Sonia sits down with Sean Dadashi, co-founder of Rosebud, an AI-guided journaling app built to deepen self-reflection, emotional awareness, and intentional healing. Together, they explore how journaling can move beyond venting and become a powerful tool for insight — helping you recognize emotional patterns, understand triggers, and reshape the internal narratives that shape sobriety and personal growth.

The conversation expands into the evolving role of AI in mental health and self-development. They discuss how guided prompts, voice journaling, emotional tagging, and pattern recognition can make reflection more accessible — especially for those intimidated by a blank page. At the same time, they examine the importance of keeping therapy, community, and real human connection at the center of healing, while using technology as a supportive tool rather than a replacement.

Sonia and Sean also walk through specific journaling practices, including Rose-Bud-Thorn reflections, somatic journaling, gratitude work, boundary-setting exercises, and intention setting. They explore how Rosebud can support therapy preparation, unsent letters, difficult conversations, and voice-based emotional processing.

Throughout the episode, they highlight how digital journaling can help expand emotional vocabulary, identify recurring behavioral patterns, and deepen therapeutic work between sessions.

On a more personal note, Sonia shares her love of pen-to-paper journaling — the colored pens, the bedside rituals — and reflects on what it means to shift from analog habits to digital tools in a way that enhances, rather than replaces, the reflective experience.

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Highlights

00:00 — Introduction to Sean Dadashi and the mission behind Rosebud

01:45 — Sean’s early relationship with journaling during family divorce

04:10 — Moving from handwritten journals to digital reflection

06:20 — Recognizing emotional and behavioral patterns over time

08:05 — The “blank page problem” and barriers to starting journaling

09:40 — How the “Go Deeper” function guides layered reflection

11:30 — AI summaries, emotional tagging, and weekly reports

13:05 — Metrics, character tracking, and narrative insights

14:10 — Naming emotions and therapist-informed AI design

15:20 — How Rosebud differs from generic chatbots

16:40 — AI memory and long-term pattern recognition

17:25 — Asking big-picture life questions through journal history

18:50 — Year-end reflection archetypes and narrative mapping

20:10 — AI personas: nurturing vs. direct reflection styles

21:05 — Preventing AI from replacing human connection

22:30 — Platform limits and ethical guardrails

24:00 — Crisis response and safety considerations

28:40 — Using journaling alongside therapy and coaching

31:10 — Preparing for therapy sessions through reflection insights

32:15 — Pen-and-paper vs. digital journaling debate

34:05 — Voice journaling and emotional expression

36:10 — Importing handwritten journals via photo transcription

38:15 — Rose-Bud-Thorn framework and evening reflections

40:20 — Somatic journaling and body-based awareness

41:10 — Letter writing, boundary setting, and hard conversations

43:00 — Facilitating real-life conversations using AI support

44:05 — Intention setting and future-self visualization

45:50 — Creating mantras and symbolic yearly totems

46:40 — Building sustainable daily reflection practices

47:30 — Closing thoughts and episode wrap-up

Rosebud https://my.rosebud.app/

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