Being Human with Leana Deeb

In this solo episode, Leana gets into one of the most requested topics from her community — the perfectionist mindset in faith. She opens up about her own journey with hijab, modesty, and the moments she found herself resenting religion because she was holding herself to an impossible standard. This one is honest, human, and full of grace. This one is for every woman who has ever felt like she is not doing enough, not religious enough, or not worthy enough to keep trying. Leana gets into: → Why putting on the hijab took her a year and a half — and why that timeline was exactly right for her → How the all or nothing mindset in faith can lead to burnout, resentment, and pulling away from God entirely → Why small, consistent steps in your faith journey will always outperform going full force and burning out → The difference between doing acts of worship out of fear versus doing them out of genuine love for God → Why God knows your heart and your intention — and why that matters more than perfection on paper → The danger of arrogance in faith — and how being perfect on the outside means nothing if the heart is not right → How culture gets mistaken for religion — and why separating the two changed everything for Leana → Why God calls himself the Most Merciful in almost every surah in the Quran — and what that actually means for how we approach our mistakes → Not letting people ruin religion for you — whether it is judgment, harsh words, or someone else’s ego dressed up as guidance → Forgiving your past self and why shame has no place on a journey toward God → Why repentance is a clean slate — and why only God has the right to judge what came before → How to build a relationship with God that is yours alone, without anyone else’s opinion getting in the way → Why when faith feels hard, it usually means the heart needs more connection — not more rules “You could be doing everything perfect on paper, but if your heart is not there and your soul is not truly connected to God, it defeats the whole purpose of having faith.” — Leana Deeb TOPICS DISCUSSED (00:00) Intro — The Perfectionist Mindset in Faith (02:20) Her Hijab Journey — Small Steps & Why It Took a Year and a Half (04:21) When Perfectionism Leads to Resentment — Her Honest Struggle With Hijab (06:38) Ad Break — Fatty 15 (08:39) Ad Break — Talkspace (10:59) Doing Acts of Worship From Love, Not Fear (13:18) Don’t Let People Ruin Religion for You — Culture vs. Faith (15:39) Forgiving Your Past Self & Building Your Relationship With God on Your Own Terms Stay connected with Leana Deeb: Instagram: @leanadeebb / @beinghumannpodcast TikTok: @leanadeebb / @beinghumannpod Thank you to our sponsors! Use code LEANA for 15% off at Fatty 15 — fatty15.com Use code SPACE80 for $80 off your first month at Talk Space — talkspace.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Leana sits down with Dr. Stephanie Venn-Watson — veterinary epidemiologist, scientist, co-founder of Fatty 15, and the woman who discovered C15 while working with aging Navy dolphins in San Diego. This conversation is equal parts science deep dive and deeply personal story, and Dr. Stephanie makes one of the most complex topics in longevity research genuinely easy to understand and exciting to care about. This one is for every woman who wants to take her health seriously and actually understand what she is putting in her body and why. Leana and Dr. Stephanie get into: → What C15 actually is — breaking down fatty acids, saturated fats, and why not all of them are bad → Why C15 is being called the first essential fatty acid discovered in over 90 years since omega-3 → The difference between C15 and omega-3 EPA — and why C15 had 36 cellular benefits versus omega-3’s third of that in independent testing → How C15 strengthens cell membranes and why fragile cells are linked to faster aging and chronic disease → Why people with lower dairy fat intake — including vegans — may be sitting right on the edge of C15 deficiency → The surprising link between C15 levels and fertility, gestational diabetes, and women’s health through menopause → Why the quality of what an animal eats matters — grass-fed versus corn-fed dairy and how it affects C15 levels → How to get tested for C15 deficiency and what to look for in your blood work → The Navy dolphin study that started it all — and how aging dolphins led to one of the most exciting health discoveries in decades → Building Fatty 15 from scratch — licensing the patent from the Navy, naming it, and selling out in six weeks after being covered by the New York Times and Washington Post → Why 95% of Fatty 15 customers stay on it monthly and what results people are seeing within 16 weeks → The brand new Nature paper showing a gut bacterium that reduces artery plaques by 50% — and that the molecule it produces is C15 → What fail fast actually means — and why getting comfortable with being wrong is one of the most freeing things you can do → Going against her father’s expectations to become a veterinarian and how that moment shaped everything → Quieting the noise, tapping into inner energy, and the role spirituality and meditation play in staying grounded → Her book The Longevity Nutrient — and why the core message is to let the unexpected happen and lean in when it finds you → What it means to be human — and why her answer is empathy “Chances are your purpose is going to find you versus you finding it. And so when it finds you, lean in and go do good things in the world.” — Dr. Stephanie Venn-Watson TOPICS DISCUSSED (00:00) Intro: C15, Longevity & Healthy Aging(01:22) What Is C15? Understanding the Longevity Nutrient(05:31) C15 vs. Omega-3: What's the Difference?(11:48) How C15 Supports Cellular Health and Aging(15:30) C15, Fertility, Pregnancy & Women's Hormones(19:06) How Studying Navy Dolphins Led to the C15 Discovery(27:27) Building Fatty15: From Scientific Discovery to Business(36:29) Overcoming Failure, Letting Go of Ego & Finding Success(44:24) Meditation, Spirituality & Connecting With Your Purpose(49:31) What It Means to Be Human: The Power of Empathy Stay connected with Leana Deeb: Instagram: @leanadeebb / @beinghumannpodcast TikTok: @leanadeebb / @beinghumannpod Stay connected with Dr. Stephanie Venn-Watson: LinkedIn: Dr. Stephanie Venn-Watson Shop: https://fatty15.com Science: https://discoverc15.com Book: The Longevity Nutrient — available wherever books are sold Use code LEANA for 15% off at https://fatty15.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this solo episode, Leana is back with her biggest update yet — and she has a lot to share. She got engaged, she bought a house, she is stepping into a new era of her business, and she is navigating all of it while trying to stay grounded, disciplined, and close to God. This one is raw, unscripted, and straight from the heart. For every woman who is in a season of big changes and is trying to hold it all together with grace… You’re going to love this one! Leana gets into: → How she met her fiancé — first in 2019, then again in 2023, and why the timing was never right until now → What she wrote in her journal about the partner she wanted — and how he checked off every single thing on that list → Why she was not ready for a relationship before and what changed in her that made her finally open to it → The Islamic approach to dating and why there is no closed-door alone time before marriage → Getting engaged in about a month — and why when you know, you know → What it actually takes to balance a career and a relationship without letting your routine slip → Buying her first home through Islamic financing — what that process looked like and why she chose it → The renovation process and what she is building the home into → The project she has been sitting on for four to five years and why now is finally the right time to launch it → Onboarding a new team member, learning how to delegate, and what being a better boss is teaching her about herself → The Uplift You Discord community and what it has meant to connect with her audience one on one → Tawakkul — true trust in God’s plan — and how leaning into it makes uncertainty feel manageable → Going through a stalker situation in 2024 and how it made her want to disappear from the internet entirely → The messy chapter she had to walk through to finally feel grounded and at peace → Why a relationship will never fill a void — and why loving yourself first will always come before everything else → Entering her feminine era and what that is starting to look like in her daily life “If it is written, it is going to come to you. But in order to attract the partner that you want in your life, you have to be the partner that is going to attract that person.” — Leana Deeb TOPICS DISCUSSED (00:00) Intro — She Got Engaged, Bought a House & Has a Lot of Tea (02:23) The Engagement Story — How They Met, Why the Timing Was Never Right Before & What Changed (09:16) Meeting His Family, The Nikah in November & What He Is Like (13:52) The Stalker Situation & Finally Feeling Grounded (16:04) The Messy Chapter & Mental Health (18:20) Buying a Home Through Islamic Financing & The Renovation (20:40) The New Business Project, Onboarding Her Team & The Uplift You Community (25:15) Feeling Close to God, Not Being Hard on Yourself & Entering Her Feminine Era Stay connected with Leana Deeb: Instagram: @leanadeebb / @beinghumannpodcast TikTok: @leanadeebb / @beinghumannpod Thank you to our sponsors! Use code LEANA for 20% off Cure Hydration at https://curehydration.com/LEANA Use code LEANA for 15% off Fatty 15 at https://fatty15.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Leana sits down with Brenda Antón — content creator, entrepreneur, and someone whose story is as real as it gets. Brenda opens up about growing up as one of the only Hispanic girls in a small, predominantly white town in New York, spending years shrinking her identity just to fit in, and the long journey back to herself. From her garage workouts during Covid, to moving to Florida alone at 22 with no friends and no guarantee it would work out, to now stepping into her faith and figuring out who she is outside of work — this conversation covers it all. This one is for every woman who has ever felt like she had to be someone else to be accepted, and is slowly finding her way back to who she actually is. Leana and Brenda get into: → Growing up as one of the only Hispanic girls in a privileged, predominantly white town — and spending years wanting to be anyone but herself → Going to college and finally feeling seen — but still searching for validation in all the wrong places → How Covid shut out all the noise and gave her the first real look at herself she had ever had → Starting with two 10-pound dumbbells in her garage and why that moment changed everything → The isolation period in junior year — protecting her momentum, losing her friend group, and trusting herself anyway → Starting social media as a fitness diary and getting addicted to building something real → Her life coach of five years and why having even one person believe in you is enough → Moving to Florida alone at 22 against her family’s wishes — and the tears, anxiety and self-trust it took to do it → Accomplishing everything on her vision board and still feeling empty — and how that led her to faith → What her relationship with God looks like now versus growing up Catholic going to church out of obligation → Journaling as her first way of communicating with God — and why she thinks everyone should be doing it → Where limiting beliefs actually come from — family, relationships, and the ones we create ourselves → The victim mindset, self-pity, and how to stop seeing your life from only one lens → Rejection as redirection — and why every job that turned her down was actually doing her a favour → Her breakup before the Florida move and why heartbreak is one of the most powerful catalysts for self-growth → Navigating friendships in the creator space — finding people with pure intentions and letting go of the ones without them → Jealousy and comparison as a mirror — what they are really telling you about yourself → Leaning back into her feminine energy after years of go, go, go hustle mode → What she learned at a women’s entrepreneurship conference — and why “make it exist, then make it perfect” stuck with her → The pivot she is stepping into now: owning her story, speaking more, and showing up in a whole new way → What it means to be human — and why her answer comes back to love, impact, and using your voice “Our stories aren’t just for us. They are meant to be told, to be shared, and to serve other people.” — Brenda Antón TOPICS DISCUSSED 00:00 Intro & Welcome — Brenda’s First Ever Podcast 01:09 Growing Up in Briarcliff Manor — Comparison, Fitting In & Shrinking Her Identity 10:14 Covid, the Garage Gym & Falling in Love with Movement 30:25 Journaling, Limiting Beliefs & Turning to Faith 01:15:09 The Waiting Period — What She Wanted in Her Next Relationship & Stepping Into Feminine Energy 01:15:09 The Women’s Conference, Entrepreneurship & The Pivot She Is Making Now 01:28:25 What It Means to Be Human Stay connected with Leana Deeb: Instagram: @leanadeebb / @beinghumannpodcast TikTok: @leanadeebb / @beinghumannpod Stay connected with Brenda Antón: Instagram, TikTok & YouTube: @brendaanton Thank you to our sponsors! Go to Aurahouse.com for 10% off your order using code LEANA Machine Washable Rugs, Made Better. For a limited time only, our listeners get 10% off + free shipping at Tumbleliving.com/LEANA  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this solo episode, Leana breaks down everything she has learned over five years of building a consistent morning and night routine — not the aesthetic influencer version, but the real, practical habits that actually changed how she shows up every single day. She opens up about who she used to be before any of this: a night owl, binge eating late, doom scrolling until she fell asleep, completely undisciplined. And she gets into exactly how she got out of it and why her faith is the foundation everything else is built around.This one is for every woman who keeps saying she wants a morning routine but cannot figure out why she still cannot make it happen. Leana gets into: → Why your morning routine actually starts the night before — and what happens when you skip that step → The 10-3-2-1 rule for winding down and why it works → Why nothing good happens past 10pm — and how to actually believe that → How to lock your apps at night so your phone stops making the decision for you — Opal and Brick → Why picking up your phone first thing in the morning spikes your cortisol and sets your whole day back → The one hour morning rule — what to do instead of reaching for your phone → Why she does not start her day with caffeine and the 90 minute rule that changed her energy → Getting sunlight, reading one page of a book, and writing out what you are grateful for before the day starts → How her morning prayer anchors everything — and why without it the whole day feels off → Why she wakes up early to take Arabic and Spanish classes and how her night routine makes that possible → Skincare, hair care, dental hygiene, planning your outfit and prepping your meals as acts of self-care — not chores → Journaling at night — affirmations, what went well, how to improve, and a brain dump to clear your mind → What the Quran says about the night being made for rest and the day for work — and why that changed how she sleeps → Why consistency in your sleep and wake schedule matters more than the number of hours you get → A reminder that your routine will look different in different seasons — and why that is okay "If you have time for yourself before the day starts, you can take on the world in any way." — Leana Deeb TOPICS DISCUSSED (00:00) Intro — Who Leana Used to Be Before Any of This (02:17) Why Your Morning Routine Starts With Your Night Routine (04:28) Finding Your Motivation — Why Prayer Changed Everything (06:53) The 10-3-2-1 Rule — Journaling, Rituals & Locking Your Apps (09:07) Building a Night Routine You Actually Love — Skincare, Affirmations & Brain Dumping (11:30) What the Quran Says About Rest & Why God Made the Night for Sleeping (13:46) Morning Habits — No Phone, Sunlight, Gratitude & Prayer as the Foundation Stay connected with Leana Deeb: Instagram: @leanadeebb / @beinghumannpodcast TikTok: @leanadeeb / @beinghumannpod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices