#4: Sr. Nancy Usselmann — The Spirituality of Media and Turning to God Instead of AI

#4: Sr. Nancy Usselmann — The Spirituality of Media and Turning to God Instead of AI

In this episode, Pete tries some of his comedy on Sr. Nancy Usselman [https://pauline.org/staff/sr-nancy-usselmann/]. They discuss the spirituality of media, turning to God instead of AI, the importance of silence, and how Sr. Nancy may or may not have gotten him fired from his last job (in a good way.) Sr. Nancy is a Daughter of St Paul [https://daughtersofstpaul.com/] and Director of Pauline Media Studies [https://pauline.org/media-literacy-and-mindfulness/]. She is a Media Literacy educator, film/tv reviewer, speaker, writer, and author of Media Fasting: Six Weeks to Recharge in Christ [https://paulinestore.com/media-fasting.html] and A Sacred Look: Becoming Cultural Mystics [https://paulinestore.com/sacred-look-becoming-culture-mystics-theology-of-popular-culture-4226-176661.html]. Sr. Nancy presents ways to engage thoughtfully with popular media using faith values and spirituality. She has a Doctorate in Ministry from the Catholic University of America and is developing Media Mindfulness Catechesis, a model of faith integration with our everyday media use. You can learn more and follow Sr Nancy and the work of the Media Nuns at www.daughtersofstpaul.com [https://daughtersofstpaul.com/our-mission/] Trailer: dumbphonepete.com/podcast/trailer [https://dumbphonepete.com/podcast/trailer] The project: Check out our website dumbphonepete.com [http://dumbphonepete.com/] for new episodes, upcoming live shows, speaking events, personal and group coaching packages, and our helpful resources page. If you’re able to support the show with your dollars, visit dumbphonepete.com/give [http://dumbphonepete.com/give] to make a secure donation to the project. Get the Wisephone II from Techless and enjoy $25 off with code DUMBPHONEPETE at checkout. https://wisephone.com/products/wisephone-ii [https://wisephone.com/products/wisephone-ii] Reference links: Media Fast Challenge [https://connect.pauline.org/media-fasting/] Media Apostle: The Father James Alberione Story [https://daughtersofstpaul.com/videos/media-apostle-the-father-james-alberione-story/] World Communication Day https://www.usccb.org/news/2025/world-communications-day-2025 [https://www.usccb.org/news/2025/world-communications-day-2025] Inter Mirifica (Vatican II) – Decree On The Media of Social Communications https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decree_19631204_inter-mirifica_en.html [https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decree_19631204_inter-mirifica_en.html] Towards Full Presence – A Pastoral Reflection on Engagement with Social Media https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/dpc/documents/20230528_dpc-verso-piena-presenza_en.html [https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/dpc/documents/20230528_dpc-verso-piena-presenza_en.html] Matthew Sanders – Longbeard: https://www.longbeard.com/ [https://www.longbeard.com/] Carr, Nicholas. (2025). Superbloom: How Technologies of Connection Tear Us Apart. [https://www.amazon.com/Superbloom-Technologies-Connection-Tear-Apart/dp/1324064617/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2EFI3DIQH7GEE&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.DRvV6gEodPdXVfSkEWWZx1l7T4FqtgmqX8H0tbN3UNWcpIijRPQKxMZzxkyxBXjznlE5jfE2Cdsp5gQd467vR-RoXik1L1u-fXlDMhH4ZVObEPjWl7Wnz9-gqla1B-QHlJM9-eRLSwjq7bZV4Dr95VnqfVyheoQsLQZcawv5e4AmiKewwr7kdDbmw87R467XwRhWgDuU0WUz1m3Dxu_MltCgtE-fUPRmgvmgHW_M6FQ.yU7uLeQAJKvUZ_W44it3ZKe0g3mBEBm-svQjSFEKp5k&dib_tag=se&keywords=superbloom&qid=1753805291&s=books&sprefix=superbloom%2Cstripbooks%2C178&sr=1-1] W.W. Norton & Company Ltd. Carr, Nicholas. (2010). The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains. [https://www.amazon.com/dp/0393072223/?bestFormat=true&k=the%20shallows%20nicholas%20carr&ref_=nb_sb_ss_w_scx-ent-bk-ww_k2_1_12_de&crid=V2BM249A3TEK&sprefix=the%20shallows] W.W. Norton & Company Ltd. The Dumbphone Pete podcast is a production of Symbol & Story. Don’t be stupid, stay dumb people!

#3: Dr. Mike Brooks — Will Artificial Intelligence (AI) Save Humanity or Turn Us Into Paperclips?

In this episode fellow Austinite, Dr. Mike Brooks is live in the studio. Dr. Mike and Pete met at the local gym while Pete was pretending to stretch and at the same time eavesdropping on Dr. Mike’s conversation about the work he’s doing with the One Unity Project. Pete and Dr. Mike go back and forth on whether artificial intelligence (AI) is the solution or the problem. Dr. Mike, is a licensed psychologist, author, and speaker, with a focus on the intersections of psychology, technology, spirituality, and well-being. Dr. Mike has been studying the effects of technology on humanity for over a decade and is an expert on the subject, guided by his lifelong fascination with the existential questions that define our human experience. He is the co-author of Tech Generation: Raising Balanced Kids in a Hyper-Connected World. Published in 2018 by Oxford University Press [https://www.amazon.com/Tech-Generation-Raising-Balanced-Hyper-Connected/dp/0190665297], the host of the podcast Talking with Tomorrow [https://www.youtube.com/@TalkingWithTomorrow/podcasts] on YouTube, and the founder of the One Unity Project [https://www.oneunityproject.org/]. You can learn more, follow, and subscribe to his work at www.oneunityproject.org [https://www.oneunityproject.org/] Trailer: dumbphonepete.com/podcast/trailer [https://dumbphonepete.com/podcast/trailer] The project: Check out our website dumbphonepete.com [http://dumbphonepete.com/] for new episodes, upcoming live shows, speaking events, personal and group coaching packages, and our helpful resources page. If you’re able to support the show with your dollars, visit dumbphonepete.com/give [http://dumbphonepete.com/give] to make a secure donation to the project. Get the Wisephone II from Techless and enjoy $25 off with code DUMBPHONEPETE at checkout. https://wisephone.com/products/wisephone-ii [https://wisephone.com/products/wisephone-ii] Reference links: E.O. Wilson: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._O._Wilson [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._O._Wilson] Albert Bartlett: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Allen_Bartlett [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Allen_Bartlett] Nick Bostrom: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Bostrom [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Bostrom] Quinn, Daniel. (1992). Ishmael. [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0883FV5DL?binding=kindle_edition&qid=1756930481&sr=1-1&ref=dbs_dp_rwt_sb_pc_tkin]Bantam. Quinn, Daniel. (1996). The Story of B. [https://www.amazon.com/Story-B-Ishmael-Daniel-Quinn/dp/0553379011/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0] Bantam. Tolle, Eckhart. (2005). A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose. [https://www.amazon.com/New-Earth-Awakening-Lifes-Purpose/dp/0525948023/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.xP4vhR1ofBhVmX7tv8Ti66nlOKppTxchvaGRjwqRd5-qs8r_XOaplUkKMskA-QwsjpguD34MzXTE-WL_LsljGsCkZR7MATITFEvwnzEHXUf5qmNLSsrBWULk0XCgqEnUFeo6lWWr4y49QMwoWwxppG6ybCXm_X9PBSLkaRjBOTMdmhaLuPGzJaUrrzw-Ch0-jMsn55P84OoQuYty8KeWr3zoMSnst41t3V30F-EPN10.Xe4f-O1Zh19YYhEHjY17yWjEi36OEJrqD762qStgmd8&qid=1756931877&sr=1-1]Penguin Life. Rowling, J.K. (1999). Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. [https://www.amazon.com/Harry-Potter-Chamber-Secrets-Rowling/dp/0439064864/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.5k2O1riCsboIWzu6Wv1XHPD6ozAWqqbaa0598Epi7UyivnH7ZpHT1CpiMdgwQg_WW70hiKB58h9vii_gX6dAnTi4leExJCPVoE5sMfJtupJ1MT7ub2SwX6objQHnT7kjCHF7py59gXKW68_4jz5Cfmom94QY4JqV5OWc9urVCJlf58yj0ODNMvKg-65fnRjzyBd10PaPkaTjFIvaW-egaP9zHcaBsBW13_v_rg0JUI4.kmSCcKWipJ8E-f8gLn6oDsgGeesVmUN18FIAGkb6hlo&qid=1756931638&sr=1-1] Scholastic. Maieutic [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/maieutic] Mirror Sycophantic [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sycophantic] The Dumbphone Pete podcast is a production of Symbol & Story. Don’t be stupid, stay dumb people!

#2: Mike Petrow — Our Fractured Selves, Carl Jung, and the Path to an Integrated Self

Mike is an expert in mythology, depth psychology, and religion. He holds a multitude of certifications and degrees including a PhD in psychology, mythology, and religion from Pacifica Graduate Institute [https://www.pacifica.edu/]. Mike is the Director of Formation, Faculty Relations, and Theological Foundations with the Center for Action and Contemplation [https://cac.org/] in Albuquerque, New Mexico, a non-profit founded by Franciscan friar and ecumenical teacher, Fr. Richard Rohr [https://cac.org/about/cac-faculty/cac-founder-richard-rohr/]. He has previously worked as a Pastor, a counselor with at-risk youth, and a chaplain in a tiny Times Square theater space. Pete and Mike discuss our fractured selves, ancient wisdom for this modern age, ideas and concepts from Jungian psychology from the famous Swiss Psychoanalyst Carl Jung, and together further explore healing the digital wound. Trailer: dumbphonepete.com/podcast/trailer [https://dumbphonepete.com/podcast/trailer] The project: Check out our website dumbphonepete.com [http://dumbphonepete.com/] for new episodes, upcoming live shows, speaking events, personal and group coaching packages, and our helpful resources page. If you’re able to support the show with your dollars, visit dumbphonepete.com/give [http://dumbphonepete.com/give] to make a secure donation to the project. Get the Wisephone II from Techless and enjoy $25 off with code DUMBPHONEPETE at checkout. https://wisephone.com/products/wisephone-ii [https://wisephone.com/products/wisephone-ii] Reference links: Carl Jung: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Jung [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Jung] Enantiodromia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enantiodromia [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enantiodromia] Individuation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Individuation [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Individuation] The Shadow: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadow_(psychology) [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadow_(psychology)] Romanyshyn, Robert. (2015) Technology as Symptom and Dream [https://www.amazon.com/Technology-Symptom-Dream-Robert-Romanyshyn/dp/1138132829/ref=sr_1_1?crid=JC4EU1FSGCQ6&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.OeQwzK0Pwv44_eb4-jDoYg.4loNV499j4ygprdsrAZubQNyes3lnHGePZUg0pNPQa0&dib_tag=se&keywords=technology+as+symptom+and+dream&qid=1754776584&sprefix=technology+as+sym%2Caps%2C171&sr=8-1]. Routledge. Carr, Nicholas. (2025). Superbloom: How Technologies of Connection Tear Us Apart. [https://www.amazon.com/Superbloom-Technologies-Connection-Tear-Apart/dp/1324064617/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2EFI3DIQH7GEE&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.DRvV6gEodPdXVfSkEWWZx1l7T4FqtgmqX8H0tbN3UNWcpIijRPQKxMZzxkyxBXjznlE5jfE2Cdsp5gQd467vR-RoXik1L1u-fXlDMhH4ZVObEPjWl7Wnz9-gqla1B-QHlJM9-eRLSwjq7bZV4Dr95VnqfVyheoQsLQZcawv5e4AmiKewwr7kdDbmw87R467XwRhWgDuU0WUz1m3Dxu_MltCgtE-fUPRmgvmgHW_M6FQ.yU7uLeQAJKvUZ_W44it3ZKe0g3mBEBm-svQjSFEKp5k&dib_tag=se&keywords=superbloom&qid=1753805291&s=books&sprefix=superbloom%2Cstripbooks%2C178&sr=1-1] W.W. Norton & Company Ltd. Carr, Nicholas. (2010). The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains. [https://www.amazon.com/dp/0393072223/?bestFormat=true&k=the%20shallows%20nicholas%20carr&ref_=nb_sb_ss_w_scx-ent-bk-ww_k2_1_12_de&crid=V2BM249A3TEK&sprefix=the%20shallows] W.W. Norton & Company Ltd. Lanier, Jaron. (2018). Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now. [https://www.amazon.com/dp/125019668X/?bestFormat=true&k=ten%20arguments%20for%20deleting%20your%20social%20media%20accounts%20right%20now&ref_=nb_sb_ss_w_scx-ent-bk-ww_k0_1_8_de&crid=316KTL29L8HQ1&sprefix=ten%20argu] Henry Holt and Company. Haidt, Jonathan. (2024). The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness. [https://www.amazon.com/Anxious-Generation-Rewiring-Childhood-Epidemic/dp/0593655036/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2MEQ4VEB80Z6S&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.yfIzun3AD79MW6SaiFf7qQAQ7Pztwer_JLqFmHsGozcXpS0Lot7DWxXUKaXuRsoJhIqghM0eL_R07W2dt8D--dFz5dLOfQz5FcPUIfqhDWJL_d_LJHRK6oQP8O1qsn70iHqBTj-dDIwpyff79Dtn2ycJaILE2QQsx_o75QLY4dpAhjXj95T9SzCAXyUr4-k4Pi41ahAxSXeZcNh7h__0s3Y6LRDnBYPGEQz5Own5BbU.ktzHF0XkK5bHje6dqDgtY6qbLndPKheP6UVDnUpKjFQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+anxious+generation&qid=1753804808&sprefix=the+anxious+generation%2Caps%2C165&sr=8-1] Penguin Press. The Dumbphone Pete podcast is a production of Symbol & Story. Don’t be stupid, stay dumb people!

Dumbphone Pete: Trailer — Don’t Be Stupid, Stay Dumb People!

In 2017 at a comedy show in New York City, Pete made a joke about artificial intelligence taking all of our jobs with the exception of stand up comedians. In 2025, Pete was asked to resign from his job in communications for suggesting a community social media fast while speaking up about the oppressive nature of certain digital technologies. With this as the inciting incident, out of the ashes Dumbphone Pete was born. The Project: Check out our website dumbphonepete.com [http://dumbphonepete.com/] for new episodes, upcoming live shows, speaking events, personal and group coaching packages, and our helpful resources page. If you’re able to support the show with your dollars, visit dumbphonepete.com/give [http://dumbphonepete.com/give] to make a secure donation to the project. The Dumbphone Pete podcast is a production of Symbol & Story.