Christian
What is up beautiful people? This is Christian from the Successful Spiritual Entrepreneur podcast. And today I'm very excited to have on the show, Zarak Fatah. He's a transformational life coach who turned his life's adversities into a path of fulfillment and authenticity. Growing up in a tough Toronto suburb, he faced racism and bullying, which propelled him towards ambition rather than defeat.
At 17, he dove into Toronto's nightlife, eventually running 12 successful entertainment businesses, Including top rated restaurants and nightclubs. Despite his success, his 40th birthday marked a realization of life's lack of life's lack of depth, leading to a significant personal and professional transformation.
Now he's living in Nosara, Costa Rica, and he leads the Alive Experience, a travel company that alongside his coaching practice helps others achieve true personal growth. He has trained extensively in professional coaching, influenced by leaders and institutions globally. Zarak's coaching recognized for its insight and depth drives clients towards substantial life changes, embodying the transformative power of aligning with one's true purpose.
What an honor to have you here, Zarak. Welcome to the show.
Zarak Fatah
Yeah. Thank you, Christian, for inviting me to join you here on your podcast. Looking forward to dive in with you.
Christian
It's so exciting. It's just so cool to have people. My favorite guests on the show are people who really are kind of like 50 50 spiritual and like entrepreneurial Right and I feel for me like you fit that category so perfectly So tell us a little bit about how you became a spiritual entrepreneur I mean, I touched a little bit on it in your intro, but I think it'd be really cool to hear from you What really made you choose that path, right?
Cause you could have been an entrepreneur or you could have chosen to just like stay a hippie from now on, but you kind of like, no, you kind of want to go the middle path. Tell us about that.
Zarak Fatah
Yeah, thank you. Yeah, it's an interesting transitional time in my own journey of choosing to begin the personal development path when realizing at the age of 40 that even though I achieved a lot of success in the hospitality and entertainment industry, I just knew there was something else out there for me.
And that's when I Realize that I didn't know what was going to be required for me to change. So this is when I started to invest into personal, excuse me.
And this is when
I started to invest into personal development with attending retreats, different, um, personal development focused, uh, courses over the weekends and working with coaches and.
the, you know, what most people discover personal, they go really, really deep into that world, which is what I did when I moved to Costa Rica. And as much as I loved being the monk on the mountain, learning all these practices and modalities, I knew that there are other people in the city in the urban environment.
I'll say kind of like the old version of me, that was a successful entrepreneur, but just lost in the grind and the hustle. And I knew that there were other people who needed to hear what it is that I was. So, uh, you know, integrating back into Toronto or Miami or other cities and being able to bring the work that I've learned, uh, during my time in Osada and attending retreats and workshops, worked with coaches, allowed me to integrate both that spiritual path and the journey I've been on with, uh, the, the, Entrepreneurial lifestyle, which, as you know, can be 24 7.
So kind of bridging those two worlds and showing people that there is a way to be successful. That doesn't require you working 60 hours a week, hustling and grinding. There's a way to create that balance, tapping into a flow and just, you know, trusting that you are abundant and believing that, you know, you don't have to constantly grind to create wealth, but more so tap into your true authenticity, your true spiritual nature and honor what's most important there.
So that's, you know, been the journey of going from being an entrepreneur to following the spiritual personal development path and now integrating both and sharing it with others.
Christian
Yeah, so a quick question I have here for them, you know, might be interesting for some of the listeners are what would you, what advice would you give to somebody that, you know, kind of like has it spiritually figured out currently, like they kind of feel the purpose, they know what they want to do, but they don't seem to be successful entrepreneurially.
Like you seem to have like, you know, you were successful entrepreneurially first and then you switched into spiritually and then you combine them. What advice would you give the other kind of like person that's like, okay, can I know what a purpose is, but I just can't make it happen as an entrepreneur.
What?
Zarak Fatah
Yeah, that's a great question. And I see a lot of that happening in Nosada and also places like Bali where it's so off on the spiritual side that people are meditating and drinking cacao and doing ceremonies all the time, but they're not actually able to take that knowledge and wisdom and put that into a practical application to help empower others and ultimately create a business.
not say you want to be opportunistic, but you want to create abundance because more abundance we have, the more we can share. Right? And I think it comes down to managing the masculine and feminine energetics within us because the spiritual path can be very feminine, can be very flowy, can be very nurturing and emotional, which is necessary.
But then you have to tap into that alpha, that masculine energy of being able to be Structured and organized and disciplined and be able to have, um, the ambition to make something of yourself and to spread your knowledge. And I think that, you know, in certain environments where things are very flowy, where things are very Pura Vida, things are very much, um, you know, of that feminine energy, it's, it's necessary to know which environments stimulate you.
And then also which friends are you hanging out with? You know, so they say you're the average of the five people you're hanging out with. And if all the people you're with are drinking cacao and doing rap every weekend, it's like, you need to be around people who know how to make shit happen. Right. So I think it's the people you surround yourself with.
And then the environment that you're in as well. You know, I find when I'm in an urban environment, I have more of that, like, hustle energy, but then I still have the practices to balance myself when I go home. So ultimately it comes down to that balance between the masculine and the feminine, and then also surrounding yourself by people who inspire you, people who you want to emulate the success and you can be around them to receive those codes of what do they do that actually allows them to grow their business and create abundance in their life, right?
Christian
Beautiful. So, would you then say, I love this like masculine and feminine, like, balanced perspective, because I think it applies to so many areas of our lives, and I think it's such a great, like, When people face that, okay, where am I currently? Do I need a little bit more like masculinity and like action in my life, or do I need more like balance and restoration in my life?
Right. So I think that's a really, that's a really great tip there. So if somebody is, you would say kind of has figured out their purpose and they know what they want to do. What would you say is like, is the first step for them to just like do it? Like, what would you say is like, how, how, how do you, how, how do you get yourself out there basically?
Zarak Fatah
Yes. So I feel that, you know, we all have a unique gift. We all have a skill set, some knowledge that can be shared. And it's very important to get clear on who do you want to help and how do you want to help them? So imagining that, yeah. There's this person called your avatar, that specific type of person who could really benefit from your knowledge.
And typically that person who can benefit is kind of like the old version of you, right? So, um, identifying who it is that you want to help and then Reverse engineering your process of healing or growth or evolution coming up with a framework of, okay, these are the things that I did that got me to that point.
Now how can I share this process in a way that would help them to see what's possible for them? It could be a free webinar, it could be an in person get together, it could be a three day, um, uh, you know, program or something that you just start to. Share what it is that's been helpful for you getting real time feedback from people finding some, uh, call it, um, prime examples of someone who you'd like to help and just offering them say, Hey, look, I have this framework I put together.
I'd love to run it by you and work with you for, you know, just, you know, Call it three or four weeks just to see how it's benefiting you to get that real time feedback. And then I have no doubt that if your process is effective and they're receiving great results from it, then they will most likely want to hire you to continue on.
Right. So I'm testing it out, not being afraid to just give it a shot because you know, it regardless of what you think your coaching framework or process is, Within the first three to six months, you're going to revamp the whole thing because you can have the idea as to what your coaching practice is, what your program is all about.
But then once you start implementing it, you're going to get feedback from your clients to realize, Oh, Yeah, I didn't think of that. Okay. Yeah, I should go back and switch it up. So just have that, um, experiment, play around, find the people who you think you could help and then just be of service. Really be of service and provide value to them because either they're going to hire you or they're going to refer you to someone else and you're going to get testimonials.
You know, you're going to get some positive feedback from them that you can then use to market and, you know, uh, bring on other clients because they're going to hear about the great results you created. But I think it's really important. Find your avatar, break down your process. Create a framework and then just start offering value to people that you can reach out to.
That would be a good fit.
Christian
Great. Yeah. Thank you for that. I think that's really, that's really actionable and valuable advice. So, you know, this is really, you know, it's really important. So talking about, talking about your, you know, how you serve the world, like what are your, what are your products and services and offerings? And like, so basically, yeah.
What do you offer and why do you offer it?
Zarak Fatah
Yeah. So I specifically work with realtors and entrepreneurs, These are people whose schedules are very volatile, unpredictable. And because Realtors have the opportunity to really work all the time if they want. And they also have the ability to scale their income.
A lot of them do that and they don't know how to create balance in their life. So I work with high performers who, even though they're doing very well with work professionally, financially, they're not taking care of themselves in other aspects. So I help clients to, um, on a holistic level. So it's mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual, and helping them to really bring balance to their life.
And that is done through one to one coaching with a group coaching element to it as well. It's a 12 week program, and we dive deep into their childhood story. They're limiting beliefs. Um, that teaching them about conscious communication, time management, helping them to get really grounded into what their five core values are.
They could live in alignment with that future goal that they want to create. So it really is holistic in every sense because I've helped clients lose 50 pounds. I've helped clients. You know, find the love of their life or navigate a divorce, you know, So there's many different ways that I help my clients But most of them they see at least their income double in the first six months as a result of them Just showing up in life in full integrity.
Yeah, that's what I really help them do is to identify where in their life. Are they Uh not showing up where are they selling themselves short and what would it like to to be like to put more time and energy into your relationships with your wife and kids or into your health or to your spiritual practice.
So that's done through the 12 week program. And then I also host retreats a couple times a year.
Christian
Wow, that's amazing. Yeah, it's really like for me, it's always like a sign of mastery. if you can execute something or if you can cause a transformation in like multiple areas of your life, right? Because if you can do something in one area and you can also apply another, that just means that you've mastered the principles, right?
Zarak Fatah
Yeah. Just getting back to like simply as simple as time management. Most people are great at managing their work calendar, but when it comes to their personal life and the other parts of their life that need to be managed, they just don't know how to do it. But when you really become a management and the master of time management, your whole life could change.
because you just are then able to balance your life in a way that you're able to nourish yourself in all aspects. Right. And then that has a profound impact on everything. Right.
Christian
So let's, let's, let's talk about, you know, let's talk a little bit of like, about your intuition, right? Like masculine, feminine, I think intuition versus logic or and logic together is something that's really, really beautiful. So when did you last follow your intuition over your logic in your business?
And what was the outcome?
Zarak Fatah
Yeah, so I would say that for the most part, uh, I've always been very much in my head, very much, um, choosing from a place of fear and from scarcity and really, uh, being driven very much by ego and I've been very successful in my businesses because that fear and that ego has been driving me and I would say it's been in the last four or five years that I've tapped into my purpose and I've really been making choices more from my heart, from a place of love and contribution and being of service that I've learned to just trust that God, universe, source, whatever word you'd like to use, um, is always providing me with everything I need.
Right when I need it. So I've let go of that fear of, Oh, like, is this client going to sign or am I going to make enough money this month or whatever else, and letting myself connect to my heart in those moments where I need to make a choice rather than using logic and trying to figure out it's either this or that I lean into the intuition and listen to my heart and trust that I am abundant.
I'm attracting the people that are aligned to work with me or the people that are aligned to be in my life. And if an opportunity doesn't work out, that's okay. There's something better waiting for me ahead, you know. And trusting that intuition of the signs, the nudges, the messages I get, as opposed to, you know, Being so fixated on the logic and the numbers trying to make sense of everything.
I think that is a big, that's, for me, that was a big, um, progression of being able to shift from that place. Can I say the longest road you'll ever travel is from the heart to the head, you know, those 18 inches. And it's very true. So, you know, logic's in the mind intuitions in the heart and in the gut and the more you lean into it and trust it and you see like, Oh wow, I was actually right.
I knew the answer all along the, I think the more connected and attuned you become to that tuition intuition. So I really do let my intuition guide me now with, with working with clients, you know, often I could tell like, yeah, no, I don't think this client's a fit, you know, and, um, or I can sense, especially with being a coach, you know, many times you have to listen, To what's not being said between the words between the sentences and that's when the intuition is very necessary because you have to really read that person because we're speaking remotely, you know, over zoom and I can't necessarily.
feel their energy in, in the, in the, um, in the real moment, but you, you can feel into it based on what you're hearing, right?
Christian
Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, I agree. So how do you think like this, um, making decisions with intuition and logic, how has that maybe been in your website and branding journey or, you know, any, any upgrades or redesigns or where they live to any personal business milestones, or was it more intuition?
Like, yeah, now it's time to, you know, get a new website and things like that.
Zarak Fatah
Yeah. So I think a lot of people new to coaching, um, they're looking at the Jay Shetty's, they're looking at the, uh, You know, the Lewis Howes or the Mel Robbins. They're looking at all these coaches who have been around for so long who have super tight branding and websites and they want to emulate that.
And I speak for my personal example of like, you know, I look at like the top 10 coaches websites like, Oh, I want that. I want this. I want that. And that again is coming from a place of, well, maybe if I look like that, maybe I'll get their business. Maybe if I use their branding, I'll get their clients, right?
And And what's important is to use your intuition to feel into what is your tone, what are your brand colors, what is the identity that you want to communicate authentically, because if you're just ripping off someone else's brand or logo or colors or fonts or whatever, It's not you, you know, it's not authentically you and with coaching space.
It's so important that your clients, they like, they resonate with you, they see your site, they see your branding, and they're just like, this guy speaks to me, you know, there's something about what he's putting out there like that, like, I feel connected. So that resonance is super important. So if you are not communicating yourself authentically, trusting your intuition, trusting your gut and creating your own brand, then you're, you're taking away from the resonance that a client can feel towards you because they're not getting the realist version of you on your, you know, on your, um, digital representation, right?
Christian
Yeah, I agree. Everybody, you know, has, has their own message in the way they communicate. So, yeah, I mean, I think it's helpful to look at other sites to get inspired about, um, layouts and wording stuff. Um, but when it comes to your brand, like, yeah, make sure it's you, right. You, which fonts do you like? You like more serif fonts and more sans serif fonts.
Do you like a lot of decoration or not? And, um, so yeah, I think that's really important to, to keep in mind when creating your, your brand. And let's talk a little bit more about like any type of tools and resources. So what would you say are the top five tools for an entrepreneur or coach to get started to offer their service or product?
Zarak Fatah
Well, having the platform. So obviously something like Canva to create your graphics is necessary to create your marketing. Canva makes it super easy with all the different templates there again just about finding your own style, building your own brand board and then creating from that spot for that place.
Um, a platform like Kajabi. To actually build your program, which is what mine is. I know a lot of people are big on, um, teachable and school, and there's a few other prominent ones out there. Uh, ClickFunnels, uh, Kajabi is what I'm using. So having something to build your actual program on is super important.
Um, Obviously, social media, absolutely necessary, at least for myself, you know, the majority of my business comes in through Instagram. Um, so, having social media platform, and even like a social media, um, content calendar platform, like a Planoly, or um, I know there's a few out there later where you could schedule and post all of your content in advance that you're not having to keep up with, um, posting daily.
Uh, I would also say that some sort of email management system, and I know some of the platforms do offer that, but there's MailChimp, there's, um, I mean, you'd know this as well as I do. There's um, active campaign, you know, if you do have an email database, it's something you're definitely going to want to use to, um, create your email campaigns and being able to build your database to market to, and then, um,
you know, loom. is obviously very helpful being able to record videos, lessons, tutorials, uh, in real time, going through a PDF, create a loom, and then upload that to your program. So I think that would probably be the starter pack, uh, to get things going. And then of course, you know, Um, it's making things much easier mid journey for images.
So yeah, thanks to technology. Uh, uh, it's, it's, there's a lot out there now available to, to make the coaching business, um, to launching coaching business that much easier.
Christian
Awesome. Yeah. Yeah. Those are all great tools. So let's, uh, let's talk a little bit more about creating content. So what's your, What's your secret or what's your tip?
What's your advice when it comes to creating, you know, value aligned content consistently, do you have any tools that help or what do you do when you, you spoke about a content calendar, anything else that you, yeah.
Zarak Fatah
So the process that, um, myself, my team have come up with is again, going back to your avatar and understanding.
What are their pain points? What are their struggles and challenges that they go through and writing a number of those topics down and then also writing down certain things that you have overcome that have been helpful for you. Um, and creating those content topics. And then what we do sometimes is if I'm let's say talk about money mindset and how I had to overcome a money mindset to create abundance in my life.
I will use my iPhone and dictate. Um, a bit about my journey, about how I've come, overcome money mindset. And once you had that voice note dictation, you can then transcribe it. Um, once it's transcribed, you can then edit it in chat GPT to shorten it up. Um, and then you've got your caption and then it's about whether you want to create a photo.
Um, Whether you want to take a photo, what do you want, whether you want to create a graphic in Canva, if you want to make, you know, just put it a simple text. I mean, there's many people who do that, and that works. Well, I being a photographer and content creator, I love beautiful imagery, so I'm my page is more image driven, but I'd say having your different verticals or different buckets of what it is you speak to.
Creating topic lines, subject lines for each one and then either using voice dictation or just blocking off hours during the week where for two, three hours, you're just in that flow and you're just either dictating or typing or writing however you like to create your content and allocating the time for it.
And I like to batch content where if I'm creating content twice a day, twice a week for, you know, two, three hours at a time, that'll last me for weeks, you know, and because we're now. Putting content on all five platforms. There's a lot of content that we're creating. So being prepared, being organized, booking days off to shoot content, having a videographer, a photographer booked, having a space booked, having all your content ready, being prepared and having all that content, at least the headlines and bullet points scripted in advance, will make it far more efficient and you'll come up with more effective content.
So that for me has been a game changer. It's just being intentional, uh, planning in advance and then just also listening from the feedback from your clients like often my clients give me the best topics to speak to because That's actually what they're dealing with. They're actually going through that problem.
So I know if they're going through that problem other people out there are. And most importantly, just speak from a place of service. Create content from a place of value without expecting to get anything back. Just putting out there whatever you can, hoping that it helps people, knowing that if it resonates with some people, yeah, they might reach out to you to book a call.
They may want to dive deeper with you on what it is you shared because, you know, you've already provided great value for them.
Christian
Awesome. Yeah. These are great tips. And I love the, the workflow that you have with the, with the recording, the audio, and then putting it to chat duty. That's, that's super helpful.
So let's talk about, let's talk about your legacy. What are three words that you want people to know you for after you leave this physical plane?
Zarak Fatah
Creating better parents.
I don't know if they have to be three individual words or just three words to sum something up. But, you know, I believe that when men and women are feeling whole and complete, when they've created balance in their life, when they are showing up for themselves, they're showing up for their loved ones. And, I know what it feels like to grow up with parents who are struggling financially, who are arguing a lot and don't know how to communicate with each other.
And when the men and women that I coach do their own individual deep personal development work, they are better humans. They're better husbands and wives, better mothers and fathers. And they're just, they're, they're helping to heal that next generation. And that is something I'm very proud of because I know that my legacy lives on in the children of my clients.
I know that their kids are going to be different humans by way of the work that me and their parents do together. You know, so that's something I'm very proud of because I see it already happening with clients I've worked with for a few years. I see how they're showing up for their children in a different way.
And that's something I'm really proud of for sure.
Christian
Amazing. So talking about children, let's talk about your vision for the new earth. What is your vision of the new earth?
Zarak Fatah
I see that people are definitely becoming more conscious and aware. I feel that people are definitely seeing through. The veil of the matrix that we've really been born into, you know, I feel that, um, it's a very interesting time on planet earth where the paradigm that we were born into the, the, the ideal of what it means to be human and to be alive is being shattered in every way.
And I love it. It's exciting. I mean, of course there's some fortunate things happening with, you know, wars and vaccines and things that are. However, it's a necessary process for people to actually realize the government, the media and the pharmaceutical, pharmaceutical industries. Don't give a shit about us.
And if we can't trust them, then we have to take, we have to take our own action. We have to claim our own sovereignty and we have to start being critical thinkers. And in many ways, Going back to how things were with community, going back to being more self reliant, uh, trusting our intuition and coming back to a place of.
Knowing that we are, we are powerful, sovereign human beings that don't need to be controlled by the government and the media and that, you know, energy and our ability to manage our vibration and frequency is a key to staying healthy. But in order to do that, we have to be self aware. We have to know what elements out there will poison us and make conscious choices to live a more holistic life and, you know, just cut out the bullshit and the distractions.
And I think we're living in a very pivotal time on planet earth and I'm excited to see what comes next because I think that out of this we're going to be more conscious, more loving, more connected and, uh, healthier for sure.
Christian
Love it. Yeah. Kudos to that. Oh, I love it. So we're coming towards the end of the episode and I always love to give the last part over to the guests of the episode and really just like give them a space to like vision and call things in.
So what would you say are your future goals as a spiritual entrepreneur, as a brand, and what are you looking to call in?
Zarak Fatah
Yeah, I, um, I take great pride in the fact that my clients are now turning around and coaching the people in their life. You know, I love the fact that my clients are now being the light for those in the darkness.
And I see it being that, you know, it's the ripple effect that I have been taught by some brilliant, brilliant people. And now I'm taking what I've been taught and I'm sharing it with the world. And so are the people that I work with. And ultimately, yeah. You know, I'm building a community of conscious entrepreneurs who realize that there's more to life than just the hustle and the grind and the big house and the fancy car.
And given my background in entertainment and hospitality, I do see that eventually I will build a My own community because I love architecture and design and I love bringing good people together. So I would love to build a community of like minded individuals, uh, whether it be here in Medellin, Columbia or in Costa Rica, and have it be a place where people can either live or come and visit or come on vacation and learn about breathwork and learn about.
the modalities and the different, uh, lessons that I teach through my coaching because I want to make what I've learned as available and accessible to as many people. So of course, I'm going to keep growing my online business and keep, you know, scaling my impact, uh, offering what I can't as many people, but ultimately I do want to have a place where I can bring people to and they can come and drop in for a week or two and really have a deep transformational experience because that.
That really lights me up. You know, I love curating unique experiences for people that are truly life changing. So I see that happening probably in the next five years. Um, so i'm still trying to figure out where in the world What's going to be but probably somewhere in central south america for sure
Christian
beautiful So what would you say are you know the the words that when you want to leave the audience with?
And where can people find you?
Zarak Fatah
Yes. So, you know, for the entrepreneurs who are out there or for, you know, uh, well, you know, I'll say more so for the coaches, for potential coaches who are beginning their journey, you know, I've been into this for, um, almost about six years now and. It is a roller coaster in the sense that nothing will teach you more about yourself.
I don't think there's any bigger personal development journey than actually becoming a coach and what you'll go through. And there are times it's going to be hard, and there are times you're going to want to give up, and times where nobody's going to answer your call to actions. And, You just have to remember that you have a gift.
You have some knowledge. You have wisdom that somebody out there needs to hear. And when you find your people, when you find your tone, your voice, and you're able to speak from a place of truth and authenticity, you will attract the people to you. And it's a journey to actually find your voice. It's taken me quite a while, but it's about again, peeling back those layers and just seeing what shit am I holding onto?
What, what am I still, you know, not, um, allowing to come through. So really. Allowing yourself to just be open and vulnerable and courageous and just lean into that and don't try to be like the other Coaches and influencers out there. Just try to be yourself, you know, don't try to be yourself. Just be yourself and Yeah, and it's, it is a journey, it's a process, but it, it, when you, when you figure it out things just start to happen, things start to click, and it's a beautiful process, and for those who want to learn more about me or what I do, you can find me on Instagram, it's my name, Zarak Fatah, my website, same zarakfatah.com, um, Yeah. And yeah, feel free to reach out, follow me, check out what I do. I also have a podcast called the path to purpose, um, YouTube channel, all that good stuff. I'm sure we'll put it down below. So yeah, if you want to know more about me, check my links and, uh, reach out if you wanted to chat more.
Christian
Yes.
Amazing. Well, definitely check out, you know, Zarak's, uh, gifts and, you know, service to the world, you know, he does incredible work and yeah, it's, it's an honor to have you on. So thank you so much for being on the show.
Zarak Fatah
Appreciate it. Thanks, Christian.
Christian
Beautiful, to, to the new earth,
Zarak Fatah
to the new earth. Yeah, it's coming. We're here. Yeah.
Christian
I love it. All right. Thank you. Thanks for being on the show.