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Zach Braff On: Anxiety, Sobriety, Insomnia, Grief, Social Media, and the Meaning of the Tattoo on His Wrist

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Jul 21, 2023

Guest

Zach Braff

In a candid conversation, Zach Braff, actor and director known for 'Scrubs' and 'Garden State', dives deep into themes of anxiety and sobriety. He shares personal experiences with insomnia and grief, learning to embrace his fate, a philosophy reflected in the tattoo on his wrist. Braff discusses the impact of social media on mental health and the healing power of art, particularly through his latest film, 'A Good Person'. His genuine insights into personal growth and creativity make this discussion truly compelling.

46:45

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Episode notes

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ANECDOTE

Why Me?

Zach Braff reflects on the question of "being a good person" in the face of personal tragedies.
He questions why bad things happen to good people like his mother and friend Amanda Kloots.

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ANECDOTE

Grief as Inspiration

Zach Braff's movie, "A Good Person," was born from personal grief after losing his sister, father, and friend Nick Cordero.
He channeled his emotions into writing a film exploring grief, resilience, and hope.

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ADVICE

Sober Curious

Zach Braff is "sober curious" and encourages others to try a month without alcohol.
He has experienced improved mood, energy, and reduced anxiety after cutting back on drinking.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Navigating Adult Relationships and Audio Entertainment

03:48 • 2min

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Exploring Morality and Loss in 'A Good Person'

05:27 • 9min

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Exploring Sobriety and Its Impact on Mental Health

14:51 • 2min

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Navigating Sobriety and Mental Wellness

17:10 • 8min

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Navigating Personal Significance and Digital Impacts

25:22 • 2min

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Embracing Amor Fati: Finding Strength Through Acceptance

27:09 • 13min

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Exploring Creativity, Growth, and the Power of Meditation

39:41 • 4min

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Reflections on Film and Creativity

43:31 • 8min

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Wrapping Up with Recommendations and Upcoming Content

51:11 • 5min

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New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers.

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Today’s episode is a wide-ranging Interview with Zach Braff, one of those rare famous people who’s really willing to go there.

You may know Braff from the TV show Scrubs or the movie Garden State but Braff is actually a genuine multi-hyphenate; a true triple threat. He acts, writes and directs his own movies and other people’s TV shows including Ted Lasso on Apple TV. Relatively recently he put out a new movie that he both wrote and directed called A Good Person starring Florence Pugh and Morgan Freeman.

In this episode we talked about anxiety, depression, insomnia, addiction, grief, social media usage, and what he means by “learning to love your fate”—a notion that is literally tattooed on his wrist.

This Interview was conducted in person at the TED conference in Vancouver this past April.

Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/zach-braff

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