This episode is for anyone who has ever put on headphones to escape a bad day, danced alone in their kitchen to shake off stress or wondered why certain songs hit them right in the chest and make them feel something they can't quite explain.

More info, resources & ways to connect - https://www.tacosfallapart.com/podcast-live-show/podcast-guests/justin-paul

Justin Paul didn't set out to become a college professor. The international DJ and record producer stumbled into teaching almost by accident when a colleague suggested he'd be good at it. Three decades later he's still balancing life in the DJ booth with life in the classroom at UCLA, and he's learned a thing or two about how music shapes our mental and emotional wellbeing.

Paul's relationship with music started early. His grandmother and mother both had killer vinyl collections and his mom sang in a cover band. By 14 he was helping his cousin haul equipment and learning the craft of DJ-ing. Music became his escape during a turbulent childhood. "When there was trauma or weirdness going on I would be able to go into my room and play records and escape through music," he explains.

That escapist power isn't just personal. Paul talks about watching the dance floor from above at packed venues and seeing people literally dance their problems away. Some were dancers from strip clubs coming to cleanse themselves of weird energy. Others were students dealing with stress. The common thread was that music gave them permission to leave their troubles behind, even temporarily.

But here's where it gets really interesting. Paul dove deep into the science of sound frequencies during his graduate studies and discovered that certain frequencies can actually heal. The 40Hz frequency found in house and techno music's bass and kick drums? Research shows it can slow or even reverse dementia and other mental health issues. These lower frequencies hit us in the chest and abdomen almost like a physical cleansing.

Different genres create different emotional states too. Jazz makes people reflective. House and techno bring diverse groups together without the aggression that rock or hip hop can sometimes trigger (especially when alcohol is involved). Paul learned this firsthand by watching which songs sparked fights and which ones created unity on the dance floor.

His advice to young artists struggling with self-doubt and perfectionism is simple: Keep going. Persistence beats talent every time. He's a big believer in Malcolm Gladwell's 10,000 hours of deliberate practice and tells his students it's okay to have a day job while pursuing their art. Financial stability actually protects mental health and creative freedom.

During the pandemic Paul created "Tropical Stardust Meditations," an ambient soundscape project designed for meditation. He made the first track intentionally short because busy people don't always have 30 minutes to meditate. Even three minutes of intentional sound can help reset your nervous system.

Paul protects his own mental health through exercise, meditation, naps and a solid eight hours of sleep. He tries to meditate before every performance to clear his mind. And he's learned to create an imaginary force field around himself when he steps into events because hundreds or thousands of people are beaming their energy at him.

His final wisdom is that you can't just "get over" mental health struggles. Healing is a lifelong process and anyone who tells you to rub some dirt on it and get back in the game doesn't understand how trauma actually works.

Music isn't just entertainment. It's medicine, community and sometimes the best therapist money can't buy.