Finding Well-Being Without Escaping Yourself—Dean Patrick | Ep 255

In this episode of Relatable Wisdom, I sit down with Dean Patrick, a writer and author of God Money: Lost and Found in the Crypto Wilderness. Dean shares a quote from Luke 17:21: “The kingdom of God is in the midst of you,” and reflects on how it points to the possibility of experiencing peace, presence, and well-being in this life—not someday, not somewhere else, but right here.

Dean opens up about arriving at Stanford in 2014, launching a cryptocurrency hedge fund, and struggling with addiction during that season of his life. He shares how meditation and Zen spirituality helped him reconnect with stillness, clarity, and a deeper sense of spiritual well-being. Our conversation moves into the roots of addiction, the difference between treating symptoms and healing the deeper issue, and why many people reach for substances, food, phones, or other habits as emotional responses to pain, fear, or insecurity.

What I loved about this conversation is how honestly Dean connects recovery, perception, spirituality, and everyday habits. Listeners will walk away with a deeper understanding of how much of our suffering can come from the patterns we build—and how presence, self-awareness, and healthier responses can help us begin to live differently. This episode is a thoughtful reminder that healing often starts by looking within.

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CONNECT WITH Dean Patrick
Website: https://www.deanpatrickauthor.com/
Book: God Money: Lost and Found in the Crypto Wilderness

CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction And Welcome
00:22 Meet Dean Patrick
00:36 The Quote That Has Been Sticking With Dean
01:04 Heaven As A Place On Earth
01:36 Dean’s Story, Stanford, Crypto, And Addiction
02:20 Meditation, Zen Spirituality, And Well-Being
03:00 Why People Fear A Better Life
04:12 Familiar Hell Versus Unfamiliar Heaven
04:25 What Happiness Requires
05:29 Understanding Well-Being
06:11 Physical, Psychological, And Spiritual Well-Being
07:13 Addiction As A Symptom Of Something Deeper
08:21 Hidden Addictions Beyond Drugs And Alcohol
08:47 Relatable Wisdom Newsletter Break
09:24 Phone Addiction, Food Addiction, And Emotional Eating
11:09 Addiction, Fear, And The Fear Of Not Fully Living
12:20 Treating Symptoms Versus Healing The Root
12:46 Physical Recovery And Spiritual Recovery
13:46 Addiction As An Emotional Attachment
15:13 What We Pay Attention To
16:58 The Habitual Mind And Rewiring Patterns
18:09 Replacing Habits Instead Of Creating A Vacuum
19:44 Cognitive Behavioral Therapy And Catching Thought Patterns
20:45 Final Reflections On The Mind And Recovery
21:16 Where To Find Dean Patrick
21:37 Closing Thoughts