Achieve Success While Staying True to Your Values: Climbing Mt Everest, Dealing with Loss, and Building a Multi-Million Dollar Company

Leo Skepi: On Hate, Healing, and Why He Opened the Bible

In this episode, Leana sits down with Leo Skepi, TikTok's most unapologetically real creator, host of the Aware and Aggravated podcast, and someone whose depth goes far beyond what most people see on their FYP. Leo opens up about being bullied as a kid, coming out as gay, a year of daily cocaine use, giving away over half a million dollars for the wrong reasons, and how he ended up reading the Bible trying to figure out how Jesus loved people who wanted him dead. This conversation goes places you will not expect. If you think you already know Leo, you don't. Leana and Leo get into: * Growing up Albanian, coming out nearly dead at birth, and being bullied relentlessly in school and how fighting back forged the protector side of Leo that still shows up today * Coming out as gay, being disowned by his grandmother, and navigating faith in a community that was not always welcoming * Why Leo started reading the Bible, not for religion, but to understand how Jesus loved people who hated him to death, and what that restraint actually looks like * Looking at God as a verb and the mindset shift that changed how he handles conflict, rage, and misalignment in real time * Giving away over $500,000 in a single year and why God had to jolt him out of it - the difference between giving from love and giving to feel worthy * The real weight of having a massive platform, the feelings no one can understand but you, and how Leo holds that privately * His evolving relationship with fitness and discipline - why stoicism and grinding yourself into the ground is over, and what actually lasts * Why you do not need a religious community to have a relationship with God, and how he navigates backlash for sharing his faith journey publicly * His Houston pop up where 5,000 people showed up, his new merch drop, and what he is quietly plotting next "I used to scream at God. Like, actually, just like how I would cuss out somebody I don't like." — Leo Skepi TOPICS DISCUSSED (00:00) Intro (00:46) Welcome & Guest Introduction (02:38) The Pop-Up Store: 5,000 People Showed Up (03:48) Who Was Leo as a Kid? (06:32) The Duality: "Little Leo" & the Protector (07:53) Albanian Culture & Where His Personality Comes From (09:54) Before Social Media: Nursing School & a Toxic Ex (10:53) Suicidal Thoughts & What Kept Him Going (15:16) Turning Inward: Journaling & Self-Knowledge (18:33) Prayer as an Open Dialogue (26:38) Faith Background: Finding His Own Path (27:46) Why He Started Reading the Bible (28:50) "God Is a Verb" (33:27) Navigating Scripture Without Gatekeepers (38:49) Giving $500K Away & Learning the Hard Lesson (44:16) Relationships & What Money Can't Buy (46:48) Cutting People Off & Communicating First (52:04) Loneliness, Solitude & Finding Himself (54:32) The Isolating Side of Fame Nobody Talks About (57:41) Thick Skin, Hate & Online Critics (1:01:16) Weight Loss & Dropping the Grind Mentality (1:14:58) Sharing His Bible Journey Online (1:16:37) Coming Out: Resisting His Sexuality & Finding Peace (1:19:33) Celibacy, Scripture & Homosexuality in the Bible (1:23:37) Coming Out to Family (1:25:18) Why He Thinks Souls Choose Their Parents (1:28:22) Jesus Loved the Outcasts (1:30:35) What's Next & Where to Find Leo _____ Stay connected with Leo Skepi: Instagram: @leoskepi TikTok: @leoskepi Stay connected with Leana Deeb: Instagram: @leanadeebb / @beinghumannpodcast TikTok: @leanadeeb / @beinghumannpod _____ Thank you to our sponsors! Get 15% off OneSkin with the code LEANA at https://www.oneskin.co/LEANA [https://www.oneskin.co/LEANA%20] #oneskinpod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Why I Stopped Training with Music

In this solo episode, Leana comes back from the London Marathon and gets radically honest about where she is right now. She talks about breaking through the wall at mile 17, her complicated history with music and why she gave it up, and the faith dip she has never spoken about publicly until now. This one is less of a structured episode and more of a venting session, and that is exactly what makes it worth listening to. Leana gets into: * Running the London Marathon, going numb at mile 17, and why pushing through 26 miles is more of a mental battle than a physical one * How setting physical goals trains you to handle the pressure and pain that shows up in real life * Her history with music as emotional numbing, the withdrawals she went through when she gave it up, and why she no longer trains with it * The honest question she is sitting with: are we filling our lives with noise to avoid the feelings we actually need to face * Why she feels distant from faith right now and what it feels like to know the sweetness of closeness to God and then lose it * The moment she sat on her prayer mat and just started ranting to God out loud, and why she thinks you should try it too * The pressure of growing an audience online while still figuring out who you are as a creator and a host * How toxic environments can make you lose yourself without realising it, and why setting boundaries is how you find your way back * Why blaming the world for your circumstances keeps you powerless, and how taking ownership hands the control back to you * The verse she returns to every time life feels impossible, and what it actually means to find ease inside of hardship "God is not going to put me through something I cannot handle." — Leana Deb TOPICS DISCUSSED (00:00) Intro (00:46) London Marathon Recap (02:11) Marathon Is More Mental Than Physical (04:49) Running for a Purpose Bigger Than Yourself (06:01) My Relationship With Music (08:28) When Music Dependency Becomes a Problem (09:02) Music, Faith & What Religions Say (14:53) Turning to the Quran Instead (18:01) You Can't Have Both in Your Heart (20:36) Finding Balance, Not Extremism (22:15) Feeling Far from Faith Right Now (24:37) Platform Pressure & Locking Back In (27:35) Practical Steps When Struggling with Faith (30:29) When Staying Feels Scarier Than Leaving (31:12) Misalignment & Taking Back Control (34:17) Don't Numb the Pain, Sit in It (36:40) Closing _____ Stay connected with Leana Deeb: Instagram: @leanadeebb / @beinghumannpodcast TikTok: @leanadeeb / @beinghumannpod _____ Thank you to our sponsors!  Visit Carawayhome.com/LEANA [Carawayhome.com/LEANA] to take an additional 10% off using code LEANA on your next purchase Head to cozyearth.com [cozyearth.com] and use my code LEANA for an exclusive 20% off Use code BEINGHUMAN for 20% off at curehydration.com [curehydration.com] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Achieve Success While Staying True to Your Values: Climbing Mt Everest, Dealing with Loss, and Building a Multi-Million Dollar Company

In this episode, Leana sits down with Devon Levesque, Everest summiteer, entrepreneur, man of faith, and one of the most quietly influential people living life at full volume. Devon opens up about staring death in the face on the Hillary Step, losing his father at 16, building one of the cleanest supplement brands on the market, and why your values, not your goals, are what set you free. This conversation is raw, real, and deeply human. If you walk away wanting to do more with your life, that is exactly the point. Leana and Devon get into: * What it actually took to summit Mount Everest 47 days, avalanches, and a near-death moment on a six-inch ledge at 28,000ft * How losing his dad at 16 became the defining turning point that shaped everything about how he lives today * Why therapy, mental performance coaching, and seven-day phone detoxes are non-negotiables in his life * The five core values that run his entire schedule and how to find yours * The riverbank tool he uses to instantly disarm negative people without losing his peace * Type 1, Type 2, and Type 3 fun, and why Type 2 is the one that actually changes your life * His 90/10 nutrition approach, the supplements he takes every single day, and why he goes directly to the source for every ingredient * Why faith, prayer, and leading others in gratitude are woven into everything he does * Sweet Honey Farm, Monroe Austin, and the Running Man Festival; the community-first projects he is building right now "If you don't control your time, someone else will." — Devon Levesque TOPICS DISCUSSED (00:00) Introduction to Devon Levesque (01:39) Climbing Mount Everest: The Journey Begins (11:51) Near-Death on the Hillary Step (20:24) Faith, God & the Afterlife (34:12) Daily Rules for a Fuller Life & Type 2 Fun (39:33) Core Values: The Framework That Changed Everything (39:51) Living by Your Values & Owning Your Time (56:25) Promix Origins: Finding the Baobab Seed in Africa _____ Stay connected with Devon Levesque Instagram: @devonlevesque [https://www.instagram.com/devonlevesque/] TikTok: @devonlevesque [https://www.tiktok.com/@devonlevesque] Stay connected with Leana Deeb: Instagram: @leanadeebb [https://www.instagram.com/leanadeebb/] / @beinghumannpod [https://www.instagram.com/beinghumannpodcast/] TikTok: @leanadeeb [https://www.tiktok.com/@leanadeeb] / @beinghumannpod [https://www.tiktok.com/@beinghumannpod] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

How To Finally Live In Alignment

In this episode, Leana gets vulnerable about the chapter she is currently in — one full of new opportunities, real overwhelm, and the uncomfortable work of becoming who you are meant to be. She opens up about what it actually feels like when a blessing is also a challenge, why realignment is never a clean process, and the daily habits and mindset shifts that are helping her stay the course. Leana gets into: * Why stepping into a new blessing can feel just as hard as it feels exciting * How she navigated her own realignment — from removing her content to putting on the hijab — and why it had to happen in phases, not all at once * The difference between being aligned and just going through the motions * Why you cannot pour yourself into multiple things at once and expect results * Self-doubt, overthinking, and the daily practices — journaling, prayer, talking to God — that help her fight back * How to know when your environment is the problem, not you * Letting go of her old identity and the worldly success she was once attached to * What she learned about conditional love — and why nobody is coming to save you * Her current health struggles: inflammation, mood swings, painful cycles, and why she is finally getting her blood tested * How she structures her entire day around the five daily prayers — and how anyone, regardless of faith, can use that same framework * A full practical reset: routines, phone habits, morning practices, and how to audit your good and bad habits right now "Whatever is meant for you in life will never miss you." — Leana Deeb TOPICS DISCUSSED (0:00) Intro + Why Leana Is Sharing This Now (3:48) New Blessings Come with New Challenges (5:30) Focus on One Thing: Why Splitting Your Energy Keeps You Stuck (7:00) How Realignment Actually Works — Leana's Hijab Journey & Doing It in Phases (9:00) Self-Doubt, Overthinking & Using Prayer and Journaling to Fight Back (11:14) Whatever Is Meant for You Will Never Miss You (13:00) Letting Go of the Old Identity & Worldly Success (16:00) Conditional Love vs. Real Love — Nobody Is Coming to Save You (19:00) Discipline Is the Foundation: Sleep, Food, Training & Taking Care of Your Health (21:00) Inflammation, Mood Swings & Getting Her Blood Tested — A Real Health Update (23:00) Training for a Marathon + Why She Is Exploring Pilates and Yoga (24:30) The Habit Audit: Write Down Your Good Habits, Your Bad Habits, and Be Honest (25:30) Morning Routine Breakdown: Water, Electrolytes, No Phone, Prayer First (26:00) Using the Five Daily Prayers as Time Blocks for Your Whole Day (27:02) Night Routine: When to Eat Dinner, When to Wind Down, How to Actually Rest (28:30) Protecting Your Energy — Boundaries, Ego, and Responding with Calm (30:56) Your Environment Is Either Helping You Flourish or Draining You Stay connected with Leana Deeb: Instagram: @leanadeebb / @beinghumannpod TikTok: @leanadeeb / @beinghumannpod Thank you to our Sponsors! Head to cozyearth.com and use my code LEANA for an exclusive 20% off Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Discipline, Pilates & the Independent Woman: Ambition, Love & Building Your Dream Life w/ Raven Ross

In this episode, Leana sits down with entrepreneur, dancer, and former reality TV star Raven Ross for a conversation that is raw, real, and completely unfiltered. They go deep on what it means to stay true to yourself when the world is watching, why we stop shrinking for men, and how pouring into your purpose is the ultimate cure for loneliness. Raven and Leana get into: * What it was really like filming Love Is Blind — the mental prep, the villain arc, and coming out the other side * Why Raven tried the 50/50 relationship model and why she will never do it again * The trap independent women fall into when they start compromising piece by piece for a man * Growing up mixed in New Orleans and what it taught Raven about identity and belonging * How a single-parent household shaped the way both women think about money, relationships, and men * Why Raven started making free Pilates on YouTube — and how she set out to diversify a space that wasn't built for women like her * The difference between Pilates, sculpt, Lagree, and what actually works for longevity vs aesthetics * How to build a life so full you stop obsessing over romantic love * Why women feel guilty about wanting money — and why that has to stop * What success actually means: habits, discipline, and keeping the promises you make to yourself "The more that you just pour into yourself and go above and beyond to be the best you can be — that is what is going to attract the right things into your life." — Raven Ross _____ Topics Discussed (00:00) Intro — Becoming the Best Version of Yourself (00:30) Welcome to Being Human with Raven (01:03) Love Is Blind + Rebranding After Reality TV (04:35) Independence + Not Making Yourself Smaller for Men (05:35) Evolving Views on Relationships + The 50/50 Trap (08:03) Faith, Prayer + Building Your Spiritual Practice (27:14) Growing Up in a Single Parent Household (32:08) Living in Barbie's Dreamhouse + Nighttime Routines (35:11) Friendship, Community + Putting Yourself Out There (19:23) Making Pilates Accessible + Breaking Down Barriers (44:46) Pilates vs Lagree vs Sculpt — What's the Difference? (43:15) Movement for Longevity, Not Just Aesthetics (48:04) Body Image, Pressure + The Dance Body Standard (51:37) Money, Ambition + Overcoming Guilt as a Woman (58:05) Success, Discipline + Keeping Promises to Yourself _____ Stay connected with Leana Deeb: Instagram: @leanadeebb / @beinghumannpod TikTok: @leanadeeb / @beinghumannpod Stay connected with Raven Tracy: Instagram / TikTok / YouTube: @PilatesBodyRaven Website: pilatesbodyraven.com _____ Thank you to our Sponsors! Head to cozyearth.com and use my code BEINGHUMAN for an exclusive 20% off Visit Carawayhome.com/LEANA to take an additional 10% off your next purchase or use code LEANA at checkout. _____ Leana Deeb, Being Human podcast, Being Human with Leana Deeb, lonely chapter, lowering your standards, societal pressure on women, hijab journey, trusting God's timing, finding your purpose, women and relationships Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]