A Soldier For Happiness (w/ Leon Logothetis)

Summary

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

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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.

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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]).

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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])

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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

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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.

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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.”

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Where to Watch

• Leon’s movie:

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

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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.”

Transcript

[A]

Smart lettuce.

[B]

I'm Adam Pally. With me, as always, is John Gabris. Welcome back to Biting the hand that feeds.

[A]

I'm John Gabris. With me, as always, is Adam Pally. Welcome back to Biting the horse that hands.

[B]

To the hand of the horse.

[A]

You and the horse you rode in on. My kind of threesome Cowboy, a horse, and myself. Yes, please, sir, you have to leave Westworld. You can't keep these horses.

[B]

I haven't spoken in three minutes.

[A]

This is the intro, baby. We got a great guest. I'm sure he would love us doing stupid bits in the intro because he made a documentary about a spiritual journey. Here we are riffing about fudgeing horses in Westworld. Spiritual.

[B]

You got to find your happiness, you know? But he. He's. He's interesting guy because also, I love the. The. The cross section of showbiz and spirituality.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Because those two things, like, it's like the Jonah Hill documentary. It's like they're kind of at odds.

[A]

They're kind of at odds. But he.

[C]

He.

[A]

Well, you'll see. We haven't had this guy. We'll see how he does it, because we end up having, like, weirdly more parallels than we thought, I think y.

[B]

Which is always nice.

[A]

Yeah. We technically made a travel documentary too. It was just disgusting. And for Max. Yeah.

[B]

Here's leon.

[C]

Did you.

[B]

Is the water okay? Did you get enough water?

[C]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I've got water, but it.

[B]

I mean, I got to just.

[D]

We.

[B]

We're recording, right?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Why is it yellow?

[C]

Because I put emergency in it.

[B]

That's just emergency.

[C]

Yeah, yeah.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

That.

[B]

That makes me feel better because, like, that's something I could acquire.

[A]

I thought it was a special concoction.

[B]

I thought it was going to be some. Yeah, like, you know, ayahuasca.

[C]

No.

[A]

Oh, this is my proprietary blend.

[B]

Yeah, that's ayahuasca.

[A]

Cocaine. Rattle off, like, 12 things like, are you going to be okay, man?

[C]

It's just emergency.

[D]

For.

[A]

For all my PAR officers who are watching, it's just emergency. Don't worry.

[B]

Leon, thank you so much for being here. I was looking over your incredibly impressive resume. It's insane. You're like a real person. Yeah.

[A]

We frequently have comedians on here whose lives we can wrap our heads around. Rarely do we have someone who's made documentaries about finding happiness and kindness in life. It's a little different vibe than we're used to, so we're stoked that you're here with us today.

[B]

It's truly awesome. And your New show on the Discovery. On Discovery plus the Kindness Diaries. That's not your new show, that's just your show.

[C]

Yes.

[B]

And then you have a new movie coming out.

[A]

Yes.

[C]

The Kindness within on Amazon Prime.

[A]

Oh, hell yeah.

[B]

And it's so, it's so amazing. Cause it's one of the few things that you hear a documentary of and you're like, wow, that sounds uplifting. It's not like.

[A]

Yeah, it's frequently like, this is how a teen girl was murdered. Oh, what's this documentary about? Oh, it's a guy finding kindness, finding happiness. Okay, let's maybe throw that one on.

[B]

Yeah, but what I was gonna ask you is if you don't mind like, taking us through the beginning of it, because in order to find happiness, I would assume that you were at some point unhappy.

[C]

Sure, absolutely. But this is a comedy show, so are you sure you want to go?

[B]

Don't worry, we'll make fun of you.

[A]

No, trust us, we're wildly unhappy people. Oh, no, no.

[B]

All comedians are miserable. But this will be funny.

[A]

So, yeah. What brings you to pursue happiness on an academic or spiritual and all those levels? What, what, what's, what's the kickoff here?

[C]

Sure. So with the Kindness within, basically, I had a dark night of the soul, and I. And I wrote a suicide note and.

[A]

I ended up that kind of dark night as well.

[C]

Pretty bad.

[B]

And how old were you at the time?

[C]

Like, I was in my 40s.

[B]

Wow.

[C]

So not too long ago, but I'm still in my 40s. What am I talking about?

[A]

Yeah, less than 10 years ago. From the people playing along, I like to know.

[B]

I feel like it's. Sometimes it's just so helpful to know that someone has gone through something recently. You know what I mean? And so it's like, it makes the experience.

[A]

We're not that distant from.

[B]

We're not that far away from that.

[C]

It was a few years ago.

[B]

Okay, so take us through what?

[C]

Yeah, so I had this dark night of the soul. I wrote this note. I was up in my house in Hollywood and I had the foresight to be able to call my therapist. I called him at 11 o' clock at night, and believe it or not, he picked the phone up.

[A]

Yeah, that's the kind of call you should answer.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Unfortunately, he didn't know.

[C]

I mean, luckily he was awake. Right.

[B]

He probably had an idea.

[C]

Yeah. Yeah.

[B]

Maybe a client calling him, a patient calling him at 11.

[A]

Yeah, I think that I. I've noticed. I texted my therapist to reschedule an appointment and I'm like, oh, I'm sorry I'm texting you so late on a Friday. He's like, no, I'm. I'm. Trust me. I checked. And I was like, oh, yeah, yeah.

[B]

He's like, still there.

[C]

So. And he walked me off the ledge. And the next morning I went to a bookshop and I randomly picked up the autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda. And in it he says, if you reveal God to me, I will follow you anywhere. But I wasn't talking about the God that lives in the sky. I was talking about the universal energy of love. And something happened to me in that moment.

[A]

In the moment of reading this.

[C]

Yes, absolutely. And I decided in that moment to go to India to find God. And that's what the movie's about. And again, not the God that lives up in the sky, the God that lives in all of us.

[B]

So God is more of an idea.

[C]

Exactly.

[A]

Like Source Universe, the secular God.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. Or whatever.

[A]

Right.

[B]

You're searching for spirit.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Searching for something. You don't even know what you're searching for.

[C]

Exactly.

[B]

Right.

[C]

I had no idea what I was searching for, but it just hit me like that. I was like, you know what? That's it. It's done.

[B]

That's kind of how I walk into the dispensary. What I'm looking for.

[A]

I want to see God. Got the thing for you, brother. I hope you like resin. He has resin. Maybe. You never know.

[E]

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[A]

Process wise, you arrive in India and what's your plan here? Are you like, I'm going to meet with yogis or I'm going to just like, you know, do as the Romans do and see what. See what falls. Like, what. What was this?

[B]

Yeah, like, what's the deal?

[A]

Yeah, you're at the Four Seasons just ordering room service. Go and found it.

[C]

You know, So I wrapper now.

[D]

Yeah.

[C]

I arrived in Delhi and I kind of had no plans. I knew one person, so I went to see him.

[B]

You should have gone to New Delhi.

[C]

I did. I did go to New Delhi.

[A]

Old deli. Just like Old Delhi is lame now.

[B]

Yeah, Old deli is done, man. You gotta go to New Delhi.

[C]

Season two.

[B]

Okay, great. Knock on wood. I gotta warn you, most people around me don't get a season. So. All right, so you get to India and.

[C]

And I just. I, I end up in Delhi. I then go to Rishikesh and I walk into this ashram randomly and I meet this unbelievably cool, kind, compassionate lady who just sets me on my way and.

[B]

What do you mean it sets you on your way?

[A]

She.

[C]

I end up in the Ganges with her, right? It's all in the movie. It sounds worse than it actually is. But we end up in the Ganges.

[A]

Which is a river.

[C]

The river. The river Ganges.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Like the most epic river in the world. You've never been.

[B]

There's a couple other Hudson.

[A]

M I, S S I S, S, I, P P I.

[B]

That's a hell of a river mythology. Mythologically the river Sticks and you know.

[A]

The denial is a river in Egypt.

[B]

Yeah, of course.

[C]

Have you guys ever been to India?

[A]

I've not, no. That's why. So this is all over my head. So I'm.

[B]

I'm you.

[A]

You end up in the Ganges. This, this.

[B]

Are you baptized?

[C]

No. No. They don't baptize you in the Ganges? I don't believe they're Hindus in India.

[B]

Yeah, so I didn't mean that literally. I mean like, is it, is it a form? Because water is such a. Yeah, I mean like, are you bathing? Are you cleansing yourself?

[C]

100%.

[B]

Okay.

[C]

And she said something to me very profound. She said. I said, so look, you are obviously a magical human being. How do I become a magical human being? And she said, don't do, just be.

[A]

Mind.

[B]

Wow.

[C]

Don't do, just be.

[A]

It is, it is one of those things that if you wrote it down, you'd be like, what does this sentence mean? But the more you think about it, you're like, this is. What does this mean? Yeah, like don't do, just be.

[B]

When that clarity hits you of that sentence. Because it is kind of one of those things. Like I remember as an improviser, one of the things that was always said to us when you're, when you're working on long form improv, which is don't think, don't think, don't think. And I think it seems so simple, right?

[A]

Like you're like, no, I have to think, right?

[B]

You're like, okay, don't think, but how am I gonna do the scene if I'm not think. You know what I mean? Similarly to that sentence. So. And I feel like it started to click in when I stopped analyzing the don't think. And really what it meant is just like, let it go.

[A]

Get the brain.

[B]

Get the brain out of there.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So, like, when that hits you in your clarity, where do you go from there?

[D]

What?

[B]

How do you.

[A]

How do you just be at that moment?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

How do you stop do. Because you're here on a mission, which is a do of sorts.

[C]

Yes.

[A]

But then you're told, don't do.

[C]

Yes. Yes.

[A]

How do you go from doing to being?

[C]

Wow.

[A]

Or I said, a constant process.

[C]

I just jumped into the Ganges and prayed that everything was going to work so fast.

[B]

Who are you praying to at that point?

[C]

I had no idea.

[E]

Right.

[C]

I was just praying to whatever it was I was looking for.

[B]

And are you doing the kind of prayer.

[A]

I'm so sorry, Were you a religious person before any of this?

[C]

I'm not a religious person now.

[A]

Okay. But you still chose to pray to something.

[C]

Yeah. To spirit.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah. And that's what I was gonna ask. Like, are you doing the prayer? Like, the. You know, sometimes prayers like bargaining, you know, of your past, but it's like, please, God, if you sort this out, I'll never, you know, steal again, you know, or whatever. Like, is it bargaining in that situation? Like, what are you saying to yourself in your mind at that moment when you're praying?

[C]

I. I just wanted to be free. I wanted to be emotionally free, and I was willing to do anything within reason to be emotionally free. And jumping into the Ganges was my first step. Well, the first step was getting on the plane to India.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Then jumping to the Ganges. Then everything else that happened that got. Got me to be sitting here today.

[A]

So wanting to be free from emotion. Do. Do you think, is this something that you're constantly pursuing in life, or have you achieved freedom from your emotions?

[C]

If I on a podcast said that I'd achieved freedom, I don't know.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah. People would march on your behalf or something like that. Yeah.

[C]

I have not achieved free, but I am certainly not where I was.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Well, I don't know what you were like before, but based on the story you told, you definitely don't seem like a guy that I'm worried about calling the therapist at 11 anymore.

[E]

Don't worry.

[A]

That. That, to me, is. That's a huge leap to get there. And you're now you're there and you're in the Ganges. Do you get what you think is an answer in this moment, or do you go, like, fuck it, the pursuit is on?

[C]

Like, the pursuit was on. I mean, this was just the beginning. You know, I went to so many incredible places. I ended up at the Golden Temple in Amritsar. I went to churches. I went to synagogues. I went.

[A]

So not a religious person. Still not a religious person. But going to places of worship.

[C]

Yeah. Yeah. I was searching for spirit, and those were some of the places that I went to. So, for example, I was dancing with Hare Krishnas. I met with Buddhists. Buddhists, believe it or not, don't believe in God. I didn't realize that until I did the movie. Literally, I was on the street in Dharamshala, speaking to this monk, and we were talking about spirit and God, and I said, do Buddhists believe in God? And he's like, no.

[A]

Flew to India.

[C]

Well, exactly.

[A]

I should have read the rest of that book. Just the one line inside.

[C]

I was like, oh, all right.

[A]

But anyway, this is where I just learned that. Yeah, on the pod.

[B]

Yeah, that's it. I can tell you right now, you're not gonna find much joy in a synagogue.

[A]

That's where you're. That's where you're will after.

[B]

You will after the service is done. Because everyone's like, finally we can eat.

[A]

Finally. New deli.

[B]

Yeah. My boy, my boy, my boy. Anyway, so.

[A]

Leon, just, like, we're doing stupid puns.

[B]

Leon, here's a question about production.

[A]

Sure.

[B]

Because you're making a television show, you're making a movie. Does the camera ever get in the way of your pursuit of happiness? Because as people who have both acted for a living as other characters and hosted for a living as ourselves, you know, it's hard to. To be totally yourself, yourself and be totally opaque.

[A]

Moore's law, you know?

[B]

Yeah. So, like, do. How do you balance that?

[C]

So a lot of the things I've done, I've had my friends with me, they've been behind the camera. So it feels like there is no camera.

[A]

Right. It's not a crew. It's friends.

[C]

They're skilled. Right. They know what they're doing. But if you put me into a situation where there were people who I didn't know and I didn't vibe with, then it would be difficult.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

You can't open up my soul if someone behind the camera doesn't like me.

[A]

Right. Or you're wondering if how they feel about you.

[C]

Exactly right. So it is. I can see specifically how it can be a problem, but I've just been fortunate enough to always have my people around me.

[A]

Yeah. So like, if they didn't have their camera, they would still be the people you'd want to jump in the Ganges with you.

[C]

Exactly.

[A]

We ended up, over the course of. We did a travel show and over the course of that, we became really tight with the crew. And I thought that's when the episodes got better because we felt more com. They understood us more and we understood them more and we felt more comfortable being ourselves. Although yours was in the pursuit of happiness and ours was in the pursuit of an extreme buzz.

[C]

What was it?

[A]

It was called 101 Places to Party before you die.

[C]

Oh, wow.

[A]

So it's a little different.

[B]

Similar to the Kindness Diaries.

[A]

Yeah, we were chasing happiness, but we were.

[B]

But from man made things.

[A]

What?

[B]

Speaking of that. Ooh, your dark nights of the soul addiction. How does that impact your search for happiness and kindness?

[C]

Sure. I mean, look, my addiction's really. The main addiction I had was work, believe it or not. So I remember once I did 47 speeches in 42 days whilst driving from LA to New York. So I would push myself off a cliff. And people think that addictions are all the other stuff. Drink, drugs, whatever. Don't get me wrong, that is a big thing. But with work, it's like, people like, that's all right, don't worry about it. Right.

[A]

Just. Especially in America.

[C]

Exactly. Right, Right. But whatever we. And food.

[A]

Oh, yeah, yeah. Preacher choir.

[C]

So whatever we do to stop feeling is an addiction. Right. And unless we face will consume us and ultimately it will destroy us. And I had to. And you may think yourself, well, if you had a work addiction, why on earth did you go to India for three months to figure it out? Because obviously that was work, but it was more of a. That was more of an internal journey. A lot of the other stuff I'd done were kind of external journeys.

[A]

Well, it was almost like a self started journey rather than like, I need to do this to make money. You're like, I need to do this for myself.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Because I. We. Not that I'm constantly trying to find parallels, but this is for help. Like, we do a lot of work that is put upon us where we're like, yeah, this is kind of what I want to do, but I like to make money. I want to impress people, make connections, whatever. But then every once in a while you do something that you have started or you're pursuing or maybe it's not even in the Create in. In your. But you're pursuing it, and you feel so much stronger towards it than. Like, this is what I'm supposed to do to make money and keep my health insurance. So you make this choice that. Yes, it is technically work in that you're trying to make something. You're trying to create something. But it's not 47 speeches in 42 days. It's not about output. It's about input.

[C]

Yeah. Yeah. That's beautiful. Hey, thank you.

[A]

I love those. I'm crying. I've got my own thing.

[B]

Yeah, you're all right.

[A]

I've gone through a lot.

[B]

Your ears are bleeding.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, sorry. It's from an as.

[B]

I don't even know what do you. So what makes you happy?

[C]

Connection. My crazy four and a half year old dog, Archie.

[A]

Oh, great name.

[C]

Infamous.

[B]

Infamous has a negative.

[A]

All my neighbors hate him.

[B]

Yeah, that dog sounds like a.

[A]

He's a bit. Yeah, that dog sounds like a major problem, actually. Yeah. Most of the police in my neighbors know. Who are you? Yeah, yeah.

[B]

Obviously you know him from stepping in his. What kind of dog?

[C]

Boston terrier.

[A]

Now I have to step in here. I had a Boston terrier named Artie.

[C]

Oh, wow.

[A]

He lived at 15 years old. RIP to a real one. He was my. My everything. A huge Boston terrier head over here.

[C]

Boston terriers are fantastic.

[A]

And that's why. Now I know why you said infamous.

[B]

Yeah. They're also horribly behaved.

[A]

No, Artie was. Even though he was well behaved, he was too smart. He would be like. He would, like, trick me. Yeah, that's not a big feat.

[B]

How would he do that?

[A]

He would throw a ball, and I would chase it for hours. There's the PG13 version of that joke.

[B]

Sometimes Artie would take out his keys, shake it around. My diva dog, Myrna, who is part terrier. We think she's a street street rat from Tribeca. And she.

[A]

They're rarely street rats there.

[B]

That's why she was. She's the size of a Tribeca rat, but she's so kind of cunning that she will fake. She will. Like, if we're eating at the table, she'll run to the door, bark at the door so that one of us will get up. And then while we're up, she'll run to the table and eat the food.

[A]

Oh, wow.

[E]

Whoa.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Oh, man.

[B]

She's like playing 3D chat.

[C]

So that reminds me of Archie. He'll go outside, fake doing a piss, come back in and ask for a Treat.

[B]

Yep.

[C]

Because he gets a treat when there's a piss. It goes out. Fakes it comes in.

[B]

Yeah. And it's like, that's where you really do separate human from animal. Because you're like, pal, if you're gonna go just piss, you're a dog.

[A]

You're already out here.

[B]

You're already out here. You're gonna do it on every corner that we walk past anyway, where you smell another animal.

[C]

Just get it.

[B]

Get it going, pal. You want me to run the faucet?

[A]

Hi, neighbor.

[F]

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[A]

Leon, we ask everyone this question, and what are you doing to stay alive? And I know that has, like, a lot of possible answers and possible definitions besides emergency.

[C]

Like, maybe it's not emergency.

[A]

Oh, now it's a proprietary plant, my friend. Hey, Sharks, I'd like you to try my new. Wait, what did we tell Lee on this podcast?

[B]

We don't have any money.

[A]

We're doing podcasts.

[C]

That's a great question. And I would say I share my pains.

[D]

Pain.

[A]

I share my pain with, like, a therapist or.

[C]

Yeah, with a therapist. With a friend.

[D]

With my.

[B]

How often you go to therapy?

[C]

I don't know. Once every two hours.

[B]

Wow, that therapist went from getting called at 11 to being on call. I'm gonna make it through the night, but I'm gonna need you 24.

[C]

7.

[A]

Are you blue Cross Blue Shield?

[C]

No, I mean, I just. Just. We don't share our pain, like. And if you Don't. It will destroy you. And I'm an example of the fact that I did and it didn't destroy me. Why don't we share our pain?

[A]

It is crazy when you. Everyone's going through and we all know that. And then the second you start sharing, everyone's like, actually, I feel so similar, actually. And like you start to hear and not. We were all just. Whether it's a friend group or eight people in line at fucking Whole Foods. Like, if you just saw. If you go, like, I'm going through some shit right now. And then someone, that person next year be like, guess what, me too. And then like, we were all holding that in, like. And then you find, like when you share and we have the present company included, we have the benefit of having a little bit of a platform. And then when you share and you hear feedback from other people of like, that's the same stuff I'm going through, you're like, fuck yeah, we need to get this. And hearing other people say it, not, not necessarily comedians and thought leaders, but hearing just another person say they're going through something you're going through or similar to what you're going through is like such a powerful experience.

[B]

I just want to let you know that that's how January 6th happened.

[A]

Well, I know. I was there. I was there. I accidentally pepper sprayed myself. Luckily I never got arrested.

[B]

I was actually there too. I never made it. And I was wearing my moose hat backwards. I thought I was hiding in Pelosi's desk. Turns out I was still in my mom's sob.

[A]

I had a bunch of laxatives so I could drop a heater in Pelosi's desk and I shit my pants on the lawn.

[B]

Never quite made it.

[A]

Ah, so you were pursuing happiness in the Ganges.

[B]

All right.

[A]

So you share your pain. Yeah, so.

[B]

So if you don't mind, if I may be so bold. What, what, what, what's paining you?

[C]

Probably many of the same things that pain you. Yeah. And you, I mean, are you.

[B]

Is your 13 year old son with you on his spring break? Because that's what's painting me right now.

[C]

No, I don't have a 13 year old son. Not that I'm aware of.

[B]

Anyway, I just found out about this one.

[A]

He showed up here. He showed up, he was like, I hope my dad's Conan.

[B]

Oh yeah, he was, he was bummed. The guy said, your dad is at Conan o' Brien's office. And he was like, oh my God.

[A]

He's like, it's Got to be Conan o'. Brien. Sorry. It's not. I'm like, is it the happiness guy? Nope. No him either.

[B]

It's the miserable from Sonic.

[A]

Yeah. So fear of, fear of death. Fear of. Am I enough like that.

[C]

All the same things. Anxiety, depression. Anxiety. Anxiety. Anxiety.

[A]

That's how anxious you are.

[C]

Yeah, exactly.

[A]

It's twice ada.

[C]

Anxiety, you know, childhood trauma, things that, that affect many of us. They affected me, right. And I found a way out of it by sharing my pain. And it sounds simplistic, but it's not. You start the process, you share your pain with one person and you keep on going and you keep on going until you don't have any pain left. Now, I've been doing this for 25 years and I still have some pain, so it may take a bit longer.

[A]

Keep sharing, but I mean a much.

[C]

Much better place, right?

[A]

Yeah, well, it's. It's one of those things like if we all are splitting, you know, if we're all splitting the load, sharing the pain, it's less for all of us, you know, and. And some days you're doing better than your other days and, you know, you're able to help more or, or get hit more, whatever.

[C]

It might be a books.

[B]

You box.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Like, so now your pain is in your shoulders, knuckles.

[B]

You box like fingers. Are you getting in? Are you doing, like, rumble classes or.

[C]

You get no trainer that comes up. You have a trainer, he's Irish.

[A]

Oh, okay.

[B]

So you really, really get into it.

[A]

I'm an Irish boxing trainer and I go to India. A lot of people get afraid by that. How long have you been boxing for?

[C]

About 10 years.

[A]

Okay. Because this is a. This is a key to happiness, I think, because we talk a lot about this. Like, when you're young, you exercise for vanity or for, like, stats to, like, get stronger. But then when you. You hear older people going, like, if I don't run twice a week, my brain is fried. And you're like, what the fuck is this old freak talking about then? Then you get older and you're like, shit, when I exercise, my brain works better. I'm less depressed. I'm a better husband, better dad, better, whatever. And boxing, I think, has this double thing of it's a great workout, and if you have any little bit of aggression, you can take it out on some pads or a heavy bag. And that must feel. That must feel good.

[B]

Are you sparring?

[C]

No, I refuse to get punched in the face.

[A]

You're like, me love boxing and don't necessarily need to find out how much it hurts.

[B]

We're doing the opposite. Because I pay to get punched in the face.

[A]

I share my pain with myself.

[B]

I share my pain with Mistress Tammy.

[A]

So you're, you're hitting, you're hitting pads, hitting the bag. And what's that doing for you? What's that doing for you? In the pursuit of happiness?

[C]

Endorphins. Yeah, right. Keeps me sharp. And sometimes you talk about aggression. So I tell my, my trainer, if I don't like someone in the moment, I say, say his name, and he says his name, I go mad.

[B]

Adam Palak. Gay frass.

[A]

I'll tell you, these guys I hate, I just have to look up who they are.

[B]

Adam Pollock. Who's, who's that?

[A]

And he's just already. Leon's already firing off.

[B]

No, I like to box. I throw boxes. I, I, I, I started with a rumble training a little, and then I, with a trainer that we both use. I started, like, really doing it a lot, and I, I like it a lot. Are you.

[A]

It's a hell of a workout.

[B]

It's the best, definitely. It also is the most fun workout to me. It's the time goes by the quickest when you're throwing punches and dodging and ducking.

[A]

And if fitness builds your confidence in a way, I feel like striking sports and like, that kind of fitness also builds your confidence a little bit where you're like, like, you know, maybe not from like a Taebo class, but you're like, God forbid I had to throw a punch. I've at least done it in like a controlled environment.

[B]

It is also cool that, like, the, you know, you're searching for happiness, but you're so open and honest and willing to look at the whole human experience that you're getting to that happiness through violence.

[A]

Sometimes that's like what it says on your robe as you march out to your big fight.

[B]

Yeah, your hooded robe. Your hooded robe. Happiness through, through violence, it just comes out of our town.

[A]

The. So boxing, sharing your pain. Are there any other habits, hobbies, things you do that you think help keep you alive or keep you. And obviously your pursuit of happiness is part of what's keeping you to stay alive. Obviously. And this is coming from someone who we just learned, briefly, didn't want to stay alive at some point in your past, and now, now you are seeking it out and pursuing. So along, along the way, did you find more reasons to want to stay alive?

[C]

Absolutely, yeah. I mean, I wouldn't be able to be on this podcast if it wasn't.

[A]

For that we wouldn't have your life absolutely ruined by the two of us.

[B]

This is definitely a reason to live.

[C]

It most certainly is. You guys are actually hilarious. I will tell you.

[A]

Oh, thank you, Leon's therapist. If you're listening, keep your phone off airplane mode just in case.

[B]

Now's the time. Take the call tonight.

[A]

You can't be listening live somehow, but definitely be ready for it. Along. Along this conversation. What. What's next for you? What do you want to do?

[B]

Like, yeah, you found happiness. So it was actually pretty simple.

[C]

Just go to India.

[B]

Yeah, go to India. That's what the Beatles did.

[C]

That's true.

[A]

True.

[C]

They took a lot of drugs as well.

[A]

Because like you said before, you were talking about using spirit and spiritual. And a lot of people will claim. And then, of course, this is all stolen. Indigenous valor, like, the communities have been doing hallucinogenics for spiritual purposes for centuries. But it is something. And what you said in there, if it works for you, and that's kind of like the whole. What we're learning from the show is like, obviously not. Maybe going to India is not the right answer for everyone, but. But for you, it's what you needed. It's what shined the light. It's what opened your eyes. And it's not. Again, the show's not prescriptive. We're not saying, like, if you want to be happy, you got to go to India. Sorry. People. Like. But this. It could be that path. It could be this other path. It could be just taking boxing. It could be learning a new skill. It could be cooking for a loved one. Like, any one of these things could be what sets you on that path.

[B]

When you were with the Hare Krishna. They sing any other songs?

[C]

I think they were singing Taylor Swift songs.

[B]

See, like, that would be. I wouldn't sign up.

[A]

I would. In a heart. I'm not religious at all. I'm in. I'm such a swifty.

[G]

I'll join.

[B]

I like the haircut and the swifty.

[A]

There's something powerful and I don't understand. I don't know much about the Hare Krishna religion, but I could objectively say that singing a song in a large group anytime is. Is always like growing up in, like, in mass. In different. In different.

[B]

I'm sure you've been to temples.

[A]

I've been to temples where you sing. I've been to churches, but then also I've been to live concerts where everyone knows. I've also been in a car with three friends, like, half drunk. And you. A song comes on that you all know of, and you're like, my name is Jonas. And it's like that it feels spiritual.

[B]

Like one of those moments. It was in Aurora, Illinois, and we got into my friend Wayne's Blue Gremlin and we put into the eight track.

[A]

Bohemian Rhythm.

[C]

Yes.

[B]

And my buddy Garth, he grabbed this red licorice down from the top because my buddy Wayne was pretty good with tools. And that was a night I'll never forget.

[C]

I assume that's not a true story.

[B]

It's actually one of the key scenes from Wayne's World.

[A]

That's why I was like, I knew the song. I know this reference. But that is like, when you, like, sing something you love at the top of your lungs, no matter what it does, it feels. So now add the element of belief in something larger in that, and that's going to do something powerful to you. But I'm not trying to, like, take away from it, but I'm just saying, like, at a base level, if. If we just stood in a circle and all sang this. A song together super loudly, if we would feel connected and we'd feel something.

[B]

I think there's also like, music sound, like create, like creating something. Like when you're. When you're at a concert and everyone. And like the lead singer stops singing and everyone sings. I mean, I've cried. I'm ruining my glitter, My butterfly wings are getting torn off, like. But I've had those moments for sure where I'm like, you know, so emotional. And it's not. Not the words that I'm saying or the. But it's just the fact that there's all these people who are singing who are gutterally, like, yelling, you know, and.

[A]

It'S like another thing most religions have in common.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Is that singing? Because it's. There's something spiritual about singing as a large group together.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And then change the content of the song to something about God or, you know, about your feelings towards God and. And we're, you know, nailing down some gospel stuff.

[B]

Yeah, for sure. Yeah. It only gets weird when, like, the tongues, like speaking in tongs is always weird.

[A]

Yeah. No, that. That's less songs too. That's like those, like. That's like some fundamentalist.

[B]

Do you ever in. When you were going into like, churches and. And temples and stuff. What's like the most crazy religious stuff you've seen or.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Or something you took away from the. Like, you're like, oh, that. I didn't know about that. Like. You didn't know about the Hare Krishna, like that they sang these songs and we're like, well, anything else that you like saw or, or what was the thing that was very eye opening to you or some shit like that?

[C]

I think the most, the greatest thing I saw was the Golden Temple in Amritsar, India. I mean they have a kitchen there that serves 100,000 meals a day. A hundred thousand meals a day. It was just incredible.

[A]

I mean to just people can come by and eat at the Golden Temple.

[C]

You and you. They probably wouldn't feed, but everyone else, they would.

[A]

No, they, I would show up there.

[B]

And they'd be, I'm a Moon Jaro.

[A]

I would show up, they'd be like, we've already seen you come through this line three times. I just keep getting at the end of a 90,000 person line, I'm with you.

[B]

Like, you know where I can get weed.

[C]

But no, it was, it was an amazing experience. It was really. It wasn't necessarily a religious experience, but the kitchen was a spiritual experience.

[A]

They were, they're feeding a hundred thousand people a day.

[C]

Absolutely.

[B]

And just that amount of like goodwill.

[A]

Of giving.

[B]

Of giving.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Because that's really like unreal. Unrelenting selflessness.

[C]

Yes.

[B]

To just give out that much food, nothing in return.

[A]

And on a shrunken down perspective, like when you cook and feed your friends or a loved one or even like that, that's. That's powerful. That feels good. Or when someone does it for you, that feels really good. Times that. A hundred thousand x. That's awesome.

[C]

I mean the food is bread, rice, chicken, any type of Indian food that you can think of.

[A]

Oh, that sounds awesome.

[B]

That actually sounds great.

[C]

It was pretty delicious.

[A]

Ye, that is a hundred and so people could just come around and eat at the Golden Temple and it's like.

[C]

20, struggling 24 hours a day. Literally, they. You can go there 24 hours a day.

[A]

Wow.

[C]

It's insane. Life changing. Life changing.

[A]

I grew up in the Catholic church and they, there's some charities that they do, but you never hear about any like this. You know what I mean? Like that's, that's real religion.

[B]

No, they pass a hat around and ask everybody.

[A]

They ask you for money. And I'm like, what? I'm here praying for money.

[B]

You for money. That's always the thing with religions that I think keep the public like it though. It's going to be impossible for the public not to be skeptical of something that needs money. Right. You know where it's like, how, how am I supposed to.

[A]

To you're saying God needs my cash?

[B]

Yeah, it's like that and that. That idea for what reason? It's very hard for people to reconcile.

[A]

Yeah, God wants to throw an earthquake in norcal. He needs a few bucks from everybody.

[B]

Yeah, well, I know why my God needs the cash to run the laser machines.

[A]

I know why my God needs the cash to keep shuffling these Catholic priests around the different diocese as they keep getting caught.

[B]

Why they find them first class.

[G]

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[F]

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[E]

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[B]

Do you believe in love?

[A]

Love?

[B]

Like love. Like, like soul. Soul mate, true love. Monogamy.

[A]

Oh, everyone falls off on monogamy. Everyone's like, I'm in. I'm in. Like monogamy. Everyone's like, believe it or not, around a little.

[C]

I. I do. You do?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Well, yeah. You're all about connection, right? Yeah.

[C]

So how does it doesn't mean I've done it perfectly. I haven't.

[E]

No.

[A]

Say less.

[B]

Well, this comes off, but I had.

[A]

A relationship for 23 years. I don't think she'd Call it perfect.

[B]

She'd call it burpfict. But. But. So the reason I ask that is because love to me, you know, as someone who's lucky enough to have someone in my life that I love and who I think sometimes loves me.

[A]

Thank you. I do.

[C]

I was literally just about to say that I didn't have the balls to do it.

[B]

What I was talking about my do. It's hard to tell sometimes. Is it me or the food?

[A]

Is it me or the peanut butter?

[B]

Yeah, but no, as someone who's lucky enough to have someone that I. I love deeply, who's like my. You know, whether it's healthy or not, I get joy from. From this person being in my life. You know, that may not be healthy because sometimes I depend on. On her for that joy. But both. But it is something that I have. So how does. Where does love fit into your equation of happiness?

[C]

For me personally, I think it's a very big part of it. I'm in a relationship. I think.

[B]

I know how that feels.

[C]

Not very funny.

[A]

She's like, if you're listening, I was kidding, babe. Yeah.

[B]

Well, are you guys saying I love you?

[C]

Of course.

[B]

Okay, so then you're in a relationship.

[C]

Well, there you go. And I think it's a really important piece of being human.

[G]

Right.

[C]

And.

[A]

But love can come in all different ways.

[C]

No, of course.

[D]

Right?

[A]

No, of course.

[E]

That's why.

[B]

But I. But.

[A]

But for any other single listeners out there, you can still find love with that. It doesn't have to be romantic love, a hundred percent.

[B]

But my. The reason I was asking romantically is because traditionally that's thought of as like the thing that the cure. All right. Like, is like, if you find love, you know, I don't think it's a cure all.

[C]

That's the only problem.

[A]

Yeah. And I think putting it on that, like, people make that mistake.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Trust. You can both be anxious and depressed.

[C]

And still be in love.

[D]

Trust me.

[B]

Or you can be none of those things. And still together.

[C]

So the therapist who's actually in the movie told me something really wise. He said that ultimately a romantic relationship is icing on the cake. It is not the cake. And I've spent my whole life thinking it's the cake.

[A]

Right. And that's a lot of pressure for a potential partner, too, to be like, well, as soon as I nail this person down, I will finally be happy. And they're like, wait, I'm sorry, what are you expecting of me? Yeah, I was just gonna come over and order pizza and watch Severance and.

[B]

That'S how relationships miss.

[A]

Right.

[B]

Because you're not at the same place. And. Right.

[A]

And also, like, like, like you. You spoke to it a little bit when you were like. And maybe it's a little unhealthy that I get, but if you're not expecting it, you know what I mean? Like, that's where the problem lies in. Right. Is that you're like, oh, I thought you would make me happy. And it's like, you can't. Like.

[B]

Right. Well, well, that's. That's an ultimate lesson that I'm sure that you've come to learn is that not no one person or thing can make you happy. You have to make.

[A]

It all has to come from within you.

[C]

And that's why we call the movie the Kindness Within.

[B]

Yes.

[C]

Because it all comes from in here, ultimately.

[B]

My parents had a book in their bathroom when I was a kid forever called Happiness is a Choice. I forget who wrote it, but I would, like skim through it, you know, when I was using. Cause they had a nicer toilet. And I remember really identifying with that philosophy because I often look at people in my life when they are upset, and it does seem like that's a choice. And if it's a choice choice, then can't you just choose to look at things another way?

[C]

Look, I think, I think ultimately it is a choice. But there are some times when you're in such a bad way that it's not a choice. And it's in those moments that the choice is to call a therapist. The choice is to call a. A hotline. The choice is to, you know, go read a book.

[A]

There's always a choice, but the illusion of there is no choice. You can find yourself in a situation where there's no choice and you're like, no, there is always a choice.

[C]

Yes.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But whether or not you can see it for. And good or bad, like, you know, you. Good choices.

[C]

And, and, and sometimes the choice is just one little small step, which is me calling my therapist. And sometimes the choice is I'm not going to be unhappy, which is a big step. Right, Right. For many.

[A]

Yeah. That's it. That's so crazy.

[B]

Like, you like money?

[A]

No, no, not anymore.

[C]

Of course I like money.

[A]

Who doesn't buy happiness with money?

[B]

But like, what kind of, what kind of car you drive?

[C]

I drive a Lamborghini.

[B]

Really?

[C]

No, I'm joking. I drive a. A gti. A Golf gti.

[A]

Oh, yeah.

[C]

I'm actually trying to sell it. Do you want to buy it?

[B]

Honestly, I Used to have a gti, so I'm, I'm good.

[A]

But I, I had a golf. I had a Golf station. Where.

[B]

Yeah, I live in New York. We're V Dub boys. Like, I, I love a gti.

[C]

If anyone.

[B]

Is it Diesel?

[D]

No.

[C]

If anyone is listening, they want to.

[A]

Buy my gti, come, reach out, tweet at us. Happiness with Prime.

[B]

You lost for a nicer car?

[C]

No, not really. I don't really care about cars. I care about experiences. You guys know that.

[B]

Yeah. That's why I'm asking, like, you lost for travel.

[G]

You lost?

[A]

Yes.

[B]

You lost for travel. You lost for like a. A time with a loved one in a new location.

[D]

Yes.

[A]

Well, let's, let's. Let's unpack this for a second because traveling is spiritual. Getting out of your comfort zone. What. What about it? What about. Because, like, you went and found yourself in India, you know, like how Stella got her groove back, how she eat, prayed and loved. Like, there, there's this element of like these, you know, they're not full blown sojourns or whatever, but like, we do these things. And I know when I'm out of my comfort zone, traveling somewhere, it's like when I feel I don't know what it is, I may be analyzing myself. More or less my comfort zone. Yeah. Or less. Yeah. And I'm more about like, hell, I'm here in Barcelona and I'm just doing as the Barcelonians do or whatever. Like, what is it about travel that we seek out these kind of journeys for? I mean, I guess it's kind of also making the metaphor literal in a way too. But, like, why is travels? Because, like, as you said it, I was like, yeah, this seems to be like a thing, a pattern. Is like, we. I got to get out of here and just see. And we hosted a travel show, and yes, we just went to domestic cities and got wasted in them. But even that was still like being in Denver. Being in Moab, being Maui was still.

[B]

Like, do you find. You find that that is part of your alchemy?

[C]

100%. Traveling changed my life without a shadow of a doubt. I've had so many incredible experiences. Again, I'm. I was preaching to the choir. Because you've done it.

[A]

Yeah. And what is that? Like, why, why is that? Because it's new experiences. It's like changing the stimuli that your body's. It's all new food, new smells, new sights.

[C]

I think our brains crave new things, right?

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

And they create our one brain craves being out of our comfort zone. And when I travel, I get to see different types of people, I get to experience different types of food. I get to be completely out of my comfort zone. I get to do things that maybe I wouldn't do if I was at home.

[B]

Right?

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

And I always like to say that travel is the school of life. I have learned. Learned so much by traveling. I didn't learn much at school. Right. Because I wasn't listening. I was just imagining traveling.

[D]

Literally.

[C]

Yeah. And going out into the world. And for example, let's take poverty. You can pick up a book or you can watch a show and you can sort of understand poverty or you can go to a slum in India and understand poverty in the very center of your being. Yeah. And you do that again and again and again with good experiences, bad experiences. One of the things that I learned from traveling was to how to deal with my. How to live from my intuition. I remember I was in Panama at the Panama Canal. I was in a hotel and the guy said to me, don't go out at night. I was, I was young. And I said, yeah, whatever. So I went out at night. And what happened? I got beaten up. No, Right. So didn't. I mean, I'm still here, but it wasn't pleasant.

[A]

You're like, I gotta call this Irish guy. I am not good at boxing.

[C]

So I know this was years ago.

[B]

It's 11 o'.

[A]

Clock. I'm not answering this, answering this.

[C]

So it teaches you. Like when a hotel guy tells me, don't go out at night, I now listen to him.

[A]

Right.

[C]

Okay.

[A]

And then it seems simple, but you.

[B]

Really got to get the kicked out of you.

[A]

That's one lesson you'll never forget.

[C]

I will not forget that lesson.

[A]

Oh, that's.

[B]

I mean, so it sounds crazy, but it is true. It's like I. You have to. To make the mistake. To learn not to is. Is. It's hard because what if you don't live through the mistake? Like, what if you had been shift. You know?

[C]

Of course it could end badly. But that's why the intuition piece. There was another piece. I was in Thailand 20 years ago with a friend. A guy comes. Have you been to Thailand?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

I haven't.

[C]

Okay. So a guy comes up with a tuk took. And he says, I can take you to the best place to party. And my friend was like, okay. And I said, no, no, no, no. There's something doesn't feel right.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

And he's like, no, no, let's go. I said, man, there's something that doesn't feel right. He's not. Let's go. I was like, fine, whatever. So we went. The guy ended up taking us to an opium den.

[G]

Right?

[B]

So he wasn't lying.

[A]

Well, I mean, not exactly the fun you.

[B]

Mean. Look, everybody's idea of fun is different.

[C]

Well, it wasn't my idea of fun.

[A]

Right. Exact.

[B]

Say, don't yuck someone's yum.

[C]

That is true. That is true. That is true.

[A]

Everything.

[C]

I shouldn't judge, right?

[B]

Look, all I'm saying is I like a poppy seed baby.

[A]

That becomes your nickname because you hang out the Thai opium den so much.

[B]

And they're like, it's a form of experiment. Here comes Poppy Bagel.

[A]

Here's get him a schmear.

[E]

Don't worry.

[B]

He won't freak out.

[A]

That. That intuition thing is. Is strong. You also. You also made me think. Another thing I learned a lot from travel is seeing other Americans out. And I go, okay, you're not supposed to be like this. Like, when you. You're like, in a foreign country and you watch two Americans do something, and you're like, okay, well, I'm not supposed to behave like that because that's disgusting or rude or whatever.

[B]

Like, the best diet an American can go on is going to Orlando. Because you see everybody waiting in those lines, and you're like, I do not want to be that.

[A]

Like, oh, there's no one in the salad line. Yeah, grab a quick Caesar R. But.

[B]

The turkey leg goes around the block.

[A]

The dole whip.

[B]

Food. You like food?

[C]

I do.

[A]

Do you find happiness in food?

[C]

Look, I've had a history of using food in the wrong way.

[A]

You're preaching again choir here. Yeah. I got ink to prove it.

[C]

I love. Oh, there you go. There you go. So I try. Look, I like every everything, right? My favorite food is rice pudding.

[A]

Oh, hell yeah.

[C]

Granny used to make the most amazing rice puddings.

[B]

Really?

[A]

I. I loved diner rice pudding my whole life.

[B]

Diner rice.

[A]

And that's, like, my familiarity with rice pudding. I love. Rice is one of my favorite foods. And then rice pudding is. I ate it at the Baldwin Coach Diner on Sunrise highway on Long Island. I ate it every week with my grandfather. I was obsessed with it.

[B]

Yeah, the rice pudding is good. You know what mine is?

[C]

What?

[B]

French toast.

[A]

Toast.

[B]

Like, French toast, to me, is the ultimate, like, I'm going to hell on a hand basket.

[A]

It's such a treat because it's like, you're having. It's morning cake.

[B]

It's bread, and it's bread and butter with, with candy syrup, you know, and it's like. And there's nothing else, like, you know, a pancake can have blueberries in it that no French. French toast is like, you can class it up with like, whipped cream.

[A]

That's all.

[B]

I turned to Theo Vaughan, put a.

[A]

Little whipped cream on that French.

[B]

And then, and then there was this one kid, Ernesto.

[A]

We're doing impressions of more famous podcasts Ernesto now.

[B]

Oh, boy, oh, boy. Ernesto. Love that French toast.

[A]

Leon's like, plug my movie. Let me get out. Yeah, sorry.

[B]

I got 10 more minutes of my Theo von impression.

[A]

This is why Leon's over there going like, hey, I'm going within. Keep talking, buddy. I'm going in. My, my therapist, he says, go within. That's like a thing we talk about, is that, that'. And so I find that he's like, you have to find it from. In you.

[B]

He's.

[C]

Go within.

[B]

And, well, that's, that's why the choice, that book that my parents said, it always kind of like struck with me because again, like you, you. There's always. It seems simple like you're saying, but glass half full, glass half empty is really truly the whole thing. You know, any way you look at anything, something could be a catastrophe or.

[A]

It could be an opportunity.

[B]

An opportunity. Or it could be an obstacle. But it's the way that you react to it that gives it its worth. And so there are things that deserve enormous, enormous, like mind altering emotional shifts. You know, there are things that deserve that. But then there are other things that we, that we encounter every day that don't. That we give that weight to.

[A]

We give so much power to. And we don't have to.

[B]

And you, you don't have to at all. You can just choose to be like, you know, I'm actually not that upset that I got a parking ticket. You know, it's like, well, that's me. But, but you know what I mean?

[A]

Well, it's like just like, okay, I parked in the wrong place. I got a ticket.

[B]

I won't do that again.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And I got beat up in Panama.

[A]

What, what's, what's your next. Do you have any journey lined up or travel or anything you're excited about looking at on the horizon coming up?

[C]

Do you know what the answer to that is? No.

[A]

Oh.

[C]

Because I wanted to concentrate all my energy on the movie Smart, and I decided to listen to what Nandiniji said to me. Remember the lady I talked to you at the beginning?

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

She said, don't do. Just be So I decided to actually do that and be that. There you go.

[A]

So I decided to do that. A b. Sorry. Well, you could say I, I'm just being on a promotional tour.

[B]

Yeah, or you can say like, I'm just being a documentary filmmaker. Research. Just, Just bullshit. Something.

[A]

Where can people watch this movie? It's on Prime. Everyone has this app and they can rent your movie and watch it.

[C]

Sure, sure. They can watch it on Amazon Prime.

[A]

That's excellent. Give us a little bit of a spiel about it for if they pull this out as just its own clip or.

[C]

Sure. So the movie is called the Kindness One Within A Journey to Freedom. And it's about my trip to India to find God. The God that lives in with all of us. Love, compassion, empathy, spirit.

[A]

Hell yeah, I'm in. I mean, I, I.

[B]

You ever go to a Scientology?

[A]

The comments, the Satan within.

[B]

I, I seen how far you push this.

[A]

We went to ash drums, churches. I dressed up as a dog and got walked professionally. Wait, what was that last one? Leon, thank you so much for coming on, staying alive and sharing with us your journey. I.

[B]

You're a soldier for happiness.

[C]

Thank you.

[A]

Thank you. Yeah.

[B]

And, and, and, and, and I guess the way to. You're so. I'll. I'll try to say this as poetically as possible. Your soldier for happiness, and your weapon is kindness.

[C]

You're a poet as well as a comedian and a podcaster. Anything else?

[B]

God, I hate that. I fucking. I am not a podcaster. I am a fucking movie star.

[A]

That's what.

[B]

A star of film and television and for low money, the Internet. Sorry, I'm.

[A]

I'm happy we know you're not a podcaster because you just spiked your levels.

[B]

I quit.

[A]

Thank you so much. I appreciate it.

[C]

No, worse. Thank you.

[A]

Oh, man.

[C]

Good.

[B]

That was so fun.

[C]

You guys are hilarious.

[A]

Sorry you had to put up with all that.

[B]

That was.

[A]

I read A Book of Flight. It was, it was inspirational.

[B]

Cuz I can't wait.

[A]

First time we didn't talk fully about, like, it wasn't about fitness or.

[B]

No, it was the mental side of.

[A]

Staying alive, but even more so than like, like we, when we get into the coaster, we get into like therapy and we get into shit like that, but we rarely get into like, spiritual journeys.

[B]

No, no, we, we're not deep.

[A]

No. Turns out shallow people. Agreed.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I, I can't stop thinking about a place that feeds 100,000 people a day. That's like burned into my head. I'll think about that because like, fuck, Denny's like Denny's can't handle that.

[B]

Denny's can't. Denny's can't even remember my grand slam.

[A]

McDonald's has like 2 million served on a sign up outside for all of time. Yeah, Golden Temple's doing that in a.

[C]

Week and a half.

[B]

Yeah, dude, we got a franchise Golden Temple. I want a Golden Temple in every Las Vegas casino.

[A]

We become the two white.

[B]

Especially the Taj Mahal.

[A]

How racist are we being? My accident like the Taj Mahal much?

[B]

Leon, is it okay to. To outro a podcast with just us laughing? Because that's fine.

[A]

Well, it was fun to get to talk about travel. Another facet of our friendship and careers and personalities.

[B]

Yeah, I think the thing that was cool about that interview also is, like the thing that wasn't said is that, that, you know, cars, jewelry, money, it doesn't. It doesn't shift the emotional dial. But spending money on travel will change your mental perspective.

[A]

Yeah, experience over goods all the time. Yeah.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I mean, I love goods.

[B]

No, no, no. I just bought a new watch.

[A]

I'm dying to get my Assassin's Creed fired up.

[B]

Oh, dude, the new one's out.

[A]

Shadows.

[B]

I know.

[A]

I texted you. I said, please show Dre.

[B]

I texted dream.

[A]

I sent you a text that said, can you. This is for your 7 year old son passing along.

[B]

Do you know what I did? Do you know what I did? I texted him and said, download this before I get home. He's seven.

[A]

Oh, hey, show this to Drake. We're business partners. We're supposed to be texting about work.

[B]

I did. And he lives totally normal. He was like, Gabriel. Gabriel told me about clean.

[A]

Yes, I want the credit.

[B]

Yeah, I got homies. He's like, did Gabris tell you a new Assassin's Creed.

[A]

Hey, Adam. See you next week. You have been listening to Staying Alive with John Gabris and Adam Pali, a Smartless media production in association with Sirius xm.

[B]

Produced by Devin Tory Bryant and Anne Harris. Engineered and edited by Devin Tory Bryant, who also wrote the music.

[A]

Associate producer and video producer is Maddie McCann. Social media producer Tommy Galgano.

[B]

Assistant engineer, Kyle McGraw. Special thanks to Jared O' Connell at SiriusXM.

[A]

Executive producers are John Gabris. Ooh, me, Adam Pally. Ooh, you, Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, Richard Corson and Bernie Kaminsky. Do us a favor. Just rate and review the podcast. It actually helps.

[B]

Just so it everyone knows, we do not have a discord.

[A]

Don't reach out to us.

[B]

See us on the street, walk the other way or you'll catch hands. I had a similar experience on my honeymoon. We went to Thailand and we were in Chiang Rai and. And we went into the Mekong river and there was this like incredibly spiritual and compassionate tour guide. And everyone was kind of like feeling very cleansed, you know. And I remember it was right before I went to like dunk my head in the river.

[C]

She.

[B]

She very softly said to me, don't pee in here because a bug will swim up your dickhole.

[A]

That's made. That line is made famous in the Sean Connery movie Medicine Man. The capital of fish will swim up your urethra.

[C]

Wow.

[B]

So it was. We both have similar.

[C]

I think you guys want to destroy my career. I'm known as the kindest guy and here we are talking about Willie.

[B]

No, no, no, no.

[A]

Don't do. Save over $200 when you book weekly. Stays with VRBO this winter. If you haven't seen your college besties since, well, college.

[F]

You need a week to catch up.

[A]

In a snowy cabin. Take a week long vacation and save over 200.

[B]

Book [e-mail].