Welcome to our new Profile Series. Every month, we feature a health and wellness practitioner, whose work has helped transform people’s lives for the better. This month, we’re featuring Nick Daez, a film and advertising director from the Philippines who found his calling in practicing yoga around the world, and discovering fulfillment in teaching. Here, he talks about hustle culture, how he hit rock-bottom, and how learning how to “step outside of yourself” can be healing.

Five years ago, Nick Daez had everything he wanted. He was an accomplished video director, his company Seabiscuit Films was bustling with projects. He was young, he was successful, the world was his oyster. But deep down, he wasn’t happy.

The production grind was killing his spirit and he hit rock-bottom. “You know, production life really takes over your life. It’s kind of hard to create boundaries, even if you tried to put them, they’re still sort of stepped on.”

It started to affect his personal life, and soon, he realized he wasn’t feeling fulfilled anymore. “And that’s what led me to learning about meditation and that opened up the doors to yoga and that whole world of wellness and healing and that honestly changed everything completely.”

From meditating in New Mexico, to trying sound healing in Nepal, to meeting yoga practitioners and teachers in India and Nepal, Nick slowly undid years of being a control freak, and the hustle culture mindset that was deep-seated in him. There was so much to unpack, but meditation and leaving everything behind was what would eventually save his life.

Q: What happened next after you discovered meditation?

Nick: My teachers were going to India, and they invited me to go to the festival, the yoga festival, and that sort of opened up this whole new path of exploring different practices. That led to the sound healing or Tibetan-singing bowls in Nepal and then learning about sustainable education in Bali. So, in a way, it felt like a long sabbatical of learning and unlearning new things, it really changed me. Even my circle of friends, the way I live my life, my routines, how I eat. So, it was really a journey of self-discovery. 

“It was really a journey of self-discovery.”

Q: How did you change?

Nick: I think I had to learn how to let go. Because I think I have a tendency to be very controlling and, you know, wanting to know how things are going to play out. But I think that traveling and meeting different people from different walks of life, different mindsets, they taught me, and it was a slow progression on, that you know it’s okay to enjoy your life. And you can live another way, you can make money another way, you don’t need to grind all day. Your worth as a human being isn’t connected to that.

You have one life. In Tibetan Buddhism, they always meditate on death, that it could happen at any moment, not to scare you, but to remind you that this is your one life. And I think, you know, I’ve had experiences that were very profound in meditation and in real life, near-death experiences, moments that were very difficult, but made me realize, this is it, you got to make the most of it, it’s your choice. When you’re aware that this is your life, that’s your responsibility to live it the way you want to live it, live it in the best way that you can.

Q: Would you say your inner life became richer when you went on a sabbatical? Compared to your life before. 

Nick: Oh, yeah. I don’t think I had an inner life to be honest. Most of my conversations revolved around work or would you be my client. Hustling, always. You know, and you’re, at the time, you’re trying to build a life, but you’re young, you want certain things and you want a certain lifestyle so bad and really, it fuels the creativity too. But I think the motivation was really to improve the quality of life. That’s why so much of it was like just about work. But I really neglected the spiritual aspect, my inner life was suffering.

My coping mechanisms were go to the gym, or go out and drink, or eat your feelings, but then it got to the point where those weren’t working and I just felt worse. So, when I was introduced to the different modalities and, you know, healthier ways to not just cope, but delay, get to know who you are and process, the stuff that are inside you. You’re used to a certain way of coping, but I think it really makes you more aware. It’s the awareness that makes you check in and yourself knowing it’s too much. I don’t want to go back to that point where you’re just, like being a workaholic or not taking care of yourself anymore.

“You don’t need to grind all day. Your worth as a human being isn’t connected to that.”

Q: You talked about how it was fulfilling for you to help other people. How were you able to help other people through teaching yoga, Kundalini and sound healing?

Nick: Different kinds. Some people are going through very difficult times. For them, it’s a lot of relief, release. And then, you know, they just feel soothed. And then there are others who are in good places, and they’re just trying to explore new things.

But it’s really, I guess, all of my students and all of everyone I’ve encountered in this journey, they’re looking for healing, they’re looking for some source of comfort and to be heard, to be understood, especially with the coaching sessions, and the retreats, where there’s a lot of dialogue, you’re just looking to be heard and you’re looking to listen, to hear each other’s stories, know that you’re not alone. There’s a lot of healing when you hear about others’ experience so I think retreats are so powerful.

And I think that’s why I always tell a lot of people who are going through stuff, when it’s too focused on the “me”, then that’s really going to cause a lot of anxiety, a lot of like depression, but if you start helping someone randomly– treat them to coffee or offer to take care of the kids, that kind of thing. And instant, you’re going to feel better because you’re outside yourself. We need to connect with other people. That’s the thing, there’s always this huge disconnection now because you can just be on Instagram, on social media.  But it’s different.

“All of my students, they’re looking for healing, they’re looking for some source of comfort, to be heard, to be understood.”

Q: How do you relax & stay balanced? 

Nick: Just go to cafes, eat out, I enjoy doing yoga, my own practice, just getting some sun, being with nature. Watching a movie, reading a book, exploring new places, those are all very relaxing for me, spending time with loved ones. Simple stuff.

Q: What’s your advice to people who are experiencing burnouts?

Nick: I would suggest using up all your leaves. And taking significant amount of time two weeks or one month and really like cut off from work. And do something, it could be a meditation retreat or a vacation where you’re doing nothing. It’s going to be hard, especially if you’re a workaholic. But to channel it to things that you like, like painting, pottery, or cooking. Channel it there so you can feel at least alive, and journaling also to write stuff down. It might help to see a therapist or a healer, someone who can hold space for you, listen to you without judgment. Burnout might be inevitable, but at least you can cushion the blow. But sometimes it’s necessary to go through it, full-on rock bottom phase.

To reach out to Nick Daez for classes,send him an email: nickdaezwellness@gmail.com.