Finding Solace

The way modern dating works absolutely sucks. In this episode, I talk about how we’ve traded natural human connection for algorithmically suggested portfolios and shallow swiping. We sit at home hoping a large corporation will facilitate a romantic match while paying for "premium" access just to be seen. I share my own experience of wasting years (and a lot of money) on these apps only to find that they made me feel more lonely and disconnected.

I explore why getting off the apps is the first real step toward fixing your dating life. I talk about returning to our roots by getting back out in public—places like coffee shops, farmers markets, and gyms (where real people actually gather).

The core idea is that you need to learn how to talk to anyone, regardless of attraction, to build genuine social confidence. By focusing on real-world hobbies and being authentically vulnerable instead of playing "detached" games, you can step outside the digital logic and find a relationship that actually belongs to you.

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Check out my habit tracking app:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://feelwrite.app/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Enjoy the show? Buy me a coffee or become a member:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠htthttps://solacespeaks.com/⁠

My bookshop: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bookshop.org/shop/solacereads⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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I was eating ice cream almost daily, and it was destroying my mental and physical health. In today's episode, I talk about the negative side effects of a diet high in added sugar, why I stopped eating sugar entirely, and how you can improve your diet to feel better both mentally and physically.

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Check out my habit tracking app:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://feelwrite.app/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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My bookshop: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bookshop.org/shop/solacereads⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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It seems like everyone has their life figured out. Like they know their career path, their personal goals and aspirations and their day-to-day routine. But, it's fake. Nobody actually knows what they are doing with their life, and you shouldn't feel like you are behind because of it.

In today's episode, I talk about how, even with this project, I still feel lost and directionless. How I question everything and am unsure of where I am going. And I touch on an important aspect of this conversation - about how doctors and florists still have the same issues that we do.

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Check out my habit tracking app:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://feelwrite.app/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Buy me a coffee: ⁠https://buymeacoffee.com/solacespeaks

My bookshop: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bookshop.org/shop/solacereads⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Big Tech isn’t just watching you; it’s building a psychological profile to exploit your vulnerabilities for profit. In this episode, I talk about the "surveillance capitalism" machine where every click, pause, and search is logged to manipulate your spending. This isn't just about 1984-style control. It’s a "Brave New World" scenario where companies like Uber or Allstate use your data—like a low phone battery or your browsing habits—to charge you more or deny you services.

I share my own shift from being the guy who "had nothing to hide" to realizing that our data is actually our soul being sold to the highest bidder. I dive into practical, low-cost ways to reclaim your privacy, from simple browser tweaks and switching to DuckDuckGo, to more advanced moves like using email aliases and password managers. The goal isn't to become a digital hermit, but to stop being the "involuntary product" of your online experience and make it just a little bit harder for billionaires to turn your every move into a line on a balance sheet.

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My online privacy guide: https://buymeacoffee.com/solacespeaks/de-corporatizing-your-online-life

My bookshop: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bookshop.org/shop/solacereads⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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The food system isn’t just broken; it’s designed to keep us sick while extracting as much money as possible. In this episode, I talk about how ultra-processed foods have taken over more than half of our daily calories. These aren't just "unhealthy" snacks. They are industrial products engineered to be hyper-palatable, causing blood sugar spikes and insulin crashes that leave us exhausted and brain-fogged.

I share my own history of living on fast food and processed snacks. I talk about how that cycle of "sugar crashes" isn't just a physical issue but a major driver of depression and anxiety. I explore the science of the "food matrix" and why real food—like a simple mango or a sweet potato—is digested so differently than its processed counterparts. The core idea is that you can reclaim your health without needing to be a pro chef or having a massive budget. It's about stepping away from the "industrial formulations" and moving back toward foods that actually exist in nature.

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Check out my habit tracking app:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://feelwrite.app/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Enjoy the show? Buy me a coffee or become a member:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.buymeacoffee.com/solacespeaks⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

My bookshop: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bookshop.org/shop/solacereads⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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We’ve traded the natural world for an artificial one constructed for consumption and safety. In this episode, I talk about the quiet exhaustion of living at a pace we weren't built for. Every moment not spent "improving" is treated like a waste of space. I explore how the digital world’s constant need for our attention is a form of brain rot that drains our mental health.

I share my own journey of hitting a wall of burnout and my hesitant, slightly terrifying escape to Glacier National Park. I talk about the edge of a cliff moments that forced me to trade screen time for presence. I also look at the science behind why nature acts as a biological reset for our cortisol and blood pressure. The goal isn't to move to the mountains forever. Instead, it is about finding ways to reclaim your humanity. We can do this through 120 minutes of weekly forest bathing or just appreciating the simple magic of a piece of fruit. It's about stepping outside the system’s logic long enough to remember that we’re all just living on a floating rock in space.

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Check out my habit tracking app:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://feelwrite.app/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Enjoy the show? Buy me a coffee or become a member:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.buymeacoffee.com/solacespeaks⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

My bookshop: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bookshop.org/shop/solacereads⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Our smartphone-addicted world has caused a significant increase to the levels of social anxiety that young people are feeling. In today's episode, I talk about the book "how to talk to anyone" and how simple tricks can help to improve your social skills.

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My bookshop: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bookshop.org/shop/solacereads⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Check out my habit tracking app:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://feelwrite.app/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Enjoy the show? Buy me a coffee or become a member:

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Modern life isn’t turning into 1984, but something more quietly brutal: a burnout society where we become our own overbearing bosses. In this episode, I talk about Byung-Chul Han’s ideas and how the constant pressure to optimize your productivity, career, body, and even hobbies slowly drains your energy, identity, and joy, all while making you feel like you’re the one failing.

I share how this has played out in my own life through rapid promotions, growing emptiness at work, and the loss of hobbies and relationships, and then explore ways to reclaim your time and attention through genuine hobbies, present-moment awareness, and doing things for their own sake instead of for money, status, or algorithms. The core idea is that you can’t fully escape the system, but you can step outside its logic often enough to feel human again, rebuild a life that belongs to you, and find small pockets of rest, creativity, and real connection in the middle of the grind.

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Check out my habit tracking app:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://feelwrite.app/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Enjoy the show? Buy me a coffee or become a member:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.buymeacoffee.com/solacespeaks⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

My bookshop: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bookshop.org/shop/solacereads⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Join The Discord: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://discord.gg/jreFGvRmGd

Nobody hands you a manual on how to be a real adult; you just wake up one day and feel like you’re supposed to have it all figured out. In this episode, I talk about what actually matters beneath the surface-level advice about careers and finances: emotional maturity, owning your mistakes, taking responsibility for your life without ignoring how hard the world can be, setting boundaries, and taking care of your body so you have the energy to show up for what matters.

I share personal stories about growing up without a male role model, struggling with isolation, staying skinny despite years in the gym, and slowly learning how to care for myself and the people around me in a real way. The core idea is that becoming a proper adult isn’t about checking boxes, but about building habits, relationships, and curiosity that your future self will thank you for—one small action at a time.

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Check out my habit tracking app:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://feelwrite.app/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Enjoy the show? Buy me a coffee or become a member:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.buymeacoffee.com/solacespeaks⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

My bookshop: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bookshop.org/shop/solacereads⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Join The Discord: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://discord.gg/jreFGvRmGd

Modern life is starting to feel flat, repetitive, and a little soulless, and it’s not an accident. In this episode, I talk about how consumerism and algorithms are quietly reshaping our cities, our art, and even our sense of self, turning culture into something optimized for profit instead of human connection, creativity, and meaning. I break down how everything from Marvel sequels and Call of Duty reskins to cookie-cutter coffee shops and hyper-optimized “productive” lifestyles feeds into a system that leaves us isolated, overworked, and unsure of who we are beyond our job title and the things we buy.

I also share some practical ways to resist this and make the world feel beautiful and human again: building real in-person community, choosing hobbies and spaces that aren’t centered on consumption, consuming art and media intentionally instead of letting algorithms decide for you, and creating your own small pockets of culture with friends. The core idea is that you can’t fix the entire system, but you can opt out of its worst parts, reclaim your identity from consumer culture, and slowly build a life that feels rich in relationships, creativity, and genuine experiences instead of just purchases and endless scrolling.

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Check out my habit tracking app:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://feelwrite.app/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Enjoy the show? Buy me a coffee or become a member:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.buymeacoffee.com/solacespeaks⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

My bookshop: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bookshop.org/shop/solacereads⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Join The Discord: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://discord.gg/jreFGvRmGd