The Dr. John Delony Show - Ask Me Anything #8: John Answers Your Questions

Episode Date: May 13, 2026

🔥 Microhabits for a better marriage. Download the Together app.   On today’s episode, John answers your burning questions on conversations to have before marriage, what constitutes cheating, a...nd tips for living with ADHD.   Next Steps: ❤️ Get away with your spouse today! 📞 Ask John a question! Call 844-693-3291 or send us a message. 📚 Building a Non-Anxious Life 📝 Anxiety Test  📚 Own Your Past, Change Your Future  ❓ Questions for Humans Conversation Cards  💭 John's Free Guided Meditation  🤘🏼 The Dr. John Delony Show Merch    Connect With Our Sponsors:    ·       Get 10% off your first month of BetterHelp. ·       Go to Capstone Wellness to learn more. ·       Get up to 20% off with code DELONY at Cozy Earth.   ·       Get 20% off when you join DeleteMe.  ·       Visit Hallow for a 90-day free trial. ·       Visit Helix Sleep for special offers!  ·       Working knives for working people—Go to Montana Knife Company to see what’s available now! ·       Explore Poncho Outdoors! ·       Head to Shady Rays and use code DELONY for 40% off two or more polarized sunglasses.  ·       Get 25% off your order at Thorne.   ·       Visit Zander Insurance or call 1-800-356-4282 for your free instant quote today.   Explore More From Ramsey Network:   🎙️ The Ramsey Show 💸 The Ramsey Show Highlights   🍸 Smart Money Happy Hour 💰 George Kamel 🪑 Front Row Seat with Ken Coleman 📈 EntreLeadership   Ramsey Solutions Privacy Policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Starting point is 00:00:05 This is an ad for BetterHelp. You work hard to be the strong one for everyone else, but you're running on empty. That pressure just doesn't disappear. It takes over your life and talking to someone can help. Go to BetterHelp.com slash Deloney for 10% off. Can you believe that you haven't gotten pulled off the air in 900 episodes? Your clever editing is much more extensive than I thought. What should couples make sure they agree on before getting married?
Starting point is 00:00:32 What is your current morning routine and how has that? that changed over the years. Is emotional cheating or physical cheating worse? That's tough. What up? It's the 900 episode of the Dr. John Deloney show. Nine hundred. Dude, that's awesome. I know. Can you believe that you haven't gotten pulled off the air in 900 episodes? I've gotten pulled off, but your clever editing, which I found out recently, is much more extensive than I thought. Yeah, for those out there, I don't think John realized that I do my darnest because I have bills to pay. No, you do your damnedest.
Starting point is 00:01:14 You're not your damnedest. You do your damnedest. Make sure we stay on the air. And sometimes that has to be involved a little creativity. I... Basically, I save you from yourself. I don't need to save... I do need to save you for myself.
Starting point is 00:01:28 Do we need to play the... Nope, we're good. We're good. Sometimes... Yeah. So if you happen to have a job where the person you work with is being recorded all a time. A useful potential HR move is what Ben does. He just has a folder for in case my job is on the line. And it's all the things Kelly edits out of the show that he has in a folder
Starting point is 00:01:51 somewhere. It's a big folder. It's a big folder. All right. So as we do every one of these milestone episodes. We do the Ask Me Anythings. The Ask Me Anythings. All right. So you sent them to me. I got my head done trying to edit this book, so I haven't even opened it. So these are going to just come R-I-W. We're going to get high on our own supply, and we're going to just get it done. All right.
Starting point is 00:02:16 You ready for the first one? Let's do it. Okay. What should couples make sure they agree on before getting married? You know what? This is a great question. I think the thing they should agree on the most is how we will talk to each other
Starting point is 00:02:34 when things don't go the way we want. or think they're going to go. Because I think there's so much pressure. You have to agree on this. You have to agree on this. You have to agree on this. I don't think that's true anymore. I think there's some things statistically out in the world that say most couples do better
Starting point is 00:02:48 if they agree on these things. That's all true, right? If you agree with somebody, of course, it greases the wheels and makes interactions easier. But I think the thing that you need to agree on is we are going to remain friends. And we're going to do things that keep our friendship not only intact, but it's, that juices our friendship up and that we're gonna come up with a way to talk about things when we get sideways
Starting point is 00:03:12 and or when we disagree. And I think, let me add one more thing. I think having a set of values underneath everything that y'all anchor into is important. The challenge is some people listen to the show and they're 20 and they just got married.
Starting point is 00:03:28 Some people are getting married for the third time and they're 56 or whatever, like 75 or whatever. And so what you think is a value at 19 is going to change. And so I want folks to have the same values. I don't care about their beliefs. Give some, if you would, expand on values versus beliefs. What's the difference? And when you talk about, because it seems kind of squishy. Values are who you are. Yeah, values are who you are. Here's who we are. Beliefs are ways I'm going to live out who I am. Right. And so here, that again, I don't want to be more
Starting point is 00:04:03 squishy. Here's a good example. My wife and I have a shared value that we believe in God. Now, our belief to how that is expressed in our lives, what we actually believe about that, what we believe that means for how we act, how we post things on the internets or don't, like, those things have changed a thousand times and they'll change a thousand times more. And often we don't believe even the same thing, but we're anchored in the same value that we're going to seek this thing, right? Another thing is generosity. We're people who are overly generous. That's just one of our core values. And I would rather get to the end of my life with an empty wallet than get to the end of my life with, I could have helped out some folks and whatever.
Starting point is 00:04:52 I like, my wife likes very formal, let's help this particular group out. I like walking around and seeing the security guard last night at the club. It was a security guard working on Easter. We're recording this a day after Easter. And I had just got some, I had some cash from another thing. And I was like, dude, that guy's exhausted. It's cold outside.
Starting point is 00:05:15 And so I like to be generous in private, quiet ways that nobody sees. It's going to affect that guy or that woman's day today. My wife likes more formal things. And so us always navigating what that looks like. We both have different beliefs on how we want to do that. but a core value is we're obnoxiously generous people. And so when she says, hey, I really want to give to this thing, that's not coming out of the blue. And I'm going to do whatever I can to figure that out.
Starting point is 00:05:42 And when she's like, hey, you had that $20 or that $50 or $1.00 bill yesterday in the car, I need that for. I'm like, oh, I gave that somebody. She doesn't get mad, right? Because she knows that's who the guy married is, right? So that's the difference between values and beliefs. Okay. So what do you do? So beliefs.
Starting point is 00:06:02 And you said they've changed a thousand times and they'll change a thousand more. Is that just continuous conversation about how that's changed? Do you have to have the big sit down conversations when the beliefs part change? Again, if your ego is tied to, you have to believe everything I do. I believe. And if your ego is tied to, you have to like everything that I like and you have to be passionate about the things I'm passionate about. I hear that a lot. Like, my wife's not passionate about my music.
Starting point is 00:06:28 Who cares? My hope is she's passionate about how passionate you are about that thing. I will never be as passionate about gardening as my wife is. She went and got her master certification here in Tennessee to become a master gardener. Like, I'll never have that kind of interest. I love eating the produce when she's in the fall. Which, by the way, my husband has his as well. So I feel you.
Starting point is 00:06:49 But I am super passionate. I love how much she loves gardening. She thinks stand-up comedy is kind of not that great. I love it. And she especially doesn't think I'm funny. And, but she really loves how much I love this thing, right? And so if your ego is tied into everybody has to believe what I believe, then A, you're going to have a miserable, lonely, moronic life. And B, you're putting a ton of pressure on somebody to be something they're not. And that means your marriage over time will become performative, right? And so all that to say is, man, believe what you believe. That's why we read books.
Starting point is 00:07:27 That's why we listen to shows. That's why we go to lectures. That's why we listen to podcasts so we can learn new things. Like, I know what I believe. Show me something else. And that's the fun adventure of life. And Esther Perel said this,
Starting point is 00:07:42 and I just love it, but I think it's understated. She says most adults will have three or four or five. I don't remember exact number of great loves in their lifetime. And if they work really hard, they can be with the same person.
Starting point is 00:07:57 I love that sentiment. I just think it underestimates the amount of change people have. I'm like on version 14 of myself. My wife is on version. She hasn't changed as much as me, like six or seven of herself. Which means for me, I get to always be discovering a new person as my wife is becoming, whatever she's becoming. And I've just learned to let go and love that part of my life.
Starting point is 00:08:20 Like, what are you into now? What do you like now? What are you not like now? In the bedroom? What did you used to like that you don't like anymore? What are you like interested in like getting to know somebody new has become awesome. And when you're anchored into we're married and there's not a chance you're going to leave. Man, what a fun, adventurous life you can have.
Starting point is 00:08:37 But it takes you letting go of your ego that what I believe is right and you have to believe what I believe. What a stupid thing. The belief is like let's get the same values and let's navigate our beliefs. Occasionally beliefs will crash into, yeah, we need to have a sit down. But I think it doesn't have to be that dramatic most of the time. All right. Second question. I just got out of a relationship and I was hurt pretty badly.
Starting point is 00:09:04 Is it wrong for me to stay single? No. Stay single is awesome. What I would suggest is not staying single as a defense mechanism, but staying single as a recovery mechanism. the mechanism is the wrong word to use there. But yeah, dude, like if you blow your knee out or you hurt your foot, like you don't go play basketball the next day on another court.
Starting point is 00:09:32 Like, you need to take some time out. If you get injured and then you go get surgery and you go to rehab and you get well and then you avoid playing ever again, maybe that's the right choice for you, but I want you to be intentional about that choice, right? I have had three different knee surgeries on all of those were related to adult basketball leagues. I'm calling it.
Starting point is 00:09:57 Like, I'm good, right? So if you got your heartbroken, you got hurt, somebody treated you bad, somebody was abusive or whatever, yeah, dude, take some time. To heal, take some time to metabolize that, take some time to ask yourself, what do you really want? And this is a hard question, and I don't mean this to,
Starting point is 00:10:19 but ask yourself and get some. wisdom from a counselor from a close group of friends. Did you contribute anything to some of to that situation? Is this the second or third or fourth person who's hurt you? And if so, what are you bringing to these relationships? What are you looking for in relationships? So being reflective and then asking yourself moving forward, what's going to be different about any new relationships I get into? But I will say this, being single is different than being alone. And if somebody breaks your heart romantically, it is not healthy to turtle up and not hang out with all humans. It's good to say, I'm not on the dating market right now. That's fine, well, and good. And there's
Starting point is 00:11:02 some people that just being single is awesome. And they are full and whole in their life and they don't want to get married. They don't need to get married. Great. Awesome, wonderful. Live your best life. But for most of us, yeah, what do you think? Oh, I agree. I know people that bounce from one to the other, like relationship-wise, without, because I think it's a fear of being alone. So they bounce, you know, from the one to the other when sometimes you need that time in between. I think almost always to figure, yeah, to figure out what happened. And in the case of the person that I'm thinking of, this happens over and over and over and over.
Starting point is 00:11:46 What's the common denominator here? Hey, oh. Yeah, you. And so what am I bringing? What am I expect? In the case of this person, it's the expectations are too unrealistic. And when said person, that person can't live up to them, then it's on to the next. So, but yeah, I think it's important.
Starting point is 00:12:04 But again, yeah, and I know some people that never got married, never wanted to get married, they're fine. And they just, they love their life. Great. But don't do it because you're scared to get hurt. Yeah, yeah, yeah. All right. Now we're getting to the little less.
Starting point is 00:12:22 existential questions. Oh, you just smiled. What is this one? No, this one's not bad at all. So your current morning routine, and I just want to preface this by saying, so since we've been doing AMAs, people have always had a huge interest in your morning routine. And now, having said that, your morning routine from when we started doing these five years ago,
Starting point is 00:12:41 has been all over the map and sometimes has been flat out crazy. I was a douche 9.0. I mean, oh, my God. It has been, it's been insane. Yes. So the question is, what is your current morning routine and how has that changed over the years? Man, I'll answer the second question first. It's dramatically different, like wildly different.
Starting point is 00:13:05 Your morning routine has been exhausting to hear about over time. It was pathological. It was a, it was a, I'll go back and say I needed to do it. But right the second, the last year or so, or six months, in all honesty, it's been pretty chaotic. I know that when I started a book project, I'm giving up a year of my life. I know that. And so I get out of balance all over the place.
Starting point is 00:13:31 Like this morning I was up, I don't remember, 445, I think I was up writing because I wanted to send a chapter before I got to work this morning. So it's a chaotic time. Where I'm at now is I get up early still, most nights of the week. I mean most nights. Ooh, that sounded awesome because I'm hardcore. Most mornings, I get up pretty early. So before six, and it could be 4.45. It could be 5.45.
Starting point is 00:13:59 It could be whatever. Sometimes I sleep in until 7. But I try to get up early. And two or three days out of the week, I will go sit in front of red lights and do this breathing app. I use the Nordic Wave breathing app. And I go through the breathing exercises. That actually has been transformative in a world.
Starting point is 00:14:17 way that I wouldn't have imagined. I've heard it and read about it on James Nestor's work and all that. It has been really wild. I'm glad you're not doing them anymore while you're driving. I'm not doing them in a vehicle. I'm doing them sitting down. And this year, I, man, I'm going to go down a rabbit hole. I got into lymphatic transfer throughout your body. So I went and got a rebounder and all the, so it's a whole thing. I don't want to get too dorky. But, um, too late. So yeah, you'll see me jumping on a trampoline, a rebounder, as the nerds call it. One of those little trampolines, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Starting point is 00:14:56 And I do that for a while. And then I'll usually go head out for a walk or a ruck in the morning. And then three or four other days of the week, I'm lifting weights in the morning in my home gym and try to get outside. The second part of that is I'm trying to be more intentional about being present with my family in the morning when I can. And so I want to see my kids. I want to sit down and be goofy and poke at everybody and share coffee with my wife if I can, that kind of thing. So being present in the morning, which sounds funny to say the last two or three months, I've just been at a zoo. But trying to be present in the morning with them.
Starting point is 00:15:36 That time's just getting so finite for me. And so long story short, some time of exercise, some time of meditation and breathwork and prayer, some time of trampolining, which gosh, what a dork, what a dork, and then sometime with relationships. And so that's the crux of my morning routine. What are some of the crazier things over the last five years that we've been doing these that have times been involved in your morning routine? Oh, dude. I mean, five years ago when I started this show, I mean, I was militant.
Starting point is 00:16:11 Four, five, nine, I think is when I got up. I don't remember exactly when it was, but it was some obnoxious time. I don't care if I had one hour of sleep, if I had seven minutes of sleep, I was getting up at that time. And I'm trying to think what I would do. I would get up and I would go meditate
Starting point is 00:16:25 and I'd go sit in a cold plunge. And then after the cold plunge, I would go, I don't know, do Kung Fu. Like, I would, dude, I was alone, right? I picture you playing the song. Everybody was Kung Fu fighting with you just over there. No, it was the, you're the best around. It was the Karate Kid one montage.
Starting point is 00:16:43 Yeah, dude. And then I would go lift weights because you never skip a day. And then on the way back, I would be doing breathing exercises in the car. I mean, I was just too much. It was actually Alex Hermosie that somebody asked him,
Starting point is 00:16:56 and he was the first guy that I went, oh, no, you're right. And somebody was like, what's your morning routine, bro? And he's a big jacked finance, fix your business and that guy. But he's beefcake jacked. And he scoffed at the guy
Starting point is 00:17:11 and was like, I don't have a morning routine. And the guy was like, like, what do you mean? And he said, if I can't go do, live the life I want to live without militantly scheduling every second of my morning, then I'm a slave to the morning routine, then I'm not free. And when he said that, I was like, oh, crap, I am, I have created a life to give me freedom. And I'm wholly unfree from it.
Starting point is 00:17:34 And so that began like, dude, what if I just enjoyed getting up in the morning because I'm being productive? I feel better when I do breathing exercises. that's like reset my nervous system in a powerful way. I feel better when I exercise. I feel better when I'm laughing and hanging out and being goofy with my kids and annoying them. I like seeing my wife and having long hugs in the morning.
Starting point is 00:17:53 Like, that gives me a better life. And so getting morning sunlight is a must. And so those things have given me a freer, better life, a healthier life overall. Yeah, I will also say, though, as someone who never had any kind of morning routine besides get up and... We got to go!
Starting point is 00:18:11 Exactly. and then rolling, you know, late, which I still roll in late, but not near as late as you. So that's fine. Hope that felt good. It did. Hey, I have to do what I can. But there's still, I have found a benefit over the last, what did I, almost two and a half to three years. And it was because of you and Cody, John's brand manager, that I developed a morning routine that looks nothing like your old ones.
Starting point is 00:18:37 But having that routine, have some structure in the morning, has changed every. everything for me. Yeah. So there is a benefit to having some structure. I think structure based on values is important. Right. Well, because mine was always, because I didn't have structure around workout and stuff, I had this whole shame cycle about, I didn't work out, and now I suck, and I'm a horrible
Starting point is 00:18:57 human because I didn't do, but changing the mindset on that and changing how I did, it did help. Here's where morning structure is important, I think. You start your morning, keeping your promises to yourself. and there's something profound about I can count on me to do the things I said I was going to do and I think a lot of us run through life
Starting point is 00:19:20 looking out at other people and saying well they never and what in this and you need to make me feel a certain way and you become unanchored because your body doesn't trust you you don't keep your own promises and that's where that old I forgot the general but he gave that speech
Starting point is 00:19:34 and he's like make your bed like nobody can take away that from you you got out of bed and you made your bed Because you start the day with a win. You started the day by keeping one promise to yourself and those build on themselves, right? So for me, a morning routine, a structure is I said I was going to do this thing for me so that I can spend the rest of my day giving myself away. It's Will Goderras. I'm going to wake up and get my pitcher and I'm going to go to the faucet and fill it all the way up so that as a husband, as a dad, as a co-worker, I can fill everybody's water glass all day.
Starting point is 00:20:07 and at the end of the day, mine should be empty, and then I'm going to wake up to my morning and I'm going to fill that sucker up because I'm worth that, and then once I do that from a good place, a healthy place, then I can be of service to everybody in my life. I like that, yeah. All right, last question in this segment.
Starting point is 00:20:26 I would have said, what is your favorite venison recipe? But I love that the person that sent this in that just says, what is your favorite deer recipe? My favorite, I, I, my wife, this is my big, this is my biggest Texas shame is that my wife is better on the grill than me. She's better at cooking meats than me. And she's just so good at it that I gave up. I quit. She's just awesome at it. And so my favorite, are you allowed to go back to the state?
Starting point is 00:20:55 No, no, no, no. Okay, I didn't think so. I got a letter, a cease and desist letter. Right, you're not allowed back now. You get to Texas Canada and you have to stop. Right, that's exactly right. Yeah, most people in the United States don't know that, but Texas also has its own check. points. You have to, once you cross the Mexico border, you have to go through the federal, and then you have to pass Texas. And usually they give you a test of some sort. You have to shoot a bow and arrow. Exactly. It's much harder. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, you have to name, like, who's the Yellow Rose of Texas? That's right. You have to rattle off George Strait lyrics. Can you answer that one? What's her name? It's the woman. Emily Morgan. Who? Emily Morgan. Oh, I've got that wrong. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:21:30 You know why she's the yellow rose of Texas? That's Anna Anna's. She was a, yeah, a lady of the evening. And she kept him entertained while our troops. Well, we got revenge on the Alamo. They tried to name an elementary school in our area after her. And because like, and they were like, man, maybe we shouldn't. Yeah. Whatever it takes.
Starting point is 00:21:56 What was I even talking about? Oh, I like, my wife cooks venison backstrap, elk backstrap, whatever animal, access to your backstrap. and she does it very, very minimally, mostly with just salt and pepper. And that's pretty much the way I like it. It's pretty awesome. We also have a lot of ground.
Starting point is 00:22:13 I mean, we eat venison probably three or four nights a week. And I use the bearded brother, the bearded butcher's. Those guys have a seasoning line that's just out of this world, man. And I pay for it. They'll give it to me for free. So it's not like a sponsorship.
Starting point is 00:22:28 I love their stuff. And that's what I put in, like just ground meat and stuff like that. All right. Before we go to break, when we come back, I'm going to ask you about emotional cheating versus physical cheating. Why? Fine. We'll be right back. All right.
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Starting point is 00:24:14 AMA, episode 900. Yes. Can you believe that we have put up with each other for 900 episodes? No. Yeah. I mean, pretty much Ben and I both have been in here for almost all 900. I mean, I've been in here for all of them. Ben for most.
Starting point is 00:24:32 We have like 17 associate producers. Yeah. Either that says something about me or. For me. I'm not sure which one. That's right. Yes. All right. Our next question. Is emotional cheating or physical cheating worse? Oh, that's tough.
Starting point is 00:24:49 That's one of those things that is often gendered in the research. The old saying goes, and I haven't read this research recently, but the older research was, if a wife told her husband I'm having an affair, his first question would be, did you sleep with him? And if a husband told his wife, I'm having an affair, her first question would be, do you love her? And so I think it depends on who you are and whatever. I always will, my default is a physical affair is worse, but that can be a very gendered, because I'm a dude, and that might be why I have that same bias.
Starting point is 00:25:32 I think both of them can be pretty destructive. And also, because I get this question all the time, with 100, percent certainty, couples can come back from affairs too, emotional and physical and otherwise. What do you think, Kelly? Do you identify it with that or no? I do. Because my wife is on my side with that.
Starting point is 00:25:53 She's like, I don't care if you like somebody. She does. But like, if you sleep with somebody, I'm like, I'll kill you both. And y'all, I know, Shaila, man. 100% could do it. And it would be efficient. It would be on our list of things to do that day. check it off and move along.
Starting point is 00:26:10 And then she'd stop by the PO box, I mean the post office. Yeah. And no one would ever find y'all. No. Yeah, it would be amazing. She would never tell a soul. I would be reading,
Starting point is 00:26:23 I would be listening to a podcast about your unsolved murder. Yeah. 100% and I would just be like hats off. Yeah, it'd be brilliant. But I agree more with Sheila with you. I have more of an issue with, with the physical part. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:26:38 which I know not all my female friends would agree with that. And I will, I'll put myself out there a little bit. I have, years ago, had a male friend that I realized, actually my husband was like, too close. Too close. And so I was like, oh, oh, this is the thing that I've heard people talk about. And so I had to put some pretty hard guardrails in. And now I've got, you know, male friends, because I work in a male-dominated
Starting point is 00:27:08 field that I don't talk about my spouse, I don't talk about these kind of, you know, we don't ever have the conversations of, oh my God, my husband did this or that. No, we just don't go there. And it usually is, you know, football working out, work, that kind of conversation. And so I have more of a problem with the physical part of it than I do the emotional. But I know that that's not the norm not universal. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. I think most females have a problem with the, the lovey-de-de-de-be, the more emotional. But also, I am not that person. You don't have emotions.
Starting point is 00:27:42 I don't have any. I don't care about your feelings. I don't want to talk about your feelings. I mean, that's just not me in any way. So, great, if you find someone that wants to talk about your feelings with you, have at it. I mean. I don't have to worry about it then. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:27:55 Because my husband has a whole lot more emotions and feelings than I do. As do most humans. Except maybe your wife. Most people, fair, fair. Oh, she's got them. They're just very sharp. Yes. All right. Next question. This kind of goes back to what we were just talking about. Can couples have friends of the opposite sex?
Starting point is 00:28:15 A, 100% yes. I think you have to be boundaryed and wise. And the times I've gotten, I'll say I've got myself in trouble, but the times I have found myself over emotionally invested in a woman who wasn't my wife is that friendship became one of the most important friendships I had. And then suddenly, I'm calling that person or texting that person or I think of something and I can't wait to tell that person. And that's on me, right? Like if I leave this little executive club membership too, that's my marriage and I start leaning on people of the opposite sex for, I think that can get heavy. Now, I've got, when I say great, I mean super close friends that are women, but they're all boundaries and structured. And I've always believed in like, it's when you, I think I don't, I shouldn't tell my wife that I had that conversation. Like, that's when I think for me, the signals over the last 25 years I've been with my wife. Like, that's when I know that's, that's not right.
Starting point is 00:29:22 And so I'm always open with my wife about who I'm talking to and why and about what and whatever. And she's got the pass codes to it. So all that, it's like living in an unstructured way. But I, I say this probably two. boldly, but I'm pretty sure, you know, you know, I'm holding this information for this friend that's not my husband or not my wife, or I'm talking about things that would, if my husband were sitting right here at this table, I wouldn't be talking to this guy about that stuff, right? And so I think that's a good litmus test for you. But yeah, you absolutely can have friends.
Starting point is 00:29:56 You can have close friends. What do you think? Oh, I 100% believe so. I've worked in male-dominated fields on my my life working in radio before this and music industry. So yes, I can. And like I said, having been someone who at one point in time realized I was getting too close, I've also learned though, yeah, you have to be intentional. I think you have to be aware and just intentional. And you have to also be aware, like, what is the other person's intent and feelings? Well, that's the thing you don't know. Yes. No, but you have to be aware when those signs start coming up that, oh, okay, we're not on the same page here.
Starting point is 00:30:34 Yeah. Oh, I have a line that you don't have. Right. Yes. And by the way, for most people, when they figure that out, it feels good. Oh, 100%. Everybody wants to be wanted. Oh, you would?
Starting point is 00:30:45 Yeah, yeah, yeah. It feels good. And, man, that is every danger sign flashing. Right. And that means you need to turn around and look at your marriage and go, what am I not getting here? We need to solve this. Yeah. What do I don't, or what do I don't feel like I'm getting here?
Starting point is 00:30:57 Yeah, yeah, yeah. And how we need to fix that instead of, oh, but I am getting it here. Right, exactly. So, yeah, you just have to be intentional. and careful and aware. To me, the words validation. Where am I going for validation? That is, why do I need that validation?
Starting point is 00:31:13 Why do I, why am I making up stories that I'm not getting it here? Maybe I'm not. Maybe I'm truly not. But heading back towards my wife, my spouse, my, your husband, whoever happened to be, why am I seeking external validation? What's going on inside this marriage that is making me look elsewhere? Not making me. Why am I choosing to look elsewhere?
Starting point is 00:31:34 way to say that. You mentioned something one time and then I heard a great quote about drift. And I think that that's where you have to be careful and these kind of scenarios is one degree, one degree, one degree. And then all of a sudden you're in an emotional affair or holding things from your spouse and telling this person because it's just, it's usually not a hard right. Like you don't go into those kind of relationships going, well, I'm going to sleep with that guy or whatever, it's these little bits of tiny little, you know, death by a thousand cuts. And all of a sudden, you look up and you're like, oh, I'm telling this person all this stuff and not my spouse or vice versa. But yeah, it's just this slow little drift until all of a sudden the boat's face in a different direction.
Starting point is 00:32:18 It was George Bernard Shaw who said, to be in hell is to drift and to be in heaven is to steer. But that idea that you're not paying attention. The word is intentional. Yeah. And so it's just being intentional and not looking up. and you're, you know, go in a completely different direction that you didn't intend.
Starting point is 00:32:35 It takes a lot of courage to turn and face the challenges at your home or the challenges in your marriage. It takes a lot of courage. It's hard, especially if you have a volatile spouse, and I don't mean violent, but I mean volatile, like,
Starting point is 00:32:49 they're going to get their feelings hurt and pout for four days, or they're going to try to attack you back. Like, it's hard, man. All that's hard, but you're exactly right. All right. Next question. What belief have you changed your mind about recently?
Starting point is 00:33:04 Oh, God. A thousand things. D&D? Video games? No. Oh, come on. You've 100% changed your mind about D&D. I haven't changed.
Starting point is 00:33:18 Here's what I've changed. My willingness to participate in a campaign. But you changed your mind and you talked about this because you always joked about what a, you know, dorkfest it was. No offense. No, no. I've changed my mind on. And it's a net good, yes. Right, because it's a community.
Starting point is 00:33:33 It's a community. Right. Yes. So a couple of things I've changed my mind on. Oh, man, I don't want to get in trouble on this. I'm trying to think of ways I can say it and not in trouble. Oh, please. Remember, I add it.
Starting point is 00:33:49 Yeah. Thing number one is I look at what's currently happening politically, the mess that we're sitting in. and I thought that people were sitting down and digging into issues and digging into the cult of personalities and tribalism. I thought people were digging into why am I in this gang or not and making that decision. I'm in this side. I'm on this side. I'm not on either side and here's why. And I don't believe that anymore. I believe that most people are exhausted. and cooked and scrolled out of their minds, myself included, I think we are so overwhelmed and we are going to places where we feel safe, not the places where we agree.
Starting point is 00:34:46 And I think that that gives me a lot more compassion than thinking, oh, you looked at the math and you thought three plus three is 14, then I can say you're dumb, your brain doesn't work right, you're an idiot, I can make all kind of statements about you. but if it's like, no, no, no, I'm fried and I'm scared and I don't, I'm exhausted and I just want fill in the blank to stop. I need somebody give me a story as to why. I have a lot more compassion and that's changed because I spent the last 10 years just angry all the time. Here's a big one. This is the biggest belief I've changed. You ready for this one? I'm a guy with two PhDs, two doctorate degrees, and a master's degree, and a bachelor's degree.
Starting point is 00:35:33 I have, I thought that you would solve your body's problems, your life's issues if you got the right information. And a big belief I have changed is what's more important is less than understanding is doing the right thing, like going and acting towards. And so if somebody's like, I don't understand why I need, I don't care, just start walking in the mornings. Yeah, but what's the physiology and the, it doesn't matter. For most people, it's a distraction. I want you just to start walking in the morning and getting some morning sunlight. And if your spouse, I'll go with you, it's going to change your life. Or I don't feel like being nice in the mornings.
Starting point is 00:36:14 I'm tired. I don't care. Do one nice thing for your spouse in the morning when you wake up. Make their coffee for them. So I think that act of acting before the active, let's think and understand it all, I try to drill down, I've changed my belief on that whole like 180. Start doing the next right thing. And over time, the feelings will follow.
Starting point is 00:36:34 And then you will find enough energy to dig into the how and the why and all the nerd stuff if you want to go down those roads. But just start acting in the way you want somebody to act towards yourself. Go start becoming the person. You want others to see you becoming. and so much of this other stuff will follow. I think it's that whole idea of just do something. Do something. Something.
Starting point is 00:36:55 Yeah. And sometimes they're doing the something is stop doing anything, right? Like they say in medicine, like if you're doing an intervention and it's hurting the person and you don't know why, stop doing that thing, right? Stop. And then we'll like reset. But don't just keep doing it more. Yeah. So, but take an action.
Starting point is 00:37:13 Well, the whole, I mean, the whole, what is it, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over. again and expecting different results. Yeah, just stop. Stop. Do something different. Or do something different. Yeah. If waking up every morning and going to your spouse for the last two years, if that's not bringing you together, which it won't, just try it for 60 days. Wake up and look over and whisper to yourself two things. You're really grateful about that person and then go do one nice thing for them. Just do that for you so that you become the person you want to be in your marriage. It may not change them at all. I almost guarantee you it will. But just go do that thing. And you'll
Starting point is 00:37:49 find, oh, I begin to see a whole bunch of nice stuff about them when all I could see was how bad they were. I like who I'm becoming, which makes me more attractive to be around emotionally and spiritually. Like, go be that change that you want to be. How very man in the mirror have you? How very Gandhi of me? Go ahead. Yeah. Never in my life have I ever thought it to putting you in Gandhi in the same sentence. So that's new. I agree to disagree. All right. What is the thing that you splurge on the most that people would think was crazy. Oh, or what's one thing that you splurge on that people,
Starting point is 00:38:25 most people would just be like, I'm not doing that. I've got so many things. My wife, she's like, we're buying what? What are we doing? I don't think people know.
Starting point is 00:38:37 You can be pretty bougie. I'm real big on buy it one time. Yeah, about certain brand, not in a brand way. Not like because you want the fancy brand. I want the highest quality thing. You want the quality.
Starting point is 00:38:50 And so you can be pretty boogey about I can be insanely boogie about it. Yeah. People don't know. I've got three pet snakes right now, and those are expensive to upkeep, and people didn't know that about me. And I've, my dad and I, there's a whole backstory to that, but I've collected snakes my whole life, and people, that surprises people, the amount of money I spend on it and keeping them up and taking care of them and all that. Oh, I remember what I found out, and it was a couple of years ago whenever Andrew over here had to go by. Oh, he was buying a special kind of mouse for me at a store like an hour away. And I thought the mice were adorable.
Starting point is 00:39:26 And then I was like, what are these for it? I mean, when I found out, I was, that you collected, you had snakes. I was floored. Yeah. Yeah. And then I spend money on, I have been getting lymphatic massages, which are very unique and very weird. Yeah, they just doesn't sound good to say, but they're pretty awesome. No, they're actually, I've heard they're very helpful, but it just sounds really disgusting.
Starting point is 00:39:51 Yeah. but they're actually like unbelievable. Like it's strange. It's a very strange experience but it's pretty amazing. And those are pretty expensive. Try to think what else.
Starting point is 00:40:04 I spend a lot of money on hunting trips and just hunting and traveling. I like that. What is something that Sheila like that she really values as far as that she'll spend money on? Because that's, I mean, I know you, but Sheila always seems so like
Starting point is 00:40:19 down to earth and grounded that she but there's got to what's her thing um she spends money on travel she spends she spends money on what i would say relational investments and so all of her her college roommates they still go on a trip every year or two trips one or two trips a year um she is she'll she goes and visits family a lot she goes to weddings of friends kids like she's very invested in people and so that's a high priority item for her and so she'll travel and when we didn't have any money money, she would drive and be gone for two weeks. But she's like, this is a wedding. I'm like, why? And she's like, because that's our friend's kids. And the way she, I'd be like, yeah, yeah, right?
Starting point is 00:41:04 So, you know what I mean? So that, that's, she's very relationally invested. And she spends money on her, um, I'll, I'll call it her art, but it's more her creative acts. She spends money like in her gardening, in her writing and things like that. So. All right. When we come back, back, we're going to talk about your ADHD. Don't have it. Mm-hmm. All right, I'm excited to tell you about a brand new sponsor of the Dr. John Deloney show, Capstone Wellness. I've spent the vast majority of my career working with teenagers and young adults and their families. I know from personal experience that finding help and care
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Starting point is 00:42:31 but they care for all types of people in all walks of life. If somebody close to me had a son who needed this level of care, or if my son needed this level of help, Capstone would be my first call. Residential treatment is a very serious investment in time, energy, and in money. Because this type of care is completely different. Financial aid and scholarships are available. Go to Capstone Wellness.com slash Deloney to learn more. That's capstone wellness.com slash deloni. All right, the 900th show, AMA, we're back.
Starting point is 00:43:07 All right, go for it, Kelly. All right, so this person wrote in and wants to know. I was recently diagnosed with ADHD. What are some of the processes that you've put in place to make it manageable for you and your family. Ooh. Oh, man. I think that's,
Starting point is 00:43:25 sounds like an accusation. I don't think that's fair or true, even though it's very fair and very true. Would you like for me to call Sheila to ask her this question instead? All right, so here's some things that I've put into place over time. Number one, I quit going to war with myself. And what I mean by that is I stopped trying to fight. chemistry, biochemistry, I stopped trying to fight my natural inclination towards things. I give myself
Starting point is 00:43:56 a lot of grace. So what does that look like? I used to when I was like in grad school when I was working on a paper, I would sit in a coffee shop from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. And I knew at 805, I'm not getting this paper done today. I just knew. I was cooked. My head was all over the place. and so I knew but I would sit there and try to grind it out and I would end up with 14 paragraphs half of which were garbage and then I would leave like what a freaking loser bum
Starting point is 00:44:26 you piece of crap you like whatever I don't do that anymore so what does that mean that means I give my self space so this like this book time like it's due Friday of this week but I've already turned in the whole manuscript and now I'm going back So I built in time for myself now, knowing you're going to have days where you sit down.
Starting point is 00:44:48 You're like, it's not happening today. And then when I know those days are coming, I go make the best of them. Like, okay, cool. I'm going to go all in on my kids. I'm going to go all in my wife. We're going to go to something awesome. My son and I are going to go play video games. My daughter and I are going to do something.
Starting point is 00:45:02 And so, but that is give myself a lot of grace. We don't put, when I say video games, we go to the arcade. We're not sitting there going, beep, peep, beep, beep, beep. Yeah. I'll get there. I thought Dr. Kay changed your mind. He did. I got a video game for Christmas.
Starting point is 00:45:17 I got a Switch game for Christmas. Oh, nice. Yes. We haven't played it yet, but once the book is over. You should play the Hogwarts game. It's actually amazing. Another thing about ADHD is it's not something I implemented,
Starting point is 00:45:30 it's something my wife implemented. Similarly, she stopped thinking I wasn't a good person. She stopped thinking that I had some sort of character and moral flaw when the light bulb went off like, oh, he didn't see that pile. Or it's not that he was just sitting in there going, I'm going to make us all late because he literally thought,
Starting point is 00:45:51 you know what is a good time right now to also shine my shoes? And also, you know what, I need to research tires I need on my wife's car? We should do that now. Well, I have one sock on, a T-shirt on, my jeans are on, but my belt is somewhere. And we're all late to church already. Like, that's not a good time. But she stopped the,
Starting point is 00:46:09 the anger part of it and then it just became pragmatic and so if we get to a certain time she'll just get in the car and take the kids and she'll head somewhere and I can walk outside and the car's left me
Starting point is 00:46:23 I mean she'll say I'm leaving but I don't get my feelings hurt anymore and so we've just taken the humanity pressure off of it and then it just becomes tactics a few other things is I try really hard to keep myself well sleep has been magic
Starting point is 00:46:37 exercise is magic is magic, having friendships and things. And here's another thing. It's an unspoken, it's, people don't think this about people with ADHD. They can laser in obsessively on something that they really, really care about, and the whole world goes away. And so it's not a matter of you can't focus at all. It's generally speaking, you don't focus on things you don't give a crap about or that
Starting point is 00:47:04 aren't that important to you. And so a, I don't let's call it a hack, but a thing that's been. become important for me is always having a thing that I'm super, super, super interested in, even if I'm busy. And for me, it brings all of my attention and focus up. And so I always have a thing I'm thinking about or working on or want to be involved in, even in a middle of a big project and I'm on the road a lot when I'm in a busy season, I have another thing, right? And it allows me to, like when I'm writing right now, I have a notebook right next to my, where I'm writing manuscript, and it's got jokes in it, and it's got ideas for a science experiment. I mean a science
Starting point is 00:47:44 paper I want to do with one of my colleagues over at Belmont. Like, I keep a list over here going. It's that little, that little guy going, ha ha, he's, I don't just try to shut him down, because the energy it takes to shut him down affects my other work that I need to get done. And by the way, I'll say this. One last thing. I don't know if there's any physiological connection whatsoever. There probably is not. I've never heard this in the literature.
Starting point is 00:48:09 I didn't do this for some big statement. I just pretty much quit drinking. Like, even, like, I've never had a problem with alcohol, but I would have a drink pretty regularly, right? I just have kind of stopped, and it wasn't like some big, I'm going to quit drinking. I just didn't feel good the next day, and it would always affect my REM sleep.
Starting point is 00:48:33 but when I look back on the last couple years, man, it has dramatically reduced, and it might be the better sleep, but it has dramatically reduced my feeling of chaos that I had in my head all the time. It was amazing how, so I quit drinking to, again, not as a big statement or because I had a problem with alcohol,
Starting point is 00:48:54 it was just as women who are of my age. Here we go. Nothing will learn when you're in menopause. Your new nickname is Perry. Seriously. Yeah, I'm better than some of the other nicknames you've given me. But the idea that it, because your body just metabolizes it differently. And yeah, it was, I mean, even the very little amount I drink, which was like maybe one or two a month, it's just crazy how I felt better.
Starting point is 00:49:19 Yeah. Yeah. And then you realize, oh, because it's poison. It really is. And you just, how much better I felt, not even having, you know, one, you know, a glass of wine a week in my system just changed. Kind of, it was a big difference for something like that. All right, this is a pretty big one. In your career, you've seen some terrible things,
Starting point is 00:49:38 thinking about, like, when you were working at the schools and the accident scenes and those kind of things. Not things here, hasn't been that horrible. How do you maintain faith in humanity? This is a strange response to that, but the people who respond in those situations. And so, I have a strange response. sense of peace that the world has bad actors in it.
Starting point is 00:50:07 And I think that I just know that. I know people aren't well like on the extreme end of psychological distress. I know like true people with narcissistic personality disorder. There are true violent people in the world. I know that. My real question is where are the people they're going to show up and be with hurting people, put people and systems in place to stop those folks. It takes a lot of courage.
Starting point is 00:50:34 It takes stepping out of line. When people get out of control, where are the people that are going to rally up? And I never went into those scenes alone. There was always people with me. And there was always a team of people there. At any given scene, there might be a child who'd passed away who was dead in one room and a mom and a daughter who are screaming and a husband who's out in the front yard on his hands and knees, like trying to throw up. But there would be police officers and EMS folks and a social.
Starting point is 00:51:03 social worker and me and my partner and the medical examiner i mean there's so many people there for one reason to help this family and so my faith in humanity comes from every like the in nashville the power was out for five days i'm on a text thread of of people on my street the number of texts that were going around like hey we're not at our house but we've got power you come here's the here's the front door code to a group of strangers um anybody need anything i'm going to the store is it like people show up and as a person of faith, I'll never forget, it was Bebo Norman, who once said when he, I think he was in Haiti,
Starting point is 00:51:41 I think that's where it was. When he saw, there was just a big massacre. And he asked the pastor there, how do you still believe? And he said, oh, I stopped asking God, where are you a long time ago. I'll never get that answer. I've just started asking where God's people
Starting point is 00:51:58 and they show up. And that to me, or they don't, right? But that's the question. Where are the people? And in my world, people show up. That goes back to that amazing Fred Rogers, Mr. Rogers quote, look for the helpers. That's it. The whole idea in that for those that have never heard it is if you have children and you're coming upon these huge big situations, 9-11, those kind of things. How do we talk to our children about these? Teach them to look for the helpers. And I would say right now, we have a society of people standing around looking. And so I would amend that quote right now to go be the helper.
Starting point is 00:52:40 Like for the adults, go out and be the helper. And like so, for instance, this isn't to do my own horn. I'm trained for this. I was at my daughter's soccer game and like probably a thousand yards away. There was a big, we all heard it. And everybody got quiet on the soccer game and everybody stopped. And then the game is resumed. Well, I looked at my wife.
Starting point is 00:52:59 She's like, all right, I know. She knows I'm going to go over there. I jogged over there. And everybody got out of the car. There was a pretty big wreck, but everybody's okay. Two teenage girls got out of one car and one teenage boy got out of the other. The two teenage girls are sobbing. And I was like, are you okay?
Starting point is 00:53:17 Yeah, we're okay. Well, it was the teenage boy that actually was his fault. And he was curled up against the fence and just with his hand in his head. And I wouldn't sat by that kid for a while. and it was like, I'm gonna go sit with this kid. He just got in a wreck. He clearly just got his license. He's scared to death.
Starting point is 00:53:34 He doesn't know what to do. And then after a little while, I said, hey, because his parents weren't there yet. And I said, stand up, we're gonna go over there and make sure they're okay. And he looked at me and said, I'll go with you, but we're gonna go over there and make sure those girls are okay.
Starting point is 00:53:48 And I'm gonna model it with you. I'm gonna walk with you. And he's gonna see me with their mom and dad showed up. They were right behind them, watched their kids getting this wreck, it was the whole thing. but I'm going to go be the helper for that kid. And we got through it.
Starting point is 00:53:59 I hugged him and he was still freaked out and then his parents came. But it's like, go be the helper. Don't just look for him because there was nobody coming, right? Like, go be it. Go get in the middle of it. And I think we need people
Starting point is 00:54:10 to put their stupid phones down and go look around their neighborhoods and see like, where can I go be a helper right now? What's the last song you want to hear before you die? Oh, let the dog. I'm just kidding.
Starting point is 00:54:24 Oh. Yeah, I got so many. Mike John, I want to hear some old Swish a House. The last song, Piano Man by Billy Joel. No kidding. We all said the last song, if all of us are around and something happens to you right here, one of us is definitely going to be pulling up
Starting point is 00:54:45 little drummer boy on our phones. I will haunt y'all. I will. I will claw my way back to the upside down, and I will find y'all. No, piano man by Billy Joel. that's the song i had that in my will i want that to be the last song played at my wedding i want i want everybody at my wedding at my funeral i want everybody same thing i want everybody's a kidding
Starting point is 00:55:10 does sheela know oh she i gave her the list of the songs she's like i'm not doing any of those songs her exact words for you i'm not doing errands for you after your dad and i was like oh nice um she goes i'll play on your funeral i'll keep you in mind but you'll be gone and the funeral will be for me and everyone who comes to celebrate your life. I like the idea of, like, let's head out into the world and go do some good now. And that's what I hope my legacy is, but I hope that's my last song. What is yours? You know, I've been thinking about it ever since we...
Starting point is 00:55:43 The Dallas Cowboys' Jillie theme song. High kick, two, three, four. No, no. I would probably say in a similar idea, just because I think this is a song that makes everybody like dance and get together would be like bitty in the jets just because i mean it's just a time that everyone's going to start singing everyone's going to have fun i've probably danced on a bar or two to that song at some point in time in my life past weekend weekend before last but fine um oh it was easter weekend this past week that's fair you know celebrating our risen lord and savior jesus christ
Starting point is 00:56:23 Thank you very much. Shout out. Shout out. But the idea of playing something that is going to bring everyone together to, you know, put their arms around each other and sing and have fun and be joyful and not some big. Honestly, for some reason, the initial song that came into my brain was,
Starting point is 00:56:43 I'll remember you. Skid Row. I had that too. I don't know why. Immediately came into my head. Yeah. I don't want people singing like a ballad. No, that's,
Starting point is 00:56:51 and that was my thought. I was like, no, I want something fun. but that was the first thing that popped into, like, immediately into my brain. So that tells it. But we, I both, I know how we both feel about that song and about Skidlow. Do what else I want? Damn, it feels good to be a gangster. Like, that would be awesome.
Starting point is 00:57:06 They'll Gettle Boys track, that would be so awesome. If it just, like... Maybe a little TLC, don't go takes in waterfalls. No, not TLC. Don't hate on the Gettel boys like that. But, like, it would be so rad just to have, like, that's the end. That song is... sublime. It's perfect.
Starting point is 00:57:26 All right. One more... And it's not good to listen with your kids. If you're driving, you're like, I want to hear that song. Don't put that song on your kids. Oh, I have a whole playlist that... Now my son, I can now. But one of my favorite things ever was realizing that I could...
Starting point is 00:57:39 If I had my phone connected to a speaker in the house, I make sure I had my watch on, my Apple watch, because I can control it. And I start hearing, like, J.Z. Hard Knock Life. And I'm like, nope. Nope. Nope. You know, just being able to move... past certain songs.
Starting point is 00:57:53 I wasn't paying attention the other day and my son I heard him he goes the someone was on and he just goes geez dad
Starting point is 00:58:01 and I was like oh oh yeah yeah I wasn't paying attention and we were just just sitting there driving and so yeah good call.
Starting point is 00:58:08 I understand all right so I'm gonna do so I'm gonna ask this question and then I want kind of the practical answer
Starting point is 00:58:15 and then more existential okay what's your greatest fear so we're talking like the big existential
Starting point is 00:58:21 fear and then like I know one of your practical fears and probably the one you're going to say that yours is but then you're more like everyday type fears. What do you know my practical fear? Heights.
Starting point is 00:58:40 I hate heights. And I'd love to hear the rooms like what everybody's fears are. I'll paint you a picture of my existential fear. It is me on it's funny because it's counter to this. It's me like on a hill, on a mountain, on top of a building.
Starting point is 00:59:00 like, or on a second story looking out and I can see far. And it's a, it's like the, whatever it is, the water, the fire, the like, oh, this is it. And more importantly, not for me, this is it. And I'm with my kids. And so my big existential fear is my kids are in a situation. My wife is in a situation that I can't shield them from. I can't protect them from. and that keeps me like
Starting point is 00:59:31 I remember when my son was young and he's like, I'm still hungry I literally pulled the car over into a gas station and got some food. My wife's like, what are you doing? I was like, those words set off something to me and I'm sure it's childhood related
Starting point is 00:59:43 but it's like those words like have they register with me. The thought of my kids being hungry, the thought of my kids being terrified in terror, the thought like, man. And that's why the global stuff
Starting point is 00:59:57 going on right now, It keeps me up because I'm just thinking if my kids are walking in those streets and like, and I don't know how everyone doesn't put their own kids there because we won some lottery that we were born here. Like that stuff, that stuff haunts, haunts, haunts me. So, yeah. Okay. The regular fears. Is heights it or is there, do you have like a different fear?
Starting point is 01:00:23 My son got his past his driver's test this morning So he is a licensed driver And that is a fear As a parent, I get it That is a huge fear I told him last night I said I need you
Starting point is 01:00:39 Because he's like this afternoon He's gonna pick up my daughter From soccer practice And I said FYI your life's about to get really great You gotta go over this part right here And then it's gonna be amazing My wife was smiling at ear to year last night
Starting point is 01:00:53 Well I'm like in panic mode But I looked at him and said I need you to understand and you can't because you're 16, but I need to say it to you. When you and my daughter, when you're driving around your sister, my heart is not in my chest.
Starting point is 01:01:07 It is in this car. And the thought of y'all not coming home, I cannot process that. You got to come home. You got to make it home, which means you got to drive safe. And he's like, and he actually, to his credit,
Starting point is 01:01:20 he's like, I got it, yes, sir. Like he understood it. But it's that, that scares me right now, that sense of like, and just see it I've had a driver now my son's been driving for four years and there are still times I get that yeah so but it's a whole lot less than it used to be used to be I mean if he drove
Starting point is 01:01:37 to school which was like 0.3 miles I was terrified watching life 360 you know making sure he showed up but now I mean he drives to he he drove to Florida last year by himself or him and a friend so but man when you get a driver in the house it can start doing things oh it's amazing especially when you're like, oh, we're out of, you know, milk. Yeah. Yeah. India Heights, I just have a thing. I just don't like being up in the air too high, but.
Starting point is 01:02:05 Alex? Big existential fear and then, like, practical immediate fear. Yeah, I think existentially, I have a fear of, like, loneliness and also just not being useful or important to the people that I love. So, yeah, I guess that's the existential one. But more practically, I have two that are kind of tied together. I hate needles with a passion. I'm so terrified of needles.
Starting point is 01:02:30 And the feeling that I get, you know, whenever a needle is put in me is the feeling of being pinched. So I hate being pinched. That's a super. I get really weird about it. Like if I get, don't even, I see the little pinchers over that. That freaks me out. Like, it sends me into a place that's like, I. So whenever I, like, give blood, I watch.
Starting point is 01:02:49 Oh, too. Or whenever I'm getting. I have to watch. If I'm getting a shot or getting blood taken, I have to watch. Yeah. But it's a control. issue I found out. I have to know what's happening.
Starting point is 01:02:58 I just, I don't even think I have that. I just kind of into it. I haven't given blood since I was, I've been to the doctor since I was like 18, which I shouldn't admit, but I'm terrified of going and them telling me you need needles and I'm like, I don't want them.
Starting point is 01:03:10 I don't want them. So just the longer you don't go, the more and bigger those needles will get them all at once. Rather, no, I don't know. Yeah, I guess my existential one is like not leaving a legacy or not contribute anything to society that will be married.
Starting point is 01:03:30 I don't have kids currently. So, you know, that's just a floaty existential fear. Practical one, public speaking. I can't do it, man. Like, I have anxiety, like nervous poops, like cold sweat, like diarrhea, rocket stuff. It's crazy, dude. And I can get up on stage and rap
Starting point is 01:03:49 in front of 2,000 people, which is weird. Yeah. Because that's scripted, right? So you were at my comedy show there night is like, there's a thought of going up doing stand-up? Here's the thing.
Starting point is 01:03:59 I would love to do stand-up. I would love to try it. I think I... Like, I would love to do it. The idea of it, of like the anticipation of like, oh, you're next. You're next? Like, thinking about it already is like,
Starting point is 01:04:12 I'm freaking out. I don't know why. I just can't do it. Hey, and can I just say this before you give yours, Kelly? I took your advice. I opened for Fiona Colley last night. I took your advice and I'm on a whole other level.
Starting point is 01:04:25 Oh, did it work? Yeah. Okay, well now you gotta tell us what the advice is. Well, um... I give him feedback on his last stand-up set. Yeah, so I asked Ben for some notes. And the set he saw, I did 25, which is a pretty long set, and, um, 25 minutes. And, um, a lot of my stuff I say, I guess the jokes, like, I think the shows, I'm proud of the stuff, but it's more, what here's what happened in my house and it was some silly stuff that happened, like some funny.
Starting point is 01:04:55 Yeah, you've been to, like, some silly stuff. like some silly stuff. But Ben was the one who called out like, I know you think about bigger stuff and deeper stuff and like kind of avoiding topical issues and avoiding things, you know what I mean? Like to make me frustrated or mad or whatever.
Starting point is 01:05:11 And so last night I went up kind of unhinged and it was, it was, it was the, here's what's funny. It was the single most comfortable I've been on a comedy stage. And that was,
Starting point is 01:05:24 it was a new, I felt it in the middle of the set, like, yeah, if y'all don't laugh, that's fine, because I'm saying something that I believe is true, not trying to, like, desperately do a silly thing to make y'all laugh. And it made the whole thing way more powerful. So, well done, brother. Nice. I love that. All right. My existential, like, big fear is of somehow being alienated from my son.
Starting point is 01:05:49 And I think that goes from, because I'm the one that reads all the emails on this show. and the vast I mean hundreds a week of emails of people that don't have relationships with their children and now with my daughter that would not happen
Starting point is 01:06:04 I have a special needs daughter and so that wouldn't happen just because of her middle capacity but I we have a fantastic relationship with my son but I just
Starting point is 01:06:15 reading all those emails I cannot fathom not having a relationship with him because I just Just not only do I love him so dearly, I like him. You know, I've got this great coming into an adulthood person, and that just devastates.
Starting point is 01:06:35 If I sat down and think about it, it devastates me. And I have nothing to believe that it'll happen. Well, I saw this recently. One day your kids will be amongst strangers, people you don't know, telling them about the home they grew up in. What story will they tell? And I was like, ooh. And we all roll our eyes about our moms and all that.
Starting point is 01:06:53 And I'm like, oh my gosh, there's going to be a day when he's like, my mom's calling. And he probably already does it. But it's just devastating. Yeah. Yeah. I always said that after I had a son, I felt like I should go to my mother-in-law and apologize. Ah. Because the fact that one of these days, my son, like, he got, he's in trade school right now for automotive, and he got this big certification this morning.
Starting point is 01:07:12 Oh, congrats. Thanks. He's very excited. And I was the first text. Huh. But one day I won't be. Yep. I can't tell you what that does.
Starting point is 01:07:22 It just, it rips me apart. And I don't want to be that mother-in-law, so I'd be okay with it, but it's awful. My everyday practical, fear is probably not practical, terrified of clowns. Yeah, you are. I don't like clowns. One day. So, I mean, I'm okay if, like, I go to the zoo. If I went to the circus and there's clowns there, that's fine, but I'm not going to watch it.
Starting point is 01:07:49 Because if I watch something like that, or I don't go to haunted houses, more strictly because there's always clowns. Yeah. And I will have nightmares. Did you have an issue with a clown growing up? I know exactly where it started. A couple of ways. Poultergeist.
Starting point is 01:08:01 Uh-huh. Because I was probably elementary when Poldergeist came out. The original one. Yes. Yeah, I'm saying like the original one in Massachusetts. Stop. The witch burning. Yes.
Starting point is 01:08:16 Enough of that. Thank you very much. They're in Salem. In Salem. The, no. And then my mom used to read true crime books, which is where I get my fascination with that. But she would read the books, and there was always pictures in the middle of the books, you know? Gacy.
Starting point is 01:08:30 And Gacy. But she was reading a book, and I didn't know what the book was. All I knew was, I went in and I would look at the pictures in the middle of the book. I wasn't supposed to. And there was, of him as a clown. And I knew that he was someone that killed people. And I was like, well, there you go. And we're out.
Starting point is 01:08:43 And we're out. So I don't like clowns. I have a t-shirt at home that I hardly ever wear because it's probably not appropriate. But it says the only good clown is a dead clown. I don't like them. Nice. Yeah. My two fears, the real one is losing my kids.
Starting point is 01:09:00 I got three little ones and specifically car crashes. I was talking to my wife about this the other day. I've seen or been a part of probably about a dozen car crashes. Don't ride with hummus. No, hashtag West Virginia. Two of them were my fault. Because I, too, was 16 once. They were very minor.
Starting point is 01:09:21 but that's something that just when my wife is driving the kids around or whatever i'm watching the iPhone tracker i have to make myself stop because it's not healthy i know that so that's my my real big fears there um jill i don't have i don't have anybody tracked i have nobody on my phone for that reason i just i i i i just can't otherwise i'd be glued to it what i feel is my practical fear is the ocean we shouldn't be in there the ocean. Humans aren't meant to be there. God is very clearly telling us, don't go here. There's very large, dangerous creatures. It's always trying to spit us back out. We have a pretty diverse group of fears here and some pretty screwed up people. We have some very screwed up people. That is for
Starting point is 01:10:08 sure. Well, that was our last question on this 900th episode. That was the anti-comatic. Give us another one. Well, we have to go. We have other shows to do. Here we go. But you know what's coming up this Later this year? Huh. One thousand. That's wild. We'll hit that later this year. Isn't that crazy?
Starting point is 01:10:28 I mean, that is that. We'll get canceled before then. No, we've made it 900. Come on. Genuinely, a thousand episodes is, is crazy. But we got to go to one more break. So we'll come back. We'll come back with something else.
Starting point is 01:10:42 So stick her out. All right. It's summertime. You're going to be running and gunning all the time. You're going to be traveling. You're going to be out having fun, you're going to be outside, working. And when you come inside, here's what I want you to do. I want you to get good, awesome sleep. And how are you going to do that? Helix mattresses, because
Starting point is 01:11:03 Helix mattresses rule. I sleep on a Helix. My wife sleeps on a helix. Well, duh, because we sleep on the same bed. But my kids sleep on helix mattresses. And when people come stay at my house in the guest room, that's right, Helix mattress. Why, they are the best. Helix does not build just one mattress every person and expect them to be comfortable on it. They build mattresses for you, for how you as an individual person sleep. Whether you're a side sleeper, a back sleeper, a hot sleeper, they make mattresses for everybody. I want you to get online and take their sleep quiz. It takes like two minutes, and Helix will match you with the perfect mattress just for you
Starting point is 01:11:43 and the way you sleep. No guesswork. This is one of those small decisions that will change how you show up every single day. It will change how your summer goes, and it will launch you into the fall. Go to helixleksleep.com slash deloni and get 27% off sitewide during their Memorial Day sale. That's 27% off at helixleep.com slash deloni, and this is only for my audience. With Helix Better Sleep starts right now. All right, we're back.
Starting point is 01:12:16 All right, I've got one more question. All right. You love to give nicknames. Yes. And a lot of people don't know this. We don't have to go through everybody's nicknames in the room because some of them we don't need to. But you give a nickname to pretty much everyone that works on the show.
Starting point is 01:12:33 To everybody. Everybody. I have a friend named Beth. She came over yesterday for Easter. Never occurred to me. New nickname, Beth Amphetamine. That's the greatest one ever. Is that awesome?
Starting point is 01:12:42 Right when I saw her, I was like, Beth Amphetamine. I was like, where was that? I've been friends with her for eight years. Never even popped into my head. Well, my favorite one is the lady that you. used to be our coordinator. There's our PC on this show, Mia, and you named her Anamana. Yeah, Anamana.
Starting point is 01:12:58 Onamana Mia. So that's probably my favorite. I don't care from mine. What's yours? What do you always call me? Grandma Kelly. Oh, that's the... Three and a half years older than you.
Starting point is 01:13:10 I would just like to point that out. 100. Three and a half years. Three hundred and a half years. We're both four in the 70s. So many jokes I'm not going to make on that one. Anyway, what are some nicknames that people have given to you? Not that you've given to yourself,
Starting point is 01:13:25 because anytime you have to give yourself a nickname, it's a total duchy thing to do. What are some nicknames that you have had in your life? I can't repeat any of them. This is a sacked f***. D-do. These are names that my friend's parents have called me also, because that was just my name.
Starting point is 01:13:54 I have a buddy whose mom, Pudson, Caleb's mom. She's in her mid-70s. If I call right this second, she would go, that's what she still calls me to. Have I not told you the story? Why? When I was 17 years old, I was playing football on Friday nights in Texas,
Starting point is 01:14:15 on Friday night lights. I mean, that's church in Texas. It was church. And the quarterback threw four interceptions. And as a receiver, whenever the ball gets picked off, it's just open season. I was getting killed. guys will just come running
Starting point is 01:14:28 and the fifth ball he under threw by like 15 yards and I didn't try I just stopped I just stopped and the ball got picked off and right when it happened I was like oh it's gonna suck tomorrow because the morning after every football game
Starting point is 01:14:43 at 630 had to be at the school to watch film of the game before and that next morning I mean we got beat we got blown out 30 or 40 point loss next morning we're watching film and I'm like no no no no and coach,
Starting point is 01:14:57 who was, I think I've told you, his dad was, his son, I saw him when he was this big, Beasley, Cowboys. Oh, cool.
Starting point is 01:15:07 His dad was my football coach. I didn't know that. Yeah. And so when I say he unloaded, he rewinded it, and you can see me just stop. And this defender just waits for the, like a punt,
Starting point is 01:15:21 and catches it and runs it. And he plays it, rewinds it, plays it, Rewinds it, plays it, rewinds it. And we're all just waiting, waiting. Because, I mean, it looks so bad. And he just goes,
Starting point is 01:15:33 damn it, Deloney! Out there playing like a d'h, Dologna! And I knew at 17, I was like, oh, that's my name forever. And it was. I was d'I. I still am. Still am.
Starting point is 01:15:46 It got modified to Dills in college so that people could say it all the time, like in church and stuff. But that's still my name. And it might just continue to be. You know what? It's time. It just is, that's how a chunk of people in my life know me.
Starting point is 01:16:07 Any other questions? No, no. I think that I'm so happy right now that we'll just end there. I prefer of all of those asses of, I just think that's funny. My friend Ryan called me that once and that stuck for a long time. Dills it is.

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