Jess sits down with Ali Alfaraj, founder of Tru Cinnamon — the first cinnamon water brand based in Los Angeles — to explore the intersection between entrepreneurship, awakening, identity, and the deeper purpose behind building something tangible in the world. Ali’s journey is anything but linear. Born between Kuwait and Italy, raised between the Middle East and Los Angeles, he grew up navigating instability, cultural duality, and profound feelings of abandonment. These early experiences shaped him into a hyper-independent achiever, driving him into a decade-long career in real estate private equity, where he helped raise over $500M in capital. Yet behind the success, there was an inner emptiness—a dimming of light—that eventually catalyzed a spiritual awakening. This conversation moves through the pivotal territories of childhood wounds, identity, survival patterns, and the collapse of ego-driven paths. Ali shares how ayahuasca, meditation, and frequency work opened him back into love, trust, and surrender—initiating his transition from high-finance to conscious entrepreneurship. Today, Tru Cinnamon is not “just a beverage.”It is a movement.A transmission.A vessel for intentional living, simplicity, and awareness. Together, Jess and Ali explore how a product can hold a frequency; how design, story, movement, and taste can become a spiritual portal; and why entrepreneurship so often mirrors the spiritual path — complete with dark nights, voids, breakthroughs, and profound transformations. • Ali’s childhood and how instability shaped his hyper-independencePatterns of abandonment, cultural duality, and how early wounds prepared him for entrepreneurship. • The pivot from private equity to spiritual awakeningHow raising millions in capital brought external success but internal collapse — and why awakening often begins at the peak of “achievement.” • Ayahuasca, God, frequency, and the collapse of old narrativesThe moment Ali felt unconditional love, the challenge of integrating awakening, and why awareness doesn’t immediately dissolve old patterns. • Entrepreneurship as a spiritual pathWhy building a company requires trust, surrender, resilience, and devotion — and how business mirrors the awakening process. • The vision and energetics behind Tru CinnamonWhy the product is only the vessel, how intentionality shapes frequency, and why consumers feel the soul of a founder through design and taste. • The future of brand-building in a spiritually awakening worldCompetition vs. contribution, authenticity over extraction, and the rise of emotionally resonant brands for Gen Z and beyond. • Living in the unknown & trusting the next stepWhy Ali believes the inability to see the whole path is a sign you’re in the right place — and how to hold faith through uncertainty. “Every version of my past was part of the whole I was here to remember.”— Ali “Entrepreneurship and spirituality are the same journey — both require trust, surrender, and the courage to sit in the unknown.”— Ali “The product is the vessel, but the movement is awareness — returning people to themselves, even for a moment.”— Ali “The real liberation is releasing the stories we cling to, not accumulating more success.”— Jess This conversation is for founders, creators, healers, and anyone navigating the collision of identity, ambition, and awakening. It’s a deep dive into the why behind building something meaningful — and a reminder that the spiritual path and the entrepreneurial path are inseparable when done with integrity. Expect to walk away with: • a renewed sense of trust in your own path• clarity on the role of frequency in brand-building• a deeper understanding of the spiritual awakening process• inspiration for creating from alignment, not survival Connect with Ali AlFaraj www.instagram.com/afaraj www.instagram.com/trucinnamon Connect with Jess Fenton www.instagram.com/goinward www.goinward.co.uk
