We close out Mental Health Awareness in the month of May with this episode, and I'm excited to bring a conversation with one of the most passionate, energetic, and vibrant guys I know, Kamyar Karimian, AKA Young Komet. I wanted to bring Kamyar on because I feel that his experience shows that it's ok to have 2 completely different passions, you don't have to pigeonholed into just one area.

From a very young age, Kamyar was fascinated by airplanes, and to this day his YouTube channel is consistent with travel vlogs detailing not just the trips he goes on, but the plane, the seats, and a review of the aircraft itself. But that's not the only passion he has. Later in his formative years, he discovered music and creative beats, and then started to make some rap music under the name Young Komet. He explains his story of how he found both passions, how to enlarge your comfort zone to extend hobbies into passions, which falls under the Career/Purpose Category.

Unfortunately, life isn't a straight line. Kamyar explains some of his mental issues he had to work through and how he overcame them, and how even if you do know your passions, life will still make you earn it. He talks about how passions gives him the energy and perseverance to continue to push through, which to me is precisely why the Career/Purpose and Mental Health categories are imperative to overall success.

Please leave a like and subscribe and continue to comment your thoughts.  Also feel free to reach out on Instagram @financezilla or email me at [email protected]

How to reach Kamyar if you want to learn more about his journey and listen to his upcoming projects:

• @youngkomet on Instagram 
• Young Komet on YouTube

Kamyar's recommendations:

• Gary Vee YT Channel - Kamyar's greatest source of inspiration, Gary is an entrepreneur and public speaker/motivator that spreads positive energy.

In this episode, I'm excited to bring to you guys a conversation with a very close friend, certified wellness coach and founder of Najoum Health, Aala Shurbjy! I'm especially excited to bring her on to talk about her experience with fad diets, and how after diving deep into nutrition and functional medicine she has been able to create a food plan that consistently made her enjoy healthy food! 

We deep dive into 2 of the 5 major categories of success in this episode: Physical Health and Career/Purpose. This awesome discussion covers everything from how to find and chase passions, and how it stems from the 3 major curiosities one has, the nitty gritty of an emerging entrepreneur (it's not all sunshine and  roses) and more!

Aala has a Bachelor's degree in Psychology, has multiple certifications in the wellness coaching space, and helps clients understand their body and nutrition while putting them on a program to not only lose weight but to feel more energetic and even reduce anxiety in her company, Najoum Health. 

Ever feeling lethargic and coffee doesn't work on you anymore? Did you know that there is a supplement called Coq-10 that you can get from certain foods that is directly correlated to your energy levels and since your body doesn't produce it, you have to get it either in your food plan or supplements. I had no idea until sitting down with Aala that magnesium can affect not only bowel movements but help with anxiety a little as well. I'm definitely going to get blood work done from her and understand my deficiencies so I can have a healthier internal body. You should too, as Najoum health also offers blood work, supplements from the online store, and coaching/food plans as well!

Please leave a like and subscribe and continue to comment your thoughts.  Also feel free to reach out on Instagram @financezilla or email me at [email protected]

How to reach Aala if you want to learn more about her journey or get any of the services Najoum Health has to offer:

• @aala.shurbjy on Instagram 
• Najoum Health Website for your blood work and specialized food plan
• Questions or want to get added to the weekly newsletter? Email Aala here:
  • [email protected]
• Facebook Group for Najoum Health

Aala's recommendations:

1. Cardone Zone - Podcast by real estate and business mind Grant Cardone on all streaming platforms
2. The Doctors Farmacy - Podcast by Dr. Mark Hyman, one of the premier functional medicine voices today.
3. The Grain Brain by Dr. David Perlmutter. Book about how evolutionary changes in humans change the way our diet or food plan should be.
4. How emotions are made by Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett. Great psychological book on how to improve your relationships with your self and others.

Ever wondered how to stick out in Corporate America? Or how to nail that interview for that job you're excited about? How can you even get honest feedback these days? Or even what's the point of all of it if you're just a number on a spreadsheet to management? This episode is for you then!

This episode falls in the Career/Purpose category, and in it I share some of my experiences in my 6 year, 5 role, 3 company journey through Corporate America where I went from entry level Software Support to on the Leadership team with direct reports. I try to share my experiences and the books that I've read that have helped me answer those questions because it's different in every stage of your career.

One of the most accurate statements of value is as follows: When you're an Individual Contributor (IC), your value is directly proportional to what you do (hands to keys output). As you become a team lead and a Sr. Analyst (still an IC), your value proposition shifts to what you know, and that extends from people, business acumen, and overall tribal knowledge. Finally, as you progress through management and leadership ranks, the value proposition will become who you grow, and that is not only your direct team members, but everyone you interact with. 

We also discuss feedback, how vital it is, and what exact questions to ask to pull it out of your managers. I think understanding how to pull negative feedback out of my managers and then work to improve it, as well as having a mentor, were the 2 most critical factors to my corporate success.

I'm curious to hear your thoughts and how you will implement the tips provided in the episode!

Please leave a like and subscribe and comment your thoughts. 

Also feel free to reach out on Instagram @financezilla or email me at [email protected] with your feedback and other topics you'd like to hear about! 

• Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson
• The Ideal Team Player by Patrick Lencioni

In this episode, I'll be having a conversation with Denitza Vassileva, best known as Denny! I'm especially excited to bring her on as to me, she is the textbook definition of a social butterfly and is one of the most positive people I know. 

We deep dive into one of the 5 major categories of success in this episode: Mental Health. This exciting discussion covers everything from how Covid was especially hard on extroverted people who crave social interaction, why having a social life is important, how to improve mental health, and how discovering her passion during the pandemic allowed her to feel alive again. We also go over gratitude lists and how that can be extremely helpful to put things in perspective to help improve your Mental Health category!

Denny is an avid athlete, doing everything from 5 different soccer leagues, rock climbing, and most recently, yoga. She talks about how yoga isn't just a stretching exercise, it enforces core workouts as well as breathing exercises which opens you up for mindfulness and living in the moment, 2 key aspects of mindfulness if you remember episode 5 with Tracyavon.

We also go over how potentially detrimental social media is to the mind, how she does periodic cleanses, and why it's important to accept mistakes and failures, even going as far as promoting them in her rock climbing page @climbingintofailure (link further down).

Not sure of your passion or interests or hobbies? Denny has a simple answer for you: Just try anything!

Stay tuned for Denny's book coming up about rock climbing and her journey! In the interim, give her yoga page a follow and DM her for a customized yoga plan depending on what sport/weightlifting exercises you want!

Denitza's recommendations:

1. The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. Great overview of law of attraction.
2. The Magic by Rhonda Byrne. 28 day guide to better gratitude.
3.  The Monk who sold his Ferrari by Robin Sharma. Learn about meditation, self-love, joy and mental health from a successful lawyer who decided to move to Tibet and leave his job to become a monk. It's a true story!
4. IG page @lawofattractionchangedmylife for spreading positivity.

Please leave a like and subscribe and comment your thoughts. Also feel free to reach out on Instagram @financezilla or email me at [email protected]

How to reach Denitza:

• Yoga page: @yogify_me on Instagram 
• Rock Climbing page @climbingintofailure:
• Denitza's personal IG page:

Ever wondered why dating is so hard these days? Having trouble meeting someone on a consistent basis? Not sure why your friend is with their abusive significant other even though you've told him/her that they can do better multiple times?

In this episode we'll be having a discussion about dating in today's world as a Millennial and using dating apps to find someone to be with. This is the first topic that dives into the Relationships success category, and we'll be having a lot more not only on dating, but friendships and the overall importance of having good social health in future epsiodes.

We will discuss 3 major apps (sorry can't cover them all): Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge, the benefits/drawbacks in each of them, and a psychological concept called CL and CLalt.

Please leave a like and subscribe and comment your thoughts.

Also feel free to reach out on Instagram @financezilla or email me at [email protected] with your feedback and other topics you'd like to hear about! 

Personal recommendations:

• Intimate Relationships 7th Edition by Rowland Miller

In this episode, I'm excited to bring to you guys a conversation with a licensed social worker and fellow podcaster, Tracyavon! I had to make an exception by brining on this proud Gen Xer, because her clients are a mixed bag of Millennials and Gen Zers and she can give a perspective of how she helps them work through mental struggles. To top it off, she does this in NYC, the busiest city in the world and if she can teach you how to slow down and be mindful in NYC, you can do it anywhere!

How do you even know you or a friend is going through any mental issues? It's not visible like a broken arm, and often gets treated as something you "just need to ignore and push through". It's often ridiculed as not a "real" problem, when in reality 3/4 of mental illness start by age 24 (our cutoff of the Millennial age range).

As you might of guessed, this is a deep dive of the Mental Health category of success.
I'm especially excited to bring her on to talk about her the 7 principles of mindfulness (something I personally struggle with) as well as how to reflect in such a go-go-go environment we deal with as Millennials in the information age.

Tracyavon is a licensed social worker in NYC as well as a wellness expert. She runs a wellness blog as well as a Monday weekly podcast called the Positive Professional where she spreads tips and tricks of how to be a more mindful and positive individual. Every other Wednesday her podcast also does guided meditations, something everyone should look into as you really should learn how to be in the moment. Her tip she explains about feeling the coffee cup described in the episode is definitely something I've added to my daily routine after our discussion and I gotta say, it definitely helps me reflect!

How to reach Tracyavon if you want to learn more about her journey and listen to her weekly podcast as well!

• @the_positiveprofessional on Instagram 
• @positive_podcas2 on Twitter
• The Positive Professional Podcast (available on all platforms but the below link is for Apple)
• Wellness Blog
• Links to her other cool stuff!
• Email her for anything else!
  • [email protected]

Please leave a like and subscribe and continue to comment your thoughts.  Also feel free to reach out on Instagram @financezilla or email me at [email protected]

In this episode, I'll be having a conversation with a very close friend, Basher Hassan! I'm especially excited to bring him on as to me, he is one of the best people at making social connections and relationships (something I admittedly am not the best at) and how important that is in relation to the other 5 categories. 

We deep dive into one of the 5 major categories of success in this episode: Relationships. This awesome discussion covers everything from how to connect with people to build a connection, why that's important, the social psychology and reasonings of behaviors, as well as some negotiation tactics, all of which are crucial because every conversation is a negotiation of time at the minimum.

Basher is an attorney who specializes in personal injury and also has a Bachelor's degree in Psychology. To me, he's best suited to talk about the social environment as well as the negotiations and decision making you need to have as a lawyer affects his every day life. 

Basher also happens to be one of the most kind hearted and open people I know, and he actually goes into why he's like that and how his passion/purpose gives him the mindset to do that every day.

Basher's recommendations:

1. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
2. Getting to Yes by Roger Fisher and William Ury
3. Don't Eat the Bruises by Keith Mitnik

Please leave a like and subscribe and comment your thoughts. Also feel free to reach out on Instagram @financezilla or email me at [email protected]

How to reach Basher if you want to get any assistance on psychology, relationships, personal injury questions or just to give him a follow:

• @lawdawgbash on Instagram 
• Basher Hassan on Facebook
• Basher Hassan on LinkedIn
• Clubhouse - Shoot the Shit group every Saturday or Sunday
  • Go to Clubhouse app and follow @lawdawgbash

In this episode we'll be doing a deep dive in supplements and dietary nutrition as that is imperative towards being successful in one of the 5 major categories, Physical Health. For this episode, I thought it would be best to have an interview with an expert, so I'm excited to bring to everyone a conversation I had with soon to be Dr. Jen Kurtz! 

Jen is mid-way through her PhD in Kinesiology with an emphasis in Exercise Physiology and an emerging scientist in Sports Nutrition. Her Bachelors and Masters degrees are also in related fields and human performance, so she definitely knows what she's talking about when it comes to what needs to go into the body to be an optimal performer.

Jen also coaches strength and conditioning and does sports nutrition, and she explains why nutritional plans differ based on the person and even the sport and position each athlete plays. If you need any assistance in any of these areas, reach out to her via the contact info below!

We also dive into which supplements are important, do some fact checks on trendy things like creatine, keto, beta-alanine and more in this packed episode!

Speaking of beta-alanine, our bodies need it to a point where it will create it on it's own even if we don't get enough from our food and supplement intake in our system.

Jen's recommendations:

1. Spark by John Ratey 
2. Play by Stuart Brown
3. Faster, higher, stronger by Mark McClusky
4. Comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP) - to find out where your nutrient deficiencies (if any) are and how to counteract that. 

Please leave a like and subscribe and comment your thoughts. Also feel free to reach out on Instagram @financezilla or email me at [email protected]

How to reach Jen if you want to get any assistance developing a nutrition plan, coaching regimen, or just to giver her a follow:

• @Coachjen_kurtz on Instagram
• [email protected]

In this episode we'll be doing our first deep dive into one of the 5 categories, Money.

Sammy will get into why Money is important to Happiness and overall success. He'll also go into budgeting and some tips of how to get in control of the defense. Send him a note

Defense in Personal Finance terms is clearing out your consumer debt (Credit cards, car loans, phone leases, and other personal loans). The importance of building a good defensive strategy first is to clear reduce your financial stress and minimize your monthly expenses so you can start to comfortably invest and get on offense.

In a later episode, we will discuss offensive strategies, like stocks, real estate, bitcoin, business opportunities, leveraging assets, etc. so stay tuned!

If you want a copy of the budget template for FREE, email [email protected] and we will get you the latest copy!

Please leave a like and subscribe and comment your thoughts. Also feel free to reach out on Instagram @financezilla or email me at [email protected]

Welcome to the inaugural episode!

This episode is an intro to all the topics we'll be discussing over the lifetime of this podcast, defines the age ranges of Millennials, as well as how to set SMART goals.

Millennials are technically those who are born from 1985-1996, but Sammy explains his reasoning to shift this age range to be more relative.

We'll dive into the 5 major categories to track success, those being (in no specific order): Money, Health, Happiness, Career/Purpose, and Relationships.

We'll also provide an example of how to make a SMART goal and how to get the ball rolling to start making progress! SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relative, and Time bound and this episode describes each and why they are important.

Please leave a like, subscribe, and comment your thoughts and suggestions here. You can also find me on instagram @financezilla or email me at [email protected]