CONTEXT
"Your brain is like a Ferrari. You wouldn't put cheap fuel in a Ferrari, would you? So why would you put cheap food in your brain?" I’ve always loved that metaphor from Dr. Daniel Amen.
Your "diet" isn't just what you eat. It's what you watch, the books you read, the podcasts you listen to, the accounts you follow, the people you spend time with.
Your brain is snacking on all of it.
The scary part? Unlike physical junk food (which makes you feel sluggish immediately), mental junk food is sneaky. You don't notice the damage for months… until one day you realize you feel anxious, unmotivated, and stuck. You can't quite figure out why.
Here are the 3 changes I've made to "clean up" my mental diet and feed my mind tastier things:
METHOD
1. Do a quarterly "social media audit."
Open Instagram, TikTok, X, or whatever platform you use most. Scroll through every account you're following and ask one question:
"Do I feel better or worse after I see their posts?"
If the answer is "worse"—unfollow. No guilt. No second-guessing. This isn't personal.
Pay close attention to the accounts that make you feel like your body, your partner, or your income isn't good enough. Those are mental calories with zero nutritional value.
Then, intentionally follow five new accounts that align with the goals you actually want to hit this year. Want to get stronger? Follow strength coaches. Want to start a business? Follow founders one or two steps ahead of you.
(Btw, I post my greatest methods on Instagram for a quietly rich life.)
Your feed should feel like a mentor, not a mirror that distorts your self-worth.
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2. Listen to one "surprising" book or podcast every month.
Many of us only consume content that confirms what we already think. It's comfortable. But it's also a recipe for becoming intellectually lazy.
Every month, pick one book or podcast that you wouldn't normally choose. Maybe it's a topic you know little about (history, philosophy, neuroscience, personal finance). Maybe it's an opposing viewpoint. Maybe it's a completely new genre.
You don't have to agree with everything you read. It might not change your mind, but it will certainly strengthen your beliefs. Critical thinking is a muscle. The only way to build it is to expose it to friction.
If you’re looking for a great read, my friend Bruce Feiler just launched his new book, A Time To Gather. I think you’ll love it. He traveled to 16 countries across 6 continents to study the importance of rituals, gatherings, and celebrating more moments with the people you love.
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3. Audit the 5 people you spend the most time with.
Jim Rohn famously said you're the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with. The older I get, the more obvious this becomes.
Look at your inner circle. Are they growth-oriented? Do they celebrate your wins (without secretly resenting them)? Do they push you toward your goals—or pull you back toward your old habits?
You might not have to cut anyone out. But you should be intentional about adding the right people in.
Get into rooms where your dream is already someone else's reality. Join the mastermind. Attend the retreat. Reach out to that person you admire on LinkedIn.
This is entirely why Ben Meer and I started Archimedes as a private members club. The right rooms shift your career trajectory forever.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
I've been sitting with this thought lately:
We spend so much time obsessing over the outputs in life… the promotion, the body, the dream relationship. But how much time do we spend curating the inputs that get us there?
We want to start the dream business, but we don’t audit what we read. We want to switch careers, but we don't audit who we’re spending time with. We want a focused, joyful mind, but we don't audit what we let into it.
Henry Ford once said, "If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got."
You can't out-hustle a bad mental diet or an inner circle that believes your dreams are unrealistic.
Your mind is the most expensive real estate you own. Be ruthless about who (and what) gets to live there rent-free.
Much love,
Jade
