Referenced TED talk in this episode : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyXRYgjQXX0

In this episode, I start with a comment my supervisor casually made about me — that I seem smart, but if you really look closely, I’m kind of a fool. He probably didn’t mean it seriously. But the words stayed with me longer than I expected.

Because sometimes, I wonder the same thing about myself.

In a world that rewards strategy, calculation, and self-interest, kindness can feel like a disadvantage. Being considerate. Giving people the benefit of the doubt. Choosing empathy over efficiency. At times, it feels like choosing the losing side — or at least the slower one.

This episode is not about proving that kindness is morally superior, or pretending that being nice always leads to good outcomes. Instead, it’s an honest reflection on the quiet doubts that come with being a giver. The moments when you ask yourself: Am I being kind, or am I just bad at protecting my own interests? Would my life look different if I were a little more calculated? Is this world ultimately built for people who know how to take, rather than give?

I also reflect on a talk that explores the idea of givers, takers, and matchers — and how those who give the most often lose the hardest, but sometimes also win the most, in the long run.

This episode is for anyone who has ever felt smart, capable, and thoughtful — yet somehow always a step behind. For those who are tired of choosing softness in a hard system, but still aren’t ready to let it go.

Maybe kindness isn’t a losing game.