Overview of You Can't Buy Inner Peace, Here's How to Find It | Yung Pueblo
Lewis Howes talks with writer and meditation teacher Yung Pueblo (Diego Perez) about how to build real inner peace—not through money or external success, but through self-awareness, meditation, acceptance, and consistent inner work. The conversation centers on how to reduce stress, stop reacting impulsively, improve relationships, and live in alignment with your values, intuition, and nervous system.
Key Takeaways
- Inner peace is not the absence of problems. It’s the ability to stay spacious and calm in the mind while problems exist.
- You can’t buy peace. Money can reduce practical stress, but it can’t fix emotional suffering or attachment.
- Change is the only constant. Resistance to change creates suffering; flexibility creates freedom.
- Consistency matters more than intensity. A steady practice of meditation, reflection, and conscious action reshapes the mind over time.
- Self-awareness must include compassion. Awareness without kindness becomes shame or judgment.
- Healthy relationships require two regulated people. You can’t fully give love to someone who is constantly in an internal storm.
Main Topics Discussed
What Inner Peace Really Means
Yung Pueblo defines inner peace as mental spaciousness—the ability to observe tension, emotion, and discomfort without letting it control behavior. He emphasizes that peace is not constant bliss; it’s the capacity to stay grounded while life moves.
How to Respond to Stress and Overwhelm
When stress builds, he recommends:
- being honest about how you feel,
- voicing it to the people around you,
- avoiding projection and unnecessary conflict,
- and slowing down before reacting.
He notes that many arguments happen because people ignore their own tension and unconsciously dump it onto others.
Meditation, Retreats, and Mental Training
Yung Pueblo shares that he has meditated two hours a day since 2015 and has completed multiple silent retreats, including a 60-day retreat. He explains that these practices taught him:
- the mind is constantly changing,
- identity is temporary,
- and emotional reactions become lighter when you stop taking them so seriously.
Impermanence and the Nature of Reality
A major theme is that everything changes—the body, emotions, relationships, thoughts, and circumstances. Fighting that truth creates suffering. Accepting impermanence helps people:
- stop clinging,
- release control,
- and become more present with the people they love.
Relationships, Attachment, and Love
He speaks candidly about how meditation transformed his relationship with his wife:
- Before meditation, their relationship was filled with blame, projection, and conflict.
- Meditation helped them catch reactive patterns faster and apologize sooner.
- He realized love is not just about getting needs met, but about giving, receiving, and valuing the other person.
Healing vs. Freedom
Meditation originally helped him heal, but later became a path to freedom. Healing reduced mental heaviness; freedom came from letting go of attachment to identity and story. He also notes that healing can come through many paths, including therapy, journaling, hiking, and gratitude practices.
Why So Many People Suffer
He sees a common pattern in others:
- low self-worth,
- lack of purpose,
- loneliness,
- heartbreak,
- and disconnection from intuition.
He believes people often live in ways that are out of alignment with their deeper needs, which keeps the nervous system stressed and the mind stuck.
Practical Frameworks and Advice
The 4-Step Life Design Framework
Yung Pueblo outlines a simple process for building the life you want:
-
Intention
Know what you want and what matters to you. -
Action
Turn intention into behavior. -
Consistency
Keep showing up long enough for change to compound. -
Adaptability / Letting Go
Stay flexible, because what works now may not work later.
The 3-Part Alignment Model
He says self-worth grows when these three are aligned:
- Nervous system
- Intuition
- Values
If those are out of sync, people tend to feel anxious, make poor decisions, and stay stuck in misaligned jobs or relationships.
How to Interrupt Negative Self-Talk
His main advice: slow down.
- Notice the thought.
- Don’t immediately obey it.
- Ask whether it’s true or useful.
- Pause before reacting.
He frames inner peace as the ability to see the impulse without acting on it.
Notable Insights
- “You can’t pay for inner peace.”
- “When you fight change, you immediately cause yourself stress.”
- “The mind wants to blame others.”
- “The lightning-fast reaction is not the real you. It’s an old coping mechanism.”
- “Everything that arises ultimately passes away.”
- “Greatness is being the type of person that doesn’t want more of anything—you just want to serve.”
Lessons from Yung Pueblo’s Final Truths
If he could leave behind only three truths, they would be:
-
Impermanence is real
Everything that arises will eventually pass. -
Intuition pushes growth
It often leads you beyond comfort, not toward convenience. -
Who you surround yourself with matters
Spend time with people who embody the qualities you want to develop.
Recommended Actions / Takeaways for Listeners
- Start or strengthen a daily meditation practice.
- Practice slowing down before reacting.
- Replace self-judgment with compassionate self-awareness.
- Check whether your values, intuition, and nervous system are aligned.
- Be more intentional about the people you spend time with.
- Focus less on chasing external peace and more on cultivating inner stability.
About the Guest’s Current Work
Yung Pueblo discusses his book Journey: The Year That Changes Everything, a collection of 365 daily reflections designed to build self-awareness and inner peace. He also shares that he posts on Instagram daily and on Substack weekly, where he likes writing slower, more reflective pieces.