Transcript

Payman: Hey, guys, welcome to the Dental Leaders podcast. Today’s guest is Mahmood Mawjee, who has given up dentistry to become a motivational speaker coach.

Prav Solanki: Yeah. Coach, speaker, motivator and-

Payman: And super interesting to hear his story on how and why he did that goes deep into his relationship with his parents and known him for a long time. I’m really happy to see his progress, and I can see he’s going from strength to strength in that coaching business of his that he’s in. But you could tell that he’s really passionate about it, is much more to him than business. It’s even when I was talking to him right after the thing he was coaching me. He just can’t help it. It’s like he’s bursting with that information.

Prav Solanki: I think the best way to describe it certainly my own words is aggressively passionate.

Payman: Yeah.

Prav Solanki: Yeah? The story of why he flipped and does what he does now but just follow him on social media, see the content, see the passion that he speaks and why in the purpose with it all. What an inspirational guy I mean there’s lots of lessons from here about life, family enjoy.

Prav Solanki: Enjoy it. Did you have that feeling of leaving dentistry or wasted your family say, “Hey why did you go and study all these years, and it’s a waste?” That thing.

Mahmood Mawjee: 100% right.

Prav Solanki: People must say.

Mahmood Mawjee: Asian community?

Prav Solanki: Yeah.

Mahmood Mawjee: You either doctor, a dentist, accountant, or failure. That’s it.

Payman: Taxi driver. Shopkeeper.

Mahmood Mawjee: That’s actually what it is.

Speaker 3: This is Dental Leaders, podcast where you get to go one on one with emerging leaders in dentistry. Your hosts Payman Langroudi and Prav Solanki.

Payman: So we’ve got Mahmood Mawjee with us today. And it’s an interesting story, having spoken to him a little bit, and I’ve got some history with you Mahmood. Give us a summary. Just to start with, just give us a summary of the quick 30 second roundup of where you came from, what you did.

Mahmood Mawjee: I was born in London. Nothing amazing after that. But I mean, the bit, which I guess you interested in, where am I right now? And where did I come from?

Payman: Yeah, what kind of a kid were you?

Mahmood Mawjee: Had a lot of fun. A lot of friends understood that, I had everything kind of I wanted to. Didn’t kind of miss out on anything. I looked at the people around me, and I saw a lot of people who didn’t have things. And a lot of people who did have more than I had. And it kind of grounded me. Well, I guess I didn’t have too much, I didn’t have too low. So yeah.

Prav Solanki: Any siblings?

Mahmood Mawjee: Yes. Two sisters.

Payman: You the older, younger?

Mahmood Mawjee: Middle.

Payman: You middle?

Mahmood Mawjee: Yeah. It was fun. It was crazy being the middle one, because obviously the little one doesn’t get in trouble. The older one doesn’t get in trouble. So kind of you get everything, which is cool. But yeah, no regrets was fun, got great relationship with them right now.

Payman: What did they say about middle kid syndrome? It’s like attention seeker? Is that what they say? I don’t know.

Mahmood Mawjee: I think some middle kids kind of miss out on things. Because they’re in the middle, at the top and the bottom get it.

Prav Solanki: Yeah, sure.

Mahmood Mawjee: I didn’t feel that, had a lot of fun. A lot of friends understood that, had everything kind of I wanted to. Didn’t kind of miss out on anything. I looked at the people around me, and I saw a lot of people didn’t have things. And a lot of people who did have more than I had. And it kind of grounded me. Well, I guess I didn’t have too much, I didn’t have too little. So I guess what you make of it.

Prav Solanki: Sure.

Mahmood Mawjee: Yeah.

Payman: What kind of school did you go to?

Mahmood Mawjee: Went to public school, just normal school. GCSE, A levels, during A levels that’s kind of when I met my wife. And so yeah didn’t do too well in my A levels then and then kind of added one year top up and then kind of got what I wanted to.

Prav Solanki: Did you fail your A levels or?

Mahmood Mawjee: No, I just didn’t get what I needed to … I didn’t even want to do dentistry initially. So I wanted to kind of I was thinking of doing business. And then when I kind of realised what I really want to do is either medicine or dentistry. Why? Because from early on in my life, I knew that my gift was built to help people. But when you’re so young, you don’t know how that’s going to play out. So for me, it was helping people in that way.

Prav Solanki: So an example of like, when you were younger, you said your gift was to help people. Example from your younger life, where you sort of realised that, hey, I’m good at this.

Mahmood Mawjee: I guess back then you kind of don’t realise is happening. But when friends come to you for some problems, and kind of they can’t see what you can see. And where you can make a really difficult situation quite easy that if you do this, this and this is going to work out. So that’s kind of where it was.

Prav Solanki: So I find that, certainly for me a lot of my … Especially when I was in the university a lot of my friends would come to me when they really hit rock bottom. And I just be a sounding board or near to listen to. And did find the same with yourself that people felt they could just gravitate towards you when they have problems?

Mahmood Mawjee: Later on? Yes, early on one thing I had is I’ve got a really bad starter, it doesn’t come up because obviously there’s ways in which I have dealt with it. And that’s the journey, which I’ve why I’m kind of where I am now. But early on there was like that part of me where you’re quite embarrassed because of that. And there was a little bit of bullying and now, which comes with that. But looking back on it. That was kind of my growth, that was a journey. So yes, there was that. But there also was the other part that once I managed-

Prav Solanki: And then just growing up, what sort of parents did you have? Me growing up I was brought up by my dad, he was very strict. There were certain things we weren’t allowed to do. I thought he was the biggest asshole going.

Mahmood Mawjee: Okay.

Prav Solanki: Until I realised when I grew up that he was the most amazing father in the world. And had he not steered me in the direction I wouldn’t have ended up where I was. So just tell me a little bit about what your parents were like.

Payman: By the way also did they have an influence on you doing medicine dentistry or not?

Mahmood Mawjee: No, my dad actually told me, “Yeah why the hell are you doing dentistry? Don’t do it. Why didn’t you come into business?” And my thing was this actually what I want to do. And so I went and followed what I wanted to do.

Payman: Was he businessman himself?

Mahmood Mawjee: He was, yeah. He was very successful at what he did. He was extremely driven, habits down to the tee. He wanted how he wanted and actually went out and got it. At that young age, you don’t realise how it’s influencing you. But now I can see a lot of his traits are in me. And I looked up to my dad a lot when I was younger, because he was doing exactly what he wanted to do. And on his terms, he had a lot of respect as a speaker as well. And yeah, so yes, my dad is usually driven-

Payman: The speaker?

Mahmood Mawjee: Yeah.

Payman: In where?

Mahmood Mawjee: On business and on religion.

Payman: Really?

Mahmood Mawjee: Yeah.

Payman: I didn’t know that.

Mahmood Mawjee: Yeah. Okay. Yeah.

Payman: I guess that that’s a big influence. Because that’s kind of where you are.

Mahmood Mawjee: But I’m not there because of that. And so, two years ago, my father passed away, and my whole journey has come through his death. So that my whole story of why me right now, it’s all to do with kind of my father passing away. But I don’t think that I’m a speaker, because my father was a speaker. I’m a speaker, because I feel is right for me.

Mahmood Mawjee: But I feel when you’re younger, there’s so much you want to do that you don’t realise you can do it, you got those little voices in your head, know when you’re really young, because when you really young you see … We’re only born with two fears in life, falling down and loud noises, the only two fears was born with all other fears are put in us.

Mahmood Mawjee: But as you grow up, because of what people say to you, a lot of voices in your head, I’m not good enough. Why? These people better out there than you. So they were governing me a lot. That why should you be a speaker? Why should you do this? Why should you do that? And then later on, when you understand yourself and you can break that and then I think you fly.

Payman: Your dad passed away. What was it about that that made you change your course? Was it like you wanted to live out what is dreams for you? Or was it that life is too short and you want it? What was it about it?

Mahmood Mawjee: 2016 out of dental practise, which had gone for about seven years. And then it was actually on the tender, and I lost the tender. And I lost the practise had built up for seven years. And through that it was my father, who told me that don’t worry, things happen for a reason. And the dots will connect down the line. And I didn’t want to make of it at that time. But I kind of got into health and fitness to kind of allow … I got into running and that allowed me to cope with the loss of the business. About six months after my father passed away. And on the day my father passed away, he told me he was going to go that day.

Mahmood Mawjee: He knew he was going, but he had no regrets. He lived life on his terms. When my father passed away, that was the day when I said that I’m not going to let anything hold me back. And I’m going to guard and do what I want to. Not live life in anyone else’s terms. I started looking into the regrets other people have in their life. And the biggest regret in the world is that I wish I lead a life on my terms and life true to me. Life not governed by the people, and I realised on that day that I was totally governed by the people, what they thought about me, what they said.

Mahmood Mawjee: I didn’t like the sound of my voice, the way I look, I didn’t like my style. And on that day I said it’s going to change. In the first talk, I gave was in my dad’s funeral. And that was the day was changed all for me. And then looking back, my dad was right. Because the dots did connect. But if I didn’t lose my business, the coping mechanism to cope father’s death came through losing my business sort of never have got that.

Mahmood Mawjee: But if my father didn’t die, I wouldn’t be here right now having this interview doing what I’m doing. So life’s a gift and life’s a journey. And sometimes when you’re in it, you can’t see it. And for me, that was the biggest thing for me. Pain and suffering isn’t because of the event. It’s because of what we make of it. And like-

Prav Solanki: True believer in that.

Mahmood Mawjee: When my father passed away for about a year or so it was about his anger why he passed away so young, and there’s so much I need to do, and there’s so much unfinished business. And then when I shifted and realised that his death was a greatest gift he could give me because that allowed me to flourish. Had a great life with him. But maybe he realised that some … So I realised there’s a lot more to it than just that. And when that changed, when my focus changed and everything changed, because you’re not focused on what he gave me rather than what he took away. And that was the beginning of my journey.

Prav Solanki: So I remember I was at school at the time. And I was brought up primarily by my granddad, was my dad was driving taxis when I was younger. And I remember vividly the day my granddad passed away. And I could recall every single step of that day, what happened, how we arrived at the hospital. It was an hour too late, we didn’t get a chance to say goodbye, etc, etc. And it was really painful. I was young, it was hard to cope. Can you take us back to the day that your father passed away? And just explain to me what your … Because that to me is your point in life where you pivoted.

Mahmood Mawjee: Yeah, that was-

Prav Solanki: Just like to understand a bit more of the breakdown of that day. What happened on that day? The emotions, the conversation-

Payman: And the time leading up to it, was it sudden or was he ill?

Mahmood Mawjee: So as I mentioned, my father was a speaker. And so this is on May the 10th, my father was taken to hospital on May the 10th 2016. Three months before that my father started getting a really bad cough. No one knew what it was. And so we were with my dad at the consultant. The consultant said, “Look, there’s nothing we can do. We don’t know what it is. But it should be okay, come back in July.” So on the 10th of May 2016. I clearly remember because it was a Tuesday, my mom called me. My mom doesn’t normally call me on a Tuesday because she knows I’m at the clinic. My mom called me said my dad’s been taken to hospital.

Mahmood Mawjee: So I knew it couldn’t be that bad because I was just with my father a few weeks ago at the consultants. So I rushed to hospital, and my father is lying there on a stretcher with oxygen mask on. But he looked ok, so I wasn’t too worried. As the evening progressed, it was just me and my dad in the room, everyone else … My wife and my mom, my sister had gone home to actually get my dad’s clothes because he was going to stay the night. And the consultant comes up to me and I remember vividly, big guy, long hair.

Mahmood Mawjee: He looked like 194 years old, this guy. And he comes up to me, and he goes to me, “Mahmood what’s the pathway?” I’m like, “What you mean?” And he said, “You know, what’s the pathway? What are your thoughts?” And as I was saying that he interrupted me, and he pointed, and he goes, “Come outside with me.” And I took the journey to walk outside with him. And that journey from kind of where we were now to that door. That’s kind of how long the journey was, like just a few steps. We seemed like forever. And I got outside, I remember the consultant told me clearly.

Mahmood Mawjee: He said, “Mahmood your father is very sick man, things have changed. And you know that kind of there comes a point in your life when you go to have your near ones around you, those last conversations, go to have them.” And for me, it was like I kind of came out of my body. Have you ever felt that you’re kind of looking at yourself, and that’s how it felt. And I was like, “Wow!” I couldn’t believe this. So I got my mom, and I got my sister and got my wife, and I sat down and said to them, “We could be losing the rock of our lives.” Because my father was kind of the rock of our whole family. And that night when I went home I started running as my coping mechanism. So that night, I just ran and ran I didn’t know what to do.

Mahmood Mawjee: And the next five days after that, the running allowed me to focus on my dad rather than on me. And on the 15th of May 2016. I woke up in the morning and something didn’t feel right. Just knew something wasn’t right. Went for a run and I rushed to the hospital. And the nurse said to me, “Mahmood, happy you’ve come, I know it’s not visiting hours yet, but come in, because your father hasn’t had a great night.” So I went to see my father, and he had c-pack mask on him, it blows really crazy air on you so he can’t speak. It’s like sticking your head out of a car window. Get on the motorway. So my dad said to me, “Bring me a piece of paper and a pen.” So I’ve got him a paper and a pen. And I’ve got this page at home right now.

Mahmood Mawjee: And he writes on there that Mahmood is my time to go. He goes, “It’s my time to meet my Lord.” And I said, “No way.” I said, “There’s so much that we got to talk about, so much I got to tell you about me.” And he goes, “No, time’s over, there was time for that not anymore.” And my dad said to me that I give you to 4:00 then I’m out of here. 4:00 I’m out of here. Because he was in ICU, he had loads of pipes coming out of him. And so he didn’t want anyone see him. From that day he said, “Bring anyone you want, I’m out here at 4:00.”

Mahmood Mawjee: And he died that day at 6:00. And when he passed away, all of our family members are there holding his hand while he passed on this world to the next. But on the day he died, I realised is that my dad lived a life of no regrets. A life true to him. And I said, that’s what I want. Because up till then life was all about me. Without what I could get out of life. It was all, and I realised on that day that I could have anything in my life if I help enough people get what they wanted.

Prav Solanki: So when he was writing note on the piece of paper what was going through your mind?

Mahmood Mawjee: I just didn’t know what he was writing. I had no idea what it was going to be. And then when I looked at it, it was in the moment. And the emotions kind of come later.

Payman: Did you believe him? I mean, how would you know?

Mahmood Mawjee: I knew that wasn’t long. And everyday we knew from before, those five days, and we just happened that it was a downhill, but we still had hope. They still said if things turn around. But then the night before things started going really bad, his kidney started failing, things like that. So we knew that we’re on borrowed time. So it may have be Monday, may have been Tuesday, but he knew that day that it was going to be, and he said 4:00. And it was two hours later he passed away. And as I said for me, like normally is really emotional about that but talking right now I’m not because I realised the biggest gift that was to me.

Mahmood Mawjee: That through that, I realised that I’ve got to that … I remember coming home once from the graveyard, it was a work day morning, and I was just really upset. And I spoke to someone on that day they said, “Make a goal, which is bigger than your Dad, give yourself something.” And so that’s why I said that said, that’s it. So I decided I’m going to create this machine which is me. Which is going to be so big that is going to do anything in this world, I know that I’m going to go out there and impact people, thousands and hundreds of thousand people. I’ve got a goal before I die to be a billionaire.

Mahmood Mawjee: But it’s not to have a billion pounds it’s change a billion lives. And like being here right now, you’ve kind of give me two extra people to add on that. Thanks very much. So that’s actually my goal. That before I die, I want to impact a billion people. And that’s the day when I said I’m going to grow this mission called Mahmood, I’m not going to care about what people say about me, I’m not going to care about I think about myself. I’m just going to go out there. And I don’t really care. Because I never want to turn around on that day and go I wish, I wish, I wish. And that’s what most people are riddled with.

Payman: And now you’ve given up dentistry. How long was it after your dad passing, that you-

Mahmood Mawjee: Exactly two years.

Payman: Well that you decided you were going to stop? Was it two years? Or was it there and then and it took two years to watch.

Mahmood Mawjee: About five years ago, I wasn’t enjoying it much anymore. I’m very gifted as a dentist, I was very good at what I did. I made people look very good on the outside. But you know when people are lying on your chair they’re very vulnerable. They talk to you so much, tell you so much. You can see through their eyes, there’s so much more in a person than how they look. The last five, seven years of dentistry even when I was in dentist school I was fascinated by psychology and human behaviour, why people do what they do? What make someone angry? What make someone happy? Why is it that everyone says that money doesn’t buy happiness or money does buy happiness is not true.

Mahmood Mawjee: Because I’m sure you know people who have a lot of money and happy who have a lot of money and who are not happy, vice versa. A lot of people who don’t have much money and happy not much money and very happy. Thing is happiness has no link to money. The only way happiness is a link to money is when you spend on other people. Then that creates happiness. And as I realised that I wanted to be able to impact people more. So for about five years before that I realised density wasn’t for me, I was very good at it. But I couldn’t imagine living the same year 60 times, I wanted to live a different year for the next 60 years. And I used to trade a lot, very successful at that.

Mahmood Mawjee: I used to have a social media marketing company called Zigzi that was very good. I tried lots and lots of things, had my hand in a lot of affiliate marketing, did a lot. Just trying to find that thing was really clicks with me. And then it kind of came through here that on the day my father passed away, I stood up and gave a talk and realised, wow, I can impact people.

Prav Solanki: What did you say on that day? Give me the essence of what your talk, and the message was to everyone at the funeral.

Mahmood Mawjee: Mine was about regret, that the biggest regret in life, is I just mentioned, that living life on other people’s terms. And it’s I wish, and most people, no one regrets the things they did, they always regret things they never did. And that said, whoever you go and speak. Most people at 70 that all the bitter, they’re not happy. They’re always complaining, why? Because there was a time in their life when they could have done something they really wanted to do. But they didn’t, Why? Because society didn’t allow it.

Mahmood Mawjee: Because it wasn’t the right thing. Because, why would you leave dentistry? I was being paid six figures on three days, it was my own clinic, yes. And I was doing very well. And I always thought that I could leave dentistry when I had the money. But I realised I got to leave dentistry to have the money. And when you so believe in what you’re good at. And you put everything into that, like Steve Jobs said that you got to love what you do to make a success, why? Because to be able to win in life, you got to be working like crazy. And if you don’t love it, you give up. So this is a simple reason.

Payman: You’re a young man who’s bursting with information, bursting with life lessons that you’re giving, and I’ve seen some of your content is why there’s so many different stories and lessons that you’ve got inside you. When did you realise that … I mean, I can understand someone who’s got so much to say, isn’t going to say it to 12 patients a day. And wants more impact than that. But when did you realise that? Was that after your dad’s passing? Was that been something that’s been in you for longer?

Mahmood Mawjee: It’s been there for long. So as I said, when I was younger, I realised that there was a lot of people who used to come to me for help. Then when I was in university, more than anything was really intrigued by is human behaviour and psychology, why people do what they do?

Mahmood Mawjee: And I mean working with thousands of patients as we do along the way, I realised that a lot of my time was spent talking to people, a lot of time was spent talking to people about money, about divorce, about business, about fears they have, and a lot of my work was actually helping people with their mindset, and motivating them to do the things they love.

Mahmood Mawjee: Nothing about dentistry, yeah, I fixed their teeth, and had a better smile. And they were happy on the outside. But a lot of my dental is fixing people from the inside. And also you know what, that’s fine, but only a very small part of my life is spent doing that part, and I want to spend more of it doing that part.

Payman: I mean, I left dentistry, probably I left medicine, so it’s interesting, and the thing I miss most about dentistry is that people, not the teeth once in a while I go to a lecture and someone I see something amazing on the screen, and I feel like I wouldn’t mind trying that on teeth. And generally that’s when I think that’s a great lecturer. But Prav left very early on. One year in was it bro?

Prav Solanki: Yeah.

Mahmood Mawjee: Okay.

Payman: I left … Will listen to that story, I’m sure many times. I left I think five years in and people used to say to me the waste. You went to university, you had this education, what a waste. I think for me at one point for some reason. It’s switched from a waste to an opportunity in the thinking if we start this business, and it all goes pear shaped I can still feed my family as a dentist. I suddenly saw it as an opportunity. Did you have that feeling of leaving dentistry, ways did your family say hey, why did you go and study all these years, and it’s a waste that thing?

Mahmood Mawjee: 100%. Asian community, you either doctor, a dentist, accountant or failure. That’s it.

Prav Solanki: Taxi driver, shopkeeper.

Mahmood Mawjee: That’s actually what it is. And so yourself I’ve always admired what you’ve done, because you’ve created the business out of dentistry. So your journey, that if you didn’t go through dental school, you wouldn’t be here where you are right now. Okay, because your business is about dentistry. For me a lot of people, have met someone said, “10 years, five years, whatever is what a waste.” I said, “No, that was a journey for me.” And if it wasn’t through that journey, I wouldn’t have been here where I am right now, 100%.

Prav Solanki: It shaped you?

Mahmood Mawjee: 100% it shaped me. So no, I haven’t … Things happen at the right time. And I’m actually feeling goosebumps when I say this, because it’s so true things happen at the right time in your life, that this wasn’t meant to happen to me 10 years ago, I wasn’t the person I needed to be. But through the hard ache of dentistry, through actually … I’ll tell you the story. I hopefully, my practise principal ain’t going to hear this later. But anyway, there was a time few years ago when I … No, it was about one and a half years ago, where there was one day when I was going out. And I had a coaching client in the afternoon.

Mahmood Mawjee: And I had to go to the practise in the morning. And there were times when I really didn’t want to go in, and I used to feel sick and I just hated going in. And I’m not going to get to how horrible it felt. But can you imagine something you really didn’t want to do, and I was going in, and the times used to be really emotional actually going in, because I just didn’t like it. I didn’t like it at all. And I knew I was wasting my time. And all he was doing was putting money in the bank, which is important, but it’s not a life.

Mahmood Mawjee: And I remember one morning, I actually called up my practise manager and I told my practise manager, “You know what, I’m not well, I can’t come in, I’ll come in for half the day. But then we need to leave home at lunch time.” She said, “Okay, that’s cool.” So she cancels my clinic for the afternoon. And I went in the morning. And because I’d get everyone to believe I’m sick. I faked idle hands on most of all, really bad stomach. So my nurse really believes me. And I really believed I was sick. And when 12 o’clock came and left the practise, do you know happened, had a stomach ache, and I was sick. And I was in bed all day. And I realised that from that day that the mind is so flipping powerful that if I can fool myself into making myself sick, most people do.

Prav Solanki: I’ve done it a few times mate, trust me it’s possible.

Mahmood Mawjee: Imagine what else you could actually convince yourself you are successful, happy, healthy. And I said that’s it. There are these few click moments. That was a click moment when I said you know how powerful the mind is. And so no regrets about the journey of come on, it’s shaped me. Exactly, you’re in the right time where you need to be right now to be doing this thing you’ve got to do.

Payman: I mean, it’s a lovely story. Now tell me you can’t be without a bit of fear giving up this income, are you?

Mahmood Mawjee: I’m super fearful. Truthfully, I’m super, super fearful. I’m just telling you-

Payman: You stopped very recently.

Mahmood Mawjee: I stopped four weeks ago.

Payman: Four weeks?

Mahmood Mawjee: Yeah, four weeks ago.

Payman: Are you worried about the mortgage?

Mahmood Mawjee: Yes, 100%. I sold my clinic, which gave me enough to keep me going for about a year. And every day is one day less that year’s there. But I know that, and it’s flipping fearful. I’ve got three kids, a wife extended family, a lot of commitments. And yeah, I am. But I also know how good I am what I do. And there’s a fine line between being so fearful letting it paralyse you or using fear as your power. So yes, I have a network of people around me on days, which are bad I’ve coached I’ve got a mindset coach, a business coach, speaking coach, I’ve surrounded myself with people who can push me up on that level.

Mahmood Mawjee: And when I’m having a bad day, I can get someone to call and they can get my mindset right, just as I do to others. If I’m a coach, I would have coached myself on good walk the walk. So yet, a lot of days are really, really tough. We have no idea. But each and every day, which goes on. There’s more people know about me. There’s more people to listen to me. There’s more place I’m speaking up on my network grows and my coaching clients grow and my business grows. Where will I be in a year? I know where I’m going to be in five years time. I know I’m going to get I just don’t have no idea how I’m going to get there.

Prav Solanki: So just talk to me. The people out there listening, I know there’s a burning question on their mind, which is, you left a practise three days a week, six figures. You’ve now left all that, the time’s ticking. You’ve got a year’s worth of income, that you can rely on to feed your family, right?

Mahmood Mawjee: Yep.

Prav Solanki: What is the income look like as a coach and a speaker? And what stage are you going to get to where you were in practise?

Mahmood Mawjee: If I use my barometer of dentistry, the income as my barometer for this, I think I’m going to be thrown off path very quickly. Because we all know, dentists earn pretty well. And so say for example, you’re making 10 grand a month, if I’m looking for this to bring in 10 grand a month before I kind of wish happiness or whatever up, it’s never going to happen. So I know that I can make 10, 20, 50 hundred times more than I was doing in dentistry doing this. I just have no idea how I’m going to get there.

Prav Solanki: Okay.

Payman: Yeah, I mean, everything looks a lot easier than it is. And we lost money for three, four years, of course. And it wasn’t easy. It wasn’t easy giving up dentistry and losing money at the same time. So look, looking at you. I feel like you seem very happy doing this. And you’re talking obviously to the right teachers. Where were you lecturing in America recently?

Mahmood Mawjee: So last week, I was in New York, there was a fundraiser. And then I did a fundraiser here recently about two months ago, where we raised about half a million pounds. And that night was most I’ve ever raised. And so they asked me to come to the keynote. And so I didn’t even know I was in New York, I got a phone call while I was in a family holiday in Dubai. And they go, “We’ve got a fundraiser, we want you to come and give a 20 minute talk.” I’m like, “Okay, cool. Where’s it?” It’ll be in London, New York. I’m like, “Okay, wow, brilliant.” But the fact is, I got paid more for 20 minutes, than I get paid three days in dentistry for that one talk. But on that night, we raised $1.2 million.

Mahmood Mawjee: And they got to do what they needed to do. And being up there with like, 23400 people, we having to speak and touch the hearts and making them cry and making them realise the value of giving was amazing. And so I know every day is not going to be like that. And everyone even you said you had years worth of maybe when things were going down. Everyone looks at you and everyone looks at me now everyone looks at you now. And everyone says, “You know, I wish I could be where you are.” But not many people can. Because like Usain Bolt got this great interview where he says, “You know what, the race is the easy part.

Mahmood Mawjee: It’s the work behind the scenes. And the work behind the scenes is what’s going to kill you every day.” Imagine waking up every day not knowing where the mortgage payment’s going to come from next month or next year, not knowing if you’re going to make it wherever you go people saying you’ve left such a great job, why? Not knowing where things are going to go. And the way I kind of look at it is life’s up and down. Up and down, up and down, up and down. It’s like if you walked into a hospital here, and they put ECG lead on you, what would your heartbeat look like? Your heart rates would go up and down.

Mahmood Mawjee: Most people want a flat life, it’s dead. Most people want a flat life, and they do live the dead life. A lot of people can go through this, why? Because no one understands what it is behind the scenes. Yes, so it looks really nice flying around the world coaching, living life on your terms giving up which most people want to give. But the truth is behind closed doors, it’s tough. But sometimes it’s better people don’t find out how tough it is, because then they won’t appreciate.

Payman: I heard Jeff Bezos said that as well.

Mahmood Mawjee: Is that what he said as well?

Payman: He said if I knew how hard Amazon was going to be I would have never have done it.

Prav Solanki: What’s the hardest part about flying around the world delivering your message? What do you give up?

Mahmood Mawjee: Family. I sat down with my three kids yesterday, my oldest is turning 16. Then my next one’s turning 15. And the next one is turning 10. I sat down with them yesterday, actually. And next week, I’m away kind of teaching for a week election for weekend and the week off from lecturing in LA, it’s like for me to be away from my kids for two weeks is for me just finding the toughest thing ever. And I sat down and said, “For the next two weeks, I’m not going to be around, but when I come back from I’m yours again, for the next two weeks, I’m just not going to be here much.” And that was tough. Because for me, family’s everything. And right now this journey, I’m seeing a lot less of my family. But I’ve gone to the quality over quantity, but I’d rather spend half an hour and really give them me no phones or anything. Just half an hour of me. Then three hours of me while I’m distracted.

Prav Solanki: Do you check in on FaceTime and stuff like that while you’re away?

Mahmood Mawjee: Yeah, so I make sure that I speak to family once a day, especially. I do a lot of relationship counselling as well. And so one of the things which I tell everyone, which I kind of live by as well, that one of the biggest things you need to do is make sure that the biggest part of your life that thing you’re going to feel in life is your one main relationship. If there’s anything wrong with that, I’ve been married 20 years now. Okay, so I want year 20 to be like year one. Okay, but if it’s not, then something’s missing. And a lot of people as they go on their own journey to find what they love, that really gets messed up. And that’s one thing, which I said I could never ever want to compromise that to get this.

Payman: When you most in the zone? Would you say on stage?

Mahmood Mawjee: Yes.

Payman: Yeah?

Mahmood Mawjee: 100%. Yeah.

Payman: Have you ever bombed on stage?

Mahmood Mawjee: So last year, I got invited to business summit in Davos where the World Economic Forum was held at a net worth of about 15 billion in that room with a B. And that’s where I picked up my first billionaire coaching clients. I was great. But on that I got up on stage, I was giving four talks, I forgot my lines. Because back in the day, then I used to memorise everything. And I used to know exactly what I’m going to say because I obviously I never had paper. It’s all in my heart. Everything and I lost it.

Mahmood Mawjee: And that day, I realised I hold on. I know enough to just stand up and talk without having prep. And that was a big day for me. And since then, yeah, when I go up on stage, I’ve got a thesis, I’ve got something in my head. And if it doesn’t work out, if I forget something, that’s cool. I got more than enough in my head, I can talk for a day, you could probably say I can for a week. If I’m giving-

Payman: A lot more flexibility.

Mahmood Mawjee: If I’m giving a content presentation, then it’s easier because you kind of know one thing comes up and he’s asking a trigger one thing, but a lot of my talks like when I went last week to New York. So the only slide I had because I was playing music. It was a story which only to give it the right time with everyone’s eyes closed. And I don’t want anyone else to be able to press that. So I turn it on when the right word comes on the right music. Yeah, Eli Robbins does. Yeah, and so it was just a slide, but it was just a quote. And as you click it, then the music comes on. So now I don’t use any sort of presentation except when I’m doing like if I’m doing a dental talk, for example, I’m doing a health and wellness talk. And I’ve kind of got certain slides with certain trigger points, which I know what’s going to come out of what time. But otherwise, it’s just open.

Payman: Do you still get nervous?

Mahmood Mawjee: Yes, 100%. So like, I remember when I was in New York last week, my wife was on the table next to me. She was on my table because I was on the front, and I messaged her on WhatsApp saying I’m feeling so nervous today. Yeah, I don’t know why, but I think it’s great. Because a moment that goes away is the moment you become too comfortable.

Payman: When I’ve had speakers on and they’re nervous. I tell them, it would be unnatural not to be nervous.

Mahmood Mawjee: Yeah.

Payman: That I would be more worried if a speaker said to me, I’m on in five minutes time, and I’m not nervous. I’d be more worried if he was nervous, because it’s not the normal thing. And perhaps coded himself into speaking recently, and become a seasoned professional overnight.

Mahmood Mawjee: Awesome.

Prav Solanki: It was hard. Because before, like, the first talk I gave was at Payman’s event. And before I did that, I was quite literally shitting myself. And just like you did, I found a couple of speaking coaches. Because I thought if I’m going to do this and stand up in front of 100 people, no problem, I’ll make an idea myself. So I’m going to find someone who does this for a living, take advice from them, and do the best I can possibly do. And then continue on that just like you have on your journey.

Prav Solanki: And I truly believe that if you want to Excel or do something, go to someone who’s done it before. Naturally, that must be why people are coming to you, as a coach or consultant, like you just mentioned, your relationship coach, how do people learn about you? How do they find out that, hey, I can approach this guy, and he can coach me and whatever it is, whatever area of my life. So how is it that people would reach out to you for particular service? What would that service be?

Mahmood Mawjee: Most people find out about me through two ways, one way is social media. And then the other way is through my actual speaking events. So when I’m travelling, obviously, people hear me on stage, they know what I do. People and obviously-

Payman: Spell it out, what’s the deal they get if you’re their coach, what’s the deal?

Payman: Or do you tailor it for each person?

Mahmood Mawjee: There’s one thing initially was holding someone back. So you’ve got one thing in your life right now that if you could change your whole life will change. I change that for you, end of story. 100% guarantee that I change it for you, I will get you more results in six months than you’ve got in 20 years. I take you on a six month journey with me. And I break your life down. And I find out everything which is holding you back from getting to where you want to be.

Payman: Let’s say hey Mahmood I want to be coached by you. What happens? Do we meet first?

Mahmood Mawjee: Understand. Yeah, so I would normally speak with you for half an hour session on the phone to kind of understand your questionnaire, find out exactly what is it that you want to be? Where is it that you want to get to, where you are in certain parts of your life? I kind of break your life down into five, seven parts. Where are you there? What are your goals, dreams, ambitions? Where is it that you want to be and then I kind of see if you are … Most people are coachable and if they’re not, and I can break them down to become coachable. Some people a lot harder than others.

Prav Solanki: Do you get that all in that half hour call?

Mahmood Mawjee: Yes.

Prav Solanki: You do?

Mahmood Mawjee: Yeah. I can do an half an hour.

Prav Solanki: Amazing.

Mahmood Mawjee: Yeah.

Payman: Okay. Now you know who I am. Now you know what I want. What’s next?

Mahmood Mawjee: What’s the one thing in your life right now that if you could have, if you could do, if you could become life will be different. Yeah. What’s the one thing? So say for example, in your business right now. I don’t know, for example you in ten star. There’s something, we haven’t got that much time for me to go into that. But there’s one thing holding you back, is that because you are the captain of your ship. And if you are not at eight, nine out of 10 in five areas, for example, your mindset, your motivation, your relationship, your health, and the reason why when your business to be there, then you’re going to find it very tough to get there. I want to break down and see for example, what time you waking up in the mornings?

Payman: Late.

Mahmood Mawjee: Okay, what’s your first half an hour every day?

Payman: On the mobile.

Mahmood Mawjee: But Okay, fine. What if I could make sure that you’re awake at 5:30am every single morning with more energy than if you woke up at nine? What if your first half an hour every day was full of gratitude and exercise and you are pumped up by the time six o’clock came. You’re ready to fly. I am sure because I can see smiling right now, with that level of energy within a year, your business would have done double, triple, quadruple, whatever. And that 10 x journey starts there.

Prav Solanki: Amazing.

Payman: Amazing. Sounds a bit like Prav’s morning routine. But no, I mean, what’s interesting is you’re talking about mindset and motivation. You get people saying, “Hey, what makes you think you could 10 x my business? When you haven’t 10 x your own business?” Do you get that? Or is it just about me, mindset.

Mahmood Mawjee: Most people know what I can do. So I know that I’ve quadrupled the turnover in my business within one year, okay. I know that in a certain couple of the other businesses that I’ve led. I have 10 X. Say for example, you’re turning over a million-

Payman: Let’s say I was saying something that you hadn’t done before. You’re saying you have this billionaire coach?

Mahmood Mawjee: Yes.

Payman: He’s always done things you’ve got. And yet he is coming to you. So is it about that mindset thing? Can you switch someone’s mindset consistently? Not just for the five minutes after the coaching call?

Mahmood Mawjee: Yes. Let me-

Payman: What’s the key to that?

Mahmood Mawjee: Let me tell you about … You mentioned this billionaire coaching client, so when I sat down with this billionaire coaching client, is the first time I’d ever met billionaire. And when I thought a billionaire would kind of go in my head, that there would be like, suited booted, and all this and, and he wasn’t. And he just seemed like an average person, which is great, because he’s very humble. But I sat down with him. And he said, “I want you to come and speak to my company.” And I said, “Look, I think you need me more than your company needs me.” And I tell him where are you in life right now?

Mahmood Mawjee: Like I dream, a scale of one to 10 and I said life’s totally about energy level 10 and one is where most people live. And where are you on this level? I expected him to say nine 10 I’m a billionaire. He said, “Three.” I’m like, “Wow, three.” He goes, “Yeah, I’ve got no more drive. I’ve got the business. I’ve got the family. I’ve got everything I wanted to do.” And he was 52 and I’m like, “You’re a half time in your life. The second half is the best.” The game is won in the second half, the second half has to be the best. So I sat down with him and I tried to find his “why” I feel that everyone’s got a why? Or they should have why by what the things I don’t have why in this someone. When you can find it, when you can leverage that and everything changes.

Mahmood Mawjee: So this billionaire coaching client of mine he was a polo player, okay. And he used to spend a lot of money every year on horses. But he wasn’t able to as I spoke to him more and I kind of saw his body language his eyes, I realised there’s something wrong here. Why? Because he told me that he wasn’t able to play a full game of Polo for the last few years. Why? Lower back pain. He was getting out of breath. I told him what if I can get you back on a horse to play a full game of Polo within six months. Do you know what he said? I’ll pay you anything. He became a first billionaire coaching client, within six months, he was back on the horse playing a full game of Polo.

Mahmood Mawjee: After he won competition within two months was running more than he ever did, you see and then from there, he went on to launch another multi million dollar company. I think he’s launching in October in Europe. And why? Found his why. So his mindset I got him to realise. But it was because I found what was important to him, which was his Polo, it wasn’t health, it wasn’t wellness, the vehicle is health and wellness. But his why? His results, see people buy based on result, they don’t buy based on product.

Mahmood Mawjee: For example people buy white teeth, they don’t buy whitening, massive difference. So when you can sell the result, and you don’t sell the product and everything changes. So everyone even myself, we all need better minds every day. You need to grow. So yeah, everyone can be doing more becoming more, doing more.

Prav Solanki: So someone approaches you there the half hour call, you’ve got like assuming like a six month programme they initially enrol into, what’s the investment?

Mahmood Mawjee: The investment? It depends on who I’m seeing? What they’re doing? And actually, whether it’s one to one? So a lot of my clients are overseas. So I have some clients who actually fly in to actually meet me once every six weeks. But other than that, is if you’re meeting me, they’ll obviously be different fee scale. So if it’s over phone, WhatsApp, Zoom.

Prav Solanki: Give me a ballpark. What does it cost to work with you? There’s people out there listening. Maybe some of them, I’m certainly inspired by your story and I think to myself, can I afford him? Can’t I? What’s the minimum engagement to get involved with you?

Mahmood Mawjee: Let me turn the question back on you. If you’re making a million quid at the moment, your business making 10 x your business in one or two years, how much am I worth to you? How much would you pay for me? If I can get you in your life where you need to be? How much would you pay me?

Prav Solanki: I get where you’re coming from. But ultimately, there’s people out there. Who may think you know what, I wouldn’t mind six months with this guy. But I just want a straight answer. You go to a dentist, and-

Payman: How much is a beautiful smile worth?

Payman: Yeah. And they say, you’re going to get a new career, you’re going to get a new relationship, blah, blah, blah, how much is that worth to you?

Mahmood Mawjee: My fees range from about three and a half grand to about 10 grand over six months.

Payman: Okay.

Mahmood Mawjee: Okay, depending on how often I’m meeting you, what I’m doing, what your goals are, where you want to be.

Prav Solanki: So it’s really affordable. I mean, I see that as you start from what, 500 quid a month?

Payman: Yeah.

Mahmood Mawjee: Around that.

Prav Solanki: Which is affordable for most certainly the audience that we’re speaking to. And that’s all I wanted to get a gauge for is that and by the way, in three years time, it could be five times less, because if you’re the right cat, if you can move the right people in the right direction. Why not?

Mahmood Mawjee: And it will.

Payman: Yeah.

Mahmood Mawjee: And so right now, this is kind of where it is. But in the future. Just like anything, we’re all growing.

Prav Solanki: Going back to something that you said earlier, which really resonated with me is that you said your father passed from this world into … Was it another world you said?

Mahmood Mawjee: Yeah.

Prav Solanki: Just talk to me more about your belief system around that. Do you believe in reincarnation? Or he’s somewhere else in heaven? Or?

Mahmood Mawjee: So I’m a Muslim. Okay. So I believe that once you die, obviously, you’re two parts as your body and as your soul, your body goes away, your body disintegrates, but your soul is present. And then your soul enters another realm until a later day, when he gets pulled back up. And that’s kind of the Day of Judgement . So for me that I know my father is there. I know he’s around. But in that new world, there’s no concept of time, there’s no concept of anything. It’s totally different world. But I know he can see me.

Mahmood Mawjee: And when my father passed away, one thing he did is he left me a letter. My dad was a great organiser, okay, he left a letter for each and every one for me, my sisters, for my mom a separate letter, he didn’t know he was going to pass away. But obviously, and then he updated his letter every year. And the last thing he wrote in that letter is, wherever I am, whatever I’m doing, I will be looking over you and all the best. And I feel emotional now, that will kind of me in the next world. And so yeah.

Prav Solanki: What do you think your dad’s thinking looking down upon you right now? I don’t mean this podcast, whatever. But I mean, just generally. What do you think he’s looking down on you and how is he feeling?

Mahmood Mawjee: I think he’s super happy with me. Because I found me. I found what I love to do, and I’m having an impact. And I’m doing what I really wanted to do. So my dad never wanted me to do dentistry, because he was always into business. But my dad always realised, which is something I talk about a lot right now, that it’s unfair for any parent to push their agenda on their own kid, because most parents use their own insecurities on their children.

Mahmood Mawjee: So for example, it’s nice to go out and tell my friends and my son’s a doctor why? Because I feel good. Maybe he does want to be a doctor. And the way that plays out in the long run, I just put a video on Facebook about this, the way it plays out long term, is the kids not happy, and he wants to change. And he said yes to his parents initially, because he was young. And now he’s not happy. And what happens in relationships with parents and child breaks down, but what if we could have those conversations early on? So my dad told me what he felt I should do, but he didn’t tell me what to do.

Prav Solanki: Your dad was very forward thinking for someone from his generation, especially in Asian community, you find that a lot of people get pushed into, like you said earlier medicine, law, dentistry.

Payman: Do you find it easier to coach Muslims?

Mahmood Mawjee: Find easier? No.

Payman: Harder?

Mahmood Mawjee: Harder, no.

Payman: So is there a spiritual dimension to your coaching or not?

Mahmood Mawjee: There is, depending on who you are. So if it a-

Payman: It’s important to someone.

Mahmood Mawjee: Yeah, see, so those five things I mentioned. So for example, I saw our mindset, motivation, relationships, health, and business. Each and every person is different. There’s like this two things on there, which are probably the most important to someone, they have kind of two on there, it’s really important. The funny thing is what you think you need and what you actually need are two different things. So for example, you may come in thinking you need help to grow your business. And the truth is because your relationship suffering, that’s where you can’t grow your business.

Mahmood Mawjee: So my thing is to kind of bring you in on what you want, but then give you what I know you need. So do I prefer or do I? Yes, spirituality comes into it. But some people don’t have religion, and some people are interested, that’s fine. So then we’ll come up, in other ways, whereas some people feel that, so I was having a conversation with someone just a few days ago, they were like, well, I’m trying to grow my business right now. But I’ve got x amount already. And if I want any more, and I think I’m being greedy, and it’s because we’ve been conditioned, maybe through the people around us, religion, whatever that wanting more is not good. But that’s not true.

Mahmood Mawjee: Because the difference between gratitude and kind of what you want see, because gratitude, being thankful for what you have, but if you don’t do anything, if you don’t do it, because you think it’s wrong, and that’s wrong. Let me kind of explain what I mean. That maybe, I don’t know, again, maybe right now, your business times over a million argument’s sake, the say you have the potential to have a 50 million business. And you’re thinking, Well, you know, what I’ve got a million already, people out there don’t even have 100 grand.

Mahmood Mawjee: And have two months to survive. So by me wanting more, that means it’s wrong. But it’s not because life’s about growth, or maybe the next 49 million is there to help the world, it’s not about you. And we need to get out of that mindset. Sometimes religion plays a big thing in that and the people around us, that we think that we should be satisfied. Be grateful, but never be satisfied.

Payman: Yeah, I was looking at your content that gratitude is a big part of-

Mahmood Mawjee: Massive.

Payman: Value, certainly, I find it difficult times that certainly the best place to go for me.

Prav Solanki: Absolutely.

Payman: We’ve all been through difficult times in our lives, but I like your content. Tell me about the production value on it. Just talk us through that.

Mahmood Mawjee: What do you mean?

Payman: Well, perhaps putting out some content, personal brand type content. You’ve been doing it a little while I’ve noticed. What does it take? Was does it take if you got a guy filming you the whole time? What have you got?

Mahmood Mawjee: My son does-

Payman: Is it? Is that right?

Prav Solanki: Wow.

Mahmood Mawjee: Yes, he’s the guy behind the camera. But now he’s doing his GCSE’s. And I just advertised someone to actually … I want someone to be able to follow me for a few days a week with a camera everything I do-

Prav Solanki: Document.

Mahmood Mawjee: Yeah, like Gary V had a massive influence on my life, massive influence-

Payman: Does your son also edit and produce the music and all of that stuff on the videos or that’s you?

Mahmood Mawjee: Yes, he does all that for me. He doesn’t offer himself, he does it for me.

Payman: But those videos that we put out, he hasn’t just done the filming is he’s put the whole thing.

Prav Solanki: Amazing.

Payman: 16 year old?

Mahmood Mawjee: 15 turning 16. So he does all of that. But I want to put a hell of a lot more content out there. We’re living in a day and age right now, where attention is everything. That we’re so lucky to be in a time like we are right now, 20 years ago how did people find out about you? Right now people in the slums don’t have food, but have phones, and you know that you can touch someone’s life out there? And if you don’t, I honestly feel like … I mean, I really feel that when I die and I go into the grave, I’m going to be questioning certain things. I’m going to be questioned on, me as a person what I did, but also my potential that did I leave potential?

Prav Solanki: You spoke earlier about your father’s soul go into Judgement Day.

Mahmood Mawjee: Yeah.

Prav Solanki: What is that? What is Judgement Day? What does that mean?

Mahmood Mawjee: So there is a journey. So from the moment you die, that’s it. That’s the end of this life, you get questioned on how you are as a person, what you did, what value you brought into the world, whether you’re good or bad person, how much money you had, did you spend on the right stuff? Did you live your potential? I feel that if I stayed in dentistry, maybe I would have been, had a lot more questioning after because, the thing is that being in place I was, I was held back by myself by the voices in my head. And so then from there, then kind of Judgement Day is when you just kind of question about everything. And then there’s a eternal place you go to heaven or hell.

Prav Solanki: So your transition from-

Payman: Do you believe that?

Mahmood Mawjee: I do 100%.

Payman: Tell me about hell.

Mahmood Mawjee: Hell, is a place you probably wouldn’t want to be.

Payman: Fire and brimstone? Is that what you saying?

Mahmood Mawjee: Fire? Yes. What else is in that? Don’t know. Yeah. It is. And then this life? Is your testing place with the kind of person you are.

Prav Solanki: Do you believe other animals have souls? A donkey, a cow, pig. The fly I just killed?

Mahmood Mawjee: They don’t have intellect.

Prav Solanki: They have souls. So we talked about the body being a carcass.

Mahmood Mawjee: Yeah.

Prav Solanki: And then your soul existing within both separated death. And then you got Judgement Day? What’s a Judgement Day for a monkey or a cow? Or-

Mahmood Mawjee: Within the monkey’s remit, did he do the best? Did he look off his family the best? That’s it within your own-

Prav Solanki: Do they go to the same Judgement Day? Listen, I know. You don’t have the answers. But I’m trying to understand what your belief system is.

Payman: I didn’t think the conversation was going this way-

Mahmood Mawjee: I don’t know will there be-

Payman: Free will is a big factor here?

Mahmood Mawjee: We the only species have free and no other animal has free will. A tree has the ability to be a tree, a monkey commenting more than a monkey will because we have the ability to be anything.

Payman: I don’t know if you’ve heard any of Sam Harris. Other particular like everything he says, but this question of free will. He says there’s no free will in the humans either. And the question of even take it as far as, say the murderer, murdered because of the consequences of everything that came. And he’s by no means a bleeding heart liberal about it. So there’s a lot of conversations about that now. What would you like to be remembered for? We just said, the day you die regrets and all that. What would you like people to say about you? What are the three things that your legacy?

Mahmood Mawjee: Do you know that one thing which you said before about free will? See, the way I look at that is that if we didn’t have free will, then we wouldn’t be answerable for anything we did. Which then doesn’t make sense. Because then if your life is pre determined, then you can really just sit back and it’s going to go on that course. And then whether you do right or wrong isn’t about you, it’s about someone else. So the way I look at that is I think we’ve got total free will.

Payman: Well, let me explain it to the extreme example. And I don’t know extreme examples don’t always pay out here. But the extreme example is, there was a guy and he had a family, he had a wife, he had a mother, he had everything he needed. He loved all those people. One day, he starts feeling like he has to kill his mother and his wife. And that feeling is encompassing him so much. And he actually kills his mother and his wife. Then they go and find him. And he’s written a letter. And he says in this letter, he has written, I don’t understand what’s happening to me, I’m hearing voices in my head, I want you to look into this and look at my body and see what’s happened.

Payman: They take an X ray, and there’s a giant tumour in his head, that’s pushing on whatever that is. Dr Prav will tell us.

Prav Solanki: The brain. The brain.

Payman: Decision centre for his whatever brain. And it was that tumour that was causing him to think these things. And so now that’s an extreme example, we’re talking about tumour. But I see my kid and I love my kid, at the end of the day, that love is a chemical going through me and so forth. And so I’m not saying I have the answers, but that’s where this kind of question comes up. If that guy, let’s say we knew, let’s say he hadn’t killed himself or whatever. And let’s say, now he’s in front of a judge, not God, but judge, and should he go to prison? Or shouldn’t he?

Mahmood Mawjee: He should.

Payman: Medical complaint, tumour pushing on this.

Mahmood Mawjee: I see but the way I look at this, is that what I feel we all need, the two biggest gifts that you can have. Number one, health and number two, self awareness, understanding. Gary Vee talks a lot about self awareness, understanding yourself when you know that there’s something going wrong. So for example, that guy you had that that wasn’t him. At that point. He knew there’s something wrong, go and find out about it. Don’t just let it play out. He’s not the guy to normally have those kinds of thoughts, I want to kill someone.

Payman: I’m driving a car. I have a heart attack, swing by and hit someone, someone dies. I recover from the heart attack. Do I get done for dangerous driving?

Mahmood Mawjee: Well, no. Because you had heart attack.

Payman: Yes, you know what I mean?

Mahmood Mawjee: Yeah.

Payman: There are situations where it’s not free will. That’s what I’m trying to say.

Mahmood Mawjee: No, maybe there is free will still. Yeah. You didn’t choose to have thoughts that contact came because of kind of what you’ve done in the past. So what I’m saying is everything plays out. That maybe if you did any McDonald’s or you would have had a heart attack. The biggest killer we have within dentistry is cardiovascular disease. The amount of health issues we have as dentists, massive. I know, so are not familiar. I know, dentists are over 60. So many who’ve had heart attacks. Why? Because we’re in a place where we can’t look after ourselves, and what I want to do for dentistry I want to change that. I want people to be able to have a better quality of life. Do more, give more.

Payman: I’ve got a very good question for you. Sorry to interrupt you, Mahmood. But there’s plenty of dentists you can see for dentist by dentist group, for instance, there’re loads of dentist with the current situation with the litigation and all there who have had enough, let’s say they’re in a NHS practise, where it’s hard work, loads of patients, litigations, risk and all that. We’ve had enough. And every time it comes up, loads of dentists come up and say, “I’m feeling like giving up, but I don’t know what to do instead of dentistry.”

Payman: What’s your advice? I mean, you’ve got this coaching career, you’ve got this burning desire to push you. What’s your advice for regular dentist who’s maybe interested in whatever they’re interested in, it could be interested in sports or interested in cars or whatever. Should they think about the classic Gary V side hustle, start talking about cars and sports on the internet, make a business out of that and go into that? Or should they find a coach? Or what should they do? What’s your advice to that person who doesn’t really know what else they can do?

Mahmood Mawjee: I think the way I kind of look at in dentistry, there’s that one type of person who knows that they don’t do dentistry, and then they just went out. Okay, there’s the other type of person who’s within dentistry. But for example, they’re in the NHS right now. And they yet know they want to go into private practise, but they just don’t feel they’ve got the skill or a case, there’s that person, then there’s another person who kind of an associate who wants to be a principal, and they don’t have to make that journey. I think generally, it’s kind of around those three areas for the person-

Payman: Want to get out. I’m asking you, because you’ve got out recently.

Mahmood Mawjee: For the person who really wants to get out. What are they good? Find out about yourself? What is it that you love to do? How can you add value into this world? Because it’s all about value. That if I can add enough value into your life, okay, then I become very important in your life, how is it that you can add value. And the way if you reverse engineer that the way you can add value is by finding out what you love to do and what you’re good at. And if there’s a market for that, okay, like if you’re good at making paper aeroplanes , I don’t know, maybe there’s some sort of avenue you can pursue there.

Mahmood Mawjee: But generally, like most people will have something that they really would like to do that they’re good at, but they just don’t have the confidence to know that it’s possible. And what I would say is, I would say start it. And you’ve never lived in a day in an age when it’s easier to start a business. You’ve got YouTube, you got Instagram, you got Facebook, you’ve got Snapchat, you got Pinterest, you got LinkedIn, it never been a better time to start.

Mahmood Mawjee: Get someone to help you, see how it goes and then slowly tailor things off. But don’t just carry on in dentistry because you have to, because you feel is the only way, because it’s not the only way. Just because you think is the only way it’s not. Get someone out there. Get someone who can show you what’s possible. And go like I’ve done it and if honestly, I could do it and-

Payman: I’m an associate lets say. I’m the main breadwinner. So I’m paying the mortgage and all that, can’t sell out like you did and have a year’s buffer. I’m hating my job, I’m hating my nurse. I’m hating my patients, litigations on me all the time. What’s your advice? Your first bit of advice? What should I do next?

Mahmood Mawjee: If you really wanted to get out like so bad as me. Had two options like the summer practise or remortgage my house? I went to the practise, you know why? Find the way, because I had to burn bridges. Because I knew that if I’m still attached to practise, I’ll get calls and I’ll get this. I had to burn my bridges. Okay, so there was that option, or I could have tried to remortgage my house. Whoever owns a house right now they’re more than likely going to have enough equity that they can pull out for KV. Yeah, that was okay.

Mahmood Mawjee: And then you’ll find a way to make it back later. My thing is find a way. You’re an associate, you’re working. So I’ve always worked. I’ve never worked more than four days a week, why? Not because I spent one day chilling. Because I always knew that I need if I wanted to do something else, I got to be in a place where I’m able to receive that. If I’m in a clinic for five days, and then two days my family, where am I going to receive that? Where am I going to get it from? I use the extra one or two days in my week to try new things either social media agency, I was trading on trade, Forex, commodities options, I used to do a lot. And I still got loads of training courses, seminars, meeting people why?

Mahmood Mawjee: Because I realised that in order for me to find what I really wanted to do, I got to be out there being ready to receive. So the best advice I can give is knock a day off. Everyone can afford to knock a day off. Why? Because they can work an extra one hour, two hours on the other days, they can make it happen. If you had to slice part of your income of say, for example, you are take 20% haircut in income, you’d find a way to survive. So okay, yeah, so just imagine that.

Payman: And anyway, taking a day off doesn’t necessarily mean earning less.

Mahmood Mawjee: Exactly. It just means working more efficiently.

Payman: I have five, four, three, two and one, I’ve never done six days.

Mahmood Mawjee: Okay.

Payman: As a dentist, whenever I hear anyone who does do six days, I think it’s an error. But it’s right for some people I guess.

Mahmood Mawjee: But if you took a day out, and you solely use that day to just put yourself out there to think to listen, you go YouTube man. My parents came from Uganda when Amin chucked them out. They had no choice, exactly. And then my dad had something about I think 10 quid or quid something in his pocket. And he built up a massive business from that. I imagine if they had the gift of YouTube, imagine they had the gift of what we have. It’s laughable that our parents never had what we had, but yet they managed to do so much. We don’t have to work in a shop seven days a week to feed our family. There’s other ways we can do it. So I think there’s so many ways, cut a day out. And just start without-

Payman: I totally agree with you that now’s the best time to do something other-

Mahmood Mawjee: 100%.

Payman: With so much resources these days out there, whenever we were talking with Anil Shrestha and he was saying that it’s harder for new graduates now. At the same time new graduates have got the internet. When we qualified-

Mahmood Mawjee: It wasn’t there. And you got that side where it is tough in the dental market at the moment, because there’s so many graduates, so few jobs. There’s a lot of apathy in dentistry as well. But then on the other side, you have so much opportunity if you’re willing to go out and grab it. So both sides of it.

Prav Solanki: Mahmood? You’re on the same bed, you’re writing that letter, but this time you’re writing it to the world before you leaving, what would you like that letter to say, Mahmood was …

Mahmood Mawjee: I want people to remember me by someone who had an impact on their life, who gave a better life by listening to me. But I wouldn’t be the first person you listen to when you wake up in the morning. And I want to be able to start your day, I want to know that I made your life better. That I gave you see people who are looking for two things in life, hope and leadership on a provider. I want to create the best leaders and only give people hope to know that there’s a better future than the present. And that’s what I want to do.

Prav Solanki: Earlier you alluded to you want to be a billionaire, right? You want to impact a billion people in that way. That’s your mission. That’s the journey?

Mahmood Mawjee: Yep. 100%

Prav Solanki: Beautiful.

Payman: I do like that. I do like that.

Mahmood Mawjee: Yeah. Everywhere I go, people after that, so how many people listen to us right now. That number is got bigger.

Payman: Hope so anyway.

Mahmood Mawjee: I’m sure.

Payman: Who’s giving you the best advice in your life? Your dad? Someone else? Who’re your mentors?

Mahmood Mawjee: My mentors. I’ve got mentors who I don’t meet, people like Anthony Robbins people like Gary V people like that. Who I consume a lot of information from every single day. And then I’ve got my mentors who I actually meet. Okay. So what’s the best advice I’ve ever been given? I heard this thing once from the Navy SEALs, where they said, “When you think life’s over, when you think that’s it, you’ve only given 40% you’ve got another 60% left in you.” I use that every single day. Because when things are tough, I know there’s something waiting. Yeah, to actually go in there and grab the other 60%. And for me, that’s super, super important.

Prav Solanki: That’s powerful.

Payman: It’s been lovely to speaking to you.

Mahmood Mawjee: Thank you very much.

Payman: Inspirational.

Mahmood Mawjee: Thank you.

Prav Solanki: Very inspirational. Thank you so much for your time.

Payman: Thanks for sharing so much about especially talking about your dad that way. So openly.

Mahmood Mawjee: Thank you very much. Thanks for having me man. Thanks guys.

Speaker 3: This is Dental leaders, the podcast where you get to go one on one with emerging leaders in dentistry. Your hosts Payman Langroudi and Prav Solanki.

Prav Solanki: Thanks for listening, guys. If you got this far, you must have listened to the whole thing. And just a huge thank you both for me and Pay for actually sticking through and listening to what we say and what our guest has had to say because I’m assuming you got some value out of it.

Payman: If you did get some value out of it. Think about subscribing. And if you would share this with a friend who you think might get some value out of it, too. Thank you so much for listening. Thanks.

Prav Solanki: And don’t forget our six star rating. Cheers.