← The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast
The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast
1KHO 556: I Gave Up My Smartphone and Found My Soul | Andrew Laubacher, Humanality
01:20:47
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- [00:00]
Andrew Laubacher
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- [00:16]
Jenny Eric
Wait, did I say job title yet?
- [00:17]
Andrew Laubacher
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- [00:30]
Jenny Eric
Welcome to the 1000 Hours Outside podcast. My name is Jenny Eric. I'm the founder of 1000 Hours Outside, and we have an amazing guest back for the second time, Andrew Laubacher. Welcome.
- [00:41]
Andrew Laubacher
It's great to be back, Jenny.
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Jenny Eric
Okay, so this is an interesting thing. This has never, ever, ever happened in the history of all the podcast episodes. So in the last one, you were talking about, at that point, you were talking about dating and how hard it is to find. You know, it's like everyone's using the dating apps and you're. You've switched to a flip phone. You're trying to find someone. Anyways, people reached out.
- [01:06]
Andrew Laubacher
It's hilarious.
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Jenny Eric
Yes, they were interested. So we have to set the stage from the very beginning that currently you are spoken for.
- [01:14]
Andrew Laubacher
Yes, yes. And that's actually very recent. And it was wild because it was just a total kind of happenstance that I was kind of, like, excited about where, like, wasn't set up, it wasn't online. It was literally just, like, met someone at a random event, and it, like, it's been great.
- [01:32]
Jenny Eric
Aw. Okay, well, you'll have to let us know if anything else changes.
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Andrew Laubacher
That's right. I'll keep you posted.
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Jenny Eric
His inquiring minds would like to know. Okay, so the story here is that you are traveling the world doing music, using your phone, just like how so many of us are completely addicted, distracted, and you make this big change in 2017.
- [01:52]
Andrew Laubacher
Yeah, it's 2018, I think, to flip.
- [01:54]
Jenny Eric
To a flip phone, even though you are out doing touring and it feels like that's something that's absolutely required, is to be on social media. You see all these people who are touring, they're constantly posting. And so you make this decision to change, and this has changed the trajectory of your life. Now you're doing all this amazing work at humanity, helping people to create villages. So can you talk to us about that decision of step, stepping away? Because for most people, the decision to step away means stepping away, often from something that's really a big deal, for sure.
- [02:28]
Andrew Laubacher
No and there's definitely a lot of fear with that. And again, we have to understand that these platforms have so much blessing and curses within them. Right. Like I obviously hear all the time, facebook Marketplace. I'm still on Facebook because I need Facebook Marketplace because I just got this couch the other day and I really needed that, you know, and there's like so many ways that these technologies are interacting with us. It's hard to say for each person what their experience exactly is right now. I think understanding and has read as much and research as much as I have on the effects technology as a whole. And again, when I use the word technology, I'm talking about the light bulb, I'm talking about screens, I'm talking about airplanes and cars and all of these different technologies that are impacting the way humans are relating to each other and living our life. I'm looking at that bigger scope. But for me, on social media platforms, which I know a lot of people experience, I mean, the social comparison was, was really bad. And that was a very consistent thing for me. Again, where I'm seeing like, this person's life is perfect, they're engaged, they just made a million dollars, they're on Fiji, drinking a Mai Tai, you know, working remote, you know, I mean, every day. That just started to wear on me. Also, the pornography issue, which we talked about a little bit last time, was a struggle of mine. And in high school, again, it was proposed as this healthy, beneficial, everyone should do it. This is liberation, when in reality it enslaved me. And it's taken years to heal from that in my own life. And that obviously is a whole podcast just in itself. Right? But I'd say with the social comparison, you know, the lust, the pornography, the waste of time, I definitely felt myself becoming way more self conscious of even my physical appearance. And I think this is a huge point that we forget to talk about. Jenny, I was just in the woods for about seven days. I just backpacked the wilderness in Wyoming. It was unreal. Nature just kind of like humbled me in so many ways. It was kind of intense. But the end of it, I kind of realized. One insight was I didn't look at myself for seven days. And I've heard some friends recently. There's some articles that come out, I haven't got to them yet, but they talk about just the frequency at which we're looking at ourselves is like unprecedented in the history of human experience. Like, we've never looked at ourselves this often, this frequently throughout the day. I think that has a lot of psychological fallout I think that has a lot of implications to our well being that isn't really being talked about. And I remember doing this like I, I was selfieing my whole day, right, because I was snapping someone, I was Instagramming my flight, I was taking a picture of my meal, I was showing where I was playing. I mean, I definitely noticed that the more I was looking at myself, the more unhappy I was. So I'd say the conglomerate of all these experiences. And obviously like too at this point I'm. I've had this kind of reversion to believing that there is a God, there's a mind behind the design. I'm not convinced that, you know, atheism at this point is the most tenable worldview to live a fulfilling and happy life. And I actually think science is, is actually pushing us forward into a realm that it's actually very logical and reasonable to believe that there is a designer, a mind that has created this, that is love. And so from a spiritual standpoint, I just noticed that all the toxicity, the comparison, the lust, me looking at myself really often, like, wasn't helping any of my spiritual growth. My soul growth was atrophying and it was just hard to be virtuous, to be honest. And then as a guy, you know, we have a really hard time not. I mean, I actually, a friend told me this recently, Jenny, and I thought it was hilarious because it was true. And I felt this deeply. I felt like following all these, you know, dudes online, doing all these business things and like, were workouts and getting jacked. Like, I literally had to become a billionaire Navy Seal and if I didn't become a billionaire Navy Seal, like, I didn't make it, you know, or like, I had to become the biggest artist in the world. And since I wasn't, you know, Justin Bieber or One direction at like 21, making, you know, millions of dollars, like, I've failed, you know. Yeah. So those experiences all together, I think really pushed me in the direction of I need to delete all this. And again, like, when I did that, and let me know if I'm repeating myself too much. But after I deleted everything, I mean, almost everything in my life improved. So, like, one thing I did all the time was I scrolled myself to sleep. Like, kind of most people, I was pretty much destroying my body on the road. Right. No one really talks about this as artists, but you're flying all over the place, you're never in a certain time zone, you're eating horrible food. You know, I was having I've given pretty consistent free drinks, you know, like on my flight, at the event, you know, after the event. Like, all these combining experiences. I was pretty unhealthy and I felt pretty bad all the time. So that's when I got really obsessed with the health and wellness space, mostly because I was feeling just so miserable on the road. And that's when I really started to implement and notice my technology was really affecting my mental, physical, and spiritual health.
- [07:38]
Jenny Eric
I mean, it's still such a huge thing, though, that you made the leap.
- [07:40]
Andrew Laubacher
Yeah.
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Jenny Eric
I think that pretty much everyone could have the same conversation. They could say, look, I understand how this is affecting me, how it's affecting my children, how it's fracturing our family relationships, how it's stealing my time. But to actually do it is such a huge thing. And you talk. I think the interesting part that you talked about, which is that promise versus peril, which Dr. Nicholas Carderis talks about. So he is on your board at humanity, is that correct?
- [08:07]
Andrew Laubacher
Yes.
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Jenny Eric
You called him something cooler than I did. I was always like, Dr. Carteris. And you're like, doc or I don't know, whatever.
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Andrew Laubacher
I think I just call him Doc. Yeah. Yes.
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Jenny Eric
Okay. So he talks about promise versus Peril, and so does Andy Crouch. I think it's so brave to make the leap to say, look, there is something to be said about getting a cheap couch. And there is something to be said about being in the mom group that's only on Facebook. And that's where you find the information of where the meetings are. And there is something to be said about being able to promote your business, but also, you have to wait in the peril. And you were honest to say the peril outweighs these promises.
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Andrew Laubacher
Yeah.
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Jenny Eric
And so I'm getting rid of it. Can you take us back to then 2018 like you get rid of it? Are you lost for a while? You know, how does that affect your business world and work?
- [09:02]
Andrew Laubacher
Crazy. At least in the music space I was in, I was already playing, you know, in front of a lot of people every year. So when I deleted everything, I actually got busier. I mean, I had more international events my band was playing at in Canada, South America, Europe. I played in Jerusalem in 2020 when Covid hit. And it was. It was wild. It was totally. God, you know, it was this moment where I took the leap, and obviously it was just me. So I know a lot of critiques usually come at this point where it's like, you don't have a family. You didn't have, you know, that many bills. It's like I still had a lot of bills. I had rent, like, I had student loans. Like, it wasn't like I was just living, you know, the free life. Like, I had plenty of things to pay for that. I was taking a big risk in that realm. I think just the more I studied the lives of the saints and many people that have gone before us. Like, I was actually thinking about this the other day, Jenny. I was like. Because I. This question always comes up because I get. We're all kind of stuck in this network effect, this collective action issue, which is like, well, this is where people are. And especially for what you're doing, you're like doing such amazing things. Like, I know Instagram helps get that out to people. It's really this. And if, maybe if you're honest and maybe you're, you know, you can say this or not, but most people don't want to be on these platforms anymore, you know, that are running these, like, businesses.
- [10:18]
Jenny Eric
Yeah, no, it is a conundrum. I mean, I think for a lot of reasons. There's a point of time and what's interesting about it, especially since the algorithm changed, if you're going to go on and say, look, I got something cool to listen to, or we've got this new product or whatever businesses are doing, it is so easy to get sucked in and to forget why you got on in the first place. I mean, it just is. That's the whole purpose. But also there's the. When you talk about the social comparison, there's also all of the hate comments and you're like, every, you know, people are so mean.
- [10:47]
Andrew Laubacher
Totally.
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Jenny Eric
And, you know, and I also, I get it. You know, sometimes I get it. I, you know, I feel like people have their opinions for a reason. And I'm like, well, you could be nicer, but whatever. And you have to deal with that. And so one of the things I've thought about is, gosh, it would be nice to live in a world that wasn't so review centric.
- [11:05]
Andrew Laubacher
Yes. And that's the. I think Carder is called as the disinhibition effect, which is we all share things online that we would never share in person. To people like it, it elevates all the worst negative emotion that the human person has. But I agree, there is like this unfortunate reality that as we've entered into this realm trying to do good things, a lot of people trying to do good things, it's like we're all kind of getting sucked away along with it, because that's, again, how it was designed. But I remember seeing. I went, you know, I did a mission trip to Haiti once, and I remember literally playing music at this church, you know, in the jungle somewhere. And a family of three came out. Mom, dad and three kids just came out of the woods. These were Denver, Colorado residents that moved to Haiti to serve people there. And I just started to see experiences like that where people were living so radically depending on this God that they believed in. And seeing them being taken care of, it was one of those moments where I'm like, okay, if these guys moved three kids to Haiti and they're living in the wilderness serving people, I can get off social media probably, and see what God can do, you know. So I do see the benefit, at least to my own even creativity, post that experience. Like, just the amount I'd be able to read and even write. Like, I was getting pretty burned out on the road, just going gig to gig to gig because I felt like I had to. So I got pretty burned out, like, kind of multiple times, you know. And a lot of that was the exhaustion of me needing to share everything about my life. And when one other thing that came up that was interesting is, like, people would see me at different cities and concerts and stuff and, like, know more about my life than I knew about mine. Like, I forgot that I was just in, like, New York. And they're like, oh, my gosh, how was New York? And I'm like, wait, what? Like, oh, right. You know, Like, I wasn't even actually able to remember a lot of my own life. And there's actually some data that points to this. Like, memory consolidation through a screen is actually diminished. And there is a student of ours in one of our humanity villages that actually shared one time and went to Guatemala, took like 500 pictures, literally came back from the experience. And he didn't have physical memories of the trip. You know what I mean? Like, there's some really interesting things happening in that realm that I experienced too. Like, my life just kind of felt like a blur because I was not actually living in the moment. I was capturing it for someone else to, you know, give me a. Give me a. Like to consume, you know?
- [13:31]
Jenny Eric
Yeah. I mean, it is. It is wildly interesting and it is a conundrum. But I love what you said, that you do it so that you can see what God can do. I read two pretty formative books this past year. I read a book called God Was Right by Mark Gerson, and it's about how it's like this massive book and it's about how social science proves the Old Testament, all the principles in the Old Testament. It's fantastic book. And then I read a book called the Kingdom of Cain by Andrew Clavin. And the subtitle is Finding God in the Literature of Darkness. And his whole point is that all of these murders, you know, that people know innately are wrong. And he goes through all of these different literatures like, like the one where the guy takes the women's skin. I probably should edit that out because sometimes kids listening the Silence of the Lambs, that one, you know, he's like, everybody knows that's wrong. And so that, that's pointing to the fact that there is this underlying morality. So really interesting pieces of information to think through. And so your point of stepping out as a measure of faith is a really interesting one. You know, I think people would say, well, I can't do it because of X, Y and Z. But if you take that stance, and I feel like you can take that stance on a lot of things, that is actually a biblical stance. You take it on tithing, you take, you take it on, you know, being generous. You take it on keeping a Sabbath day of rest. It doesn't make sense on the surface, but the whole point is, well, let's see what God can do. So I, I really like that. I like that stance. What could God do if you hold off on phones in your, in your home, you know, for your kids, for your teenagers, whatever, let's see what God can do. And we actually did. You really inspired our family just in that one conversation. Because I think I told you that our girls do music and you were like, well, just have them do music. They don't have to be on social media. So they did. I was on the fence. They played at this lavender festival at Jacob's Farm in Dexter, Michigan. And you know, there was just family there listening in, but they did a whole 45 minute set.
- [15:31]
Andrew Laubacher
Amazing.
- [15:32]
Jenny Eric
And it was awesome. They did all these covers. So I was like, you know what I really like? That was practical advice. As summer winds down, I've been thinking ahead, refreshing my wardrobe with staple pieces I'll actually wear on repeat. And Quince has totally nailed it. Their luxe essentials feel effortless, look polished, and are perfect for layering as the weather shifts. I've loved their European linen fit and flare midi dress this summer. So comfortable and stylish. And I can't wait to get my hands on their cotton and cashmere sweaters. They look so soft and cozy starting at just $40. I've also been eyeing their washable silk tops and classic denim timeless styles that mix and match easily and make me feel put together whether I'm hosting a podcast or out for a walk with the kids. What really sold me on quints is the value I these pieces rival high end brands, but quints cost half as much because they cut out the middlemen and work directly with top artisans. The quality is incredible and everything is made in safe, ethical and responsible factories using premium fabrics. Honestly, I'm already eyeing a few things for the fall, especially their travel bags in a silk blouse that's been sitting in my cart. Elevate your wardrobe essentials with quints. Go to quince.com outside for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. That's Q-U-I-N C E.com quince/outside to get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com outside one of the hardest parts about parenting today is the constant wondering. Are they safe? Did they make it? Do they need me? That quiet worry can creep into everything, and while we want to give our kids more freedom, we also want the peace of mind that comes with knowing they're okay. That is why we love Cosmo. Cosmo makes a kid smartwatch called the Junior Track and their newest model, the Junior Track 5, has real time GPS, tracking, messaging, calling and even step counts all packed into one simple, safe device. It gives your kids a taste of independence while giving you the confidence to say, go ahead, you've got this. What makes it so different? You stay in the driver's seat. There's no Internet, no social media, and every contact must be parent approved. It's thoughtful tech that helps parents relax and kids thrive, especially when they're out exploring, playing and growing up in the real world. Right now, Cosmo is running an amazing back to school deal plus free shipping and a risk free 30 day guarantee. Head to cosmotogether.com 1kho to grab one today. That's cosmotogether.com 1k ho. As the summer winds down, I'm feeling that bittersweet shift, saying goodbye to lazy days and getting back into the rhythm of a routine. And you know what? That change inspires me to refresh our space so it reflects our style and makes daily life feel just a little bit smoother. If you're in the same boat, Wayfair is the perfect place to kick off your back to school and fall season prep. Wayfair has everything we need to get our home organized and ready for the season ahead. Inside and outside. Two of our girls needed new beds, so that's where we started. And I can't believe how much they've made bedtime easier. From cozy bedding and linens to storage solutions for every room to playground sets, they have us covered. Plus their huge selection of outdoor items makes it easy to find just what we need to transition smoothly into fall. Whether you're refreshing your workspace with a new desk or making weekn dinners a breeze with quality cookware, Wayfair has it all. And with free fast and hassle free delivery, even on big stuff like sofas and dining tables, there's no better time to shop, get organized, refreshed, and back into routine. For way less, head to Wayfair.com right now to shop all things home. That's W A Y F A I R.com Wayfair Every style, every home. Can you walk us through the transition? So you get rid of the phone in 2018, you're still doing shows. More shows start to roll in. You don't know. You don't know where the trajectory is going. And at some point you intersect with this couple and human Ality. How then did you end up getting involved? Just, you know. Yeah, totally organic.
- [19:26]
Andrew Laubacher
Yes, totally. Yeah, totally organic. And I love organic food and I'm super crunchy and hippie. So that all. It all works together. Yeah. I mean, when I was on the road again, that's kind of when I went down all these health and wellness rabbit holes because I was like, 1. Everyone in the airport looks pretty unhealthy and sick. I feel pretty, you know, miserable. I want to help people heal. Right. That just kind of felt like my mission for a while. So, anyway, Covid hits I'm burned out. I'll never forget, actually, I played a show in D.C. in January 2020. It's 10,000 people. One of the biggest events my band's done. And I remember feeling this thing. Like, I wish I would have posted that because I was thinking of, like, a couple people I would have wanted to see, you know? Yeah, how? How we. I mean, you know, people are coming up to you, like, dude, you made it, man. Like, this is awesome. Like, there's something weird that happens on stages. It's a very interesting phenomenon where people just think you're, like, more interesting because you're, like, singing and you can play a string instrument. It's really weird, to be honest.
- [20:24]
Jenny Eric
What was it? Is the band just your name a.
- [20:26]
Andrew Laubacher
Lob, A L, O B. That's my nickname. So everyone called me a lob. That's just always been my nickname. No one could ever say lawblocker. So it just started as a law pretty young. But I remember this event in 2020 very particularly because I was disgusted with how I was so desperate to get approved by people and see that, okay, I'm doing this thing, like I am, you know, I have created this success, you know, and anyway, so that was kind of a defining moment. I was like, whoa, that thing's still in me that really wants to be seen and approved and famous and whatever. So anyway, Covet hits. I'm in Jerusalem playing pilgrimage around the holiest places in the world, right. For our faith. And Covet's hitting. I come back. This is a longer story, but I end up entering seminary in Southern California. So that was a two year. I mean, you're pretty much.
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Jenny Eric
Well, why.
- [21:19]
Andrew Laubacher
Yeah, so you're. You essentially go to discern the priesthood. So in the Catholic tradition, men discern giving their life completely to God and the church through, you know, celibacy, obedience, and a life of prayer, you know. So I felt called to that. And it kept coming up and I was like, I gotta answer this question. So I mean, I literally went into. I was. I was pretty much a monk those two years, literally just studying prayer. It was like full on lockdown, Southern California Covid experience.
- [21:52]
Jenny Eric
Was it kind of because of COVID You were like, okay, I've got shows that got canceled, so this must be my time to go be a monk.
- [21:58]
Andrew Laubacher
Honestly, all of a sudden? Yeah, I had about four months of like, no gigs and I was just kind of praying, asking God what's next? And I felt pretty clearly like I was supposed to go answer this question. And even doing the music thing full time, my whole, like, life has really felt like I'm answering and. And I don't want to live with like, what if. So a lot of like, these decisions, big decisions I've made is because I don't want to live with what ifs. And one of the what ifs is what if I try and do the music thing full time and travel the world, you know, and then I did it and it was like, oh, this isn't for me. And then the other what if is like, what if God's actually calling me to like, completely give my life to God in the church and people? And then I kind of found out that wasn't for me, you know, so 2022, I left. During that time, Hope And Justin Schneer, who started humanality, lived like 10 minutes down the road. Now they have 10 children. Justin started a very successful beverage company called Tractor Beverages. They ended up paying 30 students scholarship money to give up their smartphone and take on a dumb phone at Franciscan University where they went to school. And when I went to school in a little town called Steubenville, Ohio, middle of nowhere, and yeah, humanity was born. I mean, it got a bunch of traction. People were like amazed at the fruit that was coming out of these students lives. It just kind of blew up. And then they knew my story and, you know, came to me with this executive director role and I was very passionate about the topic already and wanting to combine. I was already doing a lot of health and wellness work, already started another company in that space and want to help people be happy and whole and feel better and get in shape. And you know, I ended up getting a lot of certifications in that realm that I just threw into humanity. So that's kind of how it all happened. I mean, if I didn't take that leap to enter into essentially a time being a monk, I would have never met, never met them. This wouldn't have, you know, happened. So it's kind of crazy how it all like Covid shut down. I was doing Zoom concerts, you know, for four months. It was like the worst thing ever. And actually during that time it was funny, Jenny. I actually, I remember I got back like initially when it was like, we're all gonna die kind of the first month. Yeah, I think I got back in Instagram, like create an Instagram account and did this like, I think I called it a message of hope. So like every day I did a live with like a friend and we went over like scripture and talked about death and talked about life. And I was like, I'm gonna do this as long as we're in quarantine and then I'm gonna like get off, you know. So I think I did it. Yeah, for like two months.
- [24:29]
Jenny Eric
It depends on where you live because quarantine was pretty long in some places. Longer in some than others.
- [24:36]
Andrew Laubacher
That's right. SoCal was a little brutal experience on many levels. But yeah, that's essentially how, how we got connected and how humanity was born.
- [24:46]
Jenny Eric
It is the let's see what God can do story. Let's see what God can do. Do you ever think where you would be had you not?
- [24:54]
Andrew Laubacher
Oh, I think about that. I would have a massive following. I mean, I would for sure be on bigger labels. I would have way more Money. I mean, I know exactly where I would be and I don't say that to be like prideful or pompous, but.
- [25:10]
Jenny Eric
I, well you saw the trajectory, so it's just, it's playing that out.
- [25:14]
Andrew Laubacher
I also think I would have lost my soul. I think I would have gained the world and I think I would have lost my soul. I see a lot. I mean, yeah, the Christian music world is a whole other conversation. It's not very different than the secular realm, sadly on the inside. And I just kind of saw what I would have to do to continue to get the views and to like continue to grow my, you know, following that realm. And it was again, yeah, I do think it was at the cost of my soul. And what's funny is like what we're doing now is kind of blowing up. And what's hilarious is like humanity is taking a completely different path towards like success as a business, as an organization. I mean it doesn't matter if you're a non profit or for profit. You got to make money and you got to be able to like bring or provide a good or service that's going to help people's lives. And I really think it's going to take time because we're, we're not going viral on anything necessarily. It's going to take years, right, to, to build out what we're doing. But I'm so excited about it because I can already see the fruit in people's lives and the stories of transformation just at a college level is so amazing that I'm just so excited to blast this thing out to the world and have families, moms. It's so funny. I just spoke to a university yesterday and you know, you always see the dads hitting the wives or the wives hitting the dads because like someone's on their phone too much, someone's scrolling too much, like someone's mad about it. Like I just, I inflame all of these like relational, you know, issues with marriages and whatever. Because when you bring up this topic it's, you know, it's everyone's struggle totally. But I'm willing to do that for the sake of people's like long term flourishing, which I know these 11 humanity ways, if you want to hit briefly, are going to help people like radically transform their human experience from what I think you're going to have two options, right? You're going to have people going into the AI cyborg realm where you're living in a VR headset. Like that's gonna be a certain group of the population. And I'm actually not one to judge. I'm not gonna force people to live the way that I live. I don't even force people. Now it's like if you want to be on some social media platforms and they help you in some ways, great. I think optimal is not being on any of these for a plethora of reasons. But, you know, I have no judgment with that. But then I do think there is going to be a whole slew of people, probably a lot of people that use your work and our work that are going to be literally rebelling against what is happening slash coming.
- [27:40]
Jenny Eric
Yeah. And the rebel is doing something different. And then what that does is that squeezes out the time that you would have had for screens. It's really cool. When you're out speaking then at these universities or different places, you speak, you are speaking from experience because you're actually doing it. You have been now off of a smartphone for a period of many years. Seven, eight years.
- [28:02]
Andrew Laubacher
Yes. Yeah.
- [28:03]
Jenny Eric
I actually, if I were to think about it, I don't know anybody else. Andrew. I don't know one.
- [28:09]
Andrew Laubacher
No way.
- [28:10]
Jenny Eric
Not one. I don't know one person that has a flip phone.
- [28:13]
Andrew Laubacher
Well, I use the Light Phone 3, but.
- [28:15]
Jenny Eric
Or whatever. I don't know one other person. So is it pretty uncommon for you to meet other people that are similar or is it fairly common? Because they see that you're doing it so they're going to come tell you that they're doing it too.
- [28:27]
Andrew Laubacher
I've been getting a lot of people have been encouraged by the students that are doing this at the college level about my story. I have a lot of people reaching out to me, wanting to go to a flip phone, wanting to go to a wise phone by Teclis. I'd say Teclis is probably going to be your best option moving forward. And you know, we're working with them pretty closely and I think they're doing the best device where it's like there's no social media, no gaming, no porn. It's 99.99% porn free. It has your ways. It has your. My Delta app. It has basic stuff that you need. So I think that's the best option moving forward. But Jenny, I mean, I've been speaking all over the world now the last two years. I'm meeting people all over the world that are getting off of these things that are either dumifying their smartphones or going to different phones. It's a real movement. I mean, that's. We're hoping to kind of spearhead this thing.
- [29:19]
Jenny Eric
Yeah, we know the techless guy and, and we're friends with this man named Russell York who has a company called Cosmo may make smartwatches for kids. And it is the same type of thing where it's just for the purpose of adventure and for connection and it is made with the family in mind. So he talks about family centered technology, like this is what needs to come. And none of the large companies are tackling it because it would affect their bottom line. And so you have to find these other companies that are people focused and that's what human ality is and they are out there. And, and this Russell who runs Cosmo, I mean he thinks it's a huge space because it's fulfilling a need that pretty much everybody has. Like what is the best way to go. So those are some great options and maybe you'll be the first one in your area and people can kind of follow along with what you're doing. So talk to us about the 11 humanality ways and also the village experiences. So this started off with offering people money. Actually Russell has talked about that. Could there be a financial component, you know, to, to being off of these things or you have to actually pay, pay for it extra, you know, to use these different services. How much of your money is it actually sucking up if you consider how much time it's taking. So human ality has got these. Human ality basically values kind of. And yeah, and villages. So starts off with paying people, paying college kids to be off their phone for a full year, which is a wild commitment. And then now has morphed into having an even broader impact.
- [30:51]
Andrew Laubacher
Yeah. So now it's a real. It's a movement, it's a program. The village experience is going to be available for moms, dads, we're getting businesses, reaching out schools, track teams, I mean, you name it. If you're a human being on the planet and you interact with technology, you can actually start and go through the human ality village experience, which is really a digital detox wellness program. And I'd say it's the most comprehensive and best one I've seen out there. And I say that simply because we're were way more expansive than just looking at necessarily what the screen's doing. So you know what we started at universities? Well, it started with a scholarship and then we started branching out to other universities. We started just giving students light phones. So students were actually just giving up their smartphones for a light phone. We weren't paying Them anything. And it was about 30 to 60 students per university. We got to about six universities in a year. And you know, the stories from that are just amazing. I mean, girls healing from like body image issues, like guys getting better grades, like getting outdoors, like getting better sleep. I mean the list is incredible. We're really trying to build a clinical snapshot around like start to finish of the program to show like there's legit like amazing outcomes happening in one year, in one school, in one year, in one school year. So essentially these 11 humanity ways, you know, I've read probably 40 plus books on the topic. And as I'm reading all of the data unfolding, I'm thinking in my head, okay, well like, what are some of these antidotes? And a lot of these antidotes to a lot of these problems that technology is creating in our lives started to have some type of form and synthesis, right? So actually what you're getting in these 11 humanity ways is like the problems and the solutions of how to live more human. And, and again, actually put technology in its proper place, like Andy Crouch says, but also use it intentionally. Like I'm on a computer, I use a computer. I do use a light phone. We aren't asking people to be Luddites or Amish, okay? We're asking people to use technology intentionally. But in the program, it literally breaks down every aspect of your relationship with technology. So we have people create what's called a digital plan of life. So within our course, which is an 11 part series where I'm interviewing Dr. Kardaris, other top physicians, MDs, PhDs, psychologists, unpacking the problems of these specific humanity ways. And then you go through your workbook, you work on these yourselves through what we call real life victories, and then community adventures. So a real life victory. It sounds hilarious that we're having to do this, but a real life victory could be a phone free meal where you literally eat a meal.
- [33:27]
Jenny Eric
It does, it does. Oh my gosh. I, I read in the book because we probably read a lot of the same books. One of them was like, can you leave your phone in the car when you go into the gas station to pay?
- [33:38]
Andrew Laubacher
Yes, yes, yes. So literally we created all of these real life victories, which are really victories. Like one of them is called idle hours. And that's essentially okay when you're doing laundry, when you're sitting at a grocery store line, when you're at a stoplight, don't pull out the phone. I mean these are actually incredibly difficult. So we created all these Real life victories that you take on. When you finish one of those, they'll correlate to an episode. You have a humanity water bottle. You put that sticker on your humanity water bottle and you start to build out a whole list of challenges that you have now taken on to start to detox, right? So you do that by yourself. The real life victories are personal victories. And then community adventures are things like phone free dance nights where you literally go out learn how to dance. That sticker is called dance with somebody. And you go and learn to line dance, go learn to swing dance. Go out and dance and don't take a picture of it. Like just go out with your friends and dance. Another one is phone free hikes. We have sauna and ice bath stickers. We have Sunday stickers. So on Sunday you just sit in the sun for like two hours straight. You know, obviously not at high UV times. Make sure you're going in the morning and the evenings. Okay. We don't want to any skin cancer, even though I won't get into that right now. Jenny. But we need more sunlight in our lives.
- [34:56]
Jenny Eric
Do you want to go there?
- [34:58]
Andrew Laubacher
I. There's about 3 million people that die a year. About 12,000 die from skin related, you know, cancers. It's a very small amount. And actually more people are more sick from avoiding the sun. I'll just hold there. So you get your humanity journal, you create your digital plan of life. We have a bunch of resources from what phones use, the different discounts on the light phone, on the wise phone, we have a whole how to dumify your smartphone resource. And you start to work through these episodes in a group. So the whole point is you come together as a village. You can meet once a month, you can meet once a week, you can meet every two weeks. Depending on how fast you want to work through the course, you can do it in three months, six months, or a year. So my vision is like, I'm thinking of all these young adults out there, my age and in their late 20s, that are, you know, so tired of this and tell me this all the time. You can get all of your friends together, watch an episode, and then that week you're taking on those challenges. Here's two ingredients in the humanity village that an app can't do, a software can't do. A lot of these other solutions aren't doing. We're helping you transform your environment and you're also having accountability. Those two ingredients, I say are incredibly important in behavior change science, that a lot of the motivational Interviewing literature, you know, talks about, Adam Adler talks about in his book Irresistible. We need people, we need more social capital. And so the idea is that actually, yes, we're using a video series to actually disseminate information, which I think is good. And then you're in person and you have a neighbor, we call them a neighbor. So this is like you have your say, your village of five to 10 people. You'll have one person that you're accompanying with a little bit closer through the week. So say your struggle is pornography. Man, I fought pornography for so long, Jenny. I did the softwares, I changed phones, I, I had accountability partners, I fasted, I prayed, I mean I did so many things to be free from that. And honestly one of the things that was most important was actually addressing the trauma of that experience as a kid of seeing those images. Right. No one's really talking about that, but I think most people who are viewing have been exposed to pornography. You really need interpersonal, relational healing. And you only get that with people. You can't get that through a tick tock, you know, influencer, like. So one of the things that's huge that I think for people struggling with porn that the village is going to give them is more consistent, open conversation about that struggle. Right. It's usually very rare that people are able to open up about this anymore and be like, hey, I don't want to struggle with this anymore. I, I don't want this in my life anymore. There's millions of people that are in that position. So again, whether it's gaming, whether it's pornography, whether it's social media, whether it's just overwhelmed from your phone and group text, whatever your struggle is, your digital plan of life is going to help you discover what that is and create a real plan that's actually going to work. Because here's the thing, Jenny, it's like we all know this is a problem. We're all having the problem. No one knows the depth of the problem. So here's the thing, you're going to learn the depth of the problem going through these series, but you're also going to be able to implement real actionable steps towards freedom, which to me is the most exciting part of this. Yeah, it's like we're actually giving you a roadmap to long term sustainable behavior change in regards to your tech. And again, the fruits are going to be like, I'm so excited for your kids, you know, like in five years, whenever like I see them and maybe one of them will go on to Social media. Maybe one of them won't. Maybe it'll be like, you know, totally great. But I know I'm going to continue to meet more people that are just living their life, that are going into arts, that are going into medicine, that are going into philosophy, that are going into theology, that their brains, their personal human experience is going to look so different than your average gen zer. You know what I mean?
- [39:00]
Jenny Eric
Yeah.
- [39:00]
Andrew Laubacher
So it's really comprehensive. The 11 ways are very simple. I share them briefly to you.
- [39:05]
Jenny Eric
Talk about how. I think this is an interesting part that. That isn't talked about enough. I talked to this woman named Melanie Hempy. We may have talked about this.
- [39:13]
Andrew Laubacher
No, I know Melanie from. Yeah, Screenstrong.
- [39:15]
Jenny Eric
From Screenstrong. And she was telling me how her boys went off to college and they were basically like, everyone is the same. It's like carbon copy, you know, they were talking specifically about the girls that they were meeting, which would make sense because social media is a conformity engine. And so you have all of these people that have had the same inputs for however many years, and the outputs are similar. So it's interesting. I think one of the fears is if you do something different, then no one's going to relate with you or you're going to have a harder time in life. But I tend to think the opposite is true. I think that if you have something unique about you, that people are pretty drawn to that because it's something different, out of the norm. To the point where when you get on this podcast with Dr. Nicholas Carderis and you're like, haven't had a phone since 2018. I mean, people are like, hey, can I get that guy's contact information?
- [40:06]
Andrew Laubacher
It is kind of funny. Is this video visible to the general public?
- [40:11]
Jenny Eric
Nobody even saw the video? No, the video hasn't gone up. So it was just like you and your voice and your philosophy and your outlook on life. Like, no one has ever written in and been like, I'm kind of interested in that guest that was on.
- [40:27]
Andrew Laubacher
That's, you know, But I think the.
- [40:28]
Jenny Eric
The point is you have some different substance to you because of living in a way that's different than other people live. And I think that that is a benefit in life 100%.
- [40:41]
Andrew Laubacher
And it's not like I. I mean, the funny thing is the. The person I'm dating now, you know, does like that. I'm not on any of these things. And she is. And she actually has a lot of music, you know, online, and she's very detached from it. Which is actually, like, really awesome. But it is funny how many people I talk to about that. And it's just. It's this certain aspect of our life now, right, that is so entrenched in digital interaction that it's especially in the dating realm. Like, I've never been on a dating app in my life. And the ones that I saw for my friends, I'm just like, I have no desire. I just had no desire to do that. Right.
- [41:19]
Jenny Eric
Yeah.
- [41:19]
Andrew Laubacher
Now, as the years progressed and as dating has just been very difficult with the worldview and the way I'm living and I'm a hippie and like, you know, soup, you know, all these things, it started getting like a really small sliver of the population. I. Yeah, I'm even, like, open, you know, to dating. And at that point, it's like, man, maybe I should get on some of these things, you know? And then I would just hear a story from a friend about, like, it. They're just so tired of it, and they're tired of just, like, these awkward dates and these people just are like, ghosting them. And. And then, you know, I have a few friends, and I think we all know people that met online and their marriages have been very fruitful and awesome. I just kind of had this thing in me that's never allowed me to enter into that. Mostly because I think I know my weaknesses and I think I'm quick to acknowledge that I am a. I am a weak man. And I know actually in like, St. Paul boasted in his weakness. Like, yeah, I can boast in my weakness that I know if I go on some dating app, I'm simply going to look at the physical appearance of this person, and that's going to dictate most of my pursuit and how much I pursue someone. And I noticed that on Instagram. I noticed that when I was on social media. Like, that's just how we're wired. So anyway, we got a little sidetracked there. But I know that, yes, that part of my life that is not entrenched in a lot of these realms has actually been something that people look up to, acknowledge, want to do, and actually in the dating realm has actually been pretty awesome.
- [42:48]
Jenny Eric
Yeah, yeah, you stand out. I mean, who. Who wants to be a carbon copy of somebody else? And I think that's something to think about for your own children. The Jack Welch Management Institute at Strayer University helps you go from I know the way to I've arrived with our top 10 ranked online MBA. Gain skills you can learn today and apply Tomorrow, get ready to go from make it happen to made it happen and keep striving. Visit strayer.edu Jack WelchMBA to learn more. Strayer University is certified to operate in Virginia by Chev and has many campuses, including at 2121 15th Street north in Arlington, Virginia.
- [43:27]
Andrew Laubacher
Hey guys, it's Ceedee Lamb, wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys. I'm partnering with Abercrombie this season to tell you all about their viral denim. All you need to know is denim should fit like this. My jeans need to check a lot of boxes fit first, trend second. They need to go with whatever I'm feeling and Abercrombie Denim has it down whether I'm throwing on a tee or putting the whole fit together. Shop Abercrombie Denim in the app, online and in store.
- [43:56]
Jenny Eric
It's summer time to enjoy long days, lazy nights and great food because Uber Eats has deals all summer long. So when hunger strikes, don't sweat it. Delicious deals are just a tap away on Uber Eats. Enjoy all your favorite grocery items delivered straight to you.
- [44:13]
Andrew Laubacher
Get ice cream soda and snacks from.
- [44:15]
Jenny Eric
Your favorite stores like Wegmans and cvs.
- [44:18]
Andrew Laubacher
And make the most of every moment. Now that sounds like a good summer order.
- [44:22]
Jenny Eric
Now on UberEats Terms, apply. Product availability varies by regions. Yeah, for details. And our kids have had experiences where they've gone places and they've said no one has anything to talk about. They've done nothing that, you know, they're just on their phones all the time.
- [44:35]
Andrew Laubacher
That's so crazy.
- [44:37]
Jenny Eric
It. It is. It's pretty wild. And so it, it narrows the pool of options for friendships as well. So, you know, when we're thinking about this, we have to be thinking outward and in terms of providing members of the community that can go adventure and have some steps and things to talk about. And that's a piece of it too. It's not just about your insular family. I would love to talk about some of the books. So, okay, so to be clear, this is going to launch when the family chapters launch. So these villages are coming. I hope I said the right word. I might not have said yeah, they're.
- [45:10]
Andrew Laubacher
Honestly any humanity village, like anyone can launch this. So this could be young adults, it could be high schools, universities. That's going to launch in about.
- [45:17]
Jenny Eric
Yeah. So I'll time this to go so people can get on and they can consider launching a community heading into 2025. What better time is there? I mean, the AI is rampant. I mean, I just read a book by Mark Britton named Generation AI and he said, yeah, full steam ahead. This is not going to stop. And so we have to do something about it in order to preserve our humanity. So can you talk about. I think that we probably read quite, quite a few of the same ones but a couple of your more formative books. Because I do think that since it's so pressing in culture and it's so all consuming, everything from buying your couch to promoting your band, you know, just to seeing what your friends are doing, it's so all consuming. I think that we have to be undergirded with a fair amount of information and fairly consistent information so that we can stand our ground. So books like Dr. Docs like Glow Kids and Digital Madness and Andy Crouch, like, these are the ones that you can draw from fairly consistently to make sure that you live the life you want to live. So what have been some of your formative reads?
- [46:21]
Andrew Laubacher
Yeah, a lot of this has been kind of in the wellness world and then, you know, obviously into this technology space. So all of Carteris books Glow Kids, Digital Math is huge. Anxious Generation, obviously super helpful. Even though Jonathan Haidt for me, doesn't go far enough on many levels, I think there's a lot there that I, I would push back on. But he has an incredible amount of good and is doing an incredible amount of good in this space. So I have to, I have to thank the guy. And I actually really love his. Right. I mean, I really love his writing.
- [46:51]
Jenny Eric
And the other books are good too. Like the Coddling of the American Mind.
- [46:54]
Andrew Laubacher
Yes. I think Having a hypothesis.
- [46:57]
Jenny Eric
Yeah, I know his. And they're good. So he's kind of been on a ramp up it, you know, if people would think, oh, he came out of nowhere. He. He didn't. He was actually on my podcast list and I had to wait two years to get him on and it's because Anxious Generation was coming out. But I wanted to talk to him about his other books. So he's got. I mean, they're good.
- [47:16]
Andrew Laubacher
Yep. Nicholas Car. Nicholas Carr's book, the Shallows and his latest book, Super Bloom. I highly recommend Super Bloom. On our board is Claire Morel. She just wrote the book called the Tech.
- [47:27]
Jenny Eric
Oh, it's such a good book. Yeah, I just talked to her. That's a fantastic book, the Tech Exit.
- [47:32]
Andrew Laubacher
Yep. Claire's on our board and she's been doing amazing work. That book's awesome. I have a whole slew honestly, good energy by Dr. Casey Means. I really love Dr. Casey Means. So again, a lot of which we can go through the 11 human ways in a moment. But almost in every episode there's a lot that I'm unpacking. So I use a lot of. Dr. Casey means work. My physician, Dr. Leland Stillman for a lot of the EMF. Our episode, we have a whole episode just on EMF. I mean to me EMF is one of the most under reported misunderstood toxins in our environment that we're just swimming in. The data on EMF is insane. Yeah, comfort crisis was huge for me.
- [48:19]
Jenny Eric
I love Michael Easter.
- [48:20]
Andrew Laubacher
Huh? His stuff was huge.
- [48:22]
Jenny Eric
He had some really cool in person event we weren't able to go, but it was, it was like a personal. Like if you get attacked, I don't know what you would call that, but like how to take care of yourself. And it was like out in the, you know, they did it. He's out in Vegas. So they did it out in the desert and like it was such a cool event in person. I love his stuff.
- [48:45]
Andrew Laubacher
Yeah, he's. I'm pretty much using a lot of his work in our kind of humanity ways. A lot of Sherry Turkles books. Alone together, Reclaiming Conversation, Catherine Price, you know, how to break up with your phone. That was kind of a classic, obviously, all the Cal Newport stuff. What else do I got over Indistractable. That was a good one.
- [49:07]
Jenny Eric
I mean I read all of them.
- [49:08]
Andrew Laubacher
Huh. Igen Restless Devices.
- [49:14]
Jenny Eric
That one, that's what I haven't read. Restless Devices.
- [49:17]
Andrew Laubacher
Oh, that one's going to get you, Jenny. That one's going to get you. Yeah, there's a whole bunch more. I mean I use a lot of Dr. Daniel Amen's work as well. Arthur Brooks is a huge hero of.
- [49:30]
Jenny Eric
Mine and yes, I'm actually interviewing him. Oh, next week.
- [49:35]
Andrew Laubacher
I'm so jealous. Tell him I said hey.
- [49:38]
Jenny Eric
I will. He talks about. It's so interesting. I, you know, I struggle. I've always struggled with not really knowing when I'm succumbing to cultural messaging. One of the things that we've talked about, and I've talked about it a couple times on here, but I succumb to this message of you have to wait five years before you have kids. I don't know where that came from. It was a message in the church. It was outside of the church, like get married and wait. You know, travel and all of those types of things. But then some of my friends got married and had kids right away. And I think back and I'm like, I wish I would have known there was another option. You know, everyone say the Same. And it was just a cultural message. I don't know who made that up. I don't know why it was a cultural message. But I had friends that didn't listen or didn't hear it, or it didn't matter to them, or they had the wherewithal to say, well, it's my own life. I'm going to do what I want. And these cultural messages can be so strong. And so one of them is retirement. You know that the purpose of life is retirement. It's to not work. And so Arthur Brooks talks so much about the dignity of work. I mean, it would change the whole trajectory of your life. Like, if you're. The purpose of your life 100% is to not work at the end of it, then all of your. I mean, that is kind of the culture we live in. That's why we raise our kids in such a rat race.
- [50:56]
Andrew Laubacher
I mean, I have no desire to retire. I don't think I'll ever retire. Arthur's, you know, work has been incredibly formative. I love the happiness literature. Obviously, we share similar worldview. He's super into health and wellness stuff. He's actually. His articles I get each week in my email. And he's writing on the phone. He's writing about technology. He is obviously aware of what these technologies are doing to the human person. And he's writing pretty substantially on it. On it too. And I think that a lot of what we're doing and a lot of what I'm deploying through these 11 humanity ways are literally as basic as like your right light environment, sleep, socialization, getting movement, silence, mindfulness. We'll go through them in a moment. But, like, this is actually to make you happy. I mean, this is what I don't think people get.
- [51:43]
Jenny Eric
Yeah.
- [51:43]
Andrew Laubacher
When you're indoors, gaming, looking at porn, scrolling like, you're not. It's not what you're doing almost, it's what's being undone. Right. Like that Neil Postman talks about. And so during a lot of this unraveling, I mean, I'm using a lot of, you know, Dr. Brooks stuff, but yeah, there's a whole slew that, you know, when you go through the course, I mean, I'm just quoting pretty much science and studies the entire time. So.
- [52:07]
Jenny Eric
Well, and these are books that you could read then to follow up. And they really shape you. They shape your worldview and they give you something to think about and something to talk about, and they help to strengthen your resolve. So let's talk about the. The humanity ways and These are all basically like back to basics, ancestral wisdom. Like the things that made people feel good in the past are still going to make you feel good today. So tell us about some of them and, and you know, people can go to the website. It's humanality.org. you've got this great logo. It's like this unplugged, you know, it goes around the human ality and it is an unplugged plug. So it's fantastic. All right. What makes us happy?
- [52:41]
Andrew Laubacher
Okay, well, the first episode and one of the first ways is Be Light. So I want to just read briefly. This is actually a great read. You would love this. Called the Light Doctor by Martin Moore. I think it's Eid, MD, PhD literally all in light science. I could literally talk this whole episode just on light. I'm obsessed with light. I think the sunlight is the greatest healer input that we have on planet Earth.
- [53:06]
Jenny Eric
Okay.
- [53:07]
Andrew Laubacher
And I know you like have read a ton of this research too, but the first whole episode on Be Light is our light science. Circadian biology. I mean, we know there's an incredible amount of science that the way that we're living in essentially, you know, twilight days and daylight night times. We are living in a completely toxic light environment that is having a slew of physiological impacts, including cancers, prostate cancer in men, breast cancer in women. And this is largely due to the light bulb. I mean, this is a technology that, while it has been incredible, no one thinks about this stuff. I get made fun of Jenny all the time because I've been wearing my blue light blockers at night for about five years. I'm playing these concerts. They're like, dude, you're like Bono or like, you know, like Elton John or like whatever.
- [53:52]
Jenny Eric
And I'm like, dude, you're playing with your blue light blockers at concerts.
- [53:56]
Andrew Laubacher
I've done it. Yeah.
- [53:58]
Jenny Eric
I talked to a person. She's like, as soon as the sun goes down.
- [54:00]
Andrew Laubacher
Yeah.
- [54:01]
Jenny Eric
And so then you're really in tune with nature. You're paying attention to when the sun goes down. She's like, I. I wear them everywhere. I'll wear them to my kids. You know, it's open house and my kids are like, take those off. You know, it's their band concert. She's like, but as soon as the sun goes down.
- [54:16]
Andrew Laubacher
Yeah. I mean, essentially our light environment to me is a one modality. If you can start to change a little bit in your day to day, which I know with families and kids, this is like a who conversation. But I, I have friends here I mean, I. I live by candlelight in the evening because I'm able to beeswax candles.
- [54:31]
Jenny Eric
But that's fun.
- [54:32]
Andrew Laubacher
It's super fun.
- [54:33]
Jenny Eric
Andy Crouch talks about that. Like, there's something special about a candlelight dinner. And there's something special about paying attention to the changing of the seasons. And so there's something to be said about it. I mean, you could be that different family that says, this is what we do. We're gonna put on some candles and this is when we read or whatever. I like that.
- [54:51]
Andrew Laubacher
Yep. I mean, there's a lot of fun stuff. You can do that. And again, your body was not designed to see anything over 60 lux after nighttime. We only see about 1%. There's only about 1% of blue light emitted from candles or fire. With these different light bulbs for us and light bulbs, we are actually suppressing our melatonin up to 80%, which isn't just a hormone for sleep. It's actually a primary antioxidant of the body. So, I mean, we could literally talk a whole episode on the different frequencies of light, infrared light, all of these different ways that you can live in a better light environment. But our first way is be light.
- [55:25]
Jenny Eric
Okay, so that's a video that you would watch the human Ality. The first one is about light. About how long are they?
- [55:32]
Andrew Laubacher
So the episodes are about 20 to 50 minutes.
- [55:35]
Jenny Eric
Okay.
- [55:35]
Andrew Laubacher
Just depending on the episode. And again, on this first episode, you're going to learn all about light science from Dr. Leland Stillman, who's an MD. And then at the end, I talk about light, about being light to others. Okay. Fighting against this disinhibition effect, getting off of these comment sections and YouTube comment sections and posts where, like, the desire even to say something good. I invite people to refrain from and tell someone in person. So I invite people to be light online if they choose to do so, but choose to be light in person more often than not, which literally changes your day. There's actually a really great study that I referenced there that was on commuters and just showed that when commuters actually talk to people and ask how they were doing, their health improved and their mental well being improved. Just something as basic as on your commute, which I realize if you're in New York or these other cities, like everyone's ear pods in not looking at each other. But I try and say hi to my pilots. You know, I try and say hi to my flight attendants. I try and say hi to the people at the grocery store. It makes my day. So Much better when I just acknowledge people and try and be light. Right. So the first episode is Be Light. Next Humanity Way is Be present. That goes into all the distraction science. You know how our attention spans are now, you know, eight seconds, the goldfish is nine seconds. It takes about 20 minutes to get back to a certain task. Once you get off of the task, we go into a lot about presence. The next Humanity Way is Be outside, which you would love. Jenny and all of your listeners know about this. The next episode is Be Moving. So this goes into a lot of just our health. Chronic disease epidemic, right? Yep. Six out of ten Americans have at least one or more chronic disease. 12% of our population is metabolically healthy. 70% of our population is obese or overweight. I mean you go down the list. We're not doing good because we're not moving. So that whole episode is on movement. Be Simple. I actually really love. This is a fun little statistic. The average 18 to 24 year old sends an average of 109.5 texts a day. 63% of teens communicate mostly via text. Over 267,000 texts are sent per second in the US alone. That's 23 billion daily. So in Be simple we literally walk you through how to simplify your communication. This to me is one of the greatest revelations that has happened in me going to a dumb phone light phone is that I, I don't have to answer six gajillion texts because people know I suck at texting and I really limit my texting because really when you think about it, a text is just another tab. It's another tab open on the computer screen in your mind. So we literally go through how to simplify your communication, simplifying even your goods, like your physical goods. One of the things that Thomas Aquinas talked about early in the church and obviously Arthur Brooks now that I think these social media platforms are exploiting are our desires for fame, pleasure, power and money. Now when you start to live a simple life and get off of a lot of these technologies that are persuading you, you need to be famous, you need to be powerful. You have, you have to have unlimited pleasure and unlimited money. When you start to live a simple life, it is the most freeing thing ever. And I know minimalism like kind of had a fad for like some time, but we talk about simplicity. I'll go through these a little faster here. Be free. We go through a lot of the addiction science. Carteros goes deeply into addiction science there how a lot of these Companies are using big tobacco tactics now, just in big tech form. Be Free goes into a bunch of pornography. Science Be Human is the next episode. We talk about how to again get some of these human things like dancing, singing, the arts, music back into your life. How to actually use these as like incredible ways to connect back with some of the greatest things that make us different from every other species on the planet. Right. Our next episode is Be Mindful. This is literally all mindful science, mindfulness science. So we go deeply into mindfulness. Be connected. This is a deep dive into friendships and actually what real connection looks like. We talk about empathy, we talk about how many friends you can actually facilitate from Dunbar's number. A lot of different studies there on real authentic friendship. Be Giving. I think I've noticed that when I was in a lot of these consuming platforms, it was all about what supplement I needed to take, what hack I needed to take, how I need to optimize my life, how I need to make more money. I think one of the greatest hacks to happiness is giving. I really think. And as mothers, I know that a lot of moms listening to this, you naturally have to clothe the naked and give, you know, food to the poor. Those are your children, right? They need you. Like you're naturally almost living. Matthew 25. But for a lot of people, like, we need to find ways to start giving. And we go through a bunch of data on that. There's a bunch of happiness literature, actually, and even Harvard's longest development study. I think it's the Harvard Development Study. It's the longest standing Harvard study. You know, ultimately talks about relationships being the best predictor for longevity. Your relationships, not how much money, not how many followers, not how much pleasure. You know?
- [60:47]
Jenny Eric
Yeah, not the fame, pleasure, power, money, none of that.
- [60:50]
Andrew Laubacher
Yeah. And when you're giving, you're usually giving to people, right? You're giving to, like, relational experiences. So again, it doesn't have to be money. It could be time. It could be opening a door for somebody. It could be actually having that conversation, like calling a friend instead of liking a post. I mean, there's infinite things you can do to be giving. The last episode is be silent. So I go into a lot of the silence literature. I think silence is a superpower. Today, most young people I talk to are too terrified to enter into silence. I'd say one of the greatest fruits in my life as an ADHD or neurodivergent brain that I like, barely concentrate. Silence has been incredibly healing in my life. And we go through all the science of healing, we talk about a lot of amazing studies on the gift of boredom. And in that episode we actually go into the silent killer, which I think is emf. So we have a whole portion of that, which is emf.
- [61:48]
Jenny Eric
End with a bang killer emf. What's so interesting is that getting outside hits so many of these.
- [61:55]
Andrew Laubacher
It hits so many of them for sure.
- [61:57]
Jenny Eric
All of them basically, except for giving. You have an opportunity to have all of this in your life. And it's just so interesting that these are in some ways simple solutions, but they're not easy to implement. I'm thinking in terms of, okay, there's 11 units here. If you did this with your family for the coming school year, that's, you know, your first, you'd be done by Christmas. Like, what a gift for your family to do that with another family. People are listening. This is fantastic. How did you even figure out those 11?
- [62:26]
Andrew Laubacher
It's just all the research I've been studying for years. I, I kept seeing different physicians, MDs, philosophers, theologians, referen, referencing certain virtue building actions, I would say that would create flourishing in the human person. And you know, I've taken a lot of this obviously from a lot of the health and wellness space as well. But the behavior change science that I've been trained in, to me is just missing in the app kind of influencer realm where it's like, hey, do these things for five days. And like, I mean, some of this does help in some way, but we need people. Here's what. I'm so excited. Like I'm falling in love with people again, Jenny. And I don't know how else to describe this. Like when I'm at airports, I'm looking at people like, they're so amazing. Like every individual human person is so incredible. And I think a lot of these technologies and the way we're interacting with each other are making us forget how amazing it is that we're alive, that we have each other, that we exist. You know, Michael Easter's like reference to the chances that we exist in his book was like 0 to the 10 to the 2 millionth power. Like if you were to try and roll that dice, it was like a trillion sided dice, you know, that you would need to roll perfectly on the first roll. Like the chances that we're here are just a little absurd. And I figure like at the end of our lives, I was just sharing this yesterday and we can close with this. I was sharing with the parents and students at this university, like at the end of our lives on our deathbeds. I really don't think we're going to regret spending time doing things that mattered most. I think we're going to regret probably the scrolling. We're probably going to regret the amount we worked, we overworked. We're probably going to regret the things that we said to people that we know we should have said. We're probably going to regret the places that we knew we should have gone to or the people we could have served. And I just don't want that. I want people on their deathbeds. Listen, we're all gonna die. This is. This is certain. Unless you're, you know, I guess in the AI live forever.
- [64:28]
Jenny Eric
Yeah, that's what they're trying.
- [64:30]
Andrew Laubacher
But I am actually looking forward to, you know, having the. The finite existence to where, like, this matters. There is going to be an end. I am gonna die, and what I do with my time really matters. And I think at the end of our lives, we know that this stuff is so frivolous that we're getting lost in such toxic, useless conversations. And what is that big show her Show Me Daddy podcast was the name. There's some podcast I don't even know. It's like the most useless information on the planet. We're gonna. We're gonna care about people. And I think a lot of these 11 humanity ways are gonna help you be healthy, happy, and prioritize people in your life. And it's gonna change your life.
- [65:12]
Jenny Eric
Yeah. And you've made it so that you've served it up so that you could do this with someone else. And this Russell York, I was just talking about the Cosmo Watch. He said people unite more over the things that they're for.
- [65:23]
Andrew Laubacher
Yes.
- [65:24]
Jenny Eric
It's easier to night over what you're for rather than what you're against.
- [65:27]
Andrew Laubacher
I love that.
- [65:28]
Jenny Eric
So, for example, if you're in a. In a neighborhood and you're the mom and you say, my kid isn't doing video games this summer, you know, people are going to be like, meh, okay, you know, whatever. Are you showing off? What's the deal? But if you say, hey, we're going to get a Cosmo Watch, or the kids can roam the neighborhood and if they need anything or, you know, we're going to be able to get a hold of them and we can give them this big boundary, that's a different type of a thing. So if you go to your neighborhood and you say, look, we want to do this course, it's 11 weeks, you know, we could do it throughout the school year. However you want to break it up. We want to do this course. It's really cool. Our kids could learn. Depending on their ages, they can join in. You know, let's have these nights together and have these discussions. It's something to come together for.
- [66:05]
Andrew Laubacher
Yes.
- [66:05]
Jenny Eric
As opposed to just being against something. It's an action forward. So this is incredible. I will put the link the villages are launching by the time this episode is out, you will be able to join in with that. And I know you said, I don't think it's going to take years for it to catch on. I think it's going to be very quick because people are looking for it. They're looking for solutions. I figured we'll end with the verse because you brought this one up. It's Ecclesiastes 7:2.
- [66:29]
Andrew Laubacher
Yes.
- [66:30]
Jenny Eric
It is better to enter a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting. For death is the destiny of everyone. The living should take this to heart.
- [66:40]
Andrew Laubacher
I don't feel like I should say anything after that, Jenny, but thank you for having me. This is great. And I'm happy to enter in to this podcast realm where I feel like you can experience information in a way that you can apply it to your life that's really actionable. And anyway, so I'm super grateful for everything you're doing. Yeah.
- [66:56]
Jenny Eric
And it fosters relationship.
- [66:58]
Andrew Laubacher
Yes.
- [66:58]
Jenny Eric
I hear people say all the time. I talked about it with my group of friends. I talked about it with my husband. Like, that's what I hope is that it's conversation fodder and it's also something for your mind to chew on as opposed to small bites of information. And it's actionable. So what you're doing is incredible. Thank you. Thank you for. I mean, I think that's so incredible that in the seven years you go from being this musician that's touring to coming up with a whole course for people with these 11. I don't. I don't know what you call them.
- [67:24]
Andrew Laubacher
I feel like I'm botching the 11, 11 humanity ways.
- [67:27]
Jenny Eric
Okay. I mean, I don't units or, you know, you come up with these 11 human ality ways and you are able to siphon it down and to find the experts and to make these videos. So. What a gift. What a gift. Talking about giving. So, Andrew, thank you for your time and thank you for all this work you've done.
- [67:43]
Andrew Laubacher
Thanks, Jenny. Be in touch. Hopefully. I would love to hang out in person at some point. So, yes, if I'm ever in. In Michigan. We'll. We'll make that happen.
- [67:50]
Jenny Eric
Yeah. Or we can come on one of your hikes. And if you are ever single again, please let the audience know. All right, we'll wrap it up there.
- [67:59]
Andrew Laubacher
That's good. Sa Satan. Sa mom and dad. The school supplies you buy me this.
- [83:17]
Jenny Eric
Year will mostly end up in my mouth. Maybe shop.
- [83:20]
Andrew Laubacher
Low prices for school at Amazon so.
- [83:22]
Jenny Eric
I don't eat up all your money. Just something to chew on. Amazon. Spend less, smile more.