Difficult-ish
Episodes
surprise, we're married!
30 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
title says it all :') here's the story of our wedding, all the lovely moments and all the mishaps and everything in between. we are so thankfu...
why zohran mamdani might be bad for nyc...
10 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
zohran mamdani is a breath of fresh air for new york city and we are ecstatic that the people have come behind him, but we cant lie and say there are ...
almost cancelling our wedding, getting detained in spain, and more on where we've been
02 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
hello we are so happy you've come back to another episode of our pod where we talk about what we've been up to on our much needed season break...
working at google by day, olympics boxer by night w/ zinnat ferdous
24 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
a new season with a new guest!! introducing zinnat ferdous, who is the 1st female boxer to represent bangladesh and win various international matches ...
resentment, holding a grudge, and how to let things go
14 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
hellooo hello! this is our season finale as we both shift focus temporarily to so calm wedding planning!!! this episode is all about how easy it is to...
the most diabolical lies our immigrant parents told us growing up
07 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
all of our parents told their kids lies to protect them growing up, but how about the ones that blatantly make no sense?? did u hear that simply prayi...
family business = free babysitting + free labor
31 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
this is a special episode where we recount our funny labor stories growing up working at the gas station when we weren't supposed to be and workin...
choosing your own career and rejecting the immigrant parent life path
23 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
would you choose your own career even if it means breaking your immigrant parents heart? in this episode, we are talking all about the doctor, lawyer,...
nyc horror stories: living in the red light district, apartment break ins, and crazy neighbors
17 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
we always hear about living it up in NYC, but how about the horror stories?! we've never opened up about getting scammed out of thousands of dolla...
why brown people romanticize codependence
09 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
we always hear stories about people losing their identities when they get into relationships where they stop hanging out with their friends because th...
is brown aunty hate justified?
19 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
do brown aunties and uncles just gossip and judge? this episode may ruffle some of y'alls feathers because we talk about some good contributions t...
dameer on actually representing bangladesh, global dj moments, modernizing bangla music
12 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
its true its true we went all the way out to toronto, canada to speak with the one and only dameer khan! dameer is musician, global dj, and all around...
the hidden cost of code-switching to fit in
04 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
have u ever code switched to fit in? in this episode, we're talking all about changing the way you speak, dress, and act to be accepted into our w...
south asian propaganda we're not falling for | tanning, moving out, islamophobia
27 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
good day to our difficulters!! this episode is inspired by the tiktok trend on propaganda we should NOT be falling for, and we made this whole ep on s...
nyc has a generational opportunity with zohran mamdani
20 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
hello!!! if you're not sure why you should vote or care for these upcoming nyc elections, then this episode is for you! we break down the revoluti...
an honest talk on our wedding | finances, societal pressures, + do we invite our judgmental family?
13 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
we are in the engaged era and in the initial stages of wedding planning and OOF - we are stressed. in this very vulnerable tell ALL episode, we are ta...
5 things we don't owe to our immigrant parents
07 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
hello!!! this episode serves as a part 2 to last weeks 'do we owe everything to our immigrant parents?' where in this we talk about all the th...
do we owe everything to our immigrant parents?
30 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
are we spoiled for not giving everything to our immigrant parents like the last generation? do we not have boundaries if we choose to give our money a...
surprise, we're engaged!
23 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
it's so very true, your fav cohosts are engaged!! after 3+ years of long distance and being together for almost 5 years, we are so excited to shar...
how to escape the south asian competitive mindset
09 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
hello hello!! this episode is a part 2 to our recent episode on the roots of the south asian competitive mindset. we've all been there, our parent...
toxic south asian traditions that we won't be teaching our kids
02 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
we've all grown up with toxic cultural traditions and mindsets that just are NOT IT. whether it's parents placing earlier curfews on daughters...
how to deal with friend breakups | loneliness, self-blame, hope
25 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
we've all gone through bad friendship breakups that made us lose faith in making friends ever again. we've stayed friends with toxic friends o...
why do south asians compete with one another?: a breakdown
18 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
did you grow up constantly being compared to your smarter cousin and see family members talk down on everyone around them? did you ever get told to ga...
reacting to your unfiltered south asian pet peeves
11 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
yall loved the first time we did this so we had to run it back! for this episode, we asked you guys on ig to tell us your BIGGEST south asian pet peev...
success mindset shifts that the average person doesn't want you to know
04 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
many people overlook these powerful success mindset shifts and habits, but these WILL change the way you take risks, grow in your career, and become s...
interracial relationships, how to stop bed rotting, post-grad jobs: an advice session
28 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
you know we need to do another advice session with some of our most asked questions!! if you're struggling with approaching therapy for the first ...
6 red flags we had to unlearn to save our relationships
14 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
we are airing out all our dirty laundry here by exposing some of our WORST red flags that we've had to unlearn over the past few years. we talk ab...
toxic productivity + the hidden ways it manifests in your life
07 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
we've probably all pulled all nighters to study for a test or worked overtime and cancelled on plans, but what happens when it becomes a part of y...
these are our south asian hot takes...
28 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
our second time around on this topic and we get real spicy!!! join us for an episode of 6 hot takes on the south asian community, including but not li...
how to protect your peace in a toxic environment
21 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
this one is for all the people who have been in an unhealthy environment whether it's with toxic friends, family, or other loved ones. these are s...
here are some things we hid from our south asian parents...
14 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
sometimes you need to hide some things and live a double life in a south asian family... and in this episode we don't hold back. we share some of ...
escaping child marriage at 12 to graduating from harvard w/ aria mustary
07 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
the first guest of 2025 and she's the real deal!!! this episode is with our good friend aria mustary, a harvard grad the escaped child marriage at...
ending the cycle of self sabotaging + unlearning it as child of immigrants
31 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
we are officially in part 2 of our self sabotage series where we now talk about the tangible ways to stop self sabotaging. if you are wondering how to...
breaking down self-sabotaging for children of immigrants
24 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
if you're the type of person who have self sabotaging tendencies in your career and relationships, then this episode might be for you. we talk abo...
budgeting for beginners: tips to save more money
17 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
we all have guilty pleasures that we love spending money on and in this tell all episode, we get honest about our own spending habits. over the years,...
a lot is happening in the pop culture world and here are our thoughts...
11 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
if there's one thing that we do best, it is to yap about random pop culture topics that have flooded our for you feeds. is what luigi mangione did...
how you can overcome seasonal depression + 7 tips to survive it
03 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
many people experience seasonal depression right when the temperature goes down and daylight savings hit. in this episode, we talk about our own exper...
job hunting for 16 months + tips to finally get one
20 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Job hunting season is in full swing this new year so let’s talk about the actual process of trying to find a job in corporate America. Mashnun share...
gaining respect as an adult - in the workplace, families, + friendships
14 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
we talked about parentification of kids in last weeks episode, so this is part 2 of not getting taken serious as an adult. do your friends, parents, o...
the parentified child of immigrants, explained
06 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
this one's a heavy one but one we know so many can relate too; in this ep we're talking all about parentification, a very common theme in the ...
getting real about our holiday season anxiety...
29 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
happy holidays to our difficulters!! new season, new lights, new setting, but same dippin' dots talking this week about all the things that give u...
how to stop fearing change and actually welcome it (for people in a rut)
02 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
what better way is there to end the season than us talking about change!! in this episode, we talk about the feelings we get when we are in a rut and ...
chemical engineer by day, world-touring bangladeshi comedian by night w/ shafi hossain
24 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
how lucky are we to have the funniest engineer in the world on the pod!! shafi hossain (@shafistandsup) is a chemical engineer by day, world-touring b...
how to control your anger and channel it into good
17 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
difficulters!!! its time to speak on an unfortunate issue in our community, anger and temperament. anger can manifest in south asians from so many dif...
why life is better when you're busy
10 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
hello! solo mashnun episode time and its all about how too much freetime can be detrimental, and using a busy schedule to get you out a slump. we hear...
reacting to your controversial south asian pet peeves
03 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
what is the biggest south asian pet peeve that you have? we have MANY so in this episode we talk about phone call etiquette, inability to communicate,...
feeling unfulfilled in life, ungrateful siblings, + #1 tip for seniors: an advice session
22 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
don’t know why yall keep asking for advice from two dink doinks but here we go again!! this is a jam packed one with surprisingly some solid advice ...
125 concerts in a year, the bangla edm wave, + manifesting your dream life w/ ARINI
13 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
this is not a drill we got ARINI on the pod!! arinee rahman is bangladeshi content creator and dj hailing from san francisco and chances are you’ve ...
when brown traditions become toxic
06 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
welcome back to the one and only difficult-ish!! first and foremost our hearts and prayers go out to the brave and noble people of bangladesh who'...
building a south asian bubble tea empire w/ shaheer khan, owner of pyo chai
30 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
welcoming this weeks amazing guest, shaheer khan!! he is a nepali-pakistani american who is the founder of two successful south asian inspired bubble ...
how quitting drinking has changed my life (and how you can do it too)
27 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
in this solo episode, mohuya talks about her experience with quitting drinking alcohol in her 20's when it's so heavily ingrained in american ...
maybe im the problem. (this is your sign to self reflect)
23 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
we heard yall victimize yourselves and cant hold friendships?? so in this episode we offer you top tier self reflection tips so you can learn to be th...
exposing some gatekept confidence tips
16 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
welcome back to difficultish!!! this episode is all about confidence; how brown people can struggle with confidence, what true confidence really looks...
an honest conversation on poor eating habits as a south asian
09 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
this one's a solo episode by mashnun on something so many can relate to but more than often goes undiscussed; how bad eating habits and an unhealt...
coachella's 1st bangladeshi artist + climbing the music industry w/ jai wolf
02 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
3rd video guest and he's the real deal!! welcoming the incredible jai wolf, or sajeeb saha, a bangladeshi-american edm producer, songwriter, dj, a...
reacting to your spicy relationship stories + friends who embarrass you in public
25 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
welcome back to another episode where we react to your crazy situationship stories and give you our own experiences and advice on the subject. we talk...
scandinavian aesthetic, monet and jalen controversy, and why's everyone a dj??
18 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
for this episode we just felt like blabbering about random online brainrot topics because it's our podcast?? have you heard of the infamous scandi...
from nano engineer to bengali restaurateur w/ munzzy
10 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
2nd video guest episode is here!! welcome munzzy uddin, a bangladeshi american restaurateur who went from being a nano engineer to opening her own res...
are you whitewashed for not speaking your native language perfectly?
04 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
hi! hallo! salam! namaste! this episode is all about our journeys with learning and speaking our native language of bangla 🇧🇩 the two of us grew...
storytime of getting followed by a random man in nyc + safety tips
01 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
the scary thing happened the other day and mohuya got followed home by a random creepy man in NYC. in this solo episode, she's sharing that experi...
have magnetic energy in 10 easy steps
28 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
when you meet someone with magnetic energy, they have this pull on you and you just love being around them. in this episode, we talk about some of the...
how expectations hinder you from growing as a south asian
21 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
we're so back with a real hard hitting topic we know yall gonna relate to. as brown people, we're given by expectations by everyone!!! our par...
how to maintain friends, from someone that sucks at maintaining friends
18 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
this one's a solo ep by mashnun! this one is all about how to maintain friendships, from someone that specifically sucks at it. ive always been th...
8 signs that you're settling in your relationship
14 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
hello friends today we're discussing our 8 signs that YOU might be settling in your relationship. as brown people, we rarely know our own worth in...
risks we took in our 20s that saved our lives
07 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
hello our risky difficulters this episode is all bout things we did in our 20s that literally SAVED OUR LIVES. as brown people its not easy to challen...
really bad life advice you should never follow
30 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
hey :) this episode is all about life advice we've been given by our parents, friends, bosses, and community that never really hit the mark for us...
is it possible to balance everything in life?
23 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
is it possible to balance everything in life? do you get anxious when you go to work and school, and then you come home and try to figure out when to ...
overthinking in relationships, challenging norms, + standing up to parents: an advice session
16 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
it's been a while since we've done an advice session, but we're back! y'all sent in questions about overcoming anxiety in new relation...
productivity tips for neurodivergent people
09 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
how do you handle time management and productivity when you're neurodivergent? growing up when we didn't know about our OCD or ADHD, we would ...
hot takes on the brown influencer world w/ shawtysin
02 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
welcoming our first guest of 2024, Miss Cynthia Victor AKA Shawtysin! Cynthia has over 2 million followers across all platforms and she's walked N...
hostel realities, foreign tsa scares, and more solo travel stories
26 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
hello! we’ve traveled to many different places, and so that we means we have A LOT of stories that make up these trips that we’ve never shared bef...
hustle culture is more toxic than you think
19 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
hustle culture is prevalent in so many big cities, but have you ever experienced it in new york city? in this episode, we talk about the mental pressu...
things we hated about our culture before we grew up
12 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
when we were younger, we didn't understand or truly appreciate the unique parts of our cultures. we'd get annoyed if we had a dawat (gathering...
is our generation too soft for the world?
05 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 as...
we traveled to bangladesh after 20 years! here's what shocked us 🇧🇩
29 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
haggling and gifting culture for south asians
20 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
welcome to another solo episode, but from bangladesh!! have y'all ever traveled abroad to your mother country and your parents bring 10 huge lugga...
how to stop taking criticism so personally
13 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
inspired by my boxing coach violating me for my subpar boxing skills, this solo episode is on handling criticism :/ being criticized is something i...
simplifying the process of making female friends as an adult
06 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 i...
embarrassing high school stories that altered our brain chemistries
30 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 laug...
taking that risk + fighting complacency in your 20s
28 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 celebrati...
what we learned about money in our 20s
23 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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...
relationship red flags that you're probably overlooking
16 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 a...
ins and outs for 2024: we are not going to feel guilty about rest this year!
12 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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...
what's the american dream for POC's?
09 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
we always hear about 'the american dream' and how our parents moved across the world and sacrificed their livelihoods for us to achieve this i...
why do brown people strive for white approval?
02 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 inspi...
the art of detachment + learning to love the journey
26 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 fin...
routines that we can't live without in our 20s
19 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 olde...
is discipline the thief of joy for south asians?
12 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
south asians' problem with money + our toxic spending habits
05 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 t...
tryna figure out the rest of your life in your 20s
28 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 figu...
mental health is still taboo + how we got help
21 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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...
opening up bout our adhd + ocd
14 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
what's it like being muslim post 9/11?
07 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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...
where we've been + our first video episode!
31 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 s...
our 1st live event announcement + mashnun's moving to nyc!
04 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 18...
our hot takes on the barbie movie
28 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
q+a! why we started the pod, pursuing the arts as a south asian, and special announcements!
22 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 h...
how south asians celebrate their bdays + our traumatizin bday stories lol
14 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 t...
scarcity mindset in children of immigrants
07 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
whether it be financial insecurity, societal expectations, or just family customs, a lot of us grew up thinking there's less time, money, and oppo...
south asian culture shocks living in the west
30 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...