Bless the Phone with Ross Simonini
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Ross Simonini’s radical reimagining of our relationship with the phone isn’t about cutting it out—it’s about transforming it from a source of anxiety into a sacred portal. After losing his home in the 2025 Eaton Fire, Simonini’s phone became his lifeline, shifting from a symbol of distraction to a vital tool for survival and connection. This trauma sparked a personal ritual: blessing the phone not as worship, but as a deliberate act of reprogramming emotional response. The practice isn’t about rigid words or scripts, but about cultivating a feeling of gratitude, wonder, and presence each time you pick it up. By pausing before instinctively scrolling, you create space to activate positive internal states—whether through a memory, a song, or a visual image. This simple shift, Simonini argues, turns the phone from a source of compulsion into a collaborator in your life. The episode reframes digital minimalism not as resistance, but as reverence—inviting listeners to find astonishment in the miracle of a device that holds their entire life in a pocket.
Blessing your phone isn’t worship—it’s a ritual to reprogram emotional response and transform it from a source of anxiety into a portal of possibility.
The pause before picking up your phone is the most powerful moment: use it to activate gratitude, wonder, or a positive memory.
Your phone’s value isn’t in its function—it’s in the feeling it evokes; train yourself to feel awe instead of compulsion.
Trauma can reframe your relationship with technology—Simonini’s phone became essential after losing his home in the Eaton Fire.
The best blessing is personal: it could be a song, image, or memory that sparks positive dopamine and endorphin responses.
…and 3 more takeaways available in PodZeus
The Problem with Phone Resistance
Zach introduces the podcast’s usual theme—reducing phone use—but pivots to a new approach: not resisting the phone, but sanctifying it. He shares listener tips like writing letters or avoiding phones in the bathroom, setting up the contrast with Ross Simonini’s radical alternative.
Blessing the Phone: A Ritual of Reclamation
“Blessing isn’t a way of worshipping technology… but the opposite—a method for transforming a false icon into a portal of possibility.”
From Distraction to Survival: The Fire That Changed Everything
“It was my connection to everybody in my life. It was an emotional support in that sense… literally, you know, finding an Airbnb or, you know, calling a friend to stay at their place.”
The Power of the Pause: Cultivating Intention
“The best way to start is to take a moment before you compulsively reach for your phone and pause. That little pause can activate a lot of feelings simply in not following through with the knee-jerk action.”
Beyond the Phone: Applying the Practice to Life
Ross suggests the same principle can be applied to other charged objects—cars, meat, even difficult people. The key is choosing what activates you most and using it as a gateway to positive feeling and presence.
“The best way to start is to take a moment before you compulsively reach for your phone and pause. That little pause can activate a lot of feelings simply in not following through with the knee -jerk”
“I remain shocked by what this thing in our pocket can do. I love to read and”
“The more you can develop the muscle of sculpting your feeling actively is an endlessly useful and helpful technique.”
Host
Guest
Ross Simonini
person
Zach
person
Eaton Fire
other
Asher Yotzar
other
Shopify
brand
HelloFresh
brand
Substack
other
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