You know those nights where you're doomscrolling TikTok, half-watching Love Island, and somehow end up talking to ChatGPT about your ex? Yeah. Same.
In this episode, Anahita and Jesselina get real about what we’re all secretly doing—bingeing “mindless” content and ask if it’s actually mindless at all. From Rakhi Sawant deep dives to emotional support sitcoms and the sweet relief of rewatching shows we already know the ending to, they unpack what “brain rot” really means in a world that never shuts up.
Why do we feel guilty for needing to switch off? Why do we pretend some content doesn’t “count”? And why are the shows that make us feel the most seen often the ones people love to hate?
This one’s messy, funny, a little chaotic and surprisingly tender. Because maybe, just maybe, the things we consume when we’re not trying to be smart are saying something really important about who we are.
Spoiler alert: Rakhi Sawant was in Main Hoon Na.
Clickable Timestamps
(00:32) "Do we sound like people who started a podcast out of boredom?"
(03:44) ChatGPT, therapy, and the new emotional outsourcing
(06:52) Astro GPT, false hope, and when AI becomes your best friend
(09:47) Anxiety, spoilers, and the comfort of rewatching old shows
(12:37) Squid Game, overstimulation, and doomscrolling to survive
(15:22) Deep cinema vs dumb shows: do we really need to pick a side?
(18:14) Who are the PAPs? (Pretentious Alt People explained)
(20:32) TikTok, Finstas & the new language of internet girlhood
(23:17) Love Island as a social experiment (not a guilty pleasure)
(26:42) Rakhi Sawant, Takeshi’s Castle & the golden age of chaotic icons
(29:55) Meme culture, emotional processing & staying connected
(33:10) Why “low-brow” content is more political than we think
(37:16) Pop culture vs ideology: what actually shapes society?
(40:34) Can brain rot be a form of resistance?
If a city doesn’t work for women, it doesn’t work for anyone.” In this powerful episode, Jesselina and Anahita unpack the invisible gender biases built into our cities—design flaws that don’t just inconvenience women, they actively exclude them.
From unsafe college walkways and inaccessible public transport to public bathrooms that ignore menstruation, this conversation lays bare the very real consequences of male-default urban planning. And no—it’s not just about safety. It’s about ambition, leisure, and the basic freedom to move through public space without fear.
Rooted in personal stories, data, and lived experience across Delhi, Kathmandu, and LA, this episode reveals why gender-inclusive cities aren’t a luxury—they’re a necessity for a truly sustainable world.
Clickable Timestamps
(02:39) Why sustainable cities are more personal than we think
(03:50)Cities are designed for men, by men.
(06:46) Jesselina’s NLUD story: how a 10-minute walk became a daily risk
(10:44) Public toilets that fail women (and everyone else)
(12:41) Mobility, class, and why public transport isn’t built for all
(16:02)When a dinner and pickleball plan turns into a safety negotiation
(20:04) Fake phone calls, pepper spray, and the exhausting mental load
(23:48) Why women avoid parks—and how Kathmandu got it right
(28:40) Girls at Dhabas: Pakistan’s story of reclaiming the right to exist
(30:23) Crash tests, cold offices, and other everyday design failures
(32:43) Small wins: inclusive bathrooms in Benares & Mumbai
(37:55) Breastfeeding, Colonialism and the gendering of public space
(42:33) Learning independence through metros, autos, and quiet rebellions
(48:03) Superstition, public space, and being shut out for having a period
Anahita’s whirlwind wedding extravaganza left her with a treasure trove of memories—and a crash course in wedding planning. Whether you’re dreaming of your own Big Fat South Asian Wedding or just trying to survive the chaos of it all, this one’s for you.
Join the duo as they unravel the madness behind the glitz: from budgeting headaches that stretch longer than the baraat, to the Instagram-fueled explosion of custom decor, and the fine line between tradition and trend. What started as a cozy family affair has snowballed into a full-blown industry—one that thrives by feeding on cultural dynamics and expectations.
Clickable timestamps:
(00:45) How to actually start planning a big, fat wedding
(04:42) Does she even know how to cook?
(09:00) Deciding or stretching your wedding budget?!
(15:37) Ana’s wedding missed one huge factor!
(21:22) The wedding aspiration trap — are we chasing the impossible?
(25:32) The Instagram-ification and industrialization of wedding planning
(30:00) Weddings as how families “give back” to South Asian society
(37:56) What’s a gift - what’s a dowry?
(42:33) Is the wedding industry exploiting cultural dynamics?
(46:46) How to pick your bridal trousseau
“Economies are built on the backs of women’s unpaid labor.” In this conversation, Anahita and Jesselina unpack the care economy through the lens of their South Asian upbringing and the women who shaped their world. They explore how homemakers, caretakers, and "working" women—often seen as opposing groups—all share one goal: for their work to be valued. For too long, the invisible, unpaid labor that sustains economies has been ignored and undervalued, trapping women in a false choice between work and care.Together, they confront this narrative, revealing that the invisibility of care is a loss for all.
(1:28) What Is the Care Economy?
(4:57) The Domestic Burden of Care and How to Break the Cycle
(6:51) Do Homemakers Even “Work”?
(10:21) Housewives by “Choice” and the Myth of Financial Independence
(15:16) Feminism Under Capitalism: Why Men Still Have It All
(17:25) Removing Gender Dynamics from the Division of Labor at Home
(23:19) Class Structures Within the Care Economy
(31:20) TradWife Influencers
(38:54) “Growing Up, I Never Knew a Relaxed Woman”
(43:36) Investing in the Care Economy, Not Just Spending
Jesselina has landed in LA for some well-deserved rest and recovery, and the duo is using this reunion to thoughtfully dive into your questions. In this episode, they reflect on the milestones and missteps of their 17-year friendship—exploring childhood experiences in boarding school that shaped their identities, teenage challenges that deepened their bond, and the complex realities of adulthood that continue to redefine their connection. Join them for honest conversations, heartfelt insights, and the kind of openness that lifelong friends share.
Clickable Timestamps:
(00:50) Why this bonus episode?
(03:24) How (and when) we became friends
(23:21) Meet our families
(31:05) Unpacking "the big fight"
Once burnt, twice shy—Anahita and Jesselina dive into the often-overlooked truth that friendships aren’t just a social accessory; they’re emotional lifelines. In a world that teaches us to orbit around romantic love, they explore what it means to recentre friendships as vital to identity, intimacy, and growth. Through honest reflections on marriage, breakups, shifting identities, and cultural expectations, they unpack the quiet ways adulthood can erode friendships—and how intentional connection can rebuild them. With humor, heart, and hard-won lessons, this episode is a reminder that your friendships aren’t secondary—they’re soul-defining. And sometimes, choosing your friends with the same devotion we’re taught to give romantic partners might just be the most loving thing you do for yourself.
Clickable Time Stamps:
(0:40) 6th Episode Already?! Reflecting on the Ride So Far
(2:20) The Bride’s Mom Said It Best: Don’t Lose Your Girlfriends
(4:10) When Marriage Feels Like No Man’s Land, Friendship Is Home
(5:30) The Rookie Mistake of making one Relationship your whole world
(8:00) Friendships aren't a backup plan for romantic love, silly!
(13:00) How to show up for a friend stuck in a Toxic Relationship
(16:00) He maybe McDreamy, but you are the Sun!!
(23:00) Are We Too Dependent on Romance? The Western Individualism Trap
(24:40) Diagnosing the 'Must Bring My Partner Everywhere' Syndrome
(30:40) Your Best Friends = Your Relationship Reality Check
(39:35) My friends brought cake, why settle for breadcrumbs?
(44:00) Petition to Normalize Moving for Friendships and..World Peace!
(46:30) Why Friendship Breakups Hurt Just as Much as Romantic Ones
(50:00) In a World That Centers Romance, Choose Your Friends On Purpose
After a weekend binge of Netflix’s latest chartbuster Adolescence, Anahita and Jesselina dive deep into the toxic layers of the manosphere, the algorithm-driven rage economy, and how young boys—our brothers, classmates, future men—are being shaped in silence. Between Andrew Tate’s influence and the seductive pull of digital echo chambers, we ask: who’s really raising our boys? From personal upbringing to cultural blind spots, we explore how family, society, and the Wild, Wild Web are colliding to create a generation caught in confusion—craving identity, seeking belonging, and finding it in all the wrong places.
Clickable Time Stamps
(0:44) 2 months anniversary, is LOLA still a situationship?
(1:14) Watching Adolescence on Netflix: Wow or Mehh..?
(7:45) Why are the Brits showing Adolescence in schools?
(9:36) Drip Drip Radicalisation of Boys in Manosphere
(12:00) Social Media Algorithms are watching the kids..all the time!
(13:46) Andrew Tate and the Seduction of Toxic Masculinity
(19:40) Schools are producing tech bros…irresponsibly..
(21:42) Checks and Balances of growing up with brothers in the house
(28:04) Exploring the theme of Nature vs Nurture in Gender Structures
(33:33) Breaking through the Taboos one conversation at a time
(35:36) Is it women’s responsibility to ensure men are included in feminist discourse?
(39:22) Creating equal accountability for Boys and Girls
Jesselina, a fiery Scorpio, and Anahita, a determined Capricorn, dive deep into the world of astrology and the occult. As they navigate their own differences in belief systems, they explore how horoscopes have wormed their way into everything—from Hindu households to TikTok algorithms. How much does your star sign really shape your life? Friendship, dating, and beyond... Add a sprinkle of capitalism, a dash of AI, a pinch of socio-economic uncertainty, stirred by the rise of godmen in South Asia, and you've got yourself the ultimate modern-day cosmic cocktail.
Clickable Time Stamps:
(0:25) Mercury in Retrograde!
(02:58) Astrology: A “Soft Science”?
(06:12) Childhood Tryst with Sun Signs
(11:00) What’s Your Raashi? Ana’s Passion for the Signs
(16:41) Horoscopes & Confirmation Bias: The Barnum Effect
(24:49) Socio-Economic Uncertainty and the Rise of Horoscope Consumption
(27:38) Is Horoscope a Form of Therapy Speak?
(30:11) Gemini Men and Aquarius Men
(37:30) Astro Expert Ana: Your Weekly Horoscope
(42:38) Capitalism, AI, and Horoscopes
(45:04) How Far is Too Far? Horoscopes, Tarot, and the Occult
Tune in to a very cathartic conversation on body shame in South Asia and beyond. Jesselina and Anahita open up about their journey with body image issues, PCOS, and how their childhood has shaped some of their most important mental battles. From learning to accept and love yourself to understanding the realities of colonialism, class, and gender on what we eat, how we eat, and how it builds our bodies and minds.
Clickable Time Stamps
(00:56) Letters to Our Younger Selves
(02:20) What’s Your Roman Empire?
(06:49) Body Shaming in School
(20:07) Thin or Fat: Women Are Constantly Made to Think About Their Bodies in South Asia
(24:30) Colonialism: Epigenetics of Weight Gain
(30:40) Women Often Eat Last and Eat Less in South Asia
(32:29) Class Structures and Obesity: A Correlation in the U.S
(35:21) A Journey to Body Objectivity
(44:03) Are Women Thinking More About Their Bodies Than Their Rights?
Anahita and Jesselina invite you into their world of digital dating — 8 years of rings, flings, and everything in between. Pre-COVID, dating apps were all the rage, but recently? The swipes have slowed, and stocks are sinking. As new types of apps pop up, the big question looms: Is technology to blame, or have men and women just lost interest in dating altogether?
(01:43) Apps to the Altar
(5:00) My Mom Was on Tinder!
(9:00) Apps Are Exhausting and Addictive
(14:11) The Commodification of Love
(18:48) Are the Apps Democratic?
(21:12) Straight Dating App Stocks Are Falling
(27:51) The Metaverse's Failure
(29:06) The Fertility Paradox
(30:54) Dating Outside Your Political Beliefs?
(35:16) The Battle of the Sexes?
(37:42) Dating Outside Your Bubble of Privilege
Join Jesselina and Anahita as they bring you this heartfelt conversation. The girlies open up about their personal stories, navigating the highs of their teen years and the challenges of their 20s. Through candid discussions, they explore what it means to be a woman in today’s complex world, all while embracing the power of friendship rooted in girlhood. With open communication—their love language (#LoLa)—they reflect on love, career, and the many layers of life as they make sense of it all.
