“A change in one is a change in millions.” My special guest on this episode is a living, breathing example of his favourite quote (above): Someone who has inspired change in millions when he decided to change himself one summer in 2011. Diego Perez, perhaps better known by you and millions of others around the world as Yung Pueblo through his Instagram account and bestselling books — Inward, Clarity & Connection, and Lighter — uses his beautiful art of words and poetry to help himself and others recognise the power of self- healing, create healthy relationships, and tune in to the wisdom that comes when we truly work on knowing ourselves. His self-healing journey began when, at 23, he thought he had reached the end of his life. A life of constant hard-partying as his way of escaping the sadness and anxiety he was experiencing, and never wanting to be alone with himself to feel difficult emotions, eventually pushed his body to the edge and gave him a mild heart attack. That was his wake-up call to come out of ill-fated patterns which kept leading him back to sorrow and misery. And the only way to come out of it, he realised, was to start telling himself the truth— that something was wrong, and he didn’t feel good. So he stopped fighting himself, and started meditating in 2012. That was how it all began. The practice of meditation has, no doubt, changed the course of Diego’s life. In our chat, he talks about his personal journey with his practice: The immediate lightness and spaciousness he had felt even after the first time; how it has made a writer of him (“Honestly, meditation is the secret to my creativity.”); the ways it has improved his relationships with others and with himself; and how this scared time he spends with — and within — himself has helped him cultivate self-compassion, awareness, gratitude, and empowered him to choose the narratives of his life. I’m truly grateful for Diego for sharing his wisdom, and with such peace and calm in his energy as always, on what he has learned on his personal growth about reframing our relationship with change (“We’re afraid of losing things because of change, but we don’t realise that we have gained things because of change.”), focusing on our own internal growth in the face of the many demands and expectations of a fast-changing, noisy external world, how to be more compassionate towards ourselves, unlearn old beliefs by letting go of “trash from the past”, the ideal state to approach life, and why one of the best skills we human beings can learn is the ability to enhance our self love. I could go on and on, but it’s best I stop here and let you listen and soak in the beautiful, soulful, inspiring words of Yung Pueblo himself. Keep an eye out for his upcoming book, The Way Forward, which will be released on October 10. I know I am. Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 00:31 - Story behind pen name Yung Pueblo 01:45 - Diego's background on personal development and self awareness 03:19 - Do we all need to go through an extreme experience in order to be woken up? 04:13 - Hitting rock bottom, what Diego did to get out of the hole 05:49 - The process of sitting with our emotions 07:07 - Diego's meditation journey and experience & benefits from meditation 10:43 - What led Diego to writing 13:30 - Imposter syndrome and dealing with self-doubt 15:22 - Marriage tips and relationship advice 17:55 - Couple rituals 18:54 - A Common misunderstanding about meditation 19:51 - Encouragement tip for people starting out on Meditation 21:54 - Embracing change, navigating life's transitions. 24:02 - Balancing inner growth and the demands of the world. 25:41 - How to practise self-compassion 26:45 - What the ideal mental state is 27:36 - Learning and unlearning of old beliefs 29:31 - Enhancing your self-love 31:21 - "The way forward" sharing on upcoming book 32:27 - Diego's favorite quote 33:35 - Outro F