Mick Unplugged
Dr Jody Carrington: Breaking the Loneliness Epidemic-The Power of Being Seen & Heard
07 Aug 2025
Chapter 1: What is the significance of human connection according to Dr. Jody Carrington?
Whoever made us said, I'm going to make you neurobiologically wired for connection. Okay. You disconnect from an infant, they die. We will never automate relationship.
No matter how good we get at the AI, if you understand in your business, in your organization, in your family system, that the only AI that's going to matter in the next generation more than anything is authentic interaction, you will be wildly successful.
Welcome to Mic Unplugged, the number one podcast for self-improvement, leadership, and relentless growth. No fluff, no filters, just hard-hitting truths, unstoppable strategies, and the mindset shifts that separate the best from the rest. Ready to break limits? Let's go. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another exciting episode of McUnplugged, and today we've got something very special.
She is the psychologist shaking up boardrooms, classrooms, and living rooms, reminding us that connection isn't soft, it's your freaking superpowers. From trauma expert to best-selling author and global speaker, she's redefining how we lead, how we heal, and how we rise. Please join me in welcoming the fearless, the grounded, the electric Alberta Canada's finest, Dr. Jodi Carrington.
Dr. Jodi, how are you doing today, dear?
Oh my gosh, better now?
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Chapter 2: How does Dr. Jody's background influence her views on privilege and purpose?
That was the best intro in the history of intros. I think we need to go on the road.
Let's go. I'm ready. I'm ready.
If you're ready, I know I'm so excited. Tell me, tell me more about this amazing place.
So this amazing place is in the room right now with Dr. Jodi, one of the most inspiring people that I know, one of the smartest people that I know. I'm a huge fan of your podcast, by the way, as well. I'm a huge fan of your books. It's hard to be a bestseller, but after reading them, I know why. So congratulations and kudos to you.
Thank you so much. Yeah, it's been a wild ride, but I'm just loving it. And I feel like we're just getting started.
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Chapter 3: What role does rest play in effective leadership?
Do you know that feeling?
Absolutely. Yeah. That is literally how I feel like every day. It's like some days I wake up and it's like, how did I get here? And a lot of days it's like, holy crap, we're going places, right?
Yeah.
Yeah.
So Dr. Jodi, again, a huge fan of what you do. I love how, you know, as someone who was very well educated, you have this unique ability to break things down in like simple terms. And that's why I think your books are easy to read. Your conversations, your communities are as large as they are because you are very relatable. And I always like to ask my guests, like, what's your because?
What's that purpose that you have that's deeper than your why? Like, what drives Dr. Carrington everyday?
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Chapter 4: Why is emotional intelligence considered a privilege?
Hmm, that is such a good question. So I'll tell you this, like, I don't know if this video recorded, but I'll tell you my story. So I grew up in a little town called Viking, Alberta, Canada, white, straight, able bodied, and deeply racist. I didn't see a person of color until I was in grade three.
In this country, there was an attempted cultural genocide of indigenous peoples that I did not know about, because mostly because of my privilege. I got a PhD in this country and not one time did I learn about the residential school system. I didn't understand the true meaning of starting on third base until I started to serve. I became a civilian member of our National Police Force.
And then I took my first job was on a locked psychiatric inpatient unit for kids. And so hitters, kickers, biters, many of the kids were in care. And in my privilege, not one time did I pause and say, What happened here? How come there is such racial disparity? How come there's such financial disparity? How come, right?
Chapter 5: How does Dr. Jody define the loneliness epidemic?
Why in my particular country right now, are there certain people, indigenous peoples, relegated to unfertile plots of land, what we call reservations? Who made that decision? When we all start in exactly the same place. When we all end in exactly the same place. When our DNA as human beings in this human race is 99.98% the same. Race is a social construct. And we did not ever talk about that.
So I feel like I was so lucky to be in a place where I would be exposed to things and be in a position to treat people who have experienced things that I cannot even fathom. And as my career evolved, it became very clear to me that the only purpose, the only reason I'm here is to understand what this privilege has given me and that I better use it. And that my kids will not be better than me.
I mean, they've got so much room if I think about all the ways that I needed to grow myself. Um, but I, I can't tell them how to be inclusive or kind or, um, anti-racist. I, I need to show them. And it has been the greatest motivator of all time. You know, when we, at the top of the show, we said, you know, I can't, I feel like I'm just getting started.
Chapter 6: What are the two fundamental rules about human connection?
Mostly. I feel like I've never been more grateful to be alive. We're in a center in the center of what people would often say to me as a mental health crisis is, It's a loneliness epidemic like you cannot imagine one in four adolescents in this moment have a plan to end their lives. The loneliness epidemic is massive. Highest rate of suicide in your country and mine is middle-aged men.
And I think that the capacity, the ability to make significant shifts right now in this world is so easy. because the bar is so low. It's never been this easy. And so I feel so lucky to be able to have that insight and then to be able to be in a very privileged body that I better use. And so I think that that is, that is the greatest motivation. And it just feels like such a
such an honor, such a privilege to do what I do every day, which is really talk to people about how much they matter.
I freaking love that. I freaking love that.
Chapter 7: How can individuals cultivate authentic interactions in a tech-driven world?
Again, being such a huge fan of yours and taking this conversation a little bit deeper, You often say that connection is why we're here, right? Like, I think that's one of your principles is connection. What was your moment that made that more than just theory, but an actual pillar of who you are?
Oh my gosh. Do you want it in rank or alphabetical order? Like, I feel like, I feel like, I'll just tell you this. I mean, this is the newest revelation for me when I think about the human race. Okay. So there's two rules of the human race, whoever created us. And I kind of like made this up in my head, but this is After being a psychologist for 20 years, I think that there's two rules.
So number one, whoever created us, and it doesn't matter to me what you believe in Jesus or Buddha or Yahweh, the great big bang, however we got here. As humans, we're way more alike than we are different. And there's sort of two rules.
Chapter 8: What practical tips does Dr. Jody offer for feeling seen and heard?
Number one, whoever made us said, I'm going to make you neurobiologically wired for connection. Okay, you disconnect from an infant, they die. We will never automate relationship, no matter how good we get at the AI.
If you understand in your business, in your organization, in your family system, that the only AI that's going to matter in the next generation more than anything is authentic interaction. you will be wildly successful. Okay. Because you will never automate relationship. The fact that if we could do this podcast in person, our neurochemistry would be remarkably different than it is right now.
Now, because of technological advances, we can be in two different countries and do this beautifully, which I'm very grateful for. Yeah. The idea is that we will very quickly underestimate the importance of being in the same room, of showing up when somebody loses their dad, of being at our kids' dance recitals. Those are the things that we will never automate in this loneliness epidemic.
So that's the number one. That's the number one rule. We're neurobiologically wired for connection. The second rule, whoever made us, threw a curveball. And they were like, hmm. Despite the fact that I'm going to make you neurobiologically wired for connection, the hardest thing you will ever do is look at each other. Isn't that ridiculous?
And I think that that is, and people say this to me all the time. Oh, what do you mean? I'm very good at connection. I, I look at people. No, you don't. You, I mean, if we were in the same room, I mean, I often do this when I give a keynote, I get people, I say them to them, you know, make eye contact right now with somebody in the room.
And it is remarkably difficult because if I'm a room, it doesn't matter. I mean, with police officers or teachers or CEOs or Fortune 500 execs or I might think at the United Nations, I gave a talk at the United Nations and I said to the people in the room, I want you to make eye contact, look at each other. And there's a lot of like arms are crossed.
And, you know, and sometimes there's cultural differences in eye contact. But I got to tell you, we all use our eyes to judge safety. We all use our eyes if we are able bodied or we were visually able to make kids on the spectrum. People say this to me all the time. What about kids on the spectrum or people on the spectrum and on the autism spectrum? Still, we use this.
And what's fascinating to me is we've never had so many exit ramps. We've never had so many opportunities to look away. And it is estimated that our great grandparents looked at their children 72% more of the time than we look at our babies today.
And why that becomes critically important to know is that, as you said, connection for me is one of the pillars because we're neurobiologically wired for it. And the only way you learn empathy, kindness, uh, how to speak, how to, how to emotionally regulate is somebody has to show you. Nobody can tell you, nobody can text an infant and be like, Hey, calm down.
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