This week, we are joined by a very SPECIAL GUEST – Varun Rana!

From ex-Amazon software engineer to full-time content creator, Varun shares his inspiring (and super relatable) journey of breaking out of the traditional South Asian career mold. We dive deep into childhood trauma, immigrant parent expectations, and the highs and lows of chasing your creative dreams.

We talk about:

✨ Quitting the 9-5 and what his parents really thought

✨ The unspoken pressure of "Engineer, Doctor, Lawyer"

✨ Dealing with judgment from the South Asian community

✨ The not-so-glamorous side of content creation

✨ Advice for South Asians wanting to carve their own path

This is one of those episodes that’ll leave you feeling seen, heard, and ready to chase your dreams — with a warm cup of *coffee* in hand, of course.

📅 New episodes every Monday at 7 AM

🎙 Submit your stories: https://www.halfpastchai.com/📲 Follow us: https://bio.site/halfpastchai

📲 Follow Varun: @the_varunrana

Time codes

0:00 - WELCOME TO HALF PAST CHAI

5:08 - Who is Varun Rana?

7:40 - Why did you start making content?

13:30 - Parents expectations for their kids

21:13 - Did you like being a software engineer?

26:57 - What the final push to go into full time content?

28:13 - How did you deal with the external judgement?

34:15 - What’s it like living in NYC?

39:59 - Varun’s Content

49:07 - RAPID FIRE QUESTIONS

50:18 - QUESTION OF THE WEEK