Cool Hand Dross

Over the past month, four different people reached out to ask CHD about ketamine therapy. Their questions became the starting point for one of the most personal conversations he has shared on the podcast. In Episode 31, CHD reflects on his experience with depression, anxiety, and ketamine-assisted therapy, not as medical advice, but as one person's journey toward healing. We explore how real r...

Life lessons. Leadership lessons. Wrestling lessons. In Episode 30 of Cool Hand Dross, Scott sits down with veteran wrestling coach, educator, and author Michael Blanchard for a conversation about leadership, resilience, gratitude, failure, purpose, and the people who shape our lives. A five-time Coach of the Year and contributor to Wrestling USA Magazine, Michael has spent more than 25 years help...

How many summers do you have left? In Episode 29 CHD reflects on summer as a season of curiosity, community, and personal renewal. After stepping away from nearly two decades in the classroom, he shares why Summer 2026 feels different and why now may be the perfect time to reconnect with the younger version of yourself. Topics include: ​ The launch of Be the Book Club ​ Summer reading recommendati...

Welcome back to the quiet little corner of the podcasting universe where we're building a little shelter from the storm. In Episode 28, CHD sits down with Vincent DeGennaro, a veteran FDNY firefighter with nearly 17 years of service at Lower Manhattan's Engine 10. Born and raised in the Bronx, Vincent has dedicated his life to serving others while also building a life as a craftsman, chef, entrepr...

What do surfing, Simon Sinek, purpose, dolphins, and a major life transition have in common? More than you might think. In Episode 27 of Cool Hand Dross, Scott reflects on one of life's biggest questions: What is your why? Drawing inspiration from Simon Sinek's Start With Why , legendary surfer Rob Machado, and a memorable encounter with a pod of dolphins during a Long Beach Island surf session, S...

Cool Hand Dross hits Episode 26 — halfway to the original 52-episode promise. This week,CHD reflects on consistency, reinvention, Simon Sinek’s Start With Why , and the strange clarity that comes from simply doing the work. How do you know if you’re a painter? Paint. A writer? Write. A podcaster? Show up every week. As another school year ends and a new life chapter begins, this episode explores f...

In this episode of Cool Hand Dross , we talk about transitions, grief, growth, and the strange emotional weather that comes with major life changes. Dalton graduates high school. The empty nest era begins. The classroom chapter may be ending. And somewhere in the middle of all of it is the realization that you never really “get over” anything, not heartbreak, anxiety, regret, childhood wounds, or...

TAKE 2 sorry about the double upload. first take was just not good :( Brooklyn in the early 2000s was still dangerous, electric, unfiltered, and alive. In this true tale from The Mason Jar, Col Hand Dross recounts one of the wildest painting jobs of his life: a luxury Brooklyn penthouse owned by a charming Colombian man named Pablo. He was surrounded by silent bodyguards, mysterious visitors, jazz...

This week, we explore the uncomfortable truth that time is the real currency of life, not money, status, productivity hacks, or followers. We reflect on aging, mortality, literature, mental health, and the stories we tell ourselves while navigating modern life in 2026. On the Mental Health Front, we dive deep into the slow, difficult process of weaning off Xanax and Ativan, discussing benzodiazepi...

What do Viking warriors, modern anxiety medication, and building something from scratch have in common? More than you think. In this episode of Cool Hand Dross, we dive into the brutal, strategic, and deeply spiritual world of Vikings, from Ragnar and Rollo to Floki, the obsessive boat builder who made exploration possible. We break down real historical moments the show gets right, including the r...

There are countries I’ve never stepped foot in, but they live inside me. In Episode 21 of Cool Hand Dross , we explore how identity isn’t just shaped by where you go but by where you come from and what comes through you. From the Philippines, where love, resilience, and family rebuilt my life, to Vietnam, where my father’s war didn’t stay overseas, and to Ireland, where something in the DNA still...

Welcome back to Cool Hand Dross, a podcast about mental health, storytelling, and navigating life when everything falls apart and somehow finding humor in the wreckage. Episode 20: Dude, There Is Mustard Everywhere This is a True Tale from the Mason Jar, and it’s exactly what it sounds like and is nothing like you would expect. In this episode: Recovering from a compound leg fracture that nearly c...

What if the reason you feel stuck isn’t a lack of discipline but a lack of compassion? In this episode of Cool Hand Dross , we break down a powerful mindset shift for anyone trying to rebuild their life, improve mental health, or finally follow through: Compassionate Consistency, Time, Self-Awareness equals Real, Lasting Change. No hype. No shortcuts. No “overnight success.” Just the truth about w...

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...