Gettin’ Grown | "Rest Your Understanding"

Hosts: Jade & Kia
Date: November 4, 2025
Network: Loud Speakers Network

Episode Theme & Purpose

In this episode, Jade and Kia unpack the concept of "brain rot," recently named the Oxford Word of the Year for 2024. Their "kitchen table talk" explores the cognitive and social effects of our fast-paced, screen-dominated lives, the challenges of staying present, and the importance of intentional self-care in the landscape of modern adulthood. The hosts balance humor, vulnerability, and critical insight, sharing both community-minded perspectives and practical strategies for self-care and digital well-being.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Opening Reflections: Community, Hard Times & Empathy (06:10–10:37)

• Navigating simultaneous personal and collective struggles
  • Jade describes feeling "wonky" but hesitant to complain, remembering the millions affected by food stamp/SNAP benefit lapses—especially pressing in the holiday season (06:10).
  • Quote: “People just being able to take care of their families on a basic level is being snatched away. And it just feels so crazy.” – Jade (07:54)
• Kia adds to this “compounding grief and heaviness,” discussing feelings of invisibility and undervaluation as Black women—while also acknowledging privilege relative to those “not much different than you” (08:21).
• Both note the intention to share community resources and encourage mutual support.

2. Society & the Design of Disconnection (10:37–18:04)

• Jade references a “Twilight Zone” episode to parallel current society’s increasing division and isolation (10:37), arguing that systems are designed for disconnection, especially in times of hardship.
• Critique of rising living costs, decreasing incomes, police/state violence, and targeted attacks (including ICE raids and ethnic cleansing in Sudan).
• Importance of maintaining awareness of global crises, with a specific spotlight on Sudan’s ongoing genocide: “Please, please, if you can, stay aware of what’s happening in Sudan.” – Jade (17:28)
• Emphasis on community support as a form of resistance to systemic forces: “The longest game... is going to be us coming together in community because they are literally trying to set it up for us to be isolated.” – Jade (11:43)

3. Kitchen Table Talk: “Brain Rot” and Cognitive Health (21:38–63:31)

Introduction

• The Oxford Word of the Year 2024 is “brain rot”—reflecting a collective awareness of decline in mental clarity due to digital overconsumption (21:38).
  • Memorable Moment: Jade does a mock "award show" reveal using playful banter (22:09–23:06).

Defining "Brain Rot" & Its Evolution (24:36–29:49)

• Brain rot: Defined as the mental/cognitive decline due to chronic consumption of low-quality, unchallenging digital content (meme cycles, doomscrolling, AI-generated media, obsessive fandom, sped-up content).
• The term dates back to Henry David Thoreau’s 1854 Walden, initially referencing passivity and the dangers of second-hand experience through “media”—then, newspapers.

Not All New, Not All Bad (29:49–39:50)

• Kia and Jade explore non-digital and digital examples of cognitive shortcuts: Cliff Notes, digital clocks, decline in handwriting, use of GPS/navigation, and memory erosion.
  • Quote: “You could cook a pot roast in the microwave. It’ll be cooked, but it won’t be good.” – Kia (30:43)
• Both reflect on their own generational roles—having witnessed the tech revolution and, at times, “starting” habits their kids now inherit.

Social & Learning Consequences (36:59–42:10)

• As an educator, Kia laments the loss of social and relational aspects of learning:
  • Quote: “If you're looking something up and it spits something back out to you, that's not necessarily work... there is this exchange that has to happen in order for your brain to translate information into conceptual knowledge.” (37:45)
• Brain rot encompasses not only shorter attention spans but also diminished social engagement, communication, and oral processing.
• The digital age multiplies exposure and makes boundaries harder to maintain.

The "Doomscroll" Trap & Mental Health Impacts (41:33–43:48)

• Jade and Kia share how overconsumption of bad news and endless scrolling impacts mood, energy, and even physical wellbeing.
• Referencing boundaries (“leaving your phone in another room,” limiting app notifications), they encourage intentionality in digital habits.
  • Quote: “You pick up your phone to do something in three minutes and you look up, 47 minutes have passed.” – Kia (42:54)

Studies & Alarming Trends (45:20–50:37)

• Kia cites recent research:
  • Children: 4+ hours of screen time—a fivefold increase in risk for communication delays.
  • Teens: 46% say social media worsens their body image.
  • Education & Learning: Paper reading outperforms screens for deep comprehension; handwriting is superior to typing for forming connections & conceptual understanding.
  • Sleep: 2 hours of screen exposure reduces melatonin by 55%; effects last up to 48 hours.
• Warning: Early-onset dementia risk is projected to rise 4–6x for Gen Z by 2060 due to digital overuse.

Mindful Consumption & Digital “Diets” (53:46–63:31)

• Practical tips for minimizing brain rot:
  • Set screen time/app limits; respect digital boundaries.
  • Remove social apps/turn off notifications; curate feeds to avoid triggering or unhelpful content.
  • Insert phone-free blocks into your day.
  • Replace impulsive digital consumption with alternative hobbies or activities.
• Emphasize progress over perfection—this is about raising awareness, not shame.

Lifestyle Strategies for Better Brain Health (55:58–62:57)

• Limit multitasking/time-block tasks for memory and focus.
• Build cognitive “muscle” with puzzles, reading, and new skills.
• Prioritize physical activity, sleep, hydration, balanced nutrition, and purposeful social connections ("touch some grass!").
• Mindfulness, decluttering, and even face-to-face social time are essential to well-being.
  • Quote: “Rest your understanding... maybe I’ll title the episode that.” – Kia (62:57)

4. Lessons & Laughter: Self-Care & Community Check-In (66:31–71:56)

• Jade’s self-care: Attending a cannabis-infused ancestral dinner, savoring community and curated experiences as a grounding form of care.
• Kia’s self-care: Focusing on sleep hygiene (weighted blanket, magnesium/ashwagandha drinks, reading before bed) and committing to annual health checkups.
• Both encourage listeners to be diligent about medical and emotional care, scheduling physicals, mammograms, dental, and vision visits.

5. Petty Peeves ("Petty Pee Time") (71:56–80:17)

• Jade’s Peeve: Getting sick twice in succession—frustrated by the cycle, she scolds public health hygiene ("stop being disgusting in public...stay home if you’re sick!") (73:31).
• Kia’s Peeve: The overuse and misapplication of “Fireside Chat” terminology—calls for more honest, less trend-driven event labels:
  • Quote: “It don’t be no fires. We don’t be sitting side the fires...it is a conversation, it might be a...panel. Let's just call it what it is. What it is not is a Fireside Chat.” (74:02)
• Lighthearted brainstorming for alternative event names: “chin wag,” “gab fest,” “bull session,” “panelita,” etc.
  • Memorable Moment: Playful riffing on workplace lingo and reverse-bespoke event culture (78:05–79:31).

6. Closing Words: Self-Care Mantras (81:17–84:12)

• Kia’s classic advice: Mind your own business, hydrate (“moisturize your insides and outsides”), and keep yourself and your community well as an act of resistance and self-love.
• Banter on daylight savings ("for those who celebrate..."), closing with Jade’s comedic anecdote about Kris Jenner’s Halloween delusions (83:38).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On collective struggle:
  • “Persisting through that and showing up...while carrying that heaviness is really, really hard. And there’s—I don’t know...” – Kia (08:21)
• On digital habits:
  • “We are the first guinea pig...they started with the Game Boy and a Talk Boy from Home Alone...” – Jade (34:03)
• On cognitive shortcuts:
  • "Those sort of shortcuts led to the degradation of our capacity...even like, if we think about digital clocks degrading the capacity of humans to actually read clocks and tell times..." – Kia (31:30)
• On screen time effects:
  • “Paper beats screens for learning on every major indicator.” – Kia (46:08)
• On brain health routines:
  • "I don't believe in dieting in any other way, but I do believe that digital diet is an amazing term." – Jade (53:43)
• Closing mantra:
  • "Mind your business as an act of self care...moisturize your skin every day...be resistant to racism and ash..." – Kia (81:17, 82:25)

Useful Timestamps

• Compounding grief, food security & community: 06:10–10:37
• Kitchen Table Talk: Brain rot deep dive: 21:38–63:31
• Research & tips for better brain health: 45:20–62:57
• Self-care segment: 66:31–71:56
• Petty peeve segment (Fireside Chat rant): 71:56–80:17

Tone & Language

The episode balances urgency and vulnerability with humor and cultural references ("Blackity Black women," meme jokes, playful jabs at Kris Jenner, and social media trends). Kia’s educator’s insight and Jade’s candid honesty anchor the episode, creating a space that’s wise, real, and relatable.

Takeaway

"Rest your understanding" is both the episode’s title and its call to action: slow down, check your digital diet, nurture your brain, and seek authentic connection—in spite of the breakneck speed and noise of the modern world.

Additional resources, studies, and aid links as discussed by the hosts can be found in the episode’s show notes.