Take a pause with Varun Duggirala

The CEO & Co-Founder of Under25 Anto Philip went on a prolonged personal break from social media in 2020. As the brain behind one of India’s most prominent youth culture platforms, Anto has seen the sheer exhaustion that comes with the constant demands of social media, especially as a content creator. In this episode, Anto and I talk about what keeps us going as creators and how focusing on conten...

Adam Mosseri the head of Instagram recently announced that they’re no longer a photo sharing app and while that got all the headlines what he said beyond that in terms of their focus areas as a platform signals in many ways the future of all social media. More on todays episode. Follow me across social media platforms @VarunDuggi Write in at hellos@varunduggi.com And to be a part of my exclusive f...

We all feel that sudden sense of feeling like an imposter, like someone will call us out for being a fraud.. and it drives us to take less risks and in turn majorly reduce our own self confidence. I have a system of dealing with my own sense of imposter syndrome and I share the same on today’s episode. Follow me across social media platforms @VarunDuggi And to be a part of my exclusive first draft...

We all function differently and try to juggle multiple Pieces while we do. But how can we set a system or framework for how we structure our work-life. I dig into this in today’s episode. Follow me across social media platforms @VarunDuggi And to be a part of my exclusive first draft idea base subscribe to my newsletter https://varunduggi.substack.com About the Varun Duggi Show The Varun Duggi sho...

Attaining a state of flow is one of those things that has gone from being something athletes focused on building to everyone now trying to attain it. To be able to fully concentrate without feeling the effort of it is something we all strive to achieve. Steven Kotler has devised 5 ways we can attain it and I run through those in today’s episode. Follow me across social media platforms @VarunDuggi...

Spotify just launched GreenRoom and while it may seem similar to Clubhouse & Twitter Spaces.. it might just give podcasters a clear way to connect their podcasts to the social audio phenomenon in a seamless way. All this and more on this week starter 🚀 episode of The Varun Duggi Show This is episode is available across all major podcast platforms Follow me across social media platforms @VarunDugg...

Have you found your anchor in life? The thing that holds you steady in the sea of uncertainty in the world around us. And what could it be? I’ve found a few things that form my anchor and I share the insight behind them on today’s episode Follow me across social media platforms @VarunDuggi And to be a part of my exclusive first draft idea base subscribe to my newsletter https://varunduggi.substack...

Instagram, Snapchat, Tiktok, youtube… Basically everyone’s getting into social commerce and Netflix just opened an online store. Are we finally seeing the start of the “curator economy”? And what does that foretell for the dynamic between creators and brands? All this and more on this week starter 🚀 episode of The Varun Duggi Show This is episode is available across all major podcast platforms. F...

In this episode of “The Varun Duggi Show”, I speak to actor & fellow podcaster Rytasha Rathore opens up on self-esteem issues that have plagued her as a young person growing up in the age of social media. And we look at exploring the connection between self-esteem and the ‘inner child’, , the role of societal expectations and social media creating standards that we feel we have to up to. We also d...

Niche used to be a your friendly neighbourhood store or boutique, but now it’s the biggest player in the room. So how did that happen and what does that say about the future of business and also us as humans. This is episode is available across all major podcast platforms. Follow me across social media platforms @VarunDuggi And to be a part of my exclusive first draft idea base subscribe to my new...

Have you felt that your life is too busy & cluttered? That there are always more things to do than you can fit into the time you have? There may be a way ( based on the Eisenhower matrix) for u to declutter it and find some semblance of balance. Listen to the episode for more Link to the newsletter edition referred to in the episode https://varunduggi.substack.com/p/un-managing-your-time-and-the-e...

What does the acquisition of MGM studios by Amazon tell us about the future of the entertainment business? Does the fact that Netflix will premiere more movies than anyone else in 2021 predict something we haven’t truly looked at from a macro pov? And where do the content creators of today fit into this new dynamic ? All this and more on this week starter 🚀 episode of The Varun Duggi Show This is...

What’s the first thing you do when u wake up in the morning? With most people ( including me till recently) you’d pick up your phone!! But what if there was a better way to start your day? A way that would help kick start your body and mind to be truly optimised for the day ahead. I’m digging into that in this episode of the Varun Duggi show and also connecting that to a concept I wrote about a wh...

Have you ever wondered what jobs will end up getting automated and which will scale and grow in the years to come? The answer might lie in the washing machine and a few other insights around it. Because the jobs of the future aren’t just about what you do, its what your job involves at a broader level and how your individuality might actually hold the answer. This is episode is available across al...

The wandering, tortured and aged picture of a poet is a common cliché. But modern poets today present a very different and diverse picture as individuals who’re channelling their feelings and experiences and amplifying it through poetry. One such writer, storyteller and poet is Yahya Bootwala (known for his viral 2017 piece “Shayad Wo Pyaar Nahi”), he left his 9-to-5 job at a fairly young age to f...

Starting this week, every Monday I’ll be giving you an insight about what’s happening in the broader New age Business & Content space that might just get your mind ticking about what the future holds. This week I dig into the shifts that are starting to happen in the creator economy through the mainstreaming of paid subscriptions for creators & what that might mean for the dynamics of the broader...

Hope is a word that holds new meaning for the world and especially our country at the moment. The actions of many citizens are giving hope to billions. And the correlation between hope and action is what today’s episode is about with some much needed inspiration from the story of Ady Barkan . Check out the episode for more. A relevant listen 🎧 for a Monday morning ... have a safe week everyone an...

Feeling overwhelmed? Feel a nagging sense of languishing? We’re all in a state of uncertainty as the world around us seems to be spiralling out of control. So how can we first help ourselves, and then help everyone around us? How can we regain enough balance and focus to truly be able to move ahead productively for us and everyone else? It could just be creating something helpful, or sharing relev...

The Peltzman effect might just explain one aspect of the Rapidly increasing COVID-19 cases after the vaccine started rolling out . It’s an aspect we need to crush as fast as we can no matter how much our minds tell Us otherwise. Stay safe everyone. Stay at home, avoid going out and wear a 😷 Check out the episode for more. A relevant listen 🎧 for a Monday morning ... have a safe week everyone and...

Have you ever thought to yourself...Writing film reviews is easy, anyone can do it? Well, maybe not! This week I dig into everything to do with building content around content and being a film critic with author, film critic and Editor-in-Chief at Film Companion, Anupama Chopra. And truly understand the need for a deep and informed understanding of cinema to properly critique a film. She talks abo...

Why do we always have a last minute rush as we get towards deadlines? No matter how long we have to complete the project at hand.. the rush is consistent! “Parkinson’s law” might have an explanation ( and maybe a possible solution too) Check out the episode for more. A great listen 🎧 for some information on a Monday morning ... have a great week everyone and catch you on Friday for a brand new co...

Over the last couple of years, my concept of what being fit means has changed from a superficial, bulked up muscular look to truly being fit for life. And a huge part of this transformation has been through what I have learnt from Functional Trainer Da Rulk’s training programmes.  His outlook on fitness is one that bases itself on improving your quality of life far beyond the exterior markers that...

How often have you judged people who have habits that you consider bad and How long have you struggled with getting rid of a bad habit yourself!? The problem with habits that are considered bad may not be the habit itself but something else.. the environment around you that allows these habits to grow! And maybe refocusing on this aspect might just be the instigator of change you need in life. Che...

Have you ever been curious about improv comedy? Obsessed over how you can organise your life better? Wondered how improv could be different from standup? Finding a cure for your tendency to hoard? Who better to hear it from than Indian-South African improv artist & comedian Kaneez Surka, who it turns out is also a closet-Mary Kondo! We’ve all seen her across numerous online videos, stand-up perfor...

Are you someone who’s been pushed to set goals and work towards them your entire life? If yes, then (like me) There is a strong chance you might have destination addiction. And this week we discuss this phenomenon & how to beat it. A great listen 🎧 for some motivation on a Monday morning ... have a great week everyone and catch you on Friday for a brand new conversation episode for a dose of...