Feeling worn out—even after vacation? In this episode, Dr. Greg Bottaro and Dr. Bryan Violette dive deep into why real rest is so elusive in our busy, screen-filled lives. We talk candidly about what it actually means to slow down, how boredom unlocks creativity, why scrolling robs us of wonder, and how true leisure isn’t just time off—it’s a way to reclaim freedom and connection with God. Whether you’re planning your next break or desperate for daily sanity, this is an invitation to rethink rest on a profoundly human level.

Key Topics:

• Why our culture treats rest like weakness—and why that’s wrong
  
  

• The difference between taking time off and actually resting
  
  

• How boredom creates the space needed for real creativity
  
  

• The hidden costs of constant screens and doom-scrolling
  
  

• Structuring vacation time to allow for true leisure
  
  

Learn More:

• CatholicPsych Mentorship Program: Get one-on-one support for the areas where you feel stuck. Free consultations available.

• Catholic Mindfulness Virtual Retreat: An 8-week course to bring your faith and your spirituality in line with the way your brain works.

• Need help? Schedule a free CatholicPsych consultation

• Want to help? Learn more about our Certification in Professional Accompaniment

Feeling stuck, trapped, or frustrated with yourself? In this powerful and deeply personal episode, Dr. Greg Bottaro unpacks what true interior freedom really means—and why so many of us struggle to experience it. Drawing on Catholic mindfulness, St. John Paul II’s rich teaching on human freedom, and years of clinical experience, Dr. Greg breaks open why we do the things we don’t want to do, how hidden patterns keep us from the good we desire, and what it actually takes to become who God created us to be. This is an invitation to go deeper than surface-level self-help and begin building the kind of freedom that leads to holiness, health, and real human flourishing.

Key Topics:

• The difference between capacity for freedom and acting in freedom

• Why we do the things we don’t want to do—and can’t do the things we want

• The subconscious patterns that hijack our choices

• Moving from automatic habits to conscious, virtuous action

• How our daily choices shape who we become
  
  

Learn More:

• CatholicPsych Mentorship Program: Get one-on-one support for the areas where you feel stuck. Free consultations available.

• Catholic Mindfulness Virtual Retreat: An 8-week course to bring your faith and your spirituality in line with the way your brain works.

• The Mindful Catholic by Dr. Greg Bottaro

• Letter to Families from Pope John Paul II (1994)

• Discernment of Spirits Course: An 8-week course to learn how to understand what God is saying to you.

• Setting the Stage: Early Plays of St. John Paul II: Featuring “Our God’s Brother” and other plays written by Karol Wojtyła (St. John Paul II).

• Related Being Human episodes:

• • Ep. #228: The Joy of Inconvenience: A Conversation with Comedian Tom Shillue

  • Ep. #175: Rethinking Formation: Preparing Priests for the Future with Fr. Sam Kachuba

  • Ep. #180: The Psychology of JP2: A Bold Proposal

• Need help? Schedule a free CatholicPsych consultation

• Want to help? Learn more about our Certification in Professional Accompaniment

What if some of our most celebrated American values—independence, grit, innovation—can also be spiritual traps? In 1899, Pope Leo XIII warned about “Americanism,” a heresy that elevates personal effort and autonomy while quietly sidelining grace, humility, and reverence for tradition. In this episode, Dr. Greg explores what the Pope saw coming, and how this heresy still affects our Church and culture today.

Key Topics:

• What Pope Leo XIII meant by “Americanism”—and how this heresy impacts us today
• How independence and innovation can be both a gift and a spiritual risk
• The fine line between healthy revolution and abandoning what’s been rightly passed down
• Why natural virtue and hard work matter—but only when elevated by grace
• What American saints reveal about living holiness within a unique cultural spirit
• How to discern what to keep and what to leave behind in our cultural inheritance
• Why a mature, integrated Catholic identity is the only path forward in a fragmented world

Learn More:

• Testem Benevolentiae Nostrae: Concerning New Opinions, Virtue, Nature and Grace, With Regard to Americanism (Pope Leo XIII, 1899): Read the full text
• Cabrini (2024) – A powerful film about St. Frances Xavier Cabrini’s mission and courage: Watch or learn more
• Related Being Human episodes:
  • Episode 202: Complementarity Without the Competition: Why We Need Each Other
  • Episode 200: Leaked Audio from a Groundbreaking Franciscan University Conference Keynote
  • Episode 151: From Gender Dysphoria to Gender Integration
  • Episode 75: Gender Fluidity or Complementarity?
• Saints mentioned in this episode: St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, St. John Neumann, St. Rose Philippine Duchesne, St. Katharine Drexel, St. Theodora Guérin, St. Isaac Jogues, St. René Goupil, St. Jean de Lalande, St. Damien of Molokai, St. Marianne Cope, St. Kateri Tekakwitha, St. Junípero Serra, and Servant of God Nicholas Black Elk.
• Need help? Schedule a free CatholicPsych consultation
• Want to help? Learn more about our Certification in Professional Accompaniment
  

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