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.