Episode 41: "The Office" star Rainn Wilson on mental health, addiction & spirituality

Rainn Wilson is best known for his role as Dwight Schrute on The Office—one of the most iconic characters in television history. The Office consistently ranks among the greatest TV shows of all time and has remained one of the most watched shows on streaming services in the last five years.

But there’s so much more to Rainn than his acting career. As the co-founder of SoulPancake, he has spent years exploring life’s biggest questions and is one of Hollywood’s most outspoken voices on spirituality. He’s also a bestselling author, with The Bassoon King (2015) and SoulBoom (2023), the latter making an instant splash on The New York Times bestseller list.

In this episode, Rainn opens up about his personal journey—his battles with addiction, anxiety, and an existential crisis, and how he found healing through therapy and spirituality. We also dive into his Hollywood breakthrough, the myth that success leads to happiness, and why he believes the Western world is in desperate need of a spiritual revolution.

From consciousness and religion to human suffering and mental health, this is Rainn at his most raw, insightful, and thought-provoking.

Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro 2:43 - Sponsor: N-2 Water 3:42 - Getting rejected at Juilliard 12:22 - Rainn’s drug addiction 15:25 - Going to therapy for first time 17:58 - Why Rainn had a mental health crisis 21:41 - Constant panic attacks 26:57 - Generational trauma & Rainn’s childhood 34:18 - Becoming an atheist 38:08 - Considering spirituality 42:34 - Answered prayer or coincidence? 46:10 - Investigating the truth 54:11 - Moving to Hollywood 56:20 - Landing The Office role 1:02:55 - Becoming famous 1:04:47 - The Rocker 1:10:44 - The insatiable desire for more 1:17:53 - My Last Days 1:22:13 - The need for a spiritual revolution 1:32:54 - Psychedelics 1:39:07 - Consciousness 1:49:48 - Religion 1:56:54 - Morality 2:07:19 - Suffering, pain & struggles 2:15:45 - Are all religions the same? 2:29:08 - Biggest takeaways

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Related Episodes: https://youtu.be/m-9o5aFAqrI https://youtu.be/f5mzNrdactw

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