Why I Started This Podcast
Breaking the silence around men’s mental health in the Arab world.
I’m Karim. Like many Arab men, I grew up believing that strength meant silence. You fight through. You don’t talk about it. Real men don’t cry.
For years, I carried that belief with me — until it nearly broke me. I battled depression for eight years, masked my ADHD, and slowly cracked under the weight of what I thought “being a man” required.
Koon Rijjeil was born from that breaking point. Not as therapy — but as real, honest conversations. A space to ask the uncomfortable questions, challenge expectations, and explore what it truly means to be a man, out loud.
The Story Behind Koon Rijjeil
Koon Rijjeil was born shortly after the Beirut Port Explosion — a moment that shook an entire region and exposed just how much pain people were carrying in silence.
For me, it began for two reasons.
The first was simple. I knew that so many people were struggling, but not everyone was talking about it — especially men. And I knew exactly why. We were taught to silence our feelings. We feared judgment. No one ever showed us how to speak up or ask for help.
The second reason was more personal.
Growing up, I was never really taught what it means to “be a man.” And when you actually sit with that question, you realize how complex, layered, and endless that debate truly is.
Koon Rijjeil became my way of exploring that question out loud — through honest, unfiltered conversations with athletes, therapists, coaches, and everyday people who were willing to be real.
This podcast isn’t about fixing anyone.
It’s about listening.
It’s about understanding.
And it’s about reminding men that they don’t have to carry everything alone.
The Heart of Koon Rijjeil
Where men speak, listen, and heal together.