Psychology, Radical Self-Care, and White Norms with Dr. Jonathan M. Lassiter

Woke Mind Virus? How about the Whiteness Mindset! JVN welcomes psychologist and author Dr. Jonathan Mathias Lassiter to dig into his new book, How I Know White People Are Crazy and Other Stories, and explore how a “whiteness mindset” shows up in everyday life. We talk about what it is, who exhibits it, how it drives control and denial, feeds our collective stress, and why naming it is the first step toward healing. From suppressing emotions to the lack of representation in mental health, Dr. Lassiter offers practical ways to care for ourselves and each other. We get into news hygiene (don’t doomscroll first thing!), how celebrity culture can hijack important conversations, and what living under chronic threat does to the body and brain. Whether you’re unpacking your own conditioning, supporting someone you love, or just trying to stay human in a loud news cycle, this episode gives you tools to regulate, relate, and repair. 00:00 How I Know White People Are Crazy 01:30 The Whiteness Mindset 03:13 Collective Stress & “isms” 08:00 Suppressing Emotions 09:45 Representation in Mental Health 12:55 Don’t Look At the News First Thing 16:52 Celebrity Hijacking Whiteness Mindset 22:00 Chronic Threat 28:31 Heat Triggers 30:15 Abnormal Behaviors 33:12 Escaping Isolated Worldviews 38:30 Speak to the Humanity   / lassiterhealth     / jvn     / gettingbetterwithjvn