Go Lay Your Bricks: Staying Busy and Creating to Fight Anxiety and Depression Jason Wright, host of The Jason Wright Show and The Healthy CEO, shares that staying busy and creating something can help fight anxiety and depression. He references Winston Churchill’s lifelong struggle with depression, which Churchill called the “black dog,” and explains how Churchill coped by keeping occupied through painting and even laying bricks to engage his hands and mind. Wright relates this to his own experience of getting into funks and says creative projects like making a podcast or short video help him avoid doom scrolling, overeating from anxiety, and ruminating alone. While noting the value of being comfortable with boredom, he warns against prolonged negative rumination and encourages changing one’s state through movement or activity. He urges listeners to find their own “bricks” to lay and to seek help if needed. 00:00 Welcome and Shows 00:16 Stay Busy Create 00:37 Churchill Black Dog 01:28 My Creative Routine 02:06 Avoid Rumination 02:36 Change Your State 02:46 Lay Your Bricks 03:11 Creative Work Examples 03:44 Wrap Up and Help

Pax Prentiss spent ten years addicted to heroin, cocaine, and alcohol before discovering that addiction was not the root problem—but a symptom of deeper emotional pain.

Today he is the co-founder of Passages Malibu, where thousands have recovered through individualized, holistic treatment rather than traditional addiction models.

Jason and Pax discuss:

• Why people relapse
• Childhood trauma
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Marijuana
• Ketamine
• Alcohol
• Parenting
• Recovery
• Authentic health

Contact Pax for a free consultation

Happy 250th America. I LOVE you!

Digital Minimalism Update: Add Friction to Break Doom-Scrolling Jason Wright shares an update on his digital minimalism effort to reduce dependence on social media and improve focus and cognitive ability, inspired by Cal Newport’s work. He deleted Instagram and YouTube from his phone (leaving them on his iPad), finding the main downside is losing easy interaction with friends via Instagram DMs, not missing the entertainment. Benefits include reading more via Apple News and books (including Ian Fleming’s Casino Royale and Dostoevsky) and feeling “down-regulated” from the urge to scroll; after reinstalling Instagram briefly for a family trip, he felt no desire to scroll and deleted it again. He compares this to quitting drinking and emphasizes environment and context. His key habit advice: add friction (small resistance) to bad habits and remove resistance to good ones. 00:00 Monday Mentor Intro 00:05 Why Digital Minimalism 01:38 Digital Diet Setup 02:30 The Biggest Con 03:33 Reading More Instead 04:22 Weekend Test Reset 06:00 YouTube Temptations 07:06 Habits And Context 09:54 Add Friction Rule 11:09 Remove Resistance To Start 13:28 Brain Wiring Takeaway 14:21 Wrap Up And Sponsor

Self-Control and Divine Masculinity Jason discusses self-control as a vital personal asset, focusing especially on masculinity, drawing on ideas from Robert Greene and Jordan Peterson. He frames self-control as an ancient and biblical principle, citing Galatians 5:22–23 and Jesus’ examples in the wilderness and the teaching to “turn the other cheek,” which he interprets as choosing restraint despite having the power to dominate, not being a doormat. He compares this to martial artists who possess capability without seeking fights, and shares workplace and childhood examples showing how losing emotional control gives others leverage and damages credibility. He argues the most admirable form of control is self-mastery—especially over emotions, words, and actions—and encourages listeners to make self-control a theme for the week, then closes with subscription requests and an Authentic Health sponsorship message. 00:00 Welcome and Theme 00:38 Why Men Need Control 01:14 Biblical Roots 02:52 Turning the Other Cheek 04:17 Dangerous but Disciplined 05:50 Workplace Composure 06:52 Childhood Lesson 07:28 Divine Masculinity 09:28 Weekly Challenge 09:49 Like Subscribe Share 10:25 Sponsor Message

Weekend Review: ‘80s/’90s Nostalgia, Simpler Times, and the Luxuries We Took for Granted Jason Wright reflects on nostalgia for the ’80s and ’90s, noting that older music is popular again and arguing that life felt simpler before today’s intense political division. He cites a Vanilla Ice interview about performers dropping out of a White House 250-year celebration over Trump and praises Ice’s wish to return to a fun, non-political era. Using a BuzzFeed list about “luxuries” from the ’80s, Jason recalls special-occasion restaurant meals (like Red Lobster), traveling to another town just to go to McDonald’s, long-distance phone charges, black-and-white TVs, small servings of orange juice, motel stays and road trips with coolers and roadside picnics, watching MTV only while traveling, wall-to-wall carpeting, real butter, and having your own bedroom. He shares family trip mishaps and vivid music memories, and invites listeners to share their own childhood luxuries and experiences. 00:00 Welcome and Nostalgia 00:21 Music Then and Now 01:54 Politics Took Over 02:37 Vanilla Ice on Fun 05:30 No More Rock Bands 07:11 BuzzFeed Luxury List 08:37 Eating Out Was Special 09:24 McDonalds Road Trip 10:29 Hand Me Downs Story 13:51 Long Distance and TV 15:30 Travel Motels MTV 19:55 Flights and Road Trips 23:22 More Old Luxuries 24:09 Kids Take It For Granted 25:45 Simplicity and Memories 28:52 Summer Memory Lane 31:06 Closing and Comments

00:00 Welcome to Monday Morning Mentor 00:20 The Future Self Concept 00:55 Living Proof of Past Discipline 01:44 Understanding Delayed Gratification 02:16 Financial Discipline and Dave Ramsey 02:56 Finding Your Art 03:54 Making Better Daily Decisions 04:45 Balancing Present and Future 05:11 Looking Back with Gratitude 05:29 Reflections on Getting Older 06:29 Write Yourself Notes 07:32 Finding the Balance 08:42 Final Thoughts and Motivation

Write Your Ideal Self: Lessons from “Rooster” and Monday Morning Mentorship Jason Wright hosts Monday Morning Mentor and shares an idea inspired by the HBO show “Rooster,” in which Steve Carell’s character says he writes for a hero who does what he wishes he could do. Jason encourages listeners to visualize and write down their own “ideal self” (health, relationships, parenting, partnership, presence) as defined by them, aligning with his motto “improve always in all ways” and his Vitruvian Project concept of becoming a more well-rounded human. He suggests journaling or story-form descriptions of an ideal day and asks, if you’re not that person yet, what’s holding you back. He gives a digital detox update, replacing dopamine apps with Duolingo and learning French, and discusses overcoming excuses—like the headache of self-publishing—so he can write more and publish at least one book a year. 00:00 Monday Mentor Intro 01:06 New Show Discovery 01:55 Rooster Premise 03:17 Write Your Ideal Self 04:07 Improve Always Mindset 05:41 Planning the Practice 07:52 Digital Detox Sidebar 09:22 Publishing Roadblocks 10:53 Commit to Daily Writing 11:56 Challenge and Wrap Up 12:19 Sponsor and Sign Off