Strength isn’t built in comfort; it’s forged when everything familiar is stripped away. I sit down with Shirin Hejazi for a raw, honest conversation about what strength and self-discovery really mean. I reflect on solitary confinement, trauma, and the ongoing battle between ego and healing, and how suffering became the doorway to awakening. Drawing inspiration from thinkers like Carl Jung and Eckhart Tolle, I share why learning to observe your thoughts, practice real gratitude, and reconnect mind and heart changed everything for me. From surviving prison to mentoring at-risk youth, I explain how walking through darkness led me to peace and a responsibility to help others find it too.