The 25th Masti episode welcomes my man, James Pugliese! We talk about the Financially Independent Retire Early (FIRE) Movement. This movement is for individuals who want to escape the bounds of a paycheck & live off investments (James & I fall in this category). Topics include the psychology of saving/spending/investing, the power of compounding in all facets of life, what retirement looks like to us, cultural differences in perspectives of money & more. 

Timestamps: 

0:52 - Introduction to FIRE & how we got into this movement

4:28 - Desirable number or age to retire by & investment strategies

11:50 - Psychology of spending vs saving, finding the right balance, life after retirement?

26:00 - Power of compounding in money & all facets of life

31:45 - Certain personalities attracted to this movement?

37:06 - Living off minimum wage 

44:35 - Culture & stigma of living at home 

48:30 - Wife & kids in the FIRE equation 

52:15 - Criticisms of the movement, Financial Freedom & the options + final thoughts

Episode out on Youtube, Spotify & Apple Podcasts! 
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Artwork by Yamada. Jingle by Dphelion. 

The 24th Masti episode welcomes back Aditya & David! We talk about all things NBA as the new season is here!! Our topics include Lebron & Lakers 2.0, Clippers redemptions season?, KD’s return, Harden + this prolific player empowerment era, our predictions & much more! 

Timestamps: 

1:40 - History of the Achilles injury + KD’s return/legacy

8:34 - Kyrie/KD duo + Nets preview

13:30 - Eastern Conference Preview + Predictions 

23:16 - Which player in the EAST has the most pressure?

29:43 - Lakers 2.0 + Offseason moves 

32:30 - Expectations from Clippers & Kawhi/PG duo this season 

40:50 - Western Conference preview & predictions

55:55 - James Harden + Player Empowerment ERA 

1:05:15 - Power Ranking Top 5 NBA duos 

1:09:41 - NBA Finals Predictions

Episode out on Youtube, Spotify & Apple Podcasts! 

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Artwork by Yamada. Jingle by Dphelion. 

The 23rd Masti episode features my friend Espen Roth, who is currently a production engineer for Facebook! Espen and I dive into the pros & cons of the new viral documentary (Social Dilemma) & what’s it really like working at Facebook from his perspective. 

Disclaimer: These views are Espen’s personal views & do not in any shape or form reflect the views of Facebook as an organization. 

Timestamps: 

1:04 - Espen’s role at FB

2:33 - Initial thoughts on Social Dilemma 

8:30 - Social Media & regulation

13:04 - Tech giants copying & using network effects (FB copying Snapchat) 

17:20 - Golden handcuffs feeling at FB & other tech giants? 

24:10 - Political influence on social media (Bay Area HQ) 

31:30 - Things that scare us for the future 

34:00 - FB Ad business model (+ overview of Ad auction) 

37:50 - Engineering outrage? + Wiping people from social media 

39:35 - Finding accurate information & lack of healthy disagreements 

Episode out on Youtube, Spotify & Apple Podcasts! 

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Artwork by Yamada. Jingle by Dphelion. 

The 22nd Masti episode features my friend Krutika Surve, who is a writer and a performer! Krutika & I dive into her creative thought process, writing vs performing, her culture in her work & the entertainment industry as a whole. 

Timestamps: 

0:38 - Being a writer & creative process 

6:50 - Character vs plot-driven writing 

14:10 - Blending cultures as an Indian American in her work & Arranged Marriages 

23:35 - Diversity/Representation in the entertainment industry 

28:30 - Impacts of COVID-19 on the industry & hopeful change? 

33:53 - Day in Krutika’s life 

37:00 - Copyright issues & people stealing work 

41:05 - Writing vs Performing 

45:15 - Creative brainstorming & ideation 

48:27 - Chicago vs LA vs NYC 

57:00 - Dinner with any celeb & gold-digging 

Episode out on Youtube, Spotify & Apple Podcasts! 

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Artwork by Yamada. Jingle by Dphelion. 

The 16th official episode of Masti featuring college buddy: Cody!! We talk shop about living in San Fran, the tech bubble, pros & cons of the work culture, the culture of side hustles, growth vs value of companies, Microsoft trying to buy tik tok, the origins of “working hard”, and much more!!!

Episode out on Youtube, IGTV, Spotify & Apple Podcasts! 

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Artwork by Yamada. Jingle by Dphelion. 

The 21st Masti episode features Allen Fu! Allen & I dive into the unprecedented 56th meeting between Rafael Nadal & Novak Djokovic at French Open 2020! We talk about Rafa’s epic performance & GOAT debate implications:

Timestamps: 

1:20 - Major storylines for FO this year & match analysis

6:20 - Expectations prior to the match. Novak’s best chance? 

9:45 - Rafa’s performance & domination of short points

16:35 - The playing conditions narrative & Rafa’s return of serve

20:20 - Who’s the Greatest of All Time (GOAT)?

27:45 - Can Roger win another slam? Rafa/Novak’s future slam chances 

29:45 - Is Australian Open 2021 a must-win for Novak now?

32:05 - 2021 Predictions 

38:25 - Predictions for number of slams Roger, Rafa & Novak will end up with 

Episode out on Youtube, Spotify & Apple Podcasts! 

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Artwork by Yamada. Jingle by Dphelion. 

The 20th Masti episode features my friend Connor Mulshine! Connor & I hash out the epic Denver Nuggets comeback against the Clippers, the preview of the Western/Eastern Conference Finals, Kawhi’s legacy, the superstar in Jokic & more. 

Timestamps: 

1:00 - NUGGETS upset the CLIPPERS, the effect of this monumental upset 

3:40 - Down 3-1 to Jazz to being in the WCF, what a shift for the Nuggets 

8:05 - Kawhi’s legacy, leadership & teammates 

14:00 - Kawhi’s career vs D Wade’s career (similarities & trajectories) 

18:40 - Where do the Clippers go from here? What about Doc Rivers? 

21:28 - Jokic’s rise to superstar status & the stretch 5 movement 

26:40 - Lakers v Nuggets preview, lineup combinations & prediction 

34:19 - Miami v Boston preview & prediction 

37:23 - NBA Finals Preview & juiciest matchups 

40:30 - Effects of the bubble on the postseason & final thoughts 

Episode out on Youtube, Spotify & Apple Podcasts! 

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Artwork by Yamada. Jingle by Dphelion. 

The 19th official episode of Masti features my homie from college Emily! Emily is a pro soccer player for Fortuna Hjørring in Denmark. We talk about her journey from graduation at Mines to playing pro in Europe, differences in level/styles of play, cultural differences on & off the field, salaries in pro soccer & much more! Timestamps below for specific topics:

Timestamps: 

0:57 - Journey from graduation at Mines to playing pro Soccer 

7:50 - When did you realize you could go pro? 

11:35 - Shy, quiet off the field vs beast mode on the field 

14:01 - Going pro in Europe instead of the USA 

19:50 - Level & style of play (D2 at Mines vs Serie A/B in Europe). Physical/bully ball vs technical/patient 

29:00 - Cultural differences on & off the field 

32:00 - Pros & Cons of Italy 

36:43 - Surprised by the more patriarchal society, new perspective coming from the US

41:00 - Transferring from Empoli to Fortuna Hjørring & salaries in pro women's soccer (plus the impacts) 

49:00 - Emily’s schedule as an athlete/student & future outlook 

52:20 - Being in Italy for the crazy Coronavirus spike & quarantine as an athlete 

57:25 - Sickest highlight & impact of attending Mines for a pro soccer career 

Episode out on Youtube, Spotify & Apple Podcasts! 

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Artwork by Yamada. Jingle by Dphelion. 

The 18th official episode of Masti features Amulya! Tennis is officially back & we dive into the return of our favorite sports. We talk about the Cincinnati masters, Novak’s form, his tactics, court speed & then dive into our predictions & expectations for the US Open 2020 going through each quarter of the draw! 

Time stamps: 

:30 - The return of tennis 

2:05 - Empty stadiums & no fans 

6:20 - Novak Djokovic’s performance during the Cincinnati Masters

9:35 - Novak vs Milos Cincinnati Final & Novak’s possum tactics 

US Open Predictions: 

18:05 - Novak Djokovic’s (#1) quarter 

22:30 - Stefanos Tsitsipas’s (#4) quarter 

27:44 - Daniil Medvedev’s (#3)  quarter 

32:47 - Dominic Thiem’s (#2) quarter 

39:10 - QF Predictions 

44:38 - SF Predictions 

49:00 - US Open 2020 Final prediction 

Episode out on Youtube, Spotify & Apple Podcasts! 

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Artwork by Yamada. Jingle by Dphelion. 

The 17th official episode of Masti features the OG, Jordan Daubenspeck!! We dive into the NBA bubble, fans expectations, virtual fans, LifeTime gym vibes, shooters shooting lights out, NBA experimentation & our NBA Playoffs Predictions for every round!! Tune in NBA fans! 

Time stamps: 

2:50 - First thoughts on the NBA bubble

7:25 - Play in tournament & experimentation in NBA 

10:40 - Quality of play in the bubble 

13:40 - Spacial awareness & depth perception in the bubble 

19:08 - Impact of seeds in the bubble 

23:19 - The play in-game 

25:25 - Eastern Conference First Round Matchups/Predictions

35:55 - Lakers vs Blazers Round 1 

47:45 - Other Western Conference First Round Matchups/Predictions

1:01:03 - Eastern Conference Semifinals 

1:04:15 - Western Conference Semifinals 

1:10:20 - Eastern/Western Conference Finals

1:16:40 - NBA Finals & Final Thoughts 

Episode out on Youtube, Spotify & Apple Podcasts! 

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Artwork by Yamada. Jingle by Dphelion.