, and daily failure23:25 – Why men struggle silently in marriage25:43 – Supporting a spouse through anxiety and depression27:40 – The challenge of being married to Alex29:58 – Moby Dick, Jonah, art, and the burden of truth37:16 – Jesus, Jonah, suffering, and walking through pain39:07 – Andrew reframes Jonah around truth43:23 – Truth in action: if it is true, it works44:57 – Where to find Coach Alex45:12 – Closing thoughts from AndrewWatch the full interview on YouTube:

Episode #227 of the PricePlow Podcast takes us back to the NNB Nutrition booth at IFT First 2026 in Chicago, where Shawn Wells sat down with Mike and Ben for the first of two conversations recorded on-site. This one skips the usual business updates (that’s what part two, with Dustin Elliott and Jake Mulder, covers) and goes straight for the theoretical side of things: where Wells thinks the next several years of supplement innovation are headed, and the problems NNB’s science team wants solved before anyone else notices they exist. Shawn Wells’ Working Theories, and Where NNB Nutrition Takes Them Wells has built a working framework around what he calls “GLP-1 Drag”, three linked theories covering muscle loss, mitochondrial fatigue, and dopamine flattening in people using GLP-1 medications. From there, the conversation covers precision fermentation’s takeover of the herbal extract market, a buccal pouch platform built around fast-absorbing nootropics and stimulants, and an unplanned detour into flush niacin and nicotine pouches. Subscribe to the PricePlow Podcast on your favorite platform and sign up for NNB Nutrition news alerts before diving in. https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/shawn-wells-glp-1-drag-227 Video: GLP-1 Drag, Precision Fermentation, and What’s Next for NNB Nutrition https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YN6_wqnDkA Detailed Show Notes: Shawn Wells on GLP-1 Drag and the Future of NNB Nutrition (0:00) – Introductions (1:15) – NNB’s Unicorn Growth and the Shift to Pure, Potent, Precise (3:15) – Why Precision Fermentation Is Replacing Herbal Extracts (7:45) – Turning Competitors Into Customers (9:15) – Adaptogens Over Stimulants (11:45) – What Shawn Wells Calls “Mitochondrial Drag” (13:45) – GlucoVantage: A Post-GLP-1 Solution (17:45) – Titrate Down: Why Quitting GLP-1s Cold Backfires (19:15) – Dopamine Flattening and the Post-GLP-1 Comedown (20:45) – Ben and Mike on Their Own GLP-1 Experiences (25:45) – DL185 Dileucine and the Muscle-Sparing Stack (31:45) – Inside the Buccal Pouch: Paraxanthine, Alpha-GPC, and Huperzine A (38:15) – AmeriPouch, Troches, and the Nicotine Pouch Boom (41:45) – Flush Niacin as a Possible Nicotine Off-Ramp (44:15) – What’s Next: GAA, 4-Hydroxyisoleucine, and Pure 6-Paradol (48:45) – The Case for Mood and “Shift in State” Beverages (52:45) – Blue Light Glasses, Health Transformations, and Hyrox Goals Where to Follow and Learn More Connect with Shawn Wells and NNB Nutrition LinkedIn: Shawn Wells Instagram: @shawnwells NNB Nutrition Website Instagram: @nnbnutrition LinkedIn: NNB Nutrition NNB Nutrition on PricePlow – Sign up for news alerts Resources Mentioned Episode #048: Shawn Wells Upcoming Stimulant & The Energy Formula … Read more on the PricePlow Blog

Where's the line between being authentically yourself and oversharing because… Hi we have ADHD!In this episode, I'm unpacking why so many ADHDers share deeply, quickly & sometimes before we've checked whether we actually want to. We'll explore:Why ADHD can make us crave fast connectionHow impulsivity, dysregulation, shame & masking can fuel oversharingThe difference between authenticity & urgencyWhy privacy & boundaries do not mean you're being fake or inauthenticQuestions to help reflect on what you choose to shareYou can be open, honest and completely yourself without giving everyone immediate access to every part of you.LINKS TO MORE GOOD SH*T FROM NAVIGATING ADULT ADHD:*Join Adulting with ADHD your ADHD toolbox & everything you need to work with your brain*Get our ADHD Coach in your pocket! + the ADHD Goal Setting Workbook (life planner tool)*12 Things I wished my Doctor had told me about Adult ADHD*Find out if you might be living with ADHD - Download Symptoms List*Check out Courses & Coaching with Xena*Learn, Inspire, Share & Connect inside our Facebook Community *Come hang out with me on Instagram!

How long does it actually take your brain to recover after gooning?7 days? 30 days? 90 days?Dopamine doesn't suddenly “reset.” Recovery happens in stages as your brain adapts to reduced overstimulation and begins to respond differently to urges, triggers, and everyday rewards.How Long Does Dopamine Take to Recover After Gooning? (Real Timeline)

Brad Stulberg is a bestselling author, performance coach to founders & elite athletes, and researcher on sustainable excellence, well-being, and behavior change. His new book, The Way of Excellence: A Guide to True Greatness and Deep Satisfaction in a Chaotic World, is a New York Times and USA Today bestseller. He's also the author of The Practice of Groundedness and Master of Change, and co-author of Peak Performance — books that have sold more than 500,000 copies and been translated into 20+ languages. He's on faculty at the University of Michigan, co-hosts the podcast excellence, actually, and writes regularly for the New York Times, with additional work in The Wall Street Journal and The Atlantic. He coaches founders, executives, and elite athletes — and has spent over a decade studying what actually separates world-class performers from people who just perform intensity.(02:00) Untangling worth from work(03:18) Mountains and passion(05:47) Clean fuel vs dirty(07:17) Simplicity over optimization(10:01) Stress rest growth cycle(11:14) Rest as the work(15:10) Digital Sabbath reset(18:33) Reclaiming focus(23:27) Dopamine fast reality(25:52) Excellence requires intimacy(29:15) Attention and mastery(32:57) Progress plateaus and curiosity(36:26) Learning mindset in sports(37:58) Steve Kerr values and perspective(40:50) Identity house minimum dose(45:15) Mental toughness responding(48:08) Nature nurture fit grit(51:39) Testosterone status and masculinity(56:05) Closing thanks and where to findBrad's websiteBrad's Instagram, Twitter, and SubstackThe Jitterbug phone

In this podcast, Lina discusses the question: Can we ever fully control our dopamine levels? She explains what dopamine is, how it works, and how it affects us. She asks students, when they feel their dopamine rushing, and how it affected them. Can we ever get full control over our own dopamine levels? It's a confusing question and it's hard to answer. Listen to the podcast to find out if we can or not.

Finally… a happiness habit that actually works. Whimsymaxxing is everywhere right now, and for good reason. But this is more than just another internet trend… the vitality of whimsy reflects something much deeper about what so many of us are craving. In this episode, we're exploring the psychology of whimsy, why adults desperately need more play, wonder, novelty, creativity, and delight, and why intentionally romanticizing your life can improve your mental health, resilience, and overall wellbeing. In a world obsessed with productivity, optimization, and hustle culture, whimsy is becoming an act of rebellion. A much-needed pendulum swing away from over-optimizing, biohacking, irreverence, and minimalism. Whimsy is an act of hope and joy against the seriousness of adulthood and the uncertainty of current times. And it's more than just vibes… whimsy is a measurable psychological strength associated with greater life satisfaction, stronger relationships, improved resilience, and lower symptoms of depression. Even more good news: it's not a fixed trait. Research shows playfulness can be learned and developed. So whether you're feeling burnt out, stuck in autopilot, or wanting to reconnect with childhood joy, this episode will inspire you to reclaim the magic of life in small, meaningful ways. Tune in to hear about: Why whimsymaxxing is becoming one of the biggest trends The psychology of whimsy, playfulness, and wonder How romanticizing your life can improve happiness and mental health Why novelty activates dopamine and makes life feel richer and more memorable The surprising research on adult playfulness and resilience The power of nostalgia and reconnecting with childhood joy How to break out of autopilot and make everyday life feel magical again 15 easy ways to add more whimsy, creativity, adventure, and play into your life this summer Let's savour every sunset, dilly dally our days away, and spend the summer being wildly impractical and frivolous. For advertising and sponsorship inquiries, please contact Frequency Podcast Network. Subscribe to my Substack:teachmehowtoadult.substack.comFollow us on the ‘gram:@teachmehowtoadultmedia@gillian.bernerFollow on TikTok: @teachmehowtoadultSubscribe on YouTube

In this eye-opening episode, Dr. Scott Watier and Tommy Welling unpack the cortisol-dopamine-insulin loop — the hidden neurochemical cycle that drives cravings, emotional eating, and the "one bad decision snowball" that so many fasters experience. They explain why this isn't a willpower problem but a hormonal and behavioral feedback loop rooted in stress, sleep deprivation, and the brain's hardwired search for quick energy and dopamine reward. The hosts walk through each stage of the loop and share practical pattern interrupts — from breathwork and environment changes to proper mineral and electrolyte support — that can break the cycle before it restarts. A key insight from the episode is the cortisol-sodium connection, and how simply prioritizing proper hydration with unrefined salts first thing in the morning can calm the entire stress response system and make fasting feel dramatically easier throughout the day. The conversation wraps with a reminder that protecting sleep, eating earlier in the day, and building consistent fasting windows are the long-game levers that finally let your physiology work for you instead of against you — and this week's action step is to identify where you tend to enter the loop and apply just one targeted tool to interrupt it. ⁠⁠⁠Take the NEW FASTING PERSONA QUIZ! - The Key to Unlocking Sustainable Weight Loss With Fasting!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Resources and Downloads: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠SIGN UP FOR THE DROP OF THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO BLOOD SUGAR CONTROL⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠GRAB THE OPTIMAL RANGES FOR LAB WORK HERE! - NEW RESOURCE! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠FREE RESOURCE - DOWNLOAD THE NEW BLUEPRINT TO FASTING FOR FAT LOSS!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠SLEEP GUIDE DIRECT DOWNLOAD⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠DOWNLOAD THE FASTING TRANSFORMATION JOURNAL HERE!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Partner Links: Get your⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ FREE BOX OF LMNT⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ hydration support for the perfect electrolyte balance for your fasting lifestyle with your first purchase⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ here!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Get ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠25% off a Keto-Mojo⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ blood glucose and ketone monitor (discount shown at checkout)! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click here!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Our Community: Let's continue the conversation. Click the link below to JOIN the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Fasting For Life Community⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, a group of like-minded, new, and experienced fasters! The first two rules of fasting need not apply! If you enjoy the podcast, please tap the stars below and consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes. It takes less than 60 seconds, and it helps bring you the best original content each week. We also enjoy reading them! Article Link: https://drjockers.com/electrolytes/

As we close out our Summer Reading Program, host Paula Felps sits down with cognitive and behavioral neuroscientist Dr. Sydney Ceruto to walk through her book, The Dopamine Code: How to Rewire Your Brain for Happiness and Productivity, which explores one of the most misunderstood forces shaping our motivation, mood, and modern wellbeing. Sydney explains why today's overstimulated world leaves so many of us feeling restless, stuck, or burned out — and how understanding the true role of dopamine can help us reclaim clarity, satisfaction, and forward momentum. In this episode, you'll learn: Why dopamine isn't the “pleasure chemical” but is the “molecule of motivation” that shapes everything from restlessness to burnout. How modern life overstimulates your reward system, making everyday joys feel flat and pushing you toward unhealthy dopamine defaults. How to build your own “dopamine menu” to help you shift from cheap dopamine spikes to meaningful, sustaining rewards.

Welcome! And thank you for listening. One of the biggest barriers to lasting change is that every dietary pattern asks us to give something up. Whether it is processed carbohydrates, sweets, or other comfort foods, we have to replace the pleasure they once provided with something that better aligns with our long-term goals. Understanding your "why" is essential to creating lasting change. For me, that means improving insulin resistance, lowering inflammation, and helping people regain metabolic flexibility so their bodies can efficiently use stored fat for energy. In this episode, I discuss how dopamine influences cravings, why insulin resistance makes weight loss so difficult for many people, and why constantly eating and snacking can keep us trapped in a cycle of elevated glucose and insulin. I also share why I believe nutrition should always be individualized and why education, community, and support are critical for creating lasting change. If you would like to join us. Check out the website at doctordulaney.com Thanks as always for listening. Email me with questions at jami@doctordulaney.com https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamacardiology/article-abstract/2850256https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4703484/ water distillers: https://mypurewater.com/?sld=jdulaney.  discount code: cleanwaterforsophie

hello hotties and welcome back to another episode of smoke sesh! we have a lot to chat about like what ive been up to recently, cosmic chaos, busy days, retrograde happenings, living it up, setting goals, my 30 day challenge, living for myself, staying sexy while its hot, summer dresses, sweaty weather, having self control, cutting back on smoking, dopamine addiction, online shopping, phone addiction, creating new habits, building foreplay, emotional and physical connection, having sex on the first date, sexual liberation, doing what you want, wild stories, short kings, following your intuition, karmic intentions, cutting ties, moving on, telling the truth, therapy, building relationships, building a future, lazy men, no aspirations, when to leave, being a cat mom, cat tips and tricks, and much much MUCH more!watch the vlogs on YouTube at hannahmarlene444join the patreon! new episodes (and more) at patreon.com/smokeseshshawtysubmit your questions and call ins every week on instagram.com/hannahmarlene

ADHD can show up in the bedroom in ways we don't always talk about.For some ADHDers, it might look like a high sex drive, chasing novelty, impulsive decisions, risky behaviour, or seeking dopamine through sex and attention.For others, it might look like low libido, getting bored, feeling disconnected, sensory overwhelm, distraction, or struggling to stay present.In this episode, we're unpacking:Hypersexuality and hyposexualityWhy novelty, dopamine and “the chase” can feel so powerfulHow impulsivity can show up around all things sexDistraction, sensory needs & struggling to stay presentLow libido, pressure, resentment & emotional disconnectionWhy intimacy is about so much more than sexHow awareness, communication & support can help us create more choiceThis is a shame-free, vulnerable conversation about understanding the ADHD patterns that can show up in the bedroom. LINKS TO MORE GOOD SH*T FROM US:*Join Adulting with ADHD your ADHD toolbox & everything you need to work with your brain*Get our ADHD Coach in your pocket! + the ADHD Goal Setting Workbook (life planner tool)*12 Things I wished my Doctor had told me about Adult ADHD*Find out if you might be living with ADHD - Download Symptoms List*Check out Courses & Coaching with Xena*Learn, Inspire, Share & Connect inside our Facebook Community *Come hang out with me on Instagram!

On this episode of Good Noise Podcast, I'm joined by Nina Dopamine to talk about her EP dopamine rush.We dive into the creation of dopamine rush, exploring the stories, emotions, and experiences that inspired the project. Nina shares insight into the writing and recording process, finding her voice as an artist, and how the EP reflects both personal growth and the excitement of embracing a new chapter.We also discuss the inspiration behind songs like "thirteen again," the importance of representation in alternative music, and what dopamine rush represents as she continues to carve out her own space in the scene.Nina Dopamine Socials:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ninadopamine/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ninadopamineYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NinaDopamineApple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/nina-dopamine/1838797335Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7INrMyYhOw1QNSpG3Vs8cO?si=9f0f762b32674293

Why do you keep turning to food when you're stressed… even when you know it's not what you actually need?In this episode, I dive into the real connection between emotional eating, stress, and the way we've learned to cope with discomfort, and why it's not about food or lack of discipline.If you find yourself turning to food to escape stress, overwhelm, or difficult emotions, and you're ready to understand what's really driving that pattern so you can begin to change it, this episode is for you.The Real Reason You Cope the Way You DoEvery single person copes differently.Some turn to food.Some to alcohol, shopping, scrolling, overworking…But underneath it all is the same unconscious driver:A belief that emotions are unsafe.When stress, fear, or discomfort arises, your nervous system can interpret it as something harmful — something you need to escape quickly. And the fastest way out?A dopamine hit.Dopamine, Patterns & “Addiction” ReframedWhat we often label as “addiction” isn't our identity.It's not a lack of willpower.It's simply a pattern that's been reinforced over time.A loop:Feel discomfortSeek reliefGet a quick rewardRepeatAnd over time, that loop becomes automatic.Food is just one option — but the pattern can show up everywhere:OvereatingOverspendingOverdrinkingOverworkingSame mechanism. Different outlet.The Unconscious Beliefs Running the ShowThe key word here is:Unconscious.These are the beliefs you're not actively thinking about, but they're driving your behavior:“Stress is harmful.”“I can't handle this feeling.”“If I sit in this, something bad will happen.”And because these beliefs live beneath awareness, they feel like truth.Your Patterns Are CluesIf you want to understand your relationship with food…You have to look beyond food.Questions you can ask:Where else do I avoid discomfort?Where do I shut down, distract, or escape?What patterns repeat across my life?Because:How you do anything is how you do everything.Why This Started (And Why It's Not Random)Most emotional coping patterns don't start in adulthood.They start in childhood.When:Emotions didn't feel safe to expressYou were told to “toughen up”You didn't receive support to regulate how you feltYou experienced stress or discomfort without guidanceAs a child, emotional pain can feel like physical pain. So your system learned to protect your the only way it knew how:Disconnect. Escape. Numb.Awareness Is the First ShiftYou don't need to fix everything overnight.You don't need to control your behavior.You need to start noticing.Because once you become aware…You can't become unaware.Ownership Without BlameOwning your patterns isn't about blaming yourself.It's about saying:“I'm choosing this because I'm trying to avoid something.”And that shift creates:AwarenessCuriosityCompassionPossibilityDownload my free guide, Calm the Craving: 7 Steps to Break Emotional and Binge Eating, and finally end the cycle of out-of-control eating: www.sherryshaban.comWork With Sherry Shaban:Book your FREE 30-minute Food Freedom Call and start your journey to lasting change! www.sherryshabanfitness.com/clarityListen & SubscribeCatch more episodes at www.makepeacewithfood.com/podcast or subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube so you never miss an episode!Connect & Go DeeperJoin our Facebook Community: www.myfoodfreedomlifestyle.comWork with Sherry: www.sherryshaban.com/transformExplore more resources: www.makepeacewithfood.comShare Your TakeawayTag us on Instagram (@makepeacewithfoodofficial), Facebook (@MakePeaceWithFoodOfficial), TikTok (@sherryshaban), or LinkedIn (sherryshaban) and share your biggest insight from this episode!

Grace & Dopamine | Byron Yawn 1 Peter 5:6-7

You can listen wherever you get your podcasts or check out the fully edited transcript of our interview at the bottom of this post.In this episode of The Peaceful Parenting Podcast, Michaeleen Doucleff and I talk about her new book Dopamine Kids: A Science-Based Plan to Rewire Your Child's Brain and Take You're your Family in the Age of Screens and Ultraprocessed Foods. Michaeleen's position is not that screens and ultra-processed food are “bad.” Rather, Michaeleen explains how they can take the place of things that truly bring us joy and pleasure, leaving us with an empty feeling of "what's next?" and an endless cycle of wanting. We focus on how dopamine has been misunderstood and how it actually works, how magnets like screens and ultraprocessed foods keep us stuck, and small changes you can make to start shifting things in your home.Know someone who might appreciate this episode? Share it with them!And if you love the podcast, FREE ways to help us out:1- Rate and review the podcast in your podcast player app2- “Like” this post by tapping the heart icon ♥️3- Share this with a friend. THANK YOU!We talk about:* 00:00 Introduction to Dopamine Kids and why our understanding of dopamine is outdated* 02:15 Michaeleen's journey from NPR science journalist to parenting author* 05:00 Dopamine isn't pleasure—it's wanting: the neuroscience that changes everything* 07:20 Why kids say they'd rather play with friends than be on screens* 08:00 The difference between dopamine, serotonin, and real satisfaction* 13:30 How apps and ultra-processed foods hijack the brain's reward system* 16:45 Why endless scrolling never feels satisfying* 18:30 “Bottomlessness”—one of the biggest design tricks keeping us hooked* 20:30 Why we want activities for our kids with a clear purpose and a clear endpoint* 22:00 The veggie straw experiment that changed Michaeleen's thinking about food* 26:50 Magnets and cues: how screens become automatic habits* 32:00 Why removing screens isn't enough—you have to replace them* 33:30 Helping kids meet their real need for adventure and autonomy* 36:00 Small, permanent changes vs. temporary screen detoxes* 37:30 Why the car is a great place to start reducing screens* 38:00 Is reducing screens really more work?* 40:15 Why laws and regulations haven't caught up with technology* 43:00 Why this isn't a willpower problem* 46:30 Can kids ever use screens in moderation?* 49:00 Paid video games vs. free games* 51:30 This isn't about screens being “bad”* 53:00 Helping kids gradually learn to use technology well* 54:00 School Chromebooks and why parents have more influence than they realize* 58:00 Advice Michaeleen would give her younger parenting self* 1:00:00 Why kids have to experience offline joy before they'll want it* 1:01:00 Sarah's client who removed the TV—and what happened next* 1:02:30 Final thoughts and where to find MichaeleenResources mentioned in this episode:* Michaeleen's website* Dopamine Kids: A Science-Based Plan to Rewire Your Child's Brain and Take You're your Family in the Age of Screens and Ultraprocessed Foods* How to Stop Fighting About Video Games with Scott Novis * The Peaceful Parenting MembershipConnect with Sarah Rosensweet:* Instagram* Facebook Group* YouTube* Website* Join us on Substack* Newsletter* Book a short consult or coaching session callxx Sarah and CoreyYour peaceful parenting team- click here for a free short consult or a coaching sessionVisit our website for free resources, podcast, coaching, membership and more!>> Please support us!!! Please consider becoming a supporter to help support our free content, including The Peaceful Parenting Podcast, our free parenting support Facebook group, and our weekly parenting emails, “Weekend Reflections” and “Weekend Support” - plus our Flourish With Your Complex Child Summit (coming back in the fall for the 3rd year!) All of this free support for you takes a lot of time and energy from me and my team. If it has been helpful or meaningful for you, your support would help us to continue to provide support for free, for you and for others.In addition to knowing you are supporting our mission to support parents and children, you get the podcast ad free and access to a monthly ‘ask me anything' session.Sarah: Hey everyone. Welcome back to another episode of the Peaceful Parenting Podcast.Today's guest is journalist Michaeleen Doucleff. She is the author of the book Hunt, Gather, Parent and now has a new book out called Dopamine Kids: A Science-Based Plan to Rewire Your Child's Brain and Take Back Your Family in the Age of Screens and Ultra-Processed Food.Michaeleen's first book is one of our favorite parenting books, and now we can add this one to the list. She walks us through how screens and ultra-processed food hook us and keep our brains stuck in a hijacked wanting cycle without giving us actual rewards and pleasure.We eventually get around to discussing this, but I want to stress right here at the beginning that Michaeleen isn't saying that screens and ultra-processed food are evil or that they have no place in our lives. Rather, they can take the place of things that truly bring us joy and pleasure, leaving us with an empty feeling of “what's next?” and an endless cycle of wanting.I learned so much from this book. I'd been wanting to make some changes in my own life with my relationship with my phone, and this book helped me understand why it was so hard and what I could do. A hint: as it turns out, we don't understand dopamine correctly at all. Our cultural shorthand about what dopamine is and what role it plays in the motivation and pleasure cycle is totally outdated.If you're interested in making some positive shifts in your child's life, in your family, and in your own life, you're going to love this interview and Michaeleen's book.If you like this episode, please share it with a friend so more parents can learn about peaceful parenting. If you're a fan of the podcast, you can help us out not only by sharing it, but by leaving a review and a five-star rating in your podcast player app. While you're there, don't forget to follow the show so you don't miss an episode.If you'd like to support us even more, you can become a supporter on Substack to help us offset the cost of making the show. We'll put a link in the show notes.Let's meet Michaeleen. I hope you enjoy this conversation and get as much out of her insights as I did.Sarah: Hi, Michaeleen. Welcome back to the podcast.Michaeleen: Thank you so much for having me.Sarah: When we had you on a few years ago to talk about your first parenting book, Hunt, Gather, Parent—we'll link to it in the show notes—it ended up being one of our favorite podcasts out of the 200-some episodes we've done. I'm so excited to have you back to talk about your new book.Michaeleen: Thank you so much. That's so nice. It's an honor to come back.Sarah: I'm so happy to have you. Tell us a little bit about who you are and what you do.Michaeleen: I was—or I still am—a science journalist. I've been one now for about 16 years, and I spent 13 or 14 years as a radio correspondent at NPR. I'm still there covering children's health, global health, neuroscience, and psychology.Before that, I was trained as a chemist. I have a PhD in chemistry.Five years ago, I wrote the parenting book Hunt, Gather, Parent, and I had no idea I'd ever become a parenting expert. That definitely wasn't on my life bingo card.When I had my daughter Rosie almost 11 years ago, I had no clue what I was doing. It just seemed like an impossible task. Then I started studying parenting around the world, and I realized there was an easier way to do things. That's what Hunt, Gather, Parent is about.More recently, about six years ago, I was really trying to fix my own screen problem—my own addiction to my phone. I was so obsessed with it. As I investigated neuroscience, psychology, and behavioral psychology, I started to realize, “Oh gosh, we're really getting a lot of things wrong when it comes to screens and our kids.”That led me to write this next book, Dopamine Kids, to clarify a bunch of myths but also update the advice because it's really old. A lot of the advice out there is based on psychology from 20, 30, even 40 years ago.Sarah: Or even more.Michaeleen: Exactly.Sarah: Exactly. And I'm going to ask you about that. So tell us, what's the central idea behind your new book, Dopamine Kids?Michaeleen: One of the biggest ideas is that we're thinking about screens wrong. We think they're these endless sources of pleasure. We think dopamine is this molecule that brings us pleasure and that the more we have, the happier we are.But that's really old neuroscience.What dopamine actually gives us is the feeling of desire, wanting, and craving. It makes us obsessed.So what screens are doing is cranking that system up. They're increasing motivation, craving, and wanting. But if you look at what happens over time, they actually rob us of pleasure and reduce the amount of pleasure we experience in our lives.So this idea that screens—video games and social media—are treats and rewards for kids is wrong. It's all wrong.What is actually most rewarding and pleasurable for kids are things in the real world because real-world experiences don't just give us desire and wanting. They also give us satisfaction, joy, and long-lasting pleasure.So Dopamine Kids is really a reset of what actually brings our kids pleasure in life. It also provides a toolset to retrain your kids' brains so they naturally want and reach for offline activities and foods that make them feel good—foods that really nourish them and bring satisfaction.It's about rethinking our idea of pleasure. What does pleasure actually look like?I think the media, marketing, and corporations have taught us that pleasure and wanting are basically the same thing—that we want things because they bring us pleasure.But if you actually look at the science and the data, there are so many things out there that drive our wanting while robbing us of pleasure.Social media is a really good example. Kids use it because they want a sense of belonging. They want to feel connected. But over the long run, social media does the opposite. It makes them feel lonelier, and yet they still want it.I see this book as an operating manual for shaping and changing your kids' habits into the ones you want for them as a parent, but also habits that nourish kids and bring joy, happiness, and pleasure to the whole family.We often think limiting screens is about depriving kids of pleasure.It's actually the opposite.It's about reclaiming pleasure.Sarah: I had Lenore Skenazy on the podcast. Do you know her work?Michaeleen: Yeah, we're friends.Sarah: She was on the podcast a few months ago, and she was talking about how, if you ask kids what they want—would they rather be on screens or play with their friends?—by far the number one answer is playing with their friends, not being on screens.Michaeleen: Yeah. I think it's almost double.Sarah: Exactly. And yet I don't think most parents realize that.Michaeleen: Right. I didn't realize that either. I think it's because we confuse begging, screaming, and tantruming for the screen with joy and pleasure.Sarah: Okay, so tell us about that, because what I learned from your book is that everyone thinks dopamine is, “Ah, I just got a hit of dopamine and I feel so good.”Michaeleen: Yeah.Sarah: But it's not dopamine that makes you feel good. It's serotonin and, I think, endorphins that make you feel good.You go into this in much more detail in the book, and I highly recommend it. It was excellent. I have to tell you, I was on an office hours call with my membership before I even knew you had written a new book, and one of my members said, “I'm reading this parenting book called Dopamine Kids, and it's a page-turner.”She said, “I've never had a parenting book that's a page-turner, but you've got to get your hands on this.”Then I looked it up and realized it was your book, and I was so excited to get it and read it.Can you explain the basic idea? I know it's too much detail to go into fully, but what's the difference? What does dopamine actually do, and why isn't it what we think it is?Michaeleen: For a long time—really since the 1950s—neuroscientists thought we do things over and over again because they're pleasurable.Neuroscientists have been obsessed with getting people and animals to press buttons for over a hundred years. Rats, mice, apes, pigeons—they've all been part of these experiments. It's almost like an iPad. Press, press, press, tap.For a long time, researchers could stimulate one region of the brain—the dopamine center—and the animals would go crazy pressing the button all day long. They wouldn't even stop to go to the bathroom. It makes you think of someone playing video games for hours. They're just obsessed with pressing the button.Researchers believed that because this was the dopamine center of the brain, dopamine made you press the button because it felt good and brought you pleasure. They even conducted similar experiments with people, and that very simple explanation stood for a long time.Then, about 30 years ago, a couple of scientists came along and asked, “Wait a second. Is this really true? Do we always act because something is pleasurable?”They designed better experiments, and what they found was astonishing. Dopamine doesn't do that at all.Dopamine makes us want.It makes you want something, and it makes you want to do something over and over again. It's like a “do it again” button in the brain.Do it again.Do it again.Whenever you can, do it again.The way the system is supposed to work is that first you want something, and dopamine motivates you to work for it. Then, when you get what you wanted, the pleasure center starts to light up.Those are different neurotransmitters. That's where endorphins—the body's natural opioids—and serotonin come in.Serotonin allows you to appreciate what you have. It's what lets you say, “Oh, I got what I wanted. I feel really good. Ah... I can stop now. I can take a break.”In many ways, pleasure is the opposite of dopamine because it gives you satisfaction, and satisfaction stops wanting.There are a couple of classic examples. One is sex, which is probably the R-rated version. But another is thirst.Imagine you're running on a hot day. You've run out of water, and after half an hour or an hour, you really want something to drink.That's dopamine. That's your dopamine hit—that strong feeling of desire.Wanting can actually feel good. If I fall in love and I want to be with my partner, the wanting feels good.But wanting can also become frustrating. If you want something for too long and don't get it, that feeling turns into frustration.So you're out running on this hot day thinking, “Oh my gosh, I want water so badly.”That's dopamine.That's not pleasure yet.Then you see a glass of water, or you get one and take a drink, and you think, “Ah, that feels so good.”That's the pleasure system.Sarah: That's where you get the serotonin and the endorphins.Michaeleen: Exactly. And the endocannabinoids too—the body's natural cannabinoids. A whole bunch of things kick in.The wonderful thing about this pleasure response is that it can last a long time. It lingers. It makes you feel optimistic and gives your life a kind of glow because you've gotten what you need to survive.I remember being really upset as a kid, and my mom would come over and hug me. I'd bury my face into her, and it felt so good. It was just this feeling that everything was okay again.That's what these pleasure molecules do.Dopamine is saying, “Everything is not okay. I need this before things can be okay.”They're very different.Sarah: Okay. This is the part I still feel like I'm only beginning to understand.How do the makers of apps and video games—and we've mostly been talking about screens, but you also write a lot about ultra-processed foods—how do they get us stuck in the dopamine cycle?What I took away from your book is that these things are so powerful because they keep us trapped in that cycle of wanting...Sarah: What I understood from your book is that these things are so powerful because they keep us stuck in the dopamine cycle. It's just wanting, wanting, wanting.You said something in the book about how they've figured out a way to hack a weakness in our brain circuitry. Forgive me if that's not the exact wording, but they've essentially hacked a weakness in the brain to keep us stuck in dopamine without ever giving us a real reward.How does that work?Michaeleen: First of all, both the tech industry and the food industry have admitted this for a long time. This isn't something I've come up with. They've openly admitted it. Even the food industry says, “We want to make something you can't stop eating.”Sarah: Right. You read all these interviews with industry insiders, and they're very open about it. Everybody knows they've admitted it. But how does it actually work?Michaeleen: There are a lot of tricks.Let's start with screens because a lot of these techniques actually came from the gambling industry. In the ‘80s and ‘90s, casinos started replacing mechanical slot machines and poker machines with video versions—basically gambling apps on giant touchscreens.They explicitly asked, “What can we do to this game to keep people playing for as long as possible?” Some people would play for 24 or even 48 hours straight. They ran massive A/B tests to figure out exactly how they could tweak the games to send people into this dopamine loop—this wanting loop—where people actually stopped wanting to win because winning took them out of the loop.So it's very empirical. They've simply tested what keeps people there.In the book, I describe it as a kind of recipe parents can use to recognize whether an app is doing this to their child. Psychologists even have a name for this state. It's called dark flow, where you lose track of time and where you are. We've all experienced it while scrolling social media. Twenty or thirty minutes go by and you think, “What just happened?” You're in this loop of wanting because, if you actually experienced pleasure and satisfaction, you would stop. You'd stop wanting.One of the biggest tricks is speed. The faster the cycle runs, the more it traps you. If you think about videos and video games, they've become faster and faster. Even children's iPad games are just question, answer, question, answer, question, answer over and over again. That's driving up dopamine.But where's the satisfaction? What's the reward? Basically, it's just a light on the screen.Another trick is promising something fundamental. The dopamine system evolved to help us fulfill our basic human needs—water, food, social support, adventure, creation. These are things we needed to survive, so kids are naturally highly motivated to pursue them.These apps promise they'll meet those needs. Social media, for example, promises belonging. It says, “Get on here and you'll finally feel connected. You'll finally feel like you belong.” The problem is that it never actually fulfills that promise.If you look at some of the leaked internal documents, you can see the algorithms intentionally withhold what people actually want. One neuroscientist explained it this way: they figure out what you're looking for and why you're on social media, then they give you something that's close to what you want. Maybe on the next click they give you something a little closer. Then a little closer.This does several things. First, you never actually receive the reward because you never get what you really need. Second, you develop this feeling of making progress—as though you're getting closer and closer. “Maybe one more comment. Maybe five more likes. Then I'll finally get it.”What most people don't realize is that we produce the most dopamine not when we get what we want, or even when we think we're about to get it, but when we feel like we're making progress.That's one of the biggest tricks.Video games are a perfect example. Kids always feel like they're making a little more progress. A little more. A little more. By the time they reach the next level, they're already making progress toward another one.There are all these different tricks designed to crank up wanting while dialing down satisfaction and pleasure because satisfaction is what gets you off the game. You think, “Okay, I'm done.”The same thing applies to social media. If social media actually gave me what I was looking for, I'd be finished. I'd think, “I got what I needed. I'm done.”But it never gives it to you.It can't.Sarah: I started feeling kind of gross about how much time I was spending on Instagram and Facebook—really just on my phone in general. I'd think, “Oh, I need a five-minute break,” and immediately pick up my phone.Actually, I did this before I started reading your book, but now I realize it fits perfectly with what you're talking about. I downloaded the New York Times Games app.Now, when I feel like I need a little break, I'll do Wordle or the Mini Crossword or Connections. What's nice is that it's limited. You get one crossword, one mini crossword, one Wordle, and one Connections each day.I'm almost never on Facebook or Instagram anymore because of it. It actually feels like a real reward. I finish the crossword and think, “Oh, I did the Mini in one minute and 38 seconds.”There's an ending to it. It really does feel like I accomplished something, which is very different.Michaeleen: Exactly. And you've actually stumbled onto one of the biggest tricks: bottomlessness.This is huge.TV didn't used to be bottomless.Michaeleen: TV didn't used to be bottomless. You had a handful of channels, and eventually the content ended or it got bad enough that you simply stopped watching.Now everything is endless. There's always another news story, another level in a game, another post, another video. That endlessness is what keeps us trapped in the cycle.You actually did so many things right with the New York Times Games app. You found something that takes a little more effort, but it also has a clear stopping point. You finish it, and then you're done. You created a bottom.That's exactly what I want to do with my own kids. I want to help them find activities that have a clear purpose and a clear ending. When you're done, you're done, and you turn it off.Compare that with scrolling Instagram for 30 minutes. What's the purpose? What are you actually doing? What are you looking for? There's always more content. It never ends, and it's incredibly fast.I think it's Chapter 4 of the book where I talk about figuring out how to use these technologies—if you're going to use them at all—in ways that don't manipulate you into these loops but instead feel genuinely satisfying.People often ask, “How do you know it's a real reward?” Your brain tells you. You feel better afterward than you did before. You feel done. You feel full. You think, “I'm ready to stop.”If, instead, you're thinking, “What's next? One more. One more,” then you're still stuck in the loop.For a lot of people—for a lot of kids, and certainly for me—that loop is frustrating and deeply unsatisfying. It just makes life feel gray and gloomy.Sarah: I noticed something a while ago. One of my favorite activities in the world is reading, and I realized I can't read if my phone is in the same room with me.When I was reading your book, I thought, “This is something I absolutely love doing, but it doesn't create that same dopamine loop.”Reading doesn't do that.I actually have to keep my phone in another room because reading takes more effort than scrolling Instagram.Michaeleen: Exactly. It takes more work, and that's part of why it's more satisfying.We're made to work. Human beings are actually very good at working, and that effort is part of what creates satisfaction. If something is too easy, it's much easier to get trapped in the wanting loop.Sarah: You also say in the book that, evolutionarily, our brains are designed to look for the easy way out.Back when life was hard, that made perfect sense.But now that everything comes to us so easily, it doesn't make sense anymore.Michaeleen: That's exactly right. These products are exploiting that tendency.Food is probably where you can see it most clearly.Our brains evolved to look for the foods with the most calories per bite. Why would you eat something with fewer calories per bite, especially when food was scarce? That's how we evolved.We also evolved to look for calories that our bodies could use quickly. A refined white-flour cracker gives you calories much faster than a carrot does. You'd have to eat carrots for much longer to get the same energy.Our brains are completely designed to choose the cracker.You'd never touch the carrot. It doesn't make evolutionary sense.That's especially true for kids, who are eating much more instinctively. But honestly, I'd argue that adults have the same problem. If the crackers are sitting there beside the carrots, most adults are going to have a hard time choosing the carrot.Sarah: Tell the story about the strawberries and the veggie straws.Michaeleen: This was when I really understood what was happening.Rosie was about eight years old, and we went to the pool with one of her friends. I packed raw edamame and strawberries. The girls were tired and hungry, and they were happily eating them. They were enjoying them.Then I pulled out a bag of veggie straws—which, by the way, aren't really veggies and aren't really straws. They're basically highly processed potato starch.Sarah: I think it's extruded potato starch.Michaeleen: You're right. Extruded potato starch.The starch is chemically extracted from the potato, so there's really nothing potato-like left except the starch. It's heated at a very high temperature, pushed through machinery, then sprayed with fat or basically fried and covered with salt.If you really look at the research, your body treats it almost like sugar. It practically dissolves in your mouth. There's almost no digestion required. It moves into your gut and into your bloodstream incredibly quickly.So even though the package says “veggie” and even though it says “potato,” what you're really getting are extremely fast calories, much like sugar.The moment I put those veggie straws on the table, those two girls ate the entire bag.One after another.You want to talk about dopamine?“Do it again. Do it again. Do it again. Do it again.”They didn't stop until every single veggie straw was gone.And then they completely forgot about the strawberries and the edamame.That was the moment I realized that if any ultra-processed food is available, kids simply won't choose the whole foods.Sarah: You asked Rosie afterward which she actually liked better, and she said, “Oh, the strawberries.”Michaeleen: Exactly. Even though she genuinely likes strawberries better—they taste better—her brain, and all of our brains, are designed to choose the veggie straws because they're such a dense source of fast calories.That realization led me to start doing little experiments. I'd make homemade meals with whole foods, then put one ultra-processed starch on the table—a dinner roll or some corn chips. I'd sit there and watch my husband and Rosie eat all of the ultra-processed food first. Then my husband might eat some of the whole foods, but Rosie wouldn't touch them.It wasn't her fault. It wasn't my fault. This is simply how our brains are designed. It makes perfect sense from an evolutionary perspective, and the food industry is explicitly taking advantage of that. If you look at the calorie density of ultra-processed foods, it's gone up and up over time. What really surprised me, though, is that it isn't just about sugar. Sugar clearly triggers dopamine—”Do it again. Do it again.” But highly refined potato starch, corn starch, and white flour are just as powerful, and in some studies they're actually more addictive than foods with added sugar.I recently read a study describing almost the exact recipe you mentioned: extruded starch that's fried or sprayed with a little fat and loaded with salt. That combination is incredibly addictive. The moment you see it, you want it, and then you eat it. The dopamine hit actually happens before you eat it. It's, “Oh, I see the bag. I want the bag.” That's the dopamine.Then there's almost no satisfaction or pleasure because satisfaction comes from protein and fiber—and, to a lesser extent, fat. Those are the things that make you feel, “Ah, I've had enough. I'm done.” Ultra-processed foods have stripped away almost everything that creates that feeling of satisfaction. That's what pleasure actually is.I really believe we can learn to tell the difference between wanting and genuine pleasure. Just like you did with the New York Times games, you replaced endless scrolling—which kept you wanting more—with something that actually makes you feel good every day.Sarah: Can you talk a little bit about what you call “magnets” and “cues”?I finished your book last week—it really was a page-turner—and I'm already putting some of your ideas into practice. One of the simplest suggestions was to stop carrying your phone around everywhere. I wore a watch to a baseball game the other night because I didn't want to keep taking out my phone just to check the time.Then this morning I went for a walk with my daughter and left my phone at home. When I got back, I made something to eat and did a couple of other things before I suddenly realized, “Oh—I left my phone upstairs for two hours.”Just the act of not taking it with me on the walk and leaving it in another room made it disappear from my mind. It was amazing.Michaeleen: I love that. That's beautiful.I call phones, video games, iPads, and ultra-processed foods magnets because neuroscientists actually use the term motivational magnets, and that's where I borrowed it from. They work through space, and they create what we call cues.Let's use screens instead of veggie straws. Imagine Rosie comes home every day after school and plays Toca Boca World on the iPad.Sarah: My daughter used to play those hairdressing games—and even vacuuming games. I never understood the appeal until I read your book and realized she was basically getting dopamine-mined.Michaeleen: Exactly. If you look at what keeps young children on those apps, it's the repetition. They're doing essentially the same thing over and over again, which is actually very unsatisfying.At first, what keeps Rosie playing are those little dopamine hits—”Do it again. Do it again.” But over time, something fascinating happens: the dopamine hit moves backward in time. Eventually, just seeing the iPad triggers dopamine. Simply seeing it creates desire and makes her really want it. Dopamine doesn't just make us want things—it motivates us to work to get them.So she sees the iPad, and suddenly she wants it. If it's sitting there, good luck getting her interested in anything else because her brain has already triggered that powerful feeling of, “I need this to survive.” She'll be pulled toward it like a magnet. That's where the term comes from. You don't just want it—you physically move toward it. You want to pick it up. You want to hold it. You want to touch it.Even if it's hidden away in a drawer or a closet, if she knows it's there, those magnets work through walls. She'll go looking for it.Sarah: Have you seen that study where students either had their phone on their desk, in their backpack, or in another room? Just having it in the backpack was almost as distracting as having it sitting on the desk.Michaeleen: That's exactly right, because they know it's accessible. Over time, these cues become so deeply wired into our brains that we don't even have to see the object anymore. We just have to know it's there.What's often triggering the habit isn't even the phone itself—it's an emotion. For example, when I'm writing and I get a little frustrated, that feeling becomes the cue: “Go check the news.” That used to be mine. Then it became, “Go check your email.” Now I've stopped checking the news, so mine has become, “Go check the weather.”Sarah: At least that can only last so long unless you're checking the weather around the world.Michaeleen: Exactly. It's much less sticky.But that's the point. If the phone is in the backpack, the brain knows it's available. These magnets work through walls. They work through bags. To really make those cues disappear, you have to do exactly what you did. You leave it at home. Your brain knows, “I can't get it. I'm not walking all the way back home for it,” so it lets go.As parents, we have to make these things completely disappear within a particular context. That's another really important piece of this: magnets and cues work in contexts.Every day after school is a context for Rosie's brain. Every day after school, in our house, she plays Toca Boca World. So when she walks into the living room at four o'clock, her brain already knows what time it is, even without a watch. Human brains are incredibly good at tracking those patterns.That context triggers dopamine. It triggers the desire for Toca Boca World.What we want to do instead is use that same context to trigger a desire for something that actually fills her up. Maybe after school in the living room becomes the cue for making art, riding her bike, or going outside.That's really what Dopamine Kids is about: using dopamine to get your kids excited about the real world and training their brains accordingly.Sarah: Can I back you up a little bit there? Because one thing you say in your book is that it doesn't work to simply take the screens away and say, “Let them be bored. They'll figure it out.”That's really the only other advice I've seen out there: just take the screens away and let kids be bored.But you did a lot of work to create opportunities for dopamine from other things. You didn't just tell Rosie, “No more Toca Boca World.”Can you talk about that? I think a lot of parents try the approach of saying, “Okay, we're just not doing screens anymore.” Then they end up with weeks—or maybe months—of crying and begging: “Can I just play a little?”Michaeleen: I think that approach can sometimes work with very little kids, but even then I don't think it lasts. These things are like weeds. The screens will come back unless you replace them with something else.Behavioral psychology is actually very clear on this. It's much easier to create a new habit than it is to break an old one. It's much easier to replace a behavior than simply remove it.For example, while I was writing Dopamine Kids, I decided I wanted to stop drinking as much. I had gotten into the habit of having a glass of wine every night, and I realized it just wasn't working for me anymore.I didn't simply take it away. I bought non-alcoholic beer. I replaced it with something.Kids are the same way.If you just take away the iPad—especially if they've been using it for a long time—their brain has come to believe it's something they need to survive. That's what these products have tricked the brain into believing. So when you take it away, it genuinely feels awful.But if you give them another activity that's exciting, interesting, and something they genuinely want to do, taking the screen away doesn't feel nearly as difficult. Over time, you can actually help them discover activities that make them feel even better than the iPad does.That's what creates a permanent habit instead of a temporary one.Behavioral psychology is pretty clear that kids are using these things because they're trying to meet a need.Rosie wasn't obsessed with Toca Boca World or cartoons because she wanted screens. She wanted adventure.Adventure is a fundamental human need for kids. You could also call it autonomy, but I like the word adventure because I think it's easier to understand. Kids need to explore, learn, and take little risks. They need that in order to feel good.I think a lot of kids are using screens to try to fill that need.So instead of simply taking screens away and leaving that need unmet, you have to backfill it.I said to Rosie, “Tonight we're not going to watch Netflix. We're going to take a break. Instead, we're going to do something you've been dying to do that I just haven't made time for yet. You're going to ride your bike to the market by yourself.”I would even say to her, “Instead of watching cartoon characters have adventures, you're going to have a real adventure yourself.”That's the difference.You're taking something that was trying—but ultimately failing—to meet a real human need and replacing it with something that actually does.When you do that, it's not nearly as hard.It goes back to what you mentioned earlier about kids saying they'd rather be with their friends than on screens. That same research also found that kids would rather be outside playing than watching screens. So you're giving them the opportunity to do the thing they actually want to do.That's really the process: figure out a replacement activity—or a replacement food—and then gradually begin taking the old thing away.The result is that your child isn't angry at you all the time. Your relationship is better because they have something wonderful replacing what they lost.More importantly, it creates a lasting habit because they're not simply complying with a rule. They're building a hobby, a skill, or a way of living that genuinely brings them pleasure and meets their needs.One of my biggest concerns with a lot of the screen advice that's out there is that it isn't permanent.Real change comes from making small but permanent changes.It's not, “We're doing a 30-day screen detox.”It's, “We don't use screens after dinner anymore,” or, “We don't use screens on Saturdays.”And that's just how our family does things now.That's how you train the brain.If you keep bringing the old habit back, you undo the learning and go right back to where you started.So I always encourage people to think small—but think permanent.Sarah: One suggestion you make is starting with something simple, like, “We don't do screens in the car.”Michaeleen: Yes.Sarah: I think that's such a great place to start. Your book is full of practical little ideas like that, so the whole thing doesn't feel overwhelming.We've been talking about some of the bigger concepts, but the book is incredibly practical.I'm working on a book myself right now, so I know how much work goes into something like this. I just want to say you did a really beautiful job balancing the theory with concrete things families can actually do.I really, really recommend it.Michaeleen: Thank you.The car is a great place to start because it's such a clear context for a child's brain.They get into the car and their brain thinks, “Screen time.”Instead, you can make the car mean, “Reading time,” or “Journaling time,” or even “Bored time.”It's a really useful place to begin because they're already somewhat contained, so it's easier to establish a new routine.Sarah: I love that.The one thing I want to ask about—and I hope you don't take this as criticism—is that some of what you've done takes a lot of time and energy privilege.Michaeleen: Yes. I think it's very similar to what I found with Hunt, Gather, Parent. There is some work up front, but I also think we dramatically underestimate how much work we're already doing when we rely on screens as babysitters or pacifiers.We tend to think that's the easy route, but even in the short term, I don't think it actually is.Sarah: That's a really good point because the fighting itself takes a lot of energy.Michaeleen: Exactly. That's ultimately what made me change and what made me want to write this book. I was just tired of arguing with Rosie about screens. I hated policing her.It's very similar to what I found with Hunt, Gather, Parent. Recently, one parent gave me some feedback that I actually thought was really insightful. She said, “I think you could have been clearer that having daily screen time—or unlimited screen time—is actually a lot of work.”And she's right.The parent is managing it every single day, moment by moment. There's constant fighting, negotiating, and policing.I'll tell you something else. Once we got ultra-processed foods out of our house, the amount of work I do around food dropped to about one-tenth of what it had been before. We actually spend less money because we're eating less.People don't realize that ultra-processed food makes you eat more. That's very well documented. Kids snack constantly when those foods are around. Rosie now eats two or three real meals a day when she's eating whole foods.So I'm actually doing much less work because those foods aren't in the house.I do agree there's some work at the beginning. Teaching Rosie to ride her bike to the market took time. But now she's 10, and she rides her bike everywhere. She bikes to piano lessons. She bikes all over town.That investment keeps paying dividends.Sarah: That's a really fair point.I had just been telling you before we started recording that, over the years, I've noticed more and more parents coming to coaching specifically because of challenges around screen time.The fights about screens, getting kids off screens—it has become such a common struggle.They just need to read your book and get some strategies.Michaeleen: I'm really just trying to encourage people that if they have that gut feeling—that sense of, “This just isn't working for our family”—it's okay to say no.There is a way to do it that doesn't require an enormous amount of ongoing work.Really, what you're doing is setting up the environment so the default becomes these other activities. You're designing things so you're not constantly policing or managing every moment.That's my biggest pushback against the idea that this approach is more work.It took a lot of work for me to figure all of this out and understand how it works—Sarah: And you did that for us.Michaeleen: Exactly.I also think the court system—and society more broadly—is slowly starting to catch up. The regulations around screen content are so far behind the technology.If you think about it, 20 years ago Rosie wouldn't have been able to walk into a movie like Jaws without a parent. There were very clear rules about what children could and couldn't see.Now I can hand her a device that gives her access to some of the most extreme content imaginable.One scientist told me that a child today can see, in about ten minutes, more pornography than our grandparents' generation would have encountered in an entire lifetime.Something is clearly out of balance.Either society has changed dramatically, or our regulations simply haven't kept pace.When you look at child exploitation, trafficking, and abuse online, it's obvious that regulation is behind.Sarah: Big Tech has so much money and so much influence that I think that's part of why the laws have fallen so far behind.Michaeleen: It absolutely is. But I also think there's this persistent myth that kids need these technologies and that they're doing so much good.One of my hopes for this book—and for the work many other researchers are doing—is that people will begin to understand that kids genuinely need help regulating this stuff.They cannot regulate it on their own.Right now, that entire burden falls on parents, and that's a tremendous amount of work.Sarah: We can't regulate it on our own, and we're grown-ups.Michaeleen: Exactly.When I first started researching this book, I interviewed a famous economist at Stanford—someone in his forties who will probably win a Nobel Prize someday. He spent our entire conversation telling me all the systems he had to build so he wouldn't look at the news while he was working.He had blocked it at the router. He'd blocked it on his computer. He'd blocked it in multiple other ways.I remember sitting there thinking, “If he has to do all of that, how is a thirteen-year-old supposed to do her homework?”That's one of the central messages of the book.This isn't about willpower.It's not about teaching kids to resist temptation through self-control.It's about teaching them to build environments where they aren't constantly tempted in the first place.That's exactly what you described earlier when you left your phone at home.You create spaces in your life where the temptation simply isn't there.That's the key to living a happier, healthier life—not relying on willpower, but learning to avoid unnecessary temptation and building habits that don't require you to fight yourself every day.Ironically, that's what ends up making life much easier.Sarah: That was another really interesting thing you talked about in your book—willpower.Michaeleen: One of the really interesting findings about willpower is that people with fewer bad habits don't actually have more willpower. They've simply arranged their lives so they're exposed to fewer temptations.Sarah: That's right. A great place to start might be something like what you did with food. You talked about not eating food on the go.Michaeleen: Exactly. No food on the go.Sarah: Baby steps.Michaeleen: Right. Or parents will tell me things like, “We don't have ultra-processed foods at breakfast.” Breakfast is actually an easy place to start. You have oatmeal. You have eggs. There are lots of simple whole-food options. So you make that one meal your starting point.That's really the idea. Start with something small.I think the same principle applies to parenting. Parenting actually becomes easier when the temptations simply aren't there. You're not constantly managing them.Sarah: When my kids were growing up—and thankfully they mostly missed all of this because my youngest is 19, so there wasn't Netflix and everything else that's available now—we had a simple family rule: no screens Monday through Thursday.Back then it was television, but they just knew that was how our family worked. If they asked, I'd simply say, “Remember, it's Wednesday. We'll watch TV on the weekend.”It was actually very easy.Michaeleen: Exactly. And that's the dopamine system at work.Their brains know what day of the week it is. We're remarkably good at keeping track of time and routines. They knew they were in your house, after school, and that there wasn't going to be TV.It's like a smoker on an airplane. Eventually the smoker's brain learns, “I'm on a plane. I can't smoke.” The craving relaxes because the brain understands the context.The same thing happens with family routines.In Israel, for example, many families observe a digital Sabbath where they unplug for a full 24 hours every week. Parents tell me their kids love it because they know that's the time they play board games, spend time outside, and do other things together.Their brains learn that weekly rhythm.Our brains naturally work this way, so we can use that tendency to make family life calmer and more peaceful.Honestly, one of my favorite outcomes is that when nine o'clock comes around, my daughter is calm and actually wants to go to bed. Whatever effort it took to establish those habits at the beginning has been completely worth it. It's peaceful now, and hopefully those routines will stay with her for years.Ironically, it was much harder for me to stop scrolling before bed than it was for her.Sarah: Do you think there's any place for moderation?For example, could Rosie ever pick up Toca Boca again and play it for a little while? Or is it more a case of, once it's gone, it's gone?Michaeleen: That's a really good question.I think there are a couple of ways to think about it.The first is simply asking whether a particular technology is worth it. Does Toca Boca actually give us something valuable enough that it's worth the possibility of bringing back arguments and struggles? Or is there something else that gives us the same benefit without those downsides?One of the goals of the book is to help parents start asking that question about technology in general: Is this actually worth it?The second question is whether your child can handle it.I use YouTube for work. I'll watch scientists explaining research, informational videos, or sometimes I'll listen to music. I also know all the tricks YouTube is playing on me, so I can use it pretty intentionally.But Rosie at ten years old?No way.YouTube is far too sophisticated for her to use purposefully.Maybe when she's sixteen, seventeen, or eighteen. Maybe fifteen. I don't know.But I'm not going to intentionally introduce it.If it becomes necessary because of school or something else, then we'll try it and see how she handles it. If she can use it well, maybe we'll continue. If she can't, then we won't.I think a lot of this is really about figuring out what your own child can handle.We don't give children alcohol or tobacco because they can't handle them. We don't give them pornography for the same reason.These technologies have entered our lives so quickly that we're all trying to answer entirely new questions.One of the most important things parents can watch is what happens afterward.How does your child behave? What's their mood like? Is it immediately, “One more. One more. One more”?If that's what's happening, then they're probably not ready for it.Sarah: Right. It's not restorative.This reminds me of a guest I had on the podcast a year or two ago. He was a former video game developer, and the episode was called How to Stop Fighting With Your Kid About Video Games.Sarah: This reminds me of something another guest said on the podcast, and I think it fits perfectly with what you're talking about.He was a former video game developer, and he said something I've never forgotten. He said, “If you're going to let your kids play video games, don't let them play anything that's free.”He said there are lots of amazing games that you actually buy because they're designed with a real story arc, real challenges, and an ending. As I was reading your book, I kept thinking about that because those paid games are designed to give you an actual reward at the end. You complete levels, you build skills, and then you finish.He wasn't talking about buying things inside free games. He meant games that you purchase outright. I remember my husband used to play The Legend of Zelda. It was a game you started and eventually finished.Michaeleen: I love that. There's so much I love about it because the business model is completely different.With free games, the longer you stay on them, the more money the company makes through advertising and in-game purchases. Their entire goal is to keep you there for as long as possible. They're holding the child inside that loop.But with purchased games, they actually want you to finish because then they hope you'll buy another game. It's almost like movies used to be. They wanted you to enjoy the experience, reach the end, and then come back for the next one.You're exactly right—they're designed to end.I think that's really beautiful advice because it highlights how much the business model shapes the experience.Sarah: That's what he said. In the free games, the commodity is your child's attention.Michaeleen: Exactly.Whereas with a purchased game, you're paying for an experience that has a beginning and an end.We've actually done something similar with movies and television. We got rid of all of our subscriptions, and honestly, we've saved a lot of money. Now, if we want to watch a movie, we buy it.We're much more intentional. We stop and ask ourselves, “Do we really want to watch this? Is it worth it?”Then, when the movie ends, we're done.I think that simple change does so much to keep you out of the wanting cycle we talked about earlier. Paying for something slows the whole process down. It makes you think about your choice, and the design itself is completely different. It's designed to leave you feeling satisfied—to let you say, “I finished it.”Sarah: It's an experience. It's an adventure. There's a reward.Michaeleen: Exactly. I love that idea. I wish I'd put it in the book. It's really good. Honestly, I didn't even realize there were that many games designed that way.Sarah: I'll send you his contact if you ever want to talk with him.I could honestly talk to you about this all day.I'm just trying to think if there's anything else I really wanted to ask, but I do want to highlight something for anyone who's still listening.This isn't a moral argument about screens or ultra-processed foods being “bad.” You make that very clear throughout the book.It's really about bringing more joy and fun back into your life because getting trapped in this cycle of wanting without ever feeling rewarded is making all of us kind of miserable.Michaeleen: That's exactly right.The first thing I hope parents take away is that this isn't their fault.This has happened incredibly quickly, and most of us don't even understand what we're up against. These products are intentionally designed by multibillion-dollar companies to capture and hold our children's attention. That's what we're competing with, and for a long time we simply haven't had the right tools.The second thing is that this isn't about taking everything away. That's a fantasy. It's not going to work.It's about figuring out what actually brings joy to you and your family, keeping those things, and letting go of the things that don't.We've also moved beyond the old idea that kids will somehow fall behind or be left out if they don't have all these technologies. There's so much evidence now showing that giving kids a phone or social media doesn't suddenly make them feel accepted or like they belong.In fact, it often does the opposite.So we can let go of that fear.Instead, we can ask, “What actually works for our family?” Then we can build the skills to get there and help our kids gradually adopt these technologies in healthy ways because they're going to be part of their lives.Almost everyone will eventually have a phone. Most kids will eventually use some form of social media, whether that's YouTube, Instagram, or whatever comes next.The question isn't whether they'll ever use it.The question is: When are they ready?And how do we help them use it in a way that still allows them to be productive?For me, that's one of the essential parenting skills of the twenty-first century: helping kids set up their environments—their computers, their workspaces, their routines—so they aren't constantly fighting temptation.Sarah: You also talk specifically about having kids work where a parent can see them because I think that's becoming a huge challenge now that so many students are issued Chromebooks at school.Sarah: You also mention having kids work where a parent can see them, because I think that's becoming a huge challenge now that so many students are issued Chromebooks at school.Everyone I've talked to—and maybe there are exceptions out there—says you can't put parental controls on school-issued devices. Kids need YouTube to watch something for school, and suddenly you've opened the door to all kinds of temptation.Every parent I know whose child has a school-issued Chromebook struggles with it.Michaeleen: Yes, and I think this is an area that's really in flux.From what I'm learning, parents are starting to push back—not only on schools issuing Chromebooks in the first place, but also on not being allowed to set them up in ways that remove things like YouTube. I think parents actually have more power than I realized.Some schools will work with families if parents speak up. You can go to the teacher or the principal and say, “This is what I want for my child's Chromebook. I don't want them to have access to YouTube,” or, “I want these restrictions in place.”Parents have more rights than I think most of us realize.I've talked with parents who are trying to get Chromebooks out of kindergarten through Grade 2 altogether. Others are asking for more limited internet access or different settings during school hours. There's really a whole spectrum of possibilities.I honestly think this is going to be one of the defining parenting issues of the next decade—the school-issued Chromebook, the school-issued iPad.For me, it just makes those screen-free gaps in the day even more important. If your child has spent the day doing schoolwork on a device, then after dinner becomes even more valuable as a screen-free time.You need a break. I need a break. We all need a break.Creating what I call sanctuaries becomes increasingly important as more of school moves onto screens. Kids need opportunities to move their bodies, relax their brains, and experience activities that are genuinely restorative.I also think there are resources available for parents who want more control over that digital space. It does take work, but as parents we sometimes hand over more authority to schools than we actually have to. We have more rights than we often realize.In fact, a lot of this is being challenged legally. There are lawsuits against school districts because some software has been given to children in ways that violate privacy protections and collect data improperly.So I think this whole area is changing, and I'm hopeful we'll eventually reach a place where, even if students are working on computers, they'll have better protections against unnecessary distractions.That's exactly how I work. I turn on an app blocker so I can't wander around the internet while I'm working. Otherwise, I'd be distracted constantly.I have a colleague who says she can't work for more than a couple of minutes before she finds herself checking something online.Sarah: I struggle with that too.It's getting easier the more I practice, but the pull—that feeling of wanting—is incredibly strong.Michaeleen: It really is. It's become a habit, and eventually you're barely even thinking about it.I remember when I first installed an app blocker. It felt so uncomfortable. I kept thinking, “But I want to check this. I want to check that.”Then it faded.It actually faded pretty quickly.Sarah: Thank you so much—not just for being here, but for writing this book. It's really remarkable.Even though I'm past the most active stage of parenting, I keep noticing the ideas from the book working their way into my own life.I have to tell you, the last couple of nights I've made brown rice instead of white rice because of something I read in the book. I love white rice, but I know I need more fiber. Honestly, once you start eating brown rice regularly, you hardly notice the difference.You've gotten me wearing a watch, eating brown rice, and leaving my phone at home when I take the dog for a walk.Michaeleen: I love that.It lets your brain relax because you're not constantly multitasking anymore.I have my watch on too. Rosie and I actually wear the same watch. To me, it's become a little symbol of this more digitally minimalist way of thinking.I was doing exactly the same thing—checking my phone every time I wanted to know the time. Eventually I thought, “Why am I using this little computer just to tell the time?”Sarah: Exactly.Well, thank you so much.Michaeleen: Thank you.Sarah: Before I let you go, I have one question that I ask every guest. It'll be interesting because I can compare your answer to what you said the last time you were on.If you could go back in time to your younger parent self, what advice would you give yourself?Michaeleen: Which age?Sarah: Any age. Go back to brand-new-mom Michaeleen. What would you tell yourself?Michaeleen: I'll give you two answers.For the baby stage, I would tell myself, “Michaeleen, just carry her all the time. Put her in the carrier and carry her. Don't worry so much about putting her down.”She was so happy whenever I carried her, and that's how so many cultures do it. The baby is simply on someone's back or on their front while life goes on. I really wish I'd done more of that because I think it would have made both of our lives much easier.For the older years, I'd tell myself to stop worrying so much that taking away the screens was going to be hard.I built it up in my mind as this enormous thing. I thought, “It's going to be so difficult to take away Netflix at night. It's going to be so difficult to take away Toca Boca.”But it wasn't.It really wasn't.Our lives became so much easier afterward, and I wish I'd been able to see that ahead of time.Sarah: Well, how could you have known?What you were seeing was the outward expression of all that wanting—the crying, the begging, the desperation. It would be so easy to mistake that for, “I'm denying my child something that brings them enormous pleasure.”I think that's an important distinction for parents.Just because your child is crying and screaming that they want something doesn't actually mean that it's bringing them pleasure or that it's good for them.Michaeleen: Exactly.Someone said something to me that I think made it into the book. A child can desperately want to spend another hour playing a video game while actually getting very little pleasure—or no pleasure—from it.That's really where the trick is.That's the hijacking.I also think Lenore's work is right. Kids really do want the offline world.They just have to experience it first.I didn't fully appreciate this before, but you can't really want something until you've experienced the joy of it yourself. Maybe you can see someone else enjoying it, but to actually build that dopamine pathway, you have to get out there and feel it yourself.You have to think, “Oh, this is wonderful. I love this.”Then your brain starts wanting more of that.Sarah: I was thinking about one family I work with. They have five kids, they run their own business, and they're incredibly busy.Their five-year-old son was having constant meltdowns and aggression, so I suggested they start tracking what happened right before those moments.When they came back, they realized that about 90 percent of the incidents were connected to screens. He was trying to get one of his parents' phones. He was trying to grab the remote from his sisters. He wanted the TV turned on or wanted it to stay on.This was actually before I read your book, so I probably could have given them even better advice afterward.But I suggested they experiment with going screen-free for a while and see whether it changed the aggression.The next time I talked to them, the dad told me that, out of pure frustration, he'd picked up the television and put it out in the garage. He basically announced, “No more TV for the rest of the summer.”The following week, the mom started texting me pictures.“Here's the girls sleeping in a fort they built on the trampoline.”“Here's our five-year-old playing with his trucks.”Picture after picture.She said, “I think this is going to be the best summer ever without TV.”Michaeleen: I love that story.I really do.And it's easier.It's easier.All he did was move the TV into the garage.That's amazing.That's exactly the advice I'd give myself.Just do it. Trust your instincts. Do it.Sarah: Do it.Well, thank you so much. I really appreciate you coming back on the podcast.As always, it's been such a pleasure talking with you, and you've written another wonderful book to add to the parenting canon.Michaeleen: Thank you so much for having me. It was truly a pleasure to come back.Sarah: Thanks so much.We'll put links to everything we talked about in the show notes, along with your website. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sarahrosensweet.substack.com/subscribe

You open porn, planning to watch for a few minutes.Then hours disappear.It's not just a self-control problem. Repeated overstimulation trains your brain to crave higher dopamine, making focus, motivation, and real intimacy feel less rewarding.As your reward system adapts, the prefrontal cortex—the part responsible for impulse control—has a harder time stopping the behavior.In this episode, Dr. Trish Leigh explains what gooning does to the brain, why porn rewires the reward system, and how neuroplasticity makes recovery possible.What Gooning Does To Your Brain | The Science of Porn Addiction and Dopamine Hijack

What if your family patterns, addictions, fears and trauma are not the final word? In this episode, Brandon and team talk with Dr. Luman Wing about epigenetics, transgenerational sin, addiction, sanctification and how the gospel may reach even deeper into our embodied lives than most Christians have imagined.Dr. Lu's book: https://amzn.to/3QR8z3HWebsite: https://lumanwing.org

In this episode of Friday Field Notes, host Ryan Michler tackles a critical societal crisis: the rise of vanishing fatherhood. With nearly half of all men between the ages of 25 and 45 currently childless, Ryan breaks down why this trend isn't just an economic narrative, but a profound crisis of belief.  He exposes the cultural lie that children are a restriction on personal freedom and contrasts it with data showing that 90% of fathers find fatherhood to be their deepest source of joy. True purpose comes from shouldering responsibility, not chasing comfort. Tune in to learn why raising righteous children is the ultimate battlefield for our culture. SHOW HIGHLIGHTS 00:00 - Episode Introduction 00:45 - The Fatherhood Statistics Shock 02:24 - Belief Systems vs. Economic Stories 04:27 - The Joy of Fatherhood vs. Societal Expectations 06:37 - The True Cost of Opting Out 08:50 - The Danger of Fragile and Rudderless Men 11:02 - The Birth Rate Collapse and Cultural Decay 13:19 - Reclaiming Culture Through the Next Generation 15:28 - Forfeiting the Cultural Fight 17:28 - Raising Righteous Children as the Mission 19:13 - Shifting from Dopamine to Legacy 19:57 - Step Up and Find the Courage 22:00 - A Call to Action for Modern Fathers    Battle Planners: Pick yours up today! Order Ryan's new book, The Masculinity Manifesto. For more information on the Iron Council brotherhood. Want maximum health, wealth, relationships, and abundance in your life? Sign up for our free course, 30 Days to Battle Ready  

“Dopamine sites” are on the rise in South Korea, allowing people to simulate the thrill of online shopping or food delivery without spending any actual money. Could this be the fix for compulsive spenders? Plus: Jill helps caller Danielle navigate a financial crossroads: after taking a pay cut to make work and life more manageable, she's now facing higher-than-expected college costs for her child while trying to stay on track for retirement.Have a money question? Email us ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Subscribe to the Money Moves YouTube channel HERE.

A new study found that therapeutic magnetic stimulation reduced depression-like behaviors in rats -- and altered dopamine receptor density in brain regions far beyond the area being stimulated. In this episode, R Blank explores a fascinating piece of brain science: how repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation at ten hertz frequency created network-wide changes in dopamine systems linked to mood regulation. He unpacks what this tells us about how electromagnetic fields interact with the brain's interconnected circuits -- and what it means for our broader understanding of EMF and neurological health. In This Episode What repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation is and how it works How ten hertz magnetic stimulation reduced depression-like behaviors in a rat model Why the effects spread to brain regions beyond the stimulation site -- including the dorsal striatum and prefrontal cortex Featured Study Read the full study: High-frequency transcranial magnetic stimulation decreases dorsal striatum dopamine D2 receptors in a rat model of depression See all studies at shieldyourbody.com/research

What if the word uncurable really just means a doctor has run out of ideas? This episode dares you to question that verdict and discover a functional medicine approach built on gut health, trace minerals, and nervous system repair that has helped many people defy impossible odds and rewrite a hopeless diagnosis into a story of hope.Host Jenn Trepeck welcomes Dr. Aaron Hartman to Salad with a Side of Fries, where he shares how chronic illness recovery starts with the basics everyone overlooks, and why patients in remission from conditions like multiple sclerosis prove healing is possible even when doctors say there is nothing more they can do.What You Will Learn in This Episode:✅ Why the label “incurable” often just means idiopathic (unknown cause) and how functional medicine looks deeper✅ How gut health, sleep, and stress form the foundation of true chronic illness recovery✅ The connection between hypermobility, dysautonomia, mast cell activation, and autoimmune disease✅ Why organ meats, bone broth, and trace minerals support the nervous system and healingThe Salad With a Side of Fries podcast, hosted by Jenn Trepeck, explores real-life wellness and weight-loss topics, debunking myths, misinformation, and flawed science surrounding nutrition and the food industry. Let's dive into real-life wellness and weight loss, including drinking, eating out, and skipping the grocery store.TIMESTAMPS:00:00 Introduction to this episode on functional medicine and rethinking an incurable diagnosis03:47 Dr. Aaron Hartman explains cerebral palsy and his daughter Anna's dire early diagnosis07:17 Why incurable and idiopathic are labels Dr. Hartman refuses to accept and exploring the mast cell activation, hypermobility, autoimmune, gut, and dysautonomia super syndrome15:28 The big three foundations of gut health, stress regulation, and quality sleep for healing21:41 Why trace minerals, organ meats, and bone broth matter for true nutrient-dense nutrition24:38 Practical sleep hygiene tips rooted in circadian rhythm and nervous system regulation28:58 Balancing sugar addiction and dopamine-driven cravings with real food healing habits31:43 How the body's self-healing capacity applies at any age, from childhood through adulthood37:12 Lipid medicine: Using fats to heal your bodyKEY TAKEAWAYS:

Bonnie's expired license so we talked about how the DMV sucks :: Always be more rude to government workers than real workers :: Uncle Sham :: Is AI a "false pretender"? :: Rent A Human website to be paid for tasks as a human by AI :: Turd wants to make industry plants :: Gold heist may uncover CIA secrets :: Dopamine hit websites :: 2026-07-05 Host: Bonnie, Kahuna :: Rich E Rich

Dopamine gets blamed for everything from doomscrolling to snack attacks, but the real problem is that most of us were taught the wrong story. On this episode of The Brainy Moms Podcast, Dr. Amy and Sandy chat with biochemist and best-selling author of Dopamine Kids, Dr. Michaeleen Doucleff to unpack what dopamine actually does in the brain: it drives wanting, motivation, and the powerful “do it again” loop, even when the thing we're chasing doesn't deliver real joy. That single shift explains why kids can feel pulled toward screens, social media, and ultra-processed foods and still end up more dysregulated and less satisfied.From there, we get practical. We talk about “dopamine magnets” in a child's environment and why the best parenting strategy is not just taking something away, but replacing it with high-value activities that build competence and connection. You'll hear concrete ideas for swapping screen habits with hobbies, how to “ride the wave” of your child's motivation, and why tiny, permanent changes beat big resets every time. We also dig into the importance of context like car rides, mornings, and bedtime and how to hype offline activities so your kids actually want to do them.We don't stop at screens. We connect the same brain circuitry to ultra-processed foods, why snack products are engineered to increase wanting without providing satisfaction, and how changing what's stocked at home can change cravings and behavior fast. If you're trying to reduce screen time, improve sleep, support emotional regulation, and build healthier food habits without living in constant conflict, this conversation gives you a clear, science-based path forward. Subscribe, share this with a parent friend, and leave a review with the habit swap you're trying next.ABOUT US:The Brainy Moms is a parenting podcast hosted by cognitive psychologist Dr. Amy Moore and Sandy Zamalis. Dr. Amy and Sandy have conversations with experts in parenting, child development, education, homeschooling, psychology, mental health, and neuroscience. Listeners leave with tips and advice for helping parents and kids thrive. If you love us, add us to your playlist and follow us on social media! CONNECT WITH US:Website: www.TheBrainyMoms.com Email: BrainyMoms@gmail.com Social Media: @TheBrainyMomsSubscribe to our free monthly newsletterVisit our sponsor's website: www.LearningRx.com

Bonnie's expired license so we talked about how the DMV sucks :: Always ebe more rude to government workers than real workers :: Uncle Sham :: Is AI a "false pretender"? :: Rent A Human website to be paid for tasks as a human by AI :: Turd wants to make industry plants :: Gold heist may uncover CIA secrets :: Dopamine hit websites :: 2026-07-05 Host: Bonnie, Kahuna :: Rich E Rich

Show notes at pharmacyjoe.com/episode1145 In this episode, I'll discuss how the use of dopamine for shock affects mortality rates.

Sustainable fashion brand Reformation filed to IPO... thanks to the Gilmore Girls Strategy.America's biggest events week of all time begins today… to avoid surge pricing, play chicken.The big winner of the Cannes Advertising Festival… is Kevin Durant's loooong basketball legs.Plus, the wild new shopping trend in Korea?… “Dopamine websites” where you pretend to buy things.$REF $LRLCY $SPYGrab your Tickets to the IPO Tour: Our In-Person OfferingSan Francisco 9/23: https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/1C0064AFB5F688BDBoston 10/14: https://tickets.citywinery.com/event/tboy-the-ipo-tour-in-person-offering-8cdhupSeattle 11/4 (21+): https://www.axs.com/events/1446394/the-best-one-yet-ticketsNEWSLETTER:https://tboypod.com/newsletter OUR 2ND SHOW:Want more business storytelling from us? Check our weekly deepdive show, The Best Idea Yet: The untold origin story of the products you're obsessed with. Listen for free to The Best Idea Yet: https://wondery.com/links/the-best-idea-yet/NEW LISTENERSFill out our 2 minute survey: https://qualtricsxm88y5r986q.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_dp1FDYiJgt6lHy6GET ON THE POD: Submit a shoutout or fact: https://tboypod.com/shoutouts SOCIALS:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tboypod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tboypodYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tboypod Linkedin (Nick): https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolas-martell/Linkedin (Jack): https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-crivici-kramer/Anything else: https://tboypod.com/ About Us: The daily pop-biz news show making today's top stories your business. Formerly known as Robinhood Snacks, The Best One Yet is hosted by Jack Crivici-Kramer & Nick Martell. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.