Four Pillar Friday
Your weekly guide to thriving in every aspect of life—Physical, Mental, Spiritual, and Financial Wellness.

This Week’s Quote:
“I was writing a type of song that I probably would have been embarrassed to sit down and sing in front of the band in the studio.”- Bruce Springsteen

I love this reminder from Bruce. Sometimes the work that feels too raw, too honest, or even too uncomfortable is the work that ends up lasting. Vulnerability creates connection. In our own lives, whether it’s conversations with family, coaching, or even the way we show up at work, the things we hesitate to share are often the ones that resonate the most.

Anyway, here is what I have been thinking about that across the Four Pillars this week:

Physical Wellness

The Standard American Diet (SAD) lives up to its name.

• Only 12% of calories in the U.S. come from plant-based foods and half of that (6%) comes from French fries (Barone, 2019).
• A staggering 63% of calories come from refined and processed foods like soft drinks, packaged snacks, and desserts (Hall et al., Cell Metabolism, 2019).

It’s no wonder rates of obesity, diabetes, and metabolic disease continue to rise. We’re overfed but undernourished.

A few lessons worth remembering:

1. Real food first. Vegetables, fruit, beans, nuts, seeds, lean proteins. These should be the foundation, not the garnish.
2. Abundance doesn’t equal nutrition. A full plate or a full pantry doesn’t guarantee your body is getting what it truly needs.
3. Food is fuel and feedback. How you eat today shapes how you feel tomorrow and years from now. It will impact our energy, recovery, and long-term healthspan.

At 9:03, we believe physical wellness isn’t about chasing the perfect diet trend. It’s about tipping the balance away from what’s processed and toward what’s alive. And if you want to go deep listen to Dr. Layne Norton and Andrew Huberman here.

This week: what’s one swap you can make from packaged to real food?

Mental Wellness

We live in a world of constant scroll. Social media can connect us, but it’s also one of the biggest drivers of distraction, comparison, and anxiety.

A 2022 JMIR Mental Health review found that excessive use is consistently linked to higher rates of depression, anxiety, and stress. And in a University of Bath study, even a one-week break from social media led to significant improvements in well-being, lowering symptoms of both anxiety and depression.

The lesson? You don’t have to delete every app or disappear forever. Even small resets matter. A day off. A weekend away. A few hours of silence each evening. Try a Digital Sabbath…12–24 hours offline. Log out, delete the apps for a day, and see what shifts.

Notice when you reach for your phone, what feelings drive it, and how your mood changes without the noise. It will feel hard and that’s exactly the point.

Social media isn’t inherently bad. But without boundaries, it hijacks our attention and erodes clarity. Reclaiming space for stillness, conversation, and presence might be the most radical act of mental wellness we can choose today.

Financial Wellness

Discretionary spending is the portion of your income that’s left over after covering the essentials — things like housing, food, utilities, insurance, and debt payments. It’s money you can choose how to spend: dining out, travel, entertainment, hobbies, memberships, or upgrades.

In the financial world, we often treat discretionary spending as “nonessential” or “nice-to-have.” Advisors, at times, look at it as the category that can be cut if budgets get tight. And in a strict cash flow sense, that’s true.

But here’s the question: is that really right?

Because when we zoom out, many of the items we put in this bucket…a gym membership, healthier groceries, vacations with family, date nights, a daily coffee ritual, even the entry fee for a race (Ironman is definitely overpriced) are less about luxury and more about health, relationships, and meaning. They’re the very things that shape healthspan, connection, and quality of life.

Maybe it’s time we rethink whether “discretionary” is just financial shorthand, or whether some of those choices actually belong in the “necessity” column for a life well lived.

Spiritual Wellness

I want to go back to that Springsteen quote about Nebraska: “I was writing a type of song that I probably would have been embarrassed to sit down and sing in front of the band in the studio.”

Vulnerability is deeply tied to everything we talk about in spiritual wellness — awareness of self, genuine curiosity and interest in life, and even the possibility of transcendence. It’s not easy to reveal the unpolished parts of ourselves, but that honesty is often where the breakthroughs live.

A few questions to sit with this week:

1. Where in my life am I hiding behind polish instead of showing my authentic self?
2. What story or truth am I avoiding sharing that might unlock deeper connection?
3. How might leaning into vulnerability give me more clarity about who I am and what matters?
4. Where do I feel called to move beyond comfort into courage?
5. What’s one small way I can practice showing up more honestly this week?

The Journey Team & The 9:03