Difficult-ish

there are the birthdays that we grew up watching on tv, and then the birthdays that we grew up actually living.... we already know that the infamous tradition for many south asian families is fake feeding cake for the pictures for every birthday celebration, but on top of that, we got gifted gold, had parties with only our parents friends, or got celebrated differently because of our position in t...

whether it be financial insecurity, societal expectations, or just family customs, a lot of us grew up thinking there's less time, money, and opportunities in the world than there really is. the scarcity mindset manifests into us from early to late, and is something we have to unlearn so we can start thinking more abundantly! in this episode, we go in depth on where we still struggle with thin...

as south asian kids who grew up in america, we faced A LOT of culture shocks and rude awakenings when going out into the real world. some may be just pronouncing VERY easy words wrong, not getting allowances every week, using an oven as storage, or wearing house sandals instead of outside shoes inside the home. this is a jam packed episode filled with funny experiences where we just felt DUMB for...

first and foremost, the new "shopno স্বপ্ন" collection by labyrinthave is out NOW!!! mou poured her heart into this collection and designed 4 garments all from scratch. show her some love and check it out here: https://www.labyrinthave.com/ in today's episode, we discussed the four main parenting styles, being permissive, authoritative, authoritarian, and uninvolved, but specifically h...

hi hi hi! in this episode, we dissect the different ways that we've celebrated accomplishments as children of immigrants versus some of the culture shocks we've faced when other groups celebrate. whether it's putting the cap and gown on our immigrant parents when we graduate or buying them a house with our big boy jobs, it's just interesting to see the stark disparity in celebratio...

you guys loved our episodes of physical health and wellness in the south asian community, so we added to go a bit more in detail with today's episode on body image. every person in the world has their own journey with body image, but there are some underlying themes that follow people of the south asian disapora specifically, whether it's the rich food culture, societal norms, deprioritiza...

in today’s episode we have priyanka ganjoo, the founder of “Kulfi Beauty,” Sephora’s first ever south asian beauty brand!! she shares so many gems on starting a makeup brand all by herself, including the triumphs as an Indian-American female business owner, the creative process behind formulating and creating inclusive makeup, financial setbacks, and so much more. her conversation with us was so i...

in this much requested post grad episode, we talk about the uncertainty and burnout after graduating from school and being expected to know what to do for the rest of your life. we both graduated last year and we've learned so many things about post grad depression, taking a break, adult friendships, what success should feel like, structure and stability, overcoming burnout, and so much more....

this is one JAM PACKED episode because not only do we talk about the taboo nature of health in the south asian community, but our food culture, anti doctors and medications, why it's difficult to seek help as immigrant parents, body dysmorphia, and so much more. we really had a lot to say in this episode on this topic. stay tuned for the next one on the taboo conversation on mental health! kee...

first and foremost, thank you apple podcasts from putting our faces on the browse page highlights for aapi month!!! we're honored to be some of the creators you've chosen to celebrate this month, and for that, we wanted to spend an episode talking bout how aapi month means to us, what are takes are on who's represented this month and why, and in what ways we hope to see the recognition...

as requested, here's a part 2 on how to become financially literate for a group of people who were never taught much about money!! in this episode, we talk about how we budget intelligently after all the horrible mistakes we made, getting over spending guilt, saving for long term goals instead of short term, and so much more. if you're from any ethnic crowd, especially the south asian comm...

hi :) mashnun's doing another solo ep this week because mou wants to go live her best life in amsterdam right now, but do not be worried, i have this under control! i spent this episode recapping my poetry reading in nyc a few days ago, sharing my experience with mushroom-infused lattes and meeting the guy that inspired me to write my poetry book, and giving our listeners a look into some of t...

hello hello!! for this episode, we’re revisiting a topic we spoke on a year ago about our journeys towards financial independence! money is a touchy subject for a lot of south asians, especially the ones that don’t come from the most favorable upbringings. from recognizing early how important money is, to balancing multiple jobs, to making a bunch of mistakes along the way, we get real transparent...

ramadan mubarak to all of our lovely listeners!! in this episode we let all of you in on how ramadan has been treating the two of us, what healthy habits we’ve been practicing consistently for ourselves, and a plethora of silly stories to share regardless of your religious background. whether you wanna hear about mashnun’s latest haggling situation, mohuya’s latest mushroom mayhem, or a little bit...

only a back to back episode on what south asian men can do better in the community is on difficultish :p in this weeks continuation, we talk more in depth about some of the stereotypical roles that men have and what they can do to support women. this includes unlearning misogynistic mindsets, allowing and being happy that their wives are earning more money, or literally just learning how to cook....

this episode is WELL overdue! we talk about the traditional role that south asian men play in our culture and the learned helplessness that they have when it comes to a lot of matters that become the woman's responsibility. we talk very extensively about all of the responses that you all sent about what south asian men can do better to support women and just be better individuals.... and there...

hola :) in this q&a, we got questions that range from, "how do you balance ambition with work and life?" to "what's the most rebellious thing you did as a kid?". whether it be something to help out our fellow children of immigrant listeners or just talk about our fav coffee orders, we got a lil something for everyone. hope u enjoy as always! listen now or else keep tabs on...

ani sanyal ( @anihustles ) is the real deal. he embodies true entrepreneurship to the core, from the mindset, to the action, to everything in between, and he's our special guest for today's pod! ani is the co-founder of nyc-based kolkata chai co and run several 6 and 7 fig businesses, but he's lived through a rollercoaster of a life to gain the wisdom and expertise that he's gifted...

specifically as children of immigrants, a lot of us grew up with people pleasing tendencies where we felt like we constantly needed validation from everyone, we put our mental health aside to do something because we don't want to disappoint anyone, and so much more. in this episode, we talk about what causes these tendencies in south asian kids and how it gets passed down from our immigrant pa...

this episode is all about solo dates! why we love them, why it's scary in the beginning, why we sometimes feel like we don't deserve them, and our favorite ones to do :) our generation of south asian youth are inherently taught that we can give ourselves time and love when we're married, have kids, and all our problems magically disappear. the two of us struggled with self love for awh...

this long overdue and much needed episode on the topic of colorism is finally here! first off, we talk about the roots of anti blackness and where colorism comes from during colonial times and why lighter skin is favored in so many different cultures. after, we talk about our own experiences with colorism, from male and female standpoints, and how it affected our self esteems. whether it be casual...

"well if your house is so toxic, why don't you move out?" well susan, we can't just simply do that. in this week's episode, we talk about how difficult it is to have mental peace or be productive in a toxic south asian household and some of the small practices we've implemented to improve our mental well being. whether it be going to a coffee shop to be productive and be aw...

2nd guest of the year already?? we're on a roll all thanks to the wonderful radhia rahman (she/they), a queer bengali-american illustrator based out of nyc. after getting her bfa in illustration, they've gone on to build their own eco-friendly small business, patreon, and youtube, and worked alongside notable names like buzzfeed, skullcandy, and adult swim. with them being an avid listener...

social anxiety is common in south asian kids and children of immigrants, but obviously everyone. it stems from being discouraged from socializing when you're younger, only having a formal relationship with parents where it's seen as disrespectful to answer back casually, and so much more. so in this episode, we talk about our experience with social anxiety, how it might've heightened n...

hello hello coming to you live after our sold out nyc showcase!!! to celebrate a successful past weekend, we dedicated this episode to talk bout our love for reading, literary arts, and share our favorite novels/poetry books by south asian authors. mohuya is definitely the reader between the two of us, she has so much to share in this episode, and much more across all her platforms!  we talk our f...