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Being Human with Leana Deeb
Being Human with Leana Deeb episodes
- George Heaton on Discipline, Doubt & the Real Cost of Success
In this episode, Leana sits down with George Heaton — founder of Represent, one of the leading luxury streetwear brands in the world, built from a bedroom operation printing t-shirts for friends into a 15-year global business. George opens up about losing himself in his early 20s, the trademark dispute that nearly took the brand down, going nearly two years without knowing if Represent would survive, and why he still lives with doubt every single day despite everything he's built.
This one is for anyone building something from nothing, anyone questioning whether discipline can really be taught, and anyone wondering what's actually on the other side of "overnight success."
George and Leana get into:
Looking in the mirror and not recognizing himself in his early 20s, and what pulled him back
Why he avoided being the face of his own brand for years, and what it took to build that confidence
Falling in love with art through his brother, and how a leadership video game unexpectedly shaped his approach to business
Printing his first t-shirts and never having a plan B
Building Represent with his brother for five years before it was even a real company
Writing the brand's mission statement around quality and family — and why "the best product" always came before margin
The trademark dispute that put the brand's entire future at risk, and living for two years not knowing if it would survive
Losing hope daily during that period, but never stopping training — and using it as fuel instead
His mother's influence and the quiet pressure of never wanting to let her down
Believing in himself over any higher power, and how that differs from Leana's own journey into faith
Their contrasting views on God, karma, the afterlife, and where meaning actually comes from
His actual daily routine — from 5:30am wake-ups in the UK to running a business across two time zones now
Why he dislikes the word "sacrifice" and prefers to think of it as leverage
Treating discipline like a muscle — hard to build, easy to maintain once it's there
Loneliness in the early years, and choosing to pour that energy into the brand instead of filling the void elsewhere
Cutting off friendships and relationships that didn't align with where he was going
How the 24/7 product line and Represent's activewear side actually started — almost by accident, during COVID
Redefining success beyond money — health, freedom, and being able to take care of the people around him
Living on minimum wage for the brand's first ten years, and staying at his parents' house until 27
Comparison, competition, and why he actively looks for someone "on his tail" to stay sharp
What it means to lead a creative team without controlling every decision
His closing answer to Leana's recurring question: what does it mean to be human?
"If you're at rock bottom and you don't know what to do with yourself, the first thing you can do is work on you." — George Heaton
TOPICS DISCUSSED
(00:00) — Intro: Meeting George Heaton & Represent
(01:39) — Building the Confidence to Be the Face of the Brand(12:35) — Mass Appeal vs. Exclusivity & Protecting the Brand's Identity(18:00) — Fitness, Resilience & Building a Culture Around Discipline(25:14) — Faith, God, Karma & the Afterlife(39:19) — Moving Countries, Chasing a Feeling & Building a Life Outside the UK(42:13) — Legacy, Leadership & Staying Ahead of a Changing Industry(53:24) — Ten Years on Minimum Wage & Redefining What Success Means(58:24) — Creative Control, Team Culture & Trusting His People(01:02:43) — Patience, Standards & the Rules That Run the BrandStay connected with Leana Deeb:
Instagram: @leanadeebb / @beinghumannpodcast
TikTok: @leanadeeb / @beinghumannpod
Stay connected with George Heaton:
Instagram: @georgeheaton
Brand: @representclo
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
1 hr 9 min - Self-Sabotage, Self-Forgiveness & Why the Way You Talk to Yourself Is Everything
In this solo episode, Leana gets into one of the most relatable struggles she has faced — self-sabotage. She opens up about how she used to let one mistake spiral into losing all her progress, dropping every habit, and going completely off track. This episode is her honest reflection on what it actually takes to break that cycle and why the way you speak to yourself when things go wrong is everything.
This one is for every woman who has ever let one bad day turn into a bad week, a bad month, or a reason to give up entirely.
Leana gets into:
- What self-sabotage actually looks like and why it keeps so many of us stuck
- Why it is okay to mess up — and why staying in that feeling is where the real problem begins
- The difference between suppressing your emotions and actually sitting with them
- Why God can forgive us but we struggle to forgive ourselves
- How to talk to yourself after a mistake the way you would talk to someone you love
- Journaling as a tool for self-awareness — and how to make it actually productive
- The five daily practices that keep her grounded: journal, pray, eat clean, learn, and train
- Why self-sabotage and consistency are so deeply connected
- The power of envisioning who you are five years from now — and starting to act like her today
- Why recognizing your worth changes everything about how you show up
- Living with the awareness that God is watching — and how that makes discipline easier
- A reminder that even in your lowest moments, you are making more progress than you think
"Deep down, you already are her. It's just maybe a little bit of work that is needed to get there — but I'm confident in the fact that you will get there." — Leana Deeb
TOPICS DISCUSSED
(00:00) Intro & What Self-Sabotage Really Is
(01:30) Why One Mistake Does Not Have to Ruin Your Progress
(03:00) Sitting With Your Feelings Instead of Suppressing Them
(04:30) Why We Can't Forgive Ourselves the Way God Forgives Us
(06:00) How to Speak to Yourself After a Mistake
(07:30) Journaling for Self-Awareness & Growth
(09:00) The Five Daily Practices: Journal, Pray, Eat Clean, Learn & Train
(10:30) Envisioning Your Future Self & Embodying Her Now
(12:00) Recognizing Your Worth & Rooting for YourselfStay connected with Leana Deeb:
Instagram: @leanadeebb / @beinghumannpodcast
TikTok: @leanadeebb / @beinghumannpodLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
16 min - Sara Saffari on God, Grief & Finding Purpose
In this episode, Leana sits down with Sara Saffari — one of the biggest fitness creators in the space, known for her humor, her honesty, and her ability to stay completely true to herself on camera. Sarah opens up about the DM that changed everything, the eating disorder she struggled with at 21, losing her father at six years old, and why she's never once had a content plan in four-plus years of posting.
This one is for anyone building an audience without a strategy, anyone who's ever felt insecure while still showing up, and anyone quietly carrying grief they've never fully unpacked.
Sara and Leana get into:
The DM to Bradley Martyn that led to Zoo Culture, and how one invite changed the trajectory of her content
Why there has never been a plan behind any of her videos — no scripts, no strategy, just showing up
Consistency versus luck, and why she refuses to miss a week even when she doesn't love the video
Feeling insecure but never nervous — and where that distinction comes from
Why she's tried journaling over therapy, and has never quite committed to either
Her biggest fear as a creator: that the content itself makes it harder to find the right partner
Shifting toward solo content and what that's taught her about her own purpose
Having a 90% male audience despite wanting to motivate women, and finding the balance between the two
Her eating disorder at 21 — weighing 100 pounds, hiding her body, and what led her there
How fitness didn't just change her body, but rebuilt her mentally
Growing up in a small town in Kentucky, moving to LA, and staying connected to her Iranian culture
Why she doesn't drink — and how that's tied to her mom's faith, not necessarily her own
Growing up Muslim without religion being pushed on her, and still figuring out her own relationship with God
Grief — losing her father at six, suppressing the emotions, and never fully processing it
Her mom's sacrifices, from working two jobs to giving up the garage bedroom
Redefining success as being happy and surrounded by people who love her back — not the money
Her Gymshark origin story, from a $20-an-hour tutoring job to becoming an athlete
Her actual daily routine, filming process, and posting schedule
Advice for women dealing with judgment, insecurity, or online hate
What she'd want to do next — acting, but never a dating reality show
Her answer to Leana's recurring question: what does it mean to be human?
"I don't want the negative comments to break my day, and I don't want the positive ones to make my day." — Sara Saffari
TOPICS DISCUSSED
(00:00) — Cold Open: Fitness, Faith & Grief
(00:50) — Welcome & Introducing Sarah Safaree
(02:16) — How Sarah Started Creating Content
(06:57) — Consistency, Luck & Staying Authentic
(11:07) — Finding Her Purpose as a Creator
(12:58) — Her Eating Disorder & Fitness Journey
(16:19) — Kentucky Roots, Moving to LA & Iranian Culture
(19:15) — Faith, Sobriety & Her Relationship with Islam
(23:34) — Grief, Losing Her Dad & Family Sacrifice
(32:41) — Redefining Success, Handling Hate & What It Means to Be Human
Stay connected with Leana Deeb:
Instagram: @leanadeebb / @beinghumannpodcast
TikTok: @leanadeeb / @beinghumannpod
Stay connected with Sara Saffari
Instagram: @sarasaffari__
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
47 min - Why God Makes Us Wait for Love
In this episode, Leana goes solo for a raw, personal reflection on wanting a partner and not yet finding the right one. She talks through the feelings that come with waiting — overthinking in quiet moments, watching friends and strangers online seem to have it figured out, feeling pressure from parents or society — and walks through what she's actually doing to work through it instead of just telling you to "trust God's timing" and leave it there.
This one is for anyone who feels like they're doing everything right and still waiting, anyone who's been made to feel ashamed of wanting intimacy or companionship, and anyone questioning whether the relationship they saw growing up is the one they actually want to repeat.
Leana gets into:
Wanting a partner but not finding the right one, and why that feeling is normal, not a flaw
Why God may be making you wait — building your character before you build a relationship
Looking honestly at her parents' marriage and deciding what she does and doesn't want to repeat
Why financial independence and "having something going for yourself" isn't about needing to prove anything to a man
Trusting fate (qadar) and why doubt in prayer can block what you're asking for
The power of tahajjud (the night prayer) and why she wants to start waking up earlier for it
Feeling worthy of what you want — tying confidence, fitness, journaling, clean eating, and prayer together
Actually putting yourself out there instead of waiting to be found from your bedroom
Self-care and presentation as part of the waiting season, not about becoming "perfect"
Wanting to trust men without losing herself in the process
Focusing on your relationship with God and yourself before your relationship with another person
A listener comment on the taboo around women talking about intimacy and desire in religious communities — and how to handle those feelings without shame
Why she doesn't believe in male friendships, and where she draws the line
"Love who you are, because at the end of the day, that is the most important relationship you're going to have — is with yourself." — Leana
TOPICS DISCUSSED
(00:00) — Cold Open: Wanting a Partner, Trusting the Wait
(01:08) — Wanting a Partner but Not Finding the Right One
(04:09) — Trusting God's Timing Over Rushing Into Marriage
(05:16) — Looking at Her Parents' Marriage & What She Doesn't Want to Repeat
(07:09) — Financial Independence & Having Something of Her Own
(08:17) — Fate (Qadar) & Praying Without Doubt
(09:25) — The Power of Tahajjud, the Night Prayer
(10:33) — Feeling Worthy: Confidence, Fitness, Journaling & Prayer
(12:03) — Putting Yourself Out There
(12:48) — Self-Care & Presentation While You Wait
(15:27) — On Trust, Men & Not Being a "Man Hater"
(16:12) — Relationship With God vs. Relationship With a Person
(17:42) — Listener Comment: The Taboo Around Women, Intimacy & Desire
(21:06) — Why She Doesn't Believe in Male Friendships
(22:59) — Closing Thoughts & Subscribe
Stay connected with Leana Deeb:
Instagram: @leanadeebb / @beinghumannpodcast
TikTok: @leanadeeb / @beinghumannpod
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
24 min - The Truth About PCOS, Periods & Women’s Hormones with Dr. Hazel Wallace
In this episode, Leana sits down with Dr. Hazel Wallace — medical doctor, registered nutritionist, personal trainer, and founder of The Food Medic — for an honest, no-fluff conversation about the parts of women's health that rarely get explained properly. They get into what's actually happening in your body throughout your cycle, when period pain stops being "normal" and starts being a red flag, and why the supplement industry preys on exactly the confusion that leaves so many women without real answers.
This one is for anyone who has ever been told their pain, their fatigue, or their irregular cycle was "just stress," who has quietly wondered if what they're feeling is normal, or who wants to understand their body well enough to actually advocate for themselves in a doctor's office.
Note: this episode was recorded before the announcement of PCOS's new name. Throughout the conversation, the condition is referred to as PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) rather than its updated name, PMOS (polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome).
Leana and Dr. Hazel get into:
- What's actually happening hormonally in each phase of your menstrual cycle, and why most women were never taught this
How to tell the difference between normal period pain and a sign that something needs medical attention
Whether you should train through your period, and how to actually listen to your body instead of forcing a routine
Iron deficiency and anemia — who's at risk, the symptoms that get missed, and how to actually get tested
The wild-west world of women's health supplements, and how to tell if one is actually worth taking
Inositol for PCOS — what it is, how it works, and why it's becoming a first-line option before medication
The real difference between PCOS and endometriosis, and why both get so often missed or misdiagnosed
Hazel's own PCOS diagnosis story — the dismissive advice she got, and what actually helped her symptoms go into remission
Why cutting carbs isn't the answer for PCOS, and what to focus on instead
The 90-day window before trying to conceive, and what actually matters for fertility — for both partners
Hazel's personal experience freezing her eggs, and what she wishes she'd known going in
What IVF actually involves, and why it's often one of several options rather than the first step
Perimenopause and menopause — when it really starts, how it's diagnosed, and why it can happen earlier than people think
Nutrition for pregnancy and breastfeeding, and the nutrients that matter most
Hazel's go-to diet recommendation, and the simple, unglamorous habits she says actually move the needle
"If you are unable to manage your period because of pain or leaking or flow, then that's too much for you. And that's when you should seek help." — Dr. Hazel Wallace
(00:00) — Cold Open: "Women Are Fat and Hairy If They've Got PCOS"
(00:53) — Welcome to Being Human with Dr. Hazel Wallace
(01:45) — The Four Phases of the Menstrual Cycle, Explained
(09:30) — Normal vs. Red-Flag Periods: When to Seek Help
(13:00) — Iron Deficiency, Anemia & the Truth About Supplements
(20:16) — PCOS vs. Endometriosis: Diagnosis Criteria & Medical Bias
(23:03) — Insulin Resistance, Genetics & Living with PCOS Long-Term
(27:50) — Hazel's Own PCOS Diagnosis Story
(30:36) — Training with PCOS, Perimenopause, Menopause & Freezing Her Eggs
(38:00) — Fertility Nutrition, Pregnancy, Stress Management & Closing Thoughts
Stay connected with Leana Deeb:Instagram: @leanadeebb / @beinghumannpodcast
TikTok: @leanadeeb / @beinghumannpod
Stay connected with Dr. Hazel Wallace:
Instagram: @drhazelwallace
TikTok: @drhazelwallace
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
52 min - Everything I Wish Someone Told Me Going Into My 20s
In this episode, Leana sits down with you, her audience, for a raw, unscripted Q&A. No prep, no filter: she reads every question cold and answers exactly as she would if you were sitting across from her. The conversation moves from stress eating and gym consistency into deeper territory — hijab, Islamophobia, self-worth, marriage, purpose, and what it actually means to build your character before you build anything else.
This one is for anyone who has ever felt stuck in an unhealthy habit, unsure of their purpose, or like they need to prove themselves to people who were never going to understand them anyway.
Leana gets into:
Why stress eating usually isn't about willpower, and what actually fixes it
Staying consistent with training by removing decisions before they become excuses
Choosing discipline over motivation, and why chasing "motivation" will always let you down
Reframing fitness as an act of worship instead of a punishment for your body
Where to actually find modest, natural fiber clothing (and why it's harder than it should be)
What kept her showing up even when she didn't feel motivated or happy
How Islam reshaped her relationship with physical strength and health
Living with anxiety about Islamophobia as a revert, and separating your worth from other people's stares
Working through the hardest, most misunderstood parts of her faith instead of walking away from them
What hijab really means to her — and why it was never about a man
Building a daily structure around prayer instead of an overpacked routine
What to do when prayer feels numb and disconnected
Finding your purpose by fixing your habits first
Being scared of change, adulthood, and responsibility — and finding the growth in the discomfort
Why she refuses to build her life around getting married
Building any platform — fitness or faith-based — from intention instead of chasing views
"You have to consistently work on your character in order to attract the man that you also want in your life, because you can't be picky... but we also don't always have the character to match it." — Leana
TOPICS DISCUSSED
(00:00) – Intro (motivation, hijab preview, welcome to the Q&A)
(01:05) – "How can you stop stress eating?"
(05:45) – "How do you stay consistent when it comes to training?"
(11:15) – "Where do you get your modest natural fiber fits?"
(15:50) – "How do you motivate yourself?" (asked again)
(17:35) – "How has Islam changed your perspective on physical strength and taking care of your body?"
(18:15) – "Your take on Islamophobia"
(31:00) – "What does hijab mean to you?"
(34:33) – "How to stay focused without getting overwhelmed with my daily routine"
(35:45) – "How can I stay consistent with my salah?"
(39:15) – "What to do when you feel like you don't have your life figured out yet"
(41:50) – "What to do when you're scared of change and becoming an adult"
(44:05) – Rapid-fire
(47:30) – "Your roots?"
(48:00) – "Advice for building a fitness-based platform while honoring God"
Stay connected with Leana Deeb:
Instagram: @leanadeebb / @beinghumannpodcast
TikTok: @leanadeeb / @beinghumannpod
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!
go to curehydration.com/LEANA, and get 20% off with code LEANA.
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55 min - Why Discipline Beats Motivation Every Time with Bradley Martyn
In this episode, Leana sits down with Bradley Martyn — fitness pioneer, entrepreneur, and one of the earliest creators in the social media fitness space. Bradley has been doing this for over 15 years, and this conversation goes far beyond fitness. He opens up about losing his father to suicide at age six, the anxiety that sent him to the ER four times, how psychedelics reshaped his view on life and death, and why being authentically himself has been the only strategy he has ever needed.
He built Zoo Culture from the ground up, is now expanding to Miami, and has quietly been one of the most copied creators in the industry — from his coaching model to his gym concept. This one is raw, reflective, and genuinely refreshing.
This one is for anyone who has ever questioned what they're building, why they're building it, and whether any of it actually matters.
Bradley and Leana get into:- Losing his father to suicide at age six and how grief quietly shaped everything
- Health anxiety so severe he went to the ER four times in a row - and how he got out of it
- Why proactive mental health practices matter more than reactive ones
- How he found Instagram before anyone knew what it was - and built one of the earliest fitness followings
- Posting every single day for eight years and what that kind of consistency actually costs you
- Getting addicted to validation and what it took to grow out of it → Why he has always winged everything - and why it worked
- Building Zoo Culture, almost not doing it, and why he undershot how big it would be
- Zoo Culture Miami finally happening after three years of searching
- Being one of the most copied creators in the fitness space and what that did to him
- Why he keeps his relationships off the internet - and when he would change that
- How to tell who is actually in your corner versus what you have built
- Trust, loyalty, and why he stopped expecting people to show up the way he does
- His views on God, religion, karma, and whether any of it adds up
- What it means to be human - and why his answer comes back to love
"Everything we do is for love — to receive love, to give love. And all the stuff we've dressed it up as, money, success, notoriety — it's all just that." — Bradley Martyn
TOPICS DISCUSSED
(00:00) — Cold Open: Losing Faith, Losing a Father
(01:05) — Life Before Social Media: The Twitter & Instagram Beginnings(04:22) — First Bodybuilding Shows & Early Instagram Fame(08:48) — Losing His Father at Six(10:31) — Views on Death, the Afterlife & the Soul(11:52) — Battling Anxiety and Learning to Cope(20:59) — Chasing Validation, Staying Authentic & Longevity Online(27:54) — Building Zoo Culture Gym From the Ground Up(37:37) — Faith, Karma & Questioning Religion
(54:58) — Real Friendships, Relationships & What It Means to Be Human
Stay connected with Leana Deeb:Instagram: @leanadeebb / @beinghumannpodcast
TikTok: @leanadeeb / @beinghumannpod
Stay connected with Bradley Martyn:
Instagram: @bradleymartyn
TikTok: @bradleymartyn
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
1 hr 7 min - What I Learned About Womanhood, Faith & Hormonal Health at a Women’s Retreat
In this solo episode, Leana opens up about everything she learned on her week-long faith-focused retreat in Deià, Mallorca, Spain. The healing plants, the women's health deep dive, the spiritual lessons, the connection with her mom - and she is bringing all of it back to you so you can feel like you were right there with her.
She gets into the Quranic plants that have been used for centuries as medicine, breaks down the four phases of the female hormonal cycle and the herbs that support each one, and shares the personal reflections that hit her hardest during the retreat, from her relationship with God to her relationship with the women in her life. This one is equal parts wellness education and soul nourishment.
This one is for every woman who wants to feel more in tune with her body, her faith, and herself.
Leana gets into:
Why who you surround yourself with is one of the most transformative choices you can make
Her relationship with her mom and the Islamic teaching that heaven is at the feet of your mother
The 99 Names of Allah and the name Ya Jabar - the One Who Mends All Things
The healing power of olive oil, black seed, pomegranate, dates, and figs as mentioned in the Quran
How to identify real, medicinal cold-pressed olive oil and why most store-bought versions don't count
Black seed oil as a remedy for blood pressure, anxiety, skin, memory, joints, and more
The four phases of the female cycle, what you feel in each one, and why it matters
The herbs to take in each phase: raspberry leaf, nettle, yarrow, cramp bark, red clover, chaste tree berry, and dandelion root
Seed cycling for hormone balance and irregular cycles
Why God removes the obligation of five daily prayers from women during their cycle and what to do instead
Cooking with intention and how the retreat chef Aisha inspired Leana to bring more beauty into her kitchen
Why Leana came home and signed up for Arabic and Spanish lessons
"When you start to approach life in this way of trying to find the beauty in everything, you find the beauty in people, you find the beauty in food, you find the beauty in every single situation of your life." — Leana Deeb
TOPICS DISCUSSED(00:00) Intro
(00:13) Welcome Back & The Retreat Setting in Mallorca, Spain
(02:22) Lesson 1: Who You Surround Yourself With
(04:39) Lesson 2: Your Relationship with Your Mom - "Heaven is at the Feet of Your Mother"
(06:54) Lesson 3: Understanding Who God Is - The 99 Names of Allah & Ya Jabar
(13:55) Plants of the Quran #1 & #2: Dates & Olive Oil - Health Benefits & How to Choose the Right One
(20:46) Plants of the Quran #3: Black Seed Oil - "A Cure for Everything But Death"
(23:07) Plants of the Quran #4 & #5: Pomegranate & Fig + Cooking with Intention & Love
(27:52) Women's Hormonal Cycle - Phase 1: Menstrual (Days 1–7) & Phase 2: Pre-Ovulation (Days 7–13) - How You Feel & Herbs to Take
(30:07) Women's Hormonal Cycle - Phase 3: Ovulation (Days 14–20) & Phase 4: Pre-Menstrual (Days 21–28) - How You Feel, Herbs, Seed Cycling & Women in Islam During Their Cycle
Stay connected with Leana Deeb:
Instagram: @leanadeebb / @beinghumannpodcast
TikTok: @leanadeeb / @beinghumannpod
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
39 min - Roxie Nafousi on Love, Manifesting, & How To Become Your Highest Self
In this episode, Leana sits down with Roxie Nafousi, bestselling author, manifestation coach, and founder of the Manifest app, for one of the most honest and wide-ranging conversations on the show yet. Roxie opens up about a decade of addiction, crippling body dysmorphia, losing her father, and how hitting rock bottom at 28 led her to build a global community of millions of women. She and Leana connect deeply over growing up as Arab Muslim women in the West, navigating identity, faith, culture, and the relentless pressure to fit in. This episode is equal parts raw, healing, and deeply practical. A reminder that your past does not define your ceiling, and that the work you do on yourself is never wasted.
Leana and Roxie get into:
- Growing up Iraqi and Muslim in 1990s Oxford and hiding her Iraqi heritage after 9/11
- How manifestation and Islam are more aligned than people think, and what the Quran says about gratitude, purpose, and mindset
- Manifesting her partner Wade, an Islamic marriage seven weeks in, a baby a year later, and what co-parenting looks like now
- Dating as a successful, independent woman: why what she's attracted to has completely changed
- Why making love your entire goal is exactly what blocks it from coming in
- Vision boarding your whole life across six categories, not just the relationship box
- High-vibe vs. low-vibe emotions and how your frequency is pulling things toward you or pushing them away
- Body Dysmorphic Disorder: what it actually is, why external validation never fixes it, and the panic attacks she had before every camera appearance
- Cosmetic procedures that changed everything on the outside and nothing on the inside
- What finally worked: medication, CBT, journaling, affirmations, and why she's sharing it publicly
- Losing her father in October 2024: the last words he said to her, the signs she still receives, and how grief has drawn her family closer
- Why discipline is not about being hard on yourself and knowing the difference between giving yourself grace and indulging in your sadness
- Her daily non-negotiables and how she built them all into the Manifest app
"To be human is to evolve, grow, and unlock all the potential within you." — Roxie Nafousi
TOPICS DISCUSSED
(00:00) Intro — Meet Roxy Nafisi01:32 Growing Up Arab in the UK + Identity Crisis
(05:30) Manifestation, Faith & How They Coexist
(08:00) Depression, Addiction & Hitting Rock Bottom(14:43) Manifesting Love — Meeting Wade & Starting a Family20:38 Dating as a Successful Woman & What Changes
(32:00) Removing Fear, Doubt & Stepping Outside Your Comfort Zone
(38:39) Sacrificing Your Social Life to Build Your Purpose
(43:18) Losing Her Father & Finding Signs from the Universe
(46:41) Grief, Letting Go & Overcoming Tests from the Universe
(56:00) Body Dysmorphia, BDD & Learning to Heal from the Inside
Stay connected with Leana Deeb:
Instagram: @leanadeebb / @beinghumannpodcastTikTok: @leanadeeb / @beinghumannpod
Stay connected with Roxie Nafousi:
Instagram: @roxienafousi
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1 hr 9 min - What I Found in My Blood & Hair Tests (And Why Every Woman Needs to Do This)
In this solo episode, Leana opens up about the health journey she has been on behind the scenes. The fatigue, the mood swings, the painful periods, the bloating and she finally shares the full results of her blood test, stool test, and hair toxin panel.
She gets into what it felt like to finally have answers after years of wondering if what she was experiencing was just normal. From discovering she has leaky gut, to finding out she has mold and mercury in her body, to talking honestly about the emotional weight of being a woman who overthinks and over-stresses, this episode is equal parts health deep dive and raw personal reflection.
This one is for every woman who has ever felt like something was off in her body but couldn't quite explain it.
Leana gets into:
- Why she decided to finally get her blood, stool, and hair tested
- Low ferritin and how iron deficiency connects to heavy periods, hair shedding, and exhaustion
- Vitamin D deficiency and why it affects so much more than just energy
- Low riboflavin (B2) and the supplements she is now taking to correct it
- Her leaky gut diagnosis and why it explains her IBS symptoms, mood swings, and acne
- The gut-brain connection and how a disrupted gut can make your emotions feel out of control
- Mercury toxicity from raw fish and what she is doing to detox
- Mold in her body, potentially from coffee or a past apartment in New York
- Her sauna and hydration protocol to cleanse her system
- Why she chose a naturopathic doctor over a conventional one
- Her experience with birth control and spironolactone and why she will not go back
- The cortisol and hormone panel she is doing next through the Dutch Plus test
- Overthinking and anxiety as a physical stressor, not just an emotional one
- What it is like to be a woman in business and why being stern gets misread as being emotional
- The book Start with Yourself by Emma Greed and why it made her feel seen
- Her morning routine as an anchor for peace before a chaotic day
- Boundaries, stress, and the version of herself she is working toward
"I envisioned so much for myself, and I have to go through these chapters of being able to tolerate more stress, being more calm in certain situations, to get to that next level and be the person I really want to be." — Leana Deeb
TOPICS DISCUSSED
(00:00) Intro
(00:43) Welcome Back & Episode Setup
(01:44) Blood Test Results: Low Iron, Vitamin D & B2
(03:20) Stool Test: Leaky Gut & the Gut-Brain Connection
(05:53) Choosing Natural Over Synthetic Medication
(06:34) Toxin Test: Mold, Mercury & Detoxing
(10:35) Stress, Boundaries & Balancing Training
(15:13) On Being "Stern": Stress Tolerance & Growth as a Woman in Business
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Stay connected with Leana Deeb:
Instagram: @leanadeebb / @beinghumannpodcast
TikTok: @leanadeeb / @beinghumannpod
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26 min
About Being Human with Leana Deeb
From the publisher's feed
Hi, my name is Leana Deeb, and this is the space I wish existed when I was growing up, finding myself, and figuring out who I truly wanted to be.
We all go through seasons of growth and realignment, trying to stay grounded, build discipline, and stay true to ourselves.
Every week, I’ll share honest conversations and reflections around faith, identity, discipline, purpose, health and everything in between. Sometimes it’s just me talking about what I’m learning, and other times I’ll sit down with people who inspire me to think deeper and live better.
Some episodes will challenge you. Others will bring peace. But every one of them is here to remind you that you’re not alone, and that growth is never perfect, it’s personal.
Welcome to Being Human with Leana Deeb.
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