Unburdening Castos https://unburdening.castos.com Unburdening is the official Podcast of Mount North. Hosted by therapist Clare Welsh, the podcast unburdens wellness topics from stigma and misinformation. We explore topics of mental health, culture, technology, science, spirituality, and technology. We provide real stories and science that resonate, all with the low-key tone of a fire-side chat. Tue, 16 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000 en © 2026 https://episodes.castos.com/6a109ab0d325e0-31271308/images/Unburdening-Podcast-Cover.jpg Unburdening https://unburdening.castos.com Unburdening is the official Podcast of Mount North. Hosted by therapist Clare Welsh, the podcast unburdens wellness topics from stigma and misinformation. We explore topics of mental health, culture, technology, science, spirituality, and technology. We provide real stories and science that resonate, all with the low-key tone of a fire-side chat. clare welsh episodic Unburdening is the official Podcast of Mount North. Hosted by therapist Clare Welsh, the podcast unburdens wellness topics from stigma and misinformation. We explore topics of mental health, culture, technology, science, spirituality, and technology. We provide real stories and science that resonate, all with the low-key tone of a fire-side chat. clare welsh clare@mount-north.com false https://feeds.castos.com/pvgw1 yes <![CDATA[Introduction: Unburdening Loneliness]]> Tue, 16 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000 clare welsh https://permalink.castos.com/podcast/70437/episode/2472501 https://unburdening.castos.com/episodes/introduction-unburdening-loneliness In this inaugural episode of Unburdening, host Clare, a therapist at Mount North, explores the modern loneliness epidemic and how mainstream wellness content often exacerbates the very alienation it claims to solve. Drawing from psychology, pop culture, and personal experience, she examines why authenticity and genuine connection feel so elusive in our optimization-obsessed culture.

  • The behavioral psychology behind social media wellness content and how it uses fear triggers to create compulsive engagement
  • Why surface-level optimization content feels like "tent revival for mental health" and leaves us feeling worse about ourselves
  • The distinction between loneliness as a feeling versus aloneness as a state of being
  • Harvard research findings showing 21% of Americans struggle with serious loneliness, with ages 30-44 being the loneliest demographic
  • Intergenerational patterns of loneliness from Silent Generation trauma through Baby Boomer emotional repression to Millennial/Gen X economic insecurity
  • The balance between authenticity and attachment in relationships, and how imbalance creates compound loneliness
  • Carl Jung's wisdom: "I'd rather be whole than good" and why real healing isn't aspirational
  • Richard Swartz's concept of "unburdening" and the eight Cs of wholeness
  • Claire's personal journey from isolation in Wales to finding connection with self and nature

Resources mentioned: Internal Family Systems therapy, Dr. Gabor Mate's "The Myth of Normal," Townes Van Zandt's music, Orson Welles' "Someone to Love," Mad Men character analysis, Harvard loneliness study, Welsh concept of "cwtch"

Chapters

  • (00:00:02) - Introducing Unburdening: A Mount North Podcast
  • (00:01:02) - The Lonely Planet: Unburdening
  • (00:04:24) - Why Social Media Wellness Content Is So Lonely
  • (00:14:28) - Wellness Content That's Aspirational as Well as Real
  • (00:17:03) - Loneliness Is Not a Personal Problem
  • (00:28:23) - Why Are Our Generations Loneliest?
  • (00:37:16) - The Intergenerational Loneliness
  • (00:38:31) - The Leading Causes of Loneliness
  • (00:39:43) - What Do Lonely People Do About It?
  • (00:45:27) - How to Come Home to Yourself
  • (00:48:49) - Coming Home: The Lonely Moment
  • (00:52:28) - A Taste of First Episode
]]> false In this inaugural episode of Unburdening, host Clare, a therapist at Mount North, explores the modern loneliness epidemic and how mainstream wellness content often exacerbates the very alienation it claims to solve. Drawing from psychology, pop culture, and personal experience, she examines why authenticity and genuine connection feel so elusive in our optimization-obsessed culture.

  • The behavioral psychology behind social media wellness content and how it uses fear triggers to create compulsive engagement
  • Why surface-level optimization content feels like "tent revival for mental health" and leaves us feeling worse about ourselves
  • The distinction between loneliness as a feeling versus aloneness as a state of being
  • Harvard research findings showing 21% of Americans struggle with serious loneliness, with ages 30-44 being the loneliest demographic
  • Intergenerational patterns of loneliness from Silent Generation trauma through Baby Boomer emotional repression to Millennial/Gen X economic insecurity
  • The balance between authenticity and attachment in relationships, and how imbalance creates compound loneliness
  • Carl Jung's wisdom: "I'd rather be whole than good" and why real healing isn't aspirational
  • Richard Swartz's concept of "unburdening" and the eight Cs of wholeness
  • Claire's personal journey from isolation in Wales to finding connection with self and nature

Resources mentioned: Internal Family Systems therapy, Dr. Gabor Mate's "The Myth of Normal," Townes Van Zandt's music, Orson Welles' "Someone to Love," Mad Men character analysis, Harvard loneliness study, Welsh concept of "cwtch"

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