Know Thyself - E15 - Ammar Kandil: Yes Theory's Success, Self Love and Will Smith

Episode Date: October 11, 2022

Ammar Kandil of Yes Theory shares his evolution through self love, success, and building an empire with his best friends. He explains what it truly means to Seek Discomfort, and why the hardest thing he's ever done is face off with his own mind. He also tells his perception on success, and the Will Smith/ Oscar's scandal.   ___________ Timecodes: 0:00 Intro 3:50 Yes Theory’s Evolution 12:23 Building an Empire with Friends  20:13 Seeking Discomfort  24:40 Hardest Thing I’ve Done: Dark retreat  37:16 Childhood Trauma & Self Acceptance  42:10 Be Who You Are & Walk Freely  56:32 Yes Theory’s Big Moments 1:01:20 Will Smith: Our heroes are human  1:08:43 Happiness and success  1:14:53 Power of No 1:20:36 Vision for the Future  1:27:49 Conclusion   ___________   Ammar Kandil:    Ammar Kandil is a filmmaker and content creator, who co-founded Yes Theory - a YouTube Channel dedicated to seeking discomfort. Together they launched a global movement with a community of over 10 million followers across multiple platforms, which creates films, viral videos, and tools to inspire. https://www.instagram.com/ammar/   Yes Theory:  "Project Iceman" Film: https://www.theicemanfilm.com/ YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/YesTheory Website: https://yestheory.com/ Seek Discomfort Merch: https://www.seekdiscomfort.com/   ___________   Know Thyself Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/knowthyself/ Website: https://www.knowthyself.one Clips Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ4wglCWTJeWQC0exBalgKg   Listen to all episodes on Audio:  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4FSiemtvZrWesGtO2MqTZ4?si=d389c8dee8fa4026 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/know-thyself/id1633725927     André Duqum Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreduqum/   Meraki Media https://merakimedia.com https://www.instagram.com/merakimedia/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

All of a sudden, this thing that we've worked on for like a couple of years now is being acknowledged by the biggest movie star on the planet. We're getting to do something that's never been done before. And there's like the pinnacle of, you know, success and achieving, you know, manifesting a dream. But at the same time, like, the person who matters the most is not, doesn't see any of it. When you go through your worst fear and you make it on the other side, for me at that point, it was like losing a relationship with my role model and hero, my dad. You really get to have a more fearless attitude and, approach towards life. You know, for me, sometimes I feel stuck and feeling like I haven't evolved at the same rate as my dreams and my accomplishments happen. That's been a tougher, a tough place to be.

No matter who you are or how much you've accomplished, if there's something unresolved deep within you, it will come up sooner or later. If we don't become who we want to be in the pursuit of the things that we want to accomplish, then what is it even for? Hello, beautiful beings. Welcome back to the Know Thyself podcast where every single week we get the privilege and opportunity to sit down with a beautiful soul and open mind and open heart and to see what we can glean from the insights that they've learned in their life to help us, me included, live a more liberated joyous human experience. Today I'm excited for this podcast, his interview this conversation with a dear friend of mine, Amar Candle. He is somebody that is an entrepreneur, a filmmaker, a visionary,

a way shower, I believe in what he's been able to live and accomplish in his young life is actually very, very impressive and inspiring for me. And millions of people, he co-founded Yes Theory, which is an amazing community with a vision to build community and, you know, has garnered over 10 million followers throughout various different platforms. And it's been really inspiring to see what they create. They invite people and through their media as medicine create stories that can uplift people and stay true to their core mission of helping people seek discomfort and choose love over fear. And I'm really excited to see all the different avenues in the conversation that we can go into here today. So first off, Abibi. I'm honored, man.

It's been a long time coming. And we're just talking how we've been kind of in each other's orbits for since 2017. And we've seen each other throughout different stages of growth. When we're still like with yesterday, you're trying to get it up the ground. And you're, you know, you were the time working with Logan and then kind of you leaving Logan and moving to Venice and being, you know, becoming a part of the community. And then obviously, most recently just like seeing you grow into the community leader that you've, you know, that you've become and then seeing all the beautiful gatherings that you bring people in. It's been really, really inspiring. And obviously, extra special because, you know, we both

families from the Middle East, Jordanian, right? Yeah, Jordanian, Lebanese. Yeah. So I feel like there was always this unspoken understanding for each other's journeys and what it must be, you know, doing what we're doing in a global way from so many people that don't look like that. Yeah. For sure, for sure, man. No, it's been it's been such a pleasure to get to know you in the time that I have. And I'm excited to really drop in today because there's a lot of things that I'm excited to talk about that have been core threads and themes throughout both of our journeys.

and it feels like since the first time I met you, we've both gone through like lifetimes of transformation. It's been pretty wild. Yeah, I'm excited to get into it. I haven't done it in a podcast in a very long time. I don't do them often because, yeah, I, but definitely with the, you know, I'm in L.A. for like 12 days. And I remember I texted you saying congrats.

And I was like, let's do the conversation every want. Amazing. Yeah. So good. Thank you. Yeah, you've been out. We're doing it. We're doing it.

So good. By the time this conversation comes out, what you're working on so hard. right now will have been out. Oh, really? I think so. So you've been working diligently behind the scenes with the team creating this epic new film. Yeah, two and a half years now. Project Iceman. Yeah, a film about how far one is willing to go to unfreeze, you know, their childhood dreams. And in this case, it's my friend Anders Hoffman who went all the way to Antarctica to become the first every human to do an Iron Man distance triathlon in Antarctica. So, you know, but he's not, people often think like, oh, it's the film that is going to make you want to like jump in the ice and like to cold.

He's not at all like it's not like a he's not a Wimhoff where he has the supernatural ability. He actually fucking hates the cold. And that actually what drew me to the story is like is the extents that he that he went to to again unfreeze his real dream, which I'll, you know, I'll let the film kind of unveil. But it's, yeah, it's been a very fulfilling journey, not just because it's an impactful story, but also. for what this attempt represents for independent storytellers and filmmakers all around. Because just the way the film came to being was very unconventional and very unusual. Yeah. I went through so many twists and turns.

Yeah. So, dude, I'm so proud of you and the whole team of what you guys have been doing. Just seeing the progression of starting this YouTube channel, which is very humble in the beginnings and the ideas. And the energy is still there, which I love, like the core pillars and values of who you guys are and what you want to impact the world is here. it's just at a much bigger scale from going to these YouTube blogs to these films like real films so impactful the trailer is fire thank you so good man yeah it's as as you said it's uh you know from the very beginning it was just about refining more efficient and tasteful ways to communicate the message of saying yes and being open and and seeking discomfort adopting that as a you know

as as your way of living and a way of getting to know to attract your tribe yeah so you know to have had year by year have had the opportunity to upgrade that and elevate it to a new level doesn't just allow yes theory to evolve as people are growing up like just like we are but also I think it helps bring new types of audiences to the message because you know maybe someone will decide to watch a feature a feature length documentary but not necessarily a YouTube video and vice versa right so being able to diversify the ways that we've been able to put the message out has been so much such a huge privilege and an honor, but also I think very, very important for the longevity of yesterday, which, you know, in our minds, the way I think about it is like, I always like, it's a

thousand year long project. How can this be something that in hundreds of years, if not a thousand years, people can still be like, oh, seek discomfort. Or yesterday, it's something that has actually come and contribute it very, very positively to, you know, to the planet. And what I, what I would always, I remember having that thought consistent is like, huh, if aliens are watching. YouTube. And I want, then I want yes theory to represent the best of humanity to represent something that if a true outsider looks, you know, looks at us, be like, huh, humans are interesting. I think there's something there.

That's beautiful. So, yeah, it's a, and now, and now all these years later, I'm actually a firm believer that that disclosure is going to happen. So I'm like, the whole thing became actually real. I think there's actually someone watching and we're going to know more soon. But we can get to that later. Wild man.

I love that. It's, I mean, I fully believe that. I think that when I watch your guys' content, it's always uplifting of the human spirit and showing the deeper qualities that we can have within ourselves

and what the human spirit is possible of and the various different stories. And like I said, it's been really cool to see how diverse and capable of you guys are and creating various different verticals of content. There's not a lot of people. people can do. Well, the mission is is encompasses like three pillars. So, you know, the mission

at yes theory is to elevate the human experience through stories, experiences and spaces. Ultimately trying like we are the yes theory is this search for how do you ultimately live a fulfilling, happy, joyful life in community. And and we do that through, you know, putting out the message, as I said, in stories, which we've spent the last seven years. you know working on and perfecting and finding new ways of doing it and I the way I see this you know long form film that I'm working on right now is like my final level because that you know ultimately my real passion is in a in a different experience not storytelling which is what I'm going to be getting to next year which is more on the on the experience design and space design because you

know ultimately I think for yesterday to have this kind of longevity that you know that I I wish for, I think it needs to manifest in real spaces and physical touch points that people can actually interact with. Like, we saw the power of having a virtual space like Yes theory and what that allowed the community to do, completely self-organized. And, you know, all what they did is they saw the way we threw parties and have it be, you know, surrounding human connection rather than like drinking or it being like this wild party montage.

Like, there's always something hard. Like, people took all these, like, almost hints and principles from the videos and they applied it to their own lives. And as a result, it became this, like, very positive feedback loop that because it allowed them to get more like-minded people. So the way I see it is there is a natural extension where yes theory is a space can exist in physical spaces around this. So, you know, the yes house was always, especially the last one, actually not the most recent one. we had this backyard that became the space that a lot of like when I look at some of the friendships in Venice and the way people met each other it's actually like you know five six years ago that's where that's where it was happening and also that's where it happened for you know Thomas Matt and I when we when we my co-founders in yesterday when we met in 2015 we just had someone like a kind soul you know Andrea who was you know helped us start project 30 which was like the birth of yes theory and he just had someone like a kind soul you know Andrea who was you know helped us start project 30 which was like the birth of yes theory and he just just gave us his one bedroom studio apartment while he was in Turkey visiting his family. And that made all the difference.

So I always, I'm so attached to the idea of making spaces available because I think that was a huge factor in our journey. And luckily, Thomas, my partner, he is so committed to storytelling and wanting to continue exploring, which is just perfect because we cover different basis. And if we both still wanted to just do the same thing, then yes theory might just stay a YouTube channel or a media entity slash production, you know, house. But I'm really excited to be, you know, putting, getting to that final level of storytelling and making a film that I, you know, that will be in movie theaters and will

be shared with the world in a completely different way. And I'm really, really excited about that. But I'm more excited to just like next year get it and make my dream happen, which is, yeah. I'm so excited for you, man. It's so needed, especially post-COVID. It's like people are so thirsty for human connection. And it's so inspiring to watch the content that you guys put out. But really in person is where a lot of transformation actually happens,

where you become a different person by virtue of being surrounded with people that share similar core values. And those friendships that get developed in those spaces become a trampoline to catapult for you to become into a new, fulfilled, realized version of yourself. So I'm so excited to see what you create in that space. And what you guys have already done, you got the events that you guys have done over. the past few years and whatnot, you know, it's already been that, but it's going to be at a bigger scale. You know, I had this thought just crossed my mind because I think I was talking to another, you know, another friend about someone was asking how Matt was doing.

And I had this thought that how grateful I am for Matt to, you know, Matt got close, you know, in the last, over the last year and a half, two years. Yeah, yeah. And that I always felt very safe about him. being in your orbit and kind of having that having that influence. So yeah, it's a you've also, you've also seen yesterday form and evolve from a very different perspective that is very unique. Yeah, I'd like to actually touch on that because most people don't realize how much

goes in building a team, building an empire with your best friends behind the scenes, especially when you become so successful and your guys's desires change, what your focus is in life change. How have you guys been able to navigate? I know it's been very difficult at times. sometimes very beautiful. But having different desires for what you want to create and shift, you know, there's been, you know, I feel like you've always been very community focused and love interpersonal human

connection. Thomas has been somebody that's really loved the YouTubeing video creation side of things. Matt's been, he's always had this like diet energy of just like taking care of the ship and the business side of things. And now he's writing a book and he's been doing a lot of inner work the past couple years. It's really been beautiful to develop that friendship. you get to know him more and more. Yeah, man, how is how is that journey been?

It's been both the hardest and the most beautiful. As, you know, as beautiful things and great things happen, they are usually come out of, you know, hardship and out of a lot of friction. And, but I think the most important element that I would focus on is constantly making sure that the love for each other, which we there was no doubt in our minds that this was the real secret ingredient that made yes theory evolve

and and and you know get people's love around the world and connection to the thing that they were watching because we're not we're not the best filmmakers we're not the best looking dudes we're like we're just we just people that came together

with very authentic energy and that authenticity shunned through all the content and the stories and the experiences and the parties. So I think constantly being aware of that this is the source of everything good that has happened. And for me personally, and it's funny because I just read it and read Matt writing about this, what I'm about to say. And in the books, it brought me back a lot of memories.

But the moment I decided my life trajectory was taking a very different path. I was about to start a tech company. I had this like, you know, I was a sophomore at university, you know, in the summer between sophomore engineer year. I moved to Montreal. I was raising money for this tech startup idea that I was very passionate about. And then in that process of like meeting investors and trying to build the team I met, you know, Thomas and Matt. And it was after about five days of hanging out together that I made the very irrational decision at that moment to completely put everything that I was doing on the side, not moved to New York where my mentor had, you know, given me her apartment to live on for

the summer, which was like so huge. to find an apartment to live in New York and I was going to shadow this startup founder that was raising a lot of money and it felt like I had things sorted and I was on this full scholarship to university and I was getting stipend to go

to go to New York and do all these things but then all of a sudden I meet these guys and there's this shared energy to really want to do something different and to go full force at life and our method at that point was to do Project 30 30 things we've never done before in 30 days and make a video about the experience every single day to metabolize it and like share it with people.

And, you know, it was, I was supposed to leave on a Sunday. I was going to take the train from Montreal to New York. And I remember the Saturday before, we were all, you know, we all sat down. And we're just talking and about, you know, what I would be doing in New York and what, you know, what Thomas Emmett would be doing there. And they were like, you should stay. This is, you know, we should commit to this and do this together. And after a few minutes, I remember just standing up in the middle of the room. And I had this overwhelming sensation so deep in my body that I experienced a deep moment of joy as an old man with Matt and Thomas.

And to me, that's what I keep holding back to it. Because it wasn't in that vision, even though we had been so deep talking about the potential of what we're doing and this idea of chasing your fears and doing things out of stuff. of your comfort zone. You know, at the time, we're very influenced by the buried life. Our friends, Ben Nempton and Dave Lingwood, which was a TV show on MTV that was about four friends who started from Canada who, you know, were crossing off their 100 bucketless items and in the process helping other people to do so. So that was like such an amazing, you know, influence for us and it gave us this possible, like idea that this is possible and we can, you know, we can make a life out of, out of doing that. But again, going back to the moment

with Matt and Thomas, like, it wasn't about that this is going to be the biggest company in the world and we're going to be, we're going to build the next version, you know, and it's going to be an empire. It was always about the keeping it real between each other. And it hasn't been, as you said, you've had an insight into that journey a little bit, hasn't been the easiest because growing up is such a, it's a very, I don't want to describe it in a negative way, but it's a very full process that is that, that requires so much. much attention and effort and care and when you're already with relationships are hard because

you have two people doing that happening to them at the same time especially when we're in our 20s, early 20s, but imagine putting it making it 3D and putting another person who's like where the interactions are going like to two people and then to the like it's a whole thing that and then we there was not really like a blueprint to go after like I mean if all the boy bands or or the groups Like, they almost ultimately, there's this breakup story at the end that was, so there was never really, we didn't see. And obviously, our friendship with the buried life helped a lot to know how it went between them as four friends also starting a business. But for us, it was, you know, obviously when the buried life did it for a few years together. But we kept, we kept going.

We kept building deeper and deeper in the community. kept getting bigger and bigger. So that was a very long way to answer your question. but it really, it comes down to constantly making sure that love is the source of the whole thing. Whatever content that is made, whatever idea we come up with, it has a seed that has a very strong why and a seed of like love in it and friendship because I think that's what resonated with people. Yeah. I mean, I think romantic partnerships are like some of the biggest mirrors in our life. and what you guys, I feel like have is almost equal to that.

It's like you guys are married to each other in many ways. Yeah, that's how we describe it. Yeah. It's like a three-way marriage. Literally. And so, man, I can't imagine the challenges that come with going for so long. And then having the success too, you know, it's like it's made a lot of things possible that normally wouldn't have been. And so you become, you have so much coming to your awareness of what you can do and what your true passions are.

And as you're growing in your 20s, like you're just going to have so, you're going to witness so many deaths of the person that you used to know. And that's beautiful that you guys have been able to, even though in those difficult moments, still have the core energy of love and respect there. Because it would be so, you know, to break up or to decide you want to go different ways is one thing. But to have the relationship and the shared experience and moments that you've had together be tarnish would be so sad. That would be so hard breaking. Yeah. But that's like, oh, my dead body. that happened.

Like, no way. And I think you all have that mindset. So it's been really, really beautiful. Yeah, I'm so grateful for the commitment that we had towards that and the fact that we kept this relationship going for all these years. I mean, initially what brought you guys together. And then you said earlier, and it was obviously a core pillar of what you guys do is seeking discomfort, you know.

And so how important do you feel that seeking discomfort as a philosophy of life and kind of modality in which you view the world is really important on the journey of becoming a self-actualized human. I think it is the way to becoming a self-actualized human. Like it's a very, I would say it's a very strong framework that is self-repairing. Because it doesn't, it assumes no stagnance at any point. It assumes that even at the point where you become comfortable with being uncomfortable, you have to search deeper, which is like, you know, I've always been the one yesterday that is doing. all these like adrenaline-filled things and like going to the edge of my physical discomfort and

and at some point the big you know the setting audacious goals and saying that I want to do the impossible has become my comfort zone and it's not necessarily it doesn't I don't feel challenged by it you know today as I did you know when I was 22 23 years old doing this and now I really have to look deeper within myself to figure out what is my discomfort and I'm realizing it's like the small little acts of self-love and consistency that I, you know, I constantly run away from my life. And it feels like I did things that are so much more like infinitely harder. But I'm realizing my deep discomfort is the small things, not the big things. So I think I think to have a framework in your life, like seek discomfort that can that can be a constant reminder to to chase out stagnance in your life.

in your life has been has been a life-changing experience that has brought so much good to me and to my friends and and to the people that were watching the journey as we went through it. And yeah, and for me, I think I always, ever since I was a kid, I have made this weird association with my ultimate growth happening the further. I left my physical home because I, I, didn't grow up in a big city. I grew up in actually a pretty small city halfway between Alexandria and Cairo. And going to Cairo is this, like the capital is so overwhelming. It's very chaotic. And it's like, but there's so much, so many people to meet. And at this point, I knew everyone that I could possibly

know where I live in my city. So the first time I go to Cairo and I take the bus by myself and I go to this event that had other like-minded people who wanted to, who were interested in. And I was, technology and you know and how you can bring that in education like even remember like the exact thing that I attended for the first time but I remember that was so life-changing for me that it constantly made me realize that the best things are actually outside your comfort zone I mean we say that as a it feels like almost cliche now but but as a child that was such an important powerful realization because then when the opportunity came and I you know had the chance to be the first person in my school in my city to, you know, go on exchange and, you know,

spent five days in Turkey with a family, didn't speak English and didn't speak Arabic. And I was like, yeah, let's do that. And then after that, like, more and more travel opportunities to represent Egypt and, like, different panels and, you know, all these scholarships that I would just find on the internet. And luckily, I had, you know, internet. I had a computer, which I would say, like, the biggest influence in my life is having access to the internet the way I did. And until I had the opportunity when I was 15 to just completely leave Egypt and go to South Africa to attend boarding school. And so I feel like there was a very positive feedback loop to going further and further outside of my comfort zone. And that was such a, that was a, that left a long lasting effect that it just became what I do for a living.

And it's taking you just some very, very, very. interesting places. It has. Jumping out of a helicopter or a plane 25,000 feet in air, bungee jumping out of a helicopter with Will Smith, climbing up mountains with Wim Hof, all the crazy external things. What I would actually like to go into is there's a lot of things that you've done seeking discomfort externally. And as you grow on your journey, you realize the most work really comes in overcoming the internal struggles. And this whole podcast, know they self is about self-realization, becoming an actualized human being. And so how, you know, over the past couple years, I'm sure a lot of the internal things have been coming up. That's really seeking discomfort

in those directions leads to the most actual growth instead of these high experience, you know, big moments in life. It's reconciling a lot of the things that are within ourselves. And there's so many different things here. Recently, you went. Well, recently I did the hardest thing that I've done in yesterday. And it was such a question that every panel, every speech, every whatever interview that I did, people always like, oh, what's the hardest thing you ever? And it's so hard to say because it's we yes we did such diverse like the catalog of the things that we've done is so diverse but now it's without a doubt going in darkness for 100 hours like there's no you know that that all represented my biggest fear and and most extreme discomfort and it's like

to just be sit by myself be with my thoughts have no way out no no no dopamine hits from anything around no phone no social media addiction no nothing nothing. And really, really get to go just super deep into just becoming a little bit more friendly with my mind. Yeah. You know, and it's interesting because going into, I thought it would be this fucking fight and like coming up against all these demons and the same thing happened in my Oscar ceremony too, which I did in 2020. I went in so ready. And I, I, I, I, I went in so ready. And I, It wasn't planned. It was just something that came into my orbit,

like very serendipitously. And I took it as a sign. I was like, oh, maybe. But, yeah, I was so ready to, like, face all these things. But I realized that from the ayahuasca experience and even from the darkness experiences, that I actually tend to go to a very, like, loving, calm place that is almost opposite to what my conscious mind

convinces me that that's the nature of my mind. And I think that was, yeah, like, it was so hard to be sitting with the uncertainty of time, but absolutely the most revealing in terms of experiences that I've had that allowed me to understand my mind even more. I would say, like, the top three experiences are being with Wimhoff and Poland doing ayahuasca in 2020 and going into the darkness. Because the three covered very different, very different elements of like my psyche and my mind that gave me a feel like a three. I don't know if it's 360. Life will tell you, but it gave me a very full view

of what goes in this dome right here. But yeah, the darkness. I know you also, you went right after. I was very excited to hear that. Yeah, how was your experience? Well, for those that don't fully, who

either haven't seen the yesterday video of going to the darkness or haven't seen the podcast that I did sharing about my experience, I didn't know that you were going. It just so happened that literally I was going the week after that you had signed up. You guys were making a video about it. I was just doing it because it was before I was launching this podcast. And I just felt like this big surge of change happening in my life.

And I wanted to go in and really center to get clear on my vision and what I want to create. And for most people that or for anybody that hasn't heard about what a darkness retreat is, essentially for four or five, six days, depending on what you want to do. You go into literally a bunker in the earth where there is completely no light. And in this case, also no sound. You're completely deprived of those two senses. and it's literally just you, your emotions, your thought, your consciousness in a room with like a yoga mat and a bed and a bathtub in a bathroom. You have to learn how to navigate around yourself.

A lot of people, this would probably sound kind of morbid to why you would want to do something like that. But, you know, the deeper that you know yourself, like the more impactful you're going to be in everything that you do in life. And so while it's extremely difficult, it's important to seek it out because you're going to become a more refined, alive version of who you truly are and everything that you do. And so while those five, six days are very difficult. And like you said, the most difficult thing you've ever done, the reward on the other side is so much beautiful. So beautiful. And I think there's something very powerful in this experience being very different

from plant medicine, for instance, which is also like a sense of seeking discomfort and going to an unfamiliar place to reconcile or to heal. It's psychedelic in its own way. Yeah. Oh, but this one, there's such power to knowing that you are making all these realization and you're like fully present so you know in this reality sober um so yeah i think i i i definitely when i left i thought this was you know plan medicine is for certain people

this is for everyone you know like i actually thought everybody has the capacity within them to you know to go in and face and and face uh obviously they will come up against a lot but but it's i think it's a more scalable experience to the rest of human beings. And that's why I made the video and I shared my perspective. I hope and luckily ever since I've had so many friends go and actually try it and it's been such a positive experience where Sky, Sky ended up going in and she also had a great experience. But yeah, to turn off the lights for the first time since birth, such a while, like there's no

time in your life where you will get to actually turn off the lights for that long. Yeah. And it's not just turning up the light, turning up the light, turning up the sound, no input whatsoever from the outside. And it's such a, there's something so primal about it. Because it almost like sometimes I had these visions of like, wow, in our evolutionary history, we did that a lot. Because sometimes it was just like the weather outside or the elements were so unforgiving that we probably were forced into a lot of darkness. for a lot of days at a time, probably with no food, even,

and no water, no light. So, yeah, I found a lot of value in going to this, like, very primal place. Yeah. Uninterrupted to... And again, I was also so ready to... And I feel this nature, remember, like, I crave these, like, big hits of, like,

realizations and epiphanies, but the actual, my experience is with, like, the most powerful epiphanies is that they came such on a slow burn and so unlike the way I expected that they're coming with this epic like realization. It's almost like the persistence

of, in this case, the persistence of just like sitting in this uncertainty and noticing how my mind was jumping to these extremes of emotions where within four hours, if that was even four hours, I'd no idea. Like, I would feel the two extreme ends

of an emotion against someone or against a situation or against myself. Yeah. So, you know, there wasn't like a big thing that I realized. It was more of like, wow, my mind will go to both places. And I have to just sit in the middle and not do much. Yeah. No, I think we very much so live in a consumer society where if you want to become more,

you need to do more. And it's very externally focused based. And I feel like true transformation and growth comes in life and the unraveling of who we think we are, in the unlearning. And in the darkness, it's a very. potent experience to have a deeper understanding of self. And like we talked about earlier, that's the most important thing, that and valuable thing that you can do to impact the rest of your life.

So, yeah, for me, my experience was so profound and prioritizing the inner calmness and interstate and like having an inner friend to where it's like, if you're afraid of being alone with yourself, obviously you're not in great company because your mind can be in many people's experience, like a monster into itself where it's. it's not nice. And the talk that we have within ourselves has gone to a very noisy place because we are not used to having so much stimulus in our day-to-day life that we have now. And I feel like so much of our problems stem from that place where we literally have so much dopamine getting hit every single day from our phones and the modern civilization that we live in. So yeah, how do you feel experientially different?

Because I do feel like it's not, oh, I had a big aha moment. But for me also, it was very subtle and like the transfer. that it actually had, it wasn't like, oh, I had an idea and I'm a different person because I think a different way. It's like I just am a little bit different from that experience. For me, it's made me have a little bit more compassion towards myself because I think I used to believe a lot of lies that my mind. I haven't even like, even the way with I scrap something, sometimes like seeking this epic story of the way it like all plays out of my own. But sometimes it's so much more simple. And for me, it's just the way it made me different is that when I experience spikes of emotions and ideas or feelings, I chill out.

I wait for a bit. And I don't act on these spikes, which so has been very, very transformational in such subtle ways. Because I'm a very passionate person and I'm very fiery and I can get. you know like now I'm a little bit more more chill and I think even like my friends noticed it and I'm noticing it but yeah it's uh I would highly highly recommend it if if you have a chance to go into a dark room and you know you don't need to go to the extent of like doing four five six days I think 48 hours to start can be extreme you will just feel the most stress that you've ever been. I would say like two days you're not necessarily going to go up against like,

you know, something big or or have enough time to make certain observations about the way your mind functions because I think you will be like counting down the time and that will make you, that will be like almost dopamine is like, oh, yeah, time is. But, but, but you'll, you know, I know that in the first, I'm sure you've experienced that in your first sleep, you sleep deeper and longer than any other time in your life. I think I slept like 18 hours or something. Wow. Yeah, that I think, I think, I think, that reset is so good because we are living a very unnatural life where my phone vibrates six times since I sat down and like, why?

It's like, you know, all these hits and all these things that cross my mind that are constant distractions and stimulations. And yeah, we're so far removed from, I think, the way we're supposed to live. So I just read this thing this morning. I think that it's like we're a species that is entertaining. Yeah. And also throw your phone on do not deserve if you want to wire it. Yeah.

Yeah. This species has amused itself to death. And it's like the, yeah, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. It's just like how we, it's such a, it's really scary to think like all these tools around us are mining our consciousness. Yeah.

You know, it's. Amused ourselves. self to death. It's powerful line. And it's I would say it's like the modern if you think about it, it's like the devil in modern terms. Yeah. I mean, this epic story of

God versus the devil and religions and mythology and our stories as human beings is it was always about one is the devil is mining your consciousness and trying to follow all these desires and all these things that you're supposed to have more balance and control over in your life. And God, which is

the thing that is trying to elevate your consciousness. I feel like it's the same battle, but different, it's just different tools in a newer, more technologically advanced story. For sure. And it's just much more internal. I feel like people that have gone through world wars or something would look at our generation,

be like, oh, you're so soft, you know. And it's difficult in its own way. It's not physically demanding per se as maybe past generations have experienced, you know, certain different difficulties, but it is a big challenge in our generation. Amazing. I would like to talk on self-acceptance because especially coming out of the darkness and some of this internal work that you've been doing, what has been your journey of self-acceptance even when some of the, you know, closest people in your life don't seem to find that for you? It's been the hardest. That's the hardest, I think, element of my journey,

I would say. I feel like unwinding a lot of, childhood trauma and instances where I froze in my childhood has been and also, yeah, experiences that were in the context of my culture and my religion were, were just left me feeling like very, very lonely because it was things that I could never share with people around. and and there's this constant there's this conditioning ever since I was a kid that only if people knew the real story

so there's always this idea in my head that I'm that it's all an act and I've just gone really good at tricking everyone you know everyone and that the real me is is this still high you know kid in hiding that is

that didn't really think that I that I was worthy of my parents' love, that I would go to heaven, being raised as Muslim and thinking that whatever is that happened to me or went through so problematic towards my religion and my culture that I just, I was like in my mind, I was like I'm doomed.

And I think a lot of that, even though I can perfectly rationalize it now, it's still so deep in my conditioning and in my body. that sometimes I have a hard time escaping that state of being because it just feels like I'm still acting out

very much out of that trauma. And I think I'm recently just realizing and I think it's Dr. G. Dr. Christian, he was on the podcast and I think recently he's been very passionate outspoken about talk therapy versus

doing sematic work. emotional release. And I think I'm in a place where I'm realizing that I've gotten really good at putting words to, again, the story of what makes me and what motivates me. And I think that's very appeasing to the ego because we look good talking about this and appearing like so self-aware and so in tune with. But I still very much feel like this. this trauma or these emotions are still driving me rather than, even though I can perfectly describe it. It doesn't feel like it's, I have fully released it. And I think I hope and pray that this is the next phase of my life, is to get deeper into,

you know, into the emotional release and start. I think there's a big disconnect between my mind and my body because of the nature of my trauma. And I think this next, this next phase is really going to be about just bridge. that gap and getting you know getting more in my body so I can actually release whatever is it feels stuck because it's no it's not in my mind and my mind has like this natural inclination to revert to like love and peace even in you know psychedelic journeys or or ceremonies like it's that I always go there there's no all these things that I convince myself in my normal state um does not at all appear when I'm in an uninhibited state so I think the

yeah, my work in this next phase is going to be more focused on this emotional release and figuring out how to do the semantic work. Yeah. So, yeah, and he was just on the podcast, right? Yeah. Yeah, yeah, man. It's beautiful. I think so often we try to fix the mind's problems with the mind.

And who I personally see you as is somebody that is such a curious community builder, heart-led leader, somebody that, one of my favorite members. You got like 30 of our friends together. It was one night, super late, full moon. Let's all go skinned a being in Venice Beach. And we just blasted music and ran in the ocean naked. It was like so good. It's during COVID.

Like, but I have these moments where, you know, I see you in your childlike wonder and excitement. I see that. And, you know, it hurts me to see how hard on yourself that you can be. Because I see how brilliant you are. And just know that I'm here as a brother and ally. fully support however I can. And yeah, man.

I appreciate you. That means a lot. Yeah, of course. Of course, bro. What does the line be who you are and walk freely? What does that mean to you? It's a line. It's a sentence that just came to my mind in the middle of a very deep breakdown slash break open moment that I experienced in 2018 when on my 24th.

birthday. I received a letter from my dad, Facebook message that was like in the form of a letter where he basically gave me the ultimatum to either, not return to Egypt, but that was one of the suggestion, but basically find a job that he can understand and one that feels like is honorable for a man and my family and my culture. And that, you know, came from just a lack of understanding for what the purpose of all that I'm doing is. And it's really funny that you had just mentioned the skinny different party because that's exactly like that's the kind of disconnect that I'm like my dad has a problem

with me like hugging another woman like if if he opens a video and he sees me hugging a woman that's extremely that's like yeah it's a very different background so you can only imagine like even if we're doing it because we want to push people to be more open and more comfortable with discomfort all of that

he doesn't care it's like to him that looks fucking awful yeah and to him that looks like I completely lost my way and I'm a sinner I'm like in the wrong be right. So I understood where he was coming from and but I also understood where I was coming from very well and I think in a moment of just expression. So after I got the letter I was such a you know such a moment of turmoil in my life and I needed to decide like what is it that I was going to do my mind there was at no point that I was like oh let me consider what it looked like to not do what I'm doing

right now because it came from such a deep place within me that there was like nothing was shaking that but it was more of how do I handle the situation how do I actually um how do I respond to my dad and how do I how do I live this moment with where I was I think I was three or four months away from doing the jump with Will Smith it was like such a strange moment because it was like the two extremes of all of a sudden this thing that we've worked on for like a couple years now is being acknowledged by the biggest movie star on the planet. We're getting to do something that has never been done before. And I'm the one that gets to do it with him.

And it was like the product of this dream that I had and like such a crazy story that feels like the pinnacle of, you know, success and achieving, you know, manifesting a dream. But at the same time, like, the person who matters the most is not, doesn't see any of it. In that moment, I decided that yes theory was, people understood yes theory. through these very positive uplifting adventures and moments of getting with people and getting them to go skydiving on the spot. And I knew that what was happening to me was and my determination to keep going in the direction that I, you know, it started is very, very important to share with people because I wanted them to understand. And I wanted to remind myself that seek

discomfort isn't to, you know, go on the street and ask someone to leave the country on the spot. It's going to be in moments like this where I have to stand up for what I believe in. And I have to stand up for the person that I'm in the pursuit of finding. Yeah. And, you know, I was in the middle of, I decided to make a video that shares what happened with the people that were watching at the time on Yes theory. And in that video, I, basically describe what was going on and at the end of it I responded to my dad in in Arabic and I think the first sent the first thing that came to my mind after that before I end the video was be who you are and walk freely I had never said that before I had never it had never it wasn't

something that I like it felt like I just felt inspired in that moment to think that and and and and be it yeah and I you know, shared the video and I and so many people around the world were resonating with the experience of having a disapproval from a parent or both parents, family in general about what you're doing, especially people look like us or first generation immigrants in the country where, you know, and it wasn't just like Arabs or Muslims or people who particularly could relate to the specific cultural experience that I was living. It was like, you know, first generation. Korean in the US and he wanted to be he wanted to be a musician but the parents were like

wanted him to be the classic things right there's you know doctor lawyer all these things and you know the Tunisian girl that had a French boyfriend that her mom just owned her for it and being also so lost and not knowing what to do felt like so many people found camaraderie in in the moment of like me sharing it because it just made people and you know in our culture you can't really it's such a higher like a patriarchal hierarchical like structure of family like your dad is the top and you don't really like you don't there's no there's no back and forth it's one way and it's down and it's you're going to do that otherwise it's like there's no otherwise yeah it's an option doesn't exist in our culture and i think when i dare to actually say

something and not just say it but share it which is also a whole other level of disruption in our culture which is like privacy and things that happen in the family are only meant to be for that. Yeah. And that was one of the hardest parts to deal with and that because, you know, with my dad, I knew exactly where he came from and I knew where I came from and I knew that he didn't mean it was out of love, but that was his way of showing love. But seeing my family caught in the crossfire of like my said having calls from my sister and my brother's begging me to like take the video down before my dad wakes up because it was posted with the time difference and they were like, there was full nine hours that they were like just begging me to take it down before they're like

you have the opportunities it's a fire that like you will put up before it even starts like if he wakes up and finds this tomorrow it's over like all these things but i just and matt actually writes about that moment it made me cry when i read it because he just described like i think there was a friend you know our friend estabon brought a friend who's from egypt and and he lived here and so he kind of had understood the situation in different way and he was in the he was on the train of like you should take the video down because for your family and all of that and i just in a moment lost it i just stood up in the middle of the room and i and i and i just explained that this wasn't just for me it's for me to respond to my that it was for every kid out there who's who doesn't feel accepted

for who they are for what they want to do and and and uh yeah be who you are and why you are and why freely was like birthed in that in that moment of feeling so much yeah and understanding that there's so many people out there like that can't that simply can't be who they are where they're where they live where or the families that they come from and i and i just hoped that this can be there can be a relief to someone who's living an experience like this. Yeah. Thank you, man, for sharing that. I think that when you share those vulnerable moments,

like that is truly what can be so impactful for people. You're letting people into the very real and sight, you know, experience that's happening within yourself and inside yourself. Our parents are loving us the best they know how and how they think they're loving us. And that comes with its own energies of suppression or oppression or the culture and their background of how they grew up and how their parents raised them.

Like, there's so much. And so it breeds compassion, but also I'm so proud of you for sticking true to yourself in those times where it's like you know yourself enough to where you know that what you're doing is helping the planet. It's your calling. It's what you want to be doing. And it's unfortunate, but it's been a big part of your lesson. And so it's unfolded perfectly as it has to for your growth and for his growth and for

family's growth. Yeah, man, it's just so nice to win it's a little. I think a part that I don't think I've touched on before because it's obviously like it takes all these years to kind of retroactively see the events and analyze them in a different way. I certainly wouldn't be have this deep understanding of who I am today and the freedom that I pursued the journey of understanding myself with if if that hadn't happened. Because it was my biggest fear. And once the one the thing that you fear the most happens and you just live through it and you survive it, it's kind of you you go about life. with a very different heart. Like you're just so much more,

I was so open to doing it all to deeply understand who I am and understand all these memories and traumas that came up that would in no way ever come up if I still had this like regular relationship with my dad or I checking. Because that's, you know, I was driven by some of his expectations

and what he wanted for me and how I should act so that if he sees something, on the internet. Like that as much as there was pain in that moment, there was also such freedom to fully own up to my journey and to understand

well if I made that decision and I'm not going to be able to have a relationship with my dad over the past five years then I have to make it worth it. Then I have to pursue it from all angles so that you know when I return which ch'allah will be November of this year first time in five years

and you know I've had had a few calls with my dad over the years. So things aren't going to be like it's not fully not talking to me, but it's not the best place. So I'm hoping I go back and now there's a new grounds for reconciliation. I have a nephew now that kind of changed the family dynamic a little bit. My sister had a baby while I was, you know, in the past year. And I go back with a lot more confidence in who I am and what I stand for and what my set of values.

I think, yeah, I hope that that brings like this, like a next phase in our relationship and it can allow us to like reconstruct it. I'm not putting a lot of hope on it. I'm just, you know, I go with no expectation. I'm just like wanting to show, you know, all my love and, and, and, and just take the moment of being able to be able to go back after all these years. Yeah. But yeah, as I said, like, I, when you go through your worst fear and you make it on the other side, which for me at that point was like losing a relationship with my role model and hero, my dad, you really get to have a more like fearless attitude and an approach towards life. Yeah. Yeah, man. Because you've walked through the fire.

Yeah, exactly. It's like you, those difficult, painful moments have so much fruit on the other side of it. So much treasure, so much wisdom comes from those difficult times in our life. And, you know, rightfully so, we want to kind of avoid those, you know, those painful moments and those difficult moments. But when they come through, whether it's a loss of a family member, a breakup with someone you love, issues with your family, health issues, like, these are all teachers for us to come back into ourselves. And so I'm excited. and I'm, you know, praying for you and how that unfolds within your family. And thank you for sharing that, bro.

Of course, of course. Oh, man. I haven't talked about that in a while. It's good to have these checkpoints to, like, think back. Especially with the passing of time that we're experiencing and growing, you know, growing up. It's, this is the first year where I'm, like, really feeling. Yes. I did, like, idea of growing up and being, you know, 28 now.

Yeah. Yeah, I'm very grateful for the opportunity. to re you know to check to check back in on on that topic and the emotions that come up with it. Yeah. Amazing man. I feel like sometimes when we go on our journeys, we always have the next goal ahead of us when we finish something. It's the next thing. It's the next thing. It's the next thing. Do you feel like you give yourself the time and you have the moments to really zoom out and see how much you've accomplished and who you've become and like feel proud for for where you've gotten to? I think I try. I try my best. But I think I have in moments.

compromised the love for myself in the face of my desire to achieve my dreams and to make my goals happen. So which then later on makes you be in a dilemma of like feeling like you should be able to celebrate a lot of what you've built and what you've done and what it's created for the world. But but you know, for me, sometimes I feel stuck in feeling like I I haven't evolved at the same rate as my dream. dreams and my accomplishments have. And that's, that's been a tough place to be, to be in. And that's why I'm, that's why it's also what made me realize that there is this disconnect. Like my awareness of my mind and my psyche and my motivations is there, but, but sometimes the application falls short.

And that's where I'm realizing that there's actually a deeper layer of work that I need to, that I need to pursue. Yeah. So that when I say, seek discomfort. I can say it with my full, you know, with my full energy and full authenticity that I am doing that. That's what I, that's what I meant by. It's like a very self, self-repairing, self-addressing like framework. Yeah. Because you can't, you can't, you can't convince yourself long enough that you're doing it if you're just like if you're cruising. Yeah. If you're coasting. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, man. Amazing. I think what you've been

speaking to and sharing, I'm sure for a lot of people that are listening right now, they see you and the accomplishments that you've done, all these beautiful adventures and stories and celebrities you're with and all the things. And they want to cherry pick the success and say, I want this, I want that. But they forgot that it's a full package. You can't cherry pick somebody's success and say, I want this thing without

everything that they've sacrificed to get to that point and who they are. All the things that you've accomplished and focused on, well, you've said no to a lot of other things. By virtue of saying yes to certain things. So I think it's just a powerful takeaway for the listeners that But you can cherry pick somebody's success, but don't forget there's a lot of difficulties

in things that you don't see that go on behind the scenes. Absolutely. It's like there's a full range for the human experience that you're that you ignore by just deciding like, oh my God, he jumped with Will Smith. That's fucking awesome. Because life must be great. But yeah, it's definitely, yeah, I said to echo that for sure. So that moment with jumping with Will Smith, that bungee jump, was that a big turning point

for you in your path? Like how is that a pinnacle moment? How do you feel like that? Did that shift things internally? I would say it's more on the side of just realizing that asking for what you want is the most powerful, impactful thing that you can do is just like to be an expression of who you are and what you want. You don't ask the answers always know. Yeah, yeah, exactly. And the universe has a way of responding to.

to that. So, you know, for me, just how crazy it is to have had like an actual dream and woken up and like ran on the board like challenge Will Smith go back for a couple more hours and then wake up until, you know, Thomas and Matt, hey, I had this dreamless. Is there something you can do? You know, eight days later. Will Smith is, you know, when we had like 900,000 subscribers, Will Smith is making a full like eight minute video responding to in a very like comedic way with a full skit. I was like, what the fuck? Like, like, that's something is not adding up or is or it is so and I think to get to the moment of just the leg go at the edge of the helicopter and it's it's a moment that I that I feel like I took very

very deep and luckily I don't my experience of a moment like that is very different than what people would think I like there is no I wasn't like freaking out I'm about to jump out of like I'm like I'm a skydiver I adrenaline as I said is my like meditative it's my meditative drug And I think in that moment I just got to take in things about my journey about my life in a way that was very profound because I look back and it's Will Smith and Jada and his kids

and my best friends and their parents and everybody's there around waiting for me to take that leap. So I think in that moment of just like hearing the pilot countdown and me letting go and the stillness that I felt in that was very, very profound. And it just made me, again, confirmed the idea of like, just continue to ask for what you want and the message of a BS theory and the energy that it puts out there is also a part of the reason the universe is responding. So let's keep it up. Let's push it

further and further. And, you know, a few months later, we went out with Wim Hof, which was, you know, obviously the experience of jumping out of a helicopter, Bill Smith's fucking amazing. It's grandiose and it has this thing. But I think on a more on a more profound personal level like what we did with Wemhoff was actually brought in. That was the first time I had all these ideas about like what my childhood was

and like starting to open, you know, to draw the currents bit by bit. That was like going that deep. It was marked a new stage in yesterday which was like starting to look inwards more so than all these crazy things that we were looking to do. So, yeah, with, you know, the moment of letting go was, was a very strong reminder for continuing to hold the, the whole energy that we, that we're putting things on.

So symbolic to just jumping out with your arms open, just like falling to the earth. Yeah. It's like literally in a crack in earth. Like I was just going back to. So wild. Yeah. Yeah. There's so many.

But then when I watch it, like, I just, yeah, I re-experienced it every time. You know, I've been so lucky to have it, to have the moment be so well captured that I can actually go back exactly to the state of emotion that I'm in because I'm seeing in like full slow-mo and I like remember all the, all these things. Amazing. I'm curious, after meeting so many of your idols and like people that you really look up to, for people that are listening that have all these idols and, you know, it's so, so, so, easy and often we put people on pedestals and you know we forget that our heroes are human and you know

after meeting countless successful celebrities and people whatever influencers what is something you realize that most people don't don't realize about that life i think especially for storytellers content creators filmmakers actors like people just get to see the the very specific character or moment that they want to show. And we just talked about the cherry picking of, of like, kind of you building a narrative in your head about someone else's life when you have no awareness of what, what is their journey and what they go through. Yeah, it's been the biggest thing.

And just like not to put anyone on a pedestal, that's a big, big thing. Everybody will make mistakes. Everybody will, you know, even, you know, obviously recently with everything that happened with Will and the Oscars and like you know it's everybody will is he's the most committed to putting out good in the world and then doing good and you know his book was incredible so many beautiful lessons and but at some point there if there's something unresolved that will come out later you know sooner or later yeah and that's actually that was like that's a big that's it like no matter who you are or how much you've accomplished,

if there's something unresolved deep within you, it will come up sooner or later. And that's, I've been lucky to see, again, one of my idols that I have a personal relationship with, go through that and, you know,

I've been also lucky to have an insight on, like, his journey post that and, and what he's done to try and heal whatever part came up in that instance, you know, so it's, yeah,

it's, there's no amount of success of fame, of money of even families gather you if if you aren't dealing with it it will manifest sooner or later it will come and and you don't want it to manifest in the biggest night of your life yes you're receiving an oscar so yeah unfortunately it happened like that yeah yeah man it's it's so powerful i think a lot of people can um like we talk to have this idea of our heroes and the characters that they played and how they positively impact us. And we just have that small, little narrow view of who they actually are and realize that

humans are complex creatures. We have so much, so many things happening within us. So many things informing our personality and how we operate in the world. And so it's unfortunate that that on that stage had to happen with him. But I'm sure it's been probably one of the biggest catalyst for him growing. Yeah. I think also he's definitely experienced a, as painful as it was like I think there's also a sense of freedom and him also falling in front of every after having kept in keeping this yeah he was on in this fortress his whole life yeah and now he's just like yeah he's a human I made a mistake and and you know he's he's dealing with their precautions now and he's dealing with the growth that will you know that is that is coming out of it so it's a that was very yeah I felt like there was a very strong message for me even in that because I you know I think by proximity all our friends are just

just messaging me. I was in Europe at the time. So the Oscars happened like in the middle of the night. And everybody's like, oh, dude, what the fuck? What did Will do?

Yeah. So it's, again, having, you know, having been close and also not just, people always ask me like, oh,

how is Will, like, actually when the cameras are off. And I've only experienced such, just the beautiful, authentic human, you know, cameras are on or off.

And he's obviously, Will Smith, like, he's a showman. Yeah. But, you know, I remember there was like,

so how, saw a house in Malibu and I was with a group of like 10 entrepreneurs who are all having breakfast. Someone comes back from the bathroom says, oh, Will is at the bar? And you know, like, I just like go say hi. And then he asked me like, well, who I'm with? And I was like, oh, I'm just having brunch with a few friends and entrepreneurs. Like, oh, let me come say hi. And just like stands up and walks across the room with me and like goes.

So all these moments, like he is a genuinely good human being. And and I also realize like through meeting heroes and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and seeing, you know, kind of having a, following them long enough to see them make a mistake, is that for some reason we see, we, people, the public love seeing our heroes just fall. Like, there's something so. And I think about that a lot. Like, why do people kind of jump on like these, like, instances of putting someone down after they've put them up for so long?

Yeah. And I think it's just like, my conclusion at least was, like I think that's like our own guilt and shame for the things we do in our lives that we keep so so hidden from everyone that comes up in moments like this because you're just projecting the way you feeling about your own shit on someone else by seeing them fall and you're like that mixture realized like ah well he's not you know he wasn't a good person or she wasn't a good person so I yeah being aware of that was also very important to to to to remember even like our tendencies about how we react to certain people making mistakes around like am I treating that with empathy and I feel like it's something that I've always tried even you know as controversial is it's going to sound like when Logan was was deep in his shit and I had met him once you know but for some reason after everything that happened in Japan and seeing for everybody just completely tried to like destroy him and like people

telling him to go kill himself and all these crazy things like I always feel sense of compassion when I see someone in that situation because I think the way to actually make someone improve or fix whatever thing that they did wrong is not by shitting on them. That was a few tension that I don't even know what we're wrong with, but just the thought. Yeah. No, man, I'm sure, especially with Will and the individuals in our life like Logan is just you get a new level, a new level of compassion for your own humanity when you go through that experience. And I'm sure it's brought so much humility.

And especially when you have this version or perception from the public of being almost like a perfect human. Like you're a successful movie star, biggest in the world, rich, famous, got the beautiful family, everything. Yet you can fall. And how can you reconcile that within yourself and have compassion for yourself that you are human at the end of the day? And so, man, it's a powerful realization for him, I'm sure, in his own personal journey. And then also from the outside end, realizing that, listen, We all make mistakes. And ultimately, who this has hurt the most is him.

Yeah. Absolutely. You know, Chris, his comedy career is expanding. He's blowing up. And of course, that's, you know, unfortunate to happen the way it did. But it's been a big hit for Will. For sure. Yeah.

Amazing, dude. All right, bro. Well, a couple more things. I think on this thread of like, you know, meeting and being with very successful individuals, a lot of people think that happiness will come one day when the achievements come in and I just want you to speak briefly to what has been your experience of that. Because personally, I've met so many, quote-unquote, externally successful individuals that are miserable on the inside.

Oh, yeah. That's actually, I would say the majority of, unfortunately for some reason, the majority of like the entrepreneurs that I know who've sold their companies after like a most insane grind for their 20s and late 20s, early 30s, they're going through it right now. Yeah. They're like, that's what I'm saying. you got to deal with your shit because sooner or later it will come up it will come up with $15 million in your pocket or $150 million in your pocket that's inevitable and I've been lucky to be

in circles where I've had so many I've been blessed to be around so many successful people that have achieved so many great things some money based and some purpose based and some a mix of both and how even with a mix of both even when your life life is driven by purpose sometimes that purpose can be an escape from something that you and I feel like in some moments that was the case for me. It's like, you know, and not doing it purposefully, but you just realize that yeah, maybe sometimes I put like the message of yes theory and my dreams to build this into this thousand year long project. I've put that so much closer to me than my own love and care towards myself and and and the character that I that I hope to become in the pursuit of doing all these things because

it's not if we don't become who we want to be in the pursuit of the things that we want to accomplish then what is it even for so i yeah that's that's been a big thing that i'm aware of my life is that i want to make sure that my my character and my relationships are reflective of this deep passion and my purpose and what i want to bring to the world rather than me using it to be an escape me using that i'm like busy with yesterday or doing all these things things and I'm, you know, I'm sure all, whatever project I'm working on will have a positive impact. I don't know, avoid hanging out with in a social setting or, or not be as present for my friends as I, you know, as I would like to be. And something that I, you know, I've been

feeling recently a lot is like, I feel like my personal relationships have got so affected over the last two years. And a big part of it is, yeah, is, uh, sometimes I convince myself that what I, that what I was doing is just like, that's what I need to do right now. Yeah. But it's, that's a lie. Yeah. Unfortunately, a lot of people will have to go and attain it to realize it's not it to get the money, the followers and everything to realize that, oh, it's like, that's not going to unlock suddenly happiness in your life. And it's kind of, you know, reverse of how most people operate and think that it's going to happen. But we put off happiness into the future, but we forget that we can have it in this moment. Yeah. And it's, what's the quote? I think I also read it this morning or something like the, the eagle.

will tell you that you're happy when you, when you, like, accomplish X, but the soul, the soul will tell you that you will accomplish X because you are in the state of. Like, if you prioritize the outcome over the state of being, I think that's a losing game. For sure. So my thing is, like, I got to embody this, who I want to be through the things that I'm doing or want to do before I, before I do. It's powerful. We're all in the pursuit of a pleasant experience of life.

We all want peace, joy, happiness. And you can have it in this moment. Yeah. Just got to remove what's in the way of it. Because I believe that it's truly our birthright. We are inherently joyful, blissful human beings. But we become accustomed to becoming human doings and thinking that it's going to be a byproduct of attaining or achieving something.

In reality, it's the complete opposite. You've got to flip it on its head and realize that if you actually want to attain the success or whatever, if you find and reconcile the things that are in the way of finding happiness, true, peace, and joy in your life first. It'll ironically be the catalyst even more success, happiness, community connection in your life. I mean, sorry. This says free child in Arabic. It's a representation of that truest uninhibited state of who you are because that's at least who I'm in the pursuit for. For sure. It's like to find my free child. Yeah. And in that pursuit, like of course, you seeking, seeking discomfort and saying yes to various different challenges in your life, what is the power of

no meant on that journey because equally when you say yes to something you're saying no to a million other things and vice versa yeah the no theory is as important as the yes theory that's what i think it's actually maybe we should we should make a video about that because yeah it's uh people obviously i think because of all the like the movies and the and some of our views people often have this idea that we say yes to everything oh it's the guys they say we're not the track guys we're not like it's it's it's only saying yes to the things that we deem will help us grow and evolve as human beings. But the no theory is also, it's to push away the things that won't make you, that won't

help you evolve and become a better human. And there are more endlessly more distractions in the world and things to say. Like there is in the daily life definitely so much more to say no to, to protect your energy, to protect your relationships and your growth. And I think I would say that actually that skill evolved a little, later than saying yes because I think by default we say no. So I think we needed to go to like the overcorrection to like be a lot open to just everything.

And then from there you define your values and your principles. And based on that, that becomes like your solid framework of knowing when to say no and when to say yes. As I said, like to understand your values and yourself deep enough so that you know what's like the power of a yes and a no. actually can be the same. How do I say this? I would just say also just touch on it. I think ironically, the power of your yes has no power

until you learn the power of your no. Yes. Until you wake up in the morning and you say no to going on your phone right away or you say no to the various different processed foods you're taking in. Spot on. You can't have an empowered yes

without really reconciling and knowing what a no is. And then you also, your yeses mean nothing if they're all yeses. The same way if you're just like going around telling everybody you love them, but there's not necessarily a deeper foundation to that, then it doesn't mean much. And I think the yes theory doesn't mean much

if you don't know when to say no. What's one thing in your life right now? You're really saying yes to and really saying no too. That's a great question. I'm saying yes to not compromising the process or who I am. for the results. And I'm trying as much as I can to do that with the film. It's just like been a very different type of process that doesn't have the same.

Like, you know, kind of feedback loop as making, you know, videos twice a month or three times a month on YouTube do. It's just like. So, yeah, I'm trying as much as I can to arrive at the premiere and not feel like I am less healthy, more stressed. Because I try to make this film the best thing it can and get it to the world in a way that makes them feel all these, all this inspiration and desire to go and unfreeze their dream when I'm like, when I feel like I haven't, you know, the message of the film is limitations or perceptions of them. I feel like I haven't broken through my perceived limitations, which right now I actually

feel like, I feel like there's, yeah, a lot that I want to, especially when, as I said, like, with my relationship with my body and like getting active again. And like, yeah, it's actually, I just realized that right now. I think it's, what's the day, 26th? I think so. my accident anniversary is in two days, which is... Oh, wow. Yeah.

So it's always like such a... Yeah. Is that obviously such a huge, you know, transformational moment? I, there was a near-death experience. Car accident. Yeah, car accident in 2020, August, August 28th, 2020.

And, yeah, getting to see. That's a whole other thing. For sure. Yeah, but it's a... I basically got to see, got to be so, so closest I've ever been to just seeing death. and seeing like a, that's the tragedy happening, whether it's a bad injury or, and feeling, like, coming out of it and the perspective that I gained and being, in seeing the parts that made me take this moment with such peace, which is the alignment that I was in, that I was doing exactly what I wanted to do with the people that I loved, but also in other parts where I felt like, oh, I have, I have more, I have more space to improve. And I feel like, also look, two years looking back, I've, mistreated myself in this in some in in in a period in that stretch because I don't think I've

pursued my like rehabilitation in a in a methodical way or in a way that that matched like how intense that experience was because I just convinced myself like oh I'm okay like I drove the following day right away and it was it was fine but that's not really how the trauma end up manifesting in my body and and that's why I think I'm more focused on the emotional release things that are stuck in the body more so than the mind right now. I don't even know why I mentioned the accident. But I guess it was just a thought of like, yeah, it's a very deep reflective time for me because it's like a new birthday for me. Like I got out, it's like a check in, another check in moment.

Yeah. And it's a pattern you're trying to break, right? Honoring, not sacrificing your health and your body in the pursuit of what you want to create. What's one thing that you're saying no to or perhaps that you could be saying? no two more that would be supportive of something sugar man yeah yeah

unfortunately it gives you way too much sugar what's it deeper just the shame guilt loop with myself it's like the biggest thing that I'm trying to to like

pump the brakes for when I when I feel myself going that because it's you know ultimately the the base of of this disconnect between me and my free child because I'm still convinced that I'm not worthy of certain things or certain love. So when I find myself going there,

I really try to pump the break. And the darkness allowed me to see when that happens a little more clear because I had nothing else to do but to watch my mind. So I could really see the way thoughts and emotions to kind of build up. Yeah. It's interesting.

The first one you said was sugar and it felt like you had the energy of shaming guilt around it. And the second one was really reconciling the shaming guilt. So it seems like that's so funny. That's really good. So maybe reconciling the second one. We'll fix the first one. Yeah, yeah. Big time.

Definitely my sugar behavior has a lot of, yeah, yeah. It's an emotional response. It's an emotional response. Not a, like, I don't think I actually like the sugar itself is the one I'm into, but there's some weird emotional part that comes with that I'm trying to. I feel like it's not necessarily, it could be sugar, sugar,

whatever you're dealing with in life. It's not the actual thing. That's the issue. It's the judgment you have around it. Yeah. And if that was dissolved, the actual urge for the thing would actually come away now. Very interesting.

Well, hopefully next time I come on the podcast, I'll have something to share on that. Amazing. All right. Last little thing. I mean, you have a big vision. Maybe it's not little. But for what you want to create, I love how big you dream and how big you think, wanting to build a city.

And like dream big. I feel like we're so young. We have available to us so many resources. And really our imagination is the only limit. So if you want to speak to, what is your vision for what you want to create in this life and how you want to impact the planet? Amazing. Yeah. My ultimate dream in life is to build a really, really great city that can help people redefine their sense of belonging to,

all these systems that are currently failing us. Whether it's nation, like you being American or Egyptian or Jordanian or whatever it is, to your religion, you know, to, there is just so much around us that used to serve us, but it's no longer serving us.

And it's creating a gap in the way people feel a sense of belonging and feel like they're a part of something bigger. Yeah. And I feel like, as I said, yes theory as a virtual space came to address a lot of these things. And I think the power of the extension of that idea being in physical, whether it's like the specific yes theory spaces or spaces that represent what yes theory stands for. And then the way, the way I think I can bring something different. It's not like I want to buy a plot of land somewhere in Nevada and like build this.

It's not the, it's not really the vision. the vision is more, can we build a decentralized city that exists as a network of spaces all over the world that represent a certain culture and a certain way of being and doing and will have very consistent values? A lot of people instantly be like, oh, so you're building a cult or you're trying to start a new religion. And, you know, in a way, if that's what you want to call it, sure. But I think, you know, in this case, it's not, there's no central figure around that. I'm not trying to be like bag or it's it's it's decentralized on all on all levels i just think in the same way you're going to walk in macdonalds in like in finland versus cairo versus south africa it's the same in

every like there's an expectation of consistency and i think you know in the same way also will and we'll go to a church in cairo or or louisiana or whatever you will be received with the certain energy i think we need spaces that can have that kind of consistency and culture that is prevalent within it that can support human connection that can support people being there for each other and the community to build and thrive because we're so far from what we're supposed to be doing like this the city living like the reason we love Venice so much is because it feels like a village like I'll roll over and it's your house and I'll come here and I'll see Sam and Chelsea like it's it's there's you're constantly meeting people

and the serendipity of like all these beautiful things happening without needing to schedule well, la, that this, you know, cafe at this time lends itself to, I think, a lot happier of the life. And I think we need spaces that are not bars, that are not clubs, which is, you know, what I'll be pursuing next year is building a space that can be an alternative to a bar, bar club that will be open all day. And during the night, like, what's the yes cafe look like? That can be, like, a really epic space for gathering and socializing.

and working. So yeah, I, you know, I hope to, and the way I actually describe my dream because it's like I don't want to be, like there's a, the simplest way of expressing my name is like, yeah, I want to, you know, I want to build a really great city that is decentralized, but the true vision is to find the first generation of builders who are going to build

the greatest city to ever exist. Because I think it's to build something at the scale that will have this longevity, it can't be just one man's vision. It has to be like a full collective of people that will represent different perspectives and different needs in spaces that I think will come together. And this way, it's like the S-3 network spaces. And if you're going to start an hour's three, then it's yours as well. And the collective of that, actually, when we look in 100 years, we're going to be like, that's a solid city. That's a solid, consistent space for citizens around the world to be a part of, to have a sense of belonging for. And so, yeah, I think it's both going to be my pursuit to build these spaces that represent the values of YS theory.

And that will be my life's work. But it's also in finding every person that shares that vision and being able to support them and giving them a platform so that their vision also thrives. Because if we all won the same thing, it shouldn't be not going to succumb to capitalism and make it like a competition thing. Like our spaces have to be bad. Like I want it to be. Yeah. Just there's space for everyone to be seen, to be heard, to be loved. Yeah.

I'm very excited that, you know, it's no longer this thing that I want to do in the future. It's this thing that I'm doing next year after the film. That's the order of priority. Amazing, man. Holding that vision for you. I see it. Thank you. I see it crystal clear.

Can wait to have you at the opening. of the first space. Yes. Can't wait. To be Amsterdam next year. Beautiful. Yeah. Let's go.

Yeah. So good, bro. Thank you, man. Oh, this conversation was great. Yeah, it was like time went by. I don't even know. It did. Like an hour and a half.

Wow. Yeah. Almost. Yeah. Did it. It's great, man. So good. Having me.

And again, I'm, I said this off camera, but I think it's what you're bringing through, you know, myself is so freaking important. And your tone is amazing. And, you know, you're not pursuing it from a place of like, oh, I read a lot. And I met a lot of people. Let me tell you what's good. It's ritual.

Like, your approach is so humble and down to earth and, like, very inviting to someone who might not necessarily be, have had the exposure to subject matter. And I think that's the most important thing. It's like our bubble is amazing, but they don't need another podcast. So I find your way of opening it up to more people to discover this kind of work and this kind of rhetoric is so important. Yeah. Yeah. Thank you.

So I'm proud of you. And I also see you for what you're doing. doing and yeah and I wish you all the best I can wait to see how far you take it thank you man I appreciate you so much I resonate I fully received that I it's it's good that I'm getting the reflection from you in this way because it's also the intention in which I'm carrying it with I really want this format and this podcast it's medium to be a bridge for spiritual wisdom and insight to be really approachable and digestible for the masses because if it's not like what's the point if it's just speaking to the people within the bubble that can

understand it, then there's no transformation on the mass collective happening. So I think we both have a lot of visions for how we can support the planet. And I'm excited to see the ways in which that weaves in the future, man. I really enjoyed this conversation. Yeah, me too, man. I'm so happy I came on. Yeah, of course. Appreciate you, brother. Yeah, love you, yeah. Chelsea, appreciate you doing the behind the scene. Chelsea, behind the scenes, wizard, holding it down. So good. Is there anything on your heart else that you want to share? Other than by the time, whoever's watching this, whether listening to on audio, Spotify, Apple or on YouTube, the film is out.

Yes. So at this point, you know, we're going to have theatrical release in the U.S. and in Europe. The best way to know where and all of that, it would be going to the Icemanfilm.com. Cool. The Icemanfilm.com. And yeah, all the information is going to be there about like where you can see it. But yeah, if it's, you know, the film is going to be in theaters in October in the

US, hopefully October, November and moving forward. And then there is a virtual premiere. on September 24th for the people that have, because, you know, we had like this streaming offer and then we walked away from it and then we end our community end up backing the project. So we're going to do a premiere for the backers. Yeah. So good. L.A. 21st. So I'll see you there. Yes. I will see you there, man. Can't wait. Can't wait to watch. Beautiful. And just anybody who's, you know, wants to know more about Amar, check them out. All the links are in the description. Just Amar on Instagram, YouTube, yesteria. You guys know how to find him.

Yeah. Perfect. Beautiful. Thank you so much for everybody that's been tuning in and for walking your path. Deeply appreciate you. And until next time, be well. Be who we are and walk freely.