The Power We Hold - Season 2 Episode 04: Wil Sylvince - Comedian and Filmmaker

Thank you for joining me, your host  eco-visual artist and spiritual coach Vanessa Albury, on my journey to becoming a better ally to people of all diversities (bipoc, LGBTQAI2S+, non-normative brained and embodied +) and steward of the environment in podcast form as The Power We Hold! This is part of Coral Projects' work in eco-consciousness healing. In this space we have in-depth conversation together with people of all backgrounds and diverse perspectives about difficult topics full of love, healing and what it is to be a human loving on planet Earth, our only home for now.

Today I sit down with the brilliant comedian and filmmaker Wil Sylvince. Wil is a Haitian-American who went from engineering to comedy. He travels the globe opening up for world famous comedians, the GOAT’s of his field such as Trevor Noah, Dave Chapelle and Kevin Hart. He’s next leveling right now as he films his first feature for the big screen titled I Am Maurice. We talk his health journey, strategies as a comic, acting, clairaudience, extraterrestrials and more. Wil’s integrity, discipline and ability to set up another comic to land a line are truly top notch. You don’t want to miss this 2-part conversation with Wil Sylvince!

Show Notes:

Find Wil’s comedy here https://www.wilsylvince.com/

I Am Maurice feature film

Follow Wil on Instagram

Agnes Vivarelli’s Self Love Meditations

Master Sri Akarshana’s Himalayan Yoga 

Akashic Records reading link via my website (scroll down to the menu)

 The Power We Hold Podcast website
Vanessa Albury IG, website
Coral Projects IG, website + Make a tax-deductible donation
Get your Custom Sea Coin
Learn more about the doc film Coral Projects in Italy + Hyperallergic

Music Clear Skys by Wael Elhalaby IG, Soundcloud
Audio Editing by Bryan Klausing Rain Junkies website, LinkedIn

 Recorded Oct 29, 2023 in NYC

Transcript

Hello, and welcome back to the Power We Hold podcast. I'm your host, Vanessa Albury, really excited about today's guest. It took many months to coordinate getting this conversation recorded,

 and it's well worth it. You will see. But before we get into all that, I want to talk with you. you about love. This week is Valentine's Day and love is on our minds,

 no? Love is something that a lot of people think exists outside of ourselves, right? But I really want to talk to you or with you about self -love because you can't actually give what you don't have.

 right? That's just like basic logic, right? And with love, you can't give what you don't have sustainably. So if you don't understand what self -love is,

 if you don't have any self -love, you can't give it to somebody else. Like you can give to the extent that you understand what love is, right? A lot of people think love and self -love is like,

 "Oh, you know, I do a weekly bubble bath." Why don't I take a massage?" Or, you know, once a week I go out with my girlfriends or, you know, I play soccer,

 whatever. And it's not that those things aren't part of self -love, but they're not the summation of what self -love is. Like, let's think about logic for a second.

 Love is an infinite concept. No. No, it's bigger than any one being, but we live in a finite existence,

 right? Our bodies are finite. These are physical things that we exist in skin, skin backs, right? So if we're turned to have an experience of love in a finite love that's infinite in a finite being,

 we're going to constantly need to be be growing what our understanding of what love is, no? Because it's infinite and we're finite, right? Do you see where I'm going with this?

 So keep doing those beautiful things that you do to take care of yourself, mani -pedi, whatever it is, do those things, but keep looking for what's the next deeper layer of love here for myself.

 I did therapy for a long time. Some people find therapy to be self -loving. And I don't disagree. But there was a point at which I realized that it wasn't supporting me.

 It wasn't helping me get into the deeper layers of myself that really needed love. So I've been on this journey of trying to understand specifically self -loving.

 self -love since January 2018. It's six years now. I was in a massive rock bottom crying at my kitchen table for four days straight.

 Four days straight from heartache. From love, right? From what I thought love was. Yes, from a relationship that had ended, a five -year relationship. relationship that I knew wasn't right for me.

 Like I knew it wasn't for me, but why was I so attached? Like why did I want this, Becky? Why did I want this still, even though I know it's not good for me?

 I started listening to Agnes Viborelli's self -love meditation which I will drop in the show now, and I started crying harder. harder because I realized, oh my God,

 I don't know what love is. How can I be 38 years old and not know what love is? Wow, I have really missed the boat on this one.

 I'm a I don't know if you've ever had that feeling of. just being so lost. But it wasn't until I started practicing my deeper techniques of energy hygiene,

 energy management, deep meditation, a more intense form of yoga, like a real Himalayan yogi style form of yoga.

 and doing a classic records readings that I began to heal in this place where I didn't know what love was. And now I have a understanding of love.

 I'm not going to say I know what love is because again, it's infinite, but I understand it at a layer and a level that I never dreamed was possible before I didn't even know it existed before.

 So when we talk about love, we talk about Valentine's Day, I encourage you to just go deeper in self -love wherever you are.

 It's not about forcing, it's about choosing, right? And so just evaluate what's going on in your life. Evaluate where could you use...

 a little more love, right? And how can you give it to yourself? With the law of attraction, we understand that we attract to us what we are.

 So be love, okay? That's really the core of this podcast, the power, power you hold.

 And it's about love and love expressed in itself and through the world around us because the world is our mirror. So,

 you know when you're looking for love, it's not about waiting for the right person to show up. It's about choosing that the right person shows up and having patience,

 doing what needs to be done in the meantime. Building. love with yourself in the meantime. It's not demanding, it's trusting. And saying no to everything that's not 100 % aligned with your choice.

 If you're settling anywhere, not loving, that might be controversial to hear, right? But if you're settling, if it's like, "Oh, you know, this relationship is 90 %." what I wanted,

 you know, but oh, it's not quite there," then it's not it. It's not the one for you. And the sooner you let it go, the sooner what is right for you can come towards you. It's not about hope.

 It's about faith. Can you have faith that when you let go what is unaligned for you, what is aligned for you shows up. I think our guest today,

 Wil Sylvince, is a great example of enacting self -love, living self -love. He will share about his health journey and you'll really see it in that.

 This is a two -parter, so today is part one, next Friday is part two. So we're going to hug Valentine's Day with Wil Sylvince. silvents and conversations. So I'm gonna get right into it,

 but just to let you know, this man is extremely intelligent. He went from being an engineer to a comic and he travels the world with Trevor Noah, Dave Chappelle,

 Kevin Hart, and he's a brilliant, a brilliant comedian. He talks to us a little bit about his strategy and how he works,

 and he's also working on a really wonderful film, which is also all about love. So without further ado, I give you Mr. Wil Sylvince. Hello and welcome back to the Power We Hold podcast.

 I'm so delighted to be here today with Wil Sylvince. - Hello Vanessa, Vanessa. - Albury. - Albury, yes. - Good to see you.

 - Good to see you too. - I've enjoyed the process of getting to this moment. - Yeah, it was a process. - Well, we've had like a lot of conversations,

 you're traveling the world, I'm traveling the world. - You're traveling the problem more than I am. - More places, Europe, you know. like different countries. - Yeah, I'm going more days for sure.

 Like I've been out of the country for three and a half months. But you know a lot of cities. - Yeah. - Actually that reminds me, I wanted to ask you,

 when you go to all these cities, are you ever a sightseeing? I was like, you should go to the Eiffel Tower and you're like, I'm good. but then I saw pictures of you with Trevor at the Eiffel Tower.

 I thought I was going to say, just Trevor, please. We said, let's go for a walk because the Eiffel Tower was a few blocks away. And so I said, oh, I'd like to go for a walk. And we was like,

 let's walk to the Eiffel Tower and I'm like, oh, okay. And then we just happened to be walking, but we didn't go up to the top, we just walked around. It was a good walk. walk. - Did you know there's an apartment up there?

 - Oh, I know that. I mean, it should be. - Yeah. - Hopefully it's not just a useless sculpture. - Actually used it as an antenna for blink telegraphs.

 - Oh yeah, yeah, of course. - Oh, yeah. - But yeah, I wonder what their rent is like. well right now. There's wax figures holding the property down You can see in the window and because Thomas Edison brought his telegraph machine to Paris and they're like commemorate Oh,

 and now you've got bedbugs on show I'm so glad I didn't know about the bedbugs when I was in Paris. Oh, it was yeah, you know, no, but I didn't find out till I left Oh,

 wow Yeah, it was pretty it looked pretty crazy. I'm glad, I'm glad the bed bugs came after we left. - Yeah. - Like months after we left.

 - Yeah. I left in the end of August. - Oh, okay. Who were in China? We were there in China. - Yeah. And did you enjoy the actual tongue?

 - You enjoy it? - Yeah. - Yeah, it's the same. - It was cool. I don't know. Would I go all wee?

 - Yeah. - It was cool. - All right. But it seems like what you do when you do go out, when you do go to different towns, you enjoy talking to people.

 - Yeah, yeah, people is, I, yeah, that's my side. I guess no people is, know what they do, who they owe, you know, how's life in that, in that town, in that city.

 And, you know, people are very interesting. People, people are like Eiffel Tower. Yeah, it's funny because as I was walking back here to meet up with you,

 I was clocking the Empire State Building with the like fog and the green light and the Chrysler building. And I thought about you. at the Eiffel Tower actually. And I was like, yeah, I bet he was forced to go there.

 I bet that's not his thing. I bet he thinks of people the way, you know, I look at these things. Yeah, I just, yeah. Although the Taj Mahal was unique because of how it was built and why it was built.

 And, you know, so that was, I was super fascinated by that information. I don't know. I don't know. - It was built for, this guy who was like a filthy ritual,

 wanted to impress his, one of his wives, and he built it for her. Or maybe he stayed with white, and he just built it for her. And the thing is she died before it was finished.

 You know, and they, there's a memorial where they buried her next to it. You know, so that's like, amazing. Yeah. Anger with the other wise. Got.

 What did they get instead? They got buried in the backyard of somebody else's house. I wonder if it's like the pyramids, they just got smaller Taj Mahal, but those ones are famous.

 Wow. That is a beautiful demonstration of love. Yeah. Yeah Took a lot of gold and a lot of different types of I Came home in the name of the type of the box to make it but it was very unique stuff Most monuments are built towards the south,

 right? Like this is my Egyptian tomb. This is my It's not not you know that Indians hold, I can't remember what the number is.

 Some craze like 10 % or 20 % of the world's gold in their house because every Indian had gold. Wow. Yeah. Not just rappers.

 Dang. Yeah. I'd like to see the numbers compared to rappers. Yeah, we could look it up. Yeah, we could. You know what? I'm looking up how much was the percentage of Indians.

 Indians all the gold in the That's amazing. And did you also get to go to some of the neighborhoods?

 Yeah, yeah, yeah, we went to like places where they do laundry, like this here, which they do laundry by hand. And they, this is so hot there. They hand coat to dry on.

 it all, close limes and stuff and... I notice that like everywhere I go, that's how people do it, except us. Like even the French, they don't have, they'll have a washer machined in their apartment,

 but they don't normally have a dryer. Oh yeah, and Americans are like in a wash. Yeah. Yeah, and so then it creates this like need for convenience all the time.

 And then it creates this... this high -pollution output, which is not funny. Well,

 there's actually like, I feel like I could talk to you for many hours and never be satisfied. My brain, I have so many questions for you. But the first thing I'd love to hear you talk about is like,

 uh -huh. lifestyle and the way that you live, I see a lot of dedication and discipline in the way that you move through the world and commitment,

 integrity. That's a lot of words I don't think I could. I try to be dedicated, I try to be disciplined, and a long time ago I changed my diet,

 my lifestyle. to a more healthier one. I used to eat everything and anything, except for pork. I thought I was doing something, not eating pork. And then I was also,

 I remember also when I gave birth to me, I thought I was doing something. You know, my body and my health was a hot mess until one day I just gave it all up.

 (upbeat music) our healthy lifestyle. I basically became a vegetarian, so fresh fruits, veggies and nuts was like my main. I gave up all,

 all kind of liquids and just only drank water and green tea. - Including alcohol. - No, I never drank. - Oh yeah. - No, I never drank. I never ever did alcohol and never ever did any,

 anything. drugs that I've never tried. Now alcohol, I used to drink a glass of red wine because they said it was good for your heart. So when it comes to health, I'll try it and then kind of find out that there's other ways.

 So I doubt, there was a phase, maybe six months I was drinking red wine and I was like, I don't, I didn't really care for the taste, I'll, you know, but when it comes to health,

 I will power. through the taste, you know. Well, like, you know, at least like broccoli or asparagus or whatever. You don't like those,

 do you? Well, asparagus, you know, you got seasoned up a little bit. I could eat that one just steamed. Steamed, yeah. It could be,

 if you don't cook enough, you'll get too chewy and stale. - It's the brussel sprouts. - Brussel sprouts is another route, yeah. I used to call them baby lettuce. - I wish they were as yummy as baby lettuce,

 could be. - So, yeah, changing my lifestyle, giving up my video games, 'cause video games would take so much of my time. And then I just use that time to write and you know,

 more creative in the arts department. Because video games is one of those things that you cannot use as skill.

 Unless you're making money on it, right? Yes. Yeah, but back then, that was another thing for us. And plus, I was one of these video game players that I would go and buy the cheatbook. I would spend-- I was one of the video game,

 and I would buy the cheatbook. So I could spend-- the game quicker. So I could be like, "Yeah, I did it." Like, "What's the point?" Yeah, even when it came to video games, I was the loser. I don't know.

 Actually, I'm sure that's not true. Yeah. But Greg, I mean, if I'm wrong, I noticed some people,

 I don't, I played video games growing up like I had an intonation. my cousins had the Atari, and they had every version of the Nintendo, and my one cousin was like super into it. So I get like the unhealthy version of like video game playing,

 like he even broke his hand 'cause he was so upset about losing a game once. - Oh, that's not the game that's his temper. - Yeah, well, right. So this is where we get to like my questions,

 like it seems like some people use video games. as therapy. - Yes, but yeah. Everybody's their own,

 they had their own technique or reason. You know, with me, I was just using it just for no reason. And I was playing it from sun up to sundown. I wake up,

 play video games all the way 'til it's time to get ready to take a shower, go out. do my shows, come back for your games. And while I was playing video games, I was just eating a bunch of unhealthy snacks.

 And so it was like, that was so much time. Now games could be therapeutic, it could be great for your mind, your memory, your reflexes,

 and eye coordination, bunch of stuff. Bye. But just like anything else, too much of anything could be bad. And also not the right thing.

 - What was there something that, 'cause it sounds like you used it as actually maybe a numbing device, like an avoidance? - I just liked video games.

 I got fascinated by technology. I was fascinated by it, you know. and what make these characters move on the screen.

 That's why I studied electrical mechanical engineering, I was just fascinated by tech. I just got caught up in playing video games and in my circle of friends,

 that's what we did, we talked about it. We played it along with eating bag, along with not exercising. exercising. - So did something happen where you're like,

 oh, can't do that anymore? - I had maybe two times with the help of a few times.

 A few wake -up calls that didn't happen in one day. There was one time I did a show that was tank top. And my friend Esther, she,

 she, I got on stage and everybody was like, "Great show, great show." Well, when I got to Esther, she was like, "Eat in the way of a shirt or wear the tank top without the stomach." And I was like,

 "What?" But I didn't, I just, it was like one of those because she was so honest. But that's what we need in our life.

 like that, to be that blunt and honest. I feel like that's why people are unhealthy and overweight is because we don't know how to be honest with people.

 We don't know how to tell them the truth, you know? And look, not everybody deserves a truth, you know? If I don't know, you're not gonna tell you the truth. But if you're a friend of mine, you're my family, I feel like if I'm a true friend,

 I have to let you know that I don't know how to be honest. you know, you know, you know, that's unhealthy. Yes, your boy, you know, now, if you, if you choose this, that's,

 then that's you. I don't, I don't need to tell you anything if you, if you, this is what you want, fine. But if you ask me and you want to know, like, then I feel like as a friend,

 it's my right to be honest with you, you know. It's like a blighthead. like, hey, should I walk down that street? Yeah, yeah, yeah, go ahead and walk down the street. And it is filled with like all kinds of,

 you know, people that's gonna do you harm, right? Same thing with, you know. - I agree. - That was that one incident. I did a show in Phoenix one time and they put me in this fancy ass hotel.

 Now if I'm in fancy hotels, I just get a button. naked. I wolf around, get on the phone. All that girl, "Yeah, you should be here. "You should check out and see how I'm living." And they put me like on the top floor.

 I had this amazing view. And there was mirrors all around in this hotel room. And so I just walk around naked and stuff. And I'm brushing my teeth. I looked in the mirror and someone broke into my room.

 And I'm watching the person. And I was like, "What the hell is going on here?" And I was like, "What the hell is going on here?" And I was like, "What the hell is going on here?" And I was like, "What the hell is going on here?" guy busting his teeth? - I'm like, I'm busting my child out. I'm like, what the hell is in my room? And why are they naked? And then it was me.

 I didn't recognize my back fat. 'Cause you know, you never see yourself behind a back. Who's the hell? And my heart was racing for that split second like.

 - Oh wow. - And then when I realized it was me. I was more sad. I'm like, I would prefer it was an intruder. But it's my fat ass.

 And so I just went, I was so sad and depressed. I just went and put a robe on. And then just like, nobody needs to see this. Even I was by myself. Not even I need to see this.

 And I just sat down watching those show. I can't remember the athlete, but somebody, there were still playing sports well up until they were in their fifties.

 And so when I heard that, I'm like, wait a minute, I have no excuse. I just kept, before that scene, I just blamed it on, I'm getting old. Right. You know, I guess, you know,

 that's what. And when I saw this athlete, I'm like, oh, 'cause one thing my dad, oh, you always tell me, it's like, if someone else could do it, so can you. So it's like,

 we're all like me, the flesh and the buckle block. So when I saw that, I didn't think, oh, yeah, 'cause he's an athlete. No, I know what we're all saying, but if he could do it, that I could, there's a version of me that I could become.

 - Absolutely. - And that was another wake up call. There was one more. Oh yeah, I got really sick. Like when I used to get the flu,

 I got the flu bad, but this one year I got the flu really, really bad. Like it lasted like three, four weeks. All right? No wonder when I get the flu,

 it lasts like three weeks, but now it lasts three, four. No, this one lasts six weeks. weeks. I just remember that in January, I was sick. In February, I was all sick. February, March,

 I was sick. And my roommate at the time, Patrice O 'Neill, I was a soul, you know, Patrice O 'Neill. Patrice O 'Neill told me to go to the emergency room.

 I'm like, I don't have, he said, just go to the day that I had to see you, you just got to just walk in. So I'd go to the emergency, I was, and mind I was like, felt like I was dying.

 Like I was coughing up blood. I was fever, right? Coughing, aching, aching everywhere. Sweat like, I was just a mess. Went to the emergency room.

 I went there at 3 a .m. The doctor didn't come to see me until 12. So I was just, well, I got there at 3 a .m.

 It took them three to 4 .30 to put me on that bed with that hard ass toilet paper. And I just stayed on there from 4 .30 all the way to 12.

 And the doctor came for that little stick in my mouth with our popsicle, you know, check my eyes with the light so I can see you in the next video. See you then. my heartbeat. And he goes,

 you got the flu. All right. You could have told me that at four 30 and they gave me their version of nightquail. And I took it and I was fine.

 Oh my God. It was that simple. I was it. And then like, why do you think the explanation is there? I don't know. But I know,

 I do know this. I was even sick to my stomach three months later when I got the bill. It was $5 ,000. And I wish I knew at the time where you could look,

 get an itemized bill because I'm like, what was $5 ,000? - Yeah. - And I just remember like, oh, I can't afford to get sick. anymore. And so those three events that happened to me is what taught me to like change my diet and then I started boxing and doing my video games and just,

 you know, like we always want to do better for ourselves, right? Or we always want other people to treat us right? Well, we don't treat ourselves right. - Yep. you know? We always want the best girlfriend,

 or in your case, best boyfriend, if that's what you want too. We want the best part, but we never get the best of ourselves. You know, we give 'em just sloppy version of ourselves,

 but you better be, you better be-- - You better be-- - You better get your shit together, get your money together, blah, blah, blah. But this is what you're gonna get at me. - Well, it's almost like, I mean, the way I see it. is,

 I can't expect to receive better than I give myself. Like, not only what am I giving to somebody else, but if I can't give to myself the best, how can I expect anyone else to give me their best?

 - Exactly. So you have to learn to, to treat yourself better. So people know how to treat you, yeah. - And, And tell me,

 did other things in your life change when you made this change? Oh, yeah. My clothes were very loose. Yeah. And so there was a pad.

 There was a cross fold I was at. Yeah. I'm not sure that's the right phrase. No. No, you're not. I know you're not, though. You have like a PhD in like engineering or something.

 Oh, yeah. I am. I am. - I got to a point where I lost a lot of weight. I lost 70 pounds when from 20 to like 150.

 - Okay. - And I was like, but I got these clothes I love, these clothes that cost me a lot of money.

 - Yeah. - But you know, the better, the more weight I lost. the healthy I got it The less I cared about clothes so that my body became an outfit My body became these name plans like you know,

 I want to wear less clothes So I could I was showing a by my six pack and you know showing off my muscles in my legs and stuff And I just remember like I don't need clothes You know,

 I used to love the summer talk I just wear tank top and some shorts And um, but still I was like, I was, I felt like these clothes meant something,

 but they did. Yeah. You gave them all away, didn't you? I did. I, what helped me give them away was the earthquake in Haiti happened. And um,

 I was going through my closet to lead, to see what I could give, what I didn't really care about, see about the part. with these clothes. And my TV was on and I was watching,

 the reporter was following this family in Haiti after the earthquake for like two weeks and they had the same thing on. And they was like, you know, we just happy that the father was like,

 I'm happy, I got my kids out and my wife. And they would just, so they just show, show them. like, you know, they warned and they vibed and they just had the same clothes,

 wash them and wash their clothes. And I was like, none of this shit matters, you know. And then also within that same time that I was reading about,

 which I never heard of that other phrase, what's that phrase? when you don't have a lot of stuff,

 what'd you get? Yeah. The minimalist. Yeah. Well, I first heard that phrase. I'm like, minimalist. What was it was? And I read someone like who has nothing like,

 and I said, that's how I want to live. Yeah. So I gave all my clothes to Haiti. No, no, I gave my clothes to Haiti. Haiti first because of that family.

 And I just felt this relief off my back. I was getting dressed quicker. I had to do my laundry more. But I only crept like my summer winter stuff and like two pairs of jeans and a few shirts.

 And that was it. My closet. My closet was so empty. And I just felt, you know, I had only two pairs of shoes, two shirts. I was like,

 and then I read a story about the minimalist. I'm like, oh, and another thing is when I used to travel and I used to tell myself, why don't I feel more comfortable in a hotel than in my home?

 Because a hotel is, you know, men have stuff. And I'm like, I want my space to be like a hotel. So I worked on getting rid of a lot of things in my house.

 - So you don't know this about, you know, I'm an artist, an ego artist, but I'm also, I have a spiritual practice. I read the Akashic records and I help people in living their best lives as part of my practice.

 And there's something we talk about, which is the energetic connection of things that you have. Like, if things hold energetic, space in your life And when you start to get rid of things you open Portals for new things to come in it's like everything is energy and energy is everything kind of thing So during the pandemic I had I got rid of like seven eights of what I owned I got rid of most of what I owned I you

 know open my cabinet and it's like I have 20 coffee mugs But I'm just me and I have room for four people in my kitchen, like maximum five or six coffee mugs,

 you know, like maximum. So I just started taking that like that ethic and running it through everything I owned. Up until now I'm fully nomadic, where I don't even have an apartment.

 Like, I don't have much. - Oh, I'm not that. - At least I've, come along, it's fun, it's funny. (laughing) - Grassy. I still like having a home, a place to, but you know,

 to get to, 'cause, well, we're different 'cause I'm in the public, I'm around people, but I need a place to go where I'm just like-- - Solitude. - Yeah. - Yeah.

 - And you know, also at this, that same timeframe, I was, I started boxing. I met, you know, I tried boxing. before, but it was different now because I met my trainer,

 Stephen Frank, and that changed because the way he teaches boxing, he didn't treat me like I was going to fight Mike Tyson.

 Also, he was not too easy on me, but it was like the goalie locks of trainers where it was just, you know, and then he would soft -spoken, he was easy,

 and he knew a lot. I remember one time he told me this simple thing. I was going away for a while. I was about to do a tour in Europe.

 And then for that week, I was coming like three times. I come like nine a .m., then I'll do like two sessions, nine to twelve, or three, nine to twelve,

 three, seven. and I'll come back in the afternoon And then by Thursday, so this was Monday Tuesday one by Thursday. Steve was like, hey, why are you don't why are you training like this?

 But where are you? You want to you want to join the Golden Gloves for like yeah, I am planning on doing the Golden Gloves I said no, no, I told him I'm going away for a month. So I want to I said,

 you said oh you can't stack up on training, you know, you can't like, you can't like, you know, right,

 I don't want training, I could not train for. And when he said that, I'm like, oh, you can't stack up on, you know, like, it's a practice,

 it's a lifestyle. It's like, so he just said, when you go away, just stay on. on your dietary health and diet.

 And then you could just do moderate exercise, because I was just afraid of getting fat again. It's going to be the first time I was away from boxing for so long. And I didn't gain an ounce.

 I had the minimal exercise because I'm that lazy. And but as long as I maintain my diet. I was like, "Oh, shoot." - I just, you lazy, it's just a hilarious joke to me.

 I mean, I-- - Wrong, lazy. I could do more. You all could do more. - Everyone, but that's like, is that, that's like everyone has this inner critic, huh? But, I mean, you're very disciplined at you.

 Like, from my perspective, what I have seen, like you commit and you keep going. And not everyone has that.

 - For the first time in my life in a long time, 'til I was 2007, I changed. And then for the pandemic changed a lot of things.

 So I stopped working out 'cause, you know. - Gyms. - Yeah, by the way, if anybody was listening to this, the two people that's listening. - Oh, Blake. - Oh, that tickles.

 of them snagged at me." - If you want to really work out, get a good trainer, 'cause we 99 .9 % of us don't push ourselves the way a trainer does,

 you know? So when it's, but me, I'm doing a minimal workout. workout. I mean, 'cause at my end, I'm like, at least I'm here. - Right. - I remember I told myself that I went to the gym and I was just walking around.

 I maybe did one, just one pull down. And it's like, at least I'm, it's better than not being here. And I went home, and I went home. But get a train,

 I feel like you're wasting your money if you just sign up for a gym and 'cause a trainer will push you. A good one, 'cause there's... not all trainers and nothing, I know I'm good, but. And anyway,

 so during the pandemic I stopped working out but I still maintained my weight. I did lose it for a little bit. I did gain like 20 pounds and I got back on track that August of 2020 and then I just stopped working out.

 And then I stopped working out. And then we raised some money to shoot my film. So my film is about this Haitian guy that comes from Haiti. - Yeah,

 I was gonna ask you. - As soon as his boxing career, his boxing dream. - And it called? - I am Maurice. And so while he's in Haiti, he's actually fat.

 So I told myself, "Hey, this is a good time." Our game, don't wait 'cause fat cells know the doubt. Um, so, cause I get fat really easily. So I,

 I decided to eat crazy again, but not like, I didn't go back to weeks, but just eating a bunch of junk, a gang need like a nonstop.

 And I gained 30, I went from 150 to 180. The goal was to get back to 2000. 220. I'm glad I didn't do it because I did suffer a mild heart attack.

 - You did? - There's a tear in my heart and all this, yeah. - In the last few months? - In September. So I was almost out of here. - Oh my God. Oh my God. - It was okay. - I know,

 I'm just so glad that you're still here. - My feet swelled up, my hypertension came back, I had blood pressure. my diabetes was early diabetic.

 It's pretty, got pretty bad. And so I just had to like, wherever I was, I had to just be at that weight. So now I'm back,

 I just went back to boxing last week. - Okay. - I am going tomorrow. It feels good. You know,

 from 2007 till 2020, I used to always think, "What if I have a four -law "and go back to eating crazy?" - Yeah. - And also,

 I had a four -law, but also, I like it. Well, I found out I did. - Yeah. But, but. - I didn't care about it. - Yeah, the foods don't go wrong. wrong, the foods was good,

 but it is not worth it. It's not the way it worked, the way I was looking. I was depressed again, I was sluggish, my knees started to, my knees swelled up.

 It was just bad, my sleeping habits was bad, so it was just like, these foods are not worth it. Yeah, it's like a toxic relationship. Yeah. You know,

 that's... what bad foods are like. Where you love the food, but it doesn't love you. Where like, and with you and this partner is very bad.

 The sex is good, sex is amazing. But then I thought after the sex is done, she's crushing me out, she's stealing my money, calling my mom all kinds of names. And that's what bad foods are like.

 And in your mouth, that's what bad foods are like. the sex happens. Right. But then once it goes down, you don't feel it, but you feel it health -wise. You know, it'll definitely affect you.

 So I'm not on my way back to hopefully a healthier lifestyle and get back to who I was and start training again really hard.

 I gotta take it slow. I really appreciate that you took that moment. to have that curiosity answered through the lens of your project,

 of your film. - Oh yeah. - Yeah, 'cause the commitments. - Well, there's a lot of actors, they can't wait or lose weight, but you know, but I guess I'm at a point where I can't afford to.

 - Yeah, but. - Hell, we'll see. I'm gonna see how much money they owe me for the sequels. - Well, they have really good fat suits these days. I'm gonna look good prosthetics.

 - The thing about fat suits is your fat in your body, your face is very-- - Oh yeah, but then you have to have a good makeup artist, add it on. - Add some cheeks on my cheeks.

 - Yeah, I know a really good one. - That's your face. So when we spoke last you were telling me about Yeah,

 these dietary shifts but also With the way that you use your body in relation to other people like you're not just out there willy -nilly Having sex with him at her. Oh, yes or not.

 They had when I when I changed my life, I think I stopped having random sex. No, random sex, sexual random girls. (laughing) Everything is energy,

 right? I feel like the whole, everything in life is like how the matrix is, like you see all the numbers and stuff. - Choose your dungeon. - You give off these energy and you waste energy beyond.

 and then not just wasting energy, but then I don't want to tell lies to people. Like, "Hey, I just want you free with John." That's it. Nobody's that honest,

 but you don't want to be a dick. So like, do I want that? Well, just to, for that, it's not worth to be mean to people and stuff.

 - Mm -hmm. Just, not only more, there's some women that like, "Yo, I just want something next to them." And I was like, "Well, I still..." - I'm never done that. I'm more than just...

 - Still my energy, I'm giving it off. And then you got worried about all kinds of STDs or you got worried about, you know. So it just, it just won that headache when I just broke one off.

 - Yeah. - Sorry, can I say that? - Yeah, I can say that. - Yeah, and it's just like... you know. - It's actually this topic that, how you caught my attention actually,

 'cause I was at Michael Che's show in December last year, you were the host and I was in the front because I went alone and I got there early and I met another guy who was there alone Raj and he was like,

 yeah, they put the single people in the back. I was like, well, let's tell them we're together. So we got to sit in the front. And you, you asked me if I was single. And I said,

 I don't think about it, which I didn't before that moment. It's like, and, and, and you did for me in that moment, something that I think is quintessential for my understanding of the power of comedy.

 You showed me a part of of myself that I hadn't been looking at and in that moment I was like oh yeah I don't think about it like that's not that's just not even on my radar anymore and I was so happy about it and then Michael Chang came on and you mentioned yeah on this one what is it you said that about being single and I was like yeah I don't think about it and then Michael was was like,

 think about it all the time. And my heart broke for him because I was like, I remember being that person. I remember being so alone with myself and thinking that there was some other solution outside of me.

 Yeah, so that moment, I was like, ah, this person is very interesting. Also, the way that you, um... um, the way that you play, you'd have to tell me like when you're on stage,

 are you in a, are you in a role when you're at a comedy club, you know, presenting to people because you play a bit of a the fool kind of vibe,

 especially when there's other comics on stage, like you take this role on where you say things that are a little extra silly somehow. Yeah, I'm curious, yeah, how do you-- I do it for the second comedy.

 Okay. It's always like, you know, like, everybody can be the punchline for a man or woman. Everybody can't be, you know,

 the suit, the hair on. So I just, I like to set all the comics up, especially when I know that they're going to, oh, they're going to have to zone four. Yeah. Yeah. So that's-- the whole room can have a good time.

 - Yeah. - So it's like, you know, I don't care. It's like, you know, I'm just doing it for the sake of comedy, for the sake of so grab a good time and have a good laugh, you know? But the thing about,

 are you single? - Right. - Yeah, just a dumb question. But what you just said is like, why people are single? afraid to do is like they think being single is that,

 that's not who you are, you know? People are afraid of being alone. They're afraid of like, you know, I need a partner. 'Cause I think society or maybe even the world tells us,

 oh, this is what you need. This is what you need in life to be a person. - To be whole? - To be whole, to be a, yeah. And it's like, no, you know. I'm, I'm, I'm, I got,

 I got content, not content, but it's, I was just, I'm, I'm okay being alone. I'm okay now having, having someone there, you know, I'd rather be alone than to have the wrong person and being a toxic situation.

 Sure. Yeah. You know, it's, it's like, like, again, it's back to, you know, learn, be your friend to yourself first before you could offer yourself to someone else,

 because now you know who you are, you know what you want, you know, so now you can get in a relationship because you know what you're looking for, you know, as opposed to like, I need to be with someone and then when they'll treat you right,

 like, I don't know, being worked out. It's like, 'cause you don't even know what you want. 'Cause you didn't work out with you. Yeah. Would you be with you? You know what I'm saying? Most people won't be with them.

 If you find someone I'll say exactly like you, would you date you? Now I can say yes. Yeah. If I find someone like me,

 yeah. But hopefully not someone I look like and I don't date up. Not exactly the same. but like, yeah. - You know, but yeah, but when it,

 stand up to me is like, I just like making people laugh. I like, you know, I give a piece of myself, like, you know, who I am, where I'm from, but at the same time when I'm,

 when I'm, as a comedy duo, you know, then I'm like, I'm just throwing stuff out there. - Yeah, also I'm trying to get that. this person to open up. - Uh -huh. - You know,

 I wanna hear, you know, like either when I go, you know, all these persons, you know, single, all set this, what should, you know, now Michael, whoever will tell.

 - Yeah. - You know, the audience about themselves. - At least personally. - And all how, what's this? Well, I thought it was pretty interesting when you said, We was you said again,

 I don't think about it, right? No one ever said that before. Yeah, so I Think a lot of time passed before Michael came on. Yeah, I said that yeah, but I remembered it I'm like that was interesting.

 No, so now I want to hear what my case takes this take it You know and everybody's take is different shook power because it says something different. Yeah I'm a German.

 No, because there's something different, or this person don't think about it. So now this is pretty, a very interesting take. Not super funny,

 or it's not boring, but it's definitely intimate. So now I'm gonna hear what these people with these amazing lines, Cat Williams.

 By the way, Kat Williams to me is like, what is it? one of the smallest people on the planet. I'm not sure you heard it. - Of course. - Kat Williams is like, like I would like to hear what had, he had to say about it, you know? Yeah,

 so most most of the time I say and do things to get the person to open up and dig in with that comedic genius,

 you know? - You don't. - Yeah. - Yeah. - That's a beautiful skill set. - I don't know about a skill set, just me being dumb. - No, so I'm not dumb. I wonder if you had the experience that I've had around taking all that energy that used to go into trying to figure out relationships,

 trying to figure out dating stuff, and suddenly I had all this additional energy that I could pour into my own things and my work. it started taking off from that point.

 That happened for you. - You're on your side. - So when I stopped dating other people and just started dating myself, that's how we can look at it, it was like I started conserving energy and that energy was able to be channeled into my work.

 - Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, of course. I mean, you get exhausted when you just start dating. give so much for yourself, every level you learn to reserve, your energy in yourself.

 You could focus on other things. Yes, that's very true. I mean, I wrote nine scripts. - Hey. - Yeah. - All right. - My goal is to put one film out of the year once I get this first one going.

 And just get a film out, or film a year and a half. - Yeah. - Yeah. - And you know. - That's amazing. - And I just want to tell these stories. - Yeah. - I just want to, you know, yeah,

 of course, 'cause you're not exhausted, mentally exhausted, physically exhausted when you're constantly, you know, that's why I, to me, women are amazing,

 right? 'Cause women, women give a life, right? Now I have a baby. baby, and babies require so much.

 - So much. - So much attention, so much. And yet you meet mothers and they still like, like if I was a mother, I'd be like, I ain't got time for nothing.

 - I'm done. - Yo, don't ask me shit. I gotta take care of these badass kids. They take up all, they suck up all my energy, all my life. And then you want me to be nice to you? - What? - I can't do it.

 - Like the world treat black people and women like shit all around and out. And it's amazing how like we don't see it.

 Like women are like life and stuff. But my dad told me a long time ago, my dad told me, told me my brother's own. Maybe it was just me.

 You know, I think my brother said too. to, whenever you're with a girl, friend, good wife, whatever, always pay. And not pay to control them,

 like some other group to use their money. They're always paid because women don't get paid as much as men. So-- - Love that. - Pay because women give so much and we still cheat them like shit.

 So always pay for-- women and they make better fights with better people. - Yeah. - I like, you know.

 - Thanks, son. - Take care. But you just like always take care of the females in your life, you know. You never cheated on moms. And we knew where my dad was most of the time.

 But also, when mother told me something, she said, "One time, probably my dad had a huge argument." And she said,

 "I wish your dad would cheat on me, "so I could have pulled a ways of the leaf." I was like, at some point, I was like... - She's getting a lot of information. - Just leave,

 I didn't say that. I'm like, just leave. And then it made sense because she couldn't just leave him for this dumb argument, you know? These other people was having like real problems that,

 you know, it was some dumb shit. Like, let's just say we should get this serial instead of this serial. And they have a huge, it's like, why didn't you leave him? Man, ah,

 he didn't like Rice Krispies. He's like... like, "My man beat my ass and we're still together." So yeah, so, yeah,

 my dad was amazing. I mean, the film is named after my dad in the movies. - Is he no longer with us? - No, he is. - When did he cross? - '91. - '91.

 - Yeah. - Oh, wow. In a minute. - Yeah. - Well, you know, you still. - Of course. course, you're feeling with you? - Yeah. - Yeah. - So yeah, so... - Can I ask you,

 so my mom died last year. - Sorry about that. - Oh, thank you. It was one of the most beautiful experiences of my life, I have to say. - Have you a mother? - Watching her die and being part of her passing.

 Our relationship wasn't good. for most of my life, but the last five years, we figured it out. I mean, the work that I've been doing on myself was a huge credit to that.

 But she also, I watched, I observed her changing, like she stopped drinking, she started listening, she started paying, because when you're drinking it and you're alcoholic, it's hard to pay attention.

 The confirmation is coming in. And our relationship transformed. And I'll still, it's been, that was September last year, about a year and some change.

 And I'll still see her in my dreams, like, even I'll hug her in my dreams, and I'll feel a hug in my body, like phantom touch, when they call it, where you like, do you,

 how has your dad lived with you in your life now? How do you set him now? now? - Just do what he,

 teachings and his now they ask to us, you know, like, you know, every now and then I'll do something. And I like, my dad used to say,

 you know, we always say, I remember we used to do a joke. I'm not sure. I haven't done this joke. in so long. And not even a joke, but we always say when we grow up, we're not gonna be like our parents.

 And we grow up to become exactly like our parents. - I think it's the truth. - I know, I forgot how to let's go. - Well, I have nothing to say about your dad. - But it's like, now when I do almost every day,

 I'll do something, I'm like, oh, I'm just like my dad. You know, and then I also, I start, also understand why he did what he did and the things he did,

 you know? And I get it, you know, as a kid, you don't, you know? But I, and then I understand, I'm like, oh, I get it, you know?

 That was his way of teaching and passing out, I lessened out. a very, very full lesson to TN and stuff. - Do you like hear his voice in your head?

 - Sometimes, yeah. I just found out that things like, either 10 or 40 % of people could hear their thoughts. - Hear other people's thoughts?

 - No, hear their thoughts. - Hear their own thoughts, like clear audience. They could hear their voices in their head, they could think. - Yeah. - Do you hear about that? Do you hear about that? - I haven't heard those numbers, but. - It's some, I'm like, I thought,

 'cause I could think out loud in my head all the time. I heard there's some people who can't, they can't. - I didn't know. - I'm like, what? - That must be, that must be weird.

 - No wonder they're so, is that-- - Oh, they're crazy. - Yeah, like. - Yeah, so this might. might, there may be really out there,

 but I also can hear other voices in my head as well. - Okay. - Like I woke up in the middle of the night and 2020 during the pandemic, and I could hear a song that wasn't,

 no one was playing a song, but I could hear a song. It's a song I'd never heard before. - Okay, I think I'd experienced the same thing, but what do you have to explain? - So,

 yeah, so I would, woke up and I just heard this woman's voice singing. ♪ Remember you, remember me ♪ ♪ Remember us both together ♪ On repeat.

 I just heard it for like, I just sat there for like 10 minutes. You know, there's no one in the room, there's no one in the house. You know, there's nothing going on around me. And it was just the most...

 beautiful, but it's just really beautiful. - What about the lights, look away? - No, I'm right in the picture. - I think our, the human mind is very fascinating.

 - Yeah. - The way processes information, the way, you know, a lot of times we're doing things to protect you, a lot of times doing things to, you know,

 we're just so that I hear stuff. as well. So when I heard that, a lot of people don't have, nothing's going on upstairs. - Yeah, yeah. - And I'm like,

 no, most of my, I live, there's so much that goes on up here. And you know, like when you saying like you heard a song, I hear stuff as well,

 but it's just, you know-- - What do you hear? - Various things. - Like instructions. instruction? - I hear people's voices, Clairaudient. They have my mom's voice, Clairs. They want my dad's voice,

 Clairs. Like I could hear their voice. - So you know, in the spiritual world, they call that clear audience? - Oh, no, I know that. - Yeah. When you can hear someone else's voice clear as day,

 like they're sitting next to you. - Right. - And they call it clear audience. - Yeah, so like when I impersonate my parents on stage, it's 'cause I-- - I'm thinking about that. that. Now, why you do these?

 Yeah. When you're, when you're a participant, you're a dad. Yeah. Yeah. So it was like because I, because I hear it. I hear it. Yeah. I love that. Um. Which does, have you always since forever heard voices like that or?

 Yeah. There was one time I was like, my mom's cell was eight, between eight and the left. I can't remember what to say.

 What grade are you in when you're in 7th grade? Oh, yeah, age and 7th grade. I want to say like 10, 11, 12. I'm not so good at 6th.

 Yeah, because if you graduated 18. 6th grade, so 7th, yeah, that's 6th grade. I just remember that I was going to okay. I just heard in my ear and

 I was the only one in the house to my goals. Like, just like that. Now it was like, no,

 it's like, and I just remember, I ain't know what's to do with that. Don't go inside the house. - Say, no to what? - Don't, like,

 just, and I've been hearing stuff like, but that was, so, I was the first time I heard. - Crystal Clear. - In my ear. It was like, it was not in my head. It was like, you know,

 like something just in my ear. - Yeah. - And I was like. - That's what I did the first time. I was like. - You what? - And then for a hot second, I'm like,

 or maybe I'm like Superman, I could hit. Maybe someone said no, like, you know, in next town over. but I just didn't know, you know, you know,

 do you know, do you really, you know what synchronicity is? You believe in it? Not that, first of all, it's not, it's not something to believe in,

 it just doesn't happen. Yeah, but I believe it has some, I believe it's more than accident. Right. And so I just started keeping track of all these synchronous of these things that's been happening.

 Do you wanna hear the craziest? - I love it, yes. - Craziest one that ever happened to me. Okay, you know the song "Biggie Smalls Juicy"?

 - Huh? - You know the "Juicy"? - Uh -huh. - There's a line and song that says, blow up like the world trade. - Yes. - On that night.

 - Okay. - Okay. - So, I just need to let, in case you don't know that song. - I mean, I don't know it like I couldn't rap it to you. - No, that's fine. - But like, I've, I've been-- - Just that, that, that, that. - And I recognize the line.

 - So, I'm in my house, at Cone Hall, from Boxing. And I start flipping through the channels. This,

 this was, when was this, 2019? I started flipping to the channels on my television. I flipped, I started about my flip.

 So I got to a show where it was talking about the Oklahoma bomb, right? And the Oklahoma bomb,

 it was a part where there was so much terrorism in the United States, where it was like, you know, there's so much terrorism in the United States. then they talked about you know other stuff like the world trace and or the wake of Texas I and What's that guy saying shit?

 Billy's blue. No, I forgot the guy. He went to the woods. Anyway, and They was when I said that they got to the part We're just a world trace and I and goes like blow up like the world trade right?

 Same time, with the maybe a split of a second, someone outside my house driving their car blasting at 30 smalls,

 but not just that song, but right at that lyric where and driving and ass blow up like the world trade and then blow up like the world trade and then keep going.

 going and then I was like did you sit down I was already sitting there yeah but I was I got to go look out the window and that car kept on going and this show kept on playing by this moment like it's not like the song was playing yeah at just and there was it would just that specific line amazing and I was like you know, 

a lot of times I started thinking, is someone trying to communicate? Yeah. Yeah, what do you think about that? Look,

 it's crazy ignorant of us to assume we're the only beings out here. I think it is crazy. Tell me. I bet I could have went up beyond crazy here.

but yeah what you got wow is that Wil Sylvince just the best isn't he so lovely don't you think so i know i do i love talking with him he's just so fascinating Next week,

we complete this conversation. He talks more about his working methods as a comic, what he's working on with his film, and we talk about, for a surprise twist, higher life forms or other life forms that are beyond our scope of understanding as humans.

 Interesting twist. It's a fun conversation. If you enjoy this video, please like, share, and subscribe. Power We Hold podcast, please, please, please rate and review this podcast wherever you listen,

 it really helps. And share it with a friend, have conversations with people that you know or people that you meet about the people we talk to on this podcast. And please follow @vanessaalburyofficial and @Coral.projects.

 Everything's in the show notes. or links. If you would like to support this work and coral projects, you may purchase your very own custom Sea Coin. What is a custom Sea Coin?

 It's a beautiful, handmade sculpture that's eco -friendly, one. And two, supports the healing of the human -ocean's relationship.

 So all the funds for all the Sea Coins goes directly to Coral Projects and our work in education and on our documentary film. For more on that,

 please go to the website, coralprojects.com, also in the show notes. And I look forward to chatting with you next week. Have a good one.