welcome back to your favorite pod where today’s topic is something we hear about all the time, and we wanted to focus on this generation of south asians and whether we see us as too soft or as justified in the way we think. our trips to bangladesh have been weighing heavy on us, and after spending time in the villages, we can’t help but recognize all that we take for granted out here. we talk our parents will to leave home, mental health, gratitude, and so much more. listen for cooking recipes!!...
Mar 05, 2024•46 min
dynamic duo is back😎 we JUST came back from our trips to bangladesh and we gots so much to share!! this episode is all about the culture shocks we faced being american-born bengalis, like the idolization of education, being scolded for wanting alone time, collectively washing hands in bowls, and a whole lot more. enjoy this one and the rest that we have to come!! keep tabs on us: our instagram: https://www.instagram.com/difficultish/ our youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCITGvzBnzyExvMP...
Feb 29, 2024•47 min
welcome to another solo episode, but from bangladesh!! have y'all ever traveled abroad to your mother country and your parents bring 10 huge luggages full of just gifts? in this week's story time episode, i talk about the whole process of getting your visa at the bangladesh embassy, buying souvenirs and gifts for your family back at home, and how to haggle like a pro. you're in for a ride with this episode so we hope u enjoy!! keep tabs on us: our instagram: https://www.instagram.com/difficultis...
Feb 20, 2024•27 min•Season 3Ep. 119
inspired by my boxing coach violating me for my subpar boxing skills, this solo episode is on handling criticism :/ being criticized is something i've always had difficulty accepting, but as we all know is vital to our growth and development. south asians can struggle with it the most cus of the insufficient ways we've been critizied by our family/community growing up, so my story is not unique, but surely one we can all relate to. tap in and share thoughts! keep tabs on us: our instagram: https...
Feb 13, 2024•26 min
we get it, it's hard to make friends as adults. especially as girls, we were taught to always compete with other girls and gossip where it feels impossible to find true girlfriends in your 20s. in this solo episode, mohuya talks about how to find and maintain those female friends when you move out of your hometown or outgrow old friendships. this episode is peak girlhood and i hope this video finds u in the algorithm if you're also on the same boat of trying to find ur people :) keep tabs on us:...
Feb 06, 2024•37 min•Season 3Ep. 117
ever had a 'cringey' moment in high school that you could never say out loud? well us too, except we're gonna tell you because we can laugh about it now and so you don't feel as alone. we got stories ranging from doing 5 talent shows in one sitting just to look cool in front of our classmates to buying the same prom dress as someone else, and everything else in between. high school is such a small portion in our lives, so there's no point to delve on the past when there's so much more look forwa...
Jan 30, 2024•46 min•Season 3Ep. 116
hello it’s mashnun and it’s my first solo ep on 2024🫂 wanted to keep it calm and just talk bout something that’s been on my mind in celebration of finally moving to nyc this one’s all bout taking risks as a south asian, my thought process behind why i did some of the risky things i did, how i built my foresight, and just some words of advice for my familia who are feeling complacent in life. show me luv cus i luv you i hope you enjoy Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy &...
Jan 28, 2024•31 min
growing up, we didn't have too much financial literacy and knowledge on credit cards, 401Ks, how to actually save up, healthy spending habits, and things related to money. we had to kinda learn about money the hard way by making mistakes and researching it on our own. in this episode, we're going to share some of our top lessons and advice about money so that you don't have to go through the same thing that we did. hope u enjoy!! keep tabs on us: our instagram: https://www.instagram.com/difficul...
Jan 23, 2024•44 min
y'all LOVED part one of this, so we had to come back stronger with part two of relationship red flags that you have to be wary of. this includes avoiding extreme mama's boys, guys that pay for everything just so they can have control over you, girls who have unsupportive friends, and also people who use too much social media...????some of these are also quite common in traditional, south asian relationships so cue the hot takes in this episode...t y'all need to listen before you commit to any re...
Jan 16, 2024•41 min•Season 3Ep. 113
welcome to the first solo episode of 2024!! in this episode with mohuya, we're going to talk about what habits i'm bringing with me and what i am leaving behind in the new year!! comparing yourself to others? nope, haven't heard of her. holding celebrities to high standards? couldn't be me. so if you also need inspo on what wellness routines to focus on in 2024 and what to leave behind, listen along to this :) enjoy!! keep tabs on us: our instagram: https://www.instagram.com/difficultish/ our yo...
Jan 12, 2024•28 min•Season 3Ep. 112
we always hear about 'the american dream' and how our parents moved across the world and sacrificed their livelihoods for us to achieve this ideal life. but it wasn't until we got older where we realized that our versions of the american dream is completely different than what we saw on western media and also what our parents expected of us. it's not really about having a white picket fence and it's not really about becoming a doctor to help our parents' reputation, but something completely diff...
Jan 09, 2024•39 min
hot topic for the first of 2024!! why do brown people feel the need to always please white people, and have the desire the satisfy them? we were inspired by a tiktok by @azitatoprahman who spoke about witnessing a ton of brown influencers and creators who built their platforms on the basis of being brown but have now been silent about what’s happening in 🍉. in this episode, we talk about where we’ve fell victim trying to please white people, brown on brown hatred, and how advocating for represe...
Jan 02, 2024•49 min
last episode of the year!! a lot has been going on and a lot has been on our minds so we wanted to spend this episode sharing a bit bout things we find ourselves closely attached to, how we end up with so much on our shoulders, and learning the process of detachment. whether its detaching ourselves from being so result driven, from family expectations, or just any external source that has too much control over us, the art of detachment is powerful and one that all south asians should practice. t...
Dec 26, 2023•50 min
we made fun of our mom's routines and hated making our bed growing up, but like maybe.... our parents were onto something. now that we're older, we have small self care routines and habits that may seem 'annoying' to do, but make the world of a difference when you're having those rough mental health days. things like washing the dishes before bed so you don't have to worry about it in the morning or waking up an hour before your usual time to have "me time" can be so beneficial for your current ...
Dec 19, 2023•30 min•Season 3Ep. 108
what happens when you have too much or have too little of discipline?? a lot of us struggle with not having enough discipline when having to study or go to the gym, and how exactly do we get over that??! in this episode, we do a deep dive on the importance of discipline and holding yourself accountable, but also knowing when to let go and be more spontaneous. we talk about how we started small to grow our discipline, how it affects our self esteem, the sacrifices we've made in our 20s to do it, ...
Dec 12, 2023•56 min•Season 3Ep. 107
growing up with money trauma and lack of financial security can cause south asians to end up super frugal or super reckless with their money, and in this episode, we explore the latter! whether its wanting to show off to family back home, suffering from poor money management, or just wanting to finally indulge in luxuries you were never granted, our community (including mashnun) could really use some help with their poor spending habits. do you really need that 3rd coffee or that $25 chicken san...
Dec 05, 2023•51 min•Season 3Ep. 106
doctor?? engineer?? both?? our teachers keep asking us what we want to do for the rest of our lives, our friends seem to have their lives already figured out, and our parents have imagined their version of a perfect future for us already, and we know, it's really overwhelming. in this episode, we share some of the key tips and factors that helped us figure out what we want to do with our lives, and finally take our life into our own hands. listen for a cookie! keep tabs on us: our instagram: htt...
Nov 28, 2023•55 min
welcome to part 2 on this mental health series! we talk about our personal experiences with finally seeking help for our ADHD and OCD and how it's still so taboo to speak on about these issues out loud to loved ones. we talk about the crazy insurance process, finding the right doctors, the long paperwork, medication, and so much more. hope our journeys make you feel less alone and allows you to seek help if you need it :) keep tabs on us: our instagram: https://www.instagram.com/difficultish/ ou...
Nov 21, 2023•47 min•Season 3Ep. 104
mental health is a huge brush stroke topic that we hit on every now and then, but we finally chose to spend an episode talking bout how the two of us learned bout our own diagnosed (and ongoing diagnosing) mental health conditions. even though this kinda stuff can be tough to talk about we know it can be super relatable for our listeners and we should celebrate more normalized conversations bout it in the first place!! mashnun talks about his adhd, mohuya talks about her ocd, and we share the si...
Nov 14, 2023•55 min•Season 3Ep. 103
in this episode, we talk about some of the negative experiences we've had as Muslims in a post 9/11 society. this includes taking off the hijab in elementary school, getting randomly checked at the airport, seeing false stereotypes in media, and so much more. these experiences are sensitive and still relevant today, especially in the climate of the world and islamophobia spreading even more, and we wanted to bring awareness to the severity of the issue. hope u enjoy the paan segment towards the ...
Nov 07, 2023•54 min•Season 3Ep. 102
we had our 100th episode nyc celebration and ended season 2...... but where the heck were we for over 2 months? here's our first episode back on season 3 and we talk about updates in our lives, our new youtube video implementations, mashnun's chess club, the gen*cide going on right now in the world, and so much more. we have so many fun things planned for this new season and we cannot wait for u to see!! keep tabs on us: our instagram: https://www.instagram.com/difficultish/ our youtube: https:/...
Oct 31, 2023•38 min•Season 3Ep. 101
the title says it all folks <3 we're excited to announce our 1st live event to celebrate 100 fun-filled episodes of difficult-ish!!!! august 18th in brooklyn, ny, join us in a night of mingling, connection, and celebration of the south asian diaspora through a live panel, bites, games, music, gifts, exclusive merch, and so much more. find the ticket link below!! in case that wasn't enough, we're just as excited to announce that mashnun is officially moving to nyc, and our next season will beg...
Aug 04, 2023•34 min•Season 2Ep. 100
the two of us got all dressed up and watched the barbie movie last weekend and boy do we have thoughts!! everyone thought the barbie movie would be a cutesy story bout white girl dolls and the color pink but we got so much more. motherhood, patriarchy, beauty standards, the list goes on, and we share our thoughts on it all. enjoy beloved ep 99!!!! see you next week for 100👀 Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy...
Jul 28, 2023•56 min•Season 2Ep. 99
ep 100 is approaching!!!! we wanted to do a final q+a before our 100th episode for any new listeners that have joined the fam, or old listeners that have had questions are stuff we don't usually answer on the pod. why did we start the pod? what the heck does labyrinthave even mean? how did we tell our parents we're pursuing creative careers? what would you tell your 18 year old self? all answered in this episode, plus some very special news..... Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brand...
Jul 22, 2023•40 min•Season 2Ep. 98
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 the family. with our birthdays coming up in august, we wanted to talk about our experiences growing u...
Jul 14, 2023•49 min•Season 2Ep. 97
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 thinking scarcely, where it all comes from, and how we push ourselves everyday to think abundantly. listen n...
Jul 07, 2023•48 min•Season 2Ep. 96
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 some of the cultural things we grew up with and seeing how people operate in the west. hope u enjoy!...
Jun 30, 2023•39 min•Season 2Ep. 95
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 how they look in a south asian upbringing. there are many similarities between each of our parents, but there are...
Jun 23, 2023•46 min•Season 2Ep. 94
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 celebration. even with all these wins, it still doesn't feel like we get acknowledged and appreciated for our hard work as chi...
Jun 16, 2023•43 min•Season 2Ep. 93
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, deprioritization of physical health, and so much more than we have loads of fun discussing so please listen! keep tabs o...
Jun 09, 2023•39 min•Season 2Ep. 92
