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Dennis Rox: Confessional Self-Improvement & Psychology

Dennis Rox: Confessional Self-Improvement & Psychology

Written by: Eldar Katherine Mike Toliy
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Tired of self-help gurus telling you to "just think positive"? The Dennis Rox Podcast is a confessional self-improvement group dialogue that dives deep into the roots of human suffering. Join our multi-host inner circle for raw, 3-hour sessions where we dissect the psychological conflict and conditioning that keeps you stuck. This is not surface-level advice—it's genuine, unfiltered vulnerability.


Every episode is an intensive examination of life's biggest hurdles, guiding you toward mindset mastery, emotional wisdom, happiness and true personal freedom. We tackle everything from the guilt of relaxation and fear of fun to relationship dynamics, discipline, and the search for authentic identity. If you're looking for radical transparency to fuel your personal growth, start here.


New episodes drop weekly! Subscribe now to begin your journey of self-mastery with the Dennis Rox Podcast.

© 2026 Dennis Rox: Confessional Self-Improvement & Psychology
Philosophy Relationships Self-Help Social Sciences Success
Episodes
  • 197. Alcoholism
    Jan 21 2026

    Is your "controlled" drinking actually a slow-motion crash?

    Most people wait for a rock-bottom moment to change. But what if the real danger isn't the "binge"—it's the constant, justified "moderate" habit that slowly erodes the life you were meant to live?.

    In this raw and unfiltered "First Principles Autopsy," we sit down with Julius to deconstruct the psychology of addiction, the "magic bullet" myth of hypnosis, and why we move the line in the sand every single day to stay comfortable. We explore why quitting the substance is often the easy part—the hard part is recoding the broken logic that caused the fire in the first place.

    Insightful Moment of the Episode:

    "Drinking is not the problem. Smoking is not the problem. The problem is the things that cause you to do that. By quitting drinking, it’s not going to change anything... eventually, you have to look under the bed because you can’t keep running."Mike

    Key Takeaways:


    • The Justification Trap: How "moving the line in the sand" prevents you from ever reaching your limit.
    • Hypnosis vs. Speed Therapy: Can you actually "recode" your triggers, or are you just looking for a magic bullet shortcut?.
    • The Comparison Curse: Why comparing your "level" of addiction to others is a race to the bottom.
    • The Cost of "Moderate" Success: Why being "productive while drinking" is the most dangerous form of self-sabotage.

    By the end of the session, the team poses a final, brutal question to Julius that changes everything: Is he ready to admit he’s been acting like an "idiot" to protect his ego, or will he walk back into the environment that’s quietly killing his potential? Stay tuned for the final 10 minutes where the mask finally slips....

    • Enjoyed this episode? Hit the "Follow" button so you never miss a deep dive into the human psyche.

    Feel stuck and can't actualize? We'd love to hear your story - we can even dissect it on our next episode. Submit your story using this form - https://forms.gle/joegCWQ7mHt7eN3K9

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    1 hr and 31 mins
  • 196. Causality
    Jan 14 2026

    What if the constant anxiety plaguing your days isn't from real threats... but from illusions your mind creates? In this raw episode of Dennis Rox Podcast, hosts Eldar, Mike, Sergiy, and Toliy dive deep into "actual causality" — the hidden force behind stress, panic attacks, and self-sabotage. Drawing from personal stories, they unpack how one bad experience (like Sergiy's car repair trauma) can snowball into lifelong PTSD-like patterns, making you live in a future that never arrives. But here's the cliffhanger: What if one simple mindset shift could rewrite your brain's code forever? Listen to the end to find out — it might just save your sanity.

    Key takeaways:

    • Live in the present: Stop projecting unreal futures — as Sergiy notes, most fears "didn't even happen and most likely will not happen."
    • Question correlations: Don't let one event define everything; challenge assumptions to break anxiety cycles.
    • Seek help early: Trauma like childhood stutter (Toliy's story) or panic attacks can be rewired with therapy like CBT — don't wait.
    • Avoid arrogance: Mike's insight: Ego drives wrong conclusions, leading to internal battles; humility is the key to peace.
    • Build healthy habits: Balance sleep, diet, and exercise to support mental resilience, as discussed in the group's reflections.

    Most insightful moment: Sergiy shares, "you're thinking about stuff that didn't even happen and most likely will not happen, but you're like, okay, it's gonna happen. It's gonna be bad. And now you're stressing yourself out in the current. So you're never living in the current, you're always living in the future, and you're always living under stress." This raw revelation hits hard, highlighting how self-made narratives fuel unnecessary suffering.

    Ready to break free from your mental prison? Subscribe now for weekly doses of life-changing philosophy, rate us on Apple Podcasts to help us reach more minds, and share this episode with someone stuck in stress mode. Let's conquer causality together — what's your biggest "wrong assumption" story? Comment below!

    Feel stuck and can't actualize? We'd love to hear your story - we can even dissect it on our next episode. Submit your story using this form - https://forms.gle/joegCWQ7mHt7eN3K9

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    1 hr and 50 mins
  • 195. Manipulation
    Jan 7 2026

    When is it time to kick someone to the curb?

    In this episode, Eldar and Toliy dive deep into the messy world of toxic manipulation, narcissism, and the art of setting boundaries. They challenge the popular notion of "cutting people off" and suggest a more strategic approach: positioning yourself so that other people’s "dumb" behavior can’t actually hurt you.

    From the "Harris" hiring to Eldar’s cousin’s mid-life crisis at 30, we explore why we often feel like an "NPC" in our own lives and how to stop maintaining an identity that isn't actually yours.

    Key Takeaways:

    • The Attachment Trap: Why manipulation only works if you are attached to a specific, non-truth-based outcome.
    • Giving "Leash" vs. Getting Abused: How to structure your life so you can allow people to be themselves without suffering the consequences.
    • Earned Suffering: Understanding that your current position in life—no matter how painful—is necessary and earned.
    • Starting Over at 30: Why feeling like you've "wasted 10 years" is a demoralizing lie and how to actually begin the "human" journey.
    • Lizard Monkeys vs. Humans: The internal evolution required to stop acting on impulse and start acting on character.

    The Most Insightful Moment:

    "Man spends their whole life trying to become someone that they’re not, only to not be able to maintain the identity that they’ve been trying to show the whole time. The maintenance of trying to be someone you're not is bound to fail." — Toliy


    Are you ready to stop being a "Lizard Monkey" and start building a life of character? Subscribe to the show and leave us a review if this episode helped you see your relationships more clearly.

    Feel stuck and can't actualize? We'd love to hear your story - we can even dissect it on our next episode. Submit your story using this form - https://forms.gle/joegCWQ7mHt7eN3K9

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    1 hr and 21 mins
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