Digital Social Hour #1584: Zaya Younan

Guest: Zaya Younan
Host: Sean Kelly
Release Date: October 23, 2025
Episode Title: He Owns More Castles Than Kings And Says Nicotine Keeps Him Young

Episode Overview

In this episode, Sean Kelly sits down with Zaya Younan, the billionaire CEO of Younan Company—a conglomerate spanning commercial real estate, cigars, luxury hotels, and more. Younan, who claims to own more castles than any king, shares his unfiltered philosophy on life, success, parenting, stress management, health, and why he believes premium cigars (and nicotine) are keys to longevity and vitality.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Zaya’s Background & Entrepreneurial Journey

• Immigrant Story: At 13, Zaya immigrated alone from Iran to the US with $25.
  • "[I was] a Christian Assyrian...son of a truck driver...I had to do everything myself." (01:51)
• Career Milestones: By age 27, he was the youngest president of Oldsmobile, later amassing 2,000 patents (including an automotive airbag sensor) and building a $7 billion global enterprise in 38 cities.
• Love for History: His passion for history, reflected in his acquisition of castles, keeps him humble and grounded.
  • "I love history. And I think history played a big part in me staying balanced...I never forgot where I came from." (02:51)

2. Parenting, Tough Love, and No-Nonsense Advice

• Building Grit in Children:
  • Took his basketball-playing son to play with grown men in Compton to instill toughness (05:53).
  • Gave his son an old, beat-up truck instead of a luxury car to instill values (09:55).
• Passion and Hunger:
  • "The only thing that can keep that light on is a human self-produced passion." (07:24)
• On Inheritance:
  • "99.9% of our wealth when I die...is going to be gone to somebody else. Nothing for you." (10:35)
  • "If you care about money...start thinking about it now. How are you going to make it yourself just like I did?" (11:09)

3. Wealth, Misery, and Self-Awareness

• Curse of Wealth:
  • "You know who are the saddest people, most depressed people in the world? Rich people...because they have no desire." (11:25)
  • Describes acquiring dozens of cars, watches, and homes but finding no fulfillment—eventually selling them off and rediscovering humility. (12:22–14:29)
• Daily Self-Diagnosis:
  • "You have to self-diagnose yourself every day." (14:30)
  • "A human has an unbelievable diagnostic capability, but few people use it." (15:02)

4. Cigar Philosophy & Self-Experimentation

• Cigars, Nicotine & Health:

  • Claims 40+ years of daily cigar use has contributed to his health and anti-aging.
  • "[Premium] cigars...have the same nicotine compound as tomato, potato, eggplant...Natural nicotine…dilates all your organs.” (15:56–18:04)
  • Highlights studies (and anecdotes) that suggest nicotine can reduce dementia, Parkinson’s, improve memory, metabolism, and inflammation.
  • "I smoke six to eight cigars a day… No lung issues. It flushes the lung. It's dialectic." (18:39)

• Cigarettes vs. Premium Cigars:

  • Rejects the cigarette industry for its additives and health risks.
  • “Over 600 chemicals added to tobacco, including benzene… I can’t put in people’s mouth something I know is dangerous for them.” (40:05)

• Famous Athletes & Cigars:

  • Cites Michael Jordan, Steph Curry, LeBron James, and Arnold Schwarzenegger as cigar aficionados for “performance and longevity.” (18:05, 42:05)

5. Life Philosophy: Habits, Change, and Success

• Self-Correction and Habit Change:

  • "Write down all of your bad habits...take the top two. Say: from tomorrow, I'm not going to do these." (25:18)
  • “Every day you give up one of your bad habits...you become a different person.” (27:40)
  • Advocates for self-discipline, actionable change, and not relying on motivational speakers: “I’m richer than Tony Robbins. I’ve never been to any of his motivational speech.” (25:16)

• Hardship as a Crucible:

  • “Hard times make hard individuals. If you're not willing to go through it...you're not going to get there." (24:06)

• Sacrifices for Success:

  • Admits missing his children’s weekday games due to business demands. “Every one of the five [kids] says, no, dad, don’t come to our game. Continue working hard.” (28:33)

6. Mindset, Labels, and Personal Responsibility

• Overcoming Adversity:

  • Encourages using hardship as motivation rather than as an excuse.
  • “You could be sad about it, or it could make you a stronger person.” (30:17)

• Mental Health and "Creating Problems":

  • When a wealthy friend expressed depression: "You don't have enough problems. If you had a lot of problems, it won't give you time for self-pity." (31:16)

• Discipline & Accountability:

  • “I never go home at night until I respond to every one of my emails." (33:50)
  • “It's not about making mistakes; it's about self-correcting immediately and moving forward.” (66:43)
  • “You have to be responsible in life...That's the third lesson of today.” (66:05)

7. Health Practices & Skepticism Toward Health Trends

• Blue Scorpion Supplement:
  • Praises Blue Scorpion (a scorpion venom-based supplement) for its anti-inflammatory and energy-enhancing benefits. (20:12–21:44)
• Challenging Modern Health Advice:
  • Critiques overconsumption of bottled water for cancer risks—suggests drinking water only when thirsty. (59:06)
  • “All the water sent to us with plastic bottles has a high level of PFAS...the number one causing cancer.” (58:33)
  • "I maybe have a glass or two [of water] a day. Only if I'm thirsty." (59:07)

8. Faith, Conscience and Morality

• Spiritual Guideposts:
  • Attributes conscience to “the voice of God.”
  • “The day you feel you have no conscience is the time that God has forgotten you.” (49:28)
  • Walked away from buying companies for profit when it conflicted with his values: "I didn’t do it for him. I did it for myself to make myself feel good by doing a good deed." (52:27)

9. On Legacy and Final Advice

• Enduring Impact:
  • "I think legacy is what is more important for me and helping people." (43:28)
  • Encourages young listeners: “You can be exactly who you want to be. All you have to do is create a new frame of mind and start executing on it.” (43:27)
• His Greatest Accomplishment:
  • "Right now, the proudest accomplishment is my family...to be the best father I could be." (67:15)
• Continuous Self-Improvement:
  • Measures himself daily: “Did I work today better than yesterday?” (65:16)
  • “If you have the desire to pass through the boundary [of your life], the only person who can do it is you.” (53:25)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Success & Passion:
  • “Passion that I had when I was a kid...hunger was my passion.” (06:58)
• On Tough Love & Parenting:
  • “Let him finish the game. His blood’s gonna stop. I had my nose broken many times as a kid.” (05:52)
• On Wealth & Misery:
  • “They’re the most miserable people on earth because they have no desire. And I think that's not a blessing, that's the curse.” (11:25)
• On Motivation Industry:
  • “Let me give you a secret…you don’t have to spend money to go to Tony Robbins and all those guys that make money by telling you something you should know.” (25:12)
• On Daily Habits:
  • "Every day I go home...I'm thinking, did I work today better than yesterday? Sometimes...I feel bad that I didn't perform as well as I should." (65:16)
• On Cigars and Longevity:
  • "I've seen guys working our field 102. I ask him, do you smoke cigar? Of course I smoke cigar...90 years." (39:09)
  • “Before I die, if they say, ‘Do you have any last word?’ I say, ‘Yes, please put a cigar in my mouth.’” (39:10, 40:00)

Important Timestamps

• [01:51] Zaya on his upbringing and immigration story
• [05:53] Raising tough, resilient children
• [10:35] Philosophy on inheritance
• [11:25] On the misery of inherited wealth
• [12:22–14:29] Early wealth, consumerism, and self-correction
• [15:56–18:04] Cigar science, nicotine, and health claims
• [25:18] Actionable habit change for self-improvement
• [31:16] On depression and “not having enough problems”
• [40:05] Rejecting the cigarette industry for moral reasons
• [49:28] Faith, conscience, and walking the talk
• [58:33]–[59:07] Dangers of bottled water and cancer rates
• [65:16] Zaya's approach to daily self-assessment
• [67:15] Proudest accomplishment: his family

Flow, Tone, and Takeaways

The tone is candid, direct, and often contrarian. Zaya is unapologetically old-school in his approach—hard work, relentless self-assessment, and individual responsibility pervade every answer. He’s skeptical of easy fixes (motivational seminars, therapy, get-rich-quick schemes), and asserts people already know what to do—but few have the discipline. Through personal tales (from brutal childhood to the stresses of billionaire life), Zaya drives home that fulfillment is found not in money or things, but in self-mastery, meaningful work, family, and living with conscience.

Final Takeaway

Anyone can change their life, but it starts with confronting your bad habits, embracing discomfort, and choosing the harder, nobler path—even if, paradoxically, you never feel “happy enough” but always satisfied with your honest effort.

Listen to the full episode for Zaya’s raw, passionate insights—his philosophy on cigars may just surprise you!