Podcasts > This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von > E487 Dax Shepard

E487 Dax Shepard

By Theo Von

Dive deep into the complexities of human relationships and personal growth in "This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von," featuring a candid discussion between hosts Theo Von and guest speaker Dax Shepard. In an intimate exchange, they delve into the intricacies of fidelity, the difficulties of maintaining monogamous relationships, and the impact of past behaviors on their present selves. Listeners will appreciate the honesty with which Shepard confesses his history of infidelity and Von addresses his struggles with commitment, depicting the emotional weight of such personal insights.

The episode further offers a poignant look at the duo's respective childhood experiences in Michigan, capturing heartfelt narratives of working-class hardships, family instabilities, and the challenges of growing up amidst domestic chaos. Additionally, Von and Shepard unveil their journeys towards sobriety and reflect on the transformations they've undergone in confronting addiction. As they confront their mental health struggles with vulnerability, audiences can expect a raw and unfiltered exploration of the silent battles many face, delivering a reflective analysis of the trials and resilience in overcoming life's hurdles.

E487 Dax Shepard

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E487 Dax Shepard

1-Page Summary

Relationships, infidelity, monogamy

Dax Shepard and Theo Von explore their struggles with fidelity and their views on monogamy. Shepard admits to past infidelities and his current efforts to stay loyal, while Von shares his trouble with commitment and the resulting guilt he feels towards his partners. Shepard reflects on his expectation for constant attention in a relationship and recognizes his past enjoyment of attention from multiple women. Meanwhile, Von shares his unease with intimacy and his tendency to avoid defining relationships, linking it possibly to his relationship with his mother.

Dax and Theo's backgrounds and upbringing

Dax Shepard and Theo Von recount their upbringings in Michigan, marked by working-class struggles and family instability. They reminisce about their modest roots, with Dax recalling the juxtaposition of his working-class neighborhood against affluent areas, and Theo mentioning his father's drinking. They both open up about domestic chaos, with Shepard discussing his troubled childhood involving substance abuse and hardship, while Von reveals the financial and emotional constraints he faced.

Addiction, recovery and sobriety

Discussing addiction recovery, Dax Shepard and Theo Von share the steps they've taken towards sobriety. Shepard talks about his involvement in AA and the behavioral changes that come with prolonged sobriety, like making amends. Von reflects on his inability to understand affection prior to recovery and continues to seek validation, a potential vestige of past addictive behaviors. They both emphasize the sense of community and mutual understanding they find in meetings and connections with others in recovery.

Mental Health Struggles

Both Shepard and Von touch upon their mental health struggles without directly naming conditions like anxiety, PTSD, or depression. They share moments that imply emotional and mental difficulties, like Shepard's experiences with crying and discussions of childhood trauma, and Von's desire to escape a stagnant mental state. Their conversation also hints at the emotional fallout of stopping medications, suggesting a background of coping with mental health challenges through pharmaceutical means.

1-Page Summary

Additional Materials

Clarifications

  • Dax Shepard and Theo Von discuss their struggles with fidelity and commitment, with Shepard admitting to past infidelities and Von sharing his difficulty with commitment. Shepard reflects on his past enjoyment of attention from multiple women, while Von mentions his unease with intimacy and tendency to avoid defining relationships. Their conversations highlight their personal challenges in maintaining loyalty and commitment in their relationships.
  • Dax Shepard and Theo Von have taken steps towards sobriety by engaging in programs like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). They have made behavioral changes as part of their recovery journey, such as making amends for past actions. Both emphasize the importance of community support and connections with others in recovery for maintaining their sobriety. Von reflects on his past struggles with understanding affection and seeking validation, indicating ongoing efforts in his journey towards sobriety.
  • The mental health struggles mentioned by Dax Shepard and Theo Von hint at emotional challenges like anxiety, PTSD, or depression without explicitly naming them. Their discussions suggest experiences of emotional distress, childhood trauma, and a desire to escape negative mental states. The emotional fallout of stopping medications implies a potential impact on their mental well-being and the complexities of managing mental health conditions. These details highlight the ongoing journey of coping with mental health challenges and the various ways individuals navigate their emotional and psychological well-being.

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E487 Dax Shepard

Relationships, infidelity, monogamy

Dax Shepard and Theo Von discuss their perspectives and personal challenges with fidelity, commitment, and the expectations within relationships.

Dax's history of cheating and open relationships

Dax Shepard openly acknowledges his struggles with the idea of being faithful, reflecting on his past behavior and expectations within his current relationship. He admits to having had unrealistic expectations from his partner, Kristen Bell, to constantly dote on him and provide attention. Shepard sees his choice not to engage in infidelity as a trade-off for the attention he receives in his relationship. Reflecting on his past, Shepard also mentions a time when he was enjoying attention from multiple women on MySpace, indicating a period in his life when he might not have been committed to monogamous relationships, especially during his more sober periods.

Theo's struggle with commitment in relationships

Theo Von confesses to his own issues with fidelity and commitment. He shares an anecdote about hooking up with one woman while out with another woman and her friends, later realizing he needed to make amends for such actions. Von also admits to struggling with confidence during intimate moments and often verbally reassured his partners to convince them and himself of the encounter's quality.

Von speaks to his nervousness about sex and ...

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Relationships, infidelity, monogamy

Additional Materials

Clarifications

  • Dax Shepard has openly discussed his challenges with fidelity, admitting to past struggles with being faithful in relationships. He has reflected on his unrealistic expectations from his partners, particularly in terms of constant attention and validation. Shepard has acknowledged that his past behavior, including seeking attention from multiple women, indicates a period where he may not have been fully committed to monogamous relationships.
  • Dax Shepard's past behavior of seeking attention from multiple women on MySpace reflects a time when he may not have been committed to monogamous relationships. This behavior suggests a period in his life when he was exploring interactions with various women online, possibly indicating a lack of fidelity during that time. Seeking attention from multiple women on a social platform like MySpace could imply a desire for validation and connection outside of his committed relationship.
  • Theo Von struggles with fidelity and commitment in relationships due to his resistance to being defined by a partner, leading to behaviors like introducing his girlfriend as just a friend. His actions suggest a fear of being constrained by traditional relationship expectations and a preference for a freer lifestyle. Von's difficulties with commitment may stem from deeper issues related to trust and his sense of self within a romantic partnership.
  • Theo Von's struggle with confidence during intimate moments and his need for verbal reassurance from partners may stem from insecurities or past experiences that affect his self-esteem in romantic situations. This could lead him to seek validation and affirmation from his partners to feel more secure and accepted. His verbal reassurances may serve as a way to build trust and connection with his partners, helping him navigate his uncertainties in intimate relationships. These behaviors could be coping mechanisms to address deeper emotional issues related to self-worth and vulnerability in romantic interactions.
  • Theo Von's resistance to being defined by a relationship and preference for a freer lifestyle suggest that he values independence and autonomy in his personal life. This could mean he prioritizes his own individual growth and experiences over conforming to traditional relationship expectations. His reluctance to be tied down by labels or commitments may stem from a desire to maintain a sense of personal freedom and avoid feeling restricted by societal norms. This inclination towards a more open and flexible approach to relationships may indi ...

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E487 Dax Shepard

Dax and Theo's backgrounds and upbringing

Dax Shepard and Theo Von delve into their personal histories, sharing stories from their upbringing in small towns in Michigan—a reality marked by financial struggle, domestic instability, and challenging family dynamics.

Growing up in small towns in Michigan with divorced parents

Both Dax and Theo grow up in Michigan, albeit in distinctly modest, working-class settings. Dax describes his hometown as the last suburb out of Detroit before the landscape turns rural with cornfields and farms, where children would arrive at school with boots covered in manure, indicating a starkly blue-collar environment. He reflects on his experience of passing by affluent houses on a lake, aware of his family's lack of means to afford such a lifestyle.

Theo touches on elements of family dysfunction, hinting at the effects of divorced parents when he refers to his father parking in the ditch—suggesting a household accustomed to irregularities and disrupted routines.

Exposure to drugs, alcohol, and domestic violence in childhood homes

Both men's childhoods are marred by exposure to various forms of instability and abuse. By the age of nine, Dax is already living with his third stepfather and experiencing molestation, signaling an unsafe and tumultuous home life. He also speaks candidly about his father buying him gifts while under the influence of alcohol, revealing struggles with substance abuse within the family.

On the other side, Theo recounts his father's habitual drinking, often culminating in him parking his Thunderbird in a ditch outside th ...

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Dax and Theo's backgrounds and upbringing

Additional Materials

Clarifications

  • Dax Shepard and Theo Von are well-known personalities in the entertainment industry, with Dax being an actor, comedian, and podcast host, while Theo is a stand-up comedian and podcast host. They have shared personal stories about their challenging upbringings in various interviews and podcasts, offering insights into their backgrounds and experiences. Their openness about their past struggles has resonated with many fans and listeners, highlighting the resilience and growth they have shown throughout their lives.
  • Dax living with his third stepfather at the age of nine indicates a pattern of instability and change in his family structure. This situatio ...

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E487 Dax Shepard

Addiction, recovery and sobriety

Dax Shepard and Theo Von discuss their individual struggles with addiction and the experiences they've encountered on their paths towards recovery, highlighting how it has impacted their lives and the community they've found in sobriety.

Dax and Theo's journeys into addiction

The paths into addiction for both Dax Shepard and Theo Von began at different points in their lives. Von started engaging with substances around the time he left home at 14 when he lived in his friend's house and had his own room for the first time. He hints at using substances but indicates a dislike for heavy drinking or drug use. Shepard subtly alludes to his past addiction, comparing his impatience in a present scenario to the impatience he felt while waiting for drugs from his dealer, though details of their journeys into addiction are not expansively discussed.

Getting sober and being in recovery

Both Dax Shepard and Theo Von affirm that they are currently in recovery. Shepard mentions his involvement in the process of working the steps in Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), which includes making amends and reflecting on past behaviors, while acknowledging the behavioral changes that come with prolonged sobriety. He recalls outreach to Von upon hearing about his 18 months of sobriety, illustrating the sense of community within the recovery process.

Von talks about not being able to understand how to give or receive affection until he entered recovery where he began to reflect on his life. He also discusses his continued need for validation, hinting at its possible relation to his previous addictive behaviors.

Connecting with others in recovery

Within the recovery process, both individuals find a deeper connection with those who share their struggle. Von feels at ease around other people in recovery, sensing immediate ...

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Addiction, recovery and sobriety

Additional Materials

Clarifications

  • The steps in Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) are a set of principles designed to help individuals recover from alcohol addiction. There are 12 steps in total, which include admitting powerlessness over alcohol, seeking a higher power for help, taking a moral inventory, making amends for past wrongs, and helping others in recovery. These steps are often worked through with a sponsor, a more experienced member of AA who provides guidance and support throughout the recovery process. The AA program emphasizes spiritual growth, self-reflection, and accountability as key components of achieving and maintaining sobriety.
  • Theo Von mentioned that he struggled with giving and receiving affection before entering recovery. This could indicate emotional difficulties or barriers he faced in forming close relationships. His journey in recovery helped him reflect on these challenges and work towards understanding and improving his ability to connect with others on an emotional level.
  • In the context of recovery programs like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), a sponsor is a more experienced member who provides guidance and support to someone newer in recovery. The sponsor acts as a mentor, offering personal insights, sharing their own experiences, and helping the sponsee navigate the challenges of maintaining sobriety. The sponsor-sponsee relationship is based on trust, accountability, and a commitment to working through the recovery program together. Sponsors play a crucial role in helping individuals stay on track with their sobriety goals and develop a deeper understandin ...

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E487 Dax Shepard

Mental Health Struggles

Dealing with anxiety, PTSD, depression

Dax Shepard and Theo Von have candidly discussed topics related to their emotional and mental health. Despite a lack of direct mentions of specific mental health conditions such as anxiety, PTSD, or depression, their conversations hint at underlying struggles that resemble these difficulties.

One poignant recollection shared involved not crying for 30 years and then being unable to make it through a day without tears, which reflects deep emotional turmoil and alludes to mental health challenges. Moreover, Shepard reflected on a conversation with his daughter about divorce and his own childhood trauma, suggesting he may be grappling with PTSD or anxiety rooted in his past.

Theo Von expressed his aspiration to escape a stagnant mental state, indicating a desire for change that could be coming from a place of dealing with mental health issues, even if not explicitly classified as anxiety, PTSD, or depression.

Medi ...

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Mental Health Struggles

Additional Materials

Clarifications

  • The text mentions that despite not explicitly naming specific mental health conditions like anxiety, PTSD, or depression, the conversations allude to underlying struggles that resemble these difficulties. This means that while the individuals involved may not use the exact terms for these conditions, their discussions and experiences suggest they are dealing with issues that are commonly associated with anxiety, PTSD, or depression. The focus is on the experiences and challenges faced by the individuals rather than clinical labels for mental health conditions.
  • The mention of "medicine" and its emotional side effects could imply the use of psychiatric medications, which are commonly prescribed to manage mental health conditions. These medications can have various emotional side effects, such as changes in mood, increased anxiety, or even the emergence of suppressed emotions when someone stops taking them abruptly. The reference suggests a potential link between the absence of medication and experiencing intense emotional reactions.
  • The text suggests that the mention of "medicine" and its emotional impact could imply a connection between medication use and the regulation of emotions. It hints at the possibility that certain medications may have emotional side effects, and the absence of these medications could lead to intense emotional experiences. This ...

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