What if you only had one year to live? It might sound like a terrifying thought—but for many of my clients, this question became the unexpected key to calming their anxiety, shifting their priorities, and living with greater clarity and peace.

In this episode, I’ll share real-life stories of clients who broke out of fear, stress, and relationship tension by asking themselves this single question. You’ll hear how it helped them stop people-pleasing, become more present, transform difficult family dynamics, and move toward passions that had long been buried under anxiety.

We’ll explore:

• Why imagining limited time doesn’t create more anxiety—it relieves it
• How urgency can awaken courage, gratitude, and purpose
• The surprising psychological shift from cyclical to linear time
• And how you can use this question to realign your own life right now

Timestamps:

00:30 – Intro: The counterintuitive question that calms anxiety
00:59 – A client overwhelmed by work, school, and divorce finds clarity
02:35 – How the question creates courage and unblocks passions
03:14 – Meet Sadie: Constant future-stress and why she couldn’t rest
06:12 – Jim’s struggle: Family tension and values clashes
08:45 – Carrie’s story: Parents, boundaries, and a surprising twist
12:02 – You don’t actually have forever: 4,000 weeks
12:52 – Linear time vs. cyclical time—and why this matters for anxiety
16:00 – Kindness Narrative: Support After a Four Wheeler Accident

Submit Your Kindness Narrative:

Share a moment of kindness that moved you or changed you. Email your story (written or audio) to calmyourcaveman@gmail.com or DM me on Instagram @CalmYourCaveman.

For full show notes, including resources mentioned, go to https://www.calmyourcaveman.com/episodes/start-becoming-who-you-want-to-be—now

Think you’ve got a good handle on what’s dangerous? Take my three-question quiz in this episode and prepare to be surprised.

Join me as we unpack:

• Why your brain is wired to overestimate rare threats
• How news and social media manipulate your attention with the "triple threat" formula: Negative, Novel, and Emotional
• How relentless exposure to worst-case scenarios is subtly programming you to live in defense mode.

But don’t worry—You’ll also learn:

• How to “retrain” your brain to perceive the world more accurately
• Why consuming news is like eating dessert (and what your psychological vegetables should be)
• Simple practices that can reset your emotional baseline and lower chronic anxiety

Time Stamps

00:30 – Welcome + Risk Quiz
01:15 – Quiz Answers Revealed
03:15 – Media’s Attention-Trap: Negativity + Novelty + Emotion
09:30 – How Your Unconscious Brain Predicts the Future
15:00 – How Feeding Your Memory Affects Your Perception of Risk
18:10 – Mental Junk-Food vs. Mental Vegetables
22:19 – Kindness Narrative: A Kind Airline Pilot

For full show notes, including resources mentioned, go to https://www.calmyourcaveman.com/episodes/why-your-brain-thinks-the-world-is-scarier-than-it-is

What if a simple “hello” could rewire your anxious brain? In this surprising and science-backed episode, we explore how speaking to strangers—yes, even if you're an introvert—can shift your unconscious emotional default from fear to connection. Learn why weak social ties matter, how your brain rewrites its threat narratives, and how living in Brazil changed my personal relationship with everyday interactions. This episode is packed with practical, research-based advice for gradually training your brain to feel safer in the world, one small interaction at a time.

What You’ll Learn:

• How simple social interactions shift brain chemistry
• Real-life introvert stories (including mine!)
• How to gamify your exposure to small talk and feel better doing it
• The cultural contrast that rewired my perspective on strangers

Timestamps:

00:30 – Welcome back & a quick refresher on the "iceberg" model
03:07 – Today’s surprising strategy: Rewiring Anxiety Through Micro-Connections
04:09 – But what if I’m an introvert? (Spoiler: it still works)
05:23 – Real-life story: my introverted friend and the lab job that changed her
07:14 – My past: how I used to avoid every interaction
9:02 – Moving to Brazil: the culture shift that forced me to connect
12:23 – Beach buddies & micro-moments of belonging
14:18 – Why this works: rewiring your emotional defaults
16:13 – Start small: make it a game and track your wins
18:44 – Kindness narrative: help with a family tragedy

For full show notes, including resources mentioned, go to https://www.calmyourcaveman.com/episodes/you’re-not-anti-social,-you’re-under-exposed