We don’t like to talk about death—but what if your fear of death is shaping how you live, and driving your anxiety?

In this solo episode, Jesse shares how his personal experiences with death—and how a therapist’s simple question unlocked a deep truth: our fear of death may be the hidden source of our anxiety, ambition, and need for control.

Drawing from global traditions, we explore what Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, and modern secular thinkers believe about death and the afterlife. From Ecclesiastes to Michael Singer, Alan Watts to David Gibson, this episode offers a guided reflection on how our beliefs about death shape how we live.

EPISODE RESOURCES

- Intro Clip: Learn more from Alan Watts: Alan Watts Org - Audio Lecture Collections, Official Videos, Books, & Quotes

- Book Suggestion: Living Life Backward, by David Gibson: Living Life Backward: How Ecclesiastes Teaches Us to Live in Light of the End by David Gibson | Goodreads

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EPISODES YOU MIGHT ENJOY

- Are Today’s Kids More Addicted Than Ever? | Chris Herren, NBA Star & Recovery Advocate: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://spoti.fi/3AZ8f0P⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

- How to Eat to Drink Less Alcohol | Dr. Brooke Scheller: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://spoti.fi/JAPP9g3⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

- Social Media Addiction - 5 Statistics That Should SCARE You: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://spoti.fi/ygZw3lZ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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- YouTube Channel: ⁠⁠Running Free Podcast - YouTube⁠⁠

Life is short, and it moves fast. This show will help you make the most of it.

Running Free is a podcast about optimizing health, and breaking free from the habits and distractions that hold us back. We cover fitness, mental health, culture, addiction, parenting, humor, and everything in between.

Hosted by veteran, fitness expert, and health advocate Jesse Carrajat, each episode explores what it means to live fully—through honest conversations with thinkers, creators, and everyday people who teach and inspire us to trade distraction and frivolousness for healthy, long, meaningful lives.

Stop Chasing Life. Start Running Free.