It's a daily talk show and we're in Los Angeles and we've got special guests, we've intruded your house I like the icon and Mimi icon. Thank you for being here. Thanks for having us So Airbnb is this just like part of your lifestyle? If there's one company that should sponsor us is Airbnb cuz all the time when we travel as you guys probably see everyone asks us Is this an Airbnb?
Can you send me a link? I'm not sending you a link because we know we say it for a long time I'm like I expose myself like what we're saying, but we do we can get it to wait Airbnb is not the only service We actually use a whole variety of services. However, we in the future. There's definitely an icon travels where we're gonna probably have houses All around the world to rent out the people or something like that I mean it feels like there's so many things that you're doing and so there's all these opportunities So the positano example you create a travel teller to so you do a travel guide is the intention that when you go there We're going to do this or do you just you just traveling around and then it just sort of comes out I say it's just about traveling and doing it mindfully obviously like going to places that are better than the status quo Like that's what we're always looking for not to just have a touristic experience But to go to really local cool spots and then once you know all of that Like what's the point of just keeping it to yourself?
Yeah, if you know you can make somebody's experience like once when we were in Positano We were at this cafe and like this couple came up to us and they're like literally we just ordered what you put in your guy They had like almond milk cappuccino and that like whatever like eggs that I ordered I can't remember anymore But like they had the same exact experience and they went to all these places that we went to so it just makes me feel so happy that People can have a great experience as opposed to like those tourist traps there in all of these very popular destination What I want to add on to that like even postano it's now the influencer central When we say hey like we went to Positano like 12 years ago before it was like Instagram before there's all the people They're just taking pictures So what we'd love to do is just be able to discover places and we do travel currently like more pop I guess in culture kind of places But it's still in the way of what we love to do is really providing people that experience what we know ourselves is that as many Seds you know you can go you can go to these major cities LA New York Paris and hate it Yeah, right it's because it's a big and people like why do you go to same places like do you know like you can be going to Paris Or even living in Paris you still will know all the cool spots They're just so much to offer and what we just like to give for ourselves And it's like I love to really dive in and do a lot of research like for all of our chips And I'm like all my friends and all of our family like we really create create you know curated experience That's because like we have very high standards Just when you start traveling the world and seeing lots of places and staying a lot of place and having also the financial freedom to like Try a lot of places you also will end up going to a lot of bad places And I think it's yeah for me to spend you know 150 $200 and loot and have a bad experience It's okay But for somebody else who has earned their harder money has been saving their whole year for that like I don't want to have that experience and go to like some place that's a post-life five stars and it's actually crap Because it's just like Instagram whole you know like this so there's like that's where part of it I think we've worked out in the States at the warning sign of a bad restaurant or somewhere where you're gonna get pretty average food It's the amount of things on the menu. So you have seven pages of food Of course, is there any other telltale signs of somewhere or location even if it like doesn't seem to be flooded by mainstream You know like just everybody's every warning sign. I think location like if it's usually on a main street That's not good. Yeah, it has to have no sign like all the cool places are very much a hole in the wall kind of places And then you walk in there and it's like a whole different world and that's what people like I think most people when you have high expectations and you go to a place you judge it differently rather than when you go to a Place and you're like this is really shady and you walk in like there's a big here here in Venice called Just just I have you guys been literally it has no sign like I was Google mapping it and I got there I'm like where is this place?
There's no sign you walk in and it's massive They bake there like all their like croissants and breads and everything there like it's beautiful full of people like There's such an amazing buzz so places like that are really cool. We appreciate it I mean you start a business and you obviously people want their business to become successful And you could look at these places on the main street or things that become really popular as they've achieved a level of success I mean for you guys you've had a bunch of different businesses is the aim to not have it become super mainstream or Uber popular are you trying to create a booty experience? I'm happy to create the Lexi here How do you create a brand that is respected but also makes a bunch of cash? You have to stick to your values I think that's the most important thing is that as you grow if you compromise on your values and the main basic philosophy of what Built you as a company and that's what a lot of businesses do once they grow and they have to scale They kind of cut the corners and they start compromising on their products service, etc But if you do that that's a whole different business And that's what happens to many of these great restaurants or even some of the fashion brands that like start out really cool And then once they go mass and it's not the same, right?
So we never want to be in a position I think it's understandable But we also haven't been in those positions where we really scaled mass I think the opportunity that exists for a lot of us, you know Anybody who's watching this or listening to this or even you guys is that we live in the world right now This is what we realized when we first started our first business and it's embarrassing for our work week Was really that I think is the best thought to this day It's really that gateway to changing your mindset that the idea of how we work in our careers is now different You know It doesn't have to be that way of like you know Not to five you work in corporate and you move up the corporate ladder And then you have this lifestyle and you retire and you get a BMW and you get fat You know like that's kind of what it's all about And in reality is that now you can be a Tesla No, I think now even like ourselves like one of the examples I was like you know I can financially pretty much buy any car one You know I can buy Lamborghini whatever But I choose to ride like a ride share by school in London and to me like I really enjoy that even with a wet station I'm saying yeah, even when you know it's raining. I'll come with my sweater wipe with my hand And I will still bike in the rain like I'll really be sad if I can't like I have a change of pants in the office Just in case but what I'm trying to say is that like that idea of like really designing and that's what Tim really would introduce a lot of people It's like how do we use individuals now with the insurance technology can now design our lives and to be able to build these Businesses that can potentially support us and create a lifestyle for ourselves. We're also for other people So with you know our first business was really the intention just to create a lifestyle business Our goal was just to make a ten hundred bucks a month We didn't have really big goals to make a big business or anything like that And then we really just got into it like into the whole business entrepreneurship And I think today more than ever it is so easy to create a business And especially if you follow really these rules not rules But in terms of say guidelines to how because the benchmark is actually fairly low in the world more business That's what we like we like discovering more more we actually have very high standards a lot of people appreciate the high standards But they actually don't have them. So if you as a business brings something that delivers more value to their customer You will win it was just that you will just take some time But once enough people discover you you will get the audience So just start to build up But you have to have that vision and also system to realize how it does just basics of business work meaning You know supply and demand market product branding all that stuff and then be able to scale so even our businesses They're very simple.
They're not complex businesses They're not like major businesses and the reason they're like that is just because we we prioritize our own lifestyle So we could have you know if our people doesn't like see here We don't change like they could have been 10x the businesses that they are now however for ourselves We find that we would then sacrifice our life and it's fine You know, but we just even being here in LA or America, you know, like that's I quickly talked about guys That's why I think happens a lot of people they go extreme They're like we have to take over the world and be the richest and the biggest and all that stuff and then in time you lose Your your life you lose your you can literally lose your life You can lose your family your time where we were able to we really believe you can bounce up both Yes, there's times where you hustle and you almost burn out, but you don't have to keep doing that Yeah, I mean we hear so many stories Like that's quite self-aware right to be in the moment thinking that because the amount of success stories that and it's a crucible moment Where they've made all this money and now they need to find the opposite But then they have the financial means to support the search for the other it sounds like you were Self-aware in the moment and had the filter on how do we create the life? What is that filter had how did you put that lens on? I think in our first year that we started like to hear we were very lucky because we made a million dollars Like that was never the expectations And we have great we have really great margins without business so To me it was very clear right away that I can have pretty much anything I want financially like I can buy any bag I won't choose travel anywhere But like it's not what makes me happy and I feel like a lot of people it will take them longer Maybe because people are different, you know, so once I became aware of that I was kind of like on a soul search of what it is that I want to do in life that is meaningful to me every day and It took Alex a few more years like get a certain number in the bank account and buy a certain car It's actually the same car we have on the garage right now. It's just a white BMW convertible Yeah, nothing too crazy, but you were on the way to being the fabulous That was my goal, but maybe she came on the block Yeah, and I'm just kind of learning you get off it.
It's like two three years into the business We both realized okay, my name is not what's gonna make us happy It's great that we realize that no because both of us don't come from you know from the wealthy families We had very little when we grew up so we always had this idea that once we had the money We're gonna make it in life, right? So we get the money we don't get away We actually I felt really the president lost and anxious and I realized okay This is not what life is about so what is it about and then it took me another year or two to figure that out through you know Going meditation retreats and just spending a lot of time self-reflecting and realizing that you know looking back on my life and looking at my life And when I was actually happy and it was actually moments of struggle in those moments where I might not have had a lot financially But I was helping I felt like I was useful in this world and for Alex It was and you can tell about your experience I think just really looking things from a perspective of you have to you I had one of your questions was like how do you really see to that future? How do you have that awareness and you have to go through that experience you have to you have to like as we did you know We were as everybody especially in North America Like when you come here, I don't know if you guys feel like we're in LA right now It's like the epitome of American dream meaning people are come out here to LA all over the world to make it And what does that make it whether you become a star or become rich and famous and and all is this dream? But in the reality this dream that's created here in Hollywood is it's false And you can see how many people who even here in this city achieve this dream and live it and are super unhappy But yet they can't admit it to themselves and they keep on this treadmill like well I should keep going right and they keep going maybe I need a jet Maybe I need a bigger house Maybe I need a bigger car and it's like and just more and more and more and I think It's it's creeping all over the world.
It's very contagious this style But in reality, you know, I think having also that bounce of now living in Europe So we talked about like there is that a finer balance of and not just being so loud about you know Wanting things but actually just being simple and appreciate life in a relief you if you are I guess for ourselves and Honest with yourself You're the question that I asked myself at that time when we're like kind of in between you know You're kind of like made it you're financially free you thought so gonna give you all this happiness You have to really be honest and we have a we asked ourselves a question of one's the last time I was generally happy right now What society thinks like if I do this then I'll be happy if I have this money in the bank It's a fake dream is it a guilt because I guess you get you get to a position It just really fell empty yeah for me It's about sharing the experiences with other people like what's the point of having it all just for yourself? I don't know for me. So how do you come aligned with within your values? I think then you reevaluate your values and you really put it in a couple did you find that that was something And then as a couple because that's important because like you're building life together But the values your first five to ten values.
This is the most important thing in your life Some of them that I can tell you like one of the highest one is freedom Mm-hmm, right? So that's why the businesses that were built are based on that that we have flexibility of freedom to travel be with each other I spent time with our child family family friends Like I never want to be the slave to my business because you can be a slave to a business Just like you would be to a corporate job, right? So every decision we make has to be aligned with all of our primary values Gratitude is another one like in terms of like a value like I think why it's so important to us even to be grateful And we have you know created products around us that we really see that appreciation Like whether be even ourselves and people around us when we appreciate ourselves, you know But we also appreciate other people in our lives It just feels better like you know like I just feel you know Especially when you have friends and if you if you were I think we were always as people trying to do good What being a relationship or you as a as a father or a mother or just as a friend just being there supporting thing And if somebody just shows their appreciation says you know like hey Josh Thank you for just being my friend and for hanging out with me and bringing this out to me right away You just feel better and you want to do more If for all the you know even the staff we had all one of the you know as you interview people you always ask like Why did you leave that job and one of the I'll say the most Answers that we get like I didn't feel appreciated. No, they could be getting paid well They could be in a great organization But if they're not if they're not appreciative or someone's not being grateful to them Then they want to leave so those are like some of the values But it really just comes down to to the basics of of of your life and really questioning You know being really like what I'm trying to get to with you guys and anybody really listening is that?
Don't care what other people think you know like I think so many of you cuz we're social animals and social preachers We're very conditioned to care what you know what your community is gonna say where your family's gonna say where your friends are gonna say And you have to be honest with yourself like how does it feel to you for example? I'll give you one example. I proposed to me me when we're broke unemployed early 20s I was 21 all my friends thought I was literally they're like what the hell you doing this is stupid You have all your 20s like it's right Just that was kind of what they want to communicate I'm like you're making a mistake Yeah, and I'm like am I making a mistake a lot of times our parents can talk us out of stuff You know like taking that leap into entrepreneurship or being in a relationship or even hanging around with certain friends where you have to ask yourself Do I feel this is the right decision and for me for example? Let's even proposing to me and committing as so early was the best decision I've ever made us also Now going back to corporate and starting a business making that leap Trying to create a lifestyle business I had conversations with serious business people and entrepreneurs who laugh literally laughed at me I said this is not possible for you to be on the beach while you make money like that's a hype dream You know and it's even now like right hey you guys saw us on Gary Vee and Gary Vee will say the same thing Because you have to hustle your brain off.
I totally get it But however, we believe that there's there's a once you expand your mindset is not like oh Like I secreted affirmations all that stuff those things work, but it's constructive where you can balance out It's important to have expand your mindset and create a bigger vision for yourself And the way you do that is become self-aware with yourself because what we believe in is that and this is what I've learned You know you have a child as well like when when our daughter was born Alexa first day and now she's three years old I can tell you she's the same person like you can sense that there's a certain amount of soul in that in all of us And that just exists you hear like everyone who's listening who's watching you have your own journey And no one's gonna like I can't tell you what you need to do like you can't tell what other people Do everyone has to go through their own journey and have to quite they have to question themselves of what feels right to them I'll try to tell my son what to do when he doesn't have a problem Yeah, what I guess what we're trying to say is like why we feel really passionate about this is that we really believe that if Once you align to like me said your values and your your kind of inner calling cuz like what feels good Mm-hmm and I think that's the whole idea is like is also exploring even with us for example, you know You said we're traveling one of the reasons why we travel so much and do create basis for ourselves Like we still haven't figured out where we're gonna live. Yeah, to be honest I feel like a pro because I've got a mate who's got a couple of different citizens ships or whatever amazing It creates a lot of pressure for him because he's like, where do I want to leave one day? Yeah, and so have you found that is yeah, I'm trying to work out what to leave like where to leave like he'll go to Barcelona And we're meant to be just going there for a trip and he's like, okay I'm checking out a few apartments because I might move here Because we're very privileged obviously to have that kind of life now. I don't come from that You know like for the first 16 years of my life I didn't even get on an airplane so to me this truly is a dream come true to be in a place like that But also you realize world is quite small, you know in a way you won't be aligned with every place in the world And you're not gonna have a desire to go live everywhere But there will be a certain places that sort of speak to who you are as an individual where you can see yourself living And what I want to add on to that is really it's expanding your mind I think even let's say maybe your friend the idea that you don't have to be a billionaire or even a millionaire to you and think like that I think the world that we're now entering that is more global that it has that we're technology Mables, you know people who listen to this all over the world and also with commerce you can really do it all over the world And that you don't need to be in a certain place.
You don't need to have an office in a certain place You can operate you know through distribution distribution distribute a team and With with that once you have you expand your mindset to think bigger and that you can also have these opportunities And that you can be a digital nomad living in Bali and traveling the world and only making you know 40 50 grand a year That's possible and you know you can have even and it's not even you have to be an entrepreneur You can still be a freelancer and be able to do that and it's just that ability to shift your mind to that Hey, you don't have to be stuck in Oklahoma somewhere in a small town and that's that's where you're born is where you have to be the whole life and This is the beauty of the world that we're entering and then I guess also the challenge of of this time is that to be able to To expand your mindset and be free and not everyone has that choice I think a lot but at the same time a lot of people in places like Australia or US or Europe or Canada Especially here in the US I think they really don't value what their u.s. Passport or any of these countries that I've listed their passport allows you like If you're in Syria, you can't leave you know Where we come from I'm from Russia name is from Azerbaijan our passport. You can't unless you get like a visa approval You can't like I get with our Canadian passport. I just show up here.
Yeah, like you're like literally I just show up Well, I remember Neil Strauss has a book emergency and he talks all about like what the billionaires do with Yeah, I just got obsessed with like I have like I applied for a green card like the green card lottery and all that So they have multiple but the thing is that I was like I look back I was like 21 at the time and the main reason was talking about consumerism was Australian have Amazon Prime Yeah, I realize that that's not really a reason to move It's a little bit shitty Do you guys when you come to different countries do you don't different masks or do you feel like you're actually different as people when you're Every place you go to has an impact on you like when we go to Paris I feel like dressing differently and ordering different things and I don't know It's just like you feel different and that's the incredible thing about traveling is that it changes something inside of you And once you leave that place You're just never the same person and I think that's the biggest gift you get from traveling It just expands your mind. It makes you feel more connected to other human beings living in this other country who speak different languages Had a different upbringing, but yet you have like some sort of a connection because we're this we're all the same humans, you know So yeah, for me, it's truly like the best way to spend time is to go and visit new places I think the curse of comparison is real for a lot of people and I think it'd be true to say that people with less might even have it Even more than others When we went to Nepal years ago, I'll never forget We went to this like little village in like near Chitwan their National Park and like people were so happy They're little living in little huts with literally like no windows no door whole family in this tiny little house Like it's basically a room, but so happy and smiling like genuine smiles No shoes on these kids feet, but they don't know it like they don't know any better So because they're not comparing they're also like it was the first time I've actually come across It's probably more rare now where you say you want to take a picture of somebody and you can see they actually haven't never been faced with a camera And like they have this genuine expression. It's like mind-blowing It's like it's presence and I think now it's probably disappearing So even Nepal is probably hard now because a lot of people do travel Nepal now. This was some time ago And it was very remote place You know, but that that's the beauty of just the world and travel and everything that has to bring But I think to you also add on to what you're saying about I think we come from Soviet Union You know both me and myself used to be a big In a place and you know people around the world think it's this form or something But people would judge this place as well as this cold place and all that stuff in reality I look at my childhood where we literally you know, there wasn't a lot of options You don't have options for clothing or comparison It's like you have those same shoes and the same candy and a very limited choice And maybe you have like oranges for Christmas And if you're lucky, maybe you'll have a banana someday and you I literally remember when Western candies like Snickers came And you my family would split one Snickers into four pieces and and over like tea or something like that And we'd be so happy in the Snickers.
It's amazing. And what it's like now you can buy Snickers It won't give you a snack as deep in the fridge What I'm trying to say is that I remember those times and part of Being content is that there is less of that comparison and like my favorite quote that we always talk about comparison is a piece of joy And and this is why it's important to have that self-awareness and to understand like it's okay To that we understand that we live in a consumer's system and how we've evolved like one of our favorite books of all time It's sapiens by you all know her are you can see I think that book is important for everyone to read because it'll help you understand How we as humans got to this point now because a lot of us don't really comprehend and understand like how did we use like monkeys of All to the state where we are now, you know comparing ourselves thinking push those on Instagram talking to some devices here The core of everything we're still human and we're these social animals who want to bond If you think about it's like space if I think about it too much So content consumption there. Yeah, what you consume I guess can start to dictate how you feel you find that you go in and out of the types of content So obviously I feel like everyone goes through it like that Gary V thing about the early days And then you sort of like you get it and you understand it's okay. I need something else now What are you consuming in 2019?
Very little I'm very mindful about what I consume because I because I'm very hands-on with my raising my daughter I have very little time and the time that I have I'm usually creating so when it comes to consumption It's it's basically I consume a little bit during Instagram, but I'm barely ever on YouTube to be honest It's just a longer content. I don't have time for it right now I heard you say on your podcast that it could be the it's the addiction the opposite way the addiction to checking your feed But in addition to creating and putting it out. Yeah, that's true. I'm more addicted to the create Do you think there is do you think it's as detrimental if you're just Because then you're not present right because they thinking I can be honest about the fact that I do this like oh my god What am I gonna create next what do I need to share next?
It's like this inner drive I truly enjoy it and I feel like it gives me purpose to know that I can share something with my Audience that can make them smile can teach them something maybe a recipe Maybe I showed them a new place. Maybe I share a quote, but it makes me feel good knowing that I can share something So is it it is addicting? Yeah, but then I think is it external pressure or people no saying that you're creating too much or is it internal internal? Okay, no, it's internal because I always question myself and I I want to make sure that it's not from a place of an addiction Where I can go let's say I would I've implemented recently like for the last two months is I have one day where I don't post anything 24 hours I don't check anything.
I don't post anything. How do you feel I feel great? I feel amazing. I feel so much more present that day like I don't have that rush like because it's like a It's certain type of a problem that constantly going through your blood where you thinking like you're looking out for content Whether you realize it or not Like I want to share this like this can be helpful, right?
And I just had different maybe is on those days from a It's quite I would say so in terms of the answer your question of what am I consuming now is that the only sponsor that we do is audible I'm really grateful that they sponsored us is because I love audiobooks, you know and the reason even you know What people might be thinking how do these guys know so like so much or what the things they talk about so like these are our ideas you know none of the you none of the things that you really know are your own we're all it's all past all of the things that we learn from and I was just I think we live in an incredible time I just like hands if you there's you can waste a lot of your time But you can also really grow as an individual and really enrich your life by expanding your mind with some of the greatest minds out there And this is why I said like a book like Sapien's why you've all know a Ferrari like just incredible or even something a little different It can be let's say alchemist right by Pollock where like a different book or Master of Love by Don Miguel Really it's like very different books These are I'm naming some of the names that you know These are some of our favorite audio books and books that has allowed us to think differently because the power of content even like this podcast Is that it can change somebody's life by changing their perspective? This is why we always focus on mindset because once your mind grows it can't go contract back to the same place like once you gain awareness and you start thinking differently It's hard for you to go back into a box whenever I'm watching you maybe on social media I'm always craving fruit the freshest fruit. You've got a way of describe like this page You got to taste this page. I'm on the beach and I'm like I need one of those Yeah, maybe we take it for granted because we don't think about it.
Yeah, what the page types like yeah With the fruit like in the u.s. Do you think I think you're a fan fruit of the bus? Like specifically Spain Italy Portugal like everything grows there You know, it's amazing at least we're talking before the podcast started about Our commitment to creating content, which is seven days a week We we put out seven episodes of the podcast. We at least have a couple of days off We prerecord a few for the weekend But you have a counter thought to what we do around hashtag pushback You know, I just think right now what you're doing isn't isn't per se a wrong right?
I think That's what I was to connect to what I was saying earlier is that we're all on our own individual journey You got to do what you got to do and most importantly what you feel is the right thing to do if there's an inner drive That's calling you to make content for the next 10 years for every single day, and then we have the demand the daily talk So number one always don't listen to anybody else don't listen to me. Don't listen to me Don't listen to anybody. Honestly, you can you can still listen be open to what they're saying but in regards to Then being absorbing it to yourself I think does this apply to me is do is this something that I can take away and learn from? That's another thing that I really want to encourage a lot of people you know listening and watching this right now is that you know People are especially now this whole walk movement and things like that.
It's like things are not black and white Mmm, right? No one is perfect right like it's very important to understand that no book You're gonna read no person you listen to is perfect and however There's always things you can take away for yourself from certain individuals the good and the bad So this is how we learn like, you know say Tony Robbins people say oh well He had this article come out about how he's whatever the two these women whoever created that You know I take from that individual There's certain things that I've learned from him that has allowed me to become a better person for example Practicing gratitude in the morning, right? That practice by itself has allowed us to then move on to create a product like the five-minute journal, right? That was that was one of the main inspirations So people can talk bad all they want about a certain individual But like I said no one is perfect and there's something good you can take away from those individuals So for yourselves as well as you guys you know explore whatever avenues I think the most important thing is really as you're working is figuring out what works what doesn't and then really counterbouncing like look At Casey Neistat you know he's become Who he is who he is because of his daily vlogs, you know now that he's you know made it and he Sold one of his companies and he's financially free.
He's not actually trying to do less than do em all and and it's great That he's actually having that awareness to to actually think of like is this actually productive for me to just keep going at that same Paces out as I keep going off the hamster wheel. Yeah, so for you yourselves like maybe you do have to go through this experience For a period of time like the same thing It's like you know when people listen to this we always all easy for them No, there's periods of course where like when we worked from morning to night and it's even two in the morning three in the morning all that stuff There are more those days and they're glorious. Yeah, like I Honestly if I can tell you even those period after when we kind of made it and we asked ourselves a question When was the last time I was generally happy when I was broke on the come up? Yeah, making it like really grinding that was the most important thing So even now like having that opportunity like you know last year we sold one of our businesses We now have an opportunity we bought out our business partner from our intention change business We have full control that business and we're excited to you know grow that team again grow that business again to create again Just for that opportunity of that journey of really creating something and and I'm really connected to even you guys is that That's the most beautiful thing is follow your you know It's cliche to say passions put your interests and follow whatever is calling you whatever that feels right If you're doing something that you have resistance towards and it's making you literally sick maybe and it's not healthy Then you should be then you should really read just your life However, if you're doing this daily thing and you're fired up and you're excited because you get to meet other people You can track you got it you get to hang with your mates and have fun do it Okay, who says who's right?
So I think the most important thing the most important message I really want to tell to you guys or anybody listening or watching is really You are your own Navigation your guy your compass like that's what the reason we are here now as as individuals We're also a couple and we've been able to create the life that we we've created It's simply because we're always trying to navigate our compass and when we gets weighted by other people or it can be sometimes You know you come to a place like LA we speak to me I should have a this massive house and Beverly Hills or something or get a yacht when I'm in the South of France or something like that But you're like really like it's that important to me and if that is go and do it but you at the end of the day you really have to be honest to yourself and And and ask what is important to you and what will make you and I will add to that It's like are you doing it for yourself or are you doing it to impress others? Mmm, that's one of the most important questions to ask questions to answer whenever you're doing anything in life period Do you think that so the advice around? Lifestyle or even there is that school of thought of saying no not saying yes to everything It feels like there's a point in your life where you have to say yes or you have to wear lifestyle isn't the main factor So I'm 29 now to Tommy's what do you see one 31 31 10 years? We're still gonna be really young in 10 years time So part of it is it's like we can do this for them potentially the game in the future Do you think that younger people are seeing the lifestyle content and maybe underestimating those times that you guys were working really hard?
100% I think that even as we people apply to work with us and we do interviews It's funny that like what do you want to work as well? I'm so inspired by your lifestyle. I want to have your lifestyle like You know you shouldn't want like you know I understand you you can be part of that journey to help you learn from kind of working with us how you can potentially get there and the the most important bit is to realize is that For our friend also carloco and a poet he once told me know he he comes from you know Brixton in London very now It's more of a gentrified becoming more gentrified can use but before it was like a lot of gang violence things like that It's where he grew up and he would roll you know I met him through Virgin charity big chain charity You know we're on the hike with like billionaires and things like that and I remember because we come from similar backgrounds I remember he told me he's like Alex like you know Everyone has a climate mountain, you know everyone the billionaires and us people just get different trails. We took a run in this Wherever everyone has to climb everyone in their life will have to climb some sort of a mountain People who just have get they get born there on a different trail You know our daughter Alexa is on the easier path But that easier path may have its own kind of different kind of challenges Some people get the really hardcore trail where you might die like and it's really hard to get to the top And how I'm trying to connect this to is really helping everyone understand is that they have their own journey to go on And once you understand and stop comparing your journey to other person's journey And you can just focus on like this is my chair There's no point of me bitching about why am I not on this easy trail and I have this hard one But you just get you understand This is your path and that you still like said the connection is as he says everyone still has to climb a mountain Everyone's still going towards the same thing people just have a different path and you're on a different path But don't bitch about your path versus other paths So with a lot of younger people now They're like I want to be on the easy path, right?
And I just want to be already on top or I want to or how come I look at Alex and me and they're just traveling all the time Like I'm not showing to you my like it's boring when I'm standing you know here on my made-up But stand up desk and just looking to the screen all day. It's not that exciting But hey here I am again, you know like working most of the time when I'm just in office and London is raining I'm just working. I don't share that and I think it was the wrong way And then people say well you should share that bullshit because the most if I share that all the days when I'm just in my office I'm working you're gonna turn off. That's not what people are signing up for people are still they want to aspirational content Like you know, it's funny when people say a message like yeah watch that the real is no nobody wants real It's like the reason why people You it's just say thing why Sapiens such a great book.
There's just really outlines human psychology like I remember even in our business Things like you're over year You see statistics and you see how you know you get let's say 10,000 visitors visitors and this amount of visitors like buy And I'm always like curious about that like how come it's always this percentage and what that really communicates is that we as humans We're still fairly very very basic and if you if you if you match certain Criteria, this is the result you get to be concerned criteria You'll get a different result and that's why it's so important for a lot of everybody 90 young people it's everybody trust me the young people I think it's it's so maybe they want it easy the older people are just thinking they already missed it But everyone has their own excuses and reasons and all I can tell you from my own personal experience is that you have to do What you have to do with the situations you have dealt hence my analogy before with the mountain Just focus on your path and focus on what you got to do both me me and I are from immigrant families I have you know a single mother who when my father died when I was a teenager I had my stepfather pass away a year later like there's a lot of messed up things that happen You know like we're always poor Well fair in the times all that stuff and now we get to live this life people can look at me Just one thing and just think oh he has it easy He's probably some like trust fun kid white privilege male all that stuff No, I had to go through my own struggles And I had to do what I had to do to create the life that I have but the most important thing that I did is not once again Bish complained about my life and most important thing that I have ever done in my life that I recommend for everybody to do is Take responsibility for your own life because that the moment I took responsibility for my own life I'll change because I self-imperiously compare myself to other kids or other people and I started focusing on my own journey What I got to do to get out of the situation that I'm in right? What'd be in a relationship would it be a financial job university? Whatever you got to do and life just becomes easier isn't it's still hard, but at least you're not wasting your time Comparing and wasting your energy on somebody else's life And I think what a lot of us do nowadays through Instagram whatever things is we're living vicariously through other people You know you so you say you want on that post-itano trip Yeah, we kind of need to be inspired you to go to we inspire so many people to go to you however You know you're gonna have your own experience and you still have to do it And you're gonna and even when you go and even if you do the same things that we we told you to do you'll still have your own ideas You'll also have your experience and you're an overall feeling that you will have based on your history all that stuff And that's the beauty of life is we're unique individuals and we have our unique journeys And I really believe that once you take responsibility for your own journey It that's when life just changes and your mindset begins to expand. What did you think of the post-itano trip?
Oh, it's amazing. Yeah, we went to yeah, we went to a lot of the um here There was one place. It's like the organic. I don't know like it's the place where it's all why Yeah, my girlfriend's very good with all the names and stuff because I can travel to places multiple times I can't remember anything and so I'm excited.
I'm actually excited to go back What's what's like a big life question you're both asking yourselves at the moment? Where should we live at the moment? That would be the most important one, but I think we're getting closer to the answer Yeah, I think yeah, definitely and I think it's for us as we talked about before it's more about the amazing thing of You know, we were big believers as ourselves is that once you create a vision for how you're gonna live your life So, you know, we do this exercise where we plan out, you know, three to five years of how our life looks like, you know, from just every day Mm-hmm where we live who are friends? What kind of work do we do?
Like we we really get really clear and say a very important exercise to do because it will help you really expand your mindset of What is possible? Where do you want to go? It's not like you know, you're living on the moon or you're now in this Beverly Hills 100 million dollar mansion Like let's not go crazy. Well, like what's within the realm in the next three to five years for you You can still stretch it not be too realistic However, uh, once you start doing that and we've done it a couple times and we've realized those things You're like episode now the big life question is like, oh snap This is real like we can actually manifest and create our reality once we actually also do the work And they do the actual stuff behind the vision But it's like we have to be careful like this.
We're actually gonna realize this and so the question now is really What's next and how and I highly recommend for for people to do this exercise themselves, you know, you without just It's better have some sort of a vision some sort of direction that you're going towards than no vision at all now Say most people have no vision for themselves in the future. They have no goals What's whoever just kind of like how passively going through life and then same thing? They they will just complain how the one percenters are taking over the world and have what they don't have things like that It's the wrong focus the people who are one percent or four zero point one percent whatever that is and this I even have to be with financial But even just living a better life because I also I feel like we should put a lot of emphasis on attention about you Maybe some great family living out in some neighborhood in Australia who just have great friends and you know barbecue on the weekend and just have fun and have loving relationships and hug their kids and just have a good time Those people are also realizing live in their dream Mm-hmm, right and that can be your vision your vision can just be having a normal life and it's not traveling the world and just you know having good friends around you and a good community and you know playing basketball in the weekend whatever that is for you and getting clearer to that and refining it as you go We'll just enable you to to create your life And I think that's the most exciting part about life And that's why we're here is that we're all figuring around the figuring out and we're just taking day by day And it's truly amazing what we can create once we can have that awareness in our lives Towards creating the future and the future stuff that you have and we can all redefine ourselves You know even looking back on my journey or my new journey It's like I'm so grateful that I took those choices those risks and those risks if you need to To be able to create what we have now and and it's not like you won't know the picture right away But it just take one day at a time and you really realize it well It feels like there's some universal dreams or aspirations that people have tell me and I always talk about you know home ownership I know that his family. That's a big thing Brie and I don't have not planning on having kids We're a little bit more sort of loose with those sorts of things home ownership for you guys Yeah, how do you how do you think about it?
I just before we answer that question the same thing I think it's very important you start questioning all these cultural things Owning a car owning a home going to school even Getting married like all these things question everything like I think it's very important for individuals to really Question why are we doing like getting an engagement ring, you know Getting a diamond or like ring for whatever like crazy right like I on Google. It's like okay. It needs to be X amount of Most people follow that right like it's like we need a guide to follow My girlfriend for 12 years and I just can't work like it every time I google a band and get like it's just so complicated I just can't do it. I can't work it out.
Just get something unique in the future. Yeah, I look cheap I think I think this is where We have to redefine a lot of the culture. Yeah a lot of the happiness. That's all that's right I'm just the same thing.
That's why I'm really grateful to have me as my partner and that we're both open-minded to this degree Of course like if you have you know a partner who's like I want a diamond ring I don't know who that you're questioning about the stuff because she's she's bought into the culture. Yeah, right? That's what happens to what it's like. It's and I think it's important to you know That's why matrix was such a great movie.
I'm so popular is because I think it really in a subconsciously We all know the truth, you know, we all understand that this is all a game, you know We understand that this is not forever and and it's not to you know get a little too existential or anything But it's once you're able to redefine life like that That's when you're able to actually live life on your own terms because I think it's just had that most people What happens with home ownership, right? Let's even answer that question why and why I'm so grateful. We didn't bind to that. Mm-hmm fall stream It's not like we're gonna not own a home forever Yeah, but the whole idea of home ownership and mortgages and all that stuff and then this true American dream is to just tie you down Will you realize once you start being a global citizen is that each country you're a cog in the machine You're a resource.
Is it fake safety because I guess like a lot of people the narrative is your fixate. It's like it's like it's I think you touch on this. I'm very important everyone's scared. I'm scared ever at the underlying thing is fear Mm-hmm, right and society will want to try to make you how they make you feel safe to certain degree to sell you on something Right a lot of marketing is fear-based, right?
It's it's easier to sell somebody on losing losing something versus gaining something like four levels of travel insurance Like when we got the car can rental car. They're like how do you have the what was one that we're getting a son? Oh, this the state. Yeah, it was like if we hit someone So what I'm trying to say with this example is that of even home ownership is that for us because we You know like this is a vicious cycle that most people get into you go to school Especially if you have to pay for school, right?
If I'm not talking about you looking at Scandinavia and getting paid to go to school do that I'll do that for sure Yeah, right But if you are here in the stateside you have to go to school You have to take our loans and bet wherever you are Whether you go in state out of state in province out of province and you're gonna get 50 hundred thousand worth of debt just because when you just step into the workforce I don't think that's a smart move. You're already starting losing right and then the same thing when you do when you get a house There's certain fixed costs that come in with buying a property, right? And it's this and those fixed costs is like your overhead you're gonna have that forever So you to make you can definitely make money on real estate But it's gonna take you at least five to ten years if everything goes well For you to do that and a lot of people going to speaking back and connecting to that fear a lot of people have that fear of Well, if I'm just renting I'm just throwing money away rent money's didn't money Yeah, I read money's that money. So for us the way we think about it's like number one You're the for renting you getting experience you're figuring yourself out So before for example, I know that once we have a home or once we buy a home We were like real estate just don't like us and the reason they don't like us because we're so certain So if we're looking for a property now to rent or buy it We're like it's this street this side of the street these houses Right, and they're like well, but no, we already know right because because the reason we already know because we've had so many experiences We've moved through everything.
Yeah, we moved almost every year Not like we want to do that right we moved almost every year like for last seven years And it's it's not fun for a lot of people and for us by nature. We're very adventurous That's why we can travel and even now we're in LA for like seven weeks, right? They're like but we're able to do that because we have the way we design our life and the freedom that we have and As we said as meaning said in the interview earlier, which is so important. What are your top values?
If safety is your top value, then maybe home is the right thing for you because you're like I don't care to discover myself and here I know this is like the neighborhood where my parents grew up and this feels safe to me And this is where I want to be I like we met somebody today ladies like I was in this neighborhood was six years old She's 70 now. She got love and it's where I grew up and my kids grew up and she's great That's cool for her for us another value of us value of ours is really be able to have different choice You know having variety in our lives We like to have new experiences and because that is a bigger value to us To us it's better to pay rent because it offers us more of an experience and flexibly another value flexibility So it's it to really summarize everything we're trying to say is after this podcast define your values Like really sit down and think about like what is important to me. Maybe it is safety. Maybe it is variety Maybe it's you know, whatever you you think of what your values if you don't know what values are Google it and then The one that speaks to you and once you align to your values, you're able to make better choices So with home ownership or rinsing, I'm really glad we didn't buy a home and we Sold it just like we don't care about it and we don't want the hassle of renting it out having to like worry about tenants But something I'll add to the home ownership and just ownership of any type of material goods Something that I've always been aware of not sure where this wisdom comes from maybe past life Maybe this life, but just realizing that you're not here forever on planet earth anything you own here You don't really own you're still just renting even if you have that paper that says you own it You're not here forever if you're lucky you're here for a hundred plus years Maybe with new technology a little longer, but you don't own anything So just accept that realize that and then go back to the values like for me Like I don't really own anything So like I'd rather use use that money to have like Alex have more variety and more freedom and if one day it makes more sense to own There's nothing wrong with owning but don't be sold the wrong idea Yeah, where does it luck fit into the equation or it doesn't feel you guys?
I think there's certain tippity. I like the word more than luck like being at the right time at the right place You know, but there's definitely a certain level of like things coming together And I think that definitely played a role in our lives, but without the hard work and persistence. None of it is gonna work So what's more important? I think yeah to add on to that is Luck is major and it looks a certain device better word.
Definitely I agree with that and with However, I really believe you make your own luck exactly and what I mean by that is you have to see that it's around You don't see it like opportunities come to them even maybe you're single and this girl is like a friend of yours But like you don't see that this could be a potential girlfriend So it's up to you to see the certainty the luck that you already do have in your life and that connects the gratitude like being grateful for What you already have rather than constantly wanting some new things in your life What's been the most serendipitous moment for you, Mimi? Oh my god so many But like one that stands out the most was um years ago when before even we moved to London I tweeted something about my favorite author follow quello like I'm reading his books. Have you read any of this book? Yeah, I know the alchemist was like my bible You know like I love that book because it talks about that Adventure and like believing in something bigger than yourself and falling your heart and falling your dreams So he to me He was like a big inspiration and then he had a new book I tweeted about it and then he tweeted me back and then he gave me Skype We like chatted on skype and he said when you moved to Europe because we're in the process of going to London then he said just like Come and visit me and we did and we had like dinner at his house I met him in person That was like the coolest thing that like just serendipitously happened or the internet and like now we're friends You know never thought I mean that was the dream So like that happening to me shows that there's definitely something magical out there in the universe that we don't know about but it's there Yeah, I definitely think the searching having that lens on to find the things and connect the dots is important Like just we bumped into well I just went like I want a coffee before this and I went into a bluestone lane and I bumped into a youtuber who I've been following for years and Which one Jesse he writes the magic happens in New York and I was thinking I actually was in my messages crazy Sending him a message yesterday and I was like I won't send it and then I bumped into him And I went up and we're chatting and he's gonna come on the podcast at some point But you know we've created this opportunity to come to you and be in this place and that happens But I'm still I'm always looking for that kind of stuff.
Yeah, I think you still make it Like I said you make your own luck to certain degree is you have to show up Yeah, you know, it's like I always love that anecdote of like, you know, this guy kind of waiting his whole life to Or it was like it was either to win a lottery or something like that And he gets to heaven and he's like guy like I wish for you know to become rich and win a lottery He's like you didn't buy the ticket You know, so it's like it's like the same thing. It's like I can't like God or universe whatever magical power you believe in Won't do anything for you. That's why with a lot of this, you know secrets Like a lot of people may look at us and think oh, we're like vision But we talk about creating your vision or creating your vision boards setting goals on stuff But then but that's just Exercises to really a maker of mindset like change up your mindset and create Just your vision work on that so you are you exercising like what can I do? What can I create and then you have to follow through with the actual work to get there and figure out okay?
This is my vision. This is where I want to go. How do I get there? Are you then reverse engineer to how you're gonna get to that place?
But setting the vision is just step one and then step two step three step four is the follow through I was thinking this podcast that we do is it's a serendipity machine because we show up daily Yeah, and we create and the amount of opportunities that's come from taking the action daily has been amazing I know you've got the five minute journal, which that's a every day practice What's something for you guys that you've other than that because I'm sure here each day you're spending that what's one Practice that you implement daily that is made massive change for you for me. I would definitely have to say it's meditation It's just in the world that we live in now. There's just so much information. There's so much input, right?
So you just have to find time to just sit still and be calm without any interruptions or meditation is What you practice there's so many apps out there. I mean, I do the positive meditation. I saw a pair of my hands are yoga Look at this house already rented. It's cool that they have It'll end a lot it happens with a lot of times, you know, based off that we pick houses where they have a lot of their into the same Stuff we're into.
I saw we bought that bread brought with us was here I would have like, you know, but like I need to and stuff like that So my mom's guru is part of my hunter. You're gonna. She's a yoga and I saw that as soon as I walked in Yeah, but I think same thing the reason you noticed that book is because you're aware of it. Oh, yeah And this is what I said would know he says he calls him yoga man This just communicates how important it is to work and this will meditation also help you to work on that awareness of certain things And this is why it's important of that awareness what content you consume how you think about your life your thoughts your words Like all the shapes your life.
This is why we've created the final job We created the final job for ourselves because we don't understand that if you frame your you know the way the final job works Is that you start off? I'm grateful for you talk about your gratitude. So you're already Framing your day and you're starting out with feeling good. You're already starting with what you have what you appreciate I'm grateful for right?
I'm grateful to wake up. I'm grateful to have wake up with next to beautiful a woman by them I mean me next to my bed, you know, like I'm grateful to go to work today And the next question will make it great and in that second question You're once again, you're framing and you're envisioning what's gonna make was me good about your day and most people They're not framing their day like what's gonna was great gonna happen to me. They don't believe in that So it's your intentions your expectations, and then the last one's like your affirmation I am and it's a very powerful thing once you actually start reinstating the affirmation of who you are and creating that image of Yourself you will with you communicating to your inner navigation system like this is where you need to go And same thing like the reason I bring this up the reason if you will be somebody like there's a lot of people that come through This house not everybody sees that you're gonna on the book You know you saw it because you're aware of it And that is something that you you can now see and there is that's why we always communicate to people how important is to practice gratitude in this So if you go to answer your question one practice that inhabit I've created you will not using the five-minute journal This is what I did before the five-minute journal is just simply as soon as you wake up Think of one thing that you grateful for and gratitude helps you it's actually scientifically proven proven how it's it shifts your vibrations You know, there's also a thing called heart-math Institute You can look into it, but it's legit like your heart rate variability will change when you are feeling grateful And if you start out your day in that way, you will start to also shift your reality So with that, you know, I test so much of what we have in our lives It's simply because we're grateful for it and the way if you want to also connect spirituality on that stuff It'll just be simple For you the four that people in your lives for the friends or even your family if you have somebody in your life That's ungrateful. Do you want to do things for them or be around them?
No, however when you have somebody around you who is grateful Who is appreciative like isn't that a person you want to you want to give you also you want to give more, you know Somebody like gives you something as a appreciative something like hey right away We have this reaction to want to practice reciprocity and give something back to them and same thing Whatever you want to call a god universe. It just what likes Gratitude, it likes grateful people in those days like oh, why would I give these things to people who don't appreciate and keep complaining and pitching right versus This person Alex was always grateful and he has nothing, but he's so happy He's being appreciative even for the little things that we have why we give that person more, right? And this is just really how the world works and is that also known as law of attraction And I really believe that even with relationships and what I said friendships Romantic relations anything else is to bring that same energy if we are Appreciate and grateful for the people around us and we also appreciate it for the things that they do same for our employees And all that stuff children you will bring out more of that you will bring up more of the good They want to do more good and this is why to me This is one of the you know, there's a lot of talk about gratitude and this however it takes practice It's an exercise Talking about it's like doing it every day and it really takes time This is why I recommend for anybody like I said you don't have to buy the five-minute journal If you do, it's great. It's pretty makes a habit a lot easier to do However, you can do it like I said if you can train your mind to do that That's they'll be incredible It just are not all of us have that willpower to be able to do that But if there's one habit that actually myself to do is simply just be grateful first thing in the morning say your day and then the rest We'll take care of yourself.
Well, we're so grateful that you've spent so much time with this and we won't wait over I think Influences all that sort of stuff get like it has a certain sort of connotation toward a certain vibe And I think that you guys are an example of using platforms to be of service And I think that the lives that you can simplify it in the lifestyle stuff But what you're doing is you're showing your experiences and opening up possibilities for other people. I think that that's an amazing service and something we really appreciate Yeah, I think you guys were coming by for making this impromptu assertive Podcast but it's been a true pleasure having you guys over as well We also really appreciate the time and most importantly your effort right to put in that seed to make it happen Because the same thing like it's not like you guys have a massive following But you keep pushing at it and you're able to have these opportunities happen more and more because you show up So anybody listening or watching right now because this is being recorded so you can check out this video on your channel Yeah, is that it's truly about just showing up and being grateful for showing up every day I'm so thank you guys for showing up. Thanks. I think it's a daily talk show If you've enjoyed the show feel free to share it on Instagram You can do the old screen grab thing and tag us up or you can even take a photo of where you're listening because that's always pretty fun So hide the daily talk show comm is the email address if you want to send us an email otherwise say to my guys say guys bye