About Divya Venn:

Divya Venn grew up in Sunnyvale, California, and now spends her time indie hacking, writing, and creating content that’s equal parts tech, psychology, relationships, and random thoughts. She’s the kind of person who treats Twitter like an open journal — not to “go viral,” but to actually connect with people. That mindset has led to unexpected friendships, interesting projects, and some wild online moments.

💬 Favorite Quote from this episode:

“The praise and the hate are just two sides of the same coin.”

What was most fun about this conversation:

I liked hearing how she just… says what she’s thinking online. Not in a try-hard, attention-seeking way, but because it helps her make sense of the chaos in her head. Also, her story about casually roasting someone’s dating profile and accidentally starting a side business out of it? That was both hilarious and kind of genius.

What I was inspired by:

Divya’s openness about growing up socially isolated — and how she turned that into a drive to understand people better — hit me. Instead of pretending to have it all figured out, she’s honest about still learning, which makes her perspective way more relatable. It made me think about how valuable it is to find the stuff you’d do for free (like writing, in her case) and just keep doing it, even if it’s not “strategic.”

What many of us Americans can relate with:

Feeling like your life is split between “home world” and “outside world.” Wasting time on the wrong priorities in school. Wrestling with procrastination but still somehow getting bursts of work done when it counts. And that whole thing where your parents don’t really “get” what you’re doing… until it starts making money or opening doors.

What I will think more about:

Her point about not talking too much about big projects before they’re done really stuck with me. She said that sometimes just talking about an idea gives you enough of a dopamine hit that you lose the drive to actually finish it. I’m going to remember that next time I’m tempted to announce something too early.

How this connects to other conversations:

Like Dr. Nirav Pandya, Divya talked about how identity can shift from something you hide to something you own. Like Gagan Biyani, she’s aware of how online spaces can be both unifying and polarizing — and she doesn’t think we should overcomplicate cultural differences. And like Dr. Neha Gupta, she knows cultural norms can be subtle in ways you don’t even notice unless you’ve lived them, but she treats that as something to navigate with humor.

🎧 Thanks for listening and stay tuned for more stories that show how Indian American life is anything but one-size-fits-all.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit indianamericanstories.substack.com