In one of his most transparent episodes to date, Tarek revisits the traumatic events that led him to uncover his own self-hatred and the harm it was causing to others. From vulnerable conversations with his best friends that went left, to colorist tweets from grade school that resurfaced online in 2020, he shares how all of these experiences were just stepping stones to him learning how to love himself more. Aside from his powerful storytelling, this episode will provide you with the tools to help you reflect on your own (hidden) beliefs that may be keeping you from loving yourself to the fullest. 

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In this episode, Tarek offers a new mindset that will help you see the light in your dark times. Not just after the storm, but while it's happening.  He uses examples from his own journey and gives you the tools needed to allow yourself to not be ok, and see how the storm you're in is needed for what's next. So that the next time a storm comes,  you'll allow yourself feel and to not be ok while also showing up to your higher self and staying in a position for growth. 

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Depression and anxiety are much more than just feelings of sadness. They are changes in behavior that make you act out of character and turn to others for the validation you should be giving to yourself. In this episode, Tarek reveals the therapist-approved method he uses to nurture himself back to health when he was close to burnout. Including tools and methods he came up with to use when feeling triggered by unmet childhood needs. Because we are human. We get depressed. But it is the process of climbing out and loving ourselves that helps us suffer less and grow more.

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Tarek Reveals:

• After Fashion Week, Tarek realized he was getting close to burnout.
• Meditating with the Daily Calm app and journaling relieved some of Tarek’s anxiety but he realized he was going through depression.
• Tarek acted out of character so he knew he needed to better understand his behavior.
• Dating apps feel like a necessary evil to Tarek but they also provide him with validation.
• In NY, people didn’t see Tarek for who he wanted to be seen as.
• 12-year-old Tarek is still crying about his unmet childhood needs. 
•  Tarek’s family felt love through eating soul food together. When he wants to feel comfort, he eats.
• Self-care is a way Tarek validates himself but not caring for himself is an outward expression of his internal depression.
• Identifying your needs helps you embrace better methods.
• Tarek shares the method he uses to remind himself of when he wants to validate himself.
• Care enough about yourself to put in the work. It is worth it!

Connect with Tarek:

@itstarekali on Instagram

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Tarek Ali on YouTube

@itstarekali on TikTok

Imagine being dressed by your favorite world-renowned designers at NY’s Fashion Week and getting praise for your hard work, then an overwhelming sense of dissatisfaction and depression washes over you. But you don’t know… why. In this episode, Tarek first catches us up on his busy last couple of weeks, then shares his personal journal entries that helped him get to the bottom of his emotions, and how he showed up for himself once he identified them. And to end, Tarek reminds us of the power and importance of rest, to not only heal but to get the job done! This episode just keeps on giving so settle in to be transformed.

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Tarek Reveals:

• Taylor acknowledges Tarek’s healing help.
• Dreams don’t have to be big to be important.
• Just because you haven’t made money with your creativity yet doesn’t make you less of an artist.
• Tarek is signed to Gotham Group!!
• Millions of people watched the Tarek and Taylor podcast on socials.
• Body dysmorphia makes videos and full-body shots uncomfortable for Tarek.
• The story behind being dressed by Diesel and Peter Do at NYFW.
• Time off to heal is important!
• How the influx in creators + Tiktok has changed the Revenue in influencing marketing
• Tarek doesn’t do anything God doesn’t tell him to do.
• Fashion week in NY brought excitement but also emotional ups and downs.
• Tarek’s superpower is his writing. He has started writing three TV shows and a film.
• How you get to burnout.
• Appreciate the small wins.
• Don’t feel guilty for resting. Rest is a privilege you’ve earned.

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Connect with Tarek:

@itstarekali on Instagram

@itstarekali on Twitter

Tarek Ali on YouTube

@itstarekali on TikTok

Whether we like it or not, childhood wounding leaks into our adult relationships. And, without therapy or healing work we are at the mercy of the trauma we grew up with because we are always searching for love. In this episode, Tarek is joined by Taylor, an indispensable friend from college, who is still grieving a breakup. During their conversation, Tarek and Taylor discuss how to find purpose, the importance of self-care, eliminating judgment, and THAT it is perfectly okay to be sad. Even if you have done the work or are in a loving relationship, you will identify with this heart-to-heart conversation.

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Tarek Reveals:

• Taylor was a vital part of Tarek’s college experience.
• Childhood traumas can make us go back to toxic relationships.
• Taylor jumped into a new relationship before she was completely healed from her last breakup.
• Tarek admits he was a clown during Fright Fest.
• Talent plus passion equals your purpose.
• Our boundaries are strongest when we are in a secure place.
• Finding the right therapist is like dating.
• Self-care is taking the action to give yourself what you need.
• Sadness creates a vacuum where we will do anything just to feel something.
• Taylor does the “I feel” exercise which opens up her childhood wounds.
• Tarek shares his lessons on healing.
• There is absolutely nothing wrong with being sad.
• Learning to say I love you from a distance.
• Tarek recommends the healing words of Sarah Jake Roberts.
• Taylor yearns for a place to worship, either online or in person.
• No one can take away our light.

National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-7233 

Connect with Tarek:

@itstarekali on Instagram

@itstarekali on Twitter

Tarek Ali on YouTube

@itstarekali on TikTok

Videos of Tarek & Taylor

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgW7Iwieans&t=554s

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LN8vKuq8PH0&t=143s

It takes courage and vulnerability to ask questions when we are in times of doubt in our lives. Reaching out to others is the process of expressing our internal questions and releasing them into the universe so it can properly guide us. In this episode, Tarek thoughtfully answers the questions submitted on his Instagram feed. Listen in because you may be in the same space right now. It can be so comforting to know you are not alone.

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Tarek Reveals:

• If you are feeling off course, know that we are all on our own journey.
• Your decisions are your own. Pull yourself forward, not back.
• What direction does your heart tell you to go?
• Shame and judgment have no place in your life.
• The important elements of making friends in adulthood.
• Protect your inner child like you would protect a friend.
• Never forget you are valuable.
• How to juggle different interests and your career path.
• The pain of overextending yourself for people who don’t reciprocate.

Connect with Tarek:

@itstarekali on Instagram

@itstarekali on Twitter

Tarek Ali on YouTube

@itstarekali on TikTok

Why You Feel Like a Failure in Your 20s

The YES after a thousand NOs!  In this episode, Tarek is still processing the news that he got his big YES! He is now a SIGNED SCREENWRITER to a very reputable management group and is swaggering in the endless possibilities of what this means for his writing and filmmaking career. It is proof that when you continue to believe, you can change your circumstance, and ultimately change the world.

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Tarek Reveals:

• This podcast is an authentic expression of who Tarek is.
• Christian found that Tarek’s YouTube videos touched his soul.
• Everyone deserves to have THAT conversation.
• Tarek got his YES! He is a signed Screenwriter!
• Being connected in the business is a big deal.
• A book, a feature film, and a television series are all in the works.
• Christian was with Tarek throughout the process of writing the pilot.
• Tarek’s pilot will show others how to have an emotional impact on viewers without triggering them.
• Determined to follow his dreams, Tarek pushed through the fear and emotional strife.
• Art should be directed toward healing people.
• Does Tarek’s rep already know who is already interested in buying his work?
• A writer’s voice is what hooks studios for future projects.
• Unliked is written by a YouTube influencer, while Redeem is a 1-2 punch of Tarek.

Connect with Tarek:

@itstarekali on Instagram

@itstarekali on Twitter

Tarek Ali on YouTube

@itstarekali on TikTok

Why You Feel Like a Failure in Your 20s

When we experience emotional pain, it can feel as if we are the cause. We beat ourselves up and blame ourselves for things that may not have anything to do with us. In this episode, Tarek opens up about his journey through the healing process to overcome the systematic grief that has been a raw undercurrent in his life. He has decided to show up for himself every minute of every day. He shares the ups and downs of the grieving process and his renewed sense of self.

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Tarek Reveals:

• Even though putting pressure on himself was the catalyst for Tarek’s success, he understands being hard on himself is not sustainable.
• Your value is not based on what others think.
• When his relationship ended, Tarek grieved the loss of everyone who ever left him in his life.
• The feeling of always waiting for mommy and daddy to come home was exacerbated during the breakup.
• Healing is a process that takes as long as it takes.
• Sometimes people are just assholes. It has nothing to do with you.
• Freedom doesn’t always come easily, but it is worth it!
• Letting go of some people is necessary when you are growing in a different direction.
• Every new day is a chance to heal.
• It is important to spend quality time with yourself.

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THAT Convo Pod

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Connect with Tarek:

@itstarekali on Instagram

@itstarekali on Twitter

Tarek Ali on YouTube

@itstarekali on TikTok

In today’s episode, Tarek shares the different times in his life he has put himself out there during his journey of success. Whether he was applying to Stanford, writing essay after essay for grants to fund his college dreams, or getting his pilot script in front of the ultra-influential and exclusive CAA, Tarek embraces the timeline God has set out for him. When you trust your inner knowing about who you are and what you are capable of, no one can stop you!

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Tarek Reveals:

• Tarek recently finished writing his first original pilot themed around the secret lives of influencers and how their actions are driven by trauma.
• Be intentional with your time. It is yours. It doesn’t master you.
• What you need will come when you need it.
• Smile in the face of rejection.
• Having someone believe in you empowers you.
• Confidence is one thing, trusting in your future is a whole other level of loving yourself.
• Everything is not for everyone.
• Applying at Stanford with no cash was a shot in the dark but Tarek knew he was destined for great things.
• The point where Tarek almost gave up on going to college.
• If you don’t put yourself out there you will never get what you want from life.
• Noes are stepping stones to Yeses.
• No one else can put an end to your dreams.

Connect with Tarek:

@itstarekali on Instagram

@itstarekali on Twitter

Tarek Ali on YouTube

@itstarekali on TikTok

Today’s episode recaps the awarenesses highlighted in episode #1. Tarek offers reflections and Tools For Growth (TFG) that create the space for us to own our story and become the big, beautiful people we are! As he digs deep into his story, we can share his experience and dig into our journeys. And, don’t we all want to shine our abundant light into this world?

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Tarek Reveals:

• For sustainable transformation, shame and guilt don’t work.
• Talk to yourself as if you were talking to a friend.
• Don’t change yourself away to gain acceptance. You do you!
• You have the right to own your story.
• Feelings are not right or wrong.
• Holding on to pain is unhealthy.
• Give yourself time and grace to unpack your emotions.
• The more you shrink yourself the less you will have in life.
• You can’t give something that is not inside of you, so love, love, love yourself!

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline — 1-800-273-8255

Connect with Tarek:

@itstarekali on Instagram

@itstarekali on Twitter

Tarek Ali on YouTube

@itstarekali on TikTok