Dopamine Moats 🏰

Exploring the "get-up-and-go" chemical and how it impacts family culture

Author

Danielle & Greg Neufeld
August 25, 2025

Hi friends,

As we reflected on our two weeks in Washington State—forests, ferries, family workouts, and a lot of togetherness came to mind… and lots of movies on the plane and audiobooks in the car. Which led to some cranky kids and overstimulated brains (ours included).

It got us thinking about dopamine.

This week on the podcast, we unpack what dopamine actually is – not a pleasure chemical, but the brain’s “energy juice – the thing that gets you up and going. We talk about how modern life floods us with cheap dopamine (e.g., screens, sugar, same-day delivery) and how that can mess with our moods, motivation, and family culture.

We’re calling this one: How to Build a Dopamine Moat Around Your Family.

And we’re exploring this: How do we build a buffer around our home so our kids (and we) don’t crash so hard?

Some things we dig into:

  • What actually causes the post-movie meltdown, and a before/during/after strategy to support a more gentle off-ramp

  • Why stacking dopamine (think: candy + iPad) is double trouble

  • Everyday ways to raise the family’s dopamine baseline—sleep, sun, movement, and parmesan cheese 🧀

If you’ve ever wondered why your kid is a bear after a show… or felt the crash yourself after mindless scrolling… this episode is for you.

We’re learning in real time—and trying to build a culture of awareness and balance instead of just saying “no” all the time.

Settling back in,
Danielle & Greg

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