The Empower Series The Empower Series

Qes Ahmed is an internationally acclaimed filmmaker, living in Los Angeles, California.

Recently he has produced groundbreaking work in the travel film-making scene.

























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As an artist, it’s important to experiment. Trying new things is how we grow. People often tell me I’m addicted to my work, and I guess it’s true. Im obsessed. There’s no shame in that. Be obsessed with your craft, and don’t let anyone steer you otherwise. Stay blessed y’all ✌🏽

A post shared by q e s (@qesahmed) on May 1, 2019 at 6:09am PDT





 

Today, both, Ally Salama and Qes speak to us about how Mental Health plays a groundbreaking role in their lives, irrespectively of their careers.

Tune in to listen to Ally and Qes tackle the stigma surrounding Mental Health!

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In This Episode:

0-3mins – What is Mental Health?

3-6mins – Self Acceptance and Self Growth!

6-9 – How to Break State out of your Depression!

9-11 – Parenting in the 21st Century!

11-13 – EQ is not IQ (Emotional Quotient is different from Intellectual Quotient)

13- 15 – The Immense Power of Giving!!

15- 17 – Incorporating Empathy!

17- 19 Finding your Purpose!

19- 22 Regulating our use of Social Media!

22- 25 Qes’s Advice on Maintaining Great Mental Health.

Have something to say? Join the conversation in our Facebook group!

Feel free to subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get the latest releases on all our articles & episodes for our exclusive mental health podcast series, with celebrity guests sharing their take on Mental Health and Wellbeing.

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Lucan Coutts is one of Toronto’s most prominent and visionary photographers. On the frontline of digital art, he has cultivated & inspires a highly-passionate community of artists with more than 50,000 followers across social platforms. Through Lucan’s eyes, cityscapes are transformed into luminous empires, capturing their distinct energy in his provocative images.

Today, we speak to Lucan on the role Mental Health plays in his life. We were extremely inspired to learn much of the meaning behind his art! Make sure you tune into the show and lets us know your feedback!

Follow The Empower Series by Ally Salama

Follow Lucan Coutts on Instagram & www.lucancoutts.com

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Sponsored By: Identity Mag ( @identitymageg )

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Have something to say? Join the conversation in our Facebook group!

Feel free to subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get the latest releases on all our articles & episodes for our exclusive mental health podcast series, with celebrity guests sharing their take on Mental Health and Wellbeing.

Available Now on  Apple Podcasts & Anghami

 

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Andrew James is a filmmaker and YouTube content creator. He has been on YouTube for the past 4 years and has uploaded over 350 videos. Over this period he has accumulated over 150k+ subscribers and specializes in travel filmmaking and editing. He has a passion for life and sharing his experiences with the world.

Today, we speak to Andrew about how he deals with Mental Health and the role it plays in his life as a successful YouTuber.

(Follow The Empower Series by Ally Salama on ApplePodcasts here!)

In this episode:

60seconds: What does Mental Health mean to Andrew.

3mins: Emotional Intelligence and Social Media

4mins: How do you recognize that you are emotionally taking a toll on yourself (comparison)

6mins: Self Awareness

10mins: Creating a Support System

12mins: Do you recall a very dark period of time?

14mins: Communication…

19mins: A special message from Andrew James to you

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Sponsored By: Identity Mag ( @identitymageg )



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Have something to say? Join the conversation in our Facebook group!

Feel free to subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get the latest releases on all our articles & episodes for our exclusive mental health podcast series, with celebrity guests sharing their take on Mental Health and Wellbeing.

Available Now on  Apple Podcasts & Anghami

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Listen on Apple Podcasts

Matias De Rada is a talented film-maker and currently works as a content creator for Beautiful Destinations, the world’s largest tourism community on social media with over 20 million daily users engaging across 180 countries.

Recently, Matias and I bonded closely as we connected over setting up one of his projects in Egypt, earlier back in January. Over the past 4 months, we witnessed Matias take big personal strides in his career and we knew he had something special. We noticed his unique expression through storytelling was one amongst many, including the use of dance, in order to bring his work and art to life.

In preparations for our podcast recording, Matias and I decided to take a different outlook on the Mental Health, taking a more forward/action-based approach.

This was one of our favorite conversations.

Final Remarks

A huge thank you for dedicating your time and effort despite your busy traveling/shooting schedule!

It really means a lot to us.

The Empower Family!

(Click here to watch Matias De Rada’s exclusive short film “THE MAGICIAN | EL MAGO.”)

It was released 3 days after we recorded our podcast.

(Follow The Empower Series by Ally Salama on  ApplePodcasts here!)

In this episode:



1min: Matias’s use of Dance… Ways of Releasing Stress

3mins: How do we draw the line between succeeding at producing great work and maintaining great mental health?

6mins: How does Beautiful Destinations take care of you as an Employer?

9mins: Men’s Mental Health – How do we talk openly as men without losing our sense of masculinity.

11mins: What would you say to creators to become successful and healthy during their quest in pursuing their passion.

16mins: Matias elaborating on Journalling and self-awareness.

20mins: Matias talks about his “Pay it forward” concept.

24mins: Matias gives us the advice to improve our mental health.

26mins: Our role in utilizing social media.



Quotes from the Episode

“In the workplace, you don’t have injury moments, you get tired. you get burnt out. You must learn when to say NO.”

“When I ask for rest. It’s sometimes 24h … sometimes 48h. You must allow yourself time to disconnect to get back stronger.”

“We take our 25 days off to clear our minds and work on ourselves. That’s the best thing about working at Beautiful Destinations.”

“I’m able to text him, I’m able to give him a shout, just being able to talk to somebody like that – The CEO – very much so helps anyone of us dealing with stress”

“It’s almost very silly. The stigma of breaking that wall between you and your leader is vital”

“There are definitely people in my life that I always go to whenever I need help. I think it’s super important to have that in your life”

“It was the biggest attribution of my wellbeing” -Matias on Journalling

“I make myself voice-notes, I talk my problems out they are. It helps a lot.”

“These podcasts are awesome. It helps us speak about the conversation. That’s what we need”

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Sponsored By: Identity Mag ( @identitymageg )

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Have something to say? Join the conversation in our Facebook group!

Feel free to subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get...

Jr Alli and Pat Greenall are considered one of the best travel duo filmmakers, coming out of Toronto, Canada.

Recently their work has been featured on Visit Egypt and Ontario’s tourism board.

Jr Alli specifically released “ICELAND – The Adventurers Story” which he opened up a lot about his personal story revolving around the topic.

Today, both talents join us to speak about how Mental Health plays a vital role in their lives. Jr and Pat openly talk about how they challenged their struggles to fuel them into some of Toronto’s rising star duo in travel film-making content on YouTube.

It was a pleasure to work with two individuals who just released a viral travel film in Egypt, showcasing the beauty of Ally Salama’s home country.

Tune in to listen to Jr and Pat Greenall tackle the stigma of mental health!

(Follow The Empower Series by Ally Salama on Anghami /  Apple / Soundcloud)

In this episode :



20seconds: Why do think Mental Health is Important?

3min: Have you ever been in a place where you felt that you needed therapy? (To JR)

8min: Men’s Mental Health

11mins: How do YouTubers like you keep up with the pressure?

14mins: Working without hindering Mental Health

16mins: Pat Greenall talks about the loss of his mother.

18mins: Maintaining Balance in Life – Tips from Jr and Pat.

20mins: A Final Message from Pat and Jr about Mental Health



Links:



Jr Alli’s Instagram Pat Greenall’s Instagram

* Jr Alli’s Egypt Viral Travel Video

Ally Salama’s Instagram



Quotes from The Empower Series with Jr Alli & Pat Greenall:



“Men find it very difficult to talk about mental health”

“We need to be more transparent with each other”

“A lot of people don’t realize how much of a struggle it is with social media and doing this”

“It’s easy to fall into this trap..”



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Have something to say? Join the conversation in our Facebook group!

Feel free to subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get the latest releases on all our articles & episodes for our exclusive mental health podcast series, with celebrity guests sharing their take on Mental Health and Wellbeing.

Available Now on  Apple Podcasts & Anghami

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Matthew Zaremba is a published visual artist whose work has been exhibited across the United States and abroad. His clients include Playboy, Vans and New Balance, while his work has been featured across: The Huffington Post, Style.com and HYPEBEAST, only to name a few.

Zaremba’s work examines the human condition, as well as the intricacies and idiosyncrasies of relationships, communication, and the mind. He currently is the director of marketing at Bodega.  

Today, Matthew joins us to talk about Mental Health. We discuss how artists like himself live and maintain a healthy lifestyle!

Together, we also discuss many of today’s global issues surrounding mental health and the importance of regulating our use of social media. We also touch on a very sensitive subject: Suicide. Matt has lost 2 people to suicide, opening up about how these experiences were, and how he managed to overcome them.

It was an honour to speak to someone, whom we personally are a huge fan of.

Tune in to listen to Matthew Zaremba speak about the importance of mental health in his life and career!

(Follow The Empower Series by Ally Salama on Anghami /  Apple / Soundcloud)

In this episode :



1:00 – Matthew speaks about grief, his father loss and his approach to his art.

4:00 – Matthew speaks about his raw style.

7:00 – What stigma’s would we like to break as a Male?

10:00 – Losing someone special to suicide.

12:00 – How Matt manages daily stressors. (Social Media)

15:00 – Work Life Balance in the Fashion Industry.

17:00 – The Empower Directory Idea Discussion?

22:00 – Matthew’s anxiety attacks and how he dealt with it.

23:30 – Medication vs Holistic Health.

26:00 – Nutrition and it effects on mental health.

28:00 – Regulating Social Media and the pressure of social media.

32:00 – Matthew’s genuine message to anyone going through something they can’t talk about.



Links:



Matthew Zaremba’s Instagram

Ally Salama’s Instagram and Facebook



Quotes from The Empower Series with Matthew Zaremba:



Understanding and having Empathy can do wonders to this world.

I never set out to try to fit in a certain lane, I think i’m just and still am focused on my own reality.

You need to have a sort of release to get it out. You need to be as honest as possible with yourself.

I’ve lost two friends to suicide. It doesn’t discriminate between race, gender or beliefs.

Take time. There’s a lot of societal pressures. It super important to take time cuz at the end of the day you’re all that you’ve got.

There’s no room for self anymore. There are some people that have 16h work days. Back in the days our parents generation would finish work and that would be it for the day for them. Today it’s different.

Social media is entertainment.

The sun always comes out tomorrow.



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Have something to say? Join the conversation in our Facebook group!