Transforming Mental Health with Music: Samuel Young’s Take on Passion vs. Profit

Ever feel like society's standards for success and relationships are just illusions? All these influencers talking about "hustle culture" without ever showing the cracks in their facade or friendships with barely any substance make it past it's dopamine-chase beginnings.

Well, I'm hyped to bring you a raw conversation with Samuel Young, a DJ and marketing expert who's also on a mission to tackle mental health issues through the power of music. He’s spinning a new narrative on how to blend passion with purpose in the most authentic way possible.

Samuel is a true minimalist digital nomad, you'll hear more about his lifestyle during our conversation, and not just the ones created by the TikTok-tification of "lifestyle entrepreneurs," (whatever that means.)

In this episode, we into the psychology of productivity and how we often tie our self-worth to our output. Samuel opens up about his journey from the DJ booth to the marketing boardroom, sharing the challenges he's faced, confront the real-life pressures of societal standards, the power of self-awareness, and why authenticity in both personal and professional life is a game-changer.

Samuel also sheds light on his 30-year plan to use music as a tool to address mental health issues, emphasizing the profound impact that auditory stimuli have on our subconscious.

"If you kill yourself, how do you know it's not fucking worse on the other side? It could be way worse," Samuel challenges the harsh realities many face, pushing us to rethink our approach to life's toughest moments.

So, if you're ready to live life on your own unapologetically real terms, tune in.

Key Takeaways:
We challenge the notion that longer friendships are inherently deeper, emphasizing the value of evolving and genuine connections.
Samuel discusses how being upfront about personal passions can enhance credibility and trust in professional settings.
Understand that following one's passion may not always be immediately profitable, and sometimes side hustles are necessary.
Samuel reveals his long-term plan to leverage music as a tool for mental health improvement, emphasizing the subconscious impact of auditory stimuli on our lives.
I share my 428-day journey of sobriety, shedding light on how becoming sober helped me develop greater self-compassion and contribute more meaningfully to my relationships.

If you found a piece of yourself in our stories, or had a good laugh during your journey of authenticity and breaking societal molds, don't stop here. Head over to our website for more episodes that will challenge, inspire, and empower you.

Hit subscribe, leave us a review if you loved what you heard, and share this episode with someone who needs to hear it.

Catch you in the next episode – stay fit, stay frugal, and most importantly, stay true to you.

Thank you for spending your time with us!

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Transcript

0:00:06 - (Tawni Nguyen): Hey, guys. Welcome back to the Fit and frugal podcast. I'm your host, Tawni Nguyen. Today I have here a super special guest. This is my friend Samuel, my personal gigolo.

0:00:14 - (Samuel Young): Yeah, personal gigolo. And yeah, thanks for having me on. So, yeah, I'm Samuel Young. I'm Tawny's personal gigolo. Honestly, every time I'm in Vegas, she's basically like my stepmom. She drives me everywhere. She makes sure we're safe. And there's always snacks, fruit snacks in the car too.

0:00:36 - (Tawni Nguyen): I know. I'm always offering you my banana.

0:00:38 - (Samuel Young): Yeah, she's always offering me her banana. So if you don't know this about her, she always carries around bananas because she doesn't want to get cramps.

0:00:47 - (Tawni Nguyen): And protein powder.

0:00:48 - (Samuel Young): And protein powder. Yeah. But I feel like the protein powder is a bit more obvious because it'll probably end up somewhere on your shirt at one point in the day. But, yeah, we recently just met each other. I think it was about, like, last time we were in Vegas, like, 30 days ago or something like that.

0:01:08 - (Tawni Nguyen): Yeah, right.

0:01:09 - (Samuel Young): Yeah. And now, you know, a lot has changed and we're, like, basically, like, besties now.

0:01:14 - (Tawni Nguyen): I know. Well, that's what I want to bring up is there's a lot of societal standards in terms of how long people think friendship takes to form. And there's a whole thing with me, it's about depth of relationship, not about width. Because there is this current measure of people holding onto history because they think they have history with someone and their friendship is so long going, and it's so strong because they've known each other for, like, a decade.

0:01:35 - (Tawni Nguyen): But for me, I'm like, do you really know this person? Are you actually evolving with this person? Or is this just a person that has a width and length of time with you? But you guys are not really going anywhere. And it just kind of maintains on that superficial level of, like, oh, yeah, I know him. We go way back, and I'm like, way back to when, like, when you were popping bottles, like, at the nightclub and, like, doing bumps and shit together. Or, like, what kind of go back is it, you know, or is it that you actually went through some shit, got out of your shit, grew up, and then are still friends, like, discovering each other?

0:02:06 - (Samuel Young): Yeah.

0:02:06 - (Tawni Nguyen): So that, for me, I think it's this modern societal standard of friendship. It's really hard for people to believe that sometimes when you meet someone for 30 days and yet we know more about each other than, like, some of my friends from, like, fucking high school actually. I don't have any friends from high school, like, college.

0:02:20 - (Samuel Young): They're all gone.

0:02:21 - (Tawni Nguyen): The second time I went to college, and they're all gone. And do you have experiences like that to where you feel like, as you are evolving in your career and shedding layers of who you used to be, that you still have kind of, like, that guilt or that shame that you're like, but I have to let go of my friends. And I'm constantly meeting new people. I have to constantly change and adapt, because in this world of marketing, it's like you're constantly just changing.

0:02:48 - (Samuel Young): Oh, absolutely. I think something I've been realizing is it feels like every three months, I'm just, like, a completely different person. And that's actually, like, it's good because I know I'm growing. And as I'm, like, trying to accomplish the things that I want to accomplish and it's actually happening, it also kind of feels shitty. Cause you're, like, so awkward. You're not comfortable. You're, like, really outside of your comfort zone.

0:03:16 - (Samuel Young): And I think something that you said, tying back to, like, what we're first starting to talk about was, I love people who are just like themselves the moment you meet them. Because it just, like, it cuts out, like, all the bullshit of just, like, oh, like, where you from and all these things. And then, you know, it takes you, like, 30 days to get to know somebody, but you could have just started, like, from day one.

0:03:42 - (Tawni Nguyen): Yeah.

0:03:42 - (Samuel Young): And I also think it's like, it's a filter, you know, if you're just like. Cause I grew up, I was, like, super shy. I was, like, extremely shy. And I realized I was, like, a people pleaser, so I would want everybody to like me. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. I wasn't really myself. And I'm like, huh. I don't know if I'm, like, really hanging out with the people I need to be.

0:04:06 - (Tawni Nguyen): Yeah.

0:04:07 - (Samuel Young): So I'm like, well, maybe I need to be more confident and who I am and myself. And then next thing you know, I'm like, I have, like, the best friend group now.

0:04:15 - (Tawni Nguyen): Yeah.

0:04:16 - (Samuel Young): Cause they actually know me. So I know I went on, like, a little rant there, but so many ideas there.

0:04:22 - (Tawni Nguyen): No, of course. And I do want to piggyback off of that because you said something that kind of stands out is, like, authenticity attracts authenticity. That word gets thrown around a lot because now everyone's claiming they're authentic, but they're so afraid to be themselves. Because you said, like, the filter of removing those layers instantly, it's kind of like, for example, how we met is I'm like, get the fuck in the car.

0:04:40 - (Samuel Young): Yeah, yeah.

0:04:40 - (Tawni Nguyen): But we already know, like, we're gonna be homies. You know what I mean? But I think for that, I think people are so afraid because everyone feels like they have to please other people, and that's how they get self validation. And even for you, like, your canadian accent came out a little bit when you're like, oat. And I was like, ah, that's so cute. And that must be, like, a cultural shock as well, right? Because now you're living in different parts of the world, and you're experiencing, like, different culture as well.

0:05:08 - (Tawni Nguyen): And I'm sure that helps you shed your identity of what you think you have to be for people to like. Like you growing up and identity is such a hard play because I think I kind of grew up, like, being bullied and just being made fun of. I never felt like I was worthy. Good enough, pretty enough, you know? Cause I'm also an immigrant. I came here at ten years old. I had no friends. So for me, I was always, like, that weird kid that was, like, somewhere in between, not smart enough, not cool enough, and I was always constantly chasing that cool card, you know? And I think we kind of all did.

0:05:43 - (Tawni Nguyen): Like, we also just want to fit in or feel like people get us.

0:05:47 - (Samuel Young): Yeah.

0:05:48 - (Tawni Nguyen): But I don't think that brick really hit me until I turned 30, which is, like, a few years ago, that I'm just like, man. Like, what is the point of fitting in? Because then you become like everyone else.

0:05:57 - (Samuel Young): Yeah.

0:05:57 - (Tawni Nguyen): And your avatar, the person you pretend to be. That's why I was, like, severely depressed and, like, anxious all the time. Cause I'm like, man, I'm tired of being this person for everyone because at.

0:06:05 - (Samuel Young): The end of the day, I was.

0:06:06 - (Tawni Nguyen): Like, I don't have anyone to call, you know? So what was that experience like for you? You know, when you're changing friend groups? And I know we went off on a tangent of, like, identity and belonging, and you said, like, you're finally now coming to terms with, like, every three months. Yeah, right. You're changing yourself.

0:06:23 - (Samuel Young): Yeah.

0:06:24 - (Tawni Nguyen): Right. And then you have a core group of friends. But what does that process actually feels like? Like, what does that grief actually is.

0:06:30 - (Samuel Young): Like, well, I am really lucky. Like, I have a core friend group I grew up with. Honestly, the best. Like, I already know I'll be friends with them forever. But it's just like, you know, if you're just, like, the type of person who's trying to, you know, get as many friends as possible. You nailed it. It's like, are you going like, deep in these relationships? Are you going deep within yourself or you just like, you know, getting the width? So, yeah, so I am lucky I have that core friend group.

0:07:03 - (Samuel Young): This process, for me, I'll just tell you a story and I might be able to explain it, is I was planning to get a twelve month lease after a trip from Brazil. So had a little trip from Brazil, went down for a wedding. I'm like, cool. After that, I'm going to settle down, I'm going to be responsible, and I'm going to stop traveling. So I've been traveling for four years. Before that, I'm like, twelve month lease, nice and boring.

0:07:30 - (Samuel Young): Gym around the corner, groceries, ten minute walk. Simple. So I can just focus on my goals. Well, that fucking didn't happen. So since, what is it? It's like April now? April 24 or whatever?

0:07:46 - (Tawni Nguyen): 22Nd. Earth Day.

0:07:48 - (Samuel Young): Yeah, Earth Day. Yeah. I realized I've done more traveling since January than I have in the past two years. And that was like the opposite of what I was trying to do. And the reason for that is because these opportunities kept coming up and I realized I'm like, well, I really only wanted to get that twelve month lease because there was stuff I wanted to accomplish within those twelve months. But then I realized, well, I just put a, you know, a timeline on my goals.

0:08:17 - (Samuel Young): So I basically accomplished everything I wanted to accomplish within three months. So now I'm like, well, I guess I have to, like completely change, like these other things that I thought I needed in order to accomplish my goals. Just kind of like the logistics of achieving the goals. I'm like, all that shit's changed. I'm out of control of that. So I still need to stay focused, and now I need to figure out, I guess, probably make bigger goals.

0:08:44 - (Samuel Young): Really? Yeah, so I don't know if that. I feel like I'm in a different scenario where things are going really well too. So it's kind of like, man, I just got to keep, like, things very, very simple because there's going to be a lot of craziness going on and just kind of, you know, try to get some sleep in between.

0:09:06 - (Tawni Nguyen): Yeah, no, I picked up a couple things off of that. It's like, in first I feel like this is your season of lightness because there's no such thing. It's like fully work life balance or whatever. Right. But it's like seasons. It's like, how hard are you going in that season? Are you putting your head down? Are you focused? Are you disappointed? Are you staying on track of achieving the thing you said you want to do? And you said you achieved twelve months worth of work in three, which is awesome. I do want to touch back on that. Like, it must take a season of darkness for you to be in this light of this season to, like, fully embody, like, where you're at now.

0:09:36 - (Tawni Nguyen): But I want to ask you a question that, like, why do you think with the level of productivity that we are ingrained to achieve, that we tie our, like, self worth and self validation to the societal standard of measurement, to your self worth and what you are as a person? Like, why do you think we attach that so much to, you know, cause you're in sales and marketing. It's like, it sometimes gets, like a little heavy layer of extra wordings around it that's really unnecessary. It's like a lot of fluffy language, but authenticity gets lost in there somewhere. Right? So the first question is, how do you think, like, why we tie our worth to the amount that we're able to produce?

0:10:16 - (Tawni Nguyen): And two, it's like, where is the line drawn in between authenticity and marketing and sales? And how has that really affect as a person that's in that space?

0:10:25 - (Samuel Young): Oh, that's a good question. And honestly, I think, like, identity is something that I've always struggled with. And I think it's something like, I might, I just kind of accepted, like, oh, I'm never, like, the person who's just like, this is the one thing I do. So the reason why I'm actually in sales and marketing is because I'm passionate about music. Like, music is the one thing I can say, like, identify as somebody who absolutely loves electronic music.

0:10:55 - (Samuel Young): And I've been producing and djing for like, 15 years, so I'm obsessed with it. However, when I had my identity tied to, like, oh, you know, Sam the DJ, when I was growing up, I didn't have my shit together, so I'm partying all the time, making terrible decisions. And eventually you start, you know, this passion for music, you start doing it for other reasons. That's not about the passion. So then I just, like, unhappy with that.

0:11:24 - (Samuel Young): And eventually I was like, okay, you know what? Like, I really need to, like, go out, see the world, start traveling. You know, how can I, like, take that first step? That's when I started finding marketing, digital marketing, which eventually led me to sales. But I guess, like, the one thing I'm really authentic about is I like what I do. I like marketing and sales. But I tell people, I'm like, this is just practice. So when my music stuff really gets to where I want it, I know how to market that and I know how to sell it.

0:12:00 - (Samuel Young): So I tell people, you know, I'm just doing this because these are valuable skills that's going to help my passion. So, yeah, I guess, like, identity is, like, something I've always struggled with. Where this year I've kind of, like, narrowed it down. I'm like, I'm in sales. I'm in marketing. My passion's music. But if you ask me what I do, I'll probably tell you I'm a stripper.

0:12:28 - (Tawni Nguyen): Hence the personal jiggle.

0:12:29 - (Samuel Young): Yeah, I guess, like how Tawny and I, like, start joking about this just to give everybody context. I was telling her, you know, we're sitting down at the blackjack table, and one thing that you get all the time is like, oh, so what do you guys do for work? And without hesitation, I'm with my friend Jeff. I'm like, we're actually male strippers. And she's just like, no, you're not. I was like, shit, I thought everyone was gonna laugh at that. Nobody laughed except for me. I was like, yeah, well, fuck.

0:13:02 - (Samuel Young): I'm like, I bet Tanya will find this funny. So I hop in the car with her this morning. I'm like, just told her this story. I'm like, hey, Tawny. So, yeah, I made this joke, and nobody laughed. And, you know, the blackjack dealer was like, hey, what do you do for work? I'm like, guess what I said. She's like, I don't know. What do you say? Like, that you're a stripper or something? I'm like, you do?

0:13:25 - (Tawni Nguyen): Because we homies, man.

0:13:26 - (Samuel Young): Yeah, she knew immediately.

0:13:28 - (Tawni Nguyen): Yeah. And that's why there's always a joke. I'm like, and next time, when you get better at your sales and marketing, it's like, more believing in it, right? Because.

0:13:37 - (Samuel Young): Oh, yeah, yeah.

0:13:38 - (Tawni Nguyen): It's like, jokes are. What do they always tell me? It's like, it's how it's delivered. It's like, do you believe in your messaging that ties into marketing? A lot of marketers that I hear they're messaging, I'm like, I don't feel heart in it. Like, I don't think they believe in it. But that's just my biased opinion. Yeah, because you can kind of feel energy in, like, how people do one thing. It's, how do you do everything for me? So I'm like, if you don't believe in your messages, it's like, what the fuck do you believe in? Who the fuck are you?

0:14:03 - (Tawni Nguyen): But that's why we said we're gonna next time go to the same lady and said, you got a raise. And, like, I'm actually a personal escort now. Because you raise your standards, baby.

0:14:12 - (Samuel Young): Yeah, that is right. Like, you are true. So, like, when I'm doing sales calls, like, you know, people will sometimes, like, ask me questions. Cause they're like, you know, salespeople get, like, a really bad rap, and a lot of salespeople, like, are completely fake and full of shit. So when people, like, ask me, they're like, oh, so, like, are you really passionate about, like, sales? I'm like, no, I do this because I want to get paid great so I can have my weekends off to work on music. And they're like, oh, really? Like, what?

0:14:45 - (Samuel Young): So you're not, like, you know, 100% into sales? I'm like, no, man. Like, yeah, I was like, I just didn't want to be eating ramen noodles. Like, I want to have a good, quality life as I'm, you know, focusing on my passion. But, like, no, I'm not. Like, this isn't the number one most important thing to me in my life. If I was doing music full time, I would prefer that, but I'm not there yet. And I find people, actually, once I break it down for them, they respond better on the sales calls because they're like, oh, this guy didn't tell me the canned salesperson line. He actually just said something that most people on a sales call wouldn't say. It's just like being fucking honest.

0:15:29 - (Tawni Nguyen): Yeah.

0:15:30 - (Samuel Young): So then everything I said in that call, now they believe everything because they're like, oh, this is, like, one thing where he opened up about some personalized life. So, you know, now I believe everything you said, and, of course, everything else I did say on that is true. I just don't come off as a used car salesman type vibe, you know.

0:15:50 - (Tawni Nguyen): With that, with the script. That just isn't. It's so inundated that, like, it doesn't. I'm like, I get their sales script, and, like, you're part of a lot of sales call. But I picked up two things from that might be a hot take or shit take for most people. It's like, sometimes passion does not pay, and you have to be okay with it.

0:16:06 - (Samuel Young): Yeah.

0:16:07 - (Tawni Nguyen): And I think for us, we understand that as, like, we call ourselves creators and creatives because there's a lot of people, I feel like, in this content space that call themselves creators. They're like, I'm a content creator, and sometimes I just want to be like, no, you're a content maker. You're repurposing other people's content because you're using especially AI to extract data, because you're having it learn the Internet, and you're repurposing that content. You're not creating it because it's not coming from originality. Like, you are not the thought leader in that. In that space.

0:16:33 - (Samuel Young): Yeah, I agree.

0:16:34 - (Tawni Nguyen): It's great for virality. Right. Because I think at one point or another, you also want that partially ego and two metrics are beautiful. Yeah. It's a vain world that we live in for content creation, but at the same time, it's like, where do you differentiate that in your marketing? Right. And you using AI and. Oh, no. But I really love what you said about the whole passion thing, so I'm gonna stay there for a little bit.

0:17:00 - (Samuel Young): Yeah.

0:17:01 - (Tawni Nguyen): Because I want to dig deeper into that in terms of, like, the messaging between people that say, like, follow your passion, find a way to monetize it. It would be a longer kind of, like, more bumpier road. It's more contrarian than most because there are artists that are following the heart and they're creating out of heart. They're not making any money, but they love it. So is that the measure of success and a measure of fulfillment versus the one that. No, this is what it takes. Like, we are doing different things offline for money, but we create in this space, in a shared space because we love doing it.

0:17:37 - (Samuel Young): Yeah.

0:17:37 - (Tawni Nguyen): You know, I don't know. That's sometimes a really painful thought to know that you're doing something for, like, no money, but once you become, like, at peace with it and you're like, you know, this might take a little bit longer than most people, but I'm not selling my soul.

0:17:50 - (Samuel Young): Yeah.

0:17:51 - (Tawni Nguyen): Just for the fact of I want to monetize fast. Because then you become those people that FOMo buy into all the courses and crash course of people selling you the idea that you can monetize in, like, a six month, but then in the process, you're actually not creating anything because now you're repurposing someone else steps.

0:18:08 - (Samuel Young): Yeah.

0:18:08 - (Tawni Nguyen): And I get so lost in that space right there of, like, trying to understand, like, you know, like, that whole ego versus soul. Like, am I actually being pulled towards this, or am I trying to push myself into the resistance of.

0:18:20 - (Samuel Young): Yeah, I see what you're meaning. And I thought about this a lot. So I. I'm literally the luckiest man alive. Like, I get put in situations where I actually, like, learn some really good things and I learn a lot about myself in these situations. So I said I've been producing music for 15 years and djing for 15 years. So music production, like, what it looks like for me, it's not sexy at all. Like, I'm probably tired and I'm just, you know, sitting alone somewhere random. So, like, I live down in Mexico a lot and I'll just be in a, you know, my apartment sitting on an uncomfortable chair and having the best time of my life and nobody can see that.

0:19:09 - (Samuel Young): And I'll sit there for 6 hours just making music. That's the thing I love. But is that the thing that really, like, builds your brand as, you know, a DJ as electronic music producer? Well, no. Like, pretty much a lot of people right now is like, djing. You go play shows because then you're going to meet people. People are going to become a fan of your music. So that's really important to help grow your music.

0:19:35 - (Samuel Young): A lot of DJ's right now, they're making content, like Instagram reels and stuff like that. And I just kind of, like, looked at that and it'd be very easy for me to be like, I need to be playing tons of DJ shows. I need to be creating lots of Instagram reels and all this stuff. And I was like, well, I don't really fucking want to do that right now. What I really want to do is create amazing music where it's, like, undeniable that I'm really good at creating music.

0:20:07 - (Samuel Young): So I'm like, okay, well, what's the metric for success that I can track on a weekly basis that's going to get me to where I want to be, which is just being that fucking music nerd jamming out by myself, probably not even wearing pants because I just got done stripping. And, like, what's something like, I'd be proud of? So I boiled it down like, you need to create one really good song per week. And if you stay consistent with that over a year, like, yeah, like, there's going to be some months where I might not be able to hit that metric, but if I stay consistent, try to create, you know, 52 songs over a year, I'm like, it's going to make you a better music producer by the end of the end of that. So three months into that April, right now, I've created three out of the four songs that I need to hit for my personal KPI and I posted the songs on my instagram and stuff like that. And people really like the music. They're like, damn, this is good.

0:21:10 - (Samuel Young): So for me, putting the ego aside of being like, oh, the DJ, you're going out late, you're going to get all these free drinks. You get your friends hookers and blow, you know? And as a guy too, like, you want to go meet girls that, like, on your free time too. So being a DJ is like, not too bad for that. But yeah, I had it, like, really boil it down to, like, what is going to impress you? What are you going to be happy with at the end of the year?

0:21:41 - (Samuel Young): So actually, I removed it as, like, a goal. It's just like, this is just the habit you need to focus on. And I used to focus on, I used to write out my goals every single day, but now I just write it out as my to do list. Like, this is just the stuff I need to do because it's, now it's not like this big fucking thing. It's just like, you know, if you need to get groceries, you just write down a list. You go to the store, you get the fucking groceries, you come back, it's not even a big deal.

0:22:11 - (Samuel Young): I'm like, that's how my goal should be. It shouldn't be a big fucking deal. This should just be the shit that I do. Therefore, it's all this mental craziness, you getting in your way, self sabotaging yourself, doubting yourself. So like, nah, this is what I gotta do.

0:22:27 - (Tawni Nguyen): Yeah. And part of that is being accountable and knowing that you have the self responsibility for yourself. And I feel like a lot of failure is people setting too much vague goals. That doesn't really mean anything. And then they don't know how to work backwards from that goal. It's because they're setting this arbitrary date and an arbitrary, like, amount, because money is the easiest thing to quantify.

0:22:52 - (Samuel Young): Yeah.

0:22:53 - (Tawni Nguyen): They're like, I want to make a million dollars by the end of the year. It's like, okay, cool. How are you gonna get there? What do you have to do per quarter?

0:23:00 - (Samuel Young): Why do you even want a million?

0:23:02 - (Tawni Nguyen): Yeah, like, why? And it's always about being so intentional with the goal. It's like, is it truly something that you want? Or is it something that you see on social media or that's what you think your quasi friends are doing? And it's always pigging back on, not even being intentional with yourself. Like, is this truly what makes you happy? Because I really like the part where you said, like, am I doing it to impress myself of the person I become? Like, towards the end of the year? So I do want to touch base on, like, what is your definite definition of success, and how has that changed over the years?

0:23:32 - (Samuel Young): Well, I already feel like I'm successful, so a big dream of mine was to live by the beach, have enough money where I'm not worried about my bills. And I thought that had to be, like, a really big number, too, and be able to make music every day and be, you know, a half decent person and a mail stripper, so. And I just kind of, like, thought, like, at the start of this year, I'm like, fuck, I already have that. But I didn't realize I already had that because it looked completely different than how I thought, because it's the way I have it set up right now is not, like, the normal path. So, you know, I live down in Mexico most of the time, and I pay $1,000 a month for rent.

0:24:20 - (Tawni Nguyen): Wow.

0:24:20 - (Samuel Young): I live a ten minute walk from the beach. Like, most people who I tell that to, they're like, that's insane. I'm paying, like, you know, my. My left nut for rent right now.

0:24:34 - (Tawni Nguyen): The firstborn.

0:24:35 - (Samuel Young): Yeah. And I, you know, I'd love to be, like, a famous dj, but at the end of the day, I'm like, the thing that lights me up is just being able to, you know, work on music. That's, like, the thing that I find the most fun and then having a good job. You know, my expenses are a lot lower in Mexico, and I don't have a car. I don't own a house. I don't own a bunch of shit. Everything I own fits in my ugly green suitcase I've been traveling with forever everywhere. I call it hulk.

0:25:06 - (Samuel Young): And, yeah, I only really own, like, 50 pounds of stuff.

0:25:11 - (Tawni Nguyen): Nice.

0:25:12 - (Samuel Young): And a lot of that is half of it's, like, music equipment, and then the rest is, like, five pairs of shorts. So, you know, I have everything I need. So I do feel like I've already, for the most part, got to where I want in life, that I'm like, fuck, how did I even get here? And I do want to dream bigger and do more stuff because I'm 31 years old. I gotta keep doing stuffing, keep doing stuff. There's that saying, you're either growing or you're dying.

0:25:47 - (Samuel Young): So I want to keep growing. I don't want to die.

0:25:51 - (Tawni Nguyen): Well, we're all dying. Hate to break it to you, but.

0:25:54 - (Samuel Young): Really, my point there is. There's different ways you can get creative to that. I found this just worked for me, is I set up my life differently to get the things that I want, and it didn't need to be like, I need to make, you know, so much fucking money where I can then go buy all these cool stuff and have my life set up. She's like, huh? I'm a kid from Canada. Grew up in a very small town. Always wanted to travel the world.

0:26:24 - (Samuel Young): Never saw an ocean in my life until, you know, I was, like, very, very well on vacations, but never lived near the ocean. I'm like, I want to live near the ocean. It turns out, like, you don't need much to do that if you're okay not having a ton of shit that you have to pay monthly and takes all your money away. But I do have a question for you. So you got these over here? Shifting gears a little bit. So what's going on over here?

0:26:52 - (Tawni Nguyen): So shout out to our homie over at low tail. This is, like, my 400, I think, 28 days sober.

0:26:59 - (Samuel Young): Okay, well, congratulations.

0:27:00 - (Tawni Nguyen): Thank you. So I'm slowly dipping my toe into experimenting with mocktails because before I had this all or nothing mentality. It's like, either I drink or I don't. And I'm like, I didn't give myself grace to get sober because being sober is kind of hard sometimes because I am stressed at times, and I'm like, I'm either going to eat a pound of chocolate cake or I'm going to go back to drinking. But it's not even like that what sobriety actually taught me. It's like, how to be less of an asshole to myself.

0:27:27 - (Tawni Nguyen): And it comes with the people pleaser thing. I'm like, how come I can make other people around me happy, yet I'm not happy and not satisfied with who I am? And there was never true contentment in me as a person. So that lifted a whole veil of whoop ass. I opened a whole can of whoop ass on myself. Not even just sobriety as a health measure, but it helped me work on my self awareness, like, my discovery, like, a lot more.

0:27:51 - (Tawni Nguyen): And now I'm like, I'm still the funny fucking asshole, and I don't even need a drink too.

0:27:55 - (Samuel Young): You're not an erosion at all, though.

0:27:58 - (Tawni Nguyen): I'm an asshole to myself. Cause there's, like, internal voices that I've battled with, like, on long going process of, like, mental health issues growing up and all these complex traumas and stuff. I was diagnosed for. I didn't know how to cope with it. But now when I share my story, and then I'm like, well, you don't look like an alcoholic. I'm like, well, thank you. You want me to beat you in public? Is that what an alcoholic does?

0:28:21 - (Tawni Nguyen): My friend Corin, she's very supportive, and she's like, hey, like, I would like to share, like, products with you because she was going through the same process of, like, not having options when we go out, because this drinking culture is so normalized.

0:28:34 - (Samuel Young): Oh, yeah.

0:28:35 - (Tawni Nguyen): Especially when I was a bartender. Like, I was a functioning alcoholic. I went to college just fine. I was overachieving just fine. But at the end of the day, like, I'm just really unhappy with myself. So I shared that with her, heard the same thing. And when you tell people now, it's like, when you don't drink unless we're already friends, they give you, like, the weirdest look. I'm like, what? I don't want to destroy myself anymore.

0:28:55 - (Samuel Young): Yeah.

0:28:56 - (Tawni Nguyen): Because it's so normalized. And that's something I want to touch on, like, in probably future episodes that it's like, it's okay if you don't want to drink, but it has to come from a sovereign place. Like, why are you getting sober? I got sober. For me, it's not because it makes society better, but I feel like I bring so much more value to my friends. We still have a good time. I'm not even drunk. It's probably better that I'm not drunk.

0:29:16 - (Samuel Young): Yeah.

0:29:17 - (Tawni Nguyen): Who's gonna drive you guys?

0:29:18 - (Samuel Young): I don't know if I'd want to see you drunk, to be honest. Like, do you have enough personality?

0:29:23 - (Tawni Nguyen): Like, yeah, all six of them are just fine.

0:29:25 - (Samuel Young): Yeah. But I do know we're becoming better friends, because what she brought me was the margarita mocktail, and she knows I love my margaritas.

0:29:36 - (Tawni Nguyen): Yeah, you're a margarita boy.

0:29:37 - (Samuel Young): Yeah, I'm, like, 50 50 on the. You know, is it better to be, like, sober or, you know, like, drink and stuff? And I realized, like, man, I've done that. I did the sober thing, and it was life changing. So on January 2020, I was, like, meditating, like, 2 hours a day because I really wanted to rewire my brain and do some stuff. I'm like, oh, you should take a year off drinking. So I did.

0:30:07 - (Tawni Nguyen): That's what your higher conscious kind of told you?

0:30:09 - (Samuel Young): Yeah. And then next thing you know, Covid happened. I'm in the best health of my life. All this. All this stuff. So I was like, oh, well, now I found out why I had to take that year off drinking, like, you need to be prepared for this year because it's going to be tough for, you know, a lot of people. It was, but I was in, like, the best mindset for that entire year, and it really helped. But nowadays I'm like, man, I just don't really want to be stressed of life. Like, I'm just going to be like, if I. If I want to go have some drinks and stuff like that, like, I'll be like, yeah.

0:30:43 - (Samuel Young): Like, I don't even want to think bad. I just want to be chill. And then if I got stuff I need to do, you know, early in the morning, then probably won't go up that night. So I don't know. I have, like, a different point of view of it. Like, it changes all the time. It's like, is it? I just want to be like, I just want to have fun, you know?

0:31:00 - (Tawni Nguyen): Yeah.

0:31:01 - (Samuel Young): I think that's my, my core value, just, like, having fun and really enjoying life because I've also been depressed in my life, too. And I think the thing that changed for me was like, okay, like, you know, we'll go, like, a little dark.

0:31:20 - (Tawni Nguyen): Yeah.

0:31:21 - (Samuel Young): You know when you're depressed, like, you do think about killing yourself.

0:31:24 - (Tawni Nguyen): Yep.

0:31:25 - (Samuel Young): And I say that because I know, like, I'm not, like, the only person who's experienced that. But then I also think about everything and I'm like, well, if you kill yourself, how do you know it's not fucking worse on the other side? It could be way worse.

0:31:41 - (Tawni Nguyen): Oh, my God.

0:31:42 - (Samuel Young): I was like, shit, I gotta fix myself. Because now I'm like, I can't go through with it. It could be terrible.

0:31:51 - (Tawni Nguyen): Yeah. I love that pessimism side. To look at death.

0:31:54 - (Samuel Young): Yeah.

0:31:54 - (Tawni Nguyen): Because sometimes you think of it as a street relief. But I never had that perspective. Like, what if it gets worse? Yeah, it could be way worse living now.

0:32:01 - (Samuel Young): Yeah.

0:32:02 - (Tawni Nguyen): Because I know you've experienced, I'm sure, like, those moments to where you're like, what would it be like if I don't wake up? Because every night we get a little taste of death sleep. Right. And I'm like, what if it just feels like this blissful, but forever?

0:32:14 - (Samuel Young): Yeah.

0:32:14 - (Tawni Nguyen): You know, and that's what the voices tell you. And it's just kind of like, like, is it really a relief or is there another hell that you haven't experienced yet?

0:32:23 - (Samuel Young): It could be way worse.

0:32:24 - (Tawni Nguyen): Wow, that was a really cool perspective.

0:32:28 - (Samuel Young): It could be better though, too. I don't know, but, yeah, so that's what, like, kind of. I thought I'm like, well, if it could be worse, I'm like, well, what would it look like if just right now, I'm like, I just spend the rest of my life trying to just make each day a bit better. And then that's when I found out. I'm like, oh, fuck. You know, I'm probably just unhappy with myself for the most part, based on, like, my routine. I have, like, a routine that makes me unhappy.

0:32:59 - (Samuel Young): I'm doing shit that I, you know, I don't want to be doing with my life. I'm like, honestly, like, if I'm, like, stepping away and, like, looking at myself. And that's what I think meditation really helps with. I kind of get why you don't fucking, you know, like, your life. Like, you're being pretty. You're living unauthentically.

0:33:21 - (Tawni Nguyen): Yeah.

0:33:21 - (Samuel Young): So going back to that. So that's when I was like, cool. If, you know, things don't work out here, you're gonna die and probably could be a worse place than you're already at. So that scared the shit out of me. And I'm like, you might as well just give it a shot. Like, you got nothing to lose. I think sometimes hitting rock bottom with yourself personally is actually quite a freeing thing because you're just like, fuck this shit.

0:33:49 - (Samuel Young): I'm just gonna make a change, I think. Especially with guys too. Like, I'll be honest. Like, we kind of have to, like, really fuck up before we are like, okay, I'm gonna take the. The man ego down a level and do something differently.

0:34:04 - (Tawni Nguyen): Yeah. It takes a specific, I think, self realization for. You don't want to blow up your life. And I think you worded it perfectly. Sometimes you have to hit rock bottom, because for me, I thought it was Covid, but it wasn't even close. It was actually, like, 2021, and, like, I'm still crawling out of it. That's why I'm comfortable talking about it now. Cause it took me three years to crawl out of that fucking hole.

0:34:25 - (Tawni Nguyen): You know, at one point in 2021, I didn't even think I was gonna make it to, like, sit here in front of you.

0:34:29 - (Samuel Young): Wow.

0:34:29 - (Tawni Nguyen): Like, that's how, like, dark it was. But I never talked about it because I just didn't have, like, real friends, and I couldn't share my. What I was going through with anyone. Cause I just didn't wanna burden them with more. And that's a serious mental health blockage that I have. It's always a self worth thing. It's always like, why do I need to bother someone else. Like, I'm sure they have stuff going on. If I'm not contributing, I shouldn't be a problem by.

0:34:53 - (Tawni Nguyen): I hope that more people that listen to this podcast understand that it's not like that. Like, if you can be that for someone else, someone else can be that for you too. You just have to develop the skill to ask or even to just genuinely share. Because vulnerability is something that's really missing in our lives because our digital Persona is built on marketing, on being strategic, on branding, but no one has a fucking sense of clue how to connect to other people.

0:35:23 - (Tawni Nguyen): That's true, because now they're comparing themselves in this comparison culture to something that doesn't really fucking exist. And they're comparing themselves to like a false narrative of what they think someone else's life is. Because I've reached out to a friend recently, her social media is great and everything, but I recently talked to her and she's like, not doing well. Yeah, but her post is fine. Her team's still posting her personal content and all that stuff. I'm not gonna like, say this person by name, but you never really know what someone's going through. Especially now that we have like teams or we're outsourcing someone else to build our personal brand because they're not doing the deep internal work.

0:35:57 - (Samuel Young): Yeah, that's a really good point.

0:35:59 - (Tawni Nguyen): You know, and it's half of that. It's your. You don't even know. Like, I don't know. I haven't looked at your social media. But. So it's really hard for us to even look at each other's social media and think like, oh, that person must be happy. Cause I think that's the worst fucking bullshit that we're fed to. It's like, look at this social media, you know, like, their page is great, like, all this stuff, but I'm like, it's not even them.

0:36:21 - (Samuel Young): No, I 100% agree with you. Like, that's why when it comes to, like, you know, just like my brand, who I am, I work for a company where I don't need to necessarily build my marketing and sales brand to be able to perform and do a great job at that company. That's Jeff's job. Jeff is the face of the company. And before I started working with Jeff, I was doing marketing and we needed to make content, put that shit out there to grow our brand.

0:36:59 - (Samuel Young): So when I realized, I was like, I really just want to be a music guy. Like, I don't care about being the face of this shit. And I'm just doing these skills so I can promote my shit better when the times, right. I was like, fuck this. Like, I'm just gonna go get a job. Yeah, I'm no longer the boss. Like, I'm gonna get a job. And it's been a hundred percent better. And a lot of people, you know, they might, you know, be caught up in this identity, going back to the identity, like, oh, I need to be the boss. And at that time, too, I was working with, like, two partners that were, like, my best friends. So we're all just like, equal partners. I'm like, even then, I'm like, yeah, like, I need to quit this. Even though, you know, I love these guys, and, you know, they probably could even just hate me for, like, dropping out of this. I'm like, I know what I need to do. That's right. For me to be more authentic.

0:37:57 - (Samuel Young): And I forget necessarily where I was going with that, to be honest. But could you remind me what we're talking.

0:38:06 - (Tawni Nguyen): The ADHD just kicked in now staring at this. I really want you to try it, though. You have to open it. Like, I really want you to try it because as a margarita man, I can't call you margarita man and not have you try a margarita.

0:38:19 - (Samuel Young): Let's try it. And I'm like, I don't know if.

0:38:20 - (Tawni Nguyen): We'Re supposed to shake it elbow.

0:38:22 - (Samuel Young): I'm like, pretty rough on people if they tell me, like, a margarita.

0:38:25 - (Tawni Nguyen): Give it to me straight, baby.

0:38:26 - (Samuel Young): Shout out to Bella. So we're at this place, I think it's Durango or whatever, and ask her opinion. I'm like, hey, how good is the margarita on a scale from eight to ten? She's like, oh, it's like an eight. I'm like, okay, cool, get it. I'm like, I get the margarita. There's no lime in it and there's no salt. I'm like, this is.

0:38:46 - (Tawni Nguyen): It's like a negative four.

0:38:47 - (Samuel Young): Yeah, no, it's not that bad.

0:38:49 - (Tawni Nguyen): It's maybe, like, five and a half.

0:38:50 - (Samuel Young): But it was no eight. I was like, this is like a. Maybe a four margarita.

0:38:56 - (Tawni Nguyen): That was all mean. I was like, negative.

0:38:58 - (Samuel Young): I didn't want to tell her, but now I'm gonna have to tell her to watch.

0:39:00 - (Tawni Nguyen): Well, now I'm gonna clip this and send it directly to her. I'm just kidding.

0:39:04 - (Samuel Young): She'll be very impressed. Oh, fuck. Actually, yeah. You know what?

0:39:16 - (Tawni Nguyen): There's no lime.

0:39:17 - (Samuel Young): This is pretty good. What I like about it is it's a little bit sparkly.

0:39:23 - (Tawni Nguyen): Really?

0:39:24 - (Samuel Young): Yeah. There's like some carbonation going on, which obviously isn't really, you know, margarita, but. And it says hydration made with real sugarcane.

0:39:34 - (Tawni Nguyen): Oh, not the superlative.

0:39:35 - (Samuel Young): Do you want to sit?

0:39:36 - (Tawni Nguyen): I kind of want to try it. Yeah.

0:39:38 - (Samuel Young): Yeah, it's actually. It's actually pretty good. I'd say. It tastes like. It tastes like a margarita. Light.

0:39:48 - (Tawni Nguyen): Oh, wow.

0:39:49 - (Samuel Young): Yeah.

0:39:50 - (Tawni Nguyen): Yeah.

0:39:51 - (Samuel Young): The only thing I would do differently is I'm not big on, like, if she could make a sugar free version of this, I'd probably. It'd be margarita's ass. Not really.

0:40:02 - (Tawni Nguyen): No?

0:40:03 - (Samuel Young): No. Have you ever had, like, a Celsius? Like, the energy drinks?

0:40:06 - (Tawni Nguyen): Yeah, that tastes like ass. Cause it's all sucralose. Well, it's not cigarettes. It's not terrible for you, but that's like, sweetener.

0:40:12 - (Samuel Young): No, there's stays on my. It's like the fake sugar.

0:40:15 - (Tawni Nguyen): Yeah.

0:40:15 - (Samuel Young): Yeah, I think I like that stuff.

0:40:18 - (Tawni Nguyen): Well, let's meet her next week. And you give her that.

0:40:21 - (Samuel Young): If she can make that, like, I'll be her brand. Amazing.

0:40:24 - (Tawni Nguyen): That would be, like, the next sets, right? Like the skinnies.

0:40:28 - (Samuel Young): Yeah.

0:40:28 - (Tawni Nguyen): I was like. Well, I was trying to think of that word. I'm like, what the fuck is that word? Yeah, but no, I think where you were going to that. That we fucking completely. This is why ADHD people will, like, try not to hang out with other people.

0:40:37 - (Samuel Young): I know, I know.

0:40:39 - (Tawni Nguyen): But I wanted to circle back because we were talking about authenticity and your definition of success when I asked you, and you kind of brought up to that story of, like, living on the beach. So for me, what I got out of that was, like, a feeling. Like, success to you is a feeling, how free you feel and how liberated you feel in your own skin and, like, in your life choices.

0:40:59 - (Samuel Young): Yeah, okay.

0:41:00 - (Tawni Nguyen): You know?

0:41:01 - (Samuel Young): So I guess, like, a big thing of, like, my happiness like, that, I feel, like, makes me happy, is clarity. And there isn't, like, much, like, unknowns. Like, I know I'm comfortable in my own skin. I know exactly where I want to go, and I know I want to have a fucking great time on the way there. That's why whenever we're talking about, like, the drinking stuff, I'm like, yeah, if I wake up with, like, a hung. Like, a hangover someday, like, I don't beat myself up about it because I'm like, if. Because I can go crazy obsessed with goals and I'll be, like, too obsessed with that goal where I kind of actually, like, I'll stop even, like, smiling. I remember my ex girlfriend said that I was, like, trying so hard to get this shit done.

0:41:45 - (Tawni Nguyen): Yeah.

0:41:46 - (Samuel Young): She's like, you don't smile anymore. I was like, fuck, that's the worst thing I've ever heard in my life. Right. And I didn't even notice it because I just so caught up in, like, I need to wake up. I need to get all this shit done today. So I, like. I, like, a little. I need a little, like, craziness going on in my life. Nothing. Like, okay, I'm gonna, like, you know, ruin my life, but I need. I need to get in, like, a little bit of trouble.

0:42:13 - (Tawni Nguyen): Yeah.

0:42:14 - (Samuel Young): Or else I'll get in a lot of trouble all at once and just do something ridiculous. So I like to have, you know, fun and, you know, get in a little trouble here and there, but also, I just know exactly where I'm going. I don't need to get there tomorrow. You know, I have a 30 year plan for all this music stuff. And it's actually like I have this crazy dream where I genuinely believe we can solve a lot of mental health issues through music.

0:42:48 - (Samuel Young): And the reason why I think that is because when I go to bed, I have to, like, listen to something in order to fall asleep. I remember I was watching the show narcos, and there's, like, this crazy, violent gun battle thing. And in my dream, I'm like, I fell asleep. You know, it's on the tv. I had the craziest dream. I was in that battle, and I was just like. I remember I could feel it. Like, it was like a lucid dream. I'm like, this is insane.

0:43:19 - (Samuel Young): And I woke up. I'm, like, out of breath. I'm like, I gotta get out of bed. Like, I'm like, I'm feeling terrible. And then I thought about that. I was like, huh? That dream really, like, made me feel, like, almost like in a different world, almost like a different person. And then I watched, like, a Joe Rogan podcast the next night, and I had this dream where I was in, like, a podcast chair. I'm, like, joining in on the conversation.

0:43:47 - (Tawni Nguyen): Yeah.

0:43:48 - (Samuel Young): I'm like, this is so weird. And then that's when I kind of, like, was, you know, also really into meditation. I'm like, huh? The shit that I listen to is, like, literally, you know, changing, like, who I am.

0:44:01 - (Tawni Nguyen): Yeah.

0:44:01 - (Samuel Young): And then I started thinking about it more. I'm like, oh, yeah. I'm like, back in high school, in grade nine in Canada, we all looked up to Lil Wayne. Lil Wayne was the fucking shit.

0:44:17 - (Tawni Nguyen): Oh, my God.

0:44:18 - (Samuel Young): And Lil Wayne always talked about smoking cush. So next thing you know, you know, we're in grade nine. We're, you know, love. We're, you know, we're falling in love with girls left and right. Because we're just young boys.

0:44:32 - (Tawni Nguyen): Young, horny boys.

0:44:33 - (Samuel Young): Yeah. And we're like, shit, how do we get girls? Well, girls like cool guys. And Lil Wayne's cool.

0:44:40 - (Tawni Nguyen): Yeah.

0:44:40 - (Samuel Young): And he smokes cush. He sings better in a song. So we're like, if we smoke weed, girls will like us. Cause we're cool like Lil Wayne. So I thought about that experience. I thought about, like, you know, when you listen to this shit, it changes you. And then that was my evidence. Next thing you know, we're all stoners throughout high school. Cause of, like, these fucking songs. And then I'm thinking, like, well, what kind of music are we listening to right now?

0:45:06 - (Samuel Young): And it's like, wet ass pussy by, like, Cardi B. I'm like, what the fuck are we learning from that?

0:45:13 - (Tawni Nguyen): Just like, that's the song.

0:45:16 - (Samuel Young): Yeah. I'm like, how is that helping? Like, my nieces become better people. I'm like, it's not.

0:45:22 - (Tawni Nguyen): Yeah.

0:45:23 - (Samuel Young): This is where I have this vision where I believe if I can build a brand, that's. That's cool. Kids will listen to it regardless of the message. Kids look up to things. People that are cool. Majority, we can say, you know, you should be doing x, y, z, so you become, like, a great adult. But me personally, growing up, I didn't want to listen to what my parents said. I didn't want them, you know, you know, you should do all this stuff and become a good person. I was like, no, fuck.

0:45:56 - (Samuel Young): I want to be a little Wayne bitch. I want to be cool. I want all the girls to like me. And he smokes weeds, so therefore I do. So I'm like, if I create this brand and it's cool, kids will listen to it regardless of the message. And then what's, like, the thing that we need to do that? Well, I need to make really good fucking music. Yeah, it needs to sound like Cardi B, wet ass pussy or whatever. But we need to maybe change the message on that and figure out. This is why it's a 30 year plan. Because step one, I need to make really good music.

0:46:32 - (Samuel Young): Step two is like, how do we create a message that's really cool, that kids will be like, you know, because they're just gonna. They're just gonna go do it. Like, oh, that's cool. Therefore I'm doing it. And if we can, like, create this message where it's like, you know, maybe it's like, hey, I like this song. It's cool. And the message is to, like, you know, go meditate.

0:46:55 - (Tawni Nguyen): Yeah.

0:46:55 - (Samuel Young): Or, like, go see your grammar or something like that. Like, I don't know what it is, but just like, good things, good habits, then these kids will start doing good things on a regular basis. And I believe that just inspiring kids through music or it's almost maybe like, brainwashing.

0:47:12 - (Tawni Nguyen): It's like pattern interruption through subtle programming right now, because I feel like they're also getting brainwashed. But it's by propaganda and it's by negativity and all the stuff they're fed, which is very unconscious. Cause 90% of the population are on autopilot and they're very unaware of their surroundings and things that they're influenced by. Which is why when you brought up, I was laughing. But I understand what's the meaning behind it is because, like, the whole pop culture social fear has a huge impact on kids because they're caught more than they're taught.

0:47:42 - (Tawni Nguyen): So if they're put into a fishbowl of just that, just wet ass pussies, like, that's all they're gonna know. Because they're so limited into the capacity of how much they can absorb. And I love that mission because when you're saying, like, have something meaningful, but, like, be cool about it because we struggle with that shit, like, how do you make, like, positive impact and all these fluff words now that we crave so much? It's like, vulnerability and positivity. Not like the signs on fucking home goods wall.

0:48:09 - (Tawni Nguyen): Yeah, it's like, how do you build a brand that doesn't sound like, you know, live, love, laughs? Like, fuck you, dude. Give me some fucking substance. You know?

0:48:17 - (Samuel Young): I 100% agree. So, you know, meditation is a big reason why I'm not depressed anymore. But I had to hit rock bottom to get there in order to, like, go find this information, start learning about it. If I was just like, meh, I'm all right, you know?

0:48:34 - (Tawni Nguyen): Yeah.

0:48:34 - (Samuel Young): You know, I'm not terrible. Then I probably wouldn't have gone seeking for that information. But if this shit was cool, like, oh, man. Like, this stuff's awesome. It's trendy. Like, it's in. And I was growing up then. That information is now, like, very easily consumable. And people just like, it's like, okay, this a lot of work to figure out this meditation stuff. But what if someone can just put their earbuds in, go to a Spotify playlist, listen to you. Some cool ass songs that they already want to listen to.

0:49:09 - (Samuel Young): But it works exactly the same way as programming your mind as a meditation. I'm like, that's sick because people won't even have to try, and it could help them. So that's. That's kind of like my 30 year plan. And I think there's other benefits of it. Like, I can pull up my phone, and if people want to check out my Instagram story, I could be doing something, like, positive versus, like, you know, something not as positive and just be authentic.

0:49:35 - (Tawni Nguyen): Yeah.

0:49:36 - (Samuel Young): As well.

0:49:36 - (Tawni Nguyen): So I think I love that.

0:49:38 - (Samuel Young): Yeah, it's. I also just might be insane, but who knows?

0:49:42 - (Tawni Nguyen): We're all a little insane. It's okay. If we weren't insane, we wouldn't be friends.

0:49:45 - (Samuel Young): Yeah.

0:49:46 - (Tawni Nguyen): I'd be like. Like, your energy would reject me or something. Yeah, you know, we gotta be a little insane. No, I do want to wrap with something that I think it has been really meaningful for me is a question that it's like, hey, what are you really proud of that no one knows about? And for those that are going through it right now, the rock bottom, the darkness, what message do you want to leave with today for those people and how they can get out of it?

0:50:14 - (Samuel Young): Hmm. Yeah, that's a really good question. I guess. Like, I'll just leave, like, with something that, like, really helped me and just, like, you know, like, don't take life so seriously. Like, we create, like, all this, like, seriousness and stressful shit in our life, honestly. Like, everything really is just, like, stuff that happens, and then we assign, like, the meaning. It's like, oh, that was some bad stuff, or that was some good stuff.

0:50:45 - (Samuel Young): But at the end of the day, if everything, you could just, like, look at it from, like, a neutral perspective. That's what, like, I try to do all the time. Not perfect. Then I can just be like, hey, you know what? This is like, something that would really, like, normally, like, really fucking, you know, hurt me maybe. Like, a girl I really liked didn't text me back or something like that. And I'd be like, fuck, man. Like, I'm such a fucking loser or something like that nowadays. Just like, oh, she just didn't text me back.

0:51:16 - (Samuel Young): Okay, cool. I'm just gonna go bet my day or something like that. That's really. Yeah, or, like, you, like, order some food and, you know, they fucked up your five scoop matcha latte, and instead of putting in easy ice, they put in, like, hard ice.

0:51:32 - (Tawni Nguyen): Yeah, or it's hot yeah, I just.

0:51:33 - (Samuel Young): Learned about these matcha lattes today. But you could be like, fuck, like, this sucks and you're starting your day off so negatively. Or you could just be like, oh, you know, maybe that lady just, like, forgot and that's fine. Like, I could just get a new one or something like that. So I guess just, like, for me, something that's really helped me is, you know, just not taking life super seriously and just looking at, like, hey, you know, if I want to do something, like, it's not this crazy big thing. It's just something I'm just gonna go do.

0:52:07 - (Tawni Nguyen): Yeah, there was a word that came up while you said that. It's detachment. Sometimes we just gotta detach from ourself and our ego and what we really want. And for me, what helps when I was going through darkness that I wish I knew this three years ago, it's like for you to be kind to others, you have first to be kind to yourself.

0:52:27 - (Samuel Young): Yeah.

0:52:27 - (Tawni Nguyen): And there's just so little self compassion going out into the world these days for people to, like, even just look at themselves and give themselves grace first before going out and trying to pour into other people.

0:52:39 - (Samuel Young): Yeah.

0:52:39 - (Tawni Nguyen): So, yeah, no, I just want to appreciate you for showing up and, like, sharing your dream and passion and all these things and know that there is life outside of just money being a goal. Money is just a product of everything that we do and how we show up into the world, how we live with integrity, how we show up for each other, adding value.

0:52:58 - (Samuel Young): Yeah.

0:52:59 - (Tawni Nguyen): And I think that's just that, you know, like, not everyone has to be an entrepreneur. And your passion itself, it's something that you do. It's who you are.

0:53:06 - (Samuel Young): Yeah.

0:53:07 - (Tawni Nguyen): Nothing that you do for money is who you are at the end of the day, you know?

0:53:10 - (Samuel Young): Well, exactly. And, you know, just like.

0:53:13 - (Tawni Nguyen): So thank you for being here.

0:53:14 - (Samuel Young): Yeah, no, honestly, thank you so much. Like, this has been a lot of fun, and I will see this again next time we come back into Vegas.

0:53:23 - (Tawni Nguyen): Where can people find you on Instagram?

0:53:26 - (Samuel Young): Yeah. So you can just follow me on Instagram at Samuel_Young77. And, yeah, if you guys just check out what my content is nowadays, my intro music.

0:53:37 - (Tawni Nguyen): Hey, hey.

0:53:38 - (Samuel Young): Make your intro music.

0:53:39 - (Tawni Nguyen): Yeah.

0:53:40 - (Samuel Young): Okay.

0:53:40 - (Tawni Nguyen): I just thought of that right now. I was like, I would love for you to make me an intro and outro music because, you know, my personality, you know?

0:53:46 - (Samuel Young): Yeah.

0:53:46 - (Tawni Nguyen): Anyways, before we go on a fucking tangent, yeah. I'm Tawni Nguyen. You can find me on tawnisaurus are at fitnfrugalpod. And all over other social medias. If you haven't done so already, please like subscribe comment let us know what you really love about this episode or if there's something that we said that helps you in any kind of way and what you would want more from us. And feel free to reach out to Samuel and I directly.

0:54:09 - (Tawni Nguyen): We would love to connect with people. Now that I'm not afraid to ask for what I want. It's like, go listen to my shit, click that button down below or something. Up or down or something. And stay fit. Stay frugal. Peace. Peace.