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JohnDennisMusic.com
BrettRyanStewart.com
Wirebird Productions

Send us a text

At some point, we’ve all encountered the messaging that it pays to be a “Yes!” person. Whether from our parents, the endless barrage of self-help materials, or the 2008 titular classic starring Jim Carrey, the wisdom is always the same: say yes to life, push past your comfort zone, abandon your boundaries, put others first, take risks! And while there’s certainly value in these principles for some people and situations, there’s also the real risk of self-abandonment and burnout when we overcommit and forget to honor our own needs—when we forget how to say “No.”

In this episode of Nah-cademics, Brett and John say no to the popular philosophy of perpetual affirmatives and try to discern what a healthy balance looks like: between saying yes to life’s opportunities and others’ requests, and saying no to ignoring one’s own needs for rest, nourishment, and healthy boundaries.

-How do we overcome the tendency to overcommit in ways that lead to exhaustion and burnout? Are there benefits to saying yes to everything?

-In what ways do FOMO, scarcity mindset, and black-and-white thinking fuel this pattern? Can reframing an outward “no” into a “yes, to myself” make it easier to set boundaries?

-Does the mere mention of having needs and saying no to others on a recorded podcast fill John with extra anxiety?

As always, this podcast offers no definitive answers (well, except that last one—the answer is yes, absolutely yes); it’s just the ongoing negotiation of two negative Nellies. However, if you find yourself a stranger to your own needs, stretched in every direction by your inability to trust that “no” is okay, this podcast is for you.

Come, overthink with us!

JohnDennisMusic.com
BrettRyanStewart.com
Wirebird Productions

Send us a text

In all of our incessant thoughts of “not good enough,” “not successful enough,” “not far enough along” how often do we stop and actually consider what exactly we are measuring our supposed insufficiencies against? There must be some basis for comparison. Maybe it’s the mythologized overnight success stories that Hollywood crafts around our heroes or maybe it’s just a generalized societal expectation for how—and at what rate—a worthwhile life ought to unfold, but the point is, they are seldom helpful and even less frequently true.

In this episode of Nah-cademics, Brett and John work to tear down these faulty monuments we both simultaneously worship and cower in the shadows of—all in the hope of right-sizing expectations and taking our true measure against the one and only figure we can: ourselves, and in so doing, we come to realize that we are always, automatically, outgrowing who we were yesterday.

-Why is it unhealthy to compare our own output and rate of growth with our heroes—those who often come from different eras and who have undoubtedly had their own creative struggles downplayed by mythologized retellings?

-How can shifting our focus to consistent action and merely cultivating the belief in life’s possibilities help to relieve the misery that comes from constant comparison?

-With the discussion of physical activity being a useful counterbalance to an overactive mind—and, you know, millennia of proof for the benefits of exercise—will John ever actually go to the gym?

As always this podcast doesn’t offer any definitive answers to these questions (well except maybe that last one. Answer: ha, unlikely); it is but the reassuring rambling. However, if you find yourself robbing yourself of feeling joy and accomplishment in your creativity because you’re too busy watching others (seemingly) pass you by, this podcast is for you.

Come, overthink with us!

JohnDennisMusic.com
BrettRyanStewart.com
Wirebird Productions