On this episode of Conversation Piece, designer, creator, and business strategist Navi Kaur stops by the studio to talk about her journey from watching Dragon Ball Z as a kid in India to helping build The Normies — an Indianapolis-based creative community and reaction channel with nearly 1 million subscribers. She dives into her path from immigrant student to financial officer, how The Normies grew from friends watching Game of Thrones to a full-scale business, and what it takes to sustain creativity, community, and leadership in digital media.

Connect with Navi: https://instagram.com/nerdy_nav/
Check out The Normies: https://thenormies.com/

Shout out to Frida's Flowers for sponsoring the show! Elevate your next event (or your living room) with some of Madeline's incredible work: fridasflowersindy.com/

This week’s Give Em Their Flowers shout out: Markéta, Rana, Blake Roebuck, and The Normies’ editing team for their creativity, care, and community spirit.

Subscribe to the newsletter (out Mondays): https://patrickintheworld.substack.com/

Full archives: https://conversationpiecepod.com/
Follow us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/conversationpiecepod/

Produced and hosted by: Patrick Armstrong

Filmed and edited by: Mike Lee Productions

Engineered and mixed by: Popular Rapture

Music by: Mandog

• (00:00 ) - – Year of Community
  


• (01:05 ) - – Introducing Navi Kaur
  


• (02:00 ) - – How Navi met her friend group through Game of Thrones
  


• (04:08 ) - – Early love for anime and manga
  


• (06:04 ) - – Immigrating to America and finding identity through pop culture
  


• (08:24 ) - – Discovering manga at the library and bonding with siblings
  


• (09:52 ) - – From reading to reacting: The artistry of anime adaptation
  


• (11:10 ) - – Sub vs. dub: why both matter
  


• (12:00 ) - – Meeting The Normies crew
  


• (14:03 ) - – The first reaction video and how it all began
  


• (17:09 ) - – Building community through shared fandoms
  


• (20:14 ) - – When The Normies became a real business
  


• (22:19 ) - – Learning HR, payroll, and leadership on the fly
  


• (25:15 ) - – The evolution of scheduling, team roles, and creative flow
  


• (28:47 ) - – Letting go of control and trusting the team
  


• (30:37 ) - – Decision-making, leadership, and “no more ties”
  


• (31:32 ) - – A day in the life at The Normies studio
  


• (35:21 ) - – How new shows get added to the lineup
  


• (37:31 ) - – Staying in Indianapolis and why it works
  


• (40:57 ) - – On burnout, winter blues, and cost of living
  


• (44:28 ) - – Balancing creative and financial roles
  


• (46:33 ) - – Finding peace in nature and local trails
  


• (49:14 ) - – Give Em Their Flowers
  


• (50:36 ) - – On community, connection, and gratitude