Cody Cook-Parrott — writer, artist, and author of The Practice of Attention: Cultivating Presence in a Distracted World — explores what happens when we reclaim our focus from technology, perfectionism, and fear. Drawing from nearly 15 years of sobriety, lived experience with ADHD, and stepping away from social media, Cody shares how attention is not just about productivity but about presence, integrity, and self-trust. This conversation explores the parallels between addiction and our relationship with social media, the attention audit, anti-perfectionism as core practice, acceptance and surrender, and the powerful refusal: "I will not abandon myself."
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
Why attention is your life force
How the system is working as designed
Why avoidance fuels anxiety — small action dissolves it
How surrender is not passive but presence
Why anti-perfectionism matters
What abstinence vs harm reduction means
How "I will not abandon myself" becomes a practice
LEARN MORE
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March 5, 2026
Cody Cook-Parrott
The Practice of Attention: Reclaiming Presence in a Distracted World
"I will not abandon myself in the rush to be productive, visible, or acceptable."
TIMESTAMPS
00:02:43 – Addiction and recovery
00:06:31 – The artist's relationship to attention
00:13:45 – The system is working as designed
00:27:42 – Fear, avoidance, and perfectionism
00:31:45 – Labels and empowerment
00:35:56 – The attention audit
00:41:11 – Acceptance and surrender
00:47:11 – How we relate to the world
00:50:04 – "I will not abandon myself"
SHOW NOTES
Dr. Dan sits down with Cody Cook-Parrott, author of The Practice of Attention: Cultivating Presence in a Distracted World, to explore what happens when we reclaim our focus from technology, perfectionism, and fear.
Drawing from nearly 15 years of sobriety, lived experience with ADHD, creative practice, and stepping away from social media, Cody shares how attention is not just about productivity — it’s about presence, integrity, and self-trust.
LINKS & RESOURCES
Cody Cook-Parrott
Website — codycookparrott.com
Book: The Practice of Attention: Cultivating Presence in a Distracted World
Newsletter — Free weekly (Mondays)
Podcast: Common Shapes (on hiatus)
Analog newsletter: Prompts — Writing prompts for journaling practice
Books & Concepts Referenced
Holly Whitaker — Quit Like a Woman (New York Times bestselling author)
12-step recovery — "Acceptance is the answer to all of my problems today"
How to Not Always Be Working — Cody's first book
GUEST BIO
Cody Cook-Parrott is a queer, non-binary writer, artist, movement practitioner, and dedicated quilter who lives in northern Michigan. They are the author of six books, including the new The Practice of Attention: Cultivating Presence in a Distracted World. Their focus is attention, creative ecosystems, and research — building scaffolding for steady growth online and off. Cody teaches through improvisation, anti-perfectionism, and honoring the individual journey. Nearly 15 years sober from alcohol and currently off social media, Cody brings lived experience with ADHD, creative practice, and recovery to conversations about presence, integrity, and self-trust. They send a free weekly newsletter every Monday and an analog newsletter called Prompts for journaling practice.
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