Chasing Life: "What Matters to You? A New Way to Heal"
CNN Podcasts | Host: Dr. Sanjay Gupta | Guest: Julia Hotz, Author of The Connection Cure
Release Date: January 23, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode explores a transformative approach to healthcare called social prescribing. Host Dr. Sanjay Gupta, alongside journalist and author Julia Hotz, examines how asking “What matters to you?”—rather than just treating symptoms—can profoundly improve health outcomes, especially for chronic conditions. Through real-life stories and emerging science, the episode investigates the growing movement to reconnect patients with life, community, and joy as legitimate, healing medicine.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Heart of Social Prescribing

• Definition and Practice: Instead of only prescribing medicine for chronic pain or illness, more doctors are connecting patients with community activities—such as volunteer work, art classes, or nature walks—to restore health and reduce isolation.

  • Julia Hotz: "This is literally...a social prescription. The idea of your doctor, your social worker prescribing you something social in your community, like an art class, like bicycling lessons, the same way they would prescribe a pill." (02:57)

• Shift in Medical Mindset: The philosophy pivots from "What's the matter with you?" to "What matters to you?"

  • Julia Hotz: “The catchphrase of social prescribing is shifting from ‘what’s the matter with you?’ to ‘what matters to you?’” (04:29)

2. Personal Stories of Healing through Connection

• Akhila’s Journey (00:02–02:44)

  • Akhila Bana Sheikh, a healthcare assistant sidelined by chronic pain, found real relief not in medication but through volunteering:
    • Akhila: "It's really worked for me. And without medicine, no medicine at all. It's connection. Yeah. And I never believed in connection before." (01:51)
  • Her story demonstrates the power of social connection in regaining a sense of purpose and managing persistent pain.

• Frank's Transformation with Type 2 Diabetes (07:08–09:11)

  • A lonely truck driver is prescribed a 10-week cycling course after revealing a childhood passion; the intervention leads to weight loss, reduced medication, and newfound community.
    • Julia Hotz: "Frank has lost a hundred pounds. He's come off his insulin, but more importantly, he’s not lonely anymore." (08:19)
  • Social prescribing addressed both physical and emotional components of health.

• Amanda and Depression (09:29–11:31)

  • A woman with severe depression is prescribed sea swimming with a group, resulting in reduced antidepressant usage and improved wellbeing.

• Parkinson’s Choir in Ireland (18:01–19:41)

  • A patient with speech loss regains his capacity to communicate by singing in a choir, exemplifying neuroplasticity sparked by joyful, social activity.
    • Julia Hotz: "...by being in this choir, he actually regained his ability to sing. And that was now his form of communication with other people." (18:53)

3. Science and Data behind Social Connection (03:37–07:08)

• Clinical Evidence

  • Social relationships are the greatest predictors of health and longevity (Harvard Study on Adult Development).
  • Brain imaging shows loneliness activates the same brain areas as physical pain.
    • Dr. Gupta: "...the same areas in the brain that are responsible for physical pain overlap heavily in those people who say that they have feelings of isolation." (04:55)
  • Up to 80% of health outcomes are shaped by social and environmental factors.

• Authority and Accountability

  • Doctors hold a unique position of trust; patients are more likely to act when a recommendation is formalized as a "prescription." (11:51–13:08)
    • Julia Hotz: “A social prescription combines all the things we know about human behavior...we need to be held accountable to do things.” (12:19)

4. Adoption and Challenges in Health Systems (14:18–15:28; 22:13–23:29)

• Policy and Cost-Effectiveness

  • In nationalized systems like the UK, social prescribing is government-funded and seen as a cost-saving, health-improving measure.
  • Uptake in the US is starting, especially within Medicare/Medicaid and some employer programs; insurers may support activities that lower long-term costs.

• Complementarity, Not Replacement

  • Activities are an addition to, not a replacement for, conventional meds or therapies—but may reduce dependency on them.
  • Dr. Gupta: “No one is saying that that bike course is going to replace his insulin necessarily, but it may reduce how much insulin he's dependent upon or drop weight...” (15:28)

5. Digital Connections—A Substitute or Second Best? (19:41–22:13)

• Virtual Connection

  • For those unable to attend in person, virtual programs or phone buddies have substantial benefits.
  • However, in-person interactions carry unique extra benefits: increased physical activity, novel environments, richer sensory input.
  • Julia Hotz: “Virtual online is absolutely a great substitute...but there is something to all of the kind of side benefits that come with leaving your house.” (19:45)

• Screen Time for Youth

  • Socializing online during the pandemic was “better than nothing,” but may not offer the full benefits; outcomes depend on whether digital interaction replaces or supplements core health behaviors.

6. Barriers in the U.S. and Outlook for the Future (22:13–24:52)

• Cultural Shift

  • U.S. adoption is slower due to structural healthcare differences.
  • Hotz is optimistic about future uptake, especially as cultural recognition of social connection—as well as art and nature—as true health “necessities” spreads.
    • Julia Hotz: “My hope is that we say the same thing about art and nature in 50 years that we now say about exercise.” (23:17)

• Employers Involvement

  • Some corporations are supporting these interventions for workforce wellbeing and productivity.

7. Personal Reflections: What Matters to You? (24:52–27:22)

• Dr. Gupta shares his pandemic realization: social contact is not just pleasant but essential for mental health and perspective.
  • Dr. Gupta: "I never think I really saw the value of socialization...I thought it was a nice thing to have, not a necessary thing to have. And then...I realized I missed it." (24:52)
• Hotz speaks about bird-watching as a way to recenter.
• Both discuss a chronic pain doctor’s approach: focus not just on what exacerbates symptoms, but on what relieves them, often tied to meaningful connection or activities.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "It's really worked for me. And without medicine, no medicine at all. It's connection." — Akhila Bana Sheikh (01:51)
• "The catchphrase of social prescribing is shifting from what’s the matter with you? To what matters to you." — Julia Hotz (04:29)
• "Frank has lost a hundred pounds. He's come off his insulin, but more importantly, he's not lonely anymore." — Julia Hotz (08:19)
• "The same areas in the brain that are responsible for physical pain overlap heavily in those people who say that they have feelings of isolation." — Dr. Sanjay Gupta (04:55)
• "When we feel a strong sense of belonging to, we are protected from physical and mental ailments." — Julia Hotz (06:43)
• "Doctors have very high levels of trust. And so when your doctor is telling you, hey, you know, 20 minutes in nature...that sort of clinical value is gonna hit a little bit harder." — Julia Hotz (11:51)
• "It really all comes back to that, what matters to you? Start with that, and then the socializing will follow." — Julia Hotz (24:44)
• "There are environments we can put ourselves in and...they often involve other people and things we love where our symptoms are less and we feel better." — Julia Hotz (26:21)
• "It's a simple question, but I think it has a more complicated answer than I think people realize—what really matters to you. It's worth going through the exercise to figure that out." — Dr. Sanjay Gupta (26:54)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:02–02:44: Akhila’s story—living with chronic pain and the beginning of her healing through social prescribing.
• 02:57–04:55: Introduction to social prescribing; re-framing of symptoms to connection.
• 07:08–09:11: Frank’s diabetes intervention via cycling.
• 09:29–11:31: Examples of social prescribing for chronic diseases, depression, addiction, dementia.
• 14:18–15:28: How social prescribing gets funded and implemented.
• 18:01–19:41: Neuroplasticity and the Parkinson’s choir.
• 19:41–22:13: Comparing in-person and digital/social prescription options.
• 22:13–23:29: Systemic and cultural barriers to adoption in the U.S.; the path forward.
• 24:52–27:22: Dr. Gupta and Hotz share personal reflections; focus on the “what matters to you” question.

Conclusion

This episode demonstrates that health is not just defined by the absence of symptoms, but by the presence of meaningful connections and activities. As “social prescribing” gains ground worldwide, it challenges both doctors and patients to seek out what truly matters—and directly links healing with community, creativity, and purpose.

Recommended:

• Julia Hotz’s book, The Connection Cure (“Page 325 has a useful questionnaire for self-discovery” – Dr. Gupta at 26:54)
• Consider reflecting on “What matters to you?” as a pathway to personal health.