Kuddle With Kookie

In this episode, I talk about my recent epiphany about self-worth. This is a reminder that we are inherently worthy of love and acceptance, and that our core needs are not meant to be "earned". I share my story (TW: bullying) of how I struggled with tying my self-worth to people's opinions, achievements and other societal standards. I hope this serves as a reminder that you are always enough <3 Take care!!

Season 3 is going to be called the "Secrets of the Universe" series. In each episode, I will be talking about 1 "secret of the universe" that makes life more meaningful and gives us purpose. This is NOT going to be spiritual. In this episode, I talk about the human need for love, connection and belonging. It is nothing to be ashamed of and there is a capacity to love infinitely within each of us which is something to be proud of. I talk about my love of being in fandoms and interacting with strangers connected by our love for a certain thing. Thank you for listening to my podcast! I wish you nothing but love! Enjoy! <3

In this episode, Sanjana and I talk about thought spirals, what-if scenarios and other anxieties as a result of overthinking. We open up about our experiences related to communication issues and explain the different types of communication. We also suggest ways to deal with overthinking tendencies and to communicate more efficiently. We hope you could take something useful from this episode. Please remember that you are not alone! Enjoy! (Also, sorry for all the traffic noises that couldn't be edited out! Bangalore traffic is truly something else T_T) Stay tuned for season 3! <3

In this episode, my parents and I talk about our family values and how we try to be a healthy family. We talk about the importance of unconditional love, respect and flexibility, among other values. We reflect on what might be holding us back from following these values and how to deal with that. If you'd like, sit with a family member, listen together and enjoy!

In this episode, my sister (Krithika Venkataraman) and I talk about feminism, gender inequality, discrimination, stereotypes and more. We unpack what equity means, the effects of the patriarchy, various arguments ('not all men', 'not like other girls') etc. We hope you learn something new/feel heard. Enjoy!

TW: Talk of eating disorders.In this episode, Shwetha and I talk about where negative body image stems from (society's role), how it has affected us and ways in which we cope. Here's a reminder that you are enough and beautiful. Enjoy!

In this episode, Kookie and I reflect about what it means to be resilient and stay "strong". We talk about why it is important to go on without giving up. Everyone has different reasons which motivate them to carry on despite facing obstacles. I hope you remind yourself of those reasons after listening to this episode. Enjoy!

In this episode, Vagish Sivaramakrishnan and I talk about what inspires us to be kind, the biggest acts of kindnesses we've done, the kindest thing someone has done for us and more. Be kind to others and to yourselves, and enjoy!

In this episode, Medha and I provide our ideas on what self-care means to us, how to take care of ourselves better, what burnout looks like to us, different types of self-care and more. Enjoy, and don't forget to take care of yourselves <3

In this episode, Gitushka Ponnappa, Sithara Chari and I talk about our social lives and what it means to be an introvert, extrovert and ambivert. We open up about our social anxieties and how we cope with them. Enjoy!

In this episode, Krishna, Krithika and I open up about our own coping mechanisms, what affects our reactions to situations, healthier ways to cope and more. Enjoy!

In this episode, I introduce season 2 of Kuddle with Kookie and talk about the fact that I will be inviting guest speakers for the upcoming episodes. Krishna (the guest speaker) and I talk about perfectionism and the issues it causes. We talk about why we all desire to be perfect, what procrastination means and many other sub-topics. Enjoy!

Self-love is a journey that many of us struggle with. In this last episode of season 1, I recite a poem that I've written and we talk about self-esteem issues. Enjoy!

Art inspires us, helps us heal and connect with ourselves and others. Be it music, literature, painting, cinema or any other form of art, all of it is beautiful. In this episode, I gush about the power of art and how we find comfort in it in our daily lives.

Our society's definition of productivity is limited to doing tasks that make money. In this episode we discuss different definitions of productivity and the toxic culture of romanticizing overworking. Take good care of yourselves <3

We've all felt nostalgic about those happy times from our past. The bitter-sweet waves comes with a touch of desperation to revisit those memories. In this episode, we talk about the bitterness and sweetness of nostalgia.

Thinking of the kind of person you want to be involves defining your values. We all act according to what we believe in so it's important to include values like kindness and love, In this episode, we talk about some values that are important to practice and how values can clash with each other.

The concept of mindfulness is to be a passive observer of our thoughts and emotions with compassion and without judgement, Practicing it in our daily lives can be hard but doing mindfulness meditation sessions regularly will help. Being conscious of our words and actions is also part of minfulness. Be kind, practice living in the present and hopefully our lives will be better <3

This episode is about the way each of us expresses our love to the people around us. Some of us would like a warm hug, some would prefer words of comfort and some would like to have a deep conversation. Understanding each others' gestures and love languages is as important as learning English or any other language. On that note, I love you guys! Thanks for listening!

In this episode I talk about the emotions we experience and some truths about them. This is a reminder that all feelings are temporary. You are not alone. Your feelings are valid. Take care of yourselves <3