Why do the things we do “just for fun” feel so essential to who we are?

Whether we’re making small talk with strangers or trying to truly understand someone we love, we almost always end up asking the same question: What do you do in your free time?

Hobbies seem trivial, but they quietly reveal our desires, identities, and inner lives.

In this episode of we explore the surprising depth beneath our passions, from childhood curiosities to teenage self-definition, to the hobbies that rescue us in adulthood. We’ll look at why certain activities put us in a “flow state,” how hobbies offer emotional release, and why they can feel like tools of survival, not just leisure.

Because sometimes, the smallest acts like baking muffins, roller skating, or simply watching birds, are not escapes from life, but a way back into it.

T. S. Eliot once wrote, “I have measured out my life with coffee spoons,” and in many ways, that line captures the rhythm of modern life—how small rituals like drinking coffee come to define who we are.

From its legendary discovery by an Ethiopian goat herder to its journey through Sufi monasteries, Ottoman coffeehouses, and European “penny universities,” coffee has always fueled conversation, creativity, and culture. Today, it’s more than caffeine - it’s comfort, identity, and even a 'push'. We drink it to wake up, to think, to belong. It sharpens the mind, anchors the day, and symbolizes who we are or aspire to be.

In this episode, we explore how coffee is not just a beverage - it is a ritual, a cultural mirror, and a measure of modern existence.

Have you ever wondered why some people are sensitive to negative feedback, while others can remain unfazed and unbothered?

This episode unpacks why we take things personally, be it a casual remark, workplace feedback, or an offhand joke, and what factors lead us to getting easily triggered in such situations.

It also explores how deeply rooted insecurities, early experiences, and emotional habits like rumination exacerbate this habit, and what we can do to build self-assurance and confidence, so we can respond with equanimity instead of defensiveness.

Let us discuss how resilience and self-reliance are the key to building self possession - so that we can avoid taking things personally.

Hello everyone, and welcome to the podcast. This is a show where we explore the reasons behind our daily thoughts, feelings, and behaviours — the little things that we often wonder about, just partly understand, but never really question or ponder upon. 

So let's take a closer look and find out the meaning in the big and small things in life.