This week, I talk to my friend and fellow Buddhist Nile Ross. Nile has been making hip-hop music for over ten years, and his style ranges from hype, catchy party music to very conscious and political topics. Nile and I talk about his pivot from football to music, his artistic family, Buddhism, as well as his strong feelings on the BLM movement and the need for reparations. Stick around till the end to hear a clip from his powerful song, Second Chances. 

Enjoy!

Guest Links

nileross.com

www.instagram.com/nileross

Host Links

jatinkhanna.com

5/8: Brooklyn House of Comedy

5/15: The Ugly Mug, DC

Four years ago, I suffered a tennis injury that led to two years of chronic leg and lower back pain. After seeing almost a dozen medical professionals including PTs, doctors, and chiropractors, I finally met Elaine Oyang. She is a certified yoga therapist, and after just four sessions with her, she gave me a simple sequence of yoga poses that helped me finally become pain-free. Her philosophy is that she can give her students the tools and framework to succeed, so that they are not ultimately dependent on her for their health. She specializes in chronic pain, but also is trained in Meditation, Guided Relaxation, Ayurveda, and Holistic Nutrition. 

I talk to Elaine about how she pivoted from Biology to Yoga Therapy, and the differences between standard group yoga classes and Yoga Therapy. We also talk about Eastern vs. Western philosophy of health and the power of lifestyle change. 

Enjoy!

Guest Links

Elaine's Website

Elaine's Youtube Channel

Elaine's Instagram

After a short break, we are back with a new episode! This week, I talk to Indigo Ross, a comedian, voice actress, and fellow Buddhist. We talk about how she overcame her struggles with unemployment during the pandemic by using her Buddhist practice and ended up landing her first-ever voice-over gig for an animated series! We also talk about finding a mentor, being single during quarantine, and dating apps.

Enjoy!

Guest Links

Indigo's Instagram

Indigo's Twitter

Godzilla: Bonds of Blood

References

How Billionaires Got $637 Billion Richer During the COVID-19 Pandemic

New PPP Loan Data Reveals Most Of The $525 Billion Given Out Went To Larger Businesses

www.sgi-usa.org

This is a good one! In episode 13, I talk to comedian and podcaster Joel Byars, whose show Hot Breath has helped guide me and thousands of other new comics around the world to learn about the craft and business of stand-up comedy. 

Joel has been doing stand up for 11 years, and he has recorded over 300 podcast episodes with big names in comedy like Andrew Schulz, Mark Normand, Sean Patton, Jeff Foxworthy, and many more! He's also self-produced his own comedy special and set up his own road tour. Through Hot Breath, he's building a global community of comics helping each other write jokes and improve their craft. 

I'm inspired by Joel's attitude of taking initiative in his career and not waiting for success to find him. His philosophy is something I share, and one that resonates with Buddhist and Stoic teachings: "Focus on what you can control". This is great advice not just for comedy and the arts, but for all aspects of life.

Enjoy!

Guest Links

Joel's Website

Hot Breath Facebook Group

Hot Breath Youtube Channel

In response to GameStop Mania and the countless Reddit posts, memes, CNBC segments, and Wall Street Journal articles, I decided to do my own investigating into the madness. I decided to talk to my friend Matt (last name redacted) since he is an Investment Analyst and analyzes the market for a living. 

We talk about what actually happened when Robinhood shut down trading (hint: it's not a conspiracy), and share some thoughts on the market and economy overall. We also get into Matt's advice on investing vs. trading, and how to build good investing practices and habits that can help you build a strong financial future (and hopefully retire early). 

P.S. We recorded this before the Super Bowl, so congratulations (and also fuck you) to Tom Brady for winning his 7th ring. I'm not even mad...I'm just impressed.

References

What's the DTCC and How Did It Stop Gamestop Mania?

I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit Sethi

Everything That Remains: A Memoir by The Minimalists

Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin

This week, I have a deep conversation about comedy, meditation, happiness, and purpose with Rishi Mathur. He's an old friend who has been very active in the NY comedy scene and also has his own podcast called Guilty Conscience with Alex Payne. 

If you're a fan of comedy and deep conversations, this is the episode for you!

Guest Links

Rishi's Instagram

Guilty Conscience

This week, I talk to the funny and talented Steve Lipman! Steve is a Philly kid who has been doing stand up since he was 11 years old! Today, he lives in New York and writes and podcasts about the Sixers in between acting gigs, and is waiting, like many of us, for stand up to return in the post-COVID world.

In this episode, we shoot the shit about basketball, including the Sixers performance this year, as well as the huge Nets James Harden trade. We also talk about Steve's early start in stand up comedy, and how he eventually got into acting. His most recent movie Antarctica is a powerful dark comedy about the pain and struggles of being a teenager. Check it out!

Guest Links

www.steve-lipman.com/

www.libertyballers.com/ 

Antarctica on Amazon Prime Video

Happy New Year! For my first episode of 2021, I talk with my old friend and self-proclaimed Healthcare Thinkboi, Nikhil Krishnan.

Nikhil's current main project is Out-of-Pocket, an endeavor to make the healthcare industry more accessible and understandable via funny newsletters, memes, a children's book, and even a playing card game. We talk about his pathway into healthcare as an outsider, and how he wanted to shake up the stiff, professional world of healthcare by bringing light and humor into it. 

I've always admired Nikhil for his passion for side projects, which include a retired music newsletter (RIP NikTunes), a social community building project called Get Real, as well as his strong presence on Twitter. 

In this episode, Nikhil breaks down how the US healthcare system came to be the way it is, and how all these inefficiencies have come to light and been exacerbated by COVID-19. He offers unique insights into why your billing and customer service is so shitty (hint: you are not the real customer, your employer is). And we even talk a little bit about Medicare for All, and what that could look like if the US went in that direction. 

Enjoy :)

Links

www.instagram.com/outofpockethealth

www.twitter.com/nikillinit

getreal.club

outofpocket.health

Nikhils Children's Book

Nimesh Patel is a comedian, writer, and more recently, voice actor based in NYC. He's been in the comedy game for over ten years, and has been a regular at NY clubs like the Comedy Cellar and Eastville Comedy Club, as well as clubs around the country. He's also written for the Oscars and Weekend Update, and worked as a field producer for Full Frontal with Samantha Bee.

Nimesh has been hard at work over quarantine, recording and releasing lots of stand up while also creating and voice-acting in Zooidiots, an Youtube animated series about animals in quarantine. 

We talk about his process of creating this show, his high comedy standards and aspirations, as well as his journey from doing open mics with Michael Che to becoming a well-regarded stand up and comedy writer. 

Links

www.instagram.com/findingnimesh

www.patel2020.com

www.zooidiots.com