B (2:21)

And so have you had certain incidents happen that you've taken a step back and said, maybe I don't want to be in the limelight so much and this is mentally affecting me?

A (2:30)

No, I've never had it where I want to get out. Not yet. Shooting a reality show is really demanding, though.

B (2:37)

Yeah.

A (2:38)

So when we were shooting Dubai Bling, when I was, when I was on those first two seasons, a lot of pressure not only to do the show, do my radio show, do my hosting, do my other commitments with my other companies, be a father, and also the pressure of wanting to make sure that you keep the person that you are whilst you shoot a reality show. Because when you shoot a reality show, the producers in the back end are doing all they can to manipulate that and just create this drama that you don't want to be a part of. I also work for a company which is sort of government owned, and I've got a responsibility to make sure that my brand comes out in a good way, not to, you know, deteriorate anything that I've created. You know, took me 15 years to build the legacy that I built here from a radio perspective. I didn't want to destroy it, you know, doing one season of a reality show. So I think it was, there was a bit of pressure also having your family involved, you got your wife and your kids involved and, you know, trying to make sure that they're protected through the journey as well. But it's never been a moment where I'm like, oh, my gosh, I want to get away from all this. I'm like, I'm okay with it. People ask me like, how do you do it? Whenever you walk the streets, you're always saying hello, you're always on. I'm like, you know what? That's. If that's the worst that my, my profession can bring me is people coming up to say hello all the time. I'm all right with it. I'll stay home.

B (3:54)

You talk a lot about also online and in the show, you talked about it, about how you came here, you had nothing, and then you built this incredible empire for yourself. How has that journey changed you? As Chris the person, I think I.

A (4:08)

Got more empathy with, with, with life. I, I, A lot of people have come to the uae a lot of people have come to Dubai with not a lot, and they've built themselves, you know, their little. Their little empire. And everyone has a different type of empire. Some people are. Some people's empires are, you know, yachts and private jets. Some people's empires are just being able to afford to buy a house, a nice, comfortable house here in the country. And, you know, for me, I felt like. I feel like I'm the same person.

B (4:34)

Okay.

A (4:34)

I feel like I'm the same person that I was when I landed here in November 2007. Do I have a lot more money? Of course I have a lot more money. Do I have a lot more life experiences? I totally do. But I feel like deep down inside here, I'm the same person. I'm still the same voice that talks to myself. I feel like. I mean, I talk to myself a lot. I don't know if that's something that everyone does, but I've got a mental voice that always talks to me. That mental voice is still the same voice. It's still the same voice from when I was 10 years old. I feel, you know, you have that little voice in your head that just talks to you throughout the day. That. That. That's the same. He. He has never changed.

B (5:11)

If you had to describe yourself based on that voice in three words, what would they be?

A (5:18)

Driven, loyal, loving. They're my three words. I try to stick by that as well. I want to be loyal.

B (5:25)

Yeah.

A (5:25)

Be it in a relationship, personally or business relationship. You know, I know we sign contracts and we have all this BS that you've got to do to keep it legit, but sometimes with me, it's like, if. If you and I have had this discussion, I will. I will live through that. I will be with. I will be loyal with you. I don't care if there's a lot more money knocking on my door next door. If we've made an agreement, I'm gonna. I want to. I want. Yeah, I want to see it through. I think that's really important. Your reputation is everything in this life, and you will not be successful if you have a bad reputation.

B (5:57)

Right.

A (5:58)

Um, I don't think anyone will. You know, you might have a couple of years of success. You may able to get a quick luck out of four or five years, but eventually it catches up, catches up with you down the road.

B (6:07)

And how did carrying yourself with that sort of integrity in a market that was so new and being shaped where the buy is still very new to things? You know, you have people like yourself who have this high integrity and high value. But you also have a lot of people here who are a lot more shifty. So how was it when it came to operating in business? Did you have any certain hiccups or situations that you were like, man, that rubbed me the wrong way.

A (6:31)

I feel like I got, I got good senses. I can tell if someone's pretty legit or not. One thing about Dubai as well, it is pretty small. I know we're a really big city when you talk about it globally, but when you look at, like the city itself, you can pretty much know someone that knows someone within this city. So, you know, if I'm not sure about someone, I will go out to my network, which is very, very tight, and just be like, anyone worked with X, Y, Z, or do you guys know about this? And you can pretty much find out. And that's where your reputation comes back into it. But you got to do your due diligence. You got to really be careful with who you work with. You'll have a lot of people give you big promises that will never come through. But the one thing about this city that I feel like it does do, if you do meet the right people, you can have something done within like a week, which may take back home in Australia. Could take a year, right? But you, you find the right person within a week, you can have the balls rolling. Within two weeks, it's really happening. Within a month, it's done. And you're like, wow, that was from a conversation that I met that person.

B (7:30)

Right?

A (7:31)

You know, and I think that's a really cool thing about this city. It's, it's very fast paced. I put something on my Instagram the other day where I'm like, I don't email a lot. Emails for me is like, you know, I say I'm horrible on emails, but I'm like the Michael Jordan on WhatsApp. WhatsApp is used so heavily here. I do 99% of my work on WhatsApp and I believe that allows us to move quicker. Especially in this city. You can get things done real quick. Voice notes, messaging back, even contact. That's you know what I mean? And then like the whole communication. I mean, even if you buy property, like I buy property and you, the contract, come on WhatsApp, you can sign it, you send it straight through. And this country allows you to legally, from What I understand, WhatsApp is a, it's like it's looked in at the court. So, you know, it's, it's a cool way this city moves so quickly. You got to be really, you got to be really smart about how you move though. A lot of people come to this city thinking that they can just make money real quickly. Yeah, it's like, oh, yeah, you come to Dubai, you make money, it's easy. We're all going to have a Lamborghinis in the next couple of years. It can eat you up and spit you out real quick. So you got to make sure you find the right circle the right people and have a vision in mind.

B (8:35)

But what you're talking about also is more than money. You seem to have a really strong purpose. You seem to be really driven by your why. And so if you had to put into one sentence what your why is the reason you wake up every morning, what would that be?

A (8:48)

Well, it's changed because I think for anyone that's had children, your whys change pretty quickly. As soon as you have a, have a kid. That's your why. That's the reason why you do everything. Everything I do now is for my children. It's, you know, I've got my three gorgeous kids and you know, I, I always think about leaving them. It's pretty weird because I, I, in my, as a father, I don't, in my head I'm like, I'm going to set them up so they don't have to, they don't have to work, right?

B (9:12)

Which is not, which is not exactly because you don't tell them who you are because you.

A (9:16)

But I don't, I don't tell them, right? But in my back of my head, one day, if I leave this world, I want to make sure that my kids, they go like, wow, dad left us with, we're good, right? Saying that I push them to work. I mean, just last weekend, you know, they're working the, the Fade Fit stand at the Dubai Active show selling snacks. And you know, they're doing, they're doing stuff for me. Even this morning, I WhatsApp them, you know, I want to create some content with them. They don't always enjoy creating content with me, but I've put them now it's monetized for them. I want them to understand when they create content with me, they get paid. It's become a job. They want money. This is how you have to earn your money, you know. So I sent them a WhatsApp. I said, hey, we're going to film this this afternoon at 5pm make sure you're ready to go. It's a job for them, right? They both replied with okay, why they know that they're getting money, but it's work for them, but they understand. So I'm, I still want to keep that work, work ethic involved. I started working at the age of 15. I was working in my, my uncle's cafe from 15 and I haven't stopped working since. So I still want that.

B (10:16)

Right.

A (10:17)

You know, but my why is for them, everything that I do is, is for my family. Being able to fly mom and dad wherever they want to go, being able to help my family if they need cash or whatever it is like that, that's the biggest reward. You know, when you're able to give someone something from your from. Yeah. Like, you know, there's.

B (10:35)

What else is there to do in life but share what you built and be able to take care of the people who've helped you along your journey.

A (10:41)

Agreed. Like, I think it's. I know I'm not the only one that feels this, but when you give a gift to someone, it's so much better than receiving it. Like I'd rather give that feeling of, of being able to give and you know, I think it's a, it's a beautiful thing. I think it's, it's nice. But we work really hard. I had my parents here, you know, last couple of weeks and my mom was disappointed. She's like, you're working way too much. I barely even saw you.

B (11:02)

Yeah.

A (11:02)

I said, well mama, that's a sacrifice that we got to do sometimes, you know, and you know, but I still want to make sure that I spend that quality time with them when I do. And you know, but you gotta, you gotta try to find that balance it out. It's hard, it's hard to find that balance. I don't know if I found that balance. Especially right now. Dubai is just in this taking off. Beautiful peak. Yeah, it never stops. The city never stops. People always, oh, it's going to crash all the man. We. I don't think we've even started. Yeah, I truly don't think we've even started. I think over the next 10 years, this city is just going to keep going up, up, up. It will plateau. Of course it will, but it will continue to go up. And I think we're only at the beginning of it.

B (11:37)

I think Dubai has done such an incredible job at becoming this global city and they have put themselves on the map with everything with health care now and longevity is coming on. Media start evolve. Hospitality is completely blown up. It's insane to me and how a short span of time because still very young city, how fast they have progressed. And I think that is down to the incredible leadership that they have in this country.

A (11:59)

Yeah. What's really funny is people think that I get paid to talk about Dubai. I talk about Dubai so proudly. And this whole country, I mean, I just got the Burj Khalifa tattooed on my back, like, and the Burj Al Arab. The whole thing is on the whole side of that. Shows you my love for this city because it's given me everything. And it's down to the leadership. And no, we're not paid to talk about the city. It's. It's the passion that we found. Do I love Sydney? Of course. Do I love Lebanon? Of course I do. That's where, you know, I'm from. I was born and raised in Australia, but there's something about this city and the leadership that really, I think they. They care, man. They care. I feel like they care for us. And, you know, I don't think. I feel. I know they care for us. And that for me came during COVID where I realized I am not a passport holder of this country yet. They looked after me in a way that I was a passport holder. Right. And then at that time, I was wanting to travel to Australia, back to Australia with my family. I couldn't get into my own country.

B (12:53)

Right.

A (12:54)

And I'm like, what do you mean? I'm a citizen of this country. You're not going to let me in? No. You've got to quarantine for four weeks. And I was like. And then that was the moment for me, and that was year 15 of being in this country that I was.

B (13:06)

Like, yeah, this is home.

A (13:08)

That was the year I bought my home. That was the first time I was renting in this country for 15 years. It was then that I realized, I remember turning to my wife and I said, okay, this is. This is home.

B (13:17)

Yeah.

A (13:18)

You know, and that was when I bought the. Bought the house. And since then, I think a bunch of properties in this country because I feel like, okay, this is where I will always be. Will I travel? Of course. Will I spend two months back home in Australia? I will. But this will be my home.

B (13:31)

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A (14:55)

Don't get married.

B (14:57)

Just, just stay in a situationship. Your wife's gonna be like, chris, I am so lucky.

A (15:04)

My wife, Brianna, I am so lucky. You know, I'm divorced, right? So that first relationship that I had, you know, we're in better terms than we were, but it was a brutal divorce. We probably should have never got married, but we got two beautiful kids out of it. I'm a better husband the second time around. I think you learn from your mistakes. I think I was a good husband the first time around. Don't get me wrong. But I'm a better husband now. I think just goes back to those first three words that you asked me, like loyalty, love. And I think I was driven. I forget what the third one that I said, but, like, I think the relationships kind of feel the same way. Like you want to love that person, you want to end up with your best friend. That's one thing that I tell a lot of people. I don't go, don't get a divorce unless you really have to get a divorce, because it's the worst thing you can ever go through. Even if, especially if you have children, you don't want to do that, right? Because it affects them deeply. So, but if you get to the point where you got to go through that divorce, just know, be respectful throughout the journey of that divorce because it can get real brutal real quick because you realize that the person that you thought you knew, you don't actually can come out. And they become like you become enemies. That person that you loved, you are now worst enemies. And that's the craziest feeling. It goes. And that happens pretty quickly. And over the years, I've spoken to people who have gone through divorces, and they're like, no, we're good. We're. We're all great. And I'm like, just give us some time. And then, like, I'll get that call. Four months later, it's like, okay, it's war. And I'm like, I told you, it's coming now. That doesn't always happen.

B (16:43)

Yeah, I wasn't always. I think it takes two people to kind of put their egos aside. Why it goes south, in my opinion, is because you get so triggered. This person brings out all your traumas, your fears, your insecurities, and your ego gets activated.

A (16:58)

Ego. Yeah.

B (16:59)

But when you step back and say, I'm not coming at this from my ego, and I honestly believe the love, respect, tenderness you enter any relationship with is still the same way. You should leave.

A (17:11)

Yeah, but that you.

B (17:12)

But it's hard.

A (17:12)

You married?

B (17:13)

Yeah. I'm actually going to be going through a divorce.

A (17:17)

I'm sorry.

B (17:19)

He's my best friend, though, so it's. It did. We didn't work out for other reasons, but he is still a really important part of my life. I think we were not compatible as partners in a romantic setup, but we're really compatible as friends or in business together. So for me, I don't want to flip this.

A (17:37)

I don't want to flip this. I don't want to flip this because I'm about to flip it on you.

B (17:41)

You can flip it a little bit.

A (17:42)

Children?

B (17:42)

No. No children yet.

A (17:44)

Now. Yeah, that is easier.

B (17:46)

Yeah. 100.

A (17:47)

So that's one thing in a divorce that I've, you know, it's. It's. Yeah. When you're married to someone and then you can just divorce. You never have to. If it's up to you, you may. You may remain friends with your.

B (17:59)

Yeah.

A (17:59)

Ex husband, but you don't. It's a choice.

B (18:02)

Absolutely.

A (18:03)

When you have children, you have no choice in the. You have to. And then there's a monetary side of it as well.

B (18:08)

Right.

A (18:09)

Of who paying this? Who's paying that For a man's point of view. And this is not me being, like, sexist. It's like, statistically, we are the ones that get the bad end of it.

B (18:20)

Right.

A (18:20)

Right. And we don't. In. Not all cases, are the reason why the divorce is happening.

B (18:26)

Right.

A (18:26)

But no matter what happens, we are the ones that have to deal with it. And, you know, it's funny because when I was going through my divorce, you know, you start to hear from different stories from different men, and you're like, wow, that's what really happened. So, you know, when you don't have the children, it's probably easy to be like, hey, that was that. It didn't work out. Yeah, we realized it didn't work out. Hey, we. We bought this together. This is yours, this is mine. Thanks so much. See you later. But when the children are involved, it's a completely different story. So, going back to your question, like, you know, being married now, you know, I think three years to Brianna, being together for 10. Yeah, we're really good. And it took us a while to get there. Like, it wasn't, you know, I think I was burnt from my last relationship. I told myself, I'm going to wait five years before I got married again if I was to ever get ever married. But I gave myself five years. So when I met Brianna, it was. It was. We weren't.

B (19:18)

You were ready?

A (19:19)

Yeah, No, I wasn't ready. I mean, I met Brianna, like, I think eight months after my divorce, and I wasn't ready to meet anyone. But we just kind of met each other. It was this beautiful moment and we realized we should be together. We love each other. But I was pretty straight out. I'm like, yo, I'm not getting married for five years. I'm letting you know this, right? I'm 78 years older than her. She was okay with that. And then, yeah, we. We fell in love. It was kind of rough for the first couple of years. Yeah, she. She had moved from LA here for a job. The job didn't do. She didn't like the job, but she met me. So she stayed here because I was here. She was 26 years old. Next thing you know, she's met a guy who's got two kids. I was raising my two daughters. And so she was like. There were moments where she was like, I didn't sign up for this.

B (20:04)

Right.

A (20:05)

And I remember having conversations with her, like, I understand. I understand that. Yeah, if you don't want to be here, I can't hold you. But we loved each other.

B (20:12)

Yeah.

A (20:13)

And so we work through those moments, and there were some really, like, tough times through that where there was resentment because I felt like sometimes I had to choose between raising my daughters right or being with. Being with her. And I hated that position.

B (20:28)

Right.

A (20:28)

And as a man, you want to provide for your kids, but at the same time for your woman, provide for your woman. But, you know, I think that was off and on. And then she came around, and I came around as well. And I felt. I felt that balance where, you know, I gave her that moment of. I gave her moments of just her and I.

B (20:45)

Right.

A (20:45)

But at the same time, she started to come more included in our family, and now, you know, we all live together.

B (20:51)

It's one big happy family.

A (20:53)

She's taken my daughters to Australia on. On her own.

B (20:56)

Yeah.

A (20:56)

I'm gonna meet her later. Like, she's now become into that role. I said to her the other day, I was in Bali with my brother, just having a little vacation, still working, still doing my radio show, but having a little bit of time off just with my bro. And she had taken my two daughters to the dentist. And I was like. I sent her a message. I was like, whoa, I appreciate you so much. Here I am in Bali with my brother.

B (21:19)

Right.

A (21:20)

Having a great time, and there you are, and you're taking my daughter to the dentist. Thank you so much. Right. So, like, yeah, you find that balance. I think you just want to end up with your best friend. And, you know, she's my best friend. I love her.

B (21:29)

I know when I said my husband that I'm getting a divorce from is my best friend, you almost shook back. And I wanted to explain so my listeners can understand. I think the two biggest things that make a relationship work long term is one, you need to have a commitment to the relationship itself more than you do to yourself. But that can only happen if the person you're with is committed to the same end goals as you.

A (21:52)

Yep.

B (21:53)

So being aligned on that end vision, what that looks like, what does life together look like? What are those value systems? And I think, for me, that's where we started to differ so much and what our end goals were. And I remember looking at him and saying, be like, you're such an amazing guy. You're so incredible, but I don't think I can give you what you need. And my commitment to certain things that I want in my life is just taking priority over that. So I think both of us should end up in partnerships and relationships where the end goal for both of us is the same. And so we're not struggling constantly being in this friction because we're not gonna have a friendship left by the end of this. And I feel that so many times people stay in relationships because they're so scared of what else is out there versus choosing themselves and saying, listen, I want to do what's best for you. And I want to do best what's for myself. And in hindsight, you will thank me one day.

A (22:41)

Yeah, I agree. I. I think probably 60% of people in relationships that they don't want to be in.

B (22:47)

Yeah.

A (22:47)

But they're in it for comfort. They're in it because of the children. They're in it because of the routine. They're in it because they don't want to go out and have to try to meet someone else. They're. They're doing it because they're fear to be alone. Correct.

B (22:58)

You know, and that is just so inauthentic at times.

A (23:01)

It is. But then you got to have that responsibility if you want to bring children into this world. You don't bring children into this world and then decide to leave your. Your husband. You can't do that because that's a responsibility that you chose to take. So I think it's a fine line between it. Now you guys are, you know, it's going to be interesting for you because it's all good. It depends on, I don't know how your ex feels about this whole situation. So I'm hearing it from one end. I believe sometimes in a divorce or a separation, there's always one that's more willing to do it.

B (23:29)

Right. For sure.

A (23:30)

And so it's when you find someone else, which one day you will find someone else, depending on how soon that is, that's when things can change a little bit. Because you say you may be friends.

B (23:38)

Yeah.

A (23:39)

But it. And again, I don't know. Your. Your partner.

B (23:42)

Absolutely.

A (23:42)

Because sometimes. And I've seen this happen. It didn't happen to me, but I've seen it happen where one person was okay with the divorce, the other one was kind of okay, but not when that other person found a new partner. It destroyed the other person. They couldn't see it. And that was the moment when they.

B (23:57)

Said, I don't want to be friends.

A (23:59)

I can't be friends with you because I can't see you with another person. It's killing me. It's hurting me. And that sometimes happens, you know, So.

B (24:06)

I wish myself, both of us, the best, you know, And I always say that I. With the same love and respect that I walked in, I would like to walk out.

A (24:14)

Awesome.

B (24:14)

And with the same admiration that I had for the man that I married is. Same admiration I'd like to leave him with, you know, for that. For me, nothing changed. If anything, I appreciate him more in some ways. And that appreciation has led me to the decision to be like, I don't think I can give you what you need.

A (24:29)

Sure. And that's mature. Yeah, that's a mature way of thinking about it.

B (24:32)

You've also talked a lot, Chris, online, about battling your anxiety and depression, but also being in the public eye so much. Was it very overwhelming for you on days that when anxiety just can sometimes creep up on you and just take hold and then you're in the limelight at the same time?

A (24:46)

Oh, man. I just, you know, I sat down on my podcast with Gary. Gary Brecker the Goat, and he just told me, like, yeah, anxiety, A lot of it comes from your gut. Yeah, bio, microdone, whatever. You know, I'm like, dude, are you serious? But that's how it felt. You know, my first. Thankfully, I don't. Thankfully, I'm not depressed now. My anxiety, I. I don't think I've got it anymore. Will it sometimes tingle in a little bit? It will. And I think that's got to do with lack of sleep. And if I'm in a situation that I'm uncomfortable with, for example, flying alone without my children freaks me out.

B (25:23)

It does, yeah.

A (25:24)

Because they rely totally on me. And so I know that if anything happened to me, what would happen to my children, my daughters? So that kind of gets to me. When I'm flying together as a family, I'm all. You feel more safe, totally fine dealing with it. I remember when I first. First dealt with anxiety. I didn't know what it was. It was just this fear of, like, I'm. It was this overwhelming feeling of like, I'm gonna die. I don't know what. I don't know what it was. Yeah, I didn't know what it was. I'd never experienced it in my life. I was always just so carefree, so chilled. And then all of a sudden I had this feeling. Now, looking back on it, I know, I think, I believe. No, like, what happened was, you know, I was 26, living alone in Sydney, doing radio, earning absolutely nothing but loving life in a little studio apartment.

B (26:18)

Yeah.

A (26:20)

Met my ex wife, my. My girlfriend. I met a girl, married her within five and a half months.

B (26:27)

Okay.

A (26:28)

Because we were moving to a city where you needed to be married if you wanted to live together.

B (26:33)

Okay.

A (26:34)

Moved to Dubai with a woman that I just met, didn't know anyone, wasn't earning a lot of money here. Realized, wow, I probably took a contract that was lesser than I should have.

B (26:45)

Correct.

A (26:46)

Then had a baby on the way within about nine months. And so I think it was just a lot for me to take in as someone who was 26, left his whole family. I'm a very family orientated person as well. Living in a foreign city with a woman that I've kind of just met, who's pregnant, don't have enough cash. Oh my gosh, am I going to be able to provide for my wife who's not working and a baby on the way? It all just piled on. I think those thoughts of responsibility and then anxiety sort of appeared from them. And you know, I remember at that time with my ex wife, she was really good helping me through that. I don't think she knew what it was either, but she could just see that I wasn't dealing with life the best possible way. And it was not panic attacks, it was just constant anxiety. It was this fear of like. And I was doing a radio show, I, I then I created this fear of like, I can't do my radio show because I'm scared.

B (27:41)

Yeah.

A (27:41)

And then the fear of the radio studio was there. I couldn't open the door to the radio studio. It was, it was, it was this, it was really crippling. Yeah. The mind is so strong and powerful. Right. It can really make you think things that aren't really happening. So I had this fear. I mean, the anxiety I sat with was good. 18 months of anxiety. And the fear of doing the radio show was there every day. I had to really build my way up to push through that radio door. I mean, physically push the door and start doing the radio show. And you know, at that moment, I just started to try to work out what I had to do. When I saw a psychiatrist, he gave me a bunch of pills and, you know, I went and did meditation. I mean, I did everything you could possibly imagine. Ayurveda, I think they call it. I mean, you, if you told me to eat this wooden table, I would eat the wooden table. I would have just gone, yeah, it's gonna make me better. I mean, I did everything, but it wouldn't go away. And then, you know, I was, I was also kind of heavily overweight. And what I end up realizing was when I, when I went for a run or I went to the gym, I felt a little bit better. And then so I started training a lot more. I was doing two gym sessions a day. Not for the physical side of it. It just made me feel better. And then that's kind of where I started to get fit. And you know, through those moments then, you know, my relationship did break down. We end up Going through a divorce, but I remained getting fit. And that was your journey. That's what got me through it. And that's what I tell everyone. I, I, you know, the, the drugs that the psychiatrist gave me, I don't even know what they were called. I forget. But they weren't good. I remember I was on Xanax for a little bit. Xanax, I think is what they call.

B (29:15)

Yeah.

A (29:16)

And like. Yeah, that just knocked you out. Like that was just like, I mean, yeah, yeah. I didn't like I'm an entertainer.

B (29:22)

Right, exactly. Can't be numbed out.

A (29:24)

Yeah, yeah. So like I just stopped that and then I just found this help health kick and this journey of like going to the gym and looking after myself, which I'm so glad I found. So I always say from your darkest moments may bring you your brightest, you know, your brightest moments.

B (29:37)

Right.

A (29:38)

And that's what it was. If I didn't hit rock bottom in those, you would have never wouldn't have been creating what I'm creating today.

B (29:43)

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A (32:15)

Awesome.

B (32:16)

And. But that's what it shows you, that we look at health from such a singular little angle. Not knowing to treat the whole person.

A (32:23)

Yeah. And I think that's. Yeah. Like, I wish I knew what I knew back then because, yeah, I just took the pills because I thought, like, of course you trust. And listen, I'm. I'm not against doctors.

B (32:36)

No, no.

A (32:37)

I believe they're amazing surgeons. Unbelievable. I had a blocked intestine where I needed emergency surgery. If that surgeon didn't know how to do that, I would have died. You know, like, so there's. There's moments where you're like, this is it. But, yeah, prescribing someone who is going through depression or anxiety, I don't believe that is the first. And I mean, that shouldn't be the first. I got it on my first appointment, of course. Like, my first appointment. He wrote it out and gave it all to me. I remember walking out with a bag this big.

B (33:05)

Correct.

A (33:05)

With a bunch of stuff, and I was like, yeah, all right, well, let's. And I'm taking them. And I'm like, that shouldn't be the.

B (33:10)

First thing that they turn to.

A (33:12)

Agreed.

B (33:13)

But that's where I'm so passionate about the longevity, space and things that Gary and I'll talk about, because you can turn to somebody like them and they can say to you, do X, Y and Z. And I promise you, Iman, in two weeks, you're going to feel like a new person. And that's the route that I took. But so many people, which is why I started the podcast, so many people don't have those tools and resources. And when you're in that really dark place, the last thing you're going to do is be able to, like, find the solution yourself, you know, so it's like providing people with those resources and support around them that they can make that decision to be like, I know you and the white coat are saying this, but I actually am going to look at it from an alternative, holistic perspective.

A (33:48)

Yeah. And I think there's a lot of noise out there because there's a lot of people now behind mics or on their TikTok or Instagram. So it becomes a little bit messy. But my advice is just to try things that. That you want to give it a go.

B (33:59)

Yeah.

A (34:00)

Like, you know, I'm on, you know, over the last six months, I am now on BP 157, which is incredible. And I'm on a really light dose of Testosterone.

B (34:09)

Right.

A (34:09)

I'm 45 years old.

B (34:10)

Called.

A (34:10)

We checked my levels. When we checked them at the regular place, they said, you're fine.

B (34:15)

Then you went to functional.

A (34:16)

Then we went to another. Yeah, we went to the, the functional place where they really tested and they find out what's my levels and all the different biomarkers and everything. And we realized, yeah, I wasn't low, low, but I wasn't where I should be.

B (34:26)

Correct.

A (34:27)

So I'm now at an optimal level. And I feel the number one thing I get told is like, man, how do you keep going? Yeah, because I'm pretty much from 4 in the morning to 10:30 at night every day. And I'm like, well, I feel pretty good now. I've always felt good. I've always had a bout of energy. But now that I've got this in me, I feel. And I'm taking some supplements. It's my vitamins and some things.

B (34:49)

What supplements are you taking?

A (34:50)

I mean, I'm. I take it. I take a. I take a K. It's funny, I. I am now in the longevity space.

B (34:56)

That's what I was gonna ask.

A (34:59)

I'm a partner in a company called everwell, and it's all set up because of this exact reason that you're talking about. It's not saying that the medical System's wrong. It's fantastic again. I believe so there's a place for it. There is a place for it, but it's just giving people the opportunity to maybe try this path. Now I know that my gut, for example, destroyed. It was horrible. I got a bout of food poisoning that took me out for about 18 months. I had oysters destroyed me as in my. I could not eat properly for 18 months. It just wouldn't sit right. I did two colonoscopies, it all came back fine. I did this, I did that. Doctor. It's fine, it's fine, it's all good. I did the one where you, you breathe in and you had to breathe in every half an hour and drink something. It all came back pretty good. But I knew that there was something wrong because I could feel it. Anyway, after being on this peptide for six months I really. And could it be a mental thing? I don't know. But my gut is better. My gut is so much better. I eat a lot cleaner and less. I eat boring same food pretty much every day. But I know what my stomach loves. I know what.

B (36:11)

And it works for you.

A (36:12)

I do intermittent fasting. Well, I have coffee in the morning and with, with milk. But I don't put anything, I don't put food in my. Correct my stomach in the morning I'll have a, I'll have a good sized lunch, a really small dinner. And now I'm in this routine system. Yeah, I mean I'm right now I'm at the lightest I've been in 24 years. I'm at 88 kilos, which I don't know if you know, I mean you guys use pounds still.

B (36:35)

Yeah, I use both.

A (36:36)

Yeah. So I mean I was, my heaviest was 128 kilos. Yeah. 12 years ago. 100. 128 kilos. And now I'm at 88 kilos.

B (36:46)

Isn't it crazy that at 45 you're probably the healthiest and fittest you've ever been?

A (36:50)

100 and people are like so against like peptides and autistics, but they're incredible for you. Yeah, I mean they're even against, what do they call them on gyros and the ozempics and all that GLP1s, man. I think there's so such a place for them. And I think if you micro dose it and you're getting it done right, you're getting it done by like a professional that understands it. Don't just go to the pharmacy and start getting and injecting yourself with 15 milligrams. I said that I tried it for. This is about a year, eight months ago. I tried it for just three weeks. I just had two hits of it. Yeah, I wanted to try it. I didn't need it. I wasn't. But I wanted to give it a go.

B (37:26)

Just when you experience it.

A (37:28)

I was like, man, that switch, it switched off the food. I didn't think of food. I still was eating what I needed to eat.

B (37:34)

But you weren't constantly thinking about it.

A (37:36)

This is fantastic. And people need that. I'm having an argument with a friend of mine right now who's heavily overweight, high cholesterol, puts in fast food into their mouth all the time. All the time. Has your sodas, has your chocolate bars, do all that. Refuses to take it. Doesn't. Doesn't trust Big Pharma. Big Pharma's created this. Doesn't, doesn't, doesn't trust it. I'm like, but you're smashing these chemicals into your body every day.

B (38:04)

Food. But don't believe.

A (38:06)

And I'm just trying to say, like, just, I bought the pen for them.

B (38:09)

Correct.

A (38:10)

I bought it. And no, refuses to take.

B (38:12)

And the reason is because they don't trust it, but they trust the processed food and what it's doing to their body.

A (38:17)

And I think that's where we are in this world right now. There is so much noise out there, people don't know what to trust.

B (38:23)

Right.

A (38:23)

So yeah, it's just you gotta, you gotta find your own lane. You have to find your own moments as well that you can feel with. And if you don't trust something, okay, great. But if you're on the, give it a go. Like for me, the peptide and the TRT was something that I was not against, but I was always a little fearful of. I'm like, well, I don't know what it's going to do there. Had studies on peptides and what's it going to do to me in 25 years? And then, you know, I spoke to the right people, people that I trust as well that have done their own research and I'm on that right now. I feel, touch wood, I feel the best I felt in probably 20, 20 years. This is, I feel the best right now.

B (39:02)

So the peptide you're taking, BPC157 is incredible for the gut because it seals and lines the gut, but it also reduces inflammation. So the benefit it can have on your mental health is incredible because a lot the gut brain access issue and it just kind of cleans you up. And so a lot of times people are so fearful with things like peptides, but all of us have amino acids in our body. These are just short chain amino acids, I think. So there is a point of education that needs to happen. Where you source them from matters. It has to be pharmaceutical grade and not research quality. But I think what people are fearful of is all this kind of like there's not enough education about it. How do they work in your body? How should you be taking it? The frequency. And that's where the literature needs to start coming in more and then people need to trust the source it comes from.

A (39:46)

And it's really interesting because, you know, I know a lot of doctors personally as well who are like off record will say things to me of course, you know, and that's what blew my mind is like, hey, I can't say it to you whilst we're here.

B (40:00)

Yeah. Because.

A (40:01)

But I'll send you a message later on.

B (40:03)

Yeah. And I'll tell you, really, it's like.

A (40:05)

Wow, that's pretty, that's pretty crazy. So I think slowly but surely over the next, I think the next 10 to 15 years, especially with AI, I think we're going to have a lot more introduction of new things that are going to be the norm and going to be accepted. And you know, I think that's, that's, it's a beautiful thing. I think we have to grow as humans. As in like literally have to, we have to learn from one another. And I think we are. And you know, it's crazy. One of my friends is also behind. Have you heard about like the, the, the, the Olympics where you're allowed to have steroids? It's, it's a whole, it's like, I forget the name of it.

B (40:34)

You get it?

A (40:35)

So basically it's a competition where they're putting. So that we've got I think the fastest swimmer in the world ever, but he's on steroids.

B (40:44)

Okay.

A (40:45)

Right. So it's, let's see how far we can push the human body in a safe way. It's all done, it's monetary. It's all done by biohackers, doctors. Longevity. Putting this guy on GH with a little bit of test and a little bit of peptides here and there. He just broke the world record.

B (41:01)

I need to look this up.

A (41:02)

Oh yeah, you have to send this.

B (41:04)

To me because I want to.

A (41:05)

Yeah, it's pretty amazing when you start to look into it. It's like, how, how can we push now? We've got this technology behind us as well. We can really start to see what we can do with the human body, you know. And you know, I think it was Lance Armstrong that got caught with.

B (41:19)

Yes.

A (41:19)

A bunch. Is he wasn't the only one? No, it was, it was.

B (41:23)

He's the only one made an example of.

A (41:24)

Exactly. Like, I think we've got to understand that a lot of these athletes that we do see it, their people are very good at moving things around.

B (41:33)

Right.

A (41:34)

So I think we're kind of naive sometimes as humans. And a lot of this technology, be it Peptides or whatever it else, has been around for a while. It's just now that it's becoming more mean. Spoken by people like you and I and you read it, you see it on your social media.

B (41:48)

I think all these things are there to enhance us and support our journey. Because we're living in such a heavily toxic environment with the food is being so processed, the air quality is not great, there are microplastics everywhere. So we, if anything, need to give our body more to function at our optimal level versus 20, 30 years ago because of the environment that we've created to live in as humans.

A (42:09)

Yeah. And you know, as. As Gary was saying on, on the show that he was with. On my show. So, you know, we were talking about like markers of. For example, my wife got Graves disease literally after she. And again, I'm. I was pro vaccine and I'm not against it with whatever happened with COVID You know, it is what it is. You know, we. I took it, she took it. Six months later, she got Graves disease. Never had it before. Right.

B (42:33)

Yeah.

A (42:34)

Again, went and saw her doctor. Doctor said that there was an increase in Graves disease. He's seeing a lot more thyroid issues since it's all happening yada, yada, yada, yada. So straight away the pills. Right. And started taking one thing, started doing it. And you know, she. Because the way that we found out, she just lost a bunch of weight. I've never seen her lose so much weight so quickly. She looked like a different woman to me. Like her legs, her arms, everything was just.

B (42:58)

Yeah.

A (42:58)

And her heart was scary. The scariest moment was she thought she was having a heart attack. We caught, I called an ambulance. She was having a panic attack. Her heart was racing so much because it was overstimulating the thyroid and, and that's why she was losing her weight. It was just her heart was racing. That was the moment that we realized we needed to get her to a doctor. Doctor said that. Yeah, it's graves, yada, yada. And then, like, what you know, you speak about and what you know, Gary was speaking about, you can heal your body sometimes by just doing, putting different nutrients in or supplements into it and.

B (43:31)

Bringing into balance again.

A (43:32)

And so she was on medication. And then we finally found. And this is why I part partnered up and I'm now with Everwell is I had met a few guys within the biohacking scene here. There's a gentleman called Shane who I've become pretty close with. He sat down with my wife and said, okay, I'm gonna half your dose. All right. We're not gonna just stop it because you've been on it, but we're gonna half it. But we're gonna introduce XYZ supplements and XYZ diet. And so she started doing that and then slowly weaned off it. And she stayed on this for, I think about eight months and got retested. And it. I mean, I don't know if you could call it remission, but it was gone. Still there, but it was gone from acting out from her diet and what. I forget what supplements he had given her. And that was my kind of light bulb moment as well, where I was.

B (44:20)

Like, huh, so much can change through these things.

A (44:24)

We can change. Maybe we don't need to take that pill instantly. Right. And so I think it's a really important thing just to do more research. You know, I'm not an expert in anything and. But I'm willing to give things a go if I have the right people around.

B (44:38)

Guiding trust. Yeah.

A (44:39)

I think trust is a big thing. And, you know, it's. You're always going to get the people that are going to be like, no way, no chance. And that's okay. You know, you don't have to try to convince people. I kind of look at it like a religion.

B (44:52)

Yeah.

A (44:53)

You know, I always say religion is a vertical thing, not a horizontal thing. This is your religion.

B (44:58)

Yeah.

A (44:58)

If everyone just did this, we'd have no problems in the world. As soon as you start doing this with your religion, start talking to people about it over here, that's when it starts coming in.

B (45:06)

Yeah.

A (45:07)

Like your body, if you feel like you want to do this, give it a go.

B (45:10)

Right.

A (45:10)

You know, and then see where it takes you.

B (45:12)

One of the things like getting to know you and it comes out of you. You're so genuine, authentic, and you're so good with people. How much of your cultural background plays into that?

A (45:21)

Yeah, I mean, I'm, According to my DNA, 98.3% left. Lebanese. Right. Yeah. So I did that DNA test, waiting to get something exotic. Yeah, that was, I was like, fine, I'll take it. So I think growing up with a very ethnic Arab family, my uncles were also loud. They still are. They're loud. They're, you know, you go family gatherings, it's just who could be the, the loudest in the room? Right. But growing up, I wasn't like that. I felt like I was a little bit more in the back. I always said that I grew up with a lisp, so I couldn't speak. Really. Yeah, yeah, I had a lisp up until probably the age of 2012 or 13. So I used to speak like this. And that was. That would inherit me from wanting to speak. I didn't want to speak. I was shy. I was very small. I was a small kid, so I was always the smallest in the class and I had this little speech impediment. And so, yeah, I don't think it's weird if you speak to my parents, especially my parents, they're like, we would have never thought that our son would be doing this.

B (46:19)

Yeah, there's no chance.

A (46:21)

But yeah, I think being growing up in a very. I'm grateful for my family. Like we grew up in a very loving household. Yeah, I think love is so important, you know, I think so many people that do bad in their later life is because they did not get love in their early life, you know, And I know that between the ages of 1 and 6. And this is something that I'm really crucial of with my children between the ages of 1 and 6, that is the basis of how they will be later on in life. If so I gave love to my daughters, I give love to my son. I just tell him I love him. Like when he goes to bed as he's falling asleep. Love you, baby. I love you. Mom says the same. Like, Brianna will be like, we love you, baby. We, we literally both just hold him and we say, we love you so much. That is something that will sit with him and I believe later on in life. So when you see people who are dealing with an addiction later on in life or crime, I. It's not always going to be like this, but I always lack of love. Love. It's that lack of love. How. How were they brought up?

B (47:19)

Right.

A (47:19)

How was that, that, that, you know, that, that early life for them. So, you know, for me, I'm grateful that I had a loving family and I still do. And, you know, I think that's a big aspect of who I am. I, I, I. Human connection is everything for me.

B (47:33)

Right.

A (47:34)

And that's why I believe our radio show's so successful. Our radio show that I do with, you know, with Pretty and Rossi and Nala, and, you know, we've been doing this radio show for 16 years together. Very rare that that happens, but we share a lot of our lives, and people share their lives. Yeah, Right. And from a radio perspective, you know, it's very rare. You get to have that with an audience all the time. And, you know, even having guests come on into, like, you know, Steve Harvey was on our show the other day, and he was getting a. We had callers on, and one was from Russia, then one was from India, one was from the Philippines, and they all got their accents. And he's like, like, whoa, man, this is crazy. It's like, this is the UN of radio. Yeah. And I'm like, yeah, man, this is why I love it, because I get to learn so much about the world from living in Dubai. You learn about other people's religions, you learn about what they culture, celebrate, and that's what, again, xenophobia, like, the fear of the unknown is why we have so many big issues in this world, because people are just fearful of what they don't know. And, you know, people are scared of Muslim people. If you go to Australia.

B (48:47)

Yeah.

A (48:48)

Like, yeah. Whoa. That fear. I sent a photo. I was at it. I was at a lunch the other day where all. I'm not Muslim. All my friends in that room were Muslim. Sixteen of them, right? And we're all together, and they're like, we're going to pray. And so they all were praying, and one of my friends was like, hey, can you just take a video of us?

B (49:09)

Yeah.

A (49:10)

I said, sure. So I just took a video of them all praying, right? It was so beautiful. Right? Now. I sent it to a friend of mine in Australia.

B (49:18)

Do your friend freak out?

A (49:19)

And I just said, how does this make you feel? And I said, be honest with me, right? He says, yeah, it kind of scares.

B (49:26)

Me by people just sitting there and praying from a religion that they just don't understand. But that made them nervous because.

A (49:33)

And then I gave him the education of, like, some of the most pure and the most beautiful people that I know are Muslim. I want you to understand that, right? That fear I want you to lose, but it's because it's the fear of the unknown, right? You know? But once you start to learn about each other, and that's even about biohacking, that's about anything in life, the fear of it. So like for me, going back to the human connection side of things. I love being able to connect with different people. My inbox on my Instagram and one day I said to myself, I want to publish it without the names. Some of them are horror stories of people just needing so much help. I don't have. I'll have, I'll have fathers hit me up saying, I can't pay for my kids school fees. Chris, I don't know what to do. Mother saying, I'm a single mom. I can't afford to buy food for my child this week. Chris, could you help me with milk? Chris, My brother's in a wheelchair and I don't know what to do. We can't afford a wheelchair. I just lost my family to a member to. I get him every day. And it puts life into perspective for me real quickly. So it allows me to have that empathy of like a. For other people, but at the same time puts me in the right respect of like what I'm doing. And I'm like so blessed and so grateful to be where I'm at. Because you start hearing other people's stories and you're like, man, your life is good.

B (51:00)

You know, there's a famous saying that you prayed for exactly where you are today. So when you're overwhelmed with work or you're like, I'm really tired, be super grateful because you prayed to be at this place today. And there's so many people who are not fortunate enough to be that busy, to be having that income, to have the ability to take care of their family, their friends, their loved ones. And so it's a blessing. It's a blessing to be in this position every single day. So to give thanks for the abundance of opportunities rather than saying, I'm tired, I'm overwhelmed and changing that mindset, perspective.

A (51:34)

Yeah, I think it's important. I leave the house every morning at around 5am in the morning to go do the radio show and I just do something really simple. But I just look up. I'm not, I'm. It's not that I'm not religious. I pray to God. If someone like, I don't know what religion I am anymore, but I know that I believe in God and I think that's really important. But I leave the house every day and I just look up and I do it every day. I walk down the stairs, I go, thank you.

B (51:58)

Thank you.

A (51:59)

So I'm up, I'm breathing. I've got another day ahead of me. Right. And then sometimes I'll say, thank you. Give me the strength for today, because I've got a big day ahead of me and I've had four hours sleep. Give me that strength to do what I got to do. Right? And so, like, I think being grateful, and we say it on our radio show all the time, gratitude is our attitude. Just being grateful is really important.

B (52:19)

I want to wrap up the show with asking you one thing for our audience. If you could leave our audience with one challenge to change their mindset or actions starting today, what would it be? And why? And why does it matter to you so deeply?

A (52:31)

I think for me, it's. We're really, really hard on ourselves. First, we put ourselves down a lot. You were. You. You will tell yourself what you're doing wrong. But if you had your friend in the room, you will tell your friend what they're doing. Rights. And I think we need to pivot. And I think you wake up in the morning, go to bed at night praising yourself. And I think that's a really important thing. Again, it's something that I implemented in my life, and it's really weird, but if I've just done a really hard day, I will go in. I mean, if I'm having a shower, if I'm going to bed, wherever I'm at, I'll just have these moments of like, chris, you did it, man.

B (53:11)

You had a great job.

A (53:12)

So good today. Not many people could have done what you did. You did that, man. You did that. Well done. You know what? Get some sleep tonight. Let's do it again tomorrow.

B (53:20)

It's amazing.

A (53:21)

And I think that's really important. Try that. It does help you. It just. It changes something within your soul.

B (53:26)

Right?

A (53:27)

And it gives you that better feeling about yourself. We don't feel good about ourselves. You know, I'm telling you, like, a lot of people go around this world not feeling good about themselves, you know, and we all know we're good people. Like, you're a good soul.

B (53:39)

We're all.

A (53:40)

We're all. Most of us are good people. There are some that aren't, but most of us are good people. Praise yourself a little bit more. Change that in your life. Stop praising just your friends. Praise you. You're a good person. You worked hard. I don't care if you earn 100 bucks a week or a hundred thousand bucks a week. We're all the same. Praise yourself and keep doing that and.

B (53:56)

Celebrate yourself even more.

A (53:57)

Always celebrate.

B (53:58)

Yeah. Chris, it's been such a pleasure having you on the show. And sitting down with you. And you are such an inspirational human. I'm excited to see further where your journey is going to go.

A (54:06)

Thank you so much for having me, and it's great to be here.

B (54:08)

Thank you.

A (54:09)

Thank you, Sam.