#64 Soa the Hulk Speaks on Hardship, Belief & Redemption

My guest on the show today has been through hardships and immense challenges, fighting to stay alive to come out on top and spread the message of good mental health. Soa “the Hulk” Palelei is a now retired professional UFC fighter, actor, mentor, keynote speaker, author of his book Face Your Fears, and now works as a mental health ambassador for Strong Minds, Strong Mines. 

In this episode, Soa shares openly about the abuse and trauma he experienced in childhood, the depression he went through throughout his fighting career, when he hit rock bottom and how he turned it all around. 

The intense training regime that Soa maintained when fighting for UFC is incredible and he discusses how he went from eating as a coping strategy for depression to dedicating his time and energy to getting back into the UFC. He has fought in 27 fights and won 22 of them! 

When Soa wrote his book ‘Face Your Fears’, he was worried about the backlash of speaking out about his life experiences because culturally it’s expected that people are stoic and silent about their traumas. But he released it with the intention of helping anyone and everyone he could by inspiring them to share their story by publishing his. 

He has gone through so many challenges to find his calling helping people with mental health as an ambassador for Strong Minds, Strong Mines and thoroughly enjoys talking in schools to inspire young minds. 

Soa has an amazing story from fighting to stay alive to finding a life that lights him up and fills him with passion. He reminds us that time is the most precious and important thing in life and you should never waste a moment. Cherish your loved ones and family and try to be present every day. 

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Episode Resources:

Instagram: @soathehulk

FaceBook: @FaceYourFearsProject

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/soa-palelei-66b25854/

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