Small Talk: Work | Play | Build

More people are showing up to work, doing exactly what's expected, and nothing more. It's being called quiet contribution. But is this really an employee problem, or is it a symptom of something much bigger? In this episode, Subha and Hasita unpack why engagement is falling across workplaces, what layoffs, AI, and constant uncertainty are doing to trust, and why both managers and employees...

Most Indian girls stop playing sport in their teens. Most never come back. Subha and Hasita speak with Dr. Vijay Krishnamurthy (sports researcher, executive coach) and Swetha Subbiah (co-founder Sisters in Sweat) on the safety, infrastructure, cultural pressure, and quiet guilt that keep women out of sport long after school ends and what it actually takes to play again. This conversation examines...

Ever lose track of time listening to a stranger's story? This episode is about why podcasts have that power and what they've quietly taught us about curiosity, belonging, and how we think. We spend a lot of time talking about careers, work, and personal growth. But where do those ideas come from? In this episode, Subha and Hasita take a detour into the medium that has shaped so much of the...

AI, Layoffs & Relevance at Work: Are We Falling Behind? You may not lose your job to AI. You might just quietly stagnate. Subha and Hasita on the uncomfortable middle ground most of us are sitting in: AI replacing teams, 'good enough' outputs becoming dangerous, and the human skills that suddenly matter more — not less — in 2026.Why are experienced professionals still in demand even as...

What does sports psychology really do for elite athletes? In this episode of Small Talk: Work | Play | Build, sports psychologist Dr. Chaitanya Sridhar breaks down how mindset, identity and team dynamics shape performance — and why most of what we call ‘motivation’ isn’t the actual job. We unpack what the field looks like in India, where it’s underdeveloped, and how aspiring professionals can buil...

What if hybrid work quietly destroyed the part of your job that taught you everything? Subha and Hasita unpack what we traded away for Zoom efficiency - the overheard mentorship, the meetings you weren't meant to learn from, the senior leader you watched and thought 'that's who I want to become. The Watercooler Gap at Work: What We Lost in the Race for Efficiency We’ve optimized work f...

The 'safe career' is over. Promotions vanish overnight, AI is rewriting half the job market, and the LinkedIn playbook from 2019 doesn't work anymore. Here are Subha and Hasita on how to transition without blowing up your life - bridge roles, financial cushions, identity shifts, and why waiting for clarity is what's actually holding you back. The idea of a “safe career” sounds reas...

Why are most careers in Indian sport invisible — and what does it actually take to build a champion? Subha and Hasita talk with Saumil Majmudar (Sports Village) and Deepthi Bopaiah (ex-CEO, GoSports Foundation) about the real system behind Indian sport: grassroots participation, elite performance, funding, and the dozens of careers nobody tells you about. In this episode of Small Talk, we go beyon...

You got promoted because you were a high performer. Now your job has nothing to do with the work that got you here — and nobody told you how to manage former peers, give hard feedback, or stop doing everything yourself. Subha and Hasita on the first-time manager identity crisis: the first 90 days, imposter syndrome, and what makes managers future-proof in the AI era. The day you become a manager,...

At some point, if you’re paying attention, you look up and ask yourself: now what? Mid-career isn’t just about being in your 40s. It’s not a milestone defined by age or tenure. It’s that moment when the promotions have happened, the validation has come in, and yet something feels unfinished. Or unclear. In this episode, we explore what mid-career really means today. What happens when you don’t wan...

What happens when men can't afford to be vulnerable? Successful, capable, in-charge — and quietly, privately, isolated. Subha and Hasita speak with Srini Ramaswamy (Men's Circle India) and Nikhil Damle (Iridium Coaching) on why so many men appear strong but feel alone — at work, at home, and inside gender expectations that haven't caught up to reality."For years on this podcast, w...

From the moment we enter the education system, we’re sorted into lanes- science kid, commerce kid, arts kid. Soon after, those lanes turn into job titles. Banker. Engineer. Marketer. Manager. But what happens when the role disappears? When layoffs hit, when AI reshapes work, when burnout creeps in, or when the identity you carried for years no longer fits? In this episode of Small Talk: Work, Play...

Did women ruin the workplace or did the workplace finally have to evolve? In this episode, Hasita and Subha with their long, hard-earned careers unpack why that question keeps resurfacing and why it feels wildly out of step with the realities of work in 2026.Sparked by a recent piece from The New York Times, we look past the headline and into what’s really being debated: power, change, and discomf...

What does it take to build something that genuinely changes lives — and not lose yourself doing it? Subha and Hasita with Saraswathi Padmanabhan (Diyaghar, education for migrant workers' children) and Meghana Dutta (Studio Decode, social-impact architecture) on second-act careers, purpose-led work, and scaling impact without losing soul. What does it really take to build spaces that don’t just...

If 2025 was chaotic, inspiring, and confusing in equal measure… welcome to our love letter to 2026.This episode is part vision board, part workplace therapy, part manifesto. Subha and Hasita talk about everything they want the next year to hold, from AI that finally does the small things right, to workplaces that stop treating women like a disruption, to career paths that make room for joy, skills...

Gen Z has entered the chat, and the workplace, and nothing looks the same anymore. From side hustles to Zoom etiquette to why loyalty looks completely different today, this episode breaks down the real tensions, the misunderstandings, and the untapped potential of the youngest workforce entering India’s offices. Subha and Hasita get candid about shifting workplace norms, the collapse of shared cul...

Here’s the thing: power has always been seen as masculine, and nurturing as feminine. But what if true leadership needs both? In this conversation, Nirupama Subramaniam, author of Powerful and The Nurturing Quotient, joins Subha and Hasita to talk about leadership, guilt, gender, and the courage it takes to claim your voice. She shares stories from her own nonlinear career, what stops women from f...

A candid Subha × Hasita conversation on our emotional relationship with money, what we were taught (and not taught), and how that silently shapes career moves, risk-taking, freelancing choices, and freedom. Subha & Hasita explore how our “money scripts” - family beliefs and cultural stories about earning, saving, and risk - quietly influence every career move we make. They discuss:- Why money...

Feeling stuck in your career? Wondering what to do next or how to make sense of all the skills you’ve picked up over the years? In this episode of Small Talk: Work Play Build, Subha and Hasita break down how to uncover your hidden skills, identify what really energizes you, and find direction that actually pays, in every sense of the word. Perfect for anyone on a career break, midlife pivot, or ju...

We live in an age when your phone can finish your sentences, but can it finish your thoughts? In this deeply reflective episode, Subha and Hasita sit down with Kashyap Kompella and Dr. Sujata Kelkar Shetty to ask: What is technology doing to our emotional lives, particularly for teenagers growing up in a hyper-connected era? Meet our guests- Kashyap Kompella leads RPA2AI Research, advising global...

Everyone says ‘communication is key’, but why do so many of us still get it wrong? From endless WhatsApp pings to performative LinkedIn posts to the dreaded unreadable work email, we’re surrounded by noise. But is anyone truly listening? In this episode, Subha and Hasita dive into why communication has become a lost art, why good listening is rarer than original thought, and how being intentional...

In this episode of Small Talk: Work, Play, Build, we dive into the hidden side of toxic workplaces, where the abuse isn’t obvious, but it’s real. From micromanagement and gaslighting to manipulative clients and power plays, these behaviours destroy careers and confidence without anyone noticing. What you’ll learn in this episode: - How to recognize subtle signs of toxicity at work - Why leaving a...

Can stories really save a city? Ecologist, author, and professor Harini Nagendra believes they can; and Bengaluru needs them now more than ever. Once a city of a thousand lakes, today Bengaluru struggles with traffic gridlock, water shortages, and extreme heat. In this conversation, Harini takes us through the city’s forgotten ecological history, the science behind urban resilience, and why collab...

What really counts as bad workplace behaviour in 2025?Moonlighting. Faking bills. Ghosting on Zoom. Showing up in sliders. We’ve seen it all. In this episode, Subha and Hasita get into the real (and absurd) stories that shape today’s evolving idea of “professionalism.” What’s fair, what’s foul, and what’s just funny? From Soham Parekh’s multiple-job moonlighting saga to office party meltdowns and...

Everyone sees the applause, the costumes, the final performance. But what about the hustle behind it? In this powerful guest episode of Small Talk: Work| Play| Build, host Subha speaks with acclaimed dancers Smt Anuradha Vikranth and Shri Parshwanath Upadhye, about building a creative life in full public view. From facing self-doubt and burnout to carving a space for themselves as performers, educ...