Staying Alive with Jon Gabrus & Adam Pally

Episode: "A Soldier For Happiness" (with Leon Logothetis)
Date: November 27, 2025
Guest: Leon Logothetis – Traveler, Documentarian, Author

Main Theme

This episode explores the pursuit of happiness and emotional wellness through deep introspection, spiritual journey, community, and self-discovery. Guest Leon Logothetis, known for "The Kindness Diaries" and new documentary "The Kindness Within," shares his journey from a dark night of the soul to seeking meaning by traveling, connecting, and practicing kindness. Comedians Jon Gabrus and Adam Pally provide their characteristic humor and honesty as they reflect on their own lives and swap stories with Leon about mental health, spiritual experiences, sharing pain, and building happiness.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Leon's Dark Night of the Soul and the Path to India

• Background: Leon reveals he suffered a recent, profound depression and considered suicide, describing it as “a dark night of the soul” ([04:12]).
• Turning Point: Called his therapist at 11:00pm, got immediate support ([04:50]).
• Catalyst: The next day, randomly picked up Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda. The line “If you reveal God to me, I will follow you anywhere” sparked a major shift ([05:27]).
• Decision: Interpreting “God” as universal love, Leon resolved to travel to India in search of spiritual answers ([05:53]).

2. Spiritual Search in India

• Arrival: Landed in Delhi, with no fixed plan ([07:41]).
• Meeting the Guide: In Rishikesh, met an “unbelievably cool, kind, compassionate lady” at an ashram who told him, “Don’t do, just be” ([09:13]).
  • Quote: “Don’t do, just be.” – Advice from ashram guest ([09:29])
• Ritual Experience: Bathed in the Ganges, symbolizing spiritual cleansing and surrender ([09:27]).
• Prayer Without Religion: Despite not identifying as religious, Leon prayed “to whatever I was looking for” while seeking emotional freedom ([10:43]).
• Ongoing Quest: The journey continued to numerous spiritual sites—Golden Temple, synagogues, churches, Hare Krishna gatherings, Buddhist monasteries ([12:20]).

3. The Challenge of Documenting Personal and Spiritual Growth

• Cameras and Authenticity: Adam asks whether documenting the journey for TV corrupted its authenticity. Leon credits having “friends behind the camera” for capturing his real self ([14:22]).
  • Quote: “You can’t open up my soul if someone behind the camera doesn’t like me.” ([14:44])
• Parallel Journeys: The hosts note parallels between Leon’s spiritual mission and their own “101 Places to Party Before You Die” – both are journeys, but with different aims ([15:03]).

4. Addiction, Workaholism & Internal vs. External Journeys

• Leon’s Addiction: Not drugs or alcohol, but work—delivering 47 speeches in 42 days. He recognizes “whatever we do to stop feeling is an addiction” ([15:46]).
• Motivation: The trip to India differed from past work—it was an internal quest, not merely “output” for career gain ([17:32]).

5. Daily Practices for Staying Alive

• Key Rituals:
  • Connection: “Connection. My crazy four-and-a-half-year-old dog, Archie.” ([17:56])
  • Therapy: “I share my pain with a therapist or a friend.” ([21:55])
    • Quote: “We don’t share our pain, and if you don't, it will destroy you.” ([22:24])
• Role of Exercise:
  • Boxing: 10 years, not to fight, but “endorphins” and stress release; visualizes opponents to process aggression ([27:38]).
  • Quote: “If I don’t like someone in the moment, I say, ‘Say his name,’ and he says his name. I go mad.” ([27:56])
• Travel: Both a metaphor and a literal source of learning and spiritual development ([46:47]).
  • Quote: “Travel is the school of life. I have learned so much by traveling.” ([46:47])

6. The Power of Sharing Pain and Vulnerability

• Normalization: The conversation explores how revealing struggles enables connection and mutual support ([22:24]–[25:12]).
  • Gabrus: “If we’re all splitting the load, it’s less for all of us.” ([25:44])
• Therapy Frequency Joke: “Once every two hours.” ([22:11]), highlighting the need for constant support at low points.

7. Happiness, Love, and the “Kindness Within”

• Love’s Role: Love—romantic and otherwise—is important, but not the “cake.” Happiness has to come from within ([41:30]).
  • Quote (from Leon’s therapist): “A romantic relationship is icing on the cake. It is not the cake.” ([41:26])
• Happiness as a Choice: Pally references his parents’ book, Happiness Is a Choice. Leon agrees, “Ultimately it is a choice, but sometimes the choice is to call a therapist…” ([43:15]).

8. Notable Spiritual & Cultural Moments

• Golden Temple Experience: Describes the kitchen that feeds 100,000 people a day as “life-changing,” showing selfless giving as truly spiritual ([34:41], [36:18]).
• Religious Rituals and Music: The hosts and Leon reflect on the spiritual power of group singing—whether religious hymns or a car full of friends belting out a song ([32:05]–[33:55]).
• Travel Mishaps & Lessons:
  • Beaten up in Panama after ignoring local advice ([46:59]).
  • Nearly misled into an opium den in Thailand, saved by intuition ([48:38]).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the spiritual turning point:

  “I randomly picked up Autobiography of a Yogi … and something happened to me in that moment.”
  — Leon Logothetis ([05:27])

• On advice from his ashram guide:

  “Don't do, just be.”
  — Woman at Rishikesh ashram ([09:29])

• On the pain of work addiction:

  “Whatever we do to stop feeling is an addiction. Unless we face them, they’ll consume us and destroy us.”
  — Leon Logothetis ([16:15])

• On sharing pain:

  “We don’t share our pain, and if you don’t, it will destroy you.”
  — Leon Logothetis ([22:24])

• On the importance of love:

  “A romantic relationship is icing on the cake. It’s not the cake.”
  — Leon’s therapist ([41:26])

• On the Golden Temple:

  “The greatest thing I saw was the Golden Temple in Amritsar … they have a kitchen there that serves 100,000 meals a day. It was just incredible.”
  — Leon Logothetis ([34:41])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 04:12 – Leon describes his “dark night of the soul” and suicide note
• 05:27 – Reading Autobiography of a Yogi and the spiritual catalyst
• 07:41 – Arriving in India: the start without a plan
• 09:13 – The advice: “Don’t do, just be”
• 12:20 – Journey continues: Amritsar, churches, synagogues, and Hare Krishnas
• 14:22 – On being authentic while filming his journey
• 15:46 – Addiction to work and the difference between external vs. internal journeys
• 21:55 – “What are you doing to stay alive?” Sharing pain with therapist/friends
• 27:38 – Boxing and exercise as part of happiness practice
• 34:41 – The Golden Temple’s kitchen: 100,000 meals a day
• 41:26 – Love, relationships, and the wisdom from Leon’s therapist
• 43:15 – The debate: is happiness a choice?
• 46:47 – Travel as “the school of life” and lessons learned
• 54:10 – Leon’s movie “The Kindness Within” available on Prime

Memorable Listener-Friendly Moments

• Hosts swap stories about mischievous dogs, rowdy travel, and food obsessions, bringing humor and warmth:
  • [17:56] – Leon talks about his Boston Terrier, Archie; Pally and Gabris share dog stories.
  • [50:32] – Leon proclaims, “My favorite food is rice pudding,” sparking diner nostalgia.
• Comedy on spiritual themes: jokes mixing Hare Krishna chants and Taylor Swift; absurd travel show parallels; riffing on American tourists.
• Honest reflections and self-deprecation from the hosts, noting their own struggles and making Leon's vulnerability relatable.

Takeaways

• The pursuit of happiness is ongoing and individual: Leon emphasizes that he hasn’t “achieved freedom” emotionally, but is not where he used to be.
• Sharing pain lightens everyone’s load: Community and conversation are critical for emotional health.
• Spiritual answer isn’t prescriptive: “Going to India” worked for Leon, but happiness requires finding your own version of “the kindness within.”
• Connection—to people, animals, the world—beats material possessions: Travel, love, and simple joys matter more than cars or status.
• Happiness is, at root, an inward journey: Summed up by both Leon’s doc and the recurring phrase, “Don’t do, just be.”

Where to Watch

• Leon’s movie:

  The Kindness Within: A Journey to Freedom — Available now on Amazon Prime ([54:02])

Tone: Candid, heartfelt, irreverent, often hilarious—balancing honest discussion of mental health with genuine camaraderie and wit.
For listeners: Come for the spiritual insight, stay for the jokes and the feeling that you’re hanging out with old friends unafraid to get deep, weird, and real about what it takes to keep “staying alive.”