From Tennis Prodigy to Petroleum Engineer to Mystic: Shereen Yusuff's Journey to Christ

Shereen Yusuff's story defies a single category. Raised in Oman as a nationally ranked tennis player training four hours a day, she lost her sport to academics, became a petroleum engineer, and spent years chasing meaning through Ironmans, ultra-marathons, and high-altitude mountaineering across 60+ countries. Along the way she moved from a devout Muslim upbringing into indifferent atheism — only to be pulled back toward God through an overwhelming, unexplainable encounter in a restaurant in Warsaw.

In this episode, Shereen traces that winding path: her return to Islam, the mystical experiences that followed, a surprising call from Christ that led her — through the Missionaries of Charity — into the Catholic Church out of obedience rather than logic. She and Andrew dig into what it actually felt like to encounter divine love for the first time, why she believes Islam prepared her for Catholicism rather than opposing it, and how she now combines her Wim Hof, Buteyko, and Oxygen Advantage breathwork certifications with a distinctly Catholic spirituality to help people access "the heart" — the subject of her book, Seeking the Spirit Within.

Topics covered:

• Growing up a competitive tennis player and the trauma of leaving the sport
• Losing and rediscovering faith across cultures and continents
• A profound spiritual experience in Poland and what followed
• Transitioning from a devout Muslim life to Catholicism
• Meeting Wim Hof and becoming a breathwork teacher
• The framework behind her 12-week book/program on breath, the heart, and love
• Encouragement for anyone who's "done all the right things" but hasn't yet felt that encounter with God

Medical Disclaimer:

The content shared on the Illumined Wellness podcast — including all episodes, show notes, and related materials — is provided for general educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as, and should not be treated as, a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Andrew Laubacher is a National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC). He is not a licensed physician, dietitian, psychologist, or other medical provider, and the information presented does not constitute medical, psychological, or nutritional care. Health coaching is distinct from medical treatment and is not a replacement for the care of a qualified healthcare professional.

Listening to this podcast does not create a coach-client or provider-patient relationship of any kind. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified provider before beginning any new diet, supplement, exercise, light-exposure, or wellness practice, and never disregard or delay professional medical advice because of something you heard here. Guests' views are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or Illumined Wellness LLC.

If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 (or your local emergency number) immediately. You assume full responsibility for any actions taken based on this content.

Links from Episode

Shereen's Book: Seeking the Spirit Within: https://sites.prh.com/seeking-the-spirit-within-book 

🔗 Find Shereen:

👉 Instagram: @shereenyusuff

👉 LinkedIn: Shereen Yusuff

👉Facebook: Shereen Yusuff
👉Email: [email protected]
👉Website: suda-prem.com

🔗 Andrew's work:

👉 IlluminedWellness.com | humanality.org | smart-families.org
🔔 Subscribe for weekly conversations on the art of living human.

Aubrey Strobel left journalism for Bitcoin, and somehow her faith got stronger along the way, not weaker. This one's about money, AI, dying, and why none of it fixes what you actually need.

⏱️ Timestamps:
00:00 The Changing Landscape of New York City
03:12 Aubrey's Journey to New York and Career Evolution
06:01 Exploring Bitcoin and Financial Literacy
08:44 The Complex Relationship with Money
12:06 Faith Journey and Personal Growth
17:54 Rediscovering Faith and Spirituality
23:34 The Impact of Technology and AI on Humanity
32:04 Fear of Death and NDEs
39:00 Finding Contentment and Encouragement in the Single Life

🔗 Aubrey Strobel:
👉 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheAubservation
👉 Ave Series: https://www.instagram.com/ave.series/?hl=en
👉 Twitter/X: https://x.com/aubreystrobel?lang=en

🔗 Andrew's work:
👉 https://www.illuminedwellness.com/ | https://www.humanality.org/ | https://www.smart-families.org/

🔔 Subscribe for weekly conversations on the art of living human.

#Faith #Bitcoin #Catholic #Relationships #NewYorkCity

Medical Disclaimer
The content shared on the Illumined Wellness podcast — including all episodes, show notes, and related materials — is provided for general educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as, and should not be treated as, a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Andrew Laubacher is a National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC). He is not a licensed physician, dietitian, psychologist, or other medical provider, and the information presented does not constitute medical, psychological, or nutritional care. Health coaching is distinct from medical treatment and is not a replacement for the care of a qualified healthcare professional.

Listening to this podcast does not create a coach-client or provider-patient relationship of any kind. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified provider before beginning any new diet, supplement, exercise, light-exposure, or wellness practice, and never disregard or delay professional medical advice because of something you heard here. Guests' views are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or Illumined Wellness LLC.

If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 (or your local emergency number) immediately. You assume full responsibility for any actions taken based on this content.

What does it actually mean to be a man? Paul George — author of Holy Grit — joins Andrew to break down masculinity, hard things, and why so many men bury their emotional wounds instead of facing them.

🔗 Paul George's work:
👉 Book, "Holy Grit" https://www.avemariapress.com/products/holy-grit

🔗 Andrew's work:
👉 https://www.illuminedwellness.com/ | https://www.humanality.org/ | https://www.smart-families.org/

🔔 Subscribe for weekly conversations on the art of living human.

#Masculinity #Faith #MensMinistry #ChristianLiving #HolyGrits

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Medical Disclaimer
The content shared on the Illumined Wellness podcast — including all episodes, show notes, and related materials — is provided for general educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as, and should not be treated as, a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Andrew Laubacher is a National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC). He is not a licensed physician, dietitian, psychologist, or other medical provider, and the information presented does not constitute medical, psychological, or nutritional care. Health coaching is distinct from medical treatment and is not a replacement for the care of a qualified healthcare professional.

Listening to this podcast does not create a coach-client or provider-patient relationship of any kind. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified provider before beginning any new diet, supplement, exercise, light-exposure, or wellness practice, and never disregard or delay professional medical advice because of something you heard here. Guests' views are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or Illumined Wellness LLC.

If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 (or your local emergency number) immediately. You assume full responsibility for any actions taken based on this content.

Dr. Bob Schuchts, founder of the John Paul II Healing Center and bestselling author of Be Healed, opens up about his own mental health struggles, decades of waiting before writing his first book, and the biblical framework he uses to help people heal.

🔗 Dr. Bob Schuchts' work:
👉 John Paul II Healing Center: https://jpiihealingcenter.org/
👉 Be Healed: https://jpiihealingcenter.org/product/be-healed-dr-bob-schuchts-copy/

🔗 Andrew's work:
👉 https://www.illuminedwellness.com/ | https://www.humanality.org/ | https://www.smart-families.org/

🔔 Subscribe for weekly conversations on the art of living human.

#BeHealed #InnerHealing #CatholicPodcast #FaithAndTherapy #HealingJourney

Medical Disclaimer
The content shared on the Illumined Wellness podcast — including all episodes, show notes, and related materials — is provided for general educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as, and should not be treated as, a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Andrew Laubacher is a National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC). He is not a licensed physician, dietitian, psychologist, or other medical provider, and the information presented does not constitute medical, psychological, or nutritional care. Health coaching is distinct from medical treatment and is not a replacement for the care of a qualified healthcare professional.

Listening to this podcast does not create a coach-client or provider-patient relationship of any kind. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified provider before beginning any new diet, supplement, exercise, light-exposure, or wellness practice, and never disregard or delay professional medical advice because of something you heard here. Guests' views are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or Illumined Wellness LLC.

If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 (or your local emergency number) immediately. You assume full responsibility for any actions taken based on this content.

Should we fear AI, or trust it? Andrew Laubacher sits down with Edmund Mitchell for a raw, unscripted conversation about faith, AI, and what it means to stay human.

What we cover:
- Why "doom vs. boom" is a false choice when it comes to AI
- The requisite organization theory of thinking in nuance instead of certainty
- ADHD, entrepreneurship, and why intrinsic motivation matters more than ever
- What's broken about the standard American education system
- Edmund's divorce, the mystery of suffering, and finding God in the middle of it
- One simple word of encouragement for anyone in the thick of a hard season

🔗 Edmund Mitchell:
👉 Edmund's site: https://www.edmundmitchell.com/
👉 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edmundmitchell/?hl=en

🔗 Andrew's work:
👉 https://www.illuminedwellness.com/ | https://www.humanality.org/ | https://www.smart-families.org/

🔔 Subscribe for weekly conversations on the art of living human.

#FaithAndAI #ChristianPodcast #ADHD

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Medical Disclaimer
The content shared on the Illumined Wellness podcast — including all episodes, show notes, and related materials — is provided for general educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as, and should not be treated as, a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Andrew Laubacher is a National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC). He is not a licensed physician, dietitian, psychologist, or other medical provider, and the information presented does not constitute medical, psychological, or nutritional care. Health coaching is distinct from medical treatment and is not a replacement for the care of a qualified healthcare professional.

Listening to this podcast does not create a coach-client or provider-patient relationship of any kind. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified provider before beginning any new diet, supplement, exercise, light-exposure, or wellness practice, and never disregard or delay professional medical advice because of something you heard here. Guests' views are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or Illumined Wellness LLC.

If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 (or your local emergency number) immediately. You assume full responsibility for any actions taken based on this content.

What is the internet actually doing to the human person? Ave Maria University 
professor Justin Bonanno joins Andrew to trace how every major communications 
technology has reshaped what it means to be human.

- The "tech idiot paradigm" — why saying "it's just a tool" keeps us blind 
  to what technology actually costs us
- Walker Percy and Susan Sontag saw the photograph problem coming long before 
  Instagram existed
- Why curiosity itself can become a vice, and how Aquinas's virtue of 
  temperance applies to how much content we consume
- The concept of discarnation — how media pulls us out of our bodies — and 
  why the internet does it more intensely than anything before it
- One word that can reorient your relationship to your phone, your community, 
  and your faith: participation

🔗 Justin Bonanno:
👉 Blog / Substack: teachdelightmove.com
👉 Media Ecology Association: [add link]

🔗 Andrew's work:
👉 https://www.illuminedwellness.com/ | https://www.humanality.org/ | https://www.smart-families.org/

🔔 Subscribe for weekly conversations on the art of living human.

#MediaEcology #DigitalWellness #ArtOfLivingHuman

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Medical Disclaimer
The content shared on the Illumined Wellness podcast — including all episodes, show notes, and related materials — is provided for general educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as, and should not be treated as, a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Andrew Laubacher is a National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC). He is not a licensed physician, dietitian, psychologist, or other medical provider, and the information presented does not constitute medical, psychological, or nutritional care. Health coaching is distinct from medical treatment and is not a replacement for the care of a qualified healthcare professional.

Listening to this podcast does not create a coach-client or provider-patient relationship of any kind. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified provider before beginning any new diet, supplement, exercise, light-exposure, or wellness practice, and never disregard or delay professional medical advice because of something you heard here. Guests' views are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or Illumined Wellness LLC.

If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 (or your local emergency number) immediately. You assume full responsibility for any actions taken based on this content.

Discernment isn't a clean, step-by-step process — and Catholic mentor Bobby Angel says the biggest mistake people make is trying to figure it out alone.

- Why discernment feels like agony — and why that's actually the point
- How your childhood experience of love shapes your image of God (and your ability to trust Him)
- The trap of making your vocation the idol instead of seeking union with God
- Why you need a guide — and how the Church already offers more community than we realize

🔗 Bobby Angel:
👉 Website & Mentorship: https://jackieandbobby.com/catholic-mentorship
👉 Book — Pray, Decide, and Don't Worry https://ascensionpress.com/products/pray-decide-and-don-t-worry-five-steps-to-discerning-god-s-will
👉 John Paul II Field Guide (coming September): https://www.avemariapress.com/products/the-jpii-field-guide

🔗 Andrew's work:
👉 https://www.illuminedwellness.com/ | https://www.humanality.org/ | https://www.smart-families.org/

🔔 Subscribe for honest conversations about faith, healing, and what it actually means to be human.

#Discernment #CatholicMen #SpiritualDirection

Are screens quietly reshaping who we are — and are we past the point of no return? Dr. Nicholas Kardaras, one of America's foremost addiction experts, breaks down the real mental health crisis unfolding right now.

Why young people are being diagnosed with personality disorders that disappear after 4 weeks offline?
How social media algorithms deliberately exploit your psychological vulnerabilities.
The "aspirational illness" phenomenon — why teens are now begging for psychiatric diagnoses.
What AI, the Singularity, and tech's God complex mean for the future of human flourishing.
Practical ingredients for reclaiming your mind, your relationships, and your humanity.

🔗 Dr. Nicholas Kardaras:

👉 Omega Recovery (Austin, TX — residential, ages 17–35): https://www.omegarecovery.org
👉 NY Center for Living (outpatient, adolescents–young adults): https://www.centerforliving.org
👉 Glow Kids — https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250146557/glowkids/
👉 Digital Madness — https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250472663/digitalmadness/

🔗 Andrew's work:

👉 IlluminedWellness.com | humanality.org | smart-families.org
🔔 Subscribe for weekly conversations on the art of living human.
#MentalHealth #DigitalAddiction #TechAndMentalHealth

Medical Disclaimer

The content shared on the Illumined Wellness podcast — including all episodes, show notes, and related materials — is provided for general educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as, and should not be treated as, a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Andrew Laubacher is a National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC). He is not a licensed physician, dietitian, psychologist, or other medical provider, and the information presented does not constitute medical, psychological, or nutritional care. Health coaching is distinct from medical treatment and is not a replacement for the care of a qualified healthcare professional.
Listening to this podcast does not create a coach-client or provider-patient relationship of any kind. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified provider before beginning any new diet, supplement, exercise, light-exposure, or wellness practice, and never disregard or delay professional medical advice because of something you heard here. Guests' views are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or Illumined Wellness LLC.
If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 (or your local emergency number) immediately. You assume full responsibility for any actions taken based on this content.

Could light be the most important thing you're getting wrong every day? Tristan Scott is an Electrical Engineer (M.S.) and current Head of Operations & Hardware at Daylight Computer Co. He has deeply researched the connection between electromagnetism and human biology, with a specific interest in how man made electromagnetic fields (EMFs) could be negatively impacting human health. He is now applying that knowledge at Daylight Computer, whose mission as a company is to create technology that is healthier and more synergistic with humanity.
Andrew sits down with Tristan to unpack one of the most overlooked foundations of human health: your light environment. This episode explains the science behind why.

🔗 Find Tristan:

👉 Instagram/X: @tristan__scott

👉 Substack: http://tristanhealth.substack.com

👉 Daylight Computer: DaylightComputer.com

👉 Incandescent bulbs: DaylightComputer.com/labs

🔗 Andrew's work:

👉 IlluminedWellness.com | humanality.org | smart-families.org
🔔 Subscribe for weekly conversations on the art of living human.

Medical Disclaimer
The content shared on the Illumined Wellness podcast — including all episodes, show notes, and related materials — is provided for general educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as, and should not be treated as, a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Andrew Laubacher is a National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC). He is not a licensed physician, dietitian, psychologist, or other medical provider, and the information presented does not constitute medical, psychological, or nutritional care. Health coaching is distinct from medical treatment and is not a replacement for the care of a qualified healthcare professional.

Listening to this podcast does not create a coach-client or provider-patient relationship of any kind. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified provider before beginning any new diet, supplement, exercise, light-exposure, or wellness practice, and never disregard or delay professional medical advice because of something you heard here. Guests' views are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or Illumined Wellness LLC.

If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 (or your local emergency number) immediately. You assume full responsibility for any actions taken based on this content.

#LightTherapy #CircadianRhythm #DaylightComputer