Small Talk: Work | Play | Build

Did women ruin the workplace or did the workplace finally have to evolve?In this episode, Hasita and Subha with their long, hard-earned careers unpack why that question keeps resurfacing and why it feels wildly out of step with the realities of work in 2026.Sparked by a recent piece from The New York Times, we look past the headline and into what’s really being debated: power, change, and discomfort when old systems stop being centered by default.We talk about:- Why progress often gets framed as “decline”- What actually changes when women gain influence at work- Why flexibility, boundaries, and empathy get labeled as weakness- How blaming women distracts from deeper structural failures- And why this conversation feels more like 1986 than 2026This isn’t a rant. It’s a calm, clear-eyed conversation from people who’ve been in the room, built careers, managed teams, and watched workplaces evolve in real time.If you’ve ever felt gaslit by “back in my day” arguments, or wondered why equality still triggers backlash, this episode is for you.
00:00 – 01:00 Highlights: Did Women Ruin the Workplace?01:00 – 02:10 Apparently, We Ruined the Workplace02:10 – 04:05 The NYT Podcast and Why This Debate Feels Ancient04:05 – 06:40 MeToo, Safety, and the Cost of Calling Out Harassment06:40 – 09:35 Old Boys’ Clubs, Networking, and Invisible Barriers09:35 – 12:00 Who the Workplace Is Really Built For12:00 – 18:00 Women at Work: Leadership, Community, and Real Progress18:00 – 23:55 Why We’re Still Here, Still Talking, Still Not Done23:55 – 26:40 Read, Watch, Listen--------------------Small Talk: Work, Play, Build is the latest season of Small Talk. As a career podcast in its fifth year of production now, we look forward to having many conversations with you on what it means to live a life that feels true to each of us, both at work and outside of it. Subscribe to stay tuned when a new episode releases, every fortnight. Instagram @smalltalk_wpbWebsite http://www.smalltalkpod.comMedia enquiries [email protected] © Rainkraft Creative Solutions (OPC) Pvt. Ltd. No segment of this episode or its accessories may be reproduced for commercial use without explicit written permission from the creators.Small Talk: Work, Play, Build Subha Chandrasekaran Hasita Krishna---------------------

What does it take to build something that genuinely changes lives — and not lose yourself doing it? Subha and Hasita with Saraswathi Padmanabhan (Diyaghar, education for migrant workers' children) and Meghana Dutta (Studio Decode, social-impact architecture) on second-act careers, purpose-led work, and scaling impact without losing soul.

What does it really take to build spaces that don’t just function, but transform lives? Here's a deeply moving conversation on purpose-led work, community building, and scaling impact without losing soul.

From creating safe learning spaces for children of migrant workers to designing architecture that holds emotion, dignity, and belonging, this episode explores what it means to lead with care—and why real change is built slowly, collectively, and with conviction.This conversation is for anyone questioning impact, purpose, second acts, or how to build something meaningful beyond traditional career paths.

00:00 Highlights01:33 Why This Conversation Matters04:05 Choosing Purpose Over Comfort07:45 Listening to the Inner Nudge11:40 Rethinking Work and Success14:05 Architecture as Social Impact18:30 Designing for Safety and Belonging22:40 What Community Building Really Takes26:10 Funding, CSR, and Scaling Impact32:10 Training Teams for the Long Term37:30 Education, Dignity, and Generational Change42:10 Midlife Questions and Second Acts48:50 Faith, Energy, and Avoiding Burnout54:30 Joy, Surrender, and Sustaining Impact1:14:49 Read | Watch | Listen---------------------

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Small Talk: Work, Play, Build is a fortnightly podcast about careers, leadership, and the things we make outside our day jobs. Hosted by Subha Chandrasekaran (https://www.linkedin.com/in/subhachandrasekaran/) (executive coach, founder of RainKraft) and Hasita Krishna (https://www.linkedin.com/in/hasita/) (brand strategist, co-founder of Motley Crew).

Seven seasons in, still about what it means to live a life that feels true — at work and outside it.

© 2026 RainKraft Creative Solutions (OPC) Pvt. Ltd. ---------------------If you made it this far, thank you for being such an ardent supporter! Please send us a DM on Instagram to claim your Small Talk goodie. :)

If 2025 was chaotic, inspiring, and confusing in equal measure… welcome to our love letter to 2026.This episode is part vision board, part workplace therapy, part manifesto. Subha and Hasita talk about everything they want the next year to hold, from AI that finally does the small things right, to workplaces that stop treating women like a disruption, to career paths that make room for joy, skills, hobbies, travel, and side quests.They reflect on the rise of multi-interest professionals, the courage it takes to experiment, why community keeps us sane, and how a simple shift in language (“midlife crisis” to “midlife clarity”) can change everything. And yes, they share what’s next for SmallTalk too.If you’re ending the year with big feelings and bigger questions, this conversation will make you feel understood, and ready for your next chapter.00:00 Highlights01:05 Our 2026 Wishlist Begins 04:43 AI Needs to Get Personal 12:54 Women at Work: Can We Please Move Forward 18:48 Careers Beyond the 9–5 Path 24:02 Permission, Play & Reinventing Yourself 27:55 Finding Community in Your City 31:38 Collaborations & What’s Next for SmallTalk --------------------Small Talk: Work, Play, Build is the latest season of Small Talk. As a career podcast in its fifth year of production now, we look forward to having many conversations with you on what it means to live a life that feels true to each of us, both at work and outside of it. Subscribe to stay tuned when a new episode releases, every fortnight. Instagram @smalltalk_wpbWebsite http://www.smalltalkpod.comMedia enquiries [email protected] © Rainkraft Creative Solutions (OPC) Pvt. Ltd. No segment of this episode or its accessories may be reproduced for commercial use without explicit written permission from the creators.Small Talk: Work, Play, Build Subha Chandrasekaran Hasita Krishna---------------------

Gen Z has entered the chat, and the workplace, and nothing looks the same anymore.From side hustles to Zoom etiquette to why loyalty looks completely different today, this episode breaks down the real tensions, the misunderstandings, and the untapped potential of the youngest workforce entering India’s offices.Subha and Hasita get candid about shifting workplace norms, the collapse of shared culture, managers struggling to adapt, and why Gen Z’s hyper-individualism might actually be their greatest strength.If you work with Gen Z, if you are Gen Z, or if you're a manager trying to decode this new energy, this conversation will help you see the workplace with fresh eyes.00:00 Highlights01:01 Why Gen Z feels different03:37 How the pandemic rewired work and presence07:01 Remote culture, hierarchy, and new etiquette10:15 Side hustles, ambition, and the pace problem14:19 Algorithm culture and misplaced workplace conflict16:22 Purpose, passion, and the need for something “real”21:02 Loyalty, one-year stints, and shifting expectations27:58 How to bridge generational gaps at work32:37 Read Watch Listen

--------------------Small Talk: Work, Play, Build is the latest season of Small Talk. As a career podcast in its fifth year of production now, we look forward to having many conversations with you on what it means to live a life that feels true to each of us, both at work and outside of it. Subscribe to stay tuned when a new episode releases, every fortnight. Instagram @smalltalk_wpbWebsite http://www.smalltalkpod.comMedia enquiries [email protected] © Rainkraft Creative Solutions (OPC) Pvt. Ltd. No segment of this episode or its accessories may be reproduced for commercial use without explicit written permission from the creators.Small Talk: Work, Play, Build Subha Chandrasekaran Hasita Krishna---------------------

Here’s the thing: power has always been seen as masculine, and nurturing as feminine. But what if true leadership needs both?In this conversation, Nirupama Subramaniam, author of Powerful and The Nurturing Quotient, joins Subha and Hasita to talk about leadership, guilt, gender, and the courage it takes to claim your voice.She shares stories from her own nonlinear career, what stops women from feeling powerful, and why the next generation of leaders can’t rely on old-school command-and-control anymore.A deeply human episode for anyone figuring out how to grow without losing who they are. Expect stories of reinvention, the guilt women carry at work, why 95% of CEOs are still men, and how the next generation of leaders can balance ambition with self-awareness.Chapters:00:00 – Highlights01:56 – Her Nonlinear Career04:35 – Leaving Banking08:05 – Motherhood and Reinvention13:06 – Why Women Wait for Clarity16:00 – Birth of the Archetypes21:45 – The 4 Power Barriers25:59 – Girls and Leadership Hesitation27:02 – Nurturing as Leadership41:18 – Boardrooms and What’s Next45:21 – Read Watch Listen--------------------Small Talk: Work, Play, Build is the latest season of Small Talk. As a career podcast in its fifth year of production now, we look forward to having many conversations with you on what it means to live a life that feels true to each of us, both at work and outside of it. Subscribe to stay tuned when a new episode releases, every fortnight. Instagram @smalltalk_wpbWebsite http://www.smalltalkpod.comMedia enquiries [email protected] © Rainkraft Creative Solutions (OPC) Pvt. Ltd. No segment of this episode or its accessories may be reproduced for commercial use without explicit written permission from the creators.Small Talk: Work, Play, Build Subha Chandrasekaran Hasita Krishna---------------------

A candid Subha × Hasita conversation on our emotional relationship with money, what we were taught (and not taught), and how that silently shapes career moves, risk-taking, freelancing choices, and freedom.Subha & Hasita explore how our “money scripts” - family beliefs and cultural stories about earning, saving, and risk - quietly influence every career move we make. They discuss:- Why money conversations are emotional, not mathematical.- Women’s hesitation with numbers and its impact on leadership.- How to research, negotiate, and benchmark pay.- Freelance work, pricing your time, and knowing your worth.- Credit, compounding, and living within your means.- Re-writing inherited beliefs to build both security and freedom.Timestamps00:00 Why money is emotional, social, and often missing from career planning.3:00 Money Stories: Childhood conditioning, family beliefs6:00 Middle-Class Money Scripts - salaried-class thinking and financial risk-taking.9:00 Unequal Pay & Career Choices 12:00 Women & Money: Confidence gaps, avoiding numbers, and why understanding financials boosts leadership.15:00 Pay & Negotiation — Learning to benchmark, ask, and value your own time.18:00 Freelancing & the Gig Reality 24:00 Living Within Your Means: Leverage, EMIs, and distinguishing good vs. bad debt.29:00 Financial Mindset Shift34:00 Read | Watch | Listen reccos #careergrowth #smalltalkwpb #moneymindset #psychologyofmoney #moneyscript #middleclassfamily #careerchoices #womenandfinance #womenandmoney --------------------Small Talk: Work, Play, Build is the latest season of Small Talk. As a career podcast in its fifth year of production now, we look forward to having many conversations with you on what it means to live a life that feels true to each of us, both at work and outside of it. Subscribe to stay tuned when a new episode releases, every fortnight. Instagram @smalltalk_wpbWebsite http://www.smalltalkpod.comMedia enquiries [email protected] © Rainkraft Creative Solutions (OPC) Pvt. Ltd. No segment of this episode or its accessories may be reproduced for commercial use without explicit written permission from the creators.Small Talk: Work, Play, Build Subha Chandrasekaran Hasita Krishna---------------------If you made it this far, thank you for being such an ardent supporter! Please send us a DM on Instagram to claim your Small Talk goodie. :)

Feeling stuck in your career? Wondering what to do next or how to make sense of all the skills you’ve picked up over the years?In this episode of Small Talk: Work Play Build, Subha and Hasita break down how to uncover your hidden skills, identify what really energizes you, and find direction that actually pays, in every sense of the word.Perfect for anyone on a career break, midlife pivot, or just feeling the itch for something more.Chapters00:00 Highlights00:50 How to spot what you’re naturally good at02:07 Why most of us downplay our strengths06:10 The difference between doing and being07:53 Play as the window into your real skills13:35 Why “easy” doesn’t mean “less valuable”17:44 Experience itself is a skill18:55 Create your own language of strengths24:44 Tracing the thread across career chapters25:44 How sabbaticals reveal what matters34:14 The end of linear careers, and what replaces them37:02 Read Watch Listen#careergrowth #hiddenstrengths #skills #futureofwork #smalltalkwpb--------------------Small Talk: Work, Play, Build is the latest season of Small Talk. As a career podcast in its fifth year of production now, we look forward to having many conversations with you on what it means to live a life that feels true to each of us, both at work and outside of it. Subscribe to stay tuned when a new episode releases, every fortnight. Instagram @smalltalk_wpbWebsite http://www.smalltalkpod.comMedia enquiries [email protected] © Rainkraft Creative Solutions (OPC) Pvt. Ltd. No segment of this episode or its accessories may be reproduced for commercial use without explicit written permission from the creators.Small Talk: Work, Play, Build Subha Chandrasekaran Hasita Krishna---------------------If you made it this far, thank you for being such an ardent supporter! Please send us a DM on Instagram to claim your Small Talk goodie. :)

We live in an age when your phone can finish your sentences, but can it finish your thoughts?In this deeply reflective episode, Subha and Hasita sit down with Kashyap Kompella and Dr. Sujata Kelkar Shetty to ask: What is technology doing to our emotional lives, particularly for teenagers growing up in a hyper-connected era?Meet our guests- Kashyap Kompella leads RPA2AI Research, advising global enterprises on AI, automation, and governance. He brings clarity to complex systems in a way that’s practical and human.

- Dr. Sujata Kelkar Shetty is a resilience coach, trained biologist, and author. Her work centers on helping people, especially youth, build internal strength in the face of external turbulence. In this conversation, we explore:- The dual nature of AI: tool vs. trap- How youth brains respond differently to digital stimuli- The quiet costs of dependency: on cognition, creativity, agency- Frameworks for resilience: the four key pillars- How we regulate what should (and should not) be outsourced- What care, community, and context look like in a tech-steeped worldWhether you’re a parent, educator, psychotherapist, or a curious human trying to stay grounded, there’s something here for you.Chapters:00:00 Highlights01:29 Framing AI’s emotional impact07:41 Teens, thinking, and identity13:51 Cognitive decline & emotional fragility19:26 Algorithms, anxiety & addiction loops25:46 Four resilience boosters revealed32:21 Guardrails: regulation, design, ethics36:51 Support systems: home, school, system42:31 Narratives of hope & paths forward1:01:02 End Read | Watch | Listen[AI mental health, adolescent resilience, digital wellbeing, teenage anxiety, tech addiction, neuroscience, wellness, career podcast]--------------------Small Talk: Work, Play, Build is the latest season of Small Talk. As a career podcast in its fifth year of production now, we look forward to having many conversations with you on what it means to live a life that feels true to each of us, both at work and outside of it. Subscribe to stay tuned when a new episode releases, every fortnight. Instagram @smalltalk_wpbWebsite http://www.smalltalkpod.comMedia enquiries [email protected] © Rainkraft Creative Solutions (OPC) Pvt. Ltd. No segment of this episode or its accessories may be reproduced for commercial use without explicit written permission from the creators.Small Talk: Work, Play, Build Subha Chandrasekaran Hasita Krishna

Everyone says ‘communication is key’, but why do so many of us still get it wrong?From endless WhatsApp pings to performative LinkedIn posts to the dreaded unreadable work email, we’re surrounded by noise. But is anyone truly listening?In this episode, Subha and Hasita dive into why communication has become a lost art, why good listening is rarer than original thought, and how being intentional in what you say can actually change the course of your career.This isn’t another ‘improve your communication skills’ pep talk. It’s a call to rethink how we talk, write, and listen, because your next big career leap may depend on it.00:00 Highlights00:57 Why Are We Talking So Much? 03:05 Synchronous vs Asynchronous Chaos 05:42 Losing Human Cues in Digital Work 07:27 Listening Is a Superpower 10:03 What Supercommunicators Do Differently 12:17 Storytelling Beyond Buzzwords 16:10 Asking Better Questions at Work 20:15 Knowing Your Real Audience 23:32 Emails, Inboxes & Clarity Under Pressure 26:32 Intentional Conversations over More Noise 28:21 Read, Watch, Listen --------------------Small Talk: Work, Play, Build is the latest season of Small Talk. As a career podcast in its fifth year of production now, we look forward to having many conversations with you on what it means to live a life that feels true to each of us, both at work and outside of it. Subscribe to stay tuned when a new episode releases, every fortnight. Instagram @smalltalk_wpb

Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@smalltalkpod_wpbWebsite http://www.smalltalkpod.comMedia enquiries [email protected] © Rainkraft Creative Solutions (OPC) Pvt. Ltd. No segment of this episode or its accessories may be reproduced for commercial use without explicit written permission from the creators.Small Talk: Work, Play, Build Subha Chandrasekaran Hasita Krishna---------------------If you made it this far, thank you for being such an ardent supporter! Please send us a DM on Instagram to claim your Small Talk goodie. :)

In this episode of Small Talk: Work, Play, Build, we dive into the hidden side of toxic workplaces, where the abuse isn’t obvious, but it’s real. From micromanagement and gaslighting to manipulative clients and power plays, these behaviours destroy careers and confidence without anyone noticing.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

- How to recognize subtle signs of toxicity at work

- Why leaving a toxic job is harder than you think

- Strategies to protect yourself, and your team, from abusive dynamics

- Real stories that will make you say, “That happened to me too”

If you’ve ever felt drained, anxious, or second-guessed yourself because of work, this conversation is for you.

📌 Timestamps:

00:00 Intro – Why toxic workplaces are more common than you think

02:30 The myth of the “client from hell”

06:00 Gaslighting, micromanagement & emotional manipulation

15:00 Why speaking up feels impossible

25:00 What to do when leaving isn’t an option

34:30 How leaders can protect their teams

#careerpodcast #worketiquette #professionalism #smalltalkwpb #toxicboss

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Small Talk: Work, Play, Build is the latest season of Small Talk. As a business podcast in its fifth year of production now, we look forward to having many conversations with you on what it means to live a life that feels true to each of us, both at work and outside of it.

Subscribe to stay tuned when a new episode releases, every fortnight.

Instagram @smalltalk_wpb

Website http://www.smalltalkpod.com

Media enquiries [email protected]

Copyright © Rainkraft Creative Solutions (OPC) Pvt. Ltd. No segment of this episode or its accessories may be reproduced for commercial use without explicit written permission from the creators.

Small Talk: Work, Play, Build Subha Chandrasekaran Hasita Krishna---------------------If you made it this far, thank you for being such an ardent supporter! Please send us a DM on Instagram to claim your Small Talk goodie. :)