Don't Be A Man About It

"For every success, there are 10 failures. And that's what people need to understand."

Lee Ryan is a five-time Guinness World Record holder,  the first known person to run from Dubai to Abu Dhabi, an endurance athlete, and Adidas Runners Community Lead in MENA. He is also a father to two gorgeous girls and has been in the UAE for over 15 years. 

Lee has shared with me his very touching story of where everything began. From grieving the loss of his son and mom, to learning and practicing self-compassion, to leading the Adidas Runners Community in MENA to taking mindful running as a tool to alleviate stress and tough days, and by his example of "one step at a time" —  In Lee's family, they say ‘Team Ryan’ never gives up." And we hope that listening to Lee's story inspires you to do the same.

Dedicating this episode to Lee's son, Michael. ♡  

What is the most challenging part about parenting two daughters? And how can a balance between work and family be achieved?

For Father's Day special, my amazing guest, Ramzi Ghurani, opens his heart and takes us through his journey as a dad to two beautiful daughters and explains how much responsibility falls on the shoulders of a father to ensure growth, stability, and peace at home. Thank you Ramzi for being the guiding light for your daughters.

Happy Father's Day ♡

Please show your love and support and share this episode with your friends and family.

"Be BulletProof."

Today's guest, Sami Khoury, is a mindset coach and mindfulness teacher, and he helps people overcome their stress, anxiety, and self-doubt so they can learn to be comfortable in uncomfortable situations, developmental tranquility, and live as their authentic selves. 

Over the last 13 years, he's worked in the startup, corporate, agency, and nonprofit worlds. He founded a social enterprise, conducted and facilitated countless entrepreneurial and personal development workshops, and mentored young professionals in navigating their careers and lifestyles. He's fascinated with mindfulness, philosophy, and neuroscience, and wishes to share this knowledge with the aim of helping others attain inner balance and peace of mind. Sami holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and an MSc in Marketing Management. He is a certified Health & Well-being coach and pretty much obsessed with helping people become their best selves.

In this episode, Sami shares his 2 cents on overcoming anxiety and how men can become bulletproof without holding on to the mask of "being a man".

Get ready to listen to the most satisfying episode I've had on the show so far!   

My amazing guest - a funny one too- Ali Khawaja, came to the show with an open mind and heart to talk about Mental Health UAE, a shared space for awareness, acceptance, and support for Mental Health in the UAE. Then we found ourselves talking about his upbringing and how his mother's approach to parenting led to creating a "taboo-free" environment and a healthy generational legacy.   

Two things are guaranteed when you listen to this episode:  

• Funny stories 

• Inspiring lessons  

and it goes without saying, you will absolutely fall in love with Ali's mom!   

Ali Khawaja serves as a faculty member in the Department of Management at the American University of Sharjah. He earned both his Bachelor of Science in MIS and Masters in Business Administration from the American University of Sharjah in 2002 and 2004 respectively. Primary teaching areas are in Business Information Systems, Fundamentals of Management, Career Management, and Operations Management, to name a few. As a passionate educator, he engages in advising students outside of the classroom and mentors startups as well.   He is passionate about professional development and engaging industry in areas of interest; entrepreneurship, startup incubation, technology, blockchain, IoT, digital marketing, mobile app development, etc. Some of the certifications he holds are with ICF, CryptoCurrency Certification Consortium, IBM, Microsoft, Google, Hubspot, etc. Over the years has also done several courses with London Business School, Princeton, Stanford, University of Nocosia, etc.  

Please show your love and support and share this episode with your friends and family.    #MentalHealthAwareness

"𝐈𝐧 𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐬, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐨 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦. 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦."  

My guest, Matthew Arkin, is an actor, author, and educator. Among his extensive television credits are Criminal Minds, NCIS, Aquarius, and Law and Order. He teaches acting in Los Angeles and is Director of the Acting Intensive Program at South Coast Repertory and an adjunct professor at Dodge College of Film and Media Arts at Chapman University. He is also the author of the suspense novel In the Country of the Blind.  

In this episode, Matthew and I talked had a cozy discussion starting with how the Entertainment Industry can affect artists' mental health to how his journey with therapy after his divorce was like for him.

"It's not a weakness to talk."  

The fact that this message keeps repeating itself on my show, shows how important talking about our emotions is. And how many people are still not willing to do it.  

Had a great time recording this episode! One because I got to meet another side of Gianmarco, a side that made me feel that I wanted to stop at some point and just give Gianmarco a huge hug! And two because of the wonderful and humorous conversation we had from talking about men in therapy to listening to Gianmarco's stories.  

Gianmarco talked about his experience with therapy and coming from a divorced family, and he also shared with me his fears from being in a relationship.  

Gianmarco’s stand up has been featured on Netflix’s Bonding, PBS’ Stories from the Stage, SeeSo’s New York’s Funniest, Real Housewives of New York, NY1, New York LIVE, Vanity Fair, George Takei presents and he was the winner of Amazon’s Comics Watching Comics Season 8. 1st Place at the Laughing Devil Comedy Festival, Devil’s Cup Comedy Festival, Empire State Comedy Festival, and Last Comix Standing at Mohegan Sun, he regularly headlines clubs, colleges and sordid basements around the country.  You can hear even more of Gianmarco yammering on his weekly podcast The Downside, where he interviews more successful friends in a space where complaining is encouraged, silver linings are debunked, and downsides are discovered in the most uplifting of stories.

Helping others, making an impact, and being part of the community are fundamental elements of my guest's happiness.

Justin Krugerr, the Founder and CEO of Project Helping, a Denver-based mental wellness organization, grew up in a ridiculously small town in Iowa that did not believe in mental health support, let alone men's mental health. His personal struggle with mental wellness led him to leave the golf business behind to start Project Helping, his first entrepreneurial venture and providing purpose, connection, and mental wellness through service and improving mental wellness through volunteerism, and practicing kindfulness.

In this episode, Justin shares his story of depression and attempting suicide, and how only his first date with his current partner has changed his life and whole life's purpose. 

"I wish I'd known about the power of talking and sharing."

CJ, a screenwriter, and movie producer within the indie film scene who likes to write female-led pulpy content, and is part of an exciting team of ultra-efficient filmmakers. He has also built and run the large free screenplay hosting website Script Revolution, shaking up the break-in industry by offering people access they didn't have before.

In this episode, CJ was very open about his own mental health struggles and shared how he fought his way out of depression. We also had a talk about the movie industry and its impact on our mental health.