A recorded interview (YouTube) between Josh Trent and Khalil Rafati (2022) exploring Khalil’s personal journey from addiction and homelessness to entrepreneurship and recovery. They discuss his books (I Forgot to Die; Remembering to Live), his wellness businesses (Sunlife Organics, Riviera Recovery, Malibu Beach Yoga), and the lotus symbolism representing growth from struggle.
Chapters
You get taught that you are something, but the truth is, it's not true. It's. It's just a story. It could be a story that people told to you, and then you start telling that story to yourself, and then you get to this place where you truly believe that that's it. That's not it. It's bullshit. At any moment, and unfortunately, which what you and I have discovered, at any moment, you can be in so much pain that you can literally change in an instant. And you can, you can turn and you can pivot and you can go in another direction.
I'm super grateful for you, Khalil. Thank you for being at my house and being on the show. Yeah, I, I, I feel like I know you on a deep level. This book that you wrote right here, I Forgot to Die. You guys are gonna check this one out also. This one, Remembering to Live, which is actually reminds me of a book I have over there, and it was written by a very powerful man, and it's called Be Here Now. I don't know if you're familiar with that.
Ram Dass.
Ram Dass. So I love these books, but the one that really touched my heart was I Forgot to Die. Because so many people in this world, and I don't know the figures, nor is that important, it's a lot of people, and they are dealing with really, a separation from self, which is addiction. I've heard Gabor Matei explain it like, okay, well, if you're addicted, that means that you are the opposite of connection. Yeah. Because connection to self, connection to others, that's what God intended. That's what life is all about. You have a tremendous story, and I'm super honored to be able to unpack it with you. I know you've done a lot of interviews. You've been in the media for quite some time now, but this will be a different discussion that really hits people for the practical, but also the emotional. And sharing your story, man. So if people don't know you, just give us the 32nd of Khalil. Don't go too deep yet.
Okay?
But who are you? What do you do? How do you serve in the world at this Moment, here in 2022, Khalil.
Rafati, founder of Sunlife Organics, also founder of Riviera Recovery and Malibu Beach Yoga. As you mentioned the book, But I make smoothies. I'm just, you know, I'm an old guy that makes smoothies. And I seem to have one of those Cinderella stories that really resonates well with people.
But Disney would probably not publish your story.
Disney would definitely not publish my story. No. It's dark. It's very, very dark.
But from that darkness, which I know in your brand, something you talked about in the book, that just hit me, I've heard it a thousand times. But when you said it, it was potent and it was the reason you put a lotus for your company is because a lotus grows from the mud. Yeah. And that's exactly a mirror of your story. If people aren't familiar with the, the power of maybe the Japanese metaphor, the Japanese icon of the lotus, share with us that to begin, you know, how did you come across that? Were you sitting around one day and it came to you like the, the vision of having that be your logo? Let's unpack from there.
