Words: Raja Izz
For sixteen years, Rizal Kamal has been the architect of Malaysia's laughter, the founder behind LOL Asia, the powerhouse that brought Kevin Hart, Russell Peters, David Blaine and over 300 international acts to sold-out stages across more than 20 cities. He built an empire on the premise that a room full of people laughing together is one of life's most restorative experiences. Now, with LOL Asia pushing into AI-integrated storytelling, Rizal remains at the forefront of reinventing what live entertainment looks like in Asia.
This year, Rizal is building something that shifts the question entirely: instead of how to make people feel good tonight, he's asking how to help them feel good for decades to come. Enter ThriveFest: a new venture into healthspan and longevity - after years of watching his father battle kidney disease, which inspired a deeply personal understanding of the value of living well.
In this conversation, Rizal opens up about the mindset shift from building entertainment empires to building a health movement, why he considers vitality the new status symbol among high performers, above watches or property, and what he believes real discipline looks like for a generation of men taught to endure rather than recover. It's a rare, unguarded look at a man who has spent his career giving Malaysians permission to laugh, now asking them to consider something more enduring: permission to thrive.
For almost two decades, LOL Asia has been in the business of creating unforgettable moments. Thrive represents something very different. What convinced you that the next great experience worth building wasn't another festival but a movement around healthspan and longevity?
For many years, LOL Asia has been about creating beautiful experiences through laughter and music. We started with comedy because there really is nothing quite like hearing a room full of people laugh together. For those couple of hours, people forget about work, stress and everything weighing them down. They leave feeling lighter, happier and more connected. That's always been our purpose.
People often say laughter is the best medicine. While it may not literally cure disease, I've always believed what we do contributes to people's health and wellbeing.
When people ask me why we started Thrive, I don't see it as a completely different mission. It's the same mission, just taken further.
Instead of helping people feel better for one night, we want to help them feel better every day.
My motivation became deeply personal after watching my father live with kidney disease for fourteen years. He went through four major surgeries, years of dialysis and countless hospital visits. My father spent millions on his health - on doctors, medicine and hospitals. It made me ask a simple question. What if we spent more time helping people stay healthy instead of only treating them after they became sick?
At the same time, I realised the world was changing. More people are discovering that by eating better, moving more, managing stress and prioritising sleep, they can live stronger, healthier and happier lives.
That's what excites me about Thrive. I believe we're at the beginning of a global movement that's going to redefine what healthy ageing looks like. If Thrive can help more Malaysians become part of that movement, then we're building something far bigger than a festival.
Many high performing men spend their thirties and forties accumulating wealth while quietly sacrificing sleep, recovery and metabolic health. At what point did you realise that success without vitality is, ultimately, a poor investment?
I've always known that if you work relentlessly without looking after your health, there will eventually be consequences. The challenge is that most of us don't know what the alternative looks like.
For years, I assumed getting older meant having less energy, putting on weight and accepting that decline was inevitable. Then I started diving deep into the world of health and longevity, and it completely changed my perspective. I realised that small changes, done consistently, could completely change the direction of my life.
Today, I'm stronger, healthier and have more energy than I did a few years ago. I'm more muscular, I look better and I genuinely feel younger. None of it came from a miracle. It came from changing a few daily habits and sticking with them.
I like to think of it this way. Every choice we make either helps us cycle up or cycle down. Positive habits compound over time.
I often thank my dad in my prayers. Through his struggle, he gave me one final gift. The motivation to become a healthier and better version of myself.
Thrive deliberately speaks about healthspan rather than simply lifespan. If you had to explain that distinction to an ambitious executive who only measures success through career progression, how would you persuade him that extending healthy years may be the greatest return on investment he'll ever make?
To me, healthspan is really about buying time. And I think time is the most valuable thing any human being can have.
If you asked someone in their seventies or eighties whether they'd trade all their money to feel young, energetic and healthy again, I think many of them would say yes in a heartbeat. That's what healthspan is. It's not just living longer. It's having more years where you can truly live.
I already play pickleball with my daughters and their friends, and I fully intend to do the same with my teenage grandson one day. In fact, I plan to kick his ass on the court too. That's the dream.
Healthspan also gives you something incredibly valuable: freedom. When you have more healthy years ahead of you, your investments have more time to compound, your wealth has more time to grow and you have more freedom to choose how you want to live.
People often talk about retirement. I honestly don't think that way. I dream about celebrating my 100th birthday, still building, still learning and still contributing to the world. If I can do that with a sharp mind and a strong body, that's the ultimate freedom.
I genuinely believe this generation has opportunities that no generation before us has had. We have the knowledge to shape how we age, and that's incredibly exciting.
For decades, men were taught to endure exhaustion, suppress stress and equate resilience with pushing harder. Do you believe modern masculinity now requires a different definition, one where recovery, preventive health and emotional wellbeing become signs of discipline rather than weakness?
I think being a man has always been about taking responsibility. Responsibility for your family, your work and the people who depend on you. Today, that responsibility also includes looking after your own health.
For a long time, we celebrated people who worked until they were exhausted and wore stress like a badge of honour. I don't think that's strength anymore. If your health breaks down, eventually everything else starts to suffer too.
To me, discipline isn't just working harder. It's eating well, training consistently, managing stress and getting enough sleep so you can keep showing up at your best. Recovery isn't a reward. It's part of performing at a high level.
I'm turning 51 this year, and one thing I really pride myself on is being able to walk into any room and bring positive, electric energy. That doesn't happen by accident. It comes from taking care of my health and respecting recovery.
Ultimately, I want to be the best version of myself for the people who matter most. My wife deserves the healthiest husband I can be. My daughters deserve an energetic father. My team deserves a leader who brings clarity, optimism and energy every single day. To me, that's what real strength looks like.
Luxury has traditionally been associated with watches, cars and property. Yet increasingly, we're seeing people invest in blood biomarkers, sleep quality, strength, nutrition and recovery. Has optimal health quietly become the ultimate status symbol of the next generation?
As people become more informed, what they aspire to naturally changes. Success is no longer just about what you own. It's also about how you feel. What's the point of building wealth if you don't have the health to enjoy it?
Don't get me wrong. I still appreciate a beautiful watch or a nice car. But today, I genuinely admire the 60 year old who can hike a mountain, the 70 year old who still lifts weights and the 80 year old who can travel the world with energy and independence. That's a different kind of success.
I think we're going to see a generation of people who look younger, move better and stay mentally sharp for much longer than any generation before them.
To me, the ultimate luxury isn't something you park in your garage or wear on your wrist. It's waking up every morning feeling strong, full of energy and excited for the day ahead. That's something money alone can't buy. You earn it through the choices you make every day.
Running a fast growing business is mentally demanding. Beyond business strategy, what daily disciplines have become non negotiable for preserving your own energy, decision making quality and long term performance?
One of the biggest shifts for me has been understanding that my body isn't working against me. It's simply responding to the signals I give it.
Understanding how hormones influence my energy, focus and hunger completely changed the way I think about health. Once I understood that, I stopped relying on willpower and started working with my biology instead.
That led me to adopt a few simple rules. I don't eat sweet foods in the morning. I prioritise protein. If I'm having dessert, it's after a meal, never before. I move after I eat whenever I can. I get morning sunlight. I choose sleep over another hour of scrolling on my phone.
None of these habits are difficult. The magic is that they compound. When you feel better, you naturally make better decisions, and that creates an upward cycle.
Today, I don't see these as health habits. They're leadership habits. They help me become a better husband, father, leader and hopefully a better human being.
Rizal with Malaysian social media sensation Uncle Roger (left) and Taiwanese-American stand-up comedian Atsuko Okatsuka (Photo: LOL Asia)
If a successful Malaysian executive in his forties came to you and admitted, "I've built a career, but I've neglected my health," where would you advise him to begin? Which habits create the greatest long term impact without becoming overwhelming?
The first step isn't diet or exercise. It's your mindset.
You have to believe that a stronger, healthier version of yourself is possible. Too many people accept feeling tired or unhealthy as a normal part of ageing. I don't believe that anymore.
From what I've learned, people struggle to change for two reasons. First, they don't have the right knowledge. Second, they're trapped by habits they've built over many years.
Once your mindset shifts, I'd focus on the four foundations. Eat nutritious whole food. Move your body regularly and build muscle. Manage your stress. Prioritise quality sleep.
One of the first things I did was clear out my pantry and fridge. I got rid of the foods that were working against me and filled them with nutritious alternatives. Then I focused on making healthy food delicious. Something amazing happens after a while. The cravings for processed food begin to fade, and your body starts craving the foods that make you feel good. Once you cross that line, everything becomes easier.
Don't try to be perfect. Just get a little better every day. The small wins will compound.
When people look back on Thrive ten years from now, what do you hope they remember? A successful wellness festival or the moment Malaysian culture fundamentally changed the way it thinks about ageing, performance and living well?
I genuinely hope people don't remember Thrive as a festival. Festivals come and go.
I hope they remember it as the beginning of a movement.
A movement where more Malaysians realised they didn't have to accept poor health as a normal part of ageing. Where people discovered that living longer isn't the goal. Living better is.
I hope families start exercising together. Friends choose to meet for a game of pickleball instead of just dinner. Companies begin investing in the health of their people because they realise healthier teams are happier and more productive. I hope healthy living simply becomes part of our culture.
If, ten years from now, someone tells me, "Thrive inspired me to change my life," that would mean more to me than any business success.
We're not trying to build a successful festival. We're trying to help build a healthier generation.