Difficult-ish
Episodes
types of parenting styles and how they affect south asian kids
23 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
first and foremost, the new "shopno স্বপ্ন" collection by labyrinthave is out NOW!!! mou poured her heart into this collection and...
how POCs celebrate wins vs. non POCs
16 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
hi hi hi! in this episode, we dissect the different ways that we've celebrated accomplishments as children of immigrants versus some of the cultur...
how south asian culture affects body image
09 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 epis...
celebrating south asian beauty at sephora w/ priyanka ganjoo, founder of kulfi beauty
02 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
in today’s episode we have priyanka ganjoo, the founder of “Kulfi Beauty,” Sephora’s first ever south asian beauty brand!! she shares so many ...
advice for the confused post grads
29 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
in this much requested post grad episode, we talk about the uncertainty and burnout after graduating from school and being expected to know what to do...
let's talk about health in the south asian community
19 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
this is one JAM PACKED episode because not only do we talk about the taboo nature of health in the south asian community, but our food culture, anti d...
all about aapi month and how it could be much better
12 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
first and foremost, thank you apple podcasts from putting our faces on the browse page highlights for aapi month!!! we're honored to be some of th...
budgeting tips + good/bad money habits
05 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
as requested, here's a part 2 on how to become financially literate for a group of people who were never taught much about money!! in this episode...
mashnun's nyc poetry reading recap, finding your space, how to mingle, + more
28 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
hi :) mashnun's doing another solo ep this week because mou wants to go live her best life in amsterdam right now, but do not be worried, i have t...
becoming financially literate-ish + money tips for south asians
21 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
hello hello!! for this episode, we’re revisiting a topic we spoke on a year ago about our journeys towards financial independence! money is a touchy...
how ramadan has been treating us
14 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
ramadan mubarak to all of our lovely listeners!! in this episode we let all of you in on how ramadan has been treating the two of us, what healthy hab...
what south asian men can do better 2/2
07 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
only a back to back episode on what south asian men can do better in the community is on difficultish :p in this weeks continuation, we talk more in d...
what south asian men can do better 1/2
31 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
this episode is WELL overdue! we talk about the traditional role that south asian men play in our culture and the learned helplessness that they have ...
q+a! being rebellious, artists block, having too much ambition, + more
24 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
hola :) in this q&a, we got questions that range from, "how do you balance ambition with work and life?" to "what's the most rebel...
entrepreneurship, navigating failure, and building kolkata chai co w/ ani sanyal
17 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
ani sanyal (@anihustles) is the real deal. he embodies true entrepreneurship to the core, from the mindset, to the action, to everything in between, a...
people pleasing is the bane of our existence
10 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
specifically as children of immigrants, a lot of us grew up with people pleasing tendencies where we felt like we constantly needed validation from ev...
solo dates
03 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
this episode is all about solo dates! why we love them, why it's scary in the beginning, why we sometimes feel like we don't deserve them, and...
colorism in the south asian community
24 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
this long overdue and much needed episode on the topic of colorism is finally here! first off, we talk about the roots of anti blackness and where col...
healthy habits in a toxic environment
17 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
"well if your house is so toxic, why don't you move out?" well susan, we can't just simply do that. in this week's episode, we tal...
building safe spaces, intersectionality, and being a queer bengali illustrator w/ radhia rahman
10 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
2nd guest of the year already?? we're on a roll all thanks to the wonderful radhia rahman (she/they), a queer bengali-american illustrator based o...
how social anxiety manifests in south asians
03 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
social anxiety is common in south asian kids and children of immigrants, but obviously everyone. it stems from being discouraged from socializing when...
our fav book recs for brown people
27 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
hello hello coming to you live after our sold out nyc showcase!!! to celebrate a successful past weekend, we dedicated this episode to talk bout our l...
south asian relationship red flags lol
20 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
we wanted to do a full fledge episode on some of the red flags we've encountered when it comes to dating south asians, and honestly, just people i...
"use your identity as a weapon" w/ nuhash humayun, director of bangladeshi film ‘moshari’
13 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
FIRST GUEST EPISODE OF 2023!! we are so excited for you all to hear our conversation with Nuhash Humayun (@nuhashh), an Oscar nominated Bangladeshi fi...
new year q+a! relationship red flags, south asian book recs, doing things solo, + more
06 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
happy new year!!!!!!! we're kicking off 2023 with a bang with a lil q+a. we discuss some personal questions about ourselves, but also red flags to...
the difficult-ish 2022 recap! successes, failures, top moments, and what's next
30 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
last ep of 2022!! in this one, we start of rating our 2022's from 1-10, talk bout our highlights like graduating, solo traveling, and finding inne...
things we wish we could tell our january 2022 selves
23 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
it is almost 2023 and we have gained a lot of wisdom and knowledge over the past year! in this episode, we are basically talking to our "12 months...
generational trauma in south asian families
16 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
hellloo!! in today's episode, we go deep into the topic of generational trauma and how it manifests in south asian families, but especially in chi...
cultural appropriation is annoying
09 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
in this ep, we detail the kind of appropriation with south asian culture we have witnessed growing up, and why its so annoying to see. whether its wit...
brown representation in media, the good and bad and everything in between
02 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
from baljeet to princess jasmine, we all grew up with someone on screen that looks like us that helped us feel a bit more comfortable with the way we ...
our relationship with cooking in a south asian home
25 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
happy thanksgiving!!!! :) in this episode, we talk about how much food and cooking means to us growing up in a south asian home, and how its affected ...
reacting to your south asian confessions
18 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
hello hello! for this episode we asked our lovely listeners to dm us your south asian confessions and things you've hid from your parents, and lit...
healing our sticky sibling relationships
11 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
we are BACK to talk about the complicated evolution of sibling relationships! with both of us having siblings, one being older than us and one being y...
the post grad blues
28 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
hi :) the two of us graduated in the past few months, and no one prepared us for how lost and lazy we'd become. as south asian kids, college has a...
advice sesh #4! side hustling, workplace diversity, makin friends, + more
21 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
hey!! we haven't done an advice session in months so here's our 4th edition :) we ask yall what kinda stuff you would like advice with on our ...
we're both solo traveling in foreign countries, here's what we've learned
14 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
hello from paris and colombia! we are currently in our solo travel era and we have a lot to say on this topic!! first off, why was it difficult to put...
anxiety in children of immigrants
07 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
we talk all things anxiety in this episode. starting from what makes us anxious and what the signs are to why it's difficult for us to speak to im...
networking, career advice, productivity tips, + more w/ maeshaeva
30 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
in this episode, Mohuya sits down with Maesha (@maeshaeva) who is a powerhouse Bangladeshi woman who is a Columbia alum, works at a Big Four firm, has...
things we wish we knew in our early 20s
23 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
hey everyone! in todays episode, we are going to talk about all of the life lessons we've learned over the past few years and what advice we could...
a solo ep by mashnun on reconnecting with culture, taking accountability, + more
16 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
hi :) this was my first solo episode on the pod cause mou's microphone was being silly. this was a lot harder than i expected lol so it's a bi...
our south asian parents pov on dating
10 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
this is a good last episode in our lil dating series! in this episode, we talk about why dating is discouraged in south asian society and the difficul...
south asians love the arts til their kids wanna be artists
02 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
in this episode, we talk about the struggle that south asian kids go through to pursue the arts, but more specifically, the social media realm. social...
unpopular south asian hot takes
26 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
we asked y'all to give us your best south asian hot takes that no one else agrees with and honestly, you should've kept some of these to yours...
lets talk about dating as a south asian
19 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
another HIGHLY requested episode about dating! in this one, we talk about our experiences with telling our parents about our partners, our tips to int...
stop forcin your kids to fit a stereotype
12 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
hello our lovely listeners!! this week, we talkin about some of "untraditional" things we did that were discouraged because it didn't fit ...
surprise, we're dating!
05 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
hello our lovely listeners this is the long awaited STORY OF US! y'all have been asking since day one about if we're siblings or how we met an...
being selfish
29 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
we've been called selfish countless times by family members when we tried putting ourselves first. in the south asian community, you're taught...
a solo ep by mohuya on emotionally abusive relationships
22 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
this episodes a heavy one. since the recent passing of sania khan, women have been more vocal about the taboo nature of divorce and abusive relationsh...
toxic masculinity in brown households
15 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
this episode on toxic masculinity in south asian households was HEAVILY requested and y'all went ham in our story replies. in this ep., we talk ab...
season 2 premiere! happy stories
08 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
WE'RE BACK!!<3 we took the last month off to reflect on the progress of the pod and think bout how to make it even better for u guys. we're...
season finale q+a
10 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
it is officially the end of the season after about a year of straight podcasting and we are so excited to answer your questions and give advice in our...
how we stay connected to our roots
03 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
a lot of us struggle to connect with our roots and be "brown" cus of the internalized racism we had towards ourselves. we never rly saw health...
just tryna be kids again
27 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
now that we're older, we understand the importance in participating in the little joys that used to make us happy as kids. we were never able to h...
going viral from singing & the law of attraction w/ jananisings
22 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
we have @jananisings talking about her journey and mindset shift to success! we talk about how the arts and music were ingrained in her from a young a...
finding therapy
13 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
a highly requested ep! therapy is still so taboo and inaccessible in the south asian community. we wanted to open up the conversation to all of the be...
im just tryna graduate
06 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
with the two of us graduating super soon (mohuya with her masters and mashnun with his bachelors), we decided to redo our very lackluster second episo...
no boundaries
29 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
there are a ton of south asian parents who feel entitled to their children's lives and privacies, despite not having valid reasoning to even do so...
how we became financially independent
22 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
a lot of y'all and a lot more south asians were never taught about money from school or from our family, and have to constantly depend on their pa...
searching for our crowd in the brown community
15 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
making friends when you're older is tough. finding your identity as a south asian person is already hard, but finding trustworthy friends as you g...
lets talk about ramadan
08 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
ramadan mubarak to all of our listeners <3 ramadan gets shrouded with the idea of fasting from food and water during the day, but the older we get ...
model minority and ignorance towards south asians
01 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
model minority is the stereotype placed on the asian community that labels us as obedient and soft spoken individuals, and the two of us have come acr...
it's tough being the only south asian at work
25 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
in this episode, we go more in depth on our experiences in the workplace and how it sucks being the only (or one of few) poc around. with mohuya worki...
mental health, the influence of women, and writing 'serenity' w/ f.s. yousaf
18 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
farhan yousaf (@fs.yousaf) is a best selling south asian author of 4 poetry books, a mens mental health advocate, a lover of breakfast pastries, and o...
the truth about moving out
11 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
since both of us moved out of our south asian homes on our own, we're always asked questions on how we went about the process. we've given thi...
never being satisfied with success w/ shihan chowdhury (@chilipeppercooks)
04 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
with over 900k+ followers on social media, shihan chowdhury (@chilipeppercooks) is a bangladeshi cinematographer, home cook, and entrepreneur, and we’...
going thru an identity crisis
04 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
a lot of people have an identity crisis because they don't know who they are without their parents. south asian families usually teach children to...
our rocky roads towards faith and religion
18 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
in this episode, we talk about our journey towards becoming closer to our Islamic faith and religion. although we're fairly happy with where we ar...
advice sesh #3
11 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
advice sesh numba 3! in our highly favorited advice sesh series, we ask our listeners through our instagram (@difficultish) about things they're s...
family values, unconventional careers, and the hustle w/ robin dey
04 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
our very first guest on the pod! robin dey is a bangladeshi musician from southside jamaica, with roots in an extensive lineage full of musicians, one...
self care as a south asian
21 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
it has been ingrained in us that we have to continuously work and if we take a break, we're considered lazy or we don't deserve it. south asia...
i hate living a double life around my parents
14 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
it often feels like you are living a secret life when you are interacting with your parents, especially if they're south asian. they don't kno...
fake love and family gossip on social media
07 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
a lot of people's goals for 2022 revolve around social media. growing this many followers on this platform, growing this many followers on that pl...
our failures and new years goals
31 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
in this episode, we wanted to highlight some of the failures we've had and all of the goals we couldn't reach this year. priorities changed an...
mashnun's poetry book is out now!
24 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
mashnun's first self-published poetry book titled 'headspun' is out on amazon! on today's episode, we learn more about one of our co-h...
moving out, but the downsides
17 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
we moved out a couple of months ago, but now we're understanding how hard it is to actually do it as two south asian young adults. we feel guilty ...
insults and backhanded compliments smh
03 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
we are so used to racist and negative comments from "friends" and family and it's kinda sad that we had to become normalized to it from a ...
advice sesh #2
26 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
our second advice session! with our first advice session was highly favorited, and with there being so many more topics of discussion in the south asi...
building independence and confidence
19 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
everyone knows how hard it is to be independent if you live in a south asian household. although it is with the intention of love, they want to cook f...
recognizing our little privileges
12 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
growing up as a children of immigrants, we didn't earn much money. we had to take frugal alternatives when doing basic things in life. but now, we...
difficult friendships
05 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
in this episode, we talk about how hard it is to make friends with other south asian people. although they have brought many benefits to us, they can ...
overworking
29 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
we live in a time that pushes the idea that the journey towards success means less sleep, less self care, and no time to waste. and unfortunately, the...
we both moved out
22 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
we both moved out! in today's episode, we talk about the reasons why we both moved out of our parents' homes and why it's been so difficul...
advice sesh #1
15 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
we asked our followers on instagram to send us anything and everything they're seeking advice towards, and here are our responses! some of the top...
i can't be patient while i'm dreaming
08 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
we had to put a lot of our dreams on pause because we had to responsibilities and expectations at home. we couldn't just leave because of money bu...
why are you wearing that?
01 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
in south asian culture, it is really hard to express yourself through fashion because you're subject to negative comments from your parents or the...
my name isn't that hard to say
24 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
since elementary school, we've gotten our names pronounced because it's too "difficult" for people to pronounce. but the question is, ...
the unreasonable ones
17 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
we heard a quote recently by the late nipsey hussle (rip) that goes, "the reasonable man adapts himself to the world. the unreasonable ones persis...
we are not defined by our professions
10 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
both of us have grown up working different fields, one working in coffee shops and clothing stores while the other working in a dentist office, a phar...
we hate vacations lol
06 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
the both of us just came back from vacation, but the guilt we felt prevented us from completely enjoying ourselves. since it has always been our moms&...
put in work
27 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
the two of us are workaholics to the core. but where does this work ethic come from? probably something that all of us can relate to, from learning ho...
figuring things out at 23
20 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
growing up in a south asian household is probably the scariest, most exciting thing in the world. with the increase in age comes the beauty of expandi...
what do you mean you feel anxious?
13 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
things like this can be difficult to talk about, not only with our parents, but even with ourselves. anxiety is a feeling everyone on the planet as fe...
school sucks
06 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
on this episode, we speak upon our experiences through the education system, starting from children to graduate students. while one of us flourished t...
please dont judge us this is our first episode ever lol
30 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In today's first ever episode, we start from our roots. One of us grew up in the suburbs of Long Island, NY while the other grew up in Orlando, FL...
the trailer
30 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Difficult-ish, a modern-day perspective on South Asian narratives. In our trailer, we talk about who we are, our goals with this podcast, a...