Habits and Hustle

Are we protecting our kids so much that we're making them less resilient?
As parents, the instinct to protect is strong. We don't want our kids to fail, struggle, feel rejected, sit on the bench, get bored, or deal with disappointment. But resilience is built through those exact experiences. When we constantly step in, fix the problem, remove the obstacle, or make sure everything feels fair, kids lose opportunities to develop competence, independence, and the confidence that comes from figuring things out for themselves.
Technology has made that even harder. Smartphones and iPads can fill every quiet moment, replace boredom, reduce face-to-face interaction, and give kids fewer chances to practice social skills, deal with rejection, or simply entertain themselves. Add overscheduling and constant parental involvement, and suddenly there are fewer opportunities for kids to fail, recover, solve problems, and learn how to function without someone managing every step.
Sports, chores, responsibilities, and real-world challenges give kids something they desperately need: evidence that they can handle difficult things. Losing teaches them how to recover. Being benched teaches patience and perspective. Working with difficult teammates teaches conflict resolution. Practicing something they are bad at teaches them that improvement comes from effort. Confidence grows when kids experience frustration and discover they can move through it.
In this episode of Habits & Hustle, I talk about why we need to stop removing every obstacle from our kids' lives, how smartphones are affecting independence and social development, why boredom and failure are essential, the value of sports and responsibility, and how parents can create a secure home base without solving every problem for their children.
Listen to the full episode: The Secret to Raising Mentally Strong Kids in a Fragile World with Jen Cohen | Mind Pump 2575
 
What's Discussed:
(01:24) Why mental resilience needs to be built in childhood.
(04:00) How removing every challenge can make kids less resilient.
(05:34) Why boredom is essential for creativity and independence.
(06:25) Why parents need to stop worrying about being liked by their kids.
(08:13) How letting kids struggle teaches them to tolerate frustration and failure.
(11:19) How smartphones changed childhood play, independence, and social development.
(20:25) Why fitness teaches kids discipline, accountability, and delayed gratification.
(26:15) Why sports and play help kids develop critical social skills.
(27:51) Why praising effort matters more than constantly telling kids they are amazing.
(30:24) How sports prepare kids for losing, teamwork, conflict, and real-world challenges.
(36:06) Why stepping back can help kids learn to solve problems on their own.
(45:00) Why kids should wait until 16 for full smartphone access.
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Kion: Visit getkion.com/habits for 20% off.
Tru Niagen®: For supplements that are rigorously tested, third-party verified, and actually deliver what's on the label, head to truniagen.com
 
Find more from Jen Cohen:
Website: jennifercohen.com

Instagram: @therealjencohen
Books: jennifercohen.com/books
Speaking: jennifercohen.com/speaking-engagements

Is technology making you smarter, or are you slowly training your brain to do less?
We are living in a world where AI can write our emails, answer our questions, organize our thoughts, remember information, and make decisions faster than we ever could on our own. Our phones remember everything for us. GPS tells us where to go. Social media constantly competes for our attention. And the more convenient technology becomes, the easier it is to stop exercising the memory, focus, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills that make us human.
This matters because your brain adapts to how you use it. You can deliberately train your focus, memory, confidence, adaptability, and ability to think for yourself. You can protect the first few minutes of your morning, stop giving away your attention, create friction before immediately turning to AI, and build mental strength the same way you build physical strength. The goal is to use technology as a tool while continuing to develop the human intelligence that allows you to make better decisions, solve harder problems, and adapt when the world changes.
Jim Kwik is a brain performance expert, bestselling author, and leading voice on memory, focus, accelerated learning, and human intelligence. After experiencing a traumatic brain injury and learning challenges as a child, he dedicated his life to understanding how the brain learns and how people can improve their cognitive performance. His latest book, Limitless Daily, focuses on simple daily practices designed to strengthen your mind, improve performance, and help you make meaningful progress one day at a time.
What's Discussed:
(04:07) How relying on AI and technology to remember and think for us can weaken the cognitive skills we stop using.
(06:42) Why AI is no longer the real competitive advantage and why human intelligence, judgment, creativity, and critical thinking matter more.
(27:43) Why the first five minutes after waking can shape your focus, mood, and perspective for the rest of the day.
(37:31) Why confidence comes after action and how doing difficult things creates evidence that you are capable.
(41:47) How deliberately thinking before turning to AI can help strengthen cognitive flexibility and mental resilience.
(55:44) How scrolling, bingeing, and getting rewarded before doing the work can reduce motivation and make follow-through harder.
(59:28) How the questions you repeatedly ask yourself shape what your brain notices and reinforce the beliefs you already hold.
(01:00:25) Why reading too slowly can make your mind wander and how increasing your pace can improve focus and comprehension.
(01:13:43) How multitasking and constant task switching drain focus, increase mistakes, and waste mental energy.
(01:19:29) Why remembering someone's name can strengthen relationships, improve likability, and even affect major business opportunities.

 
Thank You to Our Sponsors!
Magic Mind: Head over to magicmind.com/jen and use code JEN at checkout.
Momentous: Ready to try supplements that actually do what they claim? Head to livemomentous.com and use code JEN for 35% off your first subscription. 
Therasage: Visit therasage.com and use code JEN to get 15% off your order. Your skin
Prolon: Prolon is offering listeners 30% off sitewide plus a $40 bonus gift when you subscribe to their 5-Day Program! Just visit prolonlife.com/JENNIFERCOHEN and use code JENNIFERCOHEN to claim your discount and your bonus gift.
Tru Niagen®: For supplements that are rigorously tested, third-party verified, and actually deliver what's on the label, head to truniagen.com
Kion: Visit getkion.com/habits for 20% off
Find more from Jen Cohen:
Website: jennifercohen.com

Instagram: @therealjencohen
Books: jennifercohen.com/books
Speaking: jennifercohen.com/speaking-engagements
 
Find more from Jim Kwik:
Website: limitlessdaily.com
Instagram: @jimkwik
Facebook: Jim Kwik
YouTube: Jim Kwik
LinkedIn: Jim Kwik
X: Jim Kwik
Book: Limitless Daily

What if the person you cannot get over was never actually your person?
We tend to give enormous weight to chemistry and connection, especially when we find someone we like who seems to like us back. That feeling can be powerful enough to make us overlook a harder truth: connection alone does not create a relationship. Without commitment and compatibility, chemistry can keep you emotionally invested in someone who is never actually choosing you.
Matthew Hussey breaks down the four levels of a relationship, from attraction to compatibility, and explains why so many people get stuck at the stage that feels the most exciting. He also explores why unfinished relationships can become so difficult to let go of. The future you imagined can start to feel more real than the relationship itself, keeping you attached to potential instead of what is actually happening.
Matthew Hussey is a relationship coach, bestselling author, speaker, and host of the Love Life podcast. His work focuses on dating, heartbreak, confidence, communication, and helping people build healthier relationships by paying attention to how someone actually shows up, rather than relying on chemistry or potential alone.
What's Discussed:
(00:00) Why connection and chemistry can feel incredibly important without actually creating a relationship.
(01:27) The four levels of a relationship: admiration, mutual attraction, commitment, and compatibility.
(03:46) Why someone choosing not to be with you cannot be "your person."
(05:07) How heartbreak can come from grieving the future you imagined rather than losing an actual soulmate.
(07:58) Why unfinished relationships and "what could have been" can occupy so much mental space.
(09:20) How romantic fantasy can become a form of avoidance that keeps you from participating in your real life.
(12:37) Why real relationships are built through commitment, difficulty, and repeatedly choosing one another.
(13:47) How to intentionally move on by removing reminders, limiting updates, and stopping the person from remaining part of your everyday life.

 
Thank You to Our Sponsors!
Magic Mind: Head over to magicmind.com/jen and use code JEN at checkout.
Momentous: Ready to try supplements that actually do what they claim? Head to livemomentous.com and use code JEN for 35% off your first subscription. 
Therasage: Visit therasage.com and use code JEN to get 15% off your order. Your skin
Prolon: Prolon is offering listeners 30% off sitewide plus a $40 bonus gift when you subscribe to their 5-Day Program! Just visit prolonlife.com/JENNIFERCOHEN and use code JENNIFERCOHEN to claim your discount and your bonus gift.
Kion: Visit getkion.com/habits for 20% off.
Tru Niagen®: For supplements that are rigorously tested, third-party verified, and actually deliver what's on the label, head to truniagen.com

Find more from Jen Cohen: 
Website: jennifercohen.com

Instagram: @therealjencohen
Books: jennifercohen.com/books
Speaking: jennifercohen.com/speaking-engagements
 
Find more from Matthew Hussey 
Website: matthewhussey.com
Instagram: @thematthewhussey
Books: Books by Matthew Hussey
Facebook: Matthew Hussey
YouTube: @thematthewhussey
LinkedIn: Matthew Hussey

What if the health of your brain decades from now is being shaped by what you are doing today?
We tend to think about Alzheimer's and cognitive decline as problems that show up later in life, once memory starts slipping or confusion becomes noticeable. But many of the factors associated with brain decline can begin much earlier. Blood sugar, insulin resistance, sleep, inflammation, muscle mass, exercise, social connection, oral health, and even the medications you regularly take may all influence the environment your brain is aging in.
This matters because brain health gives you more areas to act on than most people realize. You can pay attention to metabolic markers before they become major problems, build and preserve muscle, protect your sleep, stay socially connected, take care of your oral microbiome, and understand which emerging therapies actually have evidence behind them. The earlier you start thinking about your brain this way, the more opportunity you have to influence how well it functions later.
Dr. David Perlmutter is a board-certified neurologist, six-time New York Times bestselling author, and internationally recognized expert in brain health, nutrition, and neurodegenerative disease. His latest book, Brain Defenders, explores microglia, the brain's immune cells, and how their function may influence conditions including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. His work focuses on giving people practical ways to protect brain health through metabolism, lifestyle, and emerging neuroscience.
What's Discussed:
(05:51) What research suggests about slowing or even improving cognitive decline in people already diagnosed with Alzheimer's through intensive lifestyle intervention.
(10:47) Why Alzheimer's should not be viewed as purely genetic and how lifestyle and metabolic health can influence risk even when genetic predispositions are present.
(12:19) How loneliness and social isolation may affect brain health through stress, cortisol, oxytocin, inflammation, and changes in the brain's immune cells.
(20:50) Why the biological conditions associated with cognitive decline may begin in your 40s and 50s, decades before memory problems become obvious.
(30:34) How exercise supports the brain through BDNF, irisin, and other chemicals released during muscle activity, and why both cardio and strength training matter.
(38:00) Why restorative sleep is an active period for memory consolidation and brain recovery, and how fragmented sleep can undermine brain health even when you spend eight hours in bed.
(1:04:34) What the science currently says about NAD, NR, NMN, and IV NAD for mitochondrial function, biological aging, and cognitive health.
(1:12:04) How periodontal disease, the oral microbiome, and frequent use of certain antibacterial mouthwashes may affect nitric oxide, metabolism, and long-term brain health.
(1:23:05) What emerging research says about GLP-1 drugs for Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, and why using or microdosing them specifically for brain protection is still ahead of the evidence.
(1:33:25) Why homocysteine and fasting insulin are two blood markers worth paying attention to when assessing metabolic and long-term brain health.

 
Thank You to Our Sponsors!
Magic Mind: Head over to magicmind.com/jen and use code JEN at checkout.
Momentous: Ready to try supplements that actually do what they claim? Head to livemomentous.com and use code JEN for 35% off your first subscription. 
Therasage: Visit therasage.com and use code JEN to get 15% off your order. Your skin
Prolon: Prolon is offering listeners 30% off sitewide plus a $40 bonus gift when you subscribe to their 5-Day Program! Just visit prolonlife.com/JENNIFERCOHEN and use code JENNIFERCOHEN to claim your discount and your bonus gift.
Tru Niagen®: For supplements that are rigorously tested, third-party verified, and actually deliver what's on the label, head to truniagen.com

Find more from Jen Cohen:
Website: jennifercohen.com

Instagram: @therealjencohen
Books: jennifercohen.com/books
Speaking: jennifercohen.com/speaking-engagements
 
Find more from Dr. David Perlmutter:
Website: drperlmutter.com
Instagram: @davidperlmutter
Facebook: David Perlmutter M.D. 
YouTube: @davidperlmutterMD
LinkedIn: David Perlmutte, MD
Book: Brain Defenders

What if all this optimizing is actually making us less happy?
Sleep scores, step counts, glucose monitors, supplements, peptides, wearables, and endless wellness protocols have turned health into something we constantly track, measure, and try to perfect. But when every meal, workout, night of sleep, and social plan becomes another data point, the pursuit of better health can start creating more stress than clarity. You may look disciplined and optimized on the outside while feeling anxious, restricted, and disconnected from the life you are trying to improve.
Technology has also changed the way we trust our own bodies. We wake up feeling fine, check a low sleep score, and suddenly decide we are exhausted. We skip dinners, birthday cake, travel, drinks, and time with friends because we are afraid of disrupting a routine or hurting a metric. The tools designed to support our health can begin controlling our choices, until we are protecting the routine more than we are enjoying the results.
The real question is not always "How can I optimize this?" Sometimes it is "Is this actually improving my life?" Health should give you more energy, freedom, connection, and joy. It should not make you afraid of food, obsessed with numbers, or unwilling to be spontaneous. Every protocol, product, and intervention comes with a tradeoff, and more optimization does not automatically mean better physical or mental health.
In this episode of Habits and Hustle, I talk about when healthy habits cross the line into obsession, why sleep trackers and wellness scores may create more anxiety than clarity, how people are sacrificing dinners, birthdays, relationships, and spontaneity to protect their routines, and why looking optimized on the outside does not always mean you are healthy on the inside.
 
What's Discussed:
(01:25) Whether constant optimization is making us less happy.
(03:11) When tracking and hacking every part of life becomes an obsession.
(04:41) Where healthy optimization ends and extreme wellness behavior begins.
(05:48) Why checking your sleep score can create more stress than clarity.
(06:46) Why looking thin or optimized does not necessarily mean you are healthy.
(07:45) How the wellness industry profits by selling fear and endless solutions.
(08:17) Why people are optimizing their lives without actually enjoying them.
(09:22) How protecting your routine can cost you dinners, birthdays, and relationships.
(09:50) Why sleep tracker data can change how tired you believe you feel.
(10:33) How technology and constant tracking have weakened human connection.
(11:35) Why a phone call can be more efficient than endless texts and meetings.
(16:37) Why chasing money, fitness, beauty, and longevity can leave you with fewer memories.
 
Thank You to Our Sponsors!

Magic Mind: Head over to magicmind.com/jen and use code JEN at checkout.
Momentous: Ready to try supplements that actually do what they claim? Head to livemomentous.com and use code JEN for 35% off your first subscription. 
Therasage: Visit therasage.com and use code JEN to get 15% off your order. Your skin
Prolon: Prolon is offering listeners 30% off sitewide plus a $40 bonus gift when you subscribe to their 5-Day Program! Just visit prolonlife.com/JENNIFERCOHEN and use code JENNIFERCOHEN to claim your discount and your bonus gift.
Kion: Visit getkion.com/habits for 20% off.
Tru Niagen®: For supplements that are rigorously tested, third-party verified, and actually deliver what's on the label, head to truniagen.com
 
Find more from Jen Cohen:
Website: jennifercohen.com

Instagram: @therealjencohen
Books: jennifercohen.com/books
Speaking: jennifercohen.com/speaking-engagements