I turned off my phone, I told everyone that I was close to at the time guys, I'm going to go and work on myself. Uh, you ain't going to hear from me for a very long time. I don't know if I'm going to come back. But I will come back eventually at some point, I'm going to turn off my phone, and I got to work. Welcome to The Bright Side of Life, a podcast where people share their personal stories of struggles, pain and grief. But through all of that, they are still able to find the joys in life.

Hello, everyone, and welcome to this week's episode of the bright side of life. I am your host, Melissa bright, I just want to add before we get started that there are topics in this episode that may act as a trigger for some people. Also, before we get started, I have a huge announcement, I can finally announced that the release of my beta program people pleaser no more is going to be coming out September 22. So if you are someone that find yourself second guessing yourself, and you want to worry less and start doing more of what makes you happy, without the need of approval from others, then this program is exactly for you. The program is going to be starting Thursday, September 22. And it's going to be a one hour live zoom session. And if you can't make that the Zoom sessions, that's completely okay. They're going to be pre recorded and in the people pleaser, no more Facebook group. So by the end of the six week program, you are going to feel more confident in your decision making. You're going to know how to set healthy boundaries, have better relationships, not only with yourself, but with others as well. So that you can live your true authentic self and experience more joy. So if you are interested in being one of these founding members, there are only 10 spots in this program because it is a small intimate beta program, I want you to grab your spot. Now, you can go to the show notes, and the link will be in the description. And please, as always go ahead and email me and let me know if you have any questions. But I am so so excited for this program and I cannot wait to help you. And today I am talking with Andre Andre is the superhero a love but it wasn't always this way for 20 years, he was living in hate and darkness. He hated everything. And everyone and truthfully didn't want to be here anymore. He had no goals or dreams or a purpose. And he just basically did as he was told because he had no love guidance, nurturing or support in his life, but have gone gone through a spiritual awakening. It allowed him to see a whole new world and make better choices, decisions and relearn life for the first time. Now he is on a mission to spread love, heal the planet through his actions of love and unite the planet so that future generations don't grow up with hate in their hearts. Andre, welcome to the show. How are you doing today? Almost I thank you for that amazing introduction. I never had something like that I am doing absolutely just splendid. How I'm just grateful to be here. How are you doing? I am doing great. And I'm so excited to finally meet you. We have had so much conversation on social media. And every interaction that literally you have ever sent me has always been so kind and so I don't even know what to say everything. And I'm just like, This is literally like the nicest person on earth. Besides my stepdad. Nobody can be nicer than him. But as I said, that was not always that way. So I mean, we use the word hate in your bio. And I already asked you I kind of would like to hear your story of why this Did you know why why hate Why were you feeling this way? And I already told you you can share as much or as little a bit little about your story. But that's going to be my first question for you.

Yeah, so you know, I grew up we all have childhood trauma. So I want to say right off the bat, that I've completely forgiven all people that have done me wrong, and I've taken responsibility and no more effective blaming. So right off the bat, everybody from my parents, to teachers, to mentors, to whomever that have done me wrong. They didn't know what they didn't know and they did the best they could with the tools they had at the time. So I've completely have just let that go. Because it's, I've taken responsibility for that. So with that being said, it really started when I was around 11 or 12. And I was so happy kid. I grew up, okay, of course, my parents, they were, they were very, like, very low class. They, they worked like factory jobs and stuff. So they really worked their butts off just to put me through through school and stuff. Yeah. And they're very strict because he came from more of the older world or took a lot of like, punishment, there was no like grounding in the house. It was like more beatings and stuff, because, you know, they didn't need to discipline me. Right. Anyways. So around when I was 11, there was an incident at school, that happened to a boy. And I was trying to protect him because he's being bullied. Because I had been bullied a lot. When I was a kid going through school, I wasn't strong, I was physically weak, I would always get beat up at school. And I was basically just, well, let's just say I've been picked on a lot. So when I tried to go and defend this boy, and I was able to help them when I went to go and to give him a hug and say, Hey, are you okay? Just to comfort him? He pushed me away. Because back then, you know, being part of like, the gay group or LGBTQ, which I have only love and respect for back then it was like a sin. Yeah. And because of that, it put a scar on me that I started like, closing off. And the reason for that is because everybody was starting to call me. He's gay. He's the guy that likes guys. People would stay away from me. It's like I had remember the word cooties back. Yeah, yeah. It's like I had cooties. Right. And I started just having to change my persona, but wearing these fake masks and putting on layers to protect my heart, because I already been hurt, because I couldn't trust anybody. And these masks were like wearing like dark clothing, having a hoodie over my head, putting on the tough guy act, making sure to like nobody get in my way. I was really mean and cruel to a lot of people in my path. Yeah, but I didn't want to be that way. I have to put on this act. Because back in the days, there wasn't, I'm going to call it imbalance of energy, the current term that we call as toxic masculinity, but I like to use the balance of energies, because it's a term that guys and girls need to balance both masculine and feminine energies, which I didn't know until recently. And yeah, so that moment, really started that path. And, you know, the words like manifesting and attracting and all that stuff wasn't even in my atmosphere until recently. So I was only attracting more negative because I was thinking, because I was putting on like, A, I was putting fear and hate into my heart, because I can't trust anybody. And I keep attracting people that I don't trust. And thus it became a feedback loop, a cycle, a negative loop. And when someone that was super positive would enter my atmosphere, I was afraid because that energy was foreign to me. So I'd push them away. I'm like, I don't want anything to do with you. Stay away from me, just stay away. I was terrified, because I didn't trust that person. And I am so sorry to all those in the past that I've done that too. But I had to protect myself because I didn't know any better. Yeah, I didn't even know what love was. That's the thing. I didn't have love for myself. I didn't have love for anybody. I grew up with no love because my parents, they weren't very nurturing. Like I said, I've given I've stopped effectively blaming them, right, but they didn't know how to have, like, love for me. They were more like they work to just put food on the table kind of that's their mentality of love. Yeah, wasn't like giving me a hug, you know, no nurturing, nothing like that. So I literally kind of grew up on my own. Even though I lived with them, I grew up by myself. Right? And because when you grow up by yourself, and you really have no friends going through school, you end up being lonely, but I didn't know that. And loneliness is one of the major things in the world that can kill you, literally can kill you. So I basically was alone and depressed. But I also was angry and hateful. And anytime somebody would come into my atmosphere, I'd push them away. Whether they were negative politics, I couldn't trust them. Right because I kept Bringing negative people into my life because I kept attracting that because I was bringing that kind of energy to people. Right. And when I did that, unfortunately, they showed me sides of humanity that I didn't want to, I didn't trust. And I just said, You know what, I'd rather just be alone. But in that process, again, I created another loop where now I'm alone, I'm depressed. I'm sad. I have nobody. But I can't trust anybody. I can't be with anybody. Because everybody's the same. I used to think that everybody in the world is the same, which is not true, of course. But that's what I thought. So I couldn't trust anything or anyone. So the words like trust, believe, have faith and hope just didn't exist in my life at all. I went through life, being told to just do as you're told, don't speak back. And I would always dim my light, and always have to just take orders. And here we are today.

Are these all things that you realized we're happening at those ages? In terms of I know for sure, I don't trust people that I can clearly see what the actions that you were doing. And I asked that question, because I have been very guilty of self sabotaging my current relationship, because I don't feel I'm worthy of a person that is that good to me. But these are not these are not the words that are coming in consciously. Like it's, it's other stuff that I do that you reflect, and you're like, oh, that's why I was doing that. So what did you learn, like in your later years, and what did you consciously know? When you were in like that pain and stuff?

So start with the being constantly in the knowing I honestly didn't even know. I was unaware. Really? Yeah. Literally. I was like, asleep. Yeah. It's like, I'm living another person's life. Like, I'm like the outside observer. I wasn't living me. Yeah. So I'd wake up, I would see myself in the mirror, I would tell myself all these demeaning and degrading things like you're ugly, you're piece of trash. You're this, you're that and had no love for me. And every time I looked in the mirror, I'm like, Who are you? Right? Right. And then, you know, the stuff that I've learned is being aware. Because awareness is as sound as much as this sounds very cliche. It is key. Yeah, believe me, it always starts with awareness. Yeah. Because without being aware, you don't know until either a someone tells you or be you feel a feeling and become consciously aware of it. Yeah. So awareness was the major key to like, Wait a minute. What have I been like doing? Like, obviously, I had a spiritual awakening that really started that whole transition. And that she was, I'll explain that shortly. It was a catalyst that really shifted everything. And when I basically had that shift, I was like, Oh, my God. What am I doing? Like? Everything, just kind of like, What the hell have I been doing this entire time? Right. Like, yeah, I've been so mean and cruel. And yet, like, here I am. And now, and I'll get right now into the spiritual awakening, the girl who I drove by, she was lifeless in her car. And I wished the year before that, which was in 2018. I wanted to die. I didn't want to be here anymore. I was done with life. I was broken in all aspects. I hated everything I hate. Everyone has broken mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally, and even financially. I wasn't like done. And I was going to actually commit suicide and jump off the building from my workplace. But I told somebody, my soul told somebody and that person alerted like my HR and my manager. And that was the first time that someone actually wanted to listen to me. actually care about me. But of course, it didn't. It didn't fully take effect one year until after that happened when this girl was basically lifeless in her car. And I drove by and I'm like, Oh my God, this poor girl can no longer live her goals and dreams. I'm here and I'm still alive. And this girl is no longer here and I and I have this gift of still do You're live and she's not here. And this could have been me 20 minutes ago, if I had left 20 minutes earlier, right? What am I doing? I'm wasting time It's time to get to work. And then all of a sudden, just everything started to shift.

Oh, okay, so what? i This might be hard to remember at that time once you once you saw her, and you know, the shift, do you remember some of the first things that you started either doing an action steps, or you started thinking or realizing? And then what kind of people you know, started coming into your life? Because 2019 That's when this happened? Or was it 2820? Okay, so this is fairly recent. So I mean, within the last three years, so what were some of those first things, you know, that started changing for you?

Ah, this is going to be fascinating, because the same day when I once I got home, and I was still like, stunned, like, what are they just see, because I've never seen a dead body, ever in my life, or people have passed in my life. Yeah, and come and go. But I've never went to the funeral because I didn't care. Right? I didn't care about anything or anyone. Right? So when I got home that day, my YouTube channel, my older one was filled of Gaming and Anime and all that stuff. Yeah, but there was a video. It was a motivational video. And I'm like, motivational video, what is this? I've never seen, I don't even know what the word motivation was to be quite honest. So I clicked it, because it was, it's something drew me to just click it. Like, I was watching it on YouTube on my TV. And all I heard, were these people talking about love. And they're talking about, like, you can be anything you want to be in this world. You know, you may have lived the life of hell, but you have the ability to change now. You can change in an instant. But you have to be aware. And again, it comes back to the awareness. And if you want to do the change, be that change. Right? You have the power within you to do it. Everything is in you right now. You just have to go and find it. Right. And when I heard that it was I believe it was Les Brown, that was speaking in that motivational video because it was just words on screens on their voices. It wasn't like, actual video of anybody. Yeah. And when I saw that, you know how YouTube's has its algorithm when you start watching one thing. Yeah. Another one showed up, right? And I started watching that. And then it started talking about having routine, like a morning routine. So like, journaling, getting your thoughts from your head down on paper, so you can see it, writing things out. Going to the mirror and telling yourself that you love you going and doing some workouts going out into nature without technology. Just all these things I've never did in my life, never did in my life. Right? So I was like, if that if these people are successful, and they told their story, and they went through hell, and I went through my own hell, then surely they found a way to overcome it. So I said may as well take a shot at this and see how it goes. Of course, there was struggle, or there was adversity, there was there was times that I like fell flat on my face. But the first set of stuff I really started doing was journaling. Journaling was very powerful. And I know recently you started playing those journal prompts were absolutely amazing. So thanks to those. Yeah, but journaling has been amazing. Because when you have it all up here, you having all this mental energy only up here. So to free up that energy, you got to put it down on paper so you can least get rid of it. And you can just have it on the paper. Because it's stuck up here. Everything is all energy in our planet. Right, right. So I had to start. I didn't know this at the time, but I started just taking thoughts and putting it down on paper and just seeing what I was writing. And of course the first things I were saying it didn't feel congruent to me like like saying affirmations like I am powerful. I am beautiful. I am handsome. I am confident I am wealthy. I didn't fully set in because I didn't believe it. Because words are out feelings is just works. Yep. And I've been learning about feelings lately that shortly. So yeah, the first thing was really journaling. And then from journaling, it started like reading like books. And let me tell you, I was one of those guys that would say books are for losers. For for repeat that are nerds that Yeah, nothing better to do it themselves. Oh my god. Looks are amazing. So to anyone that just heard me say that books are amazing. They are awesome. So if you're not a reader, I highly encourage you to become a reader because it'll change your life. And the very first book that I read was called the Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod. Okay, that started the whole morning routine, things that really helped me learn about setting up my day for success. Like, for example, I would wake up at 430 in the morning, and rush to work because I was trying to beat the nine to five rush hour, I'd get to work, but I would have to just start work. Yeah, but when I started implementing a morning routine by waking up 30 minutes earlier, I got to journal, I got to do like a couple push ups, a couple situps and jumping jacks, I started reading a little bit of positive stuff, not turning on my phone first thing in the morning, like I used to do, and using it as an alarm and actually getting a clock warm reading, like writing down affirmations, and just being present and silent. Which by the way, I didn't know what being present was recently learned how to be really present. But really just being silent with myself. And these things. It just evolved over time. Yeah, now like I call it the superhero morning routine, because it's evolved exponentially, because I've added so many other things into it.

Yeah. Yeah. I love that. We I don't know how many guests we've talked about. We've talked about like routines, and whatever it is, it's a morning routine. It's a it's a workout routine. It's a journaling, meditation, whatever. And I often so say that all of these things sound great in theory, like you watched all these people saying, This is what helped me this is what, until you do it and practice it. Yeah. It's so important. I lost my train of thought of what I was going to say about this. And I'll get back to it. Um, what was I going to say about it? Oh, well, I wanted to ask you, because the feeling is so huge. Yeah. And I have been at such a weird place in the past like month of like, kind of some depression, some second guessing myself self worth issues. I am very much a big achiever. And what I've realized is that I can achieve all of these things, right? Yeah, I can achieve. I mean, I've, I've achieved a lot in two years from like my journey of like even podcasting. But there's still something missing. And that tells me that there's still a part of me that I haven't discovered. Because I was just talking to Tina Lifford. And she's like, it's all about inside, you can have all the money in the world, you can have all the success, all the popularity, everything. But there's going to be something inside that you're still going to feel as missing. So I think my question to you is like, when did you because you didn't like yourself, either. When was the shift that that this was like this routine is finally working, or this is the thing that really started making me love myself and feel that I was worthy of love, acceptance, relationships, so on and so forth.

So there's two instances that I realized that this was working for me. So you saw that I had a bio photo of my old and my new with my transformation. I was about 50 to 80 pounds overweight, because I didn't take care of myself. I didn't love me as I was eating crap. I was right one of that layer, basically just unhealthy. And when I was wearing my suits, I had to like really like shoved them like putting like my gut in just like close the suit jacket and zipper. It was just brutal. So when I started doing the morning routines, like the workouts and the meditations and the reading and the positive affirmations and telling myself that love me, I started seeing It changed not only physically but mentally. Hmm. So the physical obviously because I'm working out. Yeah, right. But the mental was like, I started going into the mirror and I started like, Huh, you look very handsome today. I hope you have a fantastic day Andre. And I had this big smile. I have never used a smile. I used to always have a frown or the resting bitchface I started having this beautiful smile. Yeah. And then how I knew it was starting to work is when I started going to work. People were like, something's different about you. Not just by like, losing weight and stuff, and looking better. Alright, you got a different vibe, different glow about you now. And I like this. So and it wasn't just one person, it was a combination of a lot of people. Right? When I was going to work, I was very negative. I was very, like, pessimistic. And I was only attracting negative conversations with people. Right. But now, the script has been flipped. And they're like, I like this new you. Yeah, doing whatever it is that you're doing because it's working. And I'm like, Hmm, fascinating. I guess I'm gonna continue to do what I'm doing. And I'll just evolve it over time. Right? And yeah, it's just basically those were the two things is like, obviously, I saw myself physically seeing the change, right. But it was the mentality. And then the energy was outputting. To other people. They're like, Yeah, you look really different. You feel different. You're I like being around this guy. Not to say I didn't like being around the other guy. Because a lot of people were still kind of stuff, right. But I was very negative. Very, very negative. Yeah. But they're like, I love this guy. And I'm like, What are you doing? And I told him like, oh, just journaling. I'm working out some time myself that I love me more. And seems to be working. It didn't just happen overnight. It took a couple of months for it to really start setting in. Yeah, but constant repetition, repetition, repetition. It started to weave into my soul.

Yeah. Because it I started listening to atomic habits. Have you read that one yet?

I have, by James clear, yeah.

I haven't finished it. But even like the first two chapters I listened to I'm like, my mind was blown. Because it talks about how like, these habits, they become like your identity. And once they become your identity, then that's just who you are. This is no longer like, I write in a journal every day, no, your journal or whatever you call that. Or, you know, if you want to be a golfer like, then you go and do all that. And you literally embody everything that a golf person is. And I'm like, Oh my God, that's so true. And I am enjoying listening to this because I've told you, I've been in this weird part for like this last month and a half. And I'm like, I got so upset because it was like, I've lost all these tools. I knew them. But I didn't even want to do them. I'm like, open up my journal. I'm like, Oh, I haven't been in my journal for five days. Like, this is not me. I wrote in my gratitude journal every day for like, 10 months straight. Right? And it really messes with you when it like, knocks you off kilter. Whatever it is, um, for me, it was literally my physical energy I did not have and so scraping to just wake up every morning. You know, that was awful. So just hearing this stuff, and I'm like, this is the stuff that is going to get you back and something that I realized a long time like during COVID What was so hard for me was in 2019, I did 80 Day obsession with with Beachbody and lost like 30 something pounds. I had done insanity several times before that. But in 2020, all that went out the door because life was chaotic. And that was my own excuse. Like, I could have done it. But what I realized is, so many of us lost our routine, which is often attached to our purpose in life, whether that's your job and you love your job or your career or your purpose. But that all went by the wayside. Yeah. So finally, when I started my podcast in 2020, I finally felt like I had a routine back. I knew what to do, oh, I'm going to wake up today and do an interview and then I'm going to edit it and then I'm going to find in it's so much of of if you feel lost, I feel part of it. Is that routine of something?

Yes. Definitely. You hit it so perfectly because since 2019, and the the awakening happened on October 6 of 2019, okay, you can think of me as like a almost three year old soul right now in an adult body. But every single day, yes, it's evolved. But every single day, it's at least been at least journaling. Working out definitely working out every day. Yeah, whether it's like 10 minutes, two or two hours, right, getting the body to move. Yeah. Going into maritime myself. I love being giving me positive affirmations to myself, your hands today, you look good today. putting a smile on my face. And smiling changes our physiology and our chemical body because like, I actually can feel a difference with some smiling. Yeah, but I'm not smile I can. I can definitely feel the difference. Yeah, because I became aware of it. But yes, when there was one day that I didn't get to, like fully journal until like, the, almost the end of the night, I was almost about to fall asleep. I was like, I feel kind of weird. Like, I didn't get this journaling done today. Right. But I also gave myself grace, because it doesn't need to be rigid. It can be flexible. Yeah. And I also develop that superhero morning routine to be flexible. Now I used to be very rigid, right? Gotta be this, this, this, this, this, this this. Now it's okay, I'm gonna definitely do my workout because that's a non negotiable because I have a lot of non negotiables. Yeah, but it doesn't need to be in an order. If I need to journal later in the day. I'll journal later in the day. If I need to meditate at 4pm instead of 4am. I'll do the meditation there. Just as long as you do something. It's all that matters. Yeah.

Yeah, that is so important. Because I feel like with social media, we see everybody's routines of what they're doing or podcast, you listen, and you have somebody that you look up to. And then all of a sudden, you're like, Oh, my God, I did not do what Gabrielle Bernstein did today. Like, I suck. No, you don't. You don't have the same life that she does, or her schedule, you make it what works for you, if you work at 4am, then figure it out. And I'm just saying that because I am such a person that will get down on myself if I'm not doing it like XYZ, because that person did it. So it can't possibly work if I don't do it in this manner. Yeah. And that's not true.

Yeah, you're absolutely right. Because when I was like, like I mentioned, it has evolved. So it was very rigid at first. Yeah. And I was like, it's working. But it just doesn't. It's the word I'm trying to get at. It wasn't fully, like congruent, I was like, it needs to something needs to change. That's why I kept evolving it. Right clients, it took, like, at least a whole year for this morning routine to really come about to what it is and really not even now more. It's just a routine. A superhero routine. Yeah. But once I developed that, like, it's got to be more flexible, not rigid. That's what I was like, okay, giving myself grace, because I would beat myself up. If I didn't do my workout at 3am. Because now I work at 3am. Yeah, if I didn't work out at three, I would beat myself up like, Ah, right, like a loser. I didn't wake up at 3am to do my workout. No. Sounds like wake up and do the workout. That's all that matters. Right? beat myself up. Because then we put ourselves in this negative loop. And you're like, Ah, I'm not gonna, I'm not gonna do the workout now. Because I missed in you know, it's like, now my whole day is all over the place. No, no, you can still do it. Yeah, give yourself grace. Just do it whenever you can. Whether you gotta switch it to the to the evening, cool, as long as you get it done. That's all that matters.

Exactly. Exactly. I love that. I love that. So in this process, you know, you were working through a lot of stuff and one of them was trusting people again. What was your solution to really trusting people, whether that be in relationships, friendships, whatever. As you guys know, I mentioned in a couple of my episodes a few weeks back that I have been struggling with my energy for months now. I started looking for some ways to get back my energy because I am so busy during my days and I need the energy and focus to get everything I want to get done, actually done. And I'm sure you guys can totally relate to this. For the last three days, I started taking this little shot, it's called Magic mind in the morning along with my coffee. And let me tell you, it has been a game changer, not only for my energy, but for my focus as well. I feel way better in in the mornings. Now, in the mornings were such a struggle for me, as I told you guys on that episode, I feel better my mood is better thank God for that they have these adaptogens that help me relax. Also, what's really cool is they have the lion's mane in the quarter set mushrooms and the shot. And this helps boost your clarity and focus, I have actually been able to finish my to do list in such a shorter amount of time, that normally takes me all day, I've gotten so much more done in these last three days than normal, seeing how well it's worked for me, I really want to encourage you guys to try it out as well. If you're having trouble being at 100% Some days, because it has helped me out tremendously. I have a 20% off code to share with you guys. It's bright 20. To use it, you can go to magic mind.co/bright and just enter the code bright 20 at checkout, the best part is is they do have a money back guarantee. And if you get the subscription, it's 40% off my 40% off code only lasts 10 days. So be sure to order ASAP, the link is also going to be in the description of this episode.

So this one is going to be quite interesting, because this saw I have to give some context. So during the awakening, I still didn't fully like give full trust, I was still kind of like, you know, yeah, I was positive now. But I was like, I still don't have that trust in other people, right, I'm kind of still going to call, like hold my ground, right COVID came obviously. And then we all had to stay at home. So I took it upon myself to just turn off my phone for five months. I've turned off my phone for five months. And my my accelerated learning and growing happened in those five months at the beginning of COVID. When we didn't know if we should leave our house if we were going to die, right? I turned off my phone, I told everyone that I was close to at the time, guys, I'm going to go and work on myself. You ain't going to hear from me for a very long time. I don't know if I'm going to come back. But I will come back eventually at some point. I'm going to turn off my phone, and I got to work now. The first thing I was working on was like, Okay, I'm positive. But how do I build connections now with people. So I started watching TED talks, and Ted Talks started becoming like a thing for me. consuming them I kept like listening to them. And a lot of people were like, you know, you can't do everything by yourself. That's what I was doing. You have to rely on people. You have to in order to make the world better place. You can't do this on your own. You can't go and unite the planet on your by yourself. You need everybody with you. Yeah, warding you and you got to support them. So when I was watching a lot of TED talks, I'm like, okay, that makes sense. I want to give a talk at some point to do something about this. But really just starting to rebuild connections. Once I came out of that five months, I really being very intentional with who I'm speaking to for versus who isn't. So like, now I'm starting to learn who's energy is here to help me and who's there to bring me down basically, for though, and I realized really quickly, who was there? Certain that's going to help me and who was there that was bringing me down and I had to with unconditional love. Let them go. Yeah, I still love them. You're still great people. But I also had to learn to protect my energy. And that was another thing I had to learn during those five crucial months. mental things like protecting energy, trust, faith. You know, being more positive, taking care of myself, self love, compassion, nurture, kindness, all of it, all of it. And those souls that were basically the negative ones that said, because I wasn't the superhero love during that time. I was the guy that's like, I want to help people. I want to help people. How I used to be I want help those that are negative, maybe I can do something with this and help people. So those that I that were like, saying, you can't help people, you can't do this, you have to let them go. I had to let them go. But then I also told a set of other people that what I want to do and you're like, you can do it. I believe in you. You got this. And those are the ones that really started helping me like, okay, I can trust people, because there are people out there that actually believe in me, tearing me down, because that's the thing a lot of us have tear me down. That's why I didn't trust anybody. Right? Tell me more like hateful things. Or you're not good enough. You're dumb. You're stupid. All this stuff. I was told it all. I'll never amount to anything in life. Yeah, then I had people, which was it was kind of a new experience to hear someone say, you got this, Andre, I believe in you. I have so much faith in you. You can do anything. Yeah. And I heard that from other people telling me that. During this whole transformation, I was like, Okay, I'm attracting the right people now. Right, putting out the right energy, the right frequency. Yeah. And they came into my soul. And, yeah,

that is so awesome. And I just, it makes me sad to think that there's people out there, whether they were relatives, friends, coworkers, whatever, like saying those things in terms of being like, negative, you know, like, you can't do this. I've never had to deal with that. Except for like with with my dad. Now. He He never said that. He was just, you can't do anything, right in terms of like, chores or something like one, why are you this is this way. So that's where like, my self worth issues came from? I cannot even imagine where I would be. If somebody literally looked at me and said, Melissa, you can't do this. Why are you going to try this? You're not smart. Like, that would be hard thing to work through, you know? Yeah.

And recently, when I became the superhero love, which the persona just came about this year, at the earlier portion of this year, there was a few people on my YouTube channel that were basically saying, Who do you think you are in the think you're going to unite the plant they wrote in my comments, all I did was, I appreciate your input and your calm and I value it, I am going to do it. I will send you unconditional love. I'm sending you unconditional love. And whether you like to be a part of this world with me that I'm going to help unite or not, that's cool. I appreciate and I love you, no matter who you are, where you are on your journey. We're all in different timelines on our journey. And there are some people that are just not ready for that. And that's okay. Because I know that not everybody in the world is going to love the superhero love, believe it or not. And I have to accept that and help those that really want help and want to help me unite the planet with love.

Yeah, yeah. Well, especially coming from where you did come from, you know that you have been in that position before, and they are not ready to receive that message. They are probably filled with extreme pain as well. Yes, they are. Because there were people. Exactly, exactly. So they're nobody that is like, I feel confident. And I love myself, and I'm going to say this hurtful thing to somebody. No, that doesn't. That's not how that goes at all.

Yeah, there were two more instances I wanted to share with the audience that really helped me transcend to where I am right now. Yeah. So you mentioned gratitude and your gratitude journal. earlier. During that, beginning of The Awakening, I didn't know what gratitude was that word didn't exist at all for me. Yeah, but I kept hearing it in those motivational videos I was telling you that I watched and all the interviews that I watched were like Tom Bill, you all the podcasts and watch them all. Yeah. And that's how I started to learn about my teachers and like Gabby Bernstein and Marie Forleo. Everybody, right, like Tom Bill, you Lewis House, everybody, you name them. I know them all. I've learned a lot from each and every one. That's why I call them my teachers. That's awesome. But there was an incident in 2020 at almost the end in November. Actually, I have to even go back two months before that in September of 2020. I almost lost my life for the first time and this was a lot sent for me to learn about gratitude, but I didn't learn it at that moment. What had happened was, I had been bitten by a poisonous spider. While I was asleep,

oh my gosh.

And I woke up, I still did my work. I was doing my morning routine, I was pretty like, I'm like, I'm gonna go through this pain or whatever. I went to the hospital, I was like, and I saw this red line going up my arm into my chest near my heart, and it stopped there. And I'm like, Oh, shit, I gotta go. Like this is serious. Yeah. And then when I got to the hospital, the doctor is like, you've been bitten by a poisonous spider. And you're lucky you came when you did, because if you didn't, you wouldn't be here. I'm like, oh. So then a couple of days after it was October 6, because it happened at the end of September. Okay. And I created my first ever YouTube video call, I love you world. And I just escaped death, just before that video. And then after that my uncle passes, which was the very first family member that ever passed, I was actually now finally close with. And now I saw death for the second time. And I was like, that could have been me just a couple of days ago. Right? Like, or sorry, a couple of months, like a month ago, because he died in October. Yeah. So I'm like, Okay. I still didn't know what gratitude was. So then, couple days later, after his funeral, I ended up getting COVID. And I drove myself to the hospital, and I collapsed at the hospital. I could have collapsed while I was driving, and I could have taken somebody else out. Right? I was so like, sick. So sick, because the anti venom and the and the IV was infecting my bloodstream still, because they were still carrying from the poisonous Venom I had. So it weakened my immune system and compromised it. Yeah. So I was at the ICU when I woke up, and I had this tube in my mouth, I was breathing on a ventilator. And I saw that I was in the ICU, and I see other patients older than me. And they're all dropping one after the other. They're all basically dying. The vaccine was announced back then. And I was like, You did not when I say you, I was like God universe, or higher power, whatever you want to call it. You did not have me go through this morning, this this whole routine, this whole journey for me to die now. There's no freakin wait. But I'm dying. I'm getting out of here. And what saved me was my mindset. And I'll tell you why. There was a story. In one of the books I read, and I forget which book it was, but there was soldiers in World War One and two, they were fighting in bunkers. Some made it some didn't, you know, what's the difference between it between them that made it versus those that didn't make it? mindset. And I'll tell you why. Those that had people to live for to come back home to the had love letters from their loved ones, they had the will to fight. Whereas those that did not have anybody to live for they perish or like, Whatever, I'm gonna die anyways. It's mindset. And the reason why I brought bring a mindset right now is because the positive attitude I had developed during those during that basic like area, the sorry, the basic time of my transformation, that that really hit my soul. It literally helped me to stay alive. But in that moment, I also live with gratitude wise. Because for three weeks, I was trapped in the ICU. So every moment I was like, I'm still here. I'm still alive, right? I'm still alive. And ever since that moment, which was November of 2020. Gratitude has been the very first thing as soon as I put my feet down, from waking up, I am grateful to be here, to spread love, to be of service to help give back to see whoever it is I need to help. And mean you've been part of Jen and Chris has bootcamp? Yeah. You know, they, Jen talked about hope. help one person every day. Yeah, absolutely love. Yeah. So ever since then, I've been really just finding out who it is I need to help and I asked these questions in the morning. How can I be of service today? To you universe, God, creator, source, whatever you want to call it? Right? How can I learn today? What is it that you need to teach me today? Who is it that needs my help the most today? How can I help that one person? today? Yeah. And I put those questions in and I let them just whatever happens during my day, it happens. Right? Right. Whether it's just sending attacks to somebody spreading love into like a post like yours, yeah, whatever it is, just to put a smile on your face. That's all that I want to do see people when to see people happy to see people smiling. That's it. That's all I want to do spread love. Ya love Angel going around and casting magical fairy dust of love. Oh, I want to do

and you do such a good job at it. I'm telling you there is like either never better comments than Andres on any of my stuff. His is always the best. And I will tell you that that is where since I've been in this weird funk. I'm like, Melissa, you know, helping people is the thing that will get you out of your funk is being of service in any way that will give get you out of your funk. So yesterday, I'm gonna try not to get emotional. I told you I made spaghetti sauce. That's right. This sounds so silly. But I knew that my daughter was off work. And she had the rest of the day. And I'm like, I can either sit here today. And my house is a mess. And I can go get busy and try to just be a distraction. And like, whatever. I was just kind of in this weird mood. And I'm like, No, I want to create a family dinner for me and my boyfriend and my daughter. And that is going to be me being of service today. And that sounds silly. Like okay, yes, I'm a mom, and I'm supposed to cook dinner. But this was going to be like a big thing that I wanted to do. And it was and I played like Italian music. And I made like, out on the patio, there was a stereo and I put Italian music and set the dinner table. And I'm like, I just wanted to give my boyfriend and my daughter a good meal. Like we're at a restaurant, you know, and it made me feel so good that I did that. Because sometimes, since I've lost so much family in my life, I get really sad that I feel like I'm not giving my daughter enough. And that makes me sad. And I don't want my daughter to look back on the time that she lived with me and be like, we didn't really do much, you know, we didn't, whatever. And so now I'm trying to be more intentional with that. And it can start there. Like those are the two people I helped yesterday, you know, just just giving making their day brighter by having a good family meal, you know? So I say all that because of what you are trying to do. It doesn't always have to be this big, elaborate thing and giving 80 hours of your week to someone. Just making someone's day better buy whatever that is. Yeah, it's so important.

Absolutely. And there was one thing that I struggled with a lot was clarity, and what is it that I bring value to the world? Because like, I asked myself every day is what I'm doing. Is it actually helping anybody? And quite frankly, it is, right? Yeah, it actually does help people. And it allows them to be seen, heard, validated. Understood. That's what I'm here for. I'm like the friendly neighborhood superhero. That's what I am here for it to just be your companion, your superhero on your guide to just help you through life through whatever it is that you're going through. That if you need some love, you just need a hug in person. You need that friendly text or a call. That's all I'm here to do is to spread that love so that you can feel connected and not feel alone because the quite frankly, everything I went through stems from loneliness. Really? Right. And I know what it feels like to be alone. And I'm going to try not to get emotional right now. But mostly this makes me cry. Yeah. And yesterday, I had a conversation with someone. And I started tearing up because I know what it felt like to be alone. Right? We need human connection. It's important. Yeah. And that's why like, you know, why I was depressed and angry and sad and all that it was really the true core was loneliness.

Yeah, but

now I know how to be alone but not lonely, right? I have the self love I, I fill my own cup so I can pour it into others. And then they pour it back into me. It's like an infinite loop like this thing behind me. So yeah, just really? Yeah, just doing just nice things for people, it makes you feel good inside. And doesn't like you said doesn't need to be this elaborate thing. Sorry. Yeah, it makes that shift. I've done something for one person. And she gave me such amazing feedback that I was like, Okay, I'm gonna just, this makes sense to do. She was having a miserable day. And she was on the bus. And this was recently, and I just smiled at her. I had my mask off temper because I was still we're still kind of in Toronto, we're still kind of in like our Yeah, our COVID Like protocol and stuff. Yeah. And I smiled at her. And she smiled back. And I came over to her and I started chatting with her. She said, You made me feel better today. Because I just wanted to kill myself. I'm like, I understand how you feel. I've been there. I'm gonna do it myself. But you can make that shift. And there are people like me in this world that just want to see people like you when he's alone. So for your audience, if any of you out there feel like you're alone. I'm here for you. We are here for you. Yeah, you're not alone.

Yeah. I, I love that you said that story. And something that I realized the other day that I'm still trying to work through is I have always said, You are not alone. You're not alone. You're not alone. And it's true. But the one thing we are alone with is our thoughts. And that how powerful our thoughts are, can sometimes be an extremely, extremely scary thing, as so many of us know. And that's when the moment that we do have to say something or reach out to somebody, tell a friend give a clue or something. Because, and I'm even guilty of it. Because my boyfriend is such a positive person that I feel guilty telling him that I'm sad or whatever. Not Not all the time. But I'm almost like, is he gonna say like, what are you sad about? What do you have to be sad about? Not that that's his his way. But that's what my mind is telling me like, why would I even tell somebody? Why am I going to bother somebody. And I don't want people to feel that way. I want them to feel okay to tell somebody that they're struggling with whatever thoughts of worthiness, loneliness, whatever it might be, because we all got a pile a list of 10 things going on at one time. And so it's amazing that you were able to help her. Yeah. You know, you don't know what the smile she I mean, she could have just what are you look, why are you smiling? You know? And instead, it was powerful. And that's the thing is so often people think like, I it's just me, why could I possibly make a difference? I am telling you that you were your story and your life can make a difference. Because me and Andre don't have the same story. But we almost have very similar missions. Definitely. And Andrea, you need to tell people your story. Like somebody commented on it. And I didn't know your full story of like you hating everybody and hating your life. And now you're here complete opposite. Like, that's incredible. And that gives people so much hope to be like, Oh my gosh, if this guy can do it. Maybe I really can be calm a different person or you know, whatever.

Yeah. I learned that you can change in an instant. Right? You're right. Our thoughts are very powerful. And you just have to have love for yourself. You have to have that support system because I didn't have the support. Right, right. And there's a lot of people out there that don't have support it. Yeah. And I know that you feel like alone. But I'm telling you, you can, you will get through whatever it is you're going through. Everything in life is temporary. It's just a moment. Just a moment in time. That's all it is. And I spoke about this on my last YouTube video that we are not our emotions. We are not we are uniquely created masterpieces from God universe Source Creator, even if you don't believe in that. That's okay. Yep. But you are uniquely created masteries exactly as you are every atom molecule, energy Maratha makes you up. You're a beautiful soul. Even if you feel like I have nothing to offer I have. I'm ugly. I'm not worth it. You are worth it. You are worthy. You are beautiful, inside and out universe and God created you exactly the way you were born to be. Because you have a unique gift to share to the world. And please share it with us. And this is what I'm doing. Right? Because I used to tell myself all this time, I don't know what to do. I'm not good enough. I'm I suck. I have nothing of value to offer. People I have nothing of value. But I know that people just love my energy. They love just being around me they have one of my friends said that I made people feel seen, heard understood and validate them. I was like, oh shit, right. And I was doing that. No idea was doing that. Yeah.

It's amazing. You'll see. My boyfriend. He used to tell me like, I will just meet people. And I'm always wanting to hear people's stories. But I don't just come out and be like, so tell me your story like I do on my podcast. And he liked this one guy that's we were camping. And he just started sharing his life story with me. And Brandon's like you have something about you that people just like, open up to you. Yeah. And I'm like, This is literally why I started my podcast because I get so curious about people's stories, motivations, why they are where they are in their life, so on and so forth. And sometimes that's just, it is a gift. I feel like it is a gift because some people like I'm not telling that person shit about me. I think.

Yeah. And there's one other thing I wanted to say to the how I became really, what I am is, I really started tapping in to being my childlike self. As a lot of the times when we were young, we were wanting to be things that we that we dreamed up. Like a ballerina an astronaut. For me, I wanted to be a Power Ranger, I wanted to save the world. I wanted to save the world from Well, obviously we don't have like monsters that are like terrorizing buildings and stuff. But I wanted to save the planet with love. Right? So I usually cultivate my inner child. And I nurture him. And a lot of us right now we have a lot of like, our child is still within our heart and soul. Absolutely, it hasn't gone Your body may have grown, but he or she is still there. And if you're like I want to be this, but like people are gonna make fun of me or laugh at me. I'm going out to be the SuperHero love. So I'm giving you permission right now superhero to go and do whatever it is you want to be. If you want to be a ballerina, go be the ballerina. You want to be an astronaut or cowboy or princess. Go into it. Yeah, my permission. You never had, you never needed my permission, but you have my permission because I'm becoming the superhero love. I am the superhero love. And I'm gonna wear my superhero alpha, and you're gonna see me around the world. Spreading love. That's it.

I love it. I love it. And it's so true about our inner child. Like I think, like I think of stuff that like, like, triggers me or whatever. And I'm like, this is like five year old Melissa getting yelled at by her dad that's upset, and I'm still not healed from that or whatever. And that's why, like, finding our purpose, I don't want to say is always attached to something that you were as a little kid, but it very well can be and I will never forget, for as long as I can remember, I was always good at talking to little like to students, my peers, and whatever grade it was to making them feel like they fit in like Hey, what's up if they kind of felt like, I don't fit in here. I was always the first one to say hey, like and notice them and acknowledge them because nobody wants to feel like the outcast or whatever. Been there. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. And so that's why that's where I'm like, that was what I did when I was a little kid and now this is what I kind of do now. With my podcasts and just talking to people out in the world, you know, yeah, I love it.

And you're doing amazing, and I'm proud of you.

Thank you. Same to you. Thank you. Okay, so what what have we left out? We've talked about your mission being the superhero of love. All right, how can people find out about more of what you do? Or where can people find you.

So most people can find me on my YouTube channel, where I post consistently every week on Wednesday at 7pm, Eastern Time. And it's motivational content and a lot of how tos and giving you tangible tips, tools and strategies, just to just whatever you're going through, I give you tangible tip steps that you can implement right then in there and see if it works. So my YouTube channel is the superhero of love. I'm also on Instagram, I do have it as a superhero love, but that's not my main one until I switch over the names. So it's just my my name, Andre, Samir, and on Facebook as well.

Perfect. And you have a little gift for my audience. Do you mind talking about that? Yes.

So I created a small little gift for each and every one of you. It's called a superhero guide to master your awakening the 11 super keys that I've implemented with tangible tips and strategies that you can use on how you can start leveling up with your morning routine, your mindset, spirituality, whatever it is, it's going to help you in some aspect of your life, it is my gift to you, because I just wanted to just give back, and just help you in your journey superhero. And I'm here for you.

Awesome, I love that. And you guys can find that in the show notes right now you just go down and click on that. And that will be there for you. So I thank you very much for that. Andre, I have one last question for you. And I asked all of my guests this. In your own words, what does the bright side of life mean to you?

For me, it's living your truest expression and just being happy. And just smiling. Because you were born to be happy and loved. Yes, the world has polarity and duality. You can't have love. You can't have love without hate. You can't have light without dark. That's just how it works. Right. But we were born to have love for born to be happy to be free to be who it is. How it is we want to be in this world. Yeah, so it's just living your truest expression and just being happy, plain and simple. Doesn't need to be overly complicated.

No, it does not. Even though we do

that often. No, we do that.

Andre, thank you so much for coming on here. This was such a joy talking to you. And I'm so proud of you and everything that you have done and the work that you have done. Not only to help the world, but most importantly, to help yourself and to still be here today. Spreading door light and your love.

Thank you, Melissa. It was such a pleasure and honor just to be on your amazing podcast. And I hope we have another conversation at some point. Yes, we

absolutely will. Thank you guys for listening to this week's episode of the bright side of life. I love talking to Andre. I really enjoyed his story, because he is very open and honest about saying that he hated everyone and everything and everyone, everyone has a story. And for him to come on here and share his vulnerability like that in have such a massive, massive turnaround. And being the superhero of love is just incredible. And if you watch this video on YouTube, you will see his smile. It literally just lights up a room and he is so extremely nice to interact with. And that right there just gives me hope. It gives me hope to show that even the most broken people can really change their lives around and start to trust people start to have hope, because that's what those people need the most. And instead of him spreading any more negativity, he decided to start spur Writing love. So I definitely encourage you guys to connect with Andre. And be sure to go grab your free gift that he is doing. It's the superhero guide to master your awakening. And as you guys always know if you know anyone that may need to hear Andre story, please please share it with them, because you never know if this is the one that puts hope back in there.