Happy New Year!

Still looking for a resolution you’ll break in the third week of January? I've got one that actually helped me when I was too depressed to get out of bed.

This episode is a moment-by-moment peek behind the curtain into my morning as a digital minimalist.

No phones, lots of protein, and how I'm a Cullen vampire.

Best Quotes:

"This is not medical advice. Don't listen to something you hear from a podcaster who decided she would spend her life being an actor, a dancer, and a writer."

"I'm a Twilight vampire, I'm a Cullen. You know, where I'm a vegetarian. I only eat animals. No, I would probably eat human too if I was a vampire."

"I'm not a completely insane dictator who's leading the world. I don't need to be on my phone. I'm not that important. Nobody really cares."

IN THIS EPISODE:

• Why my phone sleeps outside my bedroom (how the night before sets up your morning)

• Pushing my face into the screen to stare at the sun: Huberman Labs taught me this?

• The electrolyte + creatine combo that changed everything

• That time an acupuncturist put me on a 25-hour cauliflower diet

• Why I eat animal protein 6-7 times a day (vampire life chose me)

• The vegetable hack that keeps me full for hours! (I wish this were clickbait but I actually do this)

• Breakfast outside like I'm Simon Cowell on a yacht

• How this routine pulled me out of depression and off the doom scroll

• Why women need to eat within 30 minutes of waking up (cortisol spikes are real)

Timestamps:

00:00 Move Over Huberman, Chang Labs is Here

00:46 No Phones in the Bedroom

01:14 Is Sunlight Hurting My Eyes?

02:55 Electrolytes + Creatine

04:39 Cauliflower, Rice, Fried Fish Diet??

05:45 Vampire levels of meat

07:33 Breakfast outside like I'm Simon Cowell

08:53 A Year Ago I Was Too Depressed to Get Out of Bed

09:57 AM Cortisol spikes in women

10:06 Share your morning routine with me on Substack or comment below

Resources Mentioned:

• Seeking Health Optimal Electrolytes (with creatine) https://amzn.to/49lfMy6

• Seeking Health Vitamin D drops https://amzn.to/49lmwMm

Affiliate links may credit me much-appreciated 5 cents

Got your own digital minimalist morning tips? Drop them in the comments on YouTube or share them with me on Substack! Let's help each other optimize our mornings.

Sign up for my newsletter Books. Biceps. No BS. https://thesophiachang.substack.com/

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Sophia Chang is a Reese’s Book Club LitUp fellow, disabled dancer, and extroverted writer. She hosts The Sophia Chang Show podcast, teaches Character First writing with Daniel David Wallace, and believes deadlifts can change your life. She will make out with your dog. Learn more at: www.sophiachang.com

Podcast content is for entertainmentpurposes only and does not constitute medical, health, or fitness advice.

Topics

digital minimalism, morning routine, wellness, self-care, lifestyle changes, mental health, productivity, health tips, mindfulness, personal growth

FREE Are You Ready for Traditional Publishing decision tree: https://bit.ly/freeflowchart

My Spotify Wrapped for Creators just exposed ALL of you.

Taylor Swift lovers, K-pop Demon Hunters fans, Drake apologists (boo!) and apparently... a Minnesota Vikings superfan who also loves books and biceps. We need to talk.

This is my 2025 podcast year in review: 12 episodes, 6 incredible guests, hilarious Spotify Wrapped data that makes no sense. What I learned from restarting this show after a multi-year hiatus and why the real treasure was the friends we made along the way.

Best Quotes:

"I'm Joe Rogan stuck inside a tiny Asian body. One day a publicist is going to ask why I said that sentence."

"This year, my show's growth outpaced 80% of other shows. That's kind of amazing considering I only pumped out three month’s worth of podcast episodes."

IN THIS EPISODE:

• Why I may be the next Joe Rogan
• You all listen to too much Tay Tay
• Why a sportsball-hating writer from NYC now reps the Dodgers
• The most meaningful part of restarting this podcast: reconnecting with a writing community
• Are You Ready for Traditional Publishing? FREE decision tree for new subscribers
• A chance to appear on The Sophia Chang Show

Sign up for my newsletter: to see all the hilarious Spotify Wrapped screenshots from this episode. Plus you'll get a FREE flowchart: Are You Ready for Traditional Publishing? and access to Ask Sophia Q&A!

https://thesophiachang.substack.com/

No social media! Newsletter is the ONLY way to stay connected

Sophia Chang is a Reese’s Book Club LitUp fellow, disabled dancer, and extroverted writer. She hosts The Sophia Chang Show podcast, teaches Character First writing with Daniel David Wallace, and believes deadlifts can change your life. She will make out with your dog. Learn more at: www.sophiachang.com

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 The Most Wonderful and Heinous Time of the Year

01:51 I See You Swifties

03:28 Who is My Minnesota Vikings Fan?

05:27 Proud to be your 2025 Joe Rogan

07:53 2025 Spotify Awards

08:57 Unexpected Best Part of Restarting my Podcast

KEYWORDS: Spotify Wrapped 2025, podcast year in review, Spotify podcast recap, podcast growth tips, Asian American author, traditional publishing, writing community, podcast behind the scenes, year end podcast episode, books and fitness podcast

Ah yes, hellworld, give us the rise of Digital Minimalism Influencer.

Six years after crowning Cal Newport's Digital Minimalism my 2019 book of the year, I return with a solo episode to report on the state of digital detoxing in a world where anything that promises peace and deep work will eventually become a product.

In this episode:

• Why "escape Instagram by joining my forum" is just rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic
• Parents: You're the Problem. An Education Week study shows the biggest classroom distraction isn’t teens sneaking TikTok—it’s parents texting their children during class to soothe their own anxiety
• My confession: how the need to pay bills is wrecking my own digital minimalism
• Why actual digital minimalism is boring, unsexy, and impossible to monetize

Quote of the Week:

"There is something deeply ironic about building an entire online business around helping people get offline."

Timestamps:

00:00 The Rise of the Digital Minimalism Influencer

04:45 Parents, You're the Problem

06:27 Am I Still a Digital Minimalist?

08:15 Will I Go Full Recluse in the Future?

If you’ve been flirting with quitting social media, but skeptical of the influencers using attention economy to sell digital detoxes, this episode is my side-eye with you.

Subscribe to my newsletter: https://thesophiachang.substack.com/

No social media. No Discord. Just my voice and your inbox. As it should be.

Sophia Chang is a Reese’s Book Club LitUp fellow, disabled dancer, and extroverted writer. She coaches new podcasters, teaches Character First writing with Daniel David Wallace, and believes deadlifts can change your life. She will make out with your dog. Learn more at: www.sophiachang.com

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