In this episode, Alan Lazaros shares his inspirational journey from overcoming early life adversities to finding fulfillment and success. He recounts his childhood marked by the loss of his biological father, a turbulent relationship with his stepfather, and financial struggles. Alan emphasizes the shift from external validation through achievements to internal fulfillment through Personal Development. He discusses his career progress from computer engineering to founding Next Level University, which focuses on helping others achieve balanced success in health, wealth, and love.

Alan highlights Therapy’s role and his relationship with his partner, Amelia, in transforming his life. The conversation touches on integrating the shadow self, the hero’s journey, and the importance of self-improvement and humility.

At age 2, Alan’s father passed away in a car accident. At age 26, after getting into a nearly fatal car accident, Alan questioned everything he was doing in life. He questioned who he was and the choices he was making. He was at an all-time low. Filled with regret, he searched for answers and found two of the brightest lights he had ever seen.

The first bright light was Bronnie Ware’s book “The Top 5 Regrets of the Dying,” and the second was Tony Robbins’s TED Talk. These resources helped him find his way and guided him between going ALL IN on self-improvement and designing a life of meaning and purpose.

On this self-improvement journey, he learned to believe in a heart-driven but no-BS approach to inspiring, motivating, and educating others on what it really takes to reach the Next Level.

Today, he proudly says his mission is to help others design fulfilling lives, maximize their unique potential, and build aligned businesses they love on their terms. He has a powerful combination of technical expertise and business acumen, specializing in Peak Performance, Productivity, Organizational Design, and Individual, Team, and Business Optimization.

Alan leads a global team at NLU, has given hundreds of trainings worldwide, and has happily completed thousands of one-on-one Coaching calls with clients.

Find Alan on nextleveluniverse.com

Timestamps:

03:20 Introduction and Guest Welcome

04:18 Early Life and Family Background

05:16 Adversity and Transformation

09:08 Academic and Professional Journey

12:32 Quarter-Life Crisis and Personal Growth

15:42 Reflections on Success and Fulfillment

20:02 Dealing with Abandonment and Personal Struggles

28:16 The Role of Adversity and Self-Belief

31:54 Embracing Self-Worth and Setting Boundaries

32:19 The Hero’s Journey: From Victim to Guide

34:55 Turning Pain into Purpose: The Next Level Hope Foundation

37:16 Life’s Adversities and Finding Meaning

42:24 The Importance of Inner Work and Therapy

49:54 Balancing Health, Wealth, and Love

56:07 Final Reflections and Parting Advice

Sponsors of the Podcast:

• BetterHelp: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://betterhelp.com/ez10⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for 10% off your first month of therapy
• WeShape: https://weshape.postaffiliatepro.com/scripts/dcfogwyuk?a_aid=FurkhanDandia&a_bid=d7508fa8 for 35% all plans.
• Aura: https://aura.com/ez10 for a free two-week trial
• Plunge: https://plunge.com/ez
• Mint Mobile: ⁠https://trymintmobile.com/ez10⁠ for 15$ for an unlimited cell phone plan
• We Are Wild for 25% off your first order: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://zen.ai/EZ23⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Or find Furkhan’s Book, Pursuit of Self Love: 30 Uplifting Messages and Reflections. The Kindle version is available on Amazon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.amazon.ca/Pursuit-Self-Love-Uplifting-Messages-Reflections-ebook/dp/B0C4D1XYL1⁠⁠⁠

Subscribe to the EZ Reflections Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ez-reflections-newsletter.beehiiv.com

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Furkhan Dandia Therapist and Coach

I am a men's coach, therapist, group facilitator, podcaster and author. My journey began five years ago when I was going through a separation. I found myself alone and in a shame spiral that our culture and society covertly exert on people due to the perceived "failure" of a marriage. Unfortunately, I personalized that message which led me to fall deeper into a hole, causing me to surround myself with people that did not serve me and engage in substance abuse. While seeking therapy, I was not making the wholesale changes I needed.

As part of my experience with therapy, I realized that I am not alone in the challenges men my age experience (I separated at the age of 34/35). I realized I could be a voice for men like myself and offer support in this space. In the middle of the pandemic, I applied for a Master's degree in Psychology to become a therapist. This change was a significant shift for me as I worked in the corporate world as an engineer. Once I leaned into the space of supporting other men, I also started a podcast to normalize these difficult conversations and started a men's group a year later with the support of a friend.

I thought I was giving something back when I started the men's group. However, I quickly realized I was getting substantially more from the connections I built than I initially anticipated. It was also something I needed because I was going through another breakup.

At that point, I also realized that I had not taken the time to heal, and I was outsourcing my healing through romantic relationships, substances, material acquisitions and superficial relationships. I decided to step away from the outgoing lifestyle and started to focus on my healing which was another phase of evolution for me on my journey. Over the last year and a half, I have become mindful of the people I spend my time with. I have cleaned my lifestyle of substances, toxic environments and behaviours. I have focused on my sleep, my health and my knowledge. I have improved my spiritual relationship with myself, which was lacking the most over the past five years. This is the best I have felt.

As part of my solitude journey and to find myself again, I also released a book encapsulating my journey, which I hope to share with others. My book is titled: The Pursuit of Self-Love.