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I Left Youtube at the Height of Success, Now What?
Sep 19, 2025
I left YouTube at the height of success… but why? And what comes next? I stepped away from YouTube at the peak of success. The chaos of the world made me pause, recalibrate, and truly reflect on what matters most. This video is not just about leaving YouTube - it’s about what happens next. Growth, change, and new beginnings. I’m excited to share this journey with you and see where it leads. Business Enquiries: [email protected] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsjaypalfrey/?hl=en Website: https://www.jaypalfrey.com #LifeAfterYouTube #NextChapter #WhyILeft #YouTubeJourney #LifeReset #WhyILeftYouTube #NewChapter #ContentCreator #SocialMediaBreak #PersonalGrowth #CreatorLife #Motivation #MovingForward
View Video Transcript
0:01
Five years ago, I picked up a camera with no idea where it would lead
0:04
At the time, it was just curiosity, a way to capture small moments
0:08
but that simple decision became the beginning of a journey that took me further than I could have ever imagined
0:14
Since then, I've crossed continents, I've stood at the feet of world wonders, places I only once dreamed of
0:20
I've walked through deserts and climbed mountains, I've sat with families in remote villages eating meals cooked with love
0:25
shared by people who had so little but gave so much. I've met phenomenal people whose kindness and stories reminded me of the beauty of humanity
0:34
But travel is not only about beauty. It's also about chaos, about moments that test every part of who you are
0:41
I'll never forget the night I escaped Lebanon by boat. Bombs exploding in the distance, fire lighting up the sky behind me as we sailed towards Cyprus
0:50
In that moment, fear was heavy, but so was hope. Hope that I make it to tomorrow and that I can carry the story forward
0:57
moments like these change you forever they strip away the surface to show you who you really are
1:02
over these years i've been broken and rebuilt lost and found and there were times i struggled
1:08
to smile times when the weight of everything i'd seen just felt too much but slowly i've learned
1:13
how to carry it how to grow through it and how to keep moving forward this channel has never just
1:18
been about travel or adventure from the beginning my ambition was to document the real stories the
1:24
people behind the headlines, the lives often overlooked, the voices that deserved to be heard
1:30
This space has always been my diary, my companion and my way of bringing you with me, not just to
1:34
see the world but to meet its people, to understand its truths and to share the humanity that connects
1:40
all of us. And as I've grown, the way I tell stories must grow too. I don't know exactly what
1:46
this channel will become, it won't look the same as before. You know what, maybe it shouldn't
1:51
But one thing will never change. I will continue to tell stories with honesty, with heart and with purpose
1:58
And that brings me here to this moment. To a place where I can feel the fire returning
2:04
It's time to go back to where my spark was reignited. Back to the country that reminded me why I chose this path in the first place
2:12
Pakistan. This isn't just a return. It's a brand new beginning. And I'm ready to begin again
2:21
Before I go, there was a quick trip that I needed to take
2:28
When I was just one years old, my father left for Australia. For as long as I could remember, that word, Australia, carried a weight
2:35
It wasn't beaches or sunshine or adventure. It was absence, and it was the echo of someone who chose distance over presence
2:41
For years, I believed this place would always be tied to that chapter of my past
2:45
But I reached a point where I realised, our stories don't have to stay the same
2:49
and we can choose to rewrite them. So, I came here to stand in the landscapes I only imagined through a lens of uncertainty
2:56
and in doing so, I discovered something powerful. Places are not defined by the people who leave us
3:03
they are defined by the meaning we choose to give them. Travel changes you and for me, Australia is no longer a story of abandonment
3:10
It's a story of healing, of reclaiming, of turning shadows into something beautiful
3:14
because now when I stand at the edge of Sydney Harbour, watching the sun melt into the horizon, I don't feel what was missing. I feel everything that I've
3:23
gained. And in that moment, I finally understood this country, this city, this life was never his
3:29
to take away. It was always mine to claim. Hello everybody
5:23
I made it to Pakistan. Alhamdulillah, it's my first time back in a year
5:28
I feel all kinds of feelings right now. Phenomenal to be back
5:34
And this is something I'll get into later. But before I do, I think it's best we just take one or two minutes
5:42
just you and I, to just go over what's been happening. I need to take just one or two minutes of your time
5:47
just to explain why I've been away for so long. And let's do it now
5:51
It's been a while since you've seen me. I think a year since I uploaded any updated content
5:57
and more than one year ever since I posted the content about Palestine back in 2023
6:04
my channel has never really been the same ever since. It's been hard for me to relate my feelings on camera like this to a big DSLR camera
6:13
because I haven't been feeling good because of this situation in the world
6:19
and it's hard for me to come on this camera and travel the world
6:24
and be happy to other people when the world is just so chaotic and I'm still growing, I'm still a human
6:31
and I'm living this experience with you and I'm still learning and I'm trying to balance everything
6:36
and I just haven't been able to balance everything. My emotions paired with the chaos of the world
6:41
has been quite intimidating and like a rollercoaster pretty much over the last year
6:49
I would say. But I've also been traveling a lot. I just took my 44th flight of the year so far
6:56
to arrive here in Islamabad. And I've been in 16 countries. Pakistan is number 16 or 17
7:03
this year. I've been in six countries over the last four weeks, which has been a phenomenal
7:09
journey, a whirlwind journey, and one I'm grateful for. But I've been living most of my life away
7:15
from this camera, which is why you haven't seen me too. This year has been one of the busiest
7:19
years of my life. I've really thrown myself into experiencing life away from the camera and truly
7:24
experiencing life to the fullest that I possibly can. I've seen how life can be taken away from a
7:30
lot of people and I'm not letting that happen. I want to live every day to the best of my ability
7:37
even when I'm so exhausted, even when I'm so tired. Like now, I've slept one hour in the last 24 hours
7:42
and I'm still alive. I'm still happy and I'm trying to fill myself with positivity because that
7:49
is the best I can do for myself. Truth is, this year, I've grown a lot. I am tremendously proud
7:54
of myself. I actually just won my first award for my work, which I'm very grateful for. And that
8:01
of course is dedicated to all of you for supporting me for allowing me to continue this journey So thank you I put a photo on the screen so you can see the award and this is for all of you guys thank you again and
8:12
honestly the truth of why i haven't been uploading is i've struggled to find my identity again
8:17
i have grown so much over the last i mean especially the last five years but over the
8:23
last year especially i've grown tremendously and i didn't feel like the content that i was making
8:28
is really my style anymore. It's not really what I want to be creating
8:32
I find the travel market now so saturated and the amount of vloggers that are out there
8:39
filming over an hour-long content to post, which, you know, the real gem parts of those videos
8:49
the information they're sharing, the interactions with locals, their ethos behind making those videos
8:55
They're not, for me, what I want to be creating. I don't want to create that kind of style
9:02
I want my videos to have a story like they always have. I want them to come with truth, with no ulterior motive
9:08
And that's what's going to happen. I've changed, so my content is going to change
9:13
What are you going to see more on this channel? You're going to see more stories. You're going to see me storytelling more
9:18
as you kind of saw in the first introduction of this video. So I want to bring myself into the videos more along with my interaction
9:27
So before, I like to think that I was giving the voice to other people and sharing their stories and giving more information about the country
9:36
the tribes that I met, the languages they speak, trying to learn the languages, which of course I will still do
9:42
But I want to incorporate more of my journey and create more of a story out of each video and to take you guys on a journey
9:49
I want you to look on every video and watch every video and take something away which is emotionally meaningful
9:57
I don't want my videos to become those very unforgettable videos. I want you to learn something from every single video and I hope to continue that
10:04
Inshallah I can. So I just wanted to come on really fast and just explain why I haven't been here and just to say I am back
10:11
I'm back with a lot of positivity, a lot of good energy, and I'm excited to be taking you on my journey with me across the world again
10:20
And I hope you're excited. I've missed you. So, as I mentioned, I'm back in Pakistan, the country which ignited my spark right at the beginning five years ago
10:30
Five years ago, back in 2020, I came here for the first time, and now I am back
10:35
on Sunday in just a few days. I will be heading out to the mountains, but before that I want to
10:40
take just a few days here in the city to re-acclimatize myself to this phenomenal part of
10:44
the world, my favorite country. And last night I flew overnight from Malaysia to Qatar, Qatar to
10:52
Islamabad. It was a journey from door to door, my house to my hotel here in Pakistan. It was a
10:59
journey of around 22 hours. It was tiring, but I'm going to try and enjoy my day, my first day here
11:05
and I love taking the hiking trails here in Islamabad. Islamabad is one of the most beautiful capital cities in the world
11:12
It's pure green. It looks like it's going to rain, but that's not going to stop me
11:17
I'm going to head to Trail 2, one of my favorites, and head up into the foothills of the Himalayas
11:24
which I don't think any other capital city has. Right, the foothills of the Himalayas
11:29
Incredible. I'm going to take a walk, take a small hike, and go and enjoy the views
11:33
and on this trip I've actually also brought my drone. I have a drone with me this trip
11:39
I haven't taken a drone with me to Pakistan since 2020 so the footage I think is going to be sublime
11:45
and if the weather doesn't rain hopefully we'll get some good videos
11:48
but let's see. Either way I'm excited and yeah I'm pumped to be back
11:54
Chale, let's go. been Wow I have not been here after the monsoon
12:31
this place has grown over so much it's so green and it smells so fresh
12:39
wow surrounded by all of these wildflowers driving here i got an in-drive motorbike
12:47
and right at the bottom of the hills there were so many monkeys i'm not sure maybe the rain has
12:54
pushed them further down or maybe it's because there were so many so many uh food trucks
13:01
down there selling fresh corn. Wow, you guys. Oof. I'm not sure if I can be walking here during this time
13:10
Do you think there would be snakes or something else buried in the grass
13:16
Hopefully nothing too crazy. so
13:39
so this is my 18th trip to pakistan in the space of five years i've explored all over the country
14:00
apart from Kashmir and Balotistan and it's definitely one country which I know like the back of my hand
14:07
I don't need a map, I just started the trail I've done this trail so many times that I don't even look around me
14:15
there's barely any path and I still know where I'm going and that's also one reason why I love being here
14:22
is I love just going out without internet being able to freely explore without any worry
14:28
and oh it's great to be able to reconnect like this is something i will never ever take for
14:37
granted i don't think i'm too far from the top and the area the viewpoint is called the manekor
14:44
and it's a viewpoint where a lot of people come to for sunset there's not going to be that much
14:49
of a sunset today it's a little cloudy but let's see what we can see from up there usually you can
14:54
see the Faisal Mosque and there usually are a lot of monkeys. So let's see
15:21
Welcome to Pakistan! Good morning. It's the next day
15:35
Beautiful first day here in Pakistan. Of course, as always, it's always amazing
15:40
And I wanted to end the video by saying thank you. Thank you for sticking with me
15:45
I'm beyond excited to see where this journey continues to take me. And I hope you're excited to see the videos in the near future
15:51
I'm going to do my best to be uploading as often as I can. Of course, no promises
15:56
I'm just going to do the best I can and not take so much pressure on myself
16:01
And I'm going to do my best to create the best videos I possibly can. And thank you again
16:07
I'll see you very soon
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