In this episode, we explore 12 unforgettable lessons from Paul Kalanithi’s masterpiece When Breath Becomes Air.

A story written at the edge of life — where a brilliant neurosurgeon becomes a patient, where fear turns into clarity, where love deepens, where meaning becomes urgent.

Through my own letters, reflections, and the emotional struggles I lived this year, we dive into:

• What it means to be mortal
• How illness transforms identity
• Why meaning matters more than career
• How medicine breaks you and heals you
• What love looks like when life is fragile
• And ultimately… what death teaches us about living

This episode is raw, personal, and filled with the most powerful insights I’ve ever shared.

⏱ TIMESTAMPS

0:00 – Intro

02:14 — Lesson 1: When your worst fear becomes reality

07:18 — Lesson 2: Choosing meaning over a career

11:20 — Lesson 3: Identity And Feeling Lost

14:43 — Lesson 4: The chaos and beauty of medicine

29:34 — Lesson 5: Families, suffering, and truth

36:10 — Lesson 6: What makes a good doctor

41:17— Lesson 7: Hardship as a teacher

46:34— Lesson 8: The parent I want to become

47:47 — Lesson 9: Love in the face of death

54:39 — Lesson 10: Fear, confusion, and Sickness

1:05:05 — Lesson 11: Learning to notice the present moment

1:10:35 — Lesson 12: Death — the lesson we avoid, the lesson we need

1:14:26 — Final reflections

📚 RESOURCES & MENTIONS

• When Breath Becomes Air — Paul Kalanithi
• Stanford Medicine articles on Paul Kalanithi
• His wife Lucy Kalanithi’s TED Talk
• My personal letters & reflections (as shared in the episode)

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Some people come into our lives without warning — and disappear just as quietly. Friends, crushes, mentors, strangers we swore we’d never forget. We don’t always get closure. We don’t always get to say goodbye.

But in the empty space they leave behind… something else begins to take form.

In this episode, I share letters I wrote to my future self — about the people I cared for, the ones I lost, the ones I never reached out to… and the quiet fear of being the only one who still remembers.

And from that heartbreak, I trace the path toward something deeper: great work. The kind of work that outlives us. The kind of work we build after we’ve let go — or been forced to.

This is an episode about:

• Missing people you’ll never see again
• Learning when to hold on and when to release
• Choosing purpose over nostalgia
• And what it really means to create something that matters

If you've ever missed someone in silence — or felt the ache of wanting to become someone greater than your circumstances — this one’s for you.

⏱ TIMESTAMPS

0:00 – Letters About the people who vanish without goodbye

5:30 – Turning to work when connection fades

11:40 – Lessons From H0w To Do Great Work By Paul Graham

35:25 – What it means to “Be Ready”

📚 RESOURCES & MENTIONS

• Founders Podcast – Episode on Phil Knight
• Elon Musk’s Algorithm (from Walter Isaacson’s biography)
• Paul Graham – “How to Do Great Work”
• Quote by Norman Vincent Peale
• CRISPR-Cas9 (Jennifer Doudna & Emmanuelle Charpentier)
• Apple design inspirations

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Episode Description:

In this episode, I share the story of the exam that freed me, my first time in London, and the deep questions I still face about the future — should I stay close to family in Algeria, or chase knowledge and growth abroad? Along the way, I explore Robert Cialdini’s principle of reciprocation from his book Influence, and how it shapes the way we give, belong, and build our lives.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Introduction: Passing the exam & the feeling of freedom

07:00 – Lessons from London: Belonging, growth, and inspiration

15:23 – Influence

27:00 Reciprocation: What giving and receiving really mean

39:50 – One last Letter

38:00 – Closing thoughts and gratitude

Sources Mentioned:

• Robert B. Cialdini, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion (Chapter on Reciprocation)
• Personal notes & letters

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In this episode of “Chasing My Hero,” I open my heart like never before.

I share my story with love—what I believed, what hurt me, what healed me, and what I still dream of. From childhood ideals shaped by romantic comedies, to the heartbreak of expectations unmet, to powerful letters like Richard Feynman’s that made me question it all.

This is about longing and patience, about the paradox of wanting love without losing yourself. About what truly matters in a partner. About the journal entry I never thought I’d share.

But mostly… this is about hope.

Timestamps

00:00 – Intro: Richard Feynman’s Letter

03:19 – Hopeless Romantic or Just Honest?

07:07 – The Witness: “Shall We Dance” & Being Seen

13:47 – What Richard Feynman’s Letter Taught Me

20:00 –The Love That's Worth It

22:10 – Logan Ury: The Prom Date vs The Life Partner

26:23 – Attachment Styles & Emotional Dependency

30:07 – The Qualities That Actually Matter

38:42 – Matthew Hussey's Framework

44:23 – A Journal Entry: My Letter to My Future Husband

Referenced Books & Ideas

• Attached – Amir Levine & Rachel Heller
• Love Life – Matthew Hussey
• How to Not Die Alone – Logan Ury
• Shall We Dance (2004) – “A witness to your life” scene
• Richard Feynman’s letter to his late wife Arline

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There comes a moment in life…

where you’re no longer asking what you want—

but what you’re willing to lose to get it.

In this deeply personal episode, I open my heart about one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever faced:

👉 staying close to the people I love…

👉 or stepping into the unknown to become who I’m meant to be.

Through raw letters, real fears, and honest reflections…

I take you inside that silent battle between comfort and growth, love and ambition, certainty and the unknown.

But this episode is also about something bigger.

It’s about the lessons I learned from three inspiring Algerians who chose courage over comfort…

and what their journeys reveal about building a meaningful life abroad.

From that, I distilled 5 powerful principles to guide anyone standing at a crossroads.

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS

00:00 — The fear of the future & stepping into the unknown

12:35 — Stories of Algerians who chose to go abroad

17:26 — Lesson 1: Faith, values & parents come first

28:53 — Lesson 2: Vision, belief & no plan B

42:28 — Lesson 3: Hard work & starting from nothing

52:19 — Lesson 4: Courage creates opportunities

59:27— Lesson 5: Growth outside the comfort zone

📚 SOURCES & INSPIRATION

This episode was inspired by the journeys and insights shared in the following videos:

• https://youtu.be/u-UCjZXSCjU
• https://youtu.be/HAVzQLzOLN8
• https://youtu.be/BxY_eJLBflk
• https://youtu.be/JEFbfwg9dek
• https://youtu.be/r0WC5xYAmCM
• https://youtu.be/Q8GSxlis2Y4

If you’ve ever felt torn between your dreams and your people…

this episode is for you.

Because maybe…

you were never meant to choose. 🎧

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Episode Summary

Sometimes the thing standing between you and what you want… is how badly you want it.

This episode is about loosening the grip, softening the energy, and trusting life again. Based on Reality Transurfing by Vadim Zeland, we explore the energy of desire, obsession, and how to stop pushing away what we crave the most.

Timestamps

00:00 – Intro: A Letter From My Future Self

1:14 - Chasing My Hero Updated

5:00 -My Confusion About Energy Vibrations, Manifestations...

8:14 - Why Reality Transurfing

9:19 - A Story From The Book

13:01- Fate

15:45- Lesson 1: What You Choose Is What You Get

16:32 -Lesson 2: This Is Science

18:02- Lesson 3: Lifelines

19:58- Lesson 4: Materialization Of Thoughts

21:43- Lesson 5: Energy And Pendulums

24:26- Lesson 6: Thoughts And Lifelines

25:00 Lesson 7: You Get What You Avoid

27:35 Lesson 8: Letting Go

28:45 Lesson 9: Solving Complex Problems

29:28 Lesson 10: What Happens When You Let Go

30:30 Lesson 11: Optimism... Always

34:48 Lesson 12: Balance

35:20 Lesson 13: Work, Resentment

38:00 Lesson 14: Importance

42:35 Final Thoughts

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🌟 Episode Summary

In this deeply personal season finale, I reflect on everything I’ve been through—what broke me, what built me, and what I still want to become. From sleepless nights during my Emergency Medicine rotation to quiet moments of hope and healing, this episode is a letter to myself… and maybe to anyone who needs to hear it.

I talk about the things I’ve finally learned—like letting go, holding on, and finding meaning in fleeting moments. But I also open up about what I still want to learn: how to be mentally strong, emotionally intelligent, confident, optimistic, and full of love—for others and for myself.

I share my hopes for my relationships, my future in medicine, my dream business, my health, and the kind of life I want to build. This is more than a goodbye to Season One—it’s a promise to keep chasing, keep growing, and keep believing.

This isn’t the end. It’s the beginning of something deeper.

Timestamps

00:00 – Intro: A Letter From My Future Self

2:09 - The Beginning Of Chasing My Hero

2:44 - What I've Learned In Spirituality

3:46 - What I've Learned In Relationships

5:42 - What I've Learned In Business

12:17 - What I've Learned In Medicine

17:21 - 12 Weeks Year

17:40 - What I've Learned In Health

18:15 -What I've Learned In Wealth And About Episode 10

18:51– Letting Go

19:35 – Learning to Stick

22:33 - The Beauty of Fleeting Moments

24:04 - What Do I Want To Learn Next?

28:25 – The Final Letter of Season One

30:35 – Outro: The End of a Chapter, The Beginning of a New One

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Episode Summary:

In this episode, we dive deep into Shoe Dog, the powerful autobiography of Nike’s co-founder Phil Knight — a raw, vulnerable, and inspiring memoir about building one of the most iconic brands in the world.

This is more than a book summary. It’s a heartfelt reflection on the ideas that shaped a company and a life — from crazy ideas that didn’t seem crazy to the power of belief, perseverance, family, failure, leadership, and passion. I also share some personal reflections from my own journey, as a medical student and aspiring entrepreneur, and the lessons that truly moved me.

This episode is for anyone chasing a dream, anyone who’s felt lost, or anyone who needs a reminder that the best things in life take time, and sometimes, silence.

Timestamps

[00:00] – Intro: A Purple Nike Dunk and a Childhood Dream

[02:14] – Lesson 1: Play — Find the game you’re willing to play forever

[11:12]– Lesson 2: Crazy ideas aren’t crazy… they’re yours for a reason

[15:38] – Lesson 3: It’s okay not to know. It’s okay to doubt.

[16:13] – Lesson 4: Don’t stop — protect your dreams at all costs

[19:38] – Lesson 5: The father’s story is in the son

[25:10]– Lesson 6: It’s okay to be shy

[27:20] – Lesson 7: the power of adventure

[25:50] – Lesson 8: Belief is contagious — just ask Steve Jobs

[28:54] – Lesson 9: Everything starts ugly. Start anyway.

[30:20] – Lesson 10: You’ll mess up. It’s not the end.

[32:50] – Lesson 11: Money will always be a problem.

[36:46] – Lesson 12 and 13: Find your people. Build a family. Lead with love.

[43:31] – Lesson 14: Parenting

[45:45] – Lesson 15: Business

[48:10] – Lesson 16: Regret

[50:50] – Closing thoughts: 12 Weeks Year Applied

Resources Mentioned:

• Shoe Dog by Phil Knight
• David Senra — Founders Podcast
• Quote by Francis Ford Coppola
• Steve Jobs Biography by Walter Isaacson

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