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This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von

#617 - Aziz Ansari

with Aziz Ansari

Published October 15, 2025
Visit Podcast Website

About This Episode

Theo Von talks with Aziz Ansari about his new film "Good Fortune," the challenges of writing, directing, and acting in a feature, and how movie production differs from stand-up comedy. Aziz shares personal stories from growing up as the only Indian kid in a small South Carolina town, including the death of his younger sister and the kindness of the women who helped raise him. They also discuss burnout, avoiding ego, living abroad in London, and the importance of early gatekeepers and mentors in their stand-up careers.

Topics Covered

Stand-up comedy Filmmaking Immigration policy and border security Burn injuries Grief and loss Burnout Relationships Race relations Storytelling Work ethic

Disclaimer: We provide independent summaries of podcasts and are not affiliated with or endorsed in any way by any podcast or creator. All podcast names and content are the property of their respective owners. The views and opinions expressed within the podcasts belong solely to the original hosts and guests and do not reflect the views or positions of Summapod.

Quick Takeaways

  • Aziz Ansari's film "Good Fortune" was written, directed, produced, and headlined by him, with major roles for Keanu Reeves and Seth Rogen, and its production was disrupted by both the writers' strike and Keanu Reeves breaking his kneecap.
  • Aziz grew up as essentially the only Indian kid in a small South Carolina town, experienced both racism and deep community kindness, and was advanced through school for being far ahead academically.
  • His younger sister Nafis died young from a rare condition called Hurler syndrome, and years later Aziz learned that their family friend "Nana" chose to be buried next to her in South Carolina.
  • Aziz minimizes his internet and smartphone use and often relies on his wife in London to navigate and look things up, which she jokes about by saying, "I'm not the internet."
  • Both Aziz and Theo highlight how crucial gatekeepers like Lucian Hold at the Comic Strip and Manny Dworman and Esti at the Comedy Cellar were in giving them early chances in New York.
  • Aziz contrasts the purity and immediacy of stand-up with the complexity and unpredictability of filmmaking, likening stand-up to running a track and filmmaking to climbing a mountain while dodging boulders.
  • He acknowledges feeling overwhelmed by press and touring as he gets older and says he has probably overestimated his capacity for work, especially now that he is married and trying to have a child.
  • Theo relates strongly to the struggling-artist scenes in "Good Fortune," sharing his own experiences of homelessness in Los Angeles, including sleeping in a McDonald's ball pit to have more space than in a car.
  • They discuss how returning to the U.S. from abroad can make current social and political turmoil feel especially intense, including government shutdowns, TSA working without pay, and immigration raids.
  • Aziz places great emotional value on the validation he received from early club bookers and even on a London cab driver simply telling him he was a good storyteller without knowing who he was.

Podcast Notes

Introduction and Southern/Indian background

Aziz's basic bio and first-time meeting Theo

Theo introduces Aziz as a stand-up comedian, actor, and filmmaker with a new film "Good Fortune"[1:07]
They note they have never really met properly before this podcast, though Theo saw Aziz briefly at Chris Rock's birthday party[2:41]

Accents, Southern identity, and Indian background

Aziz confirms his family is from India and that he was born in South Carolina[2:18]
He says he lost his Southern accent but it comes back when he's around other Southerners, including the driver who picked him up from the airport[3:01]
Aziz compares hearing another Southern accent to seeing another Indian person; it makes him feel a pull and comfort[3:36]
They mention that few actors and comedians in Hollywood have Southern accents, though previous generations like the Blue Collar Comedy Tour did[3:27]

Early exposure to stand-up and Foxworthy

Aziz grew up in Bennettsville, South Carolina, a town of about 8,000 people where no one toured[3:44]
He recalls classmates driving 45 minutes to Florence, SC, to see Jeff Foxworthy, which was the first time he heard of anyone going to a live comedy show[3:58]

Cold plunges, burns, and early small-talk

Cold plunge and shivering

Aziz came in from Chicago on little sleep and accepted an offer to use Theo's cold plunge, which left him shivering during the podcast[4:04]
Theo says he does the cold plunge early because it's something he doesn't want to do and it adjusts his attitude[4:17]

Fettuccine burn chauffeur story

Theo shares meeting a chauffeur at the University of South Carolina whose girlfriend threw boiling fettuccine and water on him, causing serious burns to his neck[4:47]
Aziz jokes that the story took a dark turn and distinguishes between just pasta and boiling water, calling the latter a crime[4:57]

Aziz on podcasts, Bernie Sanders, and Arnold Schwarzenegger

Aziz's limited podcast exposure and prep

Aziz says he is not very familiar with podcasts and hasn't done a big press tour in a long time because his last release was during COVID[5:53]
Before coming on, he listened to some of Theo's episodes, including the one with Bernie Sanders and another with Arnold Schwarzenegger[6:18]

Bernie Sanders episode and medical bankruptcy

Aziz recalls hearing that the number one cause of bankruptcy is medical bills in the Bernie Sanders episode[6:28]
He connects this to his character in "Good Fortune," who has lost his job and is sleeping in his car without a fully explained backstory, seeing it as in the same realm of economic hardship[6:43]

Arnold Schwarzenegger's intelligence and presence

Aziz is fascinated by Arnold Schwarzenegger and thinks he is very smart, noting that having a run of movie hits requires sharpness and isn't accidental[7:05]
Theo describes visiting Arnold's office, seeing his Conan sword, and mentions that Arnold has mini donkeys at his house[7:25]

Nashville, stand-up stories, and mini animals

Nashville, Zanies, and power outage show

Aziz says he loves Nashville, often works out material at Zanies, and once did a show where the power went out[8:08]
• During the outage, staff brought candles and someone produced a speaker and microphone so he could continue; it became a memorable show covered locally
He recently performed at the Ryman for the first time on his tour and calls it one of the best places he has ever performed[9:24]

Aziz's Danish wife and love of donkeys

Aziz's wife is Danish and loves donkeys, leading them to seek out miniature donkeys near Nashville, including one named Roger born on October 4th (Roger 10-4)[9:49]
He distinguishes Roger, a true micro donkey, from Lily, who was larger and possibly not micro[10:17]

Theo's meeting with Tom Thumb, the world's smallest horse

Theo describes meeting a miniature horse named Tom Thumb in Alameda, California after hearing about him while out at a bar[10:49]
They watch a clip of Tom Thumb and Theo jokes about confirming that the horse is alive[11:13]

Perplexity AI and Aziz's avoidance of tech

Theo explains Perplexity as an AI tool that can help edit and pull clips from content[11:23]
Aziz says he doesn't really know or use AI tools and generally stays off the internet and his phone, blocking apps and limiting usage[11:52]

Miniature animals and inbreeding humor

They learn that miniature horses and donkeys rarely exceed 34 inches and that there are also mini cows, pygmy goats, and micro pigs[13:52]
Theo riffs on the idea of mini cows in steakhouses and compares the spread of mini animals to inbreeding and the "inbreeding belt" he grew up in, where people seemed to get smaller over time[14:48]

Comedians as a tribe and Good Fortune overview

Comedians, tribe feeling, and mini self-esteem joke

Aziz says he loves meeting other comedians and that comedians are his favorite people[15:18]
He describes touring with Will Silvince and Ricky Velez and laughing hardest at dinners with Will, who has quirky habits like using Amazon Music to burn MP3s to CDs[16:19]
They joke that comedians are "Satan's mini-donkeys" or "micro-self-esteem people" who need laughter as petting to grow into regular-sized horses[17:16]

Theo's reaction to Good Fortune and Keanu Reeves's presence

Theo watched most of "Good Fortune" the night before and says the plot starts to take turns about 45 minutes in that really heat up the movie[17:41]
He describes Keanu Reeves's character as having a sweet, almost surfer-dog show champion vibe with notable posture and on-screen charisma[17:59]
Aziz notes that when they first screened the film, he could feel Keanu's movie-star presence immediately and that Keanu gets big laughs even with small actions by the end[18:33]

Aziz's creative control and collaboration

Aziz wrote, directed, produced, and acted in "Good Fortune" and jokes that it might indicate control issues, though he sees it as positive[19:00]
He says having one person guide writing and directing can streamline execution, especially when he already hears actors like Seth Rogen and Keanu in his head while writing[19:47]
He explains that directing is mainly conveying the vision in his head to cast and crew, who then add their own ideas and improvisations to improve it[20:07]

Film production chaos: strikes, injuries, and fires

Writer's strike and Keanu Reeves's broken kneecap

Aziz says they shot one or two days of "Good Fortune" before the writers' strike halted production for months[20:23]
After resuming, Keanu Reeves broke his kneecap by tripping on a rug in his dressing room after a cold plunge scene[20:51]
• Aziz heard someone on the walkie say "Keanu's down," and Keanu came back bleeding but still eager to keep shooting
Most of Keanu's scenes were shot with a knee brace that was later removed with visual effects, though dance scenes had to wait until he healed[21:51]
Overall, the film was about a 30-day shoot, stretched by strike and injury interruptions[22:37]

Theo's 23-day shoot and dealing with wildfires

Theo talks about making a 23-day movie with David Spade where LA wildfires and strong winds forced them to adapt scenes on the fly[22:52]
• He describes adding lines about flying kites to justify crazy wind conditions because the crew and cast were already set up
Theo was struck by arriving on set and realizing all the email planning had materialized into trailers, extras, and a large crew[25:01]

Stand-up versus film: track vs mountain metaphor

Aziz compares stand-up to running around a track: you decide to go, then travel and perform, and the process is straightforward[25:57]
He likens filmmaking to climbing a mountain after raising money and presenting a "plan" (script), while boulders like strikes, fires, and injuries get thrown at you[26:16]
He calls stand-up a pure, direct art form under the performer's control, while film involves many uncontrollable variables but is rewarding in its own way[27:13]
Aziz notes the delay between writing a film joke and hearing it land in a theater versus the immediate feedback of trying a new stand-up joke that night[27:38]

Unfinished Bill Murray film "Being Mortal" and on-set incident

Concept and source material of Being Mortal

Aziz explains he was making a film based on Atul Gawande's nonfiction book "Being Mortal" about end-of-life issues, aging parents, and navigating retirement homes and medical decisions[31:28]
He felt the book's situations, like parents insisting they're fine until they drive through a house, had dark humor and poignancy suitable for a story[33:09]
Aziz obtained rights to the book, worked with Atul Gawande on the script, and envisioned Bill Murray as the central character from the outset[31:53]

Casting Bill Murray, Seth Rogen, and Kiki Palmer

Aziz says he wrote the movie only for Bill Murray, with no backup casting idea, because he wanted Bill's mix of humor and depth seen in films like "Lost in Translation" and "Broken Flowers"[33:45]
Bill, known as hard to reach, responded positively after Aziz mailed a printed script and then asked for the book; he signed on and Seth Rogen and Kiki Palmer joined as his son and daughter-in-law[34:25]

On-set incident and shutdown

They shot for about three weeks before an incident where Bill Murray, wearing a COVID mask, tried to be funny by kissing a woman he knew, with the mask on, in a way she didn't like[34:59]
The woman was upset, the studio investigated, and the entire film production was shut down despite about half the movie being shot[35:17]
• Aziz references Bill's public comment that he did something he thought was funny that wasn't taken that way and that the studio wanted to do the right thing and investigate
Aziz calls the shutdown heartbreaking and still hopes to finish the film someday[35:55]

Aziz's low-tech lifestyle and wife as "not the internet"

Aziz reiterates that he blocks most apps, doesn't keep a smartphone on him, and rarely uses the internet[37:26]
He often asks his wife questions that implicitly mean "can you look this up," prompting her to tell him, "You know I'm not the internet, I'm your wife"[37:24]

Life in London, Danish language, and navigation without smartphones

Meeting and living with his Danish wife in London

Aziz lives mostly in London, where he met his Danish wife, who speaks Danish fluently[38:46]
He loves languages and speaks some Italian and Tamil but finds Danish particularly tough, especially its pronunciation rules and combined letters like Æ[40:00]

Donkey nicknames and term of endearment

Aziz asked his wife for a Danish term of affection but found one she suggested sounded harsh, so after learning donkey in Danish is "æsel," they began calling each other that instead[38:58]
He wears a necklace with the combined A-E letter as a nod to this nickname and notes that "æsel" was his wife's first word because she loved donkeys[39:18]

Getting lost and reliance on physical maps

In London, Aziz often walks hoping to find street maps, and when he can't, he calls his wife to guide him verbally to the tube station[41:04]
He compares this to his early days in Los Angeles when, before GPS, he used printed MapQuest directions and even called his younger brother in South Carolina to navigate him from street names[41:34]

Airports, TSA, government shutdown, and U.S. wildness

Pre-9/11 travel versus now

Aziz barely remembers the era when people could go to the gate without TSA, as most of his frequent travel began after 9/11[43:24]
He jokes about whether people could now be trusted to fly together with no security if everyone promised not to cause problems[43:46]

Government shutdown, unpaid TSA, and second-string staff

Aziz mentions that during his recent airport experiences, TSA staff said they were working for free due to a government shutdown[44:06]
Theo riffs that the shutdown leaves "backup" or second-string types working, like park wardens and over-eager untrained people, likening TSA to a "bad news bears" lineup[45:39]

Immigration raids, media images, and militarized America

Aziz describes hearing from a friend in Chicago that the National Guard was there grabbing Mexican people, which he found alarming while just trying to promote his movie[46:18]
Theo and Aziz discuss the need for more organized immigration systems so people aren't living in constant fear of discovery and acknowledge not always knowing which media images are real or staged[46:11]
Aziz says a film he saw about a military state felt eerily similar to current events, and he notes being in Chicago felt like living in that movie[47:01]
Aziz observes that because he lives abroad and returns periodically, changes in U.S. cities like LA and New York, including tent encampments, feel especially extreme to him[49:06]

Slipknot, Little Miss Denmark, and personal quirks

Wife's Slipknot fandom and pageant past

Aziz shares that his wife, who has a PhD in physics, went through an emo phase and loves the band Slipknot[49:16]
She was "Little Miss Denmark" as a child, winning the pageant two years in a row before the contest was discontinued[49:39]
Aziz says she was so serious about her talent routines that when judges tried to stop her performance she would insist she wasn't finished[50:20]

Growing up Indian in South Carolina, caretakers, and sister's death

Being the only Indian kid and skipping grades

Aziz describes growing up mostly as the only Indian kid in his South Carolina schools, aside from a Thai girl named Tisha who left after early grades[53:34]
People often assume his childhood there was only racist, and he acknowledges being called the N-word, but says there were also very positive experiences he wanted to focus on in his writing[54:36]
His father taught him math at home, and he was advanced so far that he completed first and second grade in a single year, becoming a school story as the "genius little brown boy"[55:31]

Grandma, Nana, Miss Beulah, and cultural blending

Aziz's mother initially felt isolated when she moved from India to Bennettsville and once spent a day crying on the couch after his father left for work[1:00:36]
• She would go to the laundromat to be around other people, where an older white woman befriended her and their family; Aziz called this woman "Grandma"
When Grandma couldn't care for them anymore, another woman, "Nana," took over, and later a Black woman named Miss Beulah watched them after school and cooked Southern food[56:47]
Aziz grew up eating both Indian and Southern food because of this mix of caretakers[55:19]

Sister Nafis, Hurler syndrome, and burial next to Nana

Aziz had a younger sister named Nafis who had a rare condition called Hurler syndrome, with low life expectancy; she died around age six to eight[56:23]
He describes her burial in Bennettsville, with the cemetery allowing his Muslim family's cultural rituals and local community members, including a priest, offering support[57:54]
Years later, his mother visited the cemetery and told Aziz that Nana was buried right next to Nafis, a fact Aziz didn't know and which overwhelmed him emotionally[59:08]
• He calls this a uniquely American story of a white Southern caretaker choosing to be buried beside his Muslim Indian sister, exemplifying human connection beyond the divisive stories often told in media

Shared experiences with sick siblings and emotional openness

Theo's sister's liver disease and transplant

Theo relates that his own sister had a rare liver disease requiring a transplant when they were children, leading to many surgeries and trips to major hospitals[59:38]
He recalls her being flown to places like Rochester, Minnesota, and coming back covered in scars, jokingly likening it to a poorly assembled Build-A-Bear[1:00:45]
Because she needed so much care, Theo later wrestled with feelings about not getting as much attention, while understanding she needed it more[1:02:50]

Cultural reticence and thinking about parents' pain

Aziz notes that in many Indian and Asian families, people don't talk openly about feelings or traumatic events like a child's death[1:03:45]
He says he rarely talked about Nafis and often omitted mentioning her to avoid making others uncomfortable in casual settings[59:55]
As an adult, he finds it hard to fathom what his parents went through losing a child and moving across the world, and he is glad to speak about it more now[1:02:55]
Theo shares a recent realization watching friends with four kids, which made him newly appreciate how hard it must have been for his own mother to raise four children with little help[1:04:04]

Gatekeepers, validation, and storytelling

Lucian Hold and Comic Strip Live

Aziz says his first club to pass him was Comic Strip Live in New York, run by booker Lucian Hold, when Aziz was 18 and at NYU[1:09:45]
Comic Strip allowed anyone to audition by lottery; Aziz advanced through a preliminary woman to audition for Lucian[1:10:08]
Lucian told him he could work the club, comparing him to Adam Sandler and Sarah Silverman, whom he had passed when they were at NYU, but honestly said he wasn't sure Aziz would reach their level[1:09:51]
Aziz did late-night spots to mostly empty rooms and sometimes got bumped up if a scheduled comic no-showed, including once going on after Chris Rock when most of the audience left[1:10:31]
Lucian had the disease scleroderma and eventually died; Aziz attended his funeral, remembering him as the first person to truly believe he could be paid to tell jokes[1:11:13]
In a final visit when Lucian was dying, Lucian recounted a story about a comic in LA and told Aziz he was smart and would be okay, a reassurance Aziz treasures[1:11:13]

Manny Dworman, Esti, and the Comedy Cellar

Aziz's third time ever doing stand-up was at a Comedy Cellar new talent night at 6 pm, where his set went very well[1:39:42]
Owner Manny Dworman saw the response and told him, "You're ready for the big room," even though Aziz had only performed a few times[1:39:32]
He then did late-night Cellar spots until Esti, who books the club, saw him and bluntly told him he wasn't ready to be performing there yet[1:40:32]
Aziz says one of his greatest satisfactions now, after winning Emmys and playing Madison Square Garden, is simply being able to drop in at the Comedy Cellar, get big reactions, and hold his own[1:41:29]
He mentions a comment from Esti that Manny would be smiling seeing how far Aziz has gone since those early nights[1:41:14]

Compliment from a London cab driver

Aziz says he once told a long story in a London cab, and when they left, the driver told him he was a really good storyteller, without knowing who Aziz was[1:17:33]
He valued this more than industry awards because it came from someone with no prior impression of him[1:18:09]

Theo's Comedy Store gatekeeper and LA struggle years

Tommy at The Comedy Store

Theo recalls Tommy at The Comedy Store, a long-haired, eccentric gatekeeper who booked comics and took care of Mitzi Shore[1:23:02]
Tommy once mistakenly thought Theo was another comic returning after an absence and invited him to perform Sunday, which gave Theo his first real spot there[1:21:22]
Theo remembers the open-mic line full of jugglers and people training birds in the parking lot, emphasizing that all they wanted was a chance to perform[1:24:26]

Sleeping in a McDonald's ball pit and relating to Good Fortune

Theo praises "Good Fortune" for authentically depicting early-struggle life in LA, like sleeping in a car and losing it to tow due to parking tickets[1:24:34]
He shares that he and a friend once jumped the fence at a McDonald's and slept in the ball pit because it offered more space than a car, even though it was dirty with hair and coins[1:25:49]
One night they discovered an Asian man sleeping in the enclosed slide tube above them, which Theo jokingly suggests might have been Ronnie Chieng[1:26:37]

Stand-up, film comedies in theaters, and touring in a crowded market

Good Fortune as a theatrical comedy

Aziz urges people to see "Good Fortune" in theaters with a crowd, comparing it to experiences watching films like "Anchorman" or "Superbad" where audience laughter made it feel like a stand-up show[1:29:18]
He notes that original comedies in theaters are rare post-pandemic and hopes the success of his film can help bring that experience back[1:29:34]

Theo's endorsement and Aziz on the film's back half

Theo says the movie doesn't feel forced or pandering and believes taking a date or friend to see it would be worth the ticket and time[1:29:48]
Aziz says the back half of the film ties into themes they discussed, like seeing other people's struggles and giving them a look of recognition[1:30:33]

Aziz's workload, burnout, and the touring boom

Theo asks why Aziz does so much given his many accomplishments, including winning two Emmys[1:31:06]
Aziz says his drive isn't financial; he could make more money just touring, but he loves films and races to execute ideas he's excited to see on set[1:31:40]
He recalls that about 10 years ago he was touring heavily with few others doing theaters and arenas, but now almost everyone, including chefs and even the show "Is It Cake," tours large venues[1:32:00]
During the big touring boom he instead focused on his TV series and films, stepping away from the road[1:33:12]
Aziz is now touring again and enjoying the shows and cities but finds travel more exhausting with age and feels he has overestimated his capacity to work[1:34:06]
He mentions seeing friends burnt out, noticing his own stress building, and being more conscious of time away from his wife as they try to have a child[1:35:15]

Life abroad, perspective on Hollywood, and closing reflections

London vs LA/Nashville and feeling outside the circus

Aziz says living in London makes him feel removed from the entertainment "circus," whereas returning to LA quickly triggers feelings of falling behind when he hears what others are making[1:37:44]
Theo says Nashville still feels like a big town, not quite a circus, despite many people moving there[1:34:16]

Recognition that Aziz has "done enough" and honoring Nafis by name

Theo lists Aziz's achievements, including his Netflix series and book about dating, and tells him he has done a lot and that his sister Nafis would be proud of him[1:38:06]
Theo believes that saying the names of departed people, like Nafis or Lucian, brings them into the moment and that they feel it wherever they are[1:38:54]

Importance of brief validation and helping newcomers

They agree that brief encouragement from established figures, like Lucian or Manny, can have a huge impact on new comedians who just want a room and a chance[1:42:31]
Theo notes that Neil Brennan and Amy Schumer helped him get passed at the Comedy Cellar, and he still sometimes feels nervous about going up there[1:41:56]

Closing remarks and mutual appreciation

Aziz says this conversation went deeper than any other press he has done, touching on heavy topics he doesn't usually discuss, and he genuinely enjoyed it[1:43:04]
Theo thanks Aziz for sharing personal stories and creativity and reiterates the film's release date, wishing him the best with the movie[1:44:38]

Lessons Learned

Actionable insights and wisdom you can apply to your business, career, and personal life.

1

Small moments of belief from gatekeepers or mentors can change the trajectory of someone's career, especially when they are just getting started and only want a real chance to perform.

Reflection Questions:

  • • Who gave you a crucial early vote of confidence in your work, and how did it influence the choices you made afterward?
  • • How could you be more intentional about offering specific, honest encouragement to someone younger or newer in your field?
  • • What is one concrete opportunity you could create or open up this month for a person who just needs a shot to show what they can do?
2

Pursuing big, complex projects like films requires accepting that many factors are out of your control and treating setbacks as part of the climb rather than a sign you should stop.

Reflection Questions:

  • • What long-term project in your life currently feels like climbing a mountain, and where are you letting unexpected "boulders" slow you down more than they need to?
  • • How might you plan your next big initiative so that you're mentally prepared for delays, failures, or unexpected disruptions?
  • • What is one specific contingency or workaround you can design now so that a foreseeable obstacle doesn't derail your entire plan later?
3

There is a real emotional and physical cost to constant work and travel, and ignoring your limits because of opportunity or ego eventually leads to burnout.

Reflection Questions:

  • • Where in your schedule are you saying yes out of fear of missing out rather than because the work truly matters to you?
  • • How would your energy, health, or relationships change if you deliberately removed or declined 10-20% of your current commitments?
  • • What boundaries around rest, travel, or availability could you put in place this week to protect yourself from slow, creeping burnout?
4

Our deepest experiences of loss and family struggle can become powerful sources of empathy and perspective when we're willing to talk about them instead of burying them.

Reflection Questions:

  • • What difficult family story or loss have you avoided talking about, and how might sharing it carefully with someone you trust change how you carry it?
  • • How could acknowledging what your parents or caregivers went through shift the way you relate to them today?
  • • What's one small, safe step you could take this week to bring more openness about pain or grief into your closest relationships?
5

Deliberately limiting technology and external noise can make space for deeper presence, creativity, and real-world connection, even if it feels inconvenient in the moment.

Reflection Questions:

  • • In what situations do you default to your phone or the internet instead of engaging with the people or environment around you?
  • • How might setting specific "no-phone" times or zones in your day affect your focus and your ability to notice stories worth telling?
  • • What is one simple experiment you could run over the next seven days to reduce unnecessary tech use and see how it changes your mood or creativity?
6

Stories that highlight quiet acts of kindness and cross-cultural care often reflect reality more accurately than sensational narratives and can reorient how we see our communities.

Reflection Questions:

  • • When you think about your neighborhood or country, which personal stories of everyday kindness come to mind that you rarely tell?
  • • How could you capture or share one of those stories in conversation, writing, or your work so it has a chance to influence how others see the world?
  • • What small act of care across cultural, religious, or generational lines could you initiate this month to embody the kind of story you'd like to be true more often?

Episode Summary - Notes by Blake

#617 - Aziz Ansari
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