How To Battle Podcast

In this space, we explore two distinct yet interconnected facets of personal growth. HTB Podcast: Join me as I sit down with remarkable individuals who have faced life’s toughest battles. These conversations highlight their journeys through adversity, showcasing the resilience and purpose that have driven them to create meaningful change in their lives and communities. Each story is meant to inspire you and encourage you to embrace your own challenges and cultivate self-leadership. Carlos Unfiltered Series: Here, I share my insights and reflections on a variety of thought-provoking topics. This is a space for deep diving into ideas, wisdom, and perspectives that aim to spark joy, curiosity, and growth in your daily life. From leadership principles to life lessons, I strive to provide content that empowers you to think critically and act purposefully. More about Carlos Vasquez on www.carlosvasquezofficial.com New Episodes Every Wednesday. Subscribe now!

How To Battle Podcast is a education podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 88 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Unknown Host hosts How To Battle Podcast, a education show with 88 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #88

  88. From Prison & Addiction to Filmmaker and Purpose | Alejandro’s Story

  Aug 19, 20261h 10mS1

  What happens when you finally achieve the success you spent your entire life chasing and still feel empty? In this episode of the How To Battle Podcast , Carlos sits down with Alejandro Zavala for a raw conversation about prison, addiction, fatherhood, financial success, healing, filmmaking, purpose, and the ability to completely reinvent your life. Alejandro grew up in Central California surrounded by gangs, drugs, limited opportunities, and the belief that the world in front of him was the only world available. That path eventually led to incarceration, addiction, legal battles, and years of trying to survive. But his story did not end there. After confronting his past, Alejandro began deliberately creating new versions of himself. He studied the people he wanted to become, learned how they spoke and operated, entered the legal world, built financial success, became sober, wrote his story, and eventually entered filmmaking. Then something unexpected happened. He got the money. The houses. The cars. The success he had spent years chasing. And he still felt empty. That realization forced him to ask a different question: What actually makes a life meaningful? If this conversation resonates with you, subscribe to the How To Battle Podcast and share it with someone who needs to remember that their past does not have to become their future. Follow and learn more about Alejandro https://www.instagram.com/officialalejandrozavala https://www.realonesmovement.com https://www.imdb.com/name/nm17500849 Subscribe for weekly insights https://substack.com/@carlosvasquezofficial https://www.instagram.com/carlosvasquezofficial https://carlosvasquezofficial.com Thank you to our sponsors: Legendary Foods https://www.eatlegendary.com/ #PrisonToPurpose #Transformation #SecondChances #CarlosVasquez #HowToBattle #HowToBattlePodcast

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  Episode #87

  87. Why Suffering Can Be a Doorway to Peace | The Power of Presence

  Aug 12, 202633 minS1

  What if some of the most painful moments of your life are actually doorways into something deeper? In this episode Carlos and Shirin explore presence, suffering, success, inner peace, and a powerful idea inspired by a recent intimate conversation with spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle. The discussion begins with a provocative idea: people who experience profound loss may sometimes gain access to a level of presence that people experiencing constant success never discover. Why? Because success can keep us chasing. The next accomplishment. The next deal. The next relationship. The next milestone. But suffering can bring everything to a sudden stop. Carlos and Shirin share how pain forced each of them inward and ultimately changed the way they experience life. Carlos reflects on finding profound peace while in solitary confinement, while Shirin describes her own journey through years of hidden suffering despite appearing successful on the outside. They also explore meditation, nature, solitude, psychedelics, mindfulness, and practical ways ordinary people can begin experiencing more presence in daily life. The conversation ultimately asks a much bigger question: Are you actually at peace—or have you simply become very successful at distracting yourself? Presence isn't about escaping your life. It's about finally being completely inside it. If this episode resonates with you, subscribe to the How To Battle Podcast and share it with someone who may be going through a difficult season. Sometimes the thing that feels like it is breaking your life apart may ultimately become the doorway to an entirely different way of experiencing it. Follow Carlos Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carlosvasquezofficial Website: https://carlosvasquezofficial.com Follow Shirin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shirinhejaziofficial Subscribe for weekly insights: https://substack.com/@carlosvasquezofficial Books by Carlos Vasquez: The PRICE Method: How I Turned Pain into Purpose https://thepricemethodbook.com/ The Leader’s PRICE: Human-Centered Leadership in the Age of AI https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GYXQ1H1F Thank you to our sponsor: Legendary Foods https://www.eatlegendary.com/ #PersonalDevelopment #CarlosVasquez #ShirinHejazi #HowToBattle #CarlosUnfiltered #Presence #InnerPeace #EckhartTolle

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  Episode #86

  86. The Power of Giving: Why Helping Others Can Transform Your Life

  Aug 5, 202630 minS1

  What if giving to others could change your life just as much as it changes theirs? In this episode of Carlos Unfiltered, Carlos and Shirin explore the true power of generosity, what it means to give from the heart, how intention changes the impact of what we offer, and why some of life’s greatest returns cannot be measured in money, recognition, or immediate results. They examine the difference between genuine service and giving for approval, reputation, or ego. Is an act of generosity still meaningful if the giver wants recognition? Is it wrong to feel good after helping someone? And should every donation be accepted, regardless of where the money came from? Carlos shares how serving men inside prison ultimately changed the direction of his own life. After leaving solitary confinement, he spent years creating groups, preparing lessons, bringing food, and giving his time without expecting anything in return. Over time, unexpected opportunities appeared, laws changed, educational programs became available, and his sentence was reduced. Shirin shares how giving helped her move beyond external success, anxiety, and emptiness—and how serving foster youth eventually led her to Carlos and became part of the foundation of their relationship. Together, they also share the origin of the Pathway to Purpose Project, their nonprofit created to give underserved, foster, and system-impacted youth access to mentorship, healing experiences, education, and opportunities beyond their immediate environments. In this episode: ◼️ The difference between giving from the heart and giving from the ego ◼️ Why intention matters more than recognition ◼️ Whether generosity is still valuable when someone wants credit ◼️ Why Carlos would refuse certain donations ◼️ How receiving can be just as difficult as giving ◼️ The emotional meaning behind a deeply personal Christmas gift ◼️ How Carlos’ years of service inside prison changed his future ◼️ Why the return on generosity cannot always be measured ◼️ How volunteering transformed Shirin’s life ◼️ Why feeling good after giving is not necessarily selfish ◼️ The origin story of the Pathway to Purpose Project ◼️ Why mentorship and meaningful experiences matter for underserved youth ◼️ How anyone can begin giving—even without money If this episode inspired you, share it with someone who believes in service, generosity, mentorship, or creating opportunities for young people. Learn more about the Pathway to Purpose Project: Website: https://p2p-project.org Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pathway2purposeproject Follow Carlos Vasquez: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carlosvasquezofficial Website: https://carlosvasquezofficial.com Follow Shirin Hejazi: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shirinhejaziofficial Subscribe for weekly insights: https://substack.com/@carlosvasquezofficial Thank you to our sponsors: Legendary Foods https://www.eatlegendary.com/ #PowerOfGiving #GivingBack #HelpingOthers #HowToBattle #HowToBattlePodcast #CarlosUnfiltered

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  Episode #85

  85. Meth addict & gang member at 10 to Criminologist

  Jul 29, 20261h 12mS1

  At only 10 years old, Martha Trujillo entered a gang, began using crystal meth, experienced foster care, and searched for safety in the one place that seemed to accept her, the streets. But Martha’s story did not end there. In this powerful episode of the How To Battle Podcast, Martha shares how childhood abuse, housing instability, family trauma, foster care, addiction, and gang involvement shaped her early life. She explains why the streets can feel safer than home to a wounded child, and why society often labels children as criminals without first asking what happened to them. Martha also shares the turning point that changed her life, the role motherhood and education played in her transformation, and how she became the founder of Full Circle Orange County, an organization supporting foster youth, probation-involved youth, and other vulnerable young people through mentorship, community, and education. Carlos and Martha explore the controversial but important idea of gang trafficking: If children cannot legally consent to other forms of exploitation, should society treat their recruitment into gangs as a voluntary decision? This conversation challenges us to look beneath a young person’s behavior and recognize the fear, trauma, need for belonging, and desire for protection underneath it. In this episode ◼️ Why Martha entered a gang and began using drugs at 10 years old ◼️ How childhood abuse and instability pushed her toward the streets ◼️ Why gangs can provide wounded children with belonging, identity, and protection ◼️ The traumatic experience of entering foster care ◼️ Why children in pain are often criminalized instead of supported ◼️ How journaling helped Martha survive and understand her life ◼️ The night she asked God to help her escape addiction ◼️ How becoming a mother changed the direction of her life ◼️ Why Martha believes there is no such thing as a bad child ◼️ The mission behind Full Circle Orange County ◼️ Why gang recruitment may be a form of child exploitation ◼️ The importance of mentorship, education, community, and consistent adults ◼️ Why you cannot plant a seed until you prepare the soil ◼️ How one caring adult can change the trajectory of a child’s life If this conversation moved you, subscribe to the channel and share it with someone who works with young people, foster youth, families, schools, or system-impacted communities. Martha: https://www.instagram.com/fullcircle_orangecounty https://fullcircleorangecounty.org/ https://www.lucidjournal.org/issue-4/my-foolish-life https://newsroom.ocde.us/former-fullerton-student-overcomes-odds-to-promote-from-nicolas-jr-high/ Carlos: https://www.instagram.com/carlosvasquezofficial https://carlosvasquezofficial.com https://substack.com/@carlosvasquezofficial Thank you to our sponsor: Legendary Foods https://www.eatlegendary.com/

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  Episode #84

  84. Plant Medicine, Consciousness, and the Deep WorK Required to Change Your Life

  Jul 22, 202633 minS1

  Healing isn't about pretending the past never happened. It's about releasing the pain that's still controlling your life. In this episode of Carlos Unfiltered, Carlos and Shirin explore what healing actually means, why so many people stay trapped by childhood wounds, trauma, resentment, anxiety, and fear, and how true freedom begins when you're willing to confront what you've been avoiding. Carlos shares how three years in solitary confinement became the beginning of his own healing journey, while Shirin opens up about her struggle with anxiety, depression, and the path that transformed her life. Together, they discuss the role of solitude, self-awareness, forgiveness, consciousness, and why healing isn't about becoming someone new—it's about returning to who you've always been. If you've ever felt stuck in your past, overwhelmed by emotional pain, or wondered if peace is really possible, this conversation is for you. In this episode: ◼️ What healing actually means—and why most people misunderstand it ◼️ How childhood trauma shapes the way we experience life ◼️ Why bitterness, resentment, and regret keep us emotionally trapped ◼️ Carlos' transformation during three years in solitary confinement ◼️ Shirin's journey through anxiety, depression, and emotional healing ◼️ The role of solitude, consciousness, and self-awareness in transformation ◼️ Why true freedom begins by facing what scares you most ◼️ How to move from surviving life to living with peace, purpose, and meaning If this episode resonated with you, like, subscribe, and share it with someone who's carrying pain they no longer have to carry. Your support helps us continue bringing meaningful conversations to the world. Follow Carlos & Shirin: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carlosvasquezofficial https://www.instagram.com/shirinhejaziofficial Subscribe for weekly insights: https://substack.com/@carlosvasquezofficial New Books: The PRICE Method: How I Turned Pain into Purpose https://thepricemethodbook.com/ The Leader's PRICE: Human-Centered Leadership in the Age of AI https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GYXQ1H1F Thank you to our sponsors for their support! Legendary Foods – Protein Snacks https://www.eatlegendary.com/ #Healing #TraumaHealing #MentalHealth #SelfHealing #InnerPeace #PersonalGrowth #Mindset #Consciousness #EmotionalHealing #Transformation #SelfAwareness #Purpose #CarlosVasquez #HowToBattle #HealingJourney

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