BYOU - Samir Abbas Fitness, Finding Your Purpose

All right, hello everyone and welcome back to the Global Thought Leader Podcast, where I talk with the greatest people from all around the world. People who have changed their own life to create a better impact in other people's life. I am your host, Danique Motzheim, and today we have a truly remarkable guest. He is not just a personal trainer, he has combined personal training and mental health awareness to change lives. Join me in welcoming the extraordinary Samir to the show. Samir, thank you so much for being here.

Thank you very much, Danique. Happy to be here. Good to see you again.

Hi, how are you?

I'm good, I'm very well, thank you. And it's a great start to my weekend, uh, being the first and only guest on the podcast, uh, and, uh, And seeing you again for sure. So that's a great start. How are you?

Yeah, good, good. So it is your first time having the podcast?

Absolutely. I honestly feel like I'm the female Joe Rogan giving me an interview.

Super cool. Okay, tell me more about yourself. Tell me more about your backstory.

Yep, so I'll start with the beginning. So I was born in London and I and grew up in— when I was in my teens, and I moved to Dubai for like from 13 or 14 years old, studied there at the Middle East School but under the English curriculum. So it was an international school full of expats. And then, uh, came back to London in 2011, um, to find more direction. And, uh, just been— I've been here ever since, uh, trying to find my, uh, my purpose.

It was—

been trying to find my purpose in life. And, uh, it's been— that's been going well ever since. Yeah, so about what I do as well, so again, I'm a personal trainer, strength and conditioning performance coach, purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, so mixed martial arts that comes with it too, and like as a hobbyist, not on a competitive standpoint, but yeah, then, and a mental health advocate, so like spread the awareness of the mental health, which I think has always been lacking in today's society. societal norms. I just want to make sure that I change the world and help others with what I do with my career. I just love what I do.

Wow, amazing. And you told me about your purpose. How is it for you to find your purpose? How do you know that this is your purpose? It is so interesting.

Yeah, yeah, very good question. So like, from an early age, like, you know, to be honest, I just, I mean, I don't know how I managed to go through with it in school. Like, I was an all right, I was an all right kid, but not the brightest, if I'm honest with you. So because sitting down on a desk all day, I just couldn't really, um, couldn't really like, uh, I just didn't understand, uh, just sitting there all day learning about like basics like maths, English, which of course is important as a child and that. But like, I always knew I wanted to do something very practical. Like, first was like, uh, be a, uh, work in the police force. That was what, like, as a kid, what I thought at an early age. And then, uh, You're gonna laugh at this one. Like, I'm gonna, uh, thought I could be like Spider-Man or something, like superhero or something. Like, just as a kid watching movies and thought that I could change the world to help like that. But yeah, magic powers don't really exist in reality. But then, um, as I, uh, I grew up in my teens and then, uh, while I was in Dubai and, uh, still didn't understand the education system in the school and, uh, just really didn't think it would, uh, it didn't interest me at all. Like, and I don't have the greatest attention span, to be totally frank with you. But like, but then when they were doing like, there was, it was like PE, like physical education, like it was very practical and getting into sports and everything. And that was the only most thing that was interesting. And I think I was just born to do something practically, from a practical standpoint, and help to coach others and train, help to train others as well. And that's just been in my mindset ever since.

Wow, okay, cool. So you discover your purpose in Dubai, or did you discover your purpose when you moved to London?

In Dubai most of the time. That's where I was, um, I started to get into my teens and, uh, like finding who I am really. Because, uh, like, if— I'm sure you've been to Dubai, Danique, but, uh, like, uh, you could tell like it's so completely different, the culture there compared to like Europe. You know, so, uh, it was quite, quite a shock for me. And, uh, like, uh, it took me about a month to understand really, uh, how it works out there, uh, then, uh, comparing to when you grow up, uh, when you were born and raised in Europe for a bit.

And how was it for you as a person to move from Dubai to back to Europe, to London?

So how was it as a—

do I feel like, uh, Like moving and moving to another country, like you need to reinvent yourself and yes, a whole transformation you go through. How was that for you?

Yeah, so that's a very good question, uh, like, um, because, um, to be, uh, honest, like, I, uh, around 2011, because I, after I finished school, like, I didn't know I was going after— I was doing personal training courses, but it was very lacking consistency. Like every 2 weeks there'll be a course, which it just wasn't enough for me. So I got so, like, as much as I had fun on the, in the, in the Middle East life, like we were going into the beach every day with my father and then, uh, going out to nice restaurants, the lux— the lux— the luxury life, as they say out there, that does come with a price. When you're like, you're feeling the more you do stuff, the exact same things, the more boring it's gonna get. And most people would say, oh, but that you're living the life. And I'm like, yeah, but it's, uh, like, but you also have to fight. find your mind to keep occupied, and, uh, you're gonna feel like, uh, that ever since. It's like saying, like, uh, you— if you eat chocolate, uh, once or twice, you like it, but then you eat— you keep eating it more again, you're gonna get bored. Your taste buds are gonna get bored, and you're gonna have to do something else, if that makes sense.

Yeah.

So, yeah, so yeah, to reinvent myself, uh, like, I just couldn't— just didn't find direction out, uh, in the Middle East and was just going into no man's land. So I think my mother and my sister, I think, were saying like, okay, it's going to be a holiday for you out here. It was planned to be a holiday, but I think what they really wanted me to do was like go to college, which I did out there and studied sports science when I came back to London. And then like next thing you know, like because I got enrolled, like I had like a shipping company get all my stuff shipped from Dubai back to London. And then, uh, just been there ever since. And then, uh, I knew like from, from this point on, I— this is what I want to do, like do something, uh, like sport or physical education-wise. And let alone personal training came to my mind as the market's very competitive out there too.

Wow, this is so inspiring. I know when I moved from the Netherlands to Spain, it is not far. Your situation was Much farther. But yeah, it's, for me, is it like a huge transformation to learn a new culture, to reinvent yourself, to look within, you know, like, yeah. Super inspiring that you share your story about, yeah, when you move to another country and not just a country, like a whole continent. Yeah. Super inspiring. And how did you come up with becoming a personal trainer and combine it with mental health? How did you come up with that?

Yeah, so about that, um, like back in the early days, like mental health wasn't really like talked about a lot. And, uh, you know, you and I are like, uh, like, you know, in the same generation. And, uh, especially in the '90s, like, uh, it was more like, uh, if you ever felt like, uh, down or depressed or something then your mum, dad, or some— maybe your friend or something, like, dude, what the hell's wrong with you? Like, shut up and get on with it, kind of thing. Like, I'm sure you've been told that, like, by loved ones, and I have too, you know. And I thought that was the norm. But then, you know, especially around in this country, unfortunately, UK, like, a lot of men especially, like, we hide our emotions and we suppress them, and we don't want to talk to anyone about it, as it's like— considered, uh, like taboo, and, uh, people were afraid of what people are going to think of us. But, uh, but if you actually express yourself the most, then it's like a huge therapy session and a weight lifted off your shoulder. So you, um, I realized, like, you know, um, I don't know how people are going to react to this as well, but like, uh, when, you know, a doctor is always there to help you, when prescribe you something, when it comes to like medication and, um, like if you're feeling like this, have an antidepressant and then you're going to feel better. But there's more to it than this. Like, exercise has been such a big important factor in my life too.

Yeah.

And so from the exercise point of view, like, I started off from martial arts at a young age. I started in judo as, I think I was 10 years old in 2003. And like, just to keep my energy good. And because I was a wild kid when I was young. So then it just really helped me feel better about it. And, but still, like, the mental health side wasn't even talked about back then. But now we're in, like, in this new, new day and age where it's like now the opposite. Everyone talks about it more now.

Yeah.

But I feel like with my niche, combining the personal training side with the mental health, like, it really, it really helps with my clients' mindset and helping them to achieve their goals and making them think of the big picture more. So they really, they really feel like it's not just the physical side, but up here too, because we're all going to have a bad day. But once you, once you get shit done, everything is going to fall into place and you're going to be walking out, walking away feeling like a champion.

Yeah. Yeah.

Wow. Wow.

Amazing. And it is so true about mental health. It was not talked about, but I'm really glad that people are talking about it right now. But what is happening when you exercise? What's happening for your mental health? Can you talk more about that? What is happening inside your body or what is happening on the mental part? Tell me more about that.

Okay. So yeah, when, as soon as you were getting, as soon as you start exercising, especially in the morning where most people just feel like, uh, shit, I'm just so, I'm just so like, uh, tired. I don't want to do this stuff, but once you get out of bed, And you actually— Me too, I'm guilty of it too. Yeah, so once you really, uh, like crack on with your exercise, if you're free during the morning, then like, well, then while that's going on, what happens is you get these, uh, everyone talked about the dopamine effect, and then, uh, and, uh, like the endorphins that you get, that endorphin rush, like all those hormones, uh, like the positive hormones are actually stimulating as you're As you're just sweating through and burning through all that stress and all the, all the mental stress to cycle out your system. And then once you have that shower, once you have that shower and you're ready to go to work, you're ready to kick ass. Wow.

Oh, okay. So it's the hormones that stimulate it.

That's right.

Oh, wow. Interesting.

Cool.

Okay. All right. My next question is about Can you share with us a really nice and inspiring success story from your clients? Like, yeah, what's happened with her or with him when, yeah, when you trained her or him?

Yeah, so this one I've named— what was it? I won't name him, of course, like for confidential reasons, but like it was a man and recently So we've been on a great journey together. He started off at 75 kilograms as he weighed, so in a nutshell, his goal was to lose some weight and to feel better about himself. And we started combining, like, from the exercise point of view, we already— we always did like strength and conditioning kind of workouts and mixing with boxing kind of workouts to help him like feel better with his movement and his athleticism. So as we were, the more that we were going on with this journey and he was like, uh, sticking it into his nutrition plan, like he actually, his goal was to be 8 kilograms to lose over the course of 3, 2 or 3 months, but he actually achieved more like 9 or 10. So he did better than, than we all expected and, uh, he felt like a million bucks. And this was a, this was a time where he was actually, so to this day right now, He's, uh, he'll be, he'll be returning with me, uh, very soon, but he's gone. He's moved back to the Philippines and, uh, like for, uh, for his own, for his own personal reasons, uh, but he'll be coming back. But what he actually said to me on, uh, you can even look at it on my personal Instagram account, but, uh, it doesn't, doesn't have his name, but it's what he, his comments, what he said. And, uh, I'm gonna, I'm gonna read it out here live, um, onto the, um, so I can, so I can quote exactly what he said. He said, I'll miss you forever as you've been a big, massive part of my life-changing experience for me, and I can't be more grateful for what you've done for me over the course of my journey. And that's— when I hear these kind of messages, that's much more of an accomplishment than whatever I've accomplished in life. Like, those values mean more than any trophies that I've won from childhood to adulthood now.

Wow, I've got some goosebumps, you know.

Wow.

How feels that for you? How is this for you to create such a huge impact in someone's life? How is it for you?

I feel so much valuable, and it feels much better than, say, if I applied for the lottery and I won it the next day or something. But I wouldn't feel as much happier than than what I did, than getting like a very lovely testimonial from a client. Because I came from like humble beginnings and I didn't grow up, I wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth. Like, I was, we were born in a, like, we were quite okay, but like, we started off living in a flat, but we didn't really have like a table or something. So when we used to eat, We used to lay out newspapers on the carpet and then eat from there. So that's how, like, money doesn't really, doesn't motivate me or like what I do for a living. Of course, like, of course I make a living out of what I do, but it's like, it's what I love to do because unfortunately there are a lot of people out there like millionaires and billionaires. They just, they make so much money. But I know for a fact that up here they are not happy with themselves inside. And that's living in— that's living in— I've witnessed that living in the Middle East for 5 years, and they're quite rich and luxurious out there for sure. So yeah, doing what I love to do, and, uh, but like without the, uh, without the money side of it, that's, um, that's what's really, uh, that's what's really, um, gives me a great sense of achievement to do so.

So wow, this is so powerful. This is So beautiful. You are so blessed.

Wow. Thank you. You too.

Yeah, thank you so much for, for sharing this. And you're welcome. Challenges for your clients or for yourself, for example, it's— everyone has his own bad day sometimes, you know. How do you handle those challenges? How do you Handle that?

So yeah, we, um, we're all gonna have our bad days for sure. Like, uh, like, it's gonna come. Like, uh, this is what's beautiful about life. One minute you're up, next minute you're down, then the next day you're back up again. That's just how it goes, simple as. But, uh, when it comes to, uh, like, mindset and, um, like, you just feel so tired from work or stressed, or you've had an argument with your wife or husband, but you're still— but you still got a like you still got a session to do or like, or you, or maybe you don't, even if you don't, if you're not under a personal trainer but you still want to work out, then that's the right mindset to have. No matter how like challenging it feels up here, once you get this done, you're going to feel much better. It could be anything that you do, any exercise form. It doesn't have to be intense. It doesn't have to be— it could be easy. It could be me in between.

Yeah.

As long as you get that done, you are going to be— you're going to feel so good about it. And as far as why, how I deal with it with my clients when they're feeling like that, it's you've got one thing simple to say. Like, I know it's very cliché to say this, but you have— you've got to— where you are right now, stay in the present, stay in the moment.

Mm-hmm.

Don't think about bills or like parking, like what if you've had a parking fine that's very expensive, for example, which of course is not a nice thing to have. But whatever obstacles that you're feeling are in your head right now, you're with me. Let's temporarily get out your system. Focus. Let's focus on what we're doing. I'm with you every step of the way. And we're gonna then— and we're gonna crush it. And you're gonna feel so much. You're gonna feel— Not so much better because I know that's still, that's still in the back of your mind after you've, uh, you get done with the training session, but you're better than what you were before. Otherwise you're going to feel worse if you don't get it done at all. Like you've lost, you've lost, if that makes sense.

Wow, this is really good advice. Thank you so much. Like, I will go to the gym this afternoon. So really good. Thanks, man.

Yeah, get, get, get your, get your booty press done. Yeah, you're crushing with it. You're crushing that.

Yeah, but it is so true. Like, when we did a booty class session, I feel so much better, even if I'm like super tired after the class. But it gives me also so much energy, and with the music and with the girls, and we just, yeah, we just smash it. And even before the class, I feel so tired because it is early in the morning. And, but exactly what you just said about be in the present moment. Don't think about all the things that you need to do, just here and where, where focus goes, energy flows. So yeah, really good. So if we wrap up this, this interview, I would like to ask you, what is your future plan to create Such a huge impact that you are doing now. Tell me more about your future plans.

Yeah, so future plans is like still be— still going to be a personal trainer in the long run, but I'll be leveraging myself, uh, with my business About Life Fitness. Go follow that. And, um, yeah, so we're gonna be My wife and I are going to be like, uh, getting a— we'll get our own studio and definitely a podcast. Already got the name of the title done without even starting. A Bass Life Fitness Podcast coming around the line in due course.

That's super cool! What, what will be the name of the podcast?

The name, the title of the podcast will be A Bass Life Fitness Podcast, but that's down the future of the— that's, uh, in the future that's going to be happening, but I've already got future plans and like a roadmap laid out.

Oh, this is so cool. So you can just share your story much more often and especially those success stories with your clients, of course. Wow, really cool. And if people want to know more about you, where can they find you? Or if— because you are in London, right?

That's correct.

Yeah, so if people want to book a session with you, where can they find you?

Yeah, so, um, on the— on my Instagram, um, Abbas Life Fitness is the title. And, uh, like, um, we can— it's like Abbas underscore Life Fitness, uh, you'll see it on the Instagram. And then when it comes to the website, www.abbaslifefitness.co.uk. And you can see a whole lot of good stuff that's helped— that's going to help achieve your life and change your goals and then set your intentions. Wow.

Oh, amazing. Okay, I will just write it down in this description everywhere. So I would like— thank you so much also about your enormous, inspiring, and powerful story and advice and tips and tricks. And thank you so much for being on the show.

I really appreciate it. Thank you very much. My pleasure. Thank you. Thank you so much.

See you.

Thank you very much, Danique. Have a great weekend as well.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.