Cool Hand Dross

What happens when everything you’ve buried comes back all at once? In this episode of Cool Hand Dross breaks down the two nervous breakdowns that changed his life—triggered by becoming a father and forced to confront years of unprocessed trauma, anxiety, and depression. What followed was years of panic attacks, failed medication trials, financial collapse, and rebuilding from the ground up. We als...

A packed Midtown club. Loud music. Strong drinks. Then—something shifted. In this True Tale from the Mason Jar, Cool Hand Dross reminisces over a frigid New Year’s Eve in New York City , where what started as a night out with friends turned into a fragmented, chaotic experience they didn’t fully understand until later. Memory gaps. Sudden disorientation. A crowded bar where something wasn’t right....

What if your thoughts aren’t you… just passing clouds? In Episode 16 of Cool Hand Dross , we step into the space between anxiety and awareness—between the storm and the sun. This episode explores how negative thought loops form, why we get stuck in them, and how to shift out of them using a powerful metaphor: the DJ and the turntable. Because the goal isn’t to stop the music in your mind…It’s to c...

In this episode of Cool Hand Dross , we explore the numbers behind mental health, anxiety, and depression —and why so many people feel alone even though millions are experiencing the same struggles. Right now, 1 in 5 adults in the United States lives with a mental health condition , and globally more than 1 billion people are navigating anxiety, depression, grief, and emotional burnout. Yet despit...

Breathing techniques for anxiety, focus, and nervous system regulation might be the most powerful tool we forget to use. In this episode of Cool Hand Dross explores the art and science of breathing —from box breathing used by Navy SEALs to the calming power of the 4-7-8 method, physiological sigh breathing, and mindfulness practices used in meditation traditions around the world. We talk about how...

Thirteen is supposed to be unlucky—but in this episode of Cool Hand Dross , we reclaim it. Episode 13 explores the history and fear behind the number 13 (triskaidekaphobia), and how choosing discomfort can become a rite of passage. CHD shares the story behind The Lucky 13 —a 13-mile ruck with a 20-lb pack ending at the Gulf of Mexico—and uses it as a metaphor for endurance, intention, and having a...

Why does Into the Wild still matter—especially now? In this episode of Cool Hand Dross , I revisit Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild through two lenses: the young man who once idolized Chris McCandless, and the 55-year-old teacher reading it again alongside his high school juniors. What’s changed isn’t the book—it’s the cost of living on autopilot in a world of comfort, convenience, and digital sedatio...

Alright, alright, alright. Episode 11 of the Cool Hand Dross Podcast is a layered, reflective, and slightly unhinged audible offering that moves from classic literature to Buddhist psychology—and ends with a true story that nearly burned down a quiet New Jersey neighborhood. We start with a re-reading of The Catcher in the Rye and the evolving meaning of Holden Caulfield. What felt rebellious at s...

Tashi Delek. Tashi Delek. Tashi Delek. Episode 10 of the Cool Hand Dross Podcast is a milestone—and a grounding mental health reset. In this episode, we focus exclusively on mental health, anxiety, intrusive thoughts, and emotional regulation through simple Buddhist-inspired frameworks that help you reconnect with your true self . You’ll hear two powerful mental models I practice daily: 🌊 Be the...

Episode Description This episode opens with a respectful nod to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. an affirming mantra for uncertain times. before diving into the organized, sophomoric chaos of the Cool Hand Dross Podcast . Before teaching, podcasting, or writing novels, CHD was a successful painting contractor working high-end homes across NJ, NYC, Brooklyn, Connecticut, and the Jersey Shore. Interior wo...

In this episode of Cool Hand Dross , Scott explores the art and science of journaling as a powerful, low-cost mental-health tool for anxiety, emotional regulation, self-honesty, and nervous-system healing. Backed by real psychology and neuroscience, he breaks down why expressive writing works, how journaling calms the brain, and shares simple, practical techniques (including gratitude journaling a...

Who shows up when you’re at a crossroads? In Episode 7 of Cool Hand Dross , I talk about the strange, meaningful ways guidance has knocked on my door—through Jetsun Milarepa (a blue-skinned Tibetan saint), James Joyce’s Dubliners , and the Beastie Boys. I tell the story of Milarepa, a man who destroyed his life through revenge and violence, then rebuilt himself through discipline, humility, solitu...

Welcome back to Cool Hand Dross — a candid, comical, and compassionate podcast about mental health, books, culture, and the stories we carry. In Episode 6, host Scott Drosselmeier weaves together panic attacks at 3:37am, Star Wars, Andor’s quiet rebellion, the poem Invictus , and a true childhood story about saving his brother’s life. For nearly two years, Scott lived with daily anxiety and predaw...

In this episode of Cool Hand Dross , reading is no longer a hobby—it’s an act of rebellion. CHD explores what deep reading means in a world wired for scrolling, speed, and distraction. Using Flannery O’Connor , modern attention science, and the Eastern concept of samsara, this episode examines the loops of craving, repetition, and digital noise that keep us stuck. We talk about burnout, fractured...

Happy New Years. Today Scott has a treat with the finale of the Compound Fracture Story

Scott talks Ketamine Flipside, Bloody Rivers, Toni Morrison's "Paradise" and Compound Fracture Act II

Scott Discusses The Four Noble Truths, being the ocean not the waves, Sebastian Junger's "Tribe", and Compound Fracture - Act I - The Break Hosted by Scott

Scott discusses "Beer, Bikinis, Black Messiah and Buddhism" and "All The Pretty Horses" by Cormac McCarthy. Hosted by Scott Edited by Riley B. Rowland Intro Song: Devil's Pie by D'Angelo

Scott talks about Toni Morrison's "Home", Ketamine, and The Poo Bandit (a true crime story)