The Voice in My Head | Everyday is a Story - Shannon Cason's Homemade

Episode Summary: The Voice in My Head | Everyday is a Story

Podcast: Shannon Cason's Homemade
Host: Shannon Cason
Release Date: March 31, 2026

Episode Overview

In this introspective episode, Shannon Cason opens up about his journey with fasting, the internal battles that come with self-discipline, and the everyday dialogues we have with the ‘voice in our head’. Using his trademark candid humor and relatable storytelling, Shannon explores how these internal conversations shape our actions, particularly when trying to break or form habits. The episode is part of Shannon’s “Everyday is a Story” mindfulness practice, inviting listeners to reflect on their own inner dialogues.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Scene: The Fast Begins

Shannon shares his motivation for starting a 60-hour rolling fast, emphasizing vanity over virtue:
“Not a religious or cultural fast in any way. Something a lot more vain. A fast to lose weight, get sexy for the spring and summer. I'm just being honest with you.” (00:13)
He outlines his plan: fast from Sunday evening to Wednesday, with lean meals on breaks, repeating through the week.
This kind of fast is an annual ritual for Shannon, and typically kept private—but now he’s sharing all as part of his daily storytelling project.

2. The Voice in My Head: Hourly Temptations

Early Hours: Shannon finds the day easy if he keeps busy.
5pm - First Internal Temptations:
The hunger voice begins rationalizing:
“Hey, Shannon, man, you've been doing good today...your calorie deficit is so low that you could pretty much eat anything at this point.” (01:02)
The temptations begin with cake sitting on the counter.
6pm - Popcorn Logic:
The voice tries to bargain, referencing the popcorn hidden in the pantry:
“Barely any calories in some popcorn. When you think about it, can't hurt too much. It was for a good cause. Go get you some popcorn.” (01:36)
Shannon ignores this plea.
7pm - Protein Persuasion:
The voice gets more insistent and logical, suggesting that eating baked chicken is actually good:
“Chicken is pure protein. You've been to the gym, your muscles need protein. Go get you a few pieces of chicken. That won't hurt. In fact, that's going to actually help the process.” (02:05)
Internal Debate:
“Now my logic is kicking in...Then that voice hear me agreeing with it and say, man, now you're getting it. Now you're getting to go grab some chicken. Then my greater self is telling me, nah, you said you're going to do the rolling sixties for this week. So tell the other voice, shut the fuck up.” (02:41)
8pm - Peak Temptation:
The voice throws everything at him: “Popcorn, cake, chicken. Go get some popcorn cake. Chicken.” (03:00)

3. Overcoming Temptation

Instead of caving to cravings, Shannon goes to the gym and channels his mental agitation into physical movement:
“You know what I did? I went to the gym. I walked for 30 minutes and I did some ab exercises. You don't want to shut up, I'll show you.” (03:13)
He finishes the night with fasting-related YouTube content to keep his mind occupied until he falls asleep.

4. Reflecting on the Battle

Shannon reflects on his small victory:
“So I won the battle of the mind for yesterday. I'm sure that voice going to jump back in my head today at 5pm but I may totally ignore it. I may have to yell at it again and I may have to go to the gym and walk for 30 minutes and do some ab exercises. But I'm committed to doing this Rolling 60s for this week.” (03:40)
Moment of Meaning:
Shannon delivers his lesson:
“Not every voice in our head deserves a response, or at least a response it expects.” (03:54)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Fasting Motivation:
“Something a lot more vain. A fast to lose weight, get sexy for the spring and summer. I'm just being honest with you.” (00:13)
Talking Back to the Voice:
“So tell the other voice, shut the fuck up. On Wednesday we can eat all the chicken we want. Shut it up.” (02:51)
Moment of Reflection:
“Not every voice in our head deserves a response, or at least a response it expects.” (03:54)

Timestamps for Important Segments

00:00-00:40 – Introduction to the episode and fasting motivation
00:41-02:00 – Early experiences and first internal cravings
02:01-02:51 – Heightened inner debate and logical rationalizations
03:00-03:25 – Turning point: resisting temptation via gym and distraction
03:26-03:54 – Reflections on the “battle of the mind”
03:55-End – Final words, call for listener introspection

Closing Thoughts & Listener Engagement

Shannon wraps by inviting listeners to consider their own internal debates:
“Now, what's something that you argue with yourself about with that voice in your head? What's your story?” (End)

He reinforces the message that while the voice in our head is persistent, it doesn’t always deserve the last word—or even a dignified answer.

This episode delivers Shannon Cason’s quintessential mix of humor, self-awareness, and storytelling craft—skillfully turning an everyday struggle into a universally relatable meditation on willpower and narrative.

Transcript

A (0:00)

Not every voice in your head is your voice. Every day is a story. I'm Shannon Cason. Yesterday was the start of a fast. Not a religious or cultural fast in any way. Something a lot more vain. A fast to lose weight, get sexy for the spring and summer. I'm just being honest with you. It's gonna be a. I think it's gonna be a freaky summer. Single ladies tap in. So to get sexy for this, to get sexy for the summer, I'm trying to drop about 25 pounds, 25 or more pounds in the next 90 days. That's what I'm doing. And this week I'm doing rolling 60 hour fast to jump start everything. So I, I stopped eating on Sunday. I'll eat again this Wednesday, but it'll be like a clean eating day. Lean meat and clean E. And then I'll eat again on Saturday and Sunday and then we'll go into a diet kind of an eating plan at that point. So I do this every year and it works every year. And I usually wouldn't even talk about my fast. But I'm doing this daily storytelling mindfulness practice called Every day as a story. So I'm doing everything out in public. I'm telling, telling some stories. So the conversation with the voice in my head starts around 5 in the afternoon. Earlier in the day is easy. I can get through the early parts of the day just by staying busy. But around five, voices jump in my head. Hey, Shannon, man, you've been doing good today. You ain't nothing but some coffee and drink some electrolyte water. When you think about it, your calorie deficit is so low that you could pretty much eat anything. At this point, it wouldn't even matter. It got some cake sitting in there on that kitchen counter. Cut you a slice of that cake and enjoy yourself. When you think about it won't even matter. Nah, I did that last time and I ate the whole refrigerator. I think I'm gonna stick to these rolling 60s for this week. Is just for this week. At least just this week. So around 6pm the voice gets a little more desperate. Remember that popcorn from your daughter's fundraiser? There's a few bags in the pantry. You put them up under that drying tile so you wouldn't see him. But popcorn. Barely any calories in some popcorn. When you think about it, can't hurt too much. It was for a good cause. It was four good cause. Go get you some popcorn. I just ignore it at that point. At 6pm I just ignore it. I don't I don't really want any popcorn. Around 7pm the voice really turns up the logic. Okay, now hear me out on this one. The family is eating chicken, baked chicken at that. Chicken is pure protein. You've been to the gym, you in the gym, your muscles need protein. Go get you a few pieces of chicken. That won't hurt. In fact, that's going to actually help the process. Protein builds muscles. Go get you a few pieces of chicken and stop playing with me. Now my logic is kicking in. That's not a lie. Protein is good for me. They actually have fast that are mostly protein. It's like a protein modified fast where you just eat protein. Then there are weight loss fasts that you can eat about 500 calories and still lose weight. This is a weight loss fast. This isn't religious or cultural in any way. I could do that. Then that voice hear me agreeing with it and say, man, now you're getting it. Now you're getting to go grab some chicken. Then my greater self is telling me, nah, you said you're going to do the rolling sixties for this week. So tell the other voice, shut the fuck up. On Wednesday we can eat all the chicken we want. Shut it up. Then at 8pm I went on the offensive. The voice went heavy. Popcorn, cake, chicken. Go get some popcorn cake. Chicken. I told if you don't shut up, I got something for you. Go get you some popcorn, some cake or some chicken. You know what I did? I went to the gym. I went to the gym, I walked for 30 minutes and I did some ab exercises. You don't want to shut up, I'll show you. And then I listened to fasting YouTube for the rest of the day. There's a lot of fasting content on YouTube. You know, I listen to it until I fell asleep actually. So I won the battle of the mind for yesterday. I'm sure that voice going to jump back in my head today at 5pm but I may totally ignore it. I may have to yell at it again and I may have to go to the gym and walk for 30 minutes and do some ab exercises. But I'm committed to doing this Rolling 60s for this week. Now the moment of meaning for me. Not every voice in our head deserves a response, or at least a response it expects. Now, what's something that you argue with yourself about with that voice in your head? What's your story?