Why Society is Sick
Why Society is Sick
And a daily encouragement on your personal growth journey
What is Fromm Daily?
Fromm Daily is a daily, short form podcast giving listeners exposure to the writings of social philosopher Erich Fromm. In addition, host Lacey Delayne gives daily encouragement in the sphere of personal growth, mental health and emotional awareness. She shares personal experiences that relate both to Fromm’s writings and the themes around her encouragement. Via Substack, Delayne posts a weekly self-help blog in alignment with the themes of the podcast and hosts a Personal Growth Support group on Fridays.
Hey there! Thanks for checking out Fromm Daily!
Let me tell you a little more about Erich Fromm, and why I, a young, lively millennial from Atlanta, Georgia, decided to start a daily podcast about his writings.
So, who was this guy? Well, he was brilliant, and if he was alive, I’d be trying to date him.
For real... (Sorry, baby!)
Anyway, Erich Fromm was a German-born American psychoanalyst and sociologist who lived from 1900-1980. His studies focused on the intersection of psychology and society. He wrote much about the individual’s psycho-social-emotional well-being as influenced by its environment.
Based on his studies, observations and experiences, he wrote extensively about the illness, alienation and isolation that has become the norm in modern western culture. His writings show that these pathologies have much to do with the limitations of our socioeconomic structure. He proposed that our human needs have sunk to the very last place amongst the demands and priority of 20th century capitalism.
In short, Fromm showed how work-obsessed lives produce mentally, emotionally and physically sick individuals, and how industrialism seems to have brought us much further apart than it has together.
And that was in the 50s! How much more so do his writings ring true today, in 2023.
Fromm is the author of fifty books, many of which were published from the 1940s-1970s, that shed light on the source of our cultural malaise.
His best selling book, The Art of Loving, sold over 25 million copies and propelled him to public figure status. He later made appearances on national television, including an interview with the legendary journalist Mike Wallace in 1958. He was most certainly an academic, as his pedigree included professorships at New York University, among others.
His writings have continually shown me that approaching life authentically, in the way that I truly desire, is a worthwhile endeavor.
His writings have also inspired me to make changes to my life. Changes that have given me the ability to be, the ability to live life in a way that I am present in the moment, experiencing, living “fully alive.” I now value my own human needs and those of others in a way that I would have thought silly before. I am free to do things that spring from a place of authenticity, because I want to, not because something outside pushes me to.
As a result of Fromm’s writings, I have chosen to prioritize knowing myself instead of the hamster wheel of obsessive production and consumption. Although challenging and counter-cultural, it is a much more satisfying life, and one which has inspired me to share Fromm’s ideas with others.
In my podcast, you’ll get a little dose of Erich Fromm’s ideas daily, in which he shows us why society is sick, and, I give my thoughts on what he has written.
I share the ways I see Fromm’s ideas applying to everyday life now, ways it connects to other writers and where it overlaps with current events and lifestyle patterns. On occasion, I’ll mention content from other books I’ve read whose ideas overlap with Fromm’s. I’ll share with you an encouragement that relates to mental health and emotional well being, based on what I continue to learn about healthy emotional lifestyles and what I learned from a highly impactful four years of focused work with a life changing non-directive therapist.
Paid subscribers of Rethinking Humanity get access to Friday Fromm Daily episodes, in which I am more vulnerable and devote more time to sharing personal experiences that relate to Fromm’s ideas and to my own personal growth journey. Paid subscribers also receive a written blog post weekly, on Friday mornings, have access to our weekly Personal Growth Support Group, 10am ET on Fridays starting April 14.
Free subscribers can access Monday through Thursday Fromm Daily episodes and our weekly Wednesday Substack chat. Comments are open to paid and free subscribers alike.
Fromm Daily is also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Pandora, TuneIn, and PocketCasts.
I hope you enjoy the podcast and my Substack. Thank you for being here.
With love and humanity,
Lacey Delayne
Fromm Daily Benefits
Free Subscribers:
Monday - Thursday Fromm Daily Episodes
Wednesday Substack Chat, 10am ET
Comment on posts & interact in Fromm Daily Substack Community
Paid Subscribers:
All of the above
Friday Fromm Daily Episodes
Friday Personal Growth Support Group, 10am ET via Zoom (Debuts April 14)
Friday ‘How to’ Blog Post
This connects the themes from the podcast from that week into easy to understand steps to improve your quality of life, relationships, emotional intelligence and self-awareness
Access to episode archives
Episodes older than six weeks