223. Leana Deeb: On Faith, Fitness, and Finding Purpose

The Ultimate Human with Gary Brecka

Gary Brecka

Health & Fitness

4.8 • 2.5K Ratings

🗓️ 2 December 2025

⏱️ 70 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The fitness industry tells women that the more skin they show, the more they’ll grow; but what happens when a 24-year-old influencer proves that philosophy wrong? Leana Deeb shares her radical decision to transition from revealing fitness content to becoming GymShark’s first modest fitness ambassador. This raw conversation also opens up about chasing external validation and why women don’t feel safe in their own bodies, connecting the dots between constant appearance anxiety and physiological stress responses. CLICK HERE TO BECOME GARYS VIP!: https://bit.ly/4hMNdgg Download the “Uplift You“ app here: https://bit.ly/4irZ6ZW Connect with Leana Deeb Website: https://bit.ly/48cBchK YouTube: https://bit.ly/4ajGlG4 Instagram: https://bit.ly/48AaO0i TikTok: https://bit.ly/4plsFP Facebook: https://bit.ly/4pM5UnP LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/48HyfWu Thank you to our partners H2TABS: “ULTIMATE10” FOR 10% OFF: https://bit.ly/4hMNdgg BODYHEALTH: “ULTIMATE20” FOR 20% OFF: http://bit.ly/4e5IjsV BAJA GOLD: "ULTIMATE10" FOR 10% OFF: https://bit.ly/3WSBqUa COLD LIFE: THE ULTIMATE HUMAN PLUNGE: https://bit.ly/4eULUKp WHOOP: JOIN AND GET 1 FREE MONTH!: https://bit.ly/3VQ0nzW AION: “ULTIMATE10” FOR 10% OFF: https://bit.ly/4h6KHAD A-GAME: “ULTIMATE15” FOR 15% OFF: http://bit.ly/4kek1ij PEPTUAL: “TUH10” FOR 10% OFF: https://bit.ly/4mKxgcn CARAWAY: “ULTIMATE” FOR 10% OFF: https://bit.ly/3Q1VmkC HEALF: 10% OFF YOUR ORDER: https://bit.ly/41HJg6S RHO NUTRITION: “ULTIMATE15” FOR 15% OFF: https://bit.ly/44fFza0 GOPUFF: GET YOUR FAVORITE SNACK!: https://bit.ly/4obIFDC GENETIC METHYLATION TEST (UK ONLY): https://bit.ly/48QJJrk GENETIC TEST (USA ONLY): ⁠https://bit.ly/3Yg1Uk9 Watch the “Ultimate Human Podcast” every Tuesday & Thursday at 9AM EST: YouTube: https://bit.ly/3RPQYX8 Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3RQftU0 Connect with Gary Brecka Instagram: https://bit.ly/3RPpnFs TikTok: https://bit.ly/4coJ8fo X: https://bit.ly/3Opc8tf Facebook: https://bit.ly/464VA1H LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/4hH7Ri2 Website: https://bit.ly/4eLDbdU Merch: https://bit.ly/4aBpOM1 Newsletter: https://bit.ly/47ejrws Ask Gary: https://bit.ly/3PEAJuG Timestamps 00:00 Intro of Show 03:35 Leana Deeb’s Health Journey 08:27 Understanding God’s Divine Purpose 14:25 Impact of Faith, Connection, and Community 18:10 Core Pillars of Islam 25:33 Stop Searching for External Validation 31:54 Typical Day for Leana Deeb 36:26 The Uplift You Community 40:59 Material Success Does Not Equate to Actual Success 42:37 Supplementation and Daily Routines 48:56 Intention of Journaling and Practicing Gratitude 53:48 Discipline vs. Motivation 1:05:32 Psychological Cost of Not Living Authentically 1:08:04 What does it mean to you to be an Ultimate Human? The Ultimate Human with Gary Brecka Podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast is at the user’s own risk. The Content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such conditions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Throughout all the times where I was experiencing the most success, I felt the most emptiest.
0:04.8	Fit felt like I had everything in the world materialistically, but deep down, I guess I just wanted
0:10.8	to feel whole from within. You had some success as a fitness influencer, but a lot of that was you were
0:16.9	actually trying to fit this stereotypical mold of the female physique.
0:21.8	And one of the things you did, you took a successful level of impact and you just deleted it all.
0:26.1	And it completely started over.
0:27.6	One thing that I really feel like my audience has stuck by me is because I've consistently been vulnerable and constantly being authentic and telling them the things that I go through rather than just showing the high moments of my life all the time.
0:39.3	My vlogs truly help people create better habits, clean eating, journaling, meditation or prayer.
0:46.3	The fact that your faith gives you a connection and a community and that you share that openly,
0:52.3	because there's something to be said for waking up every morning and submitting before a higher power.
0:58.3	I always think to myself, do I have food?
1:00.7	Do I have a roof over my head?
1:01.9	Do I have a family that loves me?
1:03.9	Then you have everything in life.
1:05.9	If you could just speak to the women about some of the ways that they could, on their own,
1:10.3	find this true level of
1:12.3	connection with themselves.
1:13.6	So I personally like to start off with...
1:17.4	Hey guys, welcome back to the Ultimate Human podcast.
1:31.8	I'm your host, human biologist Gary Brecker, where we go down the road of everything
1:36.0	anti-aging, biohacking, longevity, and everything in between.
1:40.6	And today we're coming to you from the Middle East, from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
	...

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