What if the darkest seasons of your life became the foundation of your greatest clarity?

In this soul-deep episode of The Knowing Podcast, host Christene Marie sits down with Sammy Aslam—entrepreneur, former convict, and the heart behind Alyshaan Fine Rugs—to explore identity, emotional safety, love, addiction recovery, and the surprising transformations that happen in solitude.

From how prison shaped his inner world to the intimacy and safety he’s found in his marriage, Sammy brings humor, wisdom, and raw truth to the table. You’ll leave this conversation reflecting on what parts of yourself are worth keeping—and which ones it’s finally time to release.

0:00 Intro

0:30 Podcast Intro

1:08 Sammy Guest Intro

4:27 Addiction, Loyalty & the Bond That Survived It

10:52 KPIs for Healthy Relationships? Yes, Please

16:00 The Power of Being Deeply Understood In Relationships

18:37 Emotional Protection vs. Codependency

26:17 Christene’s Story: Pain, Protection, and Childhood Illness

34:17 Understanding as a Bridge to Empathy

41:00 How Prison Made Me Who I Am

44:07 Identifying Who You Want to Be (Through Books)

50:30 Final Reflection: Knowing You Still Have Work To Do

📚Recommended Books to Read discussed in this episode:

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky

As a Man Thinketh by James Allen

💬 Comment below: What part of this conversation stayed with you? 🎧 Subscribe for weekly episodes on self-awareness, business, and relationships 🔔 Hit the bell to get notified when new episodes drop 📲 Follow us on Instagram: @theknowingpodcast

#TheKnowingPodcast #SammyAslam #EmotionalIntelligence #FromConvictToCEO #MarriageAndRecovery #KnowYourself #PersonalGrowth #UnderstandingHeals #AlyshaanFineRugs #EntrepreneurshipWithHeart #ChristeneMarie

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Sammy Aslam is the co-owner of Alyshaan Fine Rugs, Arizona’s premier destination for high-end, ethically sourced, and design-forward area rugs. Located in Scottsdale and serving luxury clients across the U.S., Alyshaan is renowned for its integrity, curated quality, and unmatched customer service.

Sammy brings the same thoughtfulness, emotional intelligence, and clarity to his work in the rug industry as he does to his life and relationships. Whether you’re furnishing a space—or healing one—you’ll feel the difference.

🔗 Visit: www.alyshaan.com

In this raw and resonant episode of The Knowing Podcast, Christene sits down with Dmitri Smirnov, entrepreneur, ad strategist, husband, and father of two, to explore the emotional journey of becoming an adult—one where you learn to hold grief and joy, fear and hope, truth and contradiction, all at once.

From growing up as an only child and navigating early identity confusion, to redefining freedom, parenting, and the power of silence—this conversation touches both the cerebral and the soulful.

🔑 Topics include:

• Identity and non-conformity
• Rewriting inherited narratives
• The antidote to pride
• Defining emotional adulthood
• The value of modern stillness

Whether you're navigating personal transitions, parenting from a place of growth, or reclaiming your voice—this episode will meet you right where you are.

⏱️ Chapters:

0:00 Intro

0:24 Podcast Introduction

1:03 Introducing Dmitri

4:24 Only Child and Living in Freedom

10:30 Unspoken Rules & Painful Baseball Lessons

15:55 Names & Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

20:00 Awakening and Gratitude

34:12 The Real Definition of Adulthood

38:16 Grieving While Showing Up

41:00 Becoming Your Own Caretaker

49:21 Shower Thoughts & Modern Meditation

56:58 Processing vs Avoiding

👇 Leave a comment: What’s a contradiction you’ve learned to hold as truth?

👉 Subscribe for more conversations at the intersection of emotional health, identity, and impact.

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#TheKnowingPodcast #EmotionalIntelligence #Adulthood #InnerWork #SelfDiscovery #ChristeneMarie #DmitriSmirnoff #EmotionalMaturity #GratitudePractice #ModernMasculinity #PodcastChapters #KnowYourself

📲Follow + 📌Connect with Host Christene Marie

🔹 Follow The Knowing Podcast on Instagram: @theknowingpodcast

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🔹 Learn more at: https://www.theknowingagency.com/

🔹 Sign up for Christene Marie’s Newsletter: https://christenemarie.com/receive-newsletter/

🔹 Invite Christene to speak: https://christenemarie.com/speaking/

Dmitri is a performance marketing expert and Founder and CEO of Big Life Marketing. With a unique mix of creative intuition and analytical rigor, he helps purpose-driven entrepreneurs craft messaging that converts and stories that resonate.

More than a strategist, Dmitri is also a philosopher at heart—known for weaving emotional intelligence into everything from marketing to marriage.

🔗 Connect with Dmitri: Website: https://biglifemarketing.com/ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dmitri-smirnov Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/biglifemarketing/

This episode of The Knowing Podcast goes straight to the heart of modern entrepreneurship—where high achievement meets emotional exhaustion. Christene Marie sits down with digital entrepreneur and agency owner Adam McChesney, who opens up about chasing success, losing himself, and the powerful moment he chose alignment over accolades.

🔑 Together, they explore:

• The hidden cost of being "always on"
• How business partnerships can mirror unresolved childhood dynamics
• What it really takes to know yourself and your worth

Whether you’re building a business, navigating complex relationships, or in the middle of a personal reckoning—this one will hit deep.

0:00 Intro

0:30 Welcome to The Knowing Podcast

1:08 Introducing Adam

4:40 The Story of Adam's Father's Business

8:03 A Business Exit That Brought Up Healing Generational Patterns

10:27 The Lie Entrepreneurs Tell Themselves: "I’m Doing It For My Family"

16:13 Christene on Religious Conditioning & Reclaiming Intuition

19:30 Avoiding Conflict and the Cost of Sweeping Things Under the Rug

24:46 Adam on Pattern Recognition and Taking Ownership

28:53 Drawing a Line in the Sand: Choosing Alignment Over Achievement

34:30 Defining Relationship KPIs for Business and Life

46:55 Subconscious Distractions and the Power of a Mental Audit

• 🔔 Subscribe to The Knowing Podcast for more real conversations every week.
• 👍 Like this video if you’ve ever struggled with alignment in business or life.
• 💬 Drop a “🔥” in the comments if you’ve been through a major life pivot.
• 📲 Share this episode with someone building a business and a life.
• 📲Follow us on Instagram and Tick Tock @theknowingpodcast for more rich content.

✨ What part of Adam’s story resonated with you the most? Let’s talk about it below 👇

#KnowingPodcast #AdamMcChesney #EmotionalIntelligence #BusinessAlignment #Entrepreneurship #InnerWork #KnowYourself #LeadershipJourney #BurnoutRecovery #ConsciousBusiness #PersonalGrowth #BusinessBoundaries #FoundersLife #MindsetShift #AuthenticLiving #DigitalMarketing #MastermindCommunity #SelfReflection #EmotionalWellness #HealingThroughWork

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📲Follow + 📌Connect:

🔹 Follow The Knowing Podcast on Instagram: @theknowingpodcast

🔹 Follow The Knowing Podcast on TickTock: @theknowingpodcast

🔹 Learn more at: https://www.theknowingagency.com/

🔹 Sign up for Christene Marie’s Newsletter: https://christenemarie.com/receive-newsletter/

🔹 Invite Christene to speak: https://christenemarie.com/speaking/

—

Adam McChesney is a St. Louis-based digital marketing expert, speaker, and entrepreneur who helps service-based businesses grow through SEO, lead generation, and personal branding. After exiting a multi-million-dollar agency partnership that no longer aligned with his values, Adam launched his own agency and a mastermind community that teaches business owners how to grow authentically and profitably.

🔗 Website: https://adammcchesney.com 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adammcchesney 📸 Instagram: @adammcchesney 🐦 Twitter/X: @Adam_L_McChesney