.jpg)
Nuanced.
Where real conversations happen — with host Aaron Pete.
Nuanced.
139. Aiemann Zahabi: The UFC, New Years Resolutions & Weight Loss
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Join Aaron Pete as he sits down with UFC bantamweight Aiemann Zahabi. Fresh from his victory at UFC 289 in Vancouver, Zahabi reveals his combat strategies and discusses his approach to personal goals. Tune in to hear about effective New Year's resolutions, innovative weight loss methods, the benefits of fasting and cold plunges, and maintaining motivation. This episode is a unique blend of professional sports insights and personal wellness advice.
Join the Juji Club: https://www.jujiclub.com/en-ca
Improving Ourselves and Achieving Victory
Aaron PeteWelcome back to another episode of the bigger than me podcast . Here is your host , aaron . It is the new year . I am so excited to be kicking this episode off . All about how we can improve ourselves physically , mentally , emotionally . How we can grow as individuals and behave in a way that is bigger than ourselves . My guest today is the great a mon Zahabi . I Amon Zahabi , it is such a pleasure to sit back down with you . It has been so long since we talked . Would you mind just briefly Reintroducing yourself for people who might not be acquainted with your work .
Aiemann ZahabiYeah , so I'm a month a hobby . I'm a professional fighter . I fight in the UFC . I've had a lot of a lifetime experience of training in martial arts and currently I'm on a three-fight winning streak with the UFC .
Aaron PeteLast we spoke you were heading into UFC Vancouver and I was so excited I got to sit there live and watch you perform , which was such an honor . Would you mind taking us back going into that fight and how you were feeling ?
Aiemann Zahabiwell leading up to the fight , given my opponents History like his there's like 33 fights or like 32 fights when he was coming into that fight . He goes to distance a lot and he's a hard-nosed fighter and he has a really good right hand . So for the two months leading up my brother was really getting me ready for war like it's gonna eat . He told me it's gonna be 15 minutes of hell . So I prepared myself mentally for that . Like had the guys torturing me and sparring and in wrestling and in training and jitsu .
Aiemann ZahabiAnd I went to , like this , the Montreal wrestling club which I get it's home to like a lot of the national wrestlers for Canada . So they're throwing me around the rule because I heard in one of the fights , when Eric Lange was fighting , one of the commentator Said that his dad was like this is really good wrestler , so they're okay . Maybe has that in his mind to take me down because you know , not too many people have seen me on the ground . So I was okay , we're prepared for that as well . So just getting my whole game ready and then luckily he finished in a minute . So it's really happy . Now you know you prepare for the worst and you hope for the best , and this time the best happened for me .
Aaron PeteThat's one area I feel like we don't hear a lot about is the process of trying to figure out what your opponent is preparing for and how they Want the fight to go , and how you want the fight to go . How much time is dedicated to trying to figure out what their game plan might be and preparing for contingencies ?
Aiemann ZahabiYou know it's interesting because , like I always plan for my opponents and I try to stick to that plan like hardcore , like in my mind , to like not deviate from what I'm supposed to do . And Then now , like my last three fights , I really realized that other guys are game planning for me just as much as I want a game plan for them . So I have to be careful not be too Stuck on my game plan because if I come expecting them to do something and they they change it , I have to be have the flexibility of mine to adapt to the situation . So I didn't expect every kill . I could throw low kicks because I thought he'd be worried about me taking him down because I'm black belt In jitsu .
Aiemann ZahabiSo I was like there's no easy to kick my leg , he's gonna wait to hit me with the right hand , like you see me get knocked out in the past and he has a really good counter right hand and I thought that was his best way to win was to counter me with his biggest punch and Instead he came out kicking . So you know , I just had to adapt on in the moment and I hit him with a nice counter . So I was really happy , you know because you know there's that maybe there's really famous for saying this . He says True , check happens , adapt . They can adapt to anything you know . So like I'm really just trying to adapt in my fights as much as possible .
Aaron PeteYeah . So you have all of that groundwork and then you're going in and you're kind of open . You have you kind of what you want to have happen , but you're open to what's gonna happen and it ends up sometimes working out way better . You're not in the three round long , 15 minute war . You're in a very thick fight . What was the feelings afterwards ?
Aiemann ZahabiOh , incredible , incredible feelings . Uh , I was super , super happy because there is a relief in the sense that when you don't take the damage and I had prepared myself to be ready for lots of damage after this fight you know they call them mongolian murder and you watch his fights they get , they get very intense . You know he doesn't usually go down , uh , he , he marks guys up , he hurts them , he gets hurt like he is like a barn burner type fight . So I prepared myself mentally to like , end up in the hospital . You know , in that night . You know , like , with cuts or something , something , I thought something was gonna happen . And then , like , when I dropped him , I put my hands up , like in my like the way I saw him fall , I knew he was done , but the referee didn't come in so I had to jump on him .
Aiemann ZahabiBut first you get a wave of relief that there's no damage and then you get the , the joy of winning . And then it was really cool because , like , when frost came out and he gave me that hug in the , in the cage , he told me if you would have let him up I would have slapped you . I said , yes , I know I finished the job , I finished that girl , top woman , I finished . It's happened before . You know , guys , there is their hands . I think the guy's done , the guy gets up , fight continues . Would have been very embarrassing , frost would have beaten me .
Aaron PeteAnd then knowing that you were also a part of a night where all the canadiens won and you got to continue to see the night go on and the canadiens take over and show out on that night . What was that experience like ? To be a part of a team doing that , a canadiens doing that Honestly ?
Aiemann Zahabiit was an honor because I feel like it's going to be a historical moment , because it was the first time on a UFC card All the canadiens won . You know there's usually one loses , maybe two , who knows , but I would say really historical moment for canadiens and I feel like it really helped Bring more fans into it , in from Canada because , like MMA was dying out in Canada a little bit and I feel like it gave us a resurgence and now , like I , one of the UFC staff members was saying how they might come to Canada two to four times a year In 2024 going forward . So I feel like that night all six of us really played a big hand in that , so I'm happy to be part of that .
Aaron PeteAnd do you have a close relationship with the other fighters going into that night ? Are you all on the same page or what was that process ? Because we look at it from our perspective and we see all the canadiens win , it seems like you're all on the same team .
Aiemann ZahabiYeah , Well , internationally for sure , all on the same team and , like some of those guys I've trained with before , they've come to the gym , they come and try some before and some of them I hadn't met . I met them that night but it was really cool to like go to the hotel and see them after because you know , like the you have seen now since COVID , the policy is you can , there's no green room , so they they ask you to believe after the fight . And so when I was going back to the hotel after each fight the Canadians were coming back and we got to take some pictures together when with the fans and holding up Canadian flags . So like that was cool , the very nice moments we got to share .
Career Goals and Perseverance
Aaron PeteWhat is the process afterwards ? I just started a new job and immediately my brain starts going like where do I want to go from here ? What do I want to do next ? How do I want to get there ? What are the next big step-ups where I can continue on my career but also take care of the family ? What is your process once you get that win ? What are you thinking of ?
Aiemann ZahabiWell , I'm excited to get another fight and I'm excited to just keep the ball rolling . You know and it was really like for me had a moment in training camp . I had like this mental hurdle when I was like , oh man , I want to in a row already . Maybe I won't win three in a row . It's like a big ask to win three in a row , do you have ? See , I was having a hard time dealing with that and I brought it up to for us . I remember I'm like for us , I'm like man , I'm like I'm like you think I can win three in a row . What are you talking about ? Nothing to do with any of the last two fights .
Aiemann ZahabiEach fight is it , it is its own . There's no such thing . There's no curses , there's no . You run out of luck . There's none of that . He's like you train your best , you do your best . Whether you're doing a loser Doesn't matter to us , and just go out there and do your best , you know . So just reminded me to just not care about those things . Like don't worry about the statistics . You know , a lot of times statistics they get it wrong . Right , it's good to look back and you can make the statistics say whatever you want , but you shouldn't let it affect your , your mentality , going in .
Aaron PeteActually , one of my favorite rappers , big Sean , has a line and he was like I was trusting statistics more than I trusted me Talking about , like the , the rates of black incarceration and the challenges they faced , and rather than trusting your own ability to grow and develop and succeed .
Aiemann ZahabiYeah , because you hear about stats all the time , especially like from , like , the commentators and the analysts and the YouTube guys and all those stuff . They're like oh , this guy's been this many stats , this many punches per second , so they are there , this and blah , blah . But in the end , man , you don't know what's gonna happen in there until it happens . You know , and there are so many ways to win in MMA and so many ways to lose that you know it's . You have to go out there and just Be yourself and do it and the outcome will be what it is . Are you gonna be at UFC Toronto ?
Aaron PeteI don't know yet I'm definitely .
Aiemann ZahabiI haven't been on the card yet , like I didn't get a fight or anything yet , but our island is getting ready to fight on the card and maybe I'll go to the UFC . I don't know if you might ask me to be in this corner or not , I don't know , or , if not , I might just come and watch the show , like as a fan . How does it feel to have it right in your backyard now , traveling , obviously ?
Aaron Peteacross the country to come to Vancouver . Oh , it's great .
Aiemann ZahabiThat's one of the reasons why I want , I want to kind of fight on the card because , like for the people from Montreal , it's super easy to get there , like you can leave Saturday morning and come back Sunday . It's like a one night trip , one night hotel stay , whereas Vancouver it's much further Cost plane tickets , the hotels are more expensive and all those things . So I was looking forward to trying to get on the card so that more fans and family can come live . But like now , instead of like watching me , I guess we're all going to all support Arnold for sure . That's fantastic . And what else has been going on in the past couple of months since we ?
Aaron Petespoke last . Anything new ?
Aiemann ZahabiWell , I took the kids to Florida , actually my wife and kids my wife had like a work conference out there , so we decided to go and use it to go to Disney World . So I had to go to Disney World and , uh , use it to go to Disney World , so I ended up taking my kids there . I had a beautiful day . Uh , we went there for one day , 15 hours , let me tell you 8 , 30 in the morning to 11 30 at night . I'm done . I never got to go back .
Aaron PeteWe did everything pretty good . That's fantastic . You gotta be exhausted after that , right .
Aiemann ZahabiYeah , it was glossy , but it was great . You know , my kids were soldiers that that day they're five years old , both of them by their twins , and no stroller needed . They walked all day . They're happy , they ate well . They didn't give me a hard time , so I'm really happy with them .
Aaron PeteYeah , that you should be . Since we last spoke , I talked to your twin , ariel Hoani , and that was such a trip . Yeah , tell me , what was that ? That's a big fish man . It was a huge fish . So I listen to the show all the time and enjoy getting his takes on things I try and develop and I've learned a lot through his style of interviewing , how he approaches it and I kind of study what he does , because I think he's really good at interviewing people , asking Good questions and being a good journalist , and so he has the Q and a's at the end of his Wednesday episodes and I'd put in the odd question for him and try and make sure it's thoughtful not ask every week , and over time he started to notice on twitter . I'd comment on some of his stuff and then I thought that's awesome .
Aaron PeteAnd was like hey , like I get you're , you're busy , you're you're being a host of shows , of Different events and stuff , and so I get you might not have the time , but it would be an honor to try and hone my skills and ask you questions about how you interview people . And he was like let's run it . And so a few times of trying to go back and forth find times , and he texted me on the day of and was like hey , could you do it at 12 o'clock today ? And it was like in 48 minutes . So I had to message him and go hey , like are we able to run this ? Like I haven't prepared , but like I'd like to do this interview . This is a once in a lifetime opportunity . Might not get it again . And we ended up making it work .
Aiemann ZahabiThat's amazing , man . Yeah , that's really really cool , especially that you've stayed so persistent and he noticed man . That's great , that he gave you a great time , a chance to shine , you know , to really get somebody that's like big in our industry .
Aaron PeteIt speaks to the fact that , like people are of good character . I know he gets a lot of flak from different fighters or from different individuals within the ufc or different promotions , but it shows that , like , when it comes down to it giving me the opportunity I'm not some big name . He's not doing it because he's gonna get 10 million followers on twitter or something . He's doing it to show support and show love for the next generation of potential interviewers .
Aiemann ZahabiYeah , you know , what's funny is that , like , you're not going to be liked by everyone , uh , and if you accept that , you can always be who you are . You know what I mean . So like , yeah , I'm sure if Ariel rub some people the wrong way , that's okay . I mean , that's life , man , I probably rub a lot of people the wrong way too , and , but I'm sure , a lot of people . He has a huge fan base , you know . So he must be doing something right to get that big of a fan base . And you know , when it comes to the fighters , like , I don't follow the drama that he has with a lot of fighters , but a lot of fighters seem to like him as well , you know . So sometimes it's a two-way street . Who knows what happened ? I don't know , I don't follow all those stories , but if he's true to himself , he's gonna have people that don't like him , and if he's gonna have people that love him at the same time , you know that's , that's just part of being an adult .
Aaron PeteYeah , it's a scaling problem too . Right when you're dealing with the people within your family , like that's not a lot of people . But then when you start to deal with a thousand people , 10,000 people , the odds that one person is going to dislike you and just for no good reason , that's going to scale upwards . And then when you have people watching your videos and some million people , the odds that there's Going to be a group of people who don't like you is going to be higher . But I think that that's something our brains aren't really adapted to , because we're used to interacting with people . You're not used to those comments we're now used to being to take it personally .
Aiemann ZahabiYeah , exactly , and look how social media is not that old either and a lot of people have haters . Like , let's say , I don't know , for example , let's say Kim Kardashian , she's like a mega star on social media . How many people love her , like she has one of the most biggest , largest following , and how many people in the world hate her , you know . And then she's just being herself really , and I feel like Ariel has millions of fans . She's gonna have a couple hundred thousand haters , exactly exactly . I feel like it comes with having a lot of fans .
Aaron PeteYeah , but I find him super inspirational and the way that I feel like he interviews so many fighters is different than what you get at the press conferences and it's not that the press conferences aren't like valuable , but his approach of like really getting to the heart of a person is so much more genuine and sincere and gets me really invested in fighters and what's going on .
Aiemann ZahabiYeah , I agree , Like I was starting with you when you interviewed me last time , it's like a breath of fresh air when you ask me questions that aren't just so superficial , you know , and that you try to get your fans and my fans because we're working together to get to know me beyond just oh , how many fights do you have ? Oh , yeah , okay , you won your last fight . Okay , tell us about your reaction . Okay , well , what else is going on in your life ? How do you develop this ? How do you think about the situation ? You know , you get into my thoughts , and I feel like Ariel does that really really well too . I agree .
Aaron PeteThat's why he's so big , because he asks the questions that most regular journalists don't ask Human questions , the real questions that I feel like we want the answer to and that's why I was so interested in sitting down with you was because I really , like , walked away from our conversation , being like this person has a really strong philosophy , like something that grounds you beyond just the day to day whatever's new and shiny , the newest iPhone . Like you have a way of thinking about things that grounds you , and I find that so many people don't have that , so that when they see the new iPhone commercial , they're like , oh , I need to get that because that's what the commercial is telling me I need , rather than being able to zoom out and look at how you impact your loved ones , how you impact your community , how you impact your fans , how you , like you understand the kind of your role in the world in a different way than I find other people do .
Aiemann ZahabiYeah , and that's why I kind of would like to talk about different things , like that's my philosophies that always answer the same basic questions basically . So that's why it's interesting . I love getting on here with you , or Ariel too . Actually , he always asked me really in depth questions and he chose to get a different angle so people get to know me more personally and what it's like to be around me . You know around being my friends , but even though we're not close right , so that's it . I find that that's a better approach to interviewing fighters , and I feel like people who go down the route to personalize athletes will have a bigger following in the end as well .
Aaron PeteI agree that emotional connection like watching you fight . After speaking with you and after hearing your story I was way more like my hands were getting sweaty . Like I was like oh my gosh , here we go .
Aiemann ZahabiAnd you had to imagine I had imagined my wife . Man , I imagined my whole life .
Aaron PeteI can't imagine what it's like to be them , to be in the arena right there and knowing you every single day and seeing you go into that circumstance all by yourself , like when you talked about that in the interview and then being there . It was like this is so surreal to sit here and know that I talked to this person and know that they're going into a war and then you won and I was super happy and grateful that you didn't take any damage .
Aiemann ZahabiBut it was such a different experience .
Aiemann ZahabiYeah , I know for sure and you know what's funny Talking
New Year's Resolutions and Achieving Goals
Aiemann Zahabiabout like my wife . Like before COVID she had come to all my fights , in some like 15 or 16 . But during COVID she wasn't able to come to the Draco fight because of the rules and whatever , bob . But now I'm on a hot streak . So I told her listen , man , you're coming , that's it , it's done . It's done Until this hot streak is broken , Even though we're not really supposed to believe in those things .
Aiemann ZahabiBut like I did notice that it's just like way less stressful for me to not have her there for five weeks , because MMA fans in the arena , they get wasted and there could be a lot of aggression in the stands and things like that . So , like I used to always stay in the back of my head if she's okay , if she's all right . You know what I mean , because I'm not just sitting with , like either my brother , like not for us , but my other brother , and or like a couple of my friends or whatever . But you never know what can happen in the audience . Like MMA crowd is still a rough crowd . They get rowdy . You know it's like hardcore fans drink a lot of beer and you know things happen in there . So like actually I find it it's more relaxing that she's at home , she's safe and she's watching from TV . I feel much better about it .
Aaron PeteI don't blame you . I was there and we were at the pre-fight press conference and there were some jabronis , if I can guess yeah , of course there's gonna be wild cats over there , man Screaming away and they were just yelling Dana the whole time and it was like what are you like ? Even if you responded to you , what are you going to say after that ? There's no logic to this .
Aiemann ZahabiNothing . There's no logic . There's no logic . But they're excited and we love them . I'm happy they're there . You know , I'm really happy they're there . But you know , when you see fights happening , it feeds that inner beast , feeds that in you and sometimes you might just want to put a few hands and it's happened a lot . When brawls break out at MMA events , it happens all the time . It happens in NFL , happens at the NHL People , you know they get into disagreements and you know MMA it's a spot where it can happen .
Aaron PeteOr the arena starts to fall apart on the person walking out .
Aiemann ZahabiOh my God , that was crazy man who was that . Was that Mike Mallett ? No , yeah , was it Mike ? Yeah , it happened to him . Yeah , I was nuts . I was watching it on TV and couldn't believe it , it was stunning .
Aaron PeteAnd then to think that he just walks out and that he fights and he wins is just surreal .
Aiemann ZahabiHis coach almost got crushed . Yeah , yeah , which was hilarious . He didn't notice it was behind him , but it was just so funny . I was like oh my God , he almost lost your coach there , man , and you know he zoned in when .
Aiemann ZahabiYeah , yeah , exactly exactly . It was funny Another time when I fought in the Apex one of the guys , when he was supposed to walk out , his opponent was already in the cage . Ok , his opponent was already in the cage , it's his turn to make the walk out . I think his back seized up and he couldn't walk and then they canceled the fight . I don't know if you've heard about that . No , yeah , yeah , I can't remember who it was , and the fight got canceled with his opponent in the cage . Wow , it's insane . Like you never know what's going to happen . And then they made a telly game , man Stadium's falling apart , guys getting spasms . It's a nightmare .
Aaron PeteThat's crazy .
Aaron PeteI had no idea that's going to be such a trip to know that the fight could not happen while you're walking out . While you're walking out , man Crazy Are we able to explore ? We're heading into the new year and I'm just thinking about how people best maneuver this . There's arguments , on the one hand , that new year's resolutions aren't necessary , that you should start the day you want to set a goal . You should start that day . You shouldn't put it off to some arbitrary date . But I do feel like there's value in us as a society , all kind of agreeing that we're going to look at where we're heading in life on this date and we're going to try and take real steps . This isn't I'm going to stop having chocolate bars tomorrow . This is more like how do I improve myself , level up my life over the next year and grow as a person this year , and how am I going to bring this new tool into my life ? I'm just curious how do you think about new year's resolutions ?
Aiemann ZahabiWell , it depends , like you said , about putting that date . I really feel like you don't need to wait until a date , because in the end , the only way to achieve your goals is if you make the decision that you're going to work at it . I don't believe in somebody dragging you to the finish line . Nobody can motivate you . No date is going to motivate you , unless , let's say , for me , fight night , I have to make my goal wait . So then it's like a deadline . A deadline is different than a starting point . You know what I mean . So if I were to try to motivate someone and that's what I'd motivate I'd rather give them a deadline than to give them a starting point , because it doesn't matter where you start , it's how you finish , and the only way to create urgency is the deadline , because the starting point is always going to get pushed . Don't find the 15,000 excuses . That's where the whole problem procrastination , procrastination , procrastination . It's not about starting , it's about giving yourself a time limit , and if the time limit can't motivate you , then you don't really want it . Let's say , for example , let's say for women , they want to fit in a certain dress , in a certain size . That wedding date is the deadline . And most women . They're motivated now they're motivated and they're going to get to that deadline , no matter what it takes , because there are so many things you can do to achieve your goal . So let's say you want to lose weight , you can diet for a bit and then increase your training , and then you can increase the density of your diet and then you could decrease your training a bit , increase your nutrition limits even more , and there's all these different calibrations you can do to get to your goal weight . But the whole point is to get to that weight by this date . So like you don't have to start new years , but pick the day you want to finish your goal , even if you start a week after new years , it doesn't matter . But let's say you say OK , by June 1 , I'm going to be at this weight . Now it's like the stock market , so many things can go right and wrong up to that date , but you're going to work your butt off to make sure that you get it by then and you should give yourself a repercussion .
Aiemann ZahabiI'll give you a funny story . My brother , every year on his birthday he wants to be 9% body fat on his birthday every year , so that he never gets fat , so he never gets lazy , so that's his deadline . Every year he's got a deadline . If he doesn't make the weight , the percentage , the 9% , he owes his wife $1,000 . But $1,000 , I think , has been cumulative . So since he has admitted that money is going up . So I don't know if it's been five years now , I don't know when he came up with the idea in three years . So if he doesn't make it this birthday , he owes her a few grand .
Aiemann ZahabiSo he found something that hurts inside , like it doesn't hurt to give your wife money , but it's like oh man , am I going to give her 4K or should I just make this weight ? But it's a funny thing that they have going again . She obviously wants him to lose the weight , but she also teases him oh no , you should have this piece of cake , you should have this . So it's like it keeps the relationship fun . So I feel like if you have a spouse or whatever and you guys are working towards goals , it could be funny to have little things like that , or it keeps the relationship funny . And then in the end let's see you lose the wager , your wife , she doesn't really take your money from one pocket and putting it in another . It's not a really big deal , but it's just funny to see who could make it .
Aaron PeteAnd it's such a good point because for so many goals we don't have , if we don't reach it , nobody knows . It's something just kind of in our heads , which is why I think they recommend you tell people that you're setting this goal so that you feel accountable , even if it's not good enough to be accountable just to yourself .
Aiemann ZahabiAnd for me , my clients . Let's say , for example , I take on a client , I have a very like burn the ships method . So if they come on , they have to lose one ton a week . If you don't lose one ton a week , two times you're fired and you have to owe me $200 . A $200 penalty . But I can't work with you anymore . So you have to pay me for the program . Plus , if I train you personally , like with the hours , and if you fail you owe me more money . Nobody fails . Why would they pay me to not lose weight ? Makes no sense . They should only pay me if they're losing the weight . So they lose the weight because they don't want to pay me to gain weight . So that's kind of the idea . And then I give them a deadline OK , we're going to be this way . By every week one pound . There's no ifs or buts . You don't make that pound , you owe me money , right , because I can't be more motivated than you , you know . So that's that's kind of like how I would work . I work with my team .
Aaron PeteI think that that's so important because we do like to like offset our responsibilities to other people so that we don't feel that weight on our own shoulders . Yeah , we're going to make me healthy , right , and like that's yeah , no , you can , you're the only one who's gonna control . Because , like I often think about this , there's like this discussion around like overweight people and Whether or not they know , whether or not it's it's healthy , whether or not it looks good , it's not healthy . But like , the other piece that I always think of because I was like really overweight for a period was they know , like when you go have dinner with somebody and then you leave and you go get a burger from McDonald's , you know you're being a fatty .
Tim McAlpineLike there's no .
Aaron PeteThere's no part of you that's eating that extra burger after having dinner and feeling like , no , this is a health move . Like I'm doing this because I care about myself . Like you know , you're doing a guilty pleasure and so so much of that gets left out because it's healthy . People saying like you're being unhealthy , but as , like someone who was overweight , I knew in those moments like no , you shouldn't get the fries , but I'll get a meal fries as well .
Aiemann ZahabiYeah , exactly exactly
Taking Care of Physical, Mental Health
Aiemann Zahabilike . For me it comes down to like I know the program works , so the program won't fail you . You fail the program . That's kind of the idea . So let's say you want to , you know what , lose weight , or you want to increase that and all your productivity , or whatever . You set your goals and you find a way to do it . There's a million people who can do a teacher how to do everything you want on YouTube . There's so much information on Google now the chat GPT . You can learn basically almost anything for almost free , like any skill how to do anything , lose weight , lift weights , learn how to fight , learn how to be a journalist . You can learn how to do so many things on YouTube and Google and chat GPT that the answers are out there . It's you who's not performing , you know I .
Aaron PeteAlso feel like people sometimes like they set the goal I want to lose 15 pounds , but they they need the understanding around it as well to like really get them motivated . So one of the things that like struck me was that if you're overweight and you have a kid and you pass on the likelihood that they're going to be overweight as a consequence of you being overweight and that's genetically passed down and that blew my mind . So that's like a piece . And then you think about like you want to be able to play with your kids , you want to be able to be healthy , live a long life . Like all these pieces you're taking away from it's not just 15 pounds , it's a quality of life question .
Aiemann ZahabiYeah , well , let me ask you have any kids , aaron or no ?
Aaron PeteOh , no , no , yeah , I am 28 years old , oh you're a buck man .
Aiemann ZahabiYou're a buck . What is it ? Well , you have kids one day . What did you want them to be ? Have the have a good mentality , strong , a smart mind , educated , okay , which one ? To have a good spirit , good belief in something , something bigger than themselves , right ? And what would you want them ? To be ? Healthy , physically healthy , in fit . So why wouldn't you want that for yourself ?
Aiemann ZahabiYou know , if you want your kids to have it , you should have it , because your kids , you know like they don't only learn Top-down , you know they don't only learn what you tell them . They watch your mannerisms , they watch your habits . Every day they're , they're asking you questions a little question and they're watching you . They're seeing how you live and how you act and how you order food and what you order and what you're doing , and blah , blah , blah , blah and how you speak . Self-talk is huge . You know , son , they're registering all this right that there's subconscious , like a supercomputer .
Aiemann ZahabiSo if you want them to be good and all these three facets of life , okay , you should be taking that on as well , you know . So it's very important to work on your mindset , to work on your health and to work on your physicality . You need to be strong at all three . You know I wouldn't want my kid to just be smart and be fat and have no spirit and like , not care , not know , not like believe in anything bigger than themselves . You know they might end up nihilistic , the mind of , super depressed and on , you know , on hormones and all these things . I don't want any of that man . I want them to be strong in all three facets so they can have a nice , healthy , beautiful life . That's kind of like the goal for the girls , you know .
Aaron PeteI couldn't agree more . It reminds me of what Jordan Peterson talks about when he talks about this idea that we take better care of Making sure our pets take their medication . Then we do , of making sure we take care of our own bodies and make sure we're healthy , that we can care about something else , but to give that care to ourselves we're not very good at .
Aiemann ZahabiYeah , exactly , I feel like that's an issue with , obviously , a lot of parents , for sure , but also team leaders , you know , so a lot of people are bosses , they're not really leaders . You know , luckily for me , for us , a really good mentor . He's a great leader , you know . He fulfills those three assets , those three aspects of life , and he also helps Educate the guys to have that going on at the same time . And like , for me , it's almost like I have two lives . I have my career life and I have my family life . I'm trying to excel at both Parallels same time . You know , my fight life doesn't take away from my family life and vice versa . My family life never takes away from the fight life . But for me , that's what's being successful is I'm able to do both . You know , I didn't have to stop fighting to take care of my family and I didn't have to , you know , leave my family to take care of fighting . You know I'm not abandoning them and I'm not abandoning fighting either . I'm able to , kind of like , build both up at the same time and it keeps me very busy , for sure . And my wife's amazing , my wife's really , really good , she's doing the same thing and and I feel like .
Aiemann ZahabiThat's how you got to live . You can't just focus on only one thing . You need your life and you need to really generate Income right and you have to have a passion . I was just like my daughters . Why don't I tell me I don't know what I want to do . She's five years old . I don't know what I want to be . I don't know what I want to be . I think I'm gonna be a singer . I think I'm gonna be a doctor . I don't blah , blah , blah . Listen , whatever you choose , make sure you love it . It's you , absolutely love it . It's something that you want to do , and then you become so good at it . Everyone's willing to pay you to do it . That's it . You fight , you figure that out . You'll be fine . Things are gonna be fine .
Aaron PeteYeah , that's a really good advice .
Aiemann ZahabiYeah , thanks .
Aaron PeteTo wrap up the conversation on physicality Do you think that it's more useful people are like I want to lose weight , I want to get healthier that they set the goal of , like , getting really good at boxing or trying out Jiu-Jitsu or doing something where it's not as specifically about going to the gym every day , five days a week or going for a run five days a week . Is there tools ? How do people make sure that they stay accountable and at least move in that direction ?
Aiemann Zahabiit's funny , as I talked to my nutritionist about this concept a lot , and One thing that I find that's really important is that you have to understand Almost all the methods work . Okay , if you want to box , lose weight , you want to jitsu to lose weight , you want to go to the fitness room and lift weights to lose weight . Or if you want to just only nutrition you only focus on nutrition You'll lose weight . If you want to do the Atkins diet , if you want to do the Dolce diet , if you want to do the Lockhart diet , if you want to do Jenny Craig , you want to do whatever , they all work . The only thing that doesn't work is you , it's true . So , basically , the only answer is that you have to find the plan that you enjoy doing the most so you can sustain it .
Fasting for Weight Loss and Productivity
Aiemann ZahabiYou know , like for me in my experience , that people the easiest way , that the least painful way , is fasting . Okay , it's the least painful way . Is it the only way ? No , the reason why I think it's the least painful way is because me , I work with a lot of like businessmen and women , you know , and when they start , when I introduced fasting to them , they like it because they waste less time eating and going out to eat . They could spend more time working and less time preparing meals . Right and point when they fast for 36 hours or 42 hours , they only eat once every two days , like now . There's so much more productive and their mind is still clear and they're losing the weight . So it's like it's hitting a lot of elements at the same time . So for me , I feel like fasting works a lot very well for , like the like , the business realm realm .
Aiemann ZahabiBut for some people , if let's say , like you want to eat , you're eating three , four meals a day , you could still lose weight . If you have no access to gym , you could still lose weight . If you want to not change your diet but you want to Lose weight with fitness , you can find those a trainer who can help you do that too , you know . But find the one that you can do every day happily and enjoy it . That way you won't quit . It's not . It's not about . It's not about getting to the goals , about if you get to the goal and maintain it forever , you're gonna keep it going , you know .
Aaron PeteThat's the big . That's the big challenge I faced when I was trying to lose weight was like just hitting those plateaus and those like if you hit it , you think you made it , so you can go back to the way you were living and you can't know you can't , you can't .
Aiemann ZahabiYou have to Make an adjustment , you know . That's why , like fasting is really good , because , let's say you have to . You get deeper to fasting , like you , all of a sudden , like you're doing , you know , two , three days you don't need to eat to whatever , blah , blah , blah . But then , once you've attained your goal weight , okay , you could cycle back the length of fasting . So instead of doing like a couple of days , you can go back to 18 hour fasts , which is not a big deal . You basically , you basically skip breakfast and you have lunch , a few , a couple hours later and then boom , that's 18 hours and you won't put the weight back on really , really fast . And then all , if you notice , I gained like three , four pounds . Oh , you know what ? I'm gonna go on a two-day fast .
Aiemann ZahabiBut now that you've developed the skills of fasting in the mentality , you know that you could just knock out a two-day fast . But if you let it snowball to the point or it's a hill to climb to come back , it's a problem . You know one of my teammates okay , I bring into all my fights every year meals in my corner . Okay , every time I fight , using my corner , every time I fight , he's motivated to lose weight after my fights and he goes . He loses the way , but then by the time my next fight is fun again and I keep telling him . I'm like Neil , it's not , it's not . Being in shape is not hard , it's getting in shape , it's the getting . But once you're in shape , maintaining it is way easier than getting in shape . Getting in shape is hell . It's so painful . It's so painful the first few weeks of being back in the weight room . It's , your muscles are sore , but if you never stopped , you don't get a sore anymore .
Aaron PeteDo you eat anything or do anything ? I don't know if you heard about what Dana whites doing , and he has this period of time where he's fasting but then he goes . I think it's 72 hours and then he's doing like a bone broth with it .
Aiemann ZahabiI've done it before . I'm not doing fasting right now , but yes , I've done it . It's bone broth is amazing . Gsp is on a huge kick . I think he just did like a three-day fast right now . He's someone Instagram , he was posting about it . He had like a Huge steak and bone marrow to huge bone marrow for after three days of no eating , that's the first thing he ate . She's pretty cool .
Aiemann ZahabiAnd that's another thing , like when you know eat for three days , when you have supper with your family . That's like an event . Yeah , you know , like sometimes , like one of the some of this . For example , one of the business guys I worked with , when he got down to not eating for three days we don't eat it two times , two or three , that beauty like three times a week I told him listen because he was worried about , like , not having supper with his kids every day . I said , listen , you know I'm sorry with your kids every day , but those three times they have supper with them , you make them special . You know there's no TV .
Aiemann ZahabiYou know you , you and your wife can cook a special meal . You can order a special meal . Or on the weekend , as you're eating , saturday night , you take your whole family out to dinner and then he realized after a month or so of that his kids were like well , like so nice to spend time with you . You're so much much happier , so much more relaxed , and blah , blah , blah . So you know like it pays dividends , you know , but they all do . But I'm just saying like that's another route . You know fast things , just something I work with a lot . So like that's my experiences . But they all can be great .
Aaron PeteThat's one area where I do feel like we skip out a lot In Western culture is that idea of having a meal together and making that special . And I grew up setting the table in a certain way and like now it's like I don't need to set the table , just put the fourth on the plate . But there's something to that relationship with like we're going to make this an experience , that this is going to be like a Connecting moment where we're enjoying a meal . I tried something new . I made this weird lasagna . We're gonna give that a try . I did my best on it , so I hope you like it . Like there's an experience to trusting people with food and sharing that kind of time together .
Aiemann ZahabiWell , it makes sense because now it's so easy to get food . I mean for us , for the Western culture , it's so easy . You can eat all day , like my kids , if they wanted it could snack all day Like the night . They ain't going starving . Like we got supermarkets , we got restaurants and some super expensive Compared to like back in the day .
Benefits of Fasting and Cold Plunges
Aiemann ZahabiYou know like , let's see , for my parents generation , my parents didn't go to restaurants all the time . Yeah , you know , my mom cooked a lot of home . My mom will stay at home , mom , and she cooked a lot of time at home and you know times are hard . Like my parents were immigrants , they came here with nothing , so like they're Happy to have the meal , they're happy to sit down with the family and be able to afford the meal . All right , they came with from nothing and I just feel like now , you know , there is kind of like a really nice standard of living in the Western culture , you know , and I just feel like you know it's not as appreciated , which is normal , because now it's so easy , it's so easy . But listen , don't eat for three days and tell me if eating a meal is something special or not .
Aaron PeteI will do that . I'll try like it's special .
Aiemann ZahabiThey don't feel like , wow , this is really nice .
Aaron PeteI'll make you a deal . I will do that , and the next time you come on , I will tell you what that experience was like , because I've never done that .
Aiemann ZahabiI've never done it was 72 hours and Record your reaction to sitting down and eating . Let me tell you you're gonna feel bliss .
Aaron PeteI usually do like the one day and like have have just dinner and then I have need , and then the next day I'm usually pretty good at that and there is something to not giving your body anything Like there's something if you have a granola bar or something . It's broken and now your metabolism is running and it wants food and like now you're hungry , but there's something to like you've lasted so long and I do feel so much sharper , so I am actually curious about the results that that will bring you should do it because , also , what's interesting about fasting is your stomach .
Aiemann ZahabiIt shrinks , you know right . It gets smaller and smaller and you get used to eating less food . So you get by on less and you can last longer because your body is covered in energy . All those fat stores right Before you . This out years ago , man , that your body stores fat for energy but nobody's using it . You know it's a funny thing . We were what ? What are you storing it for , man ? You don't need it . You know you're charging your battery every three , four hours . You're eating your food . You know you're putting all this energy in . You got to use it , man . And I'm at 72 hour fast . You're gonna see , there's gonna be a huge wave of hunger , but that huge wave of hunger that comes , it's more habit than it is physical pain .
Aaron PeteYeah , and if you can believe in that and Trust in that it's your hunger pains are really a habit pain and not a physical pain You'll get to the 72 that's what I've heard is that you start to look at the signs and you start to look at the food and you see the ads and you start to realize how much you've just acclimated to this . I have lunch every single day , I have dinner every single day , I eat food for breakfast every single day , and how much slower you feel when you're doing that . Like there's this old rule of three Meals a day and that's just hogwash , yeah yeah , there's a many sense .
Aiemann ZahabiYeah , there's a man . I mean , it depends . You know , like me , when I'm getting ready for a fight , I don't fast Because I want the energy for practice . So I eat Three meals and three snacks , but they're very small meals . But basically the idea for my nutrition plan for , let's say , fight camp , it's to not spike my insulin , right ? So I'm just trying to keep my insulin really , really low the whole day , right ? That's another way . Like I'm telling you , there's so many ways to do it . I'm not just trying to promote fasting only right , because fasting is just one way . I just find it convenient if you're very busy and you have a million things to do in your life and you have a family , business and kids and all these different things going on . Generally , on fasting , it actually requires you to do less work , less cooking , less cleaning dishes , less spending time at the restaurants or at the table . So I just find it so convenient when you could do it in different ways .
Aaron PeteSo if I do this 72 hour fast , should I be doing the bone broth ? Is that something I should be having ?
Aiemann ZahabiNo , I mean you know , listen , okay , dr Jason's phone is a doctor in Toronto and he's like kind of the guy pioneering , like bringing all the science too fast thing to the Floorfront . You know , he's like really the guy , the go-to guy , and in one of his books he talks about you shouldn't have any of the bone broth Until you have like a fast that's over 48 hours . Okay , but it's because you're gonna go for four days , five days , six days , seven days . If you're stopping at 72 , in my opinion , okay , you don't need it .
Aaron PeteYeah , I'm here for doctors . A hobby right here . I'm ready for it . I'll show us your judgment . Man , you've got that I don't think you need it .
Aiemann ZahabiI think you got everything you got inside .
Aaron PeteOkay , we're all up here , right .
Aiemann ZahabiYou got all in there , man , you know and Listen . You should check this guy out . Okay , he is very funny . He's a youtuber . I Think his YouTube thing is called the fasting fat man . I Don't know if you've heard of him . I have not . No , okay , he's got a crazy amount of viewers now .
Aiemann ZahabiBasically he was like 500 pounds and he had a son and the story goes something like his son had just started crawling and he was sitting on the couch and his son was about to crawl down the stairs like the to go through the basement and he wanted to get up and stop his son from crawling into the down the stairs and fall down . But he couldn't get off the couch . He was struggling , he couldn't stand up , he couldn't stand up , he couldn't stand up , he couldn't , he couldn't , he couldn't , he couldn't . Finally he lays down , rolls off the couch and crawls , bear crawls , until he grabs his son . He grabs somebody ankle , saves them from going on this down the stairs . Okay , so he was like I can't believe it . I'm so fat now that I I can't even help my own son , you know . So it motivated him anyways .
Aiemann ZahabiSo this guy decides to go fast . He didn't eat for 150 days . 150 days , no food , but he was being followed by a doctor and he was documenting on youtube that sometimes he became like super , super popular , right . So he's doing like all these vlogs and these different things and he's like keeping people up to date on what's going on , what he feels . So he was having like some supplements salt and bold broth , that's it , but no actual food , and that's okay , because you need those , you need you need salt , you need the sodium , you need some , some proteins , but he's doing nothing that spikes his insulin , right , right . So he's trying to keep his insulin really , really low and fast and he lost something like 230 pounds in 150 days .
Aiemann ZahabiI can't remember the numbers exactly , but I saw an amazing amount of weight and when he stopped at 150 days , he just started scaling down . So , instead of like not eating ever , he was eating every 24 hours , like now . I haven't been following him since , but uh , he's . He's very inspirational because he is Really confident in himself , that he's able to make jokes about the situation , you know , and he calls himself the fasting fat man . I'm not calling him fat , you know , but he finds a way to make humor out of it and he's very relatable to the average person , because a lot of people are , are heavier than they want to be , and this guy was 500 pounds . Like this guy is on an extreme , a crazy extreme , and he got down to 200 , you know . So to lose 300 pounds and to do with a smile and to be joking , like for me I really feel like he's an inspiration .
Aaron PeteI couldn't agree more . And he's , I'm sure , thick boned right .
Aiemann ZahabiThat's what I really think yeah , big guy , really big guy . Yeah , yeah , very big guy .
Aaron PeteOkay , the other thing I want to accomplish in 2024 is start doing this cold flinch thing . I want to fit in , I want to try this cold flinch thing , but it seems cold and and yeah like they take it too far .
Aiemann ZahabiLike I said , I'm a little princess in the cold . But what can I tell you ? Like me , I get into that cold plunge at 10 degrees . I feel like that's like my magic number , right . And Some guys they take it too far . I don't know why they go colder . I don't think you need any colder than that , man . I think the science is . In 10 degrees , you know , you're not gonna get like any frostbite , you're not gonna get any mental issues , you're not gonna faint in there , they're gonna have a hard time . But some of these guys they take it to like five degrees , four degrees . I think it's just a little bit too cold . Uh , try 10 and let me know how that goes .
Aaron PeteWhat do you use ? Do you have one of those tubs ? How do you approach it ?
Aiemann ZahabiNo , like me , like , let's say , when I have fight camp Sorry , when I have fight camp I go to this . There's a spa here Near my house , right , and they have like the jacuzzi , the dry sauna , they have like a steam room and then they have like these quiet rooms and then they also have ice baths like around the different areas . So basically me , what I do is , let's say , like Every week before fight , for eight weeks , every Saturday I go to the spa , I do 45 minutes in the jacuzzi , then I go 10 minutes in the sauna , then I do 10 minutes in the ice , then I do it again , yeah , and then I'm doing it again . That's it done .
Aiemann ZahabiBut 10 degrees , listen , listen , if you're at 10 degrees , you can do 10 , 10 minutes . Anything other , 10 degrees , you're not staying there very long . So , like I don't know , that's the tradeoff for me . I thought I found the temperature that it's really cold , but I could stay in it , sustain , I could sustain it . Uh , or a lot of guys , what they do . They go even colder , say five degrees or four degrees , but they're in and out in 20 seconds .
Aaron PeteYeah .
Aiemann ZahabiSo I don't know scientifically what's better , but for me , for the mental challenge , I like sitting in there and like withstanding the cold for a long period of time . It just helps me get ready for the fight , I find .
Aaron PeteThat's what I was gonna ask . Is it more a mental game or is it a physical challenge ? What's what is it more ?
Aiemann Zahabilike in the 10 degrees , I feel like it's it's a nice mix of both , whereas anything higher than 10 it's not cold enough , but anything lower it's gonna be very hard to stay a long time and you don't want to do something that's too hard that might actually make your mental game worse , push you down , like if I go in a two-degree ice bath and I know I can't stay more than 30 seconds . I don't feel tough . Yeah , I don't feel like I'm overcoming anything . I'm yeah , yeah , and I think there are some studies coming out that you can't be in too cold for too long , right , so you have to be careful there could be some damage in there . So I don't know how to know all the science . I don't know , maybe who's been talking about it . I gotta find that . Yeah , I like . I like the 10 degrees aspect .
Aaron PeteOkay , my , my next question is around the mental game . I find , as I said , you have a really strong philosophy , so I'm just wondering how can people start on this journey ? I know a lot of goobers that aren't as thoughtful and they don't think is critically . Where would you recommend people start their journey ? If they're serious about growing their mental game , being able to think of things bigger than themselves , how do they , how do they move in that direction ?
Aiemann ZahabiHow there's
Mentorship and Inspiring Others
Aiemann Zahabia lot of different ways . You know , and I feel like a Lost art in a lot of ways , is finding a good mentor . You know , I think it's it there's more in mentorship . Then people give way to these days . If you look at back in the day , you know , especially like during the Renaissance , it was all about mentorship . You learn from a master , you go in there and you do details . You , you know if he's an artist , you're handing him those paintbrushes , you're cleaning up after him , you're doing all these things , but you're watching him do the strokes . He's talking to you , he's telling you how he's doing the strokes . You watch how he lives his life . You watch and you start to pick up those things like a child would from their parents .
Aiemann ZahabiYou know what I mean and it was funny because , like I remember I was having coffee , we're always talking about the kids , okay , and in my family , like my side of the family always like , come up with ideas , like , oh , what did you do ? Like how you try to solve this problem , like , if this comes up , and although I'm planning for the future , planning for the future Ten years ahead , ten years ahead , ten years ahead , I Was okay . What if my daughters . You know , when it comes to like the teenage phase , they start like giving me issues , right , that's it start becoming like bad girls or whatever . I don't know what they get into the wrong things , or maybe they get into like friends who do drugs and I'm worried about them . But what am I gonna do ? I was thinking , man , maybe I could find them , someone that I know within , like my network , who I think is a great mentor , who could has the potential maybe they're not doing mentorships but has the potential to mentor . Maybe that's somebody I can reach out to and be like hey , listen , would you take my daughter on as an apprentice ? You don't have to pay her this and that . Blah , blah , blah .
Aiemann ZahabiAnd I'll find Incentives from my daughters to go along , whether she wants . Whether they want like money per achievement or whatever . If they want to like have a car by the age , or if they want to do a trip or something , I can use , you know , a carrot To motivate them through the process , and then I'm also gonna have a stick for it . If they don't want to , you know it's got to be like a . You know you need to have both right .
Aiemann ZahabiSo like that for me , I really feel like if I am the people that are doing it already and Emulating them and learning from them and there are people in your network , I don't care who you are . You know a friend of a friend who's doing it , who's making it happen . You know , and you could be a part of that . All you have to is ask . A lot of the times , if you don't ask , you don't know whether or not they would do it . Just go up there and ask and Doing something for free could make you a lot more money Than working minimum wage , you know . So mentorship is huge for me and I feel like it's a lost art . It's really a lost art .
Aaron PeteMan . I vibe with that so much because one of the reasons I started this I didn't have a dad growing up , and so one of one of my things was like there are all these things that I don't know about , and when I went skiing as a kid , I wore jeans because I didn't know I needed to wear pants , because I didn't have that that role model saying this is how you gear up , this is how you set up . I didn't have somebody who taught me this is what a healthy meal looks like , this is how you eat and you want to make sure there's vegetables , and it's not just because they taste bad , it's because it gives you the nutrients your body needs . I didn't learn any of that . So when I started the podcast , the sense was like I want to know things that I didn't know before , to gain information and have a deeper understanding , have that philosophy , live a healthy life and share these people I think are admirable with other people , so you can follow their journey and get inspired by them and maybe take that step in your own life that people aren't making and within my indigenous community I know there's .
Aaron PeteThe biggest challenge is there isn't that role model next door , we have reservations , where everybody's in the same boat , everybody's on social assistance , everybody doesn't have a job , everybody has a piece of crap car . They're all in the similar boat . And if you brought somebody outside of that and said , here's a lawyer , get to know them . Maybe that's not your thing , maybe we bring in a dentist , maybe we bring in , yeah , an architect and learn from these people , and maybe that's not your vibe , but you , seeing them be passionate , will make you passionate too , and that's what I really wanted to make this platform all about is inspiring people to reach for more and try and make a difference and grow within themselves in a different way than I think we get so used to . So you saying that really resonates with me .
Aiemann ZahabiWell , I think you're doing a great job , but that's awesome . I didn't know about the not having a father , but that's incredible . You're really growing up to be a man too . Right , look at you , you're super successfully doing great .
Aiemann ZahabiAnd I do agree with your idea of , let's say , like bringing in lawyers to the community and like people you have to bring in that , like you said , the person that's passionate , that passion that can rub off on a young mind . You know what I mean . But , like you said , if the kid has no interest in lawyers , okay , then you bring a dentist and then you bring in a restaurant tour . Like an entrepreneur opens a restaurant . There's , some guys are amazing at open restaurants , man , some guys are amazing at doing whatever . You have to find the things that motivates the kid , that that's what he's into already , something he's into . You know , maybe those kids are amazing at drawing . Who knows ? You bring in an artist who could draw and teach it a kids Class or blah , blah , whatever .
Aiemann ZahabiI can remember one of my nephews was super into graffiti , right , and my brother found this school a lot of school , but like a lady who teaches kids how to do graffiti and like to pass their final exam or whatever , and like it was like a summer program or whatever . They had to go and the graffiti , a wall that they had and that to make an art piece and whatever . But it's just something to motivate them and they got to . He got to be inspired by someone who . That's something they're really good at , and I agree with you , man , and I think that's something that just communities need more of is more people coming in and inspiring them to get out of those .
Aaron PeteYou know those things and Hopefully more can be done the other piece that I feel like resonated with me or shaped me was I got to visit my first nation community and Understand what the living circumstances were there .
Aaron PeteAnd then I got to go visit my family in white rock who lived in like a $1.3 million home and had had the really nice neighborhood . So I got like a really strong understanding of , like what poverty and what adversity looks like and what success and financial Comfort and financial freedom looks like . So I just find that I'm constantly wanting to work on things and grow things and develop things . And then other people are like I don't know why you work so hard , like why don't you just take a break ? And it's like but there's just pure opportunity . If you just put in the work , if you just put in the effort , you're going to get so much farther than the people who are sitting on the couches watching another rerun of the office or friends or whatever it is . You're going to be moving ahead gradually past them and the doors are limitless to where you can take your own life .
Aiemann ZahabiI agree totally and I like the idea that you said you had the contrast of the two lives . You know , and it's interesting because it's more like in the United States . But a lot of millionaires in the United States come from nothing . Something like 71% of millionaires in the United States came from nothing . With it incredible , and let's see if you could do that in one generation .
Aiemann ZahabiAs one , you started for your family to become a millionaire from nothing . You know , maybe that's something that we should introduce to kids and probably be like listen , I know you like your circumstances aren't the best , but the you go meet people who started from similar and you get that story from the how did they make it ? What motivated them ? How did they put things together to make it work ? You know , and maybe those small habits that those other people were able to accomplish , if they can accomplish right , because if you only see the end Goal and you don't know the story of this , the micro Goals , the little mini goals that come compounded on top of each other to reach millionaires status , you think that the gym is impossible . But really there is 50 steps to it to come to , to attain before you can even become a millionaire , and those . That first step is maybe possible . And then you get the first step you double up , you triple up , you cut you boom , boom , boom , boom . That could be something really really interesting .
Aiemann ZahabiYou know that I mean I'm really into the Helping the kids out , you know because I feel like it is possible for one generation to turn the whole family around , take them from poverty to to a high society . It can happen .
Success, Mentoring, and Balancing Parenting
Aaron PeteAnd that's one of the reasons we love the Connor McGregor's right is that they're emblematic of that exact idea .
Aiemann ZahabiIt was a welfare guy exactly working , was he ?
Aaron Petehe wasn't the one cleaning . Was he a janitor or something ?
Aiemann ZahabiHe was a guy , but the GSB was a garbage man .
Aaron PeteYeah .
Aiemann ZahabiThat's just because picking up garbage man yeah , literally a garbage picker and he's a multi-millionaire came from nothing , came from literally from nothing , but he made it work . You know and there's a lot of MMA stories like that , for sure , but also outside of MMA , you know a lot of businessmen , a lot of smart guys . They open just a restaurant . That was a brilliant idea , that's super well structured , and all of a sudden they have six , seven , eight . I like where I'm from , okay , a lot of these , a lot of a lot of guys , have opened up breakfast chains . Like breakfast chains are huge in my area . Okay , let me tell you something Every few years , there's a new hot spot breakfast place , okay , and there's one place that's called , like , alamo Coco . Okay , and they started the one place and then they boomed to like 30 spots , which is incredible . You know what I mean .
Aiemann ZahabiAnd these are just a couple of guys from my neighborhood . When I was young and I'm going to see them at the restaurant they're like oh my god , I'm a nice to see you , but I remember you're five years old , like , yeah , I remember when you were 12 and I was five and you were poor , and I look at this . It's incredible . It's really really cool . It's really really cool . So , like you know those guys , they grew up with nothing , but there are a few friends that got together . They figured they were working in restaurants yeah , right through family restaurants and then they came up with their own breakfast idea . Well , they turned it around and then other guys who worked under them Open other restaurants , competitors , and those chains started going up and they're competing and then guys who worked under the new guys got a new restaurant . Like now , if you come to Montreal , it's crazy how many amazing , high-end , very nice breakfast restaurants we have Very cut throat here . It's very cut throat .
Aaron PeteCan you guys come out this way , because I feel like we all got two out in BC .
Aiemann ZahabiYeah , I'm telling you , you guys have nothing to do us for breakfast , nothing . This is , this is the spot for breakfast .
Aaron PeteThat's fantastic , yeah . The other part about working with kids is like Putting yourself out there and letting yourself be that role model is something I find , as you said , people are willing to do like I'm on council for my community so I get to see the growth going on in the community , in the development and the people who are really putting themselves out there . But there's almost this responsibility that mentors have . People with knowledge have to go and share that wealth of knowledge and experience with others . And again , that's what makes fighters so interesting is because you're willing to come on and share your story . But when I reach out to some professors or or some dentists , it's kind of like no , I don't want to go out into the spotlight like I don't want that role , but that's kind of necessary in order for people to figure out how they fit into this world .
Aiemann ZahabiYeah , I agree . And also like if you're a mentor , you want to teach them the real stuff , you want them to be successful , right ? Why would you waste any money ? It's time , unless you're evil . You know what I mean . So , like it's really important to then , once you realize you're a mentor , you have to continue doing what you're doing and then also realize what is it that I'm really doing ? Because a lot of people they're great , but they don't even know why .
Aiemann ZahabiOne of the small pieces that make them great and then they realize , as they try to you know , articulate it or pass on the knowledge you know , like sometimes you see a lot of greats that their kids aren't great . It happens more often than not . Yeah , not every great athlete or every great musician or every great entrepreneur passes that on . A lot of times their kids just end up being spoiled and or whatever , or become drug addictator . Like , just because you're a success doesn't mean you're going to be able to pass that on , you know . So I feel like even to be a good mentor it takes a lot of deep self-reflection and understanding what makes you so great and not a lot of people can articulate that or pass it on to anybody else .
Aaron PeteYeah , there's that difference between , like when I first learned about old money and new money , and how , like , some people get the money and then they spend it immediately . Most people who in the lottery end up spending it instantly or misspending it because they've never known what it's like to manage that kind of money . Yeah , they don't end up succeeding . But the people who instill values in their kids , support them , teach them how to run businesses I don't know if you've heard of Patrick Bet David . He talks a lot about this in his interview with Chris Williamson about , like , how do I support my kid in facing enough adversity where they're not like a spoiled brat , but not so much as I went through , where , like , I was literally striving to just keep food in the house .
Aiemann ZahabiYeah , I mean as a parent , there's a very delicate balance , because I don't want my kids to think we're rich so much that they think that all the problems I can buy it , and then when they grow up they can expect me to solve their problems with money . I can just throw money on it and buy their problem away . It doesn't work like that . I want them to try to . I want them to live without me eventually , like , basically , I want this bird to fly , I want this bird to leave the nest . That's the goal . That's why I'm always trying to think in the future .
Aiemann ZahabiLike me and my brother is my cousins . My cousins are really good too . We're always giving each other ideas because we're off kids different ages , so we talk about the experiences of each age and what they did as a solution and what they regret , because sometimes the solutions that they came up with ended up backfiring . No one's perfect . There are certain things you're going to get wrong . It's normal . But we also share it to give our other cousins a chance with their younger ones when they get there .
Aiemann ZahabiSo we're very open about discussing that kind of thing , and it's a very hard problem to solve , balancing how much you can give them and how much to withhold from them . But if you withhold too much , you create a resentment and then you're going to have to support them because they refuse to do anything , or you can give them so much that they're paralyzed to do anything . Right , so you have two opposite pitfalls here and you got to escape to the middle man , and it's not easy . It's not easy , so I'm still working on it . So it's a tough cookie to crack . I'm just doing my best to keep them in the middle , but we'll see how it goes , man .
Aaron PeteBeautiful . My last question and I can't thank you enough for taking the time . I've learned so much and I just enjoyed talking to you .
Aiemann ZahabiIt's my pleasure to be here .
Aaron PeteWhat's next for 2024 ? What are you hoping to see ? More fights ?
Aiemann Zahabimore fights , more money . I got problems . I got kids . No , no , no , definitely that's what more fights . Two fights a year , three fights . Really excited to just like keep the ball rolling , keep it going . I'm really excited to just show more of what I can do . You know , that's really my main goal for that , like for my career wise , is to put two fights in a year , three fights in a year . And in terms of family , you know I'm doing some rentals in the house , living space , even nicer and just , you know , taking some trips with the kids whenever we can . A lot of bonding , educating them , things like that , and keeping them on the straight and narrow man , keeping the kids on the straight and narrow , you know , just raising them . Raising them is , you know , it's one of my favorite things to do .
Aaron PeteI'm so grateful . It's always such a pleasure chatting with you . Can you remind people how they can keep up to date with your journey ?
Aiemann ZahabiYeah , guys , you can follow me at the aerial hole no kidding At the A-M-A-S-O-V on Instagram and on the MMA hour every Monday . I'm there and that's just on Instagram . And also , guys , if you want to learn any of our skills , you can go on jujiclubcom and you can download some of my brother's instructional videos .
Aaron PeteCan you spell that ?
Aiemann ZahabiJuji Juji Club . It's like jujitsu J-U-J-I club C-L-U-B dot com .
Aaron PeteI'm going to sign up .
Aiemann ZahabiYeah Well , it's not a monthly thing , it's like a per order . So let's say , I was like I buy one DVD set , let's say about like leg locks , or you buy one on like takedowns , one on boxing .
Aaron PeteYou know . So he sells like these different . Dvds yeah exactly Because Chris was you , but I think I could . Yeah , you're gonna get there , man You're gonna get a nice footwork .
Aiemann ZahabiActually , my brother teaches some really nice footwork skills . It's very important , right , because you can't punch without feet , yeah , yeah , so you got a corner of your hands and your feet together , so that'd be interesting , guys , if anybody's interested and it's always a pleasure to be on here , erin , so I'm very grateful for you to have me on- Well , I'm gonna go start fasting now and get to work on my 72 hour fast .
Aiemann ZahabiI'm gonna do the cold plunge and then Do the cold plunge when you do the 72 hour fast . Film your reaction to eating .
Aaron PeteThat's the only one .
Aiemann ZahabiAnd then maybe we can add it in the next interview after you tell me that we can do a little clip , I would love to see it .
Aaron PeteOkay , sounds good , we will run that . Okay , great , thank you again for doing this . Thank you very much .
Tim McAlpineI'm just smiling . The whole time it was amazing , Well done .
Aiemann ZahabiYeah , it was great . I loved being with you guys . You guys are the best . Honestly , it's very refreshing . It's not always superficial stuff . You guys give me a chance for people to know me better . You know what I really appreciate that .
Aaron PeteYou're just such a fun person . You just got this energy . You got this smile . You got the energy .
Aiemann ZahabiYou too , man , you guys are great and also I always feel welcome and I feel very relaxed with you guys . Okay , good , I feel like you wanna get the best out of me . There's no catch , you know , so that's what makes me feel good .
Aaron PeteOh , I'm so happy to hear . That Means a lot coming from someone who's so thoughtful .
Aiemann ZahabiThank you very much . Mma community is very harsh , so you guys are great . Thank you .
Aaron PetePerfect . Well , enjoy the rest of your day , Tim . Do you have anything else you wanna follow up with ?
Tim McAlpineNo , I found it amazing . Interesting thing that twaked for me is that with business , you have this built-in deadline and so you can see your status or your accumulation as you go . This month's better than the last and you come to December if that's your end , and you have that deadline built in . And I never thought about that in comparison to the New Year's resolution with no deadline and so I mean , I think that Well , that's the point .
Aiemann ZahabiI feel like it's the opposite Don't care about when you start .
Tim McAlpineRight .
Aiemann ZahabiWhat's the ? When are we gonna make it ? Let's make it .
Tim McAlpineYou know A good point .
Aiemann ZahabiThank you , sir .
Tim McAlpineYeah .
Motivation for Fitness and Personal Goals
Aiemann ZahabiGuys , have a great day and if ever you wanna do something else , maybe when I have a fight or whatever , you let me know . Come all years A fight With you . No , I mean if before one of my fights .
Aaron PeteOkay , yeah , no , that sounds great . I thought he just challenged you to a fight there . I'm thinking you're- .
Aiemann ZahabiEric , after the 72-hour fast before your first meal , we're fighting . I wanna get you nice and weak , okay , yeah .
Tim McAlpineI was thinking it's a good thing you're on opposite ends of the country . If that's the case .
Aaron PeteI'll move up to the Yukon to stay safe .
Aiemann ZahabiYes , All right guys enjoy . Sounds good , thank you .
Aaron PeteSee you . Thank you guys .
Tim McAlpineThat was really really good .
Aaron PeteThat was fantastic .
Tim McAlpineYeah , I was thinking boy , he's already interviewed him , I wonder what they'll talk about . But it was just amazing , just the way you kinda kicked it off from where you left off and then really dug into fitness nutrition . This whole deep dive into fasting was fascinating .
Aaron PeteI learned a lot and it's just motivating when you know somebody else has done it and I kinda do it and he's obviously doing it way better . So motivation for the new year , you know .
Tim McAlpineCool for sure .
Aaron PeteWhat's your plan , what are your resolutions , what are your deadlines ?
Tim McAlpineWell , now I realize I don't need resolutions . I just want to take away From a personal aspect . Covid did a number on me . I used to work out regularly and then got away from it and I used to walk a ton , and so I want to get back to that which I'm not sure you have a shower in the building , if I'm not mistaken , for all your workouts , right , exactly , and how often does that thing get used ?
Tim McAlpineNever , often lately , so that actually allowed me to . I've read in air quotes more than 400 audiobooks because I did that while walking and so I now have a whole bunch of credits on Audible and haven't been digging into that as much . So I'm gonna get back to that ?
Aaron PeteYeah , it seems like a great idea . Where do you walk , in the area or on distances to work ?
Tim McAlpineTypically like a 5K walk around . I live off of the river on near Keith Wilson , so I need to get back to that there you go .
Aaron PeteWell , I'll check in with you and we'll find out how that walk is going in the new year .
Tim McAlpineSounds good .
Aaron PeteRemember to like , subscribe , comment . Do all the things , send it to your friend . They need to know about this .
Tim McAlpineYeah , this is a definite must listen episode . Much , much , much , much much . However , you consume bigger than me . Let's go .
People on this episode
.png)
Podcasts we love
Check out these other fine podcasts recommended by us, not an algorithm.
Modern Wisdom
Chris Williamson
The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani
SB Nation
Lex Fridman Podcast
Lex Fridman
PBD Podcast
PBD Podcast
Huberman Lab
Scicomm Media
The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast
Dr. Jordan B. Peterson