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The Frum Health Club Podcast
The Frum Health Club Podcast
We started The Frum Health Club with a clear mission: to spark real change in our community’s health and well-being. Too many in the Frum world lack the knowledge and guidance needed for proper nutrition and fitness, leading to preventable illness and, tragically, lives cut short.
This podcast and group is here to change that.
Each episode brings you practical health tips, simple meal ideas, fitness guidance, and inspiring stories, all designed to help you live longer, feel stronger, and have more energy for your family and your avodas Hashem.
Your health matters. Your family matters. Together, we can build a healthier, stronger future for Klal Yisrael.
The Frum Health Club Podcast
A Year Without a Smartphone: What He Discovered About Well-Being and Presence
In this episode of the Frum Health Club Podcast, we sit down with Richard Simon — director of digital strategy at Georgetown Law and author of the powerful book Unplug: How to Break Up With Your Phone and Reclaim Your Life.
Richard did something most people only dream of. He turned his smartphone off and lived for an entire year without it.
No apps, no constant messaging, no social media, no notifications stealing his life one tap at a time.
During that year he interviewed psychologists, educators, CEOs, parents, teens, and even MLB All-Star Nick Castellanos, who credits ditching his smartphone with helping him become one of the best hitters in baseball.
We talk about how phones are quietly reshaping our minds and daily habits, leaving us more distracted, drained, and anxious, and how changing our relationship with technology can restore our mental, emotional, and overall well-being.
What we cover
◼️ The shocking way the original iPhone was tested, and what that reveals about how these devices were engineered to hook us
◼️ Richard’s journey from “just a busy young professional” to realizing his phone was controlling his attention, sleep, and presence with his kids
◼️ What it was really like to switch his phone off for a full year — including withdrawal, boredom, and the surprising beauty on the other side
◼️ How smartphones hijack dopamine, why the anticipation of checking is so powerful, and what “attention residue” actually does to your brain
◼️ Deep work, focus, and why having your phone near you is like keeping a tray of cookies on your desk when you’re trying to diet
Get the book: Unplug – How to Break Up With Your Phone and Reclaim Your Life
https://a.co/d/g7knyye
Connect with Richard
author@richard-simon.com
Join the Frum Health Club WhatsApp Community
Be part of a growing chevra of frum men who are working on movement, health, and energy together:
https://chat.whatsapp.com/BjBc8CZIC8ZIIu7jwVuEQe