The Broken Traditions Podcast with Leron Gaskins

In this episode of the Broken Traditions podcast, we confront the staggering rise of the "BBL Epidemic" with guest Nneka C. Onyilofor . We explore the direct connection between social media addiction and the 200% surge in cosmetic surgeries over the last 15 years—moving from 11 million procedures in 2008 to over 27 million in 2024 .   We examine the transition from a world where body types were se...

How far are you willing to go to protect your digital reputation? In this episode of the Broken Traditions podcast, we analyze the psychological "chokehold" that prevents content creators, politicians, and pundits from calling out blatant disrespect when it comes from their own camp. We use the recent controversy surrounding Donald Trump's AI-generated video—which depicted himself as a lion and th...

In this "Afterthought" to Episode 18, I'm doubling down on a layer of digital incarceration that I didn't want to lose focus on during the main show: The transition from emotional numbness to active disrespect. We discuss the shift in culture from the 1990s—where even rivals like Nas showed deep compassion when Tupac passed—to the modern "Drill" era, where death is celebrated as a "pack" to be smo...

Have you ever looked at a tragedy on your screen and felt absolutely nothing? You aren't heartless—you are likely suffering from "Digital Incarceration." In this episode, I share a personal realization I had at JFK airport. While the world around me was moving, I saw the news that PnB Rock had been killed and realized I had become numb. I didn't cry. I wasn't shocked. I just kept scrolling. This l...

We are cheating ourselves out of our own intellectual property. In this raw livestream replay, I explain why I am officially pulling back from TikTok and Spotify. After a deep audit of my business and a disturbing look at the new Terms of Service for both platforms, the reality is clear: these apps are no longer just hosting our content—they are claiming ownership of it. From TikTok's ability to s...

Is this the moment the world finally holds Big Tech accountable? A landmark lawsuit has officially begun, alleging that social media giants intentionally designed their platforms to addict children, leading to a mental health crisis affecting millions. In this breaking update, we analyze the massive legal battle unfolding right now: The Split: Why TikTok and Snapchat quietly paid undisclosed settl...

Broken Traditions Podcast — Bonus Episode Did Don Lemon and a group of protesters put themselves at legal risk by entering a church during a worship service—just to create content? In this bonus episode of the Broken Traditions Podcast, I react to a clip and legal breakdown raising a serious question: could this church interruption be viewed as a violation of the "Klan Act of 1870" (often discusse...

This bonus episode of Broken Traditions examines the tragic case involving Rene Nicole Good and the broader psychological impact of doomscrolling, social media algorithms, and rage-driven content on mental health. As tragic stories go viral online, many people report feeling emotionally overwhelmed, angry, or increasingly numb. This episode explores what constant exposure to trauma, violence, and...

Why is it so hard to look away? Leron Gaskins dives into the science of why our brains "break" after a session of doomscrolling. This isn't a lack of willpower; it's a primitive survival instinct being exploited by a billion-dollar business model. From the "Chihuahua" in your brain (the Amygdala) to the "Stone Age" wiring of our threat detection systems, learn the biological reason for your digita...

If you have big goals for 2026 but feel constantly distracted, overwhelmed, or stuck, this episode breaks down why—and how to fix it. Phone addiction isn't a lack of discipline. It's the result of technology engineered to steal attention, fragment focus, and quietly drain ambition. In this episode of The Broken Traditions Podcast , Leron Gaskins shares five evidence-based strategies to help you br...

On February 24, 2016, Facebook rolled out "Reactions" globally—and the internet quietly changed. What looked like a harmless upgrade (Love, Haha, Wow, Sad, Angry) became something much bigger: a system that could measure emotion—especially anger—and turn it into data, engagement, and ad revenue. In this episode of Broken Traditions, I break down how the Angry reaction helped normalize rage as a da...

The month of December, everyday I have been uploading questions on TikTok,Instagram and Youtube Shorts. Tonight I'm doing a live stream on my Youtube channel 'The Broken Traditions Podcast' I want us to have a more in-depth conversation about these question and some fun. Join me tonight Friday December 12 at 6:00 PM EST and join the conversation.

If a stranger walked into your house and watched your family for one hour… would they say everyone is living together or living apart on separate screens? In this episode of the Broken Traditions Podcast, Leron Gaskins unpacks how the overconsumption of digital devices is quietly reshaping your home—your kids, your relationship, and the emotional temperature of your entire household. Inside this c...

X, formerly known as Twitter, just quietly dropped a feature that changes everything: "About This Account." Now you can see where an account was created and where it's based—and it's exposing a whole lot of fake political pages, foreign bot farms, and rage-bait accounts pretending to be everyday Americans. In this episode of the Broken Traditions Podcast, I break down: How X's new feature shines a...

We're living in a time where more drivers are scrolling than steering — and the results are deadly. In this episode of Broken Traditions, I break down how phone addiction is destroying our ability to drive safely and why distracted driving has become a cultural epidemic in America. We dive into: • The rise of scrolling behind the wheel • How dopamine hijacks your brain while driving • Why attentio...

The pandemic ended… but the damage didn't. In this episode of the Broken Traditions Podcast, Leron breaks down how COVID forever changed the way we use our phones — and why many of us never recovered from our digital habits. We talk about how lockdown rewired our brains, collapsed our attention spans, increased anxiety, fueled teen depression, damaged our relationships, and reshaped our bodies thr...

➡️ Download my FREE workbook The Digital Release: 7-Day Guide to Escape the Digital Cell and Reclaim Your Freedom here: https://brokentraditions.com/products/the-digital-release-7-day-guide-to-escape-the-digital-cell-and-reclaim-your-freedom Is Meta getting ready to use your Instagram and Facebook DMs to train its AI and fuel targeted advertising? In this episode of the Broken Traditions Podcast,...

➡️ Download my free workbook The Digital Release: 7-Day Guide to Escape the Digital Cell and Reclaim Your Freedom here: https://brokentraditions.com/products/the-digital-release-7-day-guide-to-escape-the-digital-cell-and-reclaim-your-freedom Porn Addiction in Your Pocket: Why Accessibility Matters (with Lenny Bradley) We unpack the link between easy access and artificial intimacy, how porn becomes...

Download my free workbook The Digital Release: 7-Day Guide to Escape the Digital Cell and Reclaim Your Freedom here: https://brokentraditions.com/products/the-digital-release-7-day-guide-to-escape-the-digital-cell-and-reclaim-your-freedom We've replaced every quiet moment with a scroll. In this reflective episode, Leron shares how intentional boredom—a phone-free run, silent drives, and backyard s...

Download The Digital Release (Free 7-Day Workbook): https://brokentraditions.com/products/the-digital-release Social media isn't showing you your friends—it's showing you what it wants you to see. In this episode, Leron Gaskins unpacks how every major platform followed TikTok's formula, replacing human connection with algorithmic entertainment. Featuring clips from Cal Newport and Adam Mosseri, th...

📘 Get My Free Workbook "The Digital Release" — 7-Day Guide to Escape the Digital Cell: 👉 https://brokentraditions.com/products/the-digital-release-7-day-guide-to-escape-the-digital-cell-and-reclaim-your-freedom OpenAI's Sora 2 is changing content creation — but not for the better. This episode of The Broken Traditions Podcast with Leron Gaskins dives into the dark side of AI videos that recreate...

Download the Free Workbook: The Digital Release — A 7-Day Guide to Escape the Digital Cell and Reclaim Your Freedom: 👉 https://brokentraditions.com/products/the-digital-release-7-day-guide-to-escape-the-digital-cell-and-reclaim-your-freedom Have you ever looked at your partner and realized they're more connected to their phone than to you? In this episode of The Broken Traditions Podcast with Ler...

📘 Download my free workbook The Digital Release : https://brokentraditions.com/products/the-digital-release-7-day-guide-to-escape-the-digital-cell-and-reclaim-your-freedom In Episode 005 of The Broken Traditions Podcast with Leron Gaskins, I'm deleting Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Threads, X, and even YouTube Studio from my phone for 30 days. Why? Because as a creator, I realized I wasn't just co...

Phones were designed to connect us— but they're quietly training our brains to stay anxious, distracted, and exhausted. In this episode of The Broken Traditions Podcast with Leron Gaskins, we break down how heavy smartphone use fuels anxiety, destroys focus, and ruins sleep patterns. You'll hear real stories, shocking data—like how the average person checks their phone 96 times a day—and proven st...

Everyone's talking about getting locked in— but how can you stay locked in when your phone keeps unlocking your focus? In this episode of Broken Traditions, host Leron Gaskins breaks down how smartphones and social media drain your attention, spike anxiety, and disrupt sleep, while sharing practical tools to escape what he calls digital incarceration. 💡 Inside this episode: • Why the average pers...