Unswamped

Matthew is a senior in high school. He played volleyball, went to parties starting Sophomore year, and made good friends.

Short Description- Parties, Friendships, Emotional Journeys.

We talk about party culture and the feeling of freedom parties can sometimes offer. We talk about exclusivity in private school parties versus public school gatherings. Then we pivot to address topics like self-consciousness, the feeling of being left out, and the different perceptions others have of us. Matthew opens up about his struggles with volleyball, detailing how a coach's belittling comments led to burnout and a shift in his career aspirations. We also discuss crying and how he copes. We talk about different types of friendship and Matthew explains forcing versus letting friendships develop.

Chapter Markers and Podbean Link:

00:00 Starting the Podcast

00:33 Introducing the Guest: Matthew Sedano

01:31 Party Culture: Experiences and Opinions

05:18 Popularity and Social Dynamics

07:41 Personal Struggles and Emotional Growth

16:44 Volleyball Dreams and Disappointments

22:13 Coping with Emotions: Crying

37:46 Introversion vs. Extroversion: Perceptions

40:39 The Nature of Arguments in Friendships

47:26 Middle School Memories and Regrets

51:40 The Evolution of Friendships

56:50 The Natural Process of Building Friendships

01:00:21 Conclusion and Sign Off

Podbean Link: https://unswamped.podbean.com/e/matthew-sedano/ 

Recorded in the music room. Tuesday, February 18, 2025. Ended 4:36 pm.

Jason.

Short Description- Personal Life, Friendships, School Life.

In this episode, we dig into a range of topics. We start with casual banter referencing Billie Eilish and TikTok, but shift to discussions about our life experiences. The conversation meanders through various personal anecdotes, including college experiences, social interactions, insecurities, and childhood memories. We also explore their health issues, like digestive problems and asthma, while occasionally touching on their eating habits and favorite foods. The episode ends with thoughts around getting out there, insecurities, and being hungry.

Chapter Markers and Podbean Link:

0:00 Introduction and Initial Banter

00:29 Discussing Billie Eilish and TikTok

00:48 Podcast Recording and Setup

01:28 Casual Conversation and Jokes

14:32 The Role of Religion and Guilt

36:03 Taking Matters into Your Own Hands

38:09 Questioning Beliefs and Self-Reflection

39:03 Defining Good and Bad Actions

41:39 High School Social

59:43 Study Habits

01:03:01 Social Interactions and Insecurities

01:14:54 Friendship Jealousy

01:19:50 Personal Growth and Regrets

01:25:01 Health and Dietary Challenges

01:47:40 Rapid Fire Questions and Fun Facts

01:53:36 Wrapping Up the Podcast

Podbean Link: https://unhttps://unswamped.podbean.com/e/jason/

Recorded in a music room--Wednesday, February 5, 2025. Ended at 6:28 pm.

Keira is a high school senior. She does theater, plays viola, and likes to listen and sing to music. Her favorite color is purple.

Short Description- Navigating Relationships, Self-Acceptance, and Achievement.

We discuss relationships, including the insecurities and pressures involved and how her confidence and self-acceptance have evolved from middle school to high school. We explore themes of achievement, discipline, motivation, and the balance between pursuing the need to be productive and enjoying life. We talk about Keira’s injury after losing her fingers in an accident and the challenges of sharing and understanding it with peers. Music, its influence, and how it ties into personal identity and enjoyment are also discussed. The interaction is a mix of personal anecdotes, reflections, and considerations.

Chapter Markers and Podbean Link:

00:00 Starting the Conversation

01:07 Navigating Friendships and Relationships

04:15 Childhood Friendships and Their Impact

09:53 Arguments and Vulnerability

24:21 Introversion, Extroversion, and Social Interactions

27:08 The Concept of Neediness in Relationships

53:09 Navigating Post-Interaction Thoughts

55:03 Choosing and Enjoying Music

58:48 The Role of Lyrics in Music Appreciation

01:06:48 Balancing Discipline and Passion

01:24:24 The Joy of Theater and Performance

01:29:07 Understanding Passion and Achievement

01:38:08 Exploring Motivation and Discipline

01:38:52 The Role of Identity in Fitness

01:39:45 Questioning the Value of Achievements

01:40:19 Personal Reflections on Happiness

01:41:22 The Importance of Discipline

01:47:48 Balancing Fun and Responsibilities

01:49:59 Understanding Identity and Confidence

01:54:20 Coping with Trauma and Judgment

02:05:47 Thoughts on Parenting and Future

02:08:44 Morning Routines and Sleep Habits

02:16:27 Favorite Artists and Closing Remarks

Podbean Link: https://unswamped.podbean.com/e/keira-doshi/ 

Recorded in my room in the morning. Sunday, January 19, 2025.

Agastya is a first-year at Harvard University studying Econ and CS. Among many things, he was an accomplished debater/ISEF competitor, and is also a carnatic flutist.

Short description- Navigating High School: Debate, Human Connection, Parenting/Parents, Self-Direction, and Preparing for College.

In this episode, we talk about an array of topics including the benefits and challenges of debating, the meaning in friendships, and the way we should be in relationships. We discuss the balance between competitive drives and the mundane moments in life. We talk about supportive friendships and the importance of retaining individuality in the pursuit of achievement. We also talk about parents and relying on others beliefs, coping with stress and burnout, and our eating habits. Agastya also touches on how he felt after getting into Harvard, some of his favorite movies and TV shows, and his thoughts on ChatGPT.

Chapter Markers and Podbean Link:

00:00:00 Beginning

00:02:05 Sanjana call/coincidence

00:04:37 ISEF and the Hotel Room

00:08:08 Being with people you vibe with

00:10:23 The Masterplan to Get The Girl

00:15:31 Experiences with Circuit Debate and Lincoln-Douglas (LD)

00:34:07 Parental Influence and Self-Directed Growth

00:59:03 Humans and Long-Term Problems

00:53:39 Does Going to a Good College Matter?

01:06:32 The Inflection Point

01:11:21 Randomly Calling Friends

01:21:01 What it Means

01:28:00 What it Feels like to Get into Harvard

01:44:54 Middle School

01:54:18 ChatGPT

https://unswamped.podbean.com/e/agastya-sridharan/ 

Recorded in my room the morning of Sunday August 18, 2024.

Jarrad Phillips is a soccer and golf coach and has experience as an athletic trainer. In this episode, we talk about the healing power of movement and exercise. Coach Phillips shares personal experiences with delaying hip surgery through strength training and yoga, and I reflect on my own injury. We also touch on the roles of diet, sports, community engagement, and mental outlook in leading a healthy lifestyle. The latter part of the conversation explores deeper themes like spirituality, religious faith, and the impact of psychedelic experiences on personal beliefs.  

Chapter Markers and Podbean Link:

00:00 Introduction and Initial Questions

00:42 Personal Experience with Injury and Exercise

03:04 Specific Injuries and Treatments

06:10 Diet in Recovery and Performance

08:06 The Importance of Sports and Community

14:55 Career Path and Role as an Athletic Trainer

18:04 Spirituality and Mental Health

28:55 Life and Gratitude

33:03 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

https://unswamped.podbean.com/e/jarrad-phillips/ 

Recorded in Coach Phillips' classroom on the morning of Tuesday, April 9, 2024.

Vicky is an artist and senior in high school. We talk about the akwardness of presenting yourself, friendship, and her best friend Keira. We discuss watching Netflix, TV shows, and movies. Then we talk about capitalism and the necessity to work, the relevance and purpose of rest and breaks, and discipline. We finally talk about relationships and marriage. We also venture into the concept of wasting time we have and the role of goals in our lives.  

Chapter Markers and Podbean Link:

00:00:00: Presenting and being with others

00:05:36: Appreciation in friendship

00:11:48: Validating sadness or stress

00:14:14: Talking about Keira

00:14:37: Netflix

00:22:40: Goals, discipline, and breaks

00:29:14: Capitalism and the necessity of work

00:33:23: Art for Vicky

00:41:27: Maestro (spoiler alert)

00:51:26: Movies

01:02:22: Rewatching and rereading

01:07:36: The concept of wasting time

01:09:48: Consciousness of friendships

01:15:10: Romantic relationships

01:20:49: Marriage as commitment

01:33:44: Having no regrets

https://unswamped.podbean.com/e/vicky-li/ 

Recorded in my room the morning of Tuesday May 27, 2024.

Sanjana Kumar is a first-year at Princeton, a big learner and an—although this is a subjective understanding of the word—prolific high schooler. In high school, she was part of many clubs and did many things outside of school as well. I ask her about how she views high school, others, and her work ethic. We talk about things that feel like a chore and I ask her if she ever feels like she needs to discipline herself to do her work. Ella Lee-Guest makes an appearance. We talked about the college admissions process, doing her essays, and the waiting; she also talks about why college is important to her. I ask her if she reads and how she produces time magically. She talks about her sleep habits and how her some of her favorite weeks of high school were the busiest—the adrenaline rush of getting everything done; sometimes you can’t do everything, planning her stuff ahead, scheduling, and calling a friend. Right when we were going to finish, we started recording again because Ella asked Sanjana a question about sleep. We proceeded to talk about maintaining her habits and being self-conscious.

Chapter Markers and Podbean Link:

00:00:01: Testing

00:00:40: Perception, doing activities in high school

00:03:33: Sources of motivation

00:08:09: Seeing opportunity

00:12:58: Doing things you love

00:13:55: Senioritis, Ella

00:16:26: College admissions

00:21:13: Good college pressure

00:26:22: Why college

00:28:20: Reading

00:30:11: Productivity, and time management

00:34:06: Strategies

00:37:03: Sleep, habits, and self-consciousness

https://unswamped.podbean.com/e/sanjana-kumar/ 

Recorded in a hotel room in Hyatt Place Fresno on the last day of our CHSSA State Championship tournament. It was morning of Sunday, April 14, 2024.

Khyber McFarland is a skateboarder, a musician, and a high school senior. We talk about his hand injury. Then I ask him about being young and the differences in your age and school grade. He talks about his development of introversion, attraction as he's grown up, and how he and I were both class clowns at some point. We talk about not being able to connect with others and my imposter syndrome. He says its innate to be self-centered, and how it’s okay to care about yourself. He gives his thoughts on drama in high school. We talk about me being swamped and my food binge the night before. We talk about my indigestion and khyber’s physical speaking impediment; him and I’s thoughts on being tall; his thoughts on stress; my stress mentality for junior year, and comparison to others like Keira, Jason, Vicky, Jason, Brij (I've got to mention you guys here or else I think it'd be pretentious), “Agastya” and why you shouldn’t compare yourself to someone with a name like that; appreciating who you are instead of wanting what other people have; and on physical touch and male to male touch--I run off the bus before we finish that conversation.

Chapter Markers and Podbean Link:

00:00:30: Beginning

00:02:43: Hand injury

00:05:17: Ages

00:11:44: Social buoyancy

00:20:08: Introversion development

00:22:51: Attraction

00:24:16: Class clown

00:30:50: Being different

00:35:06: Freshman orientation

00:39:31: Social infrastructure

00:44:35: Are you swamped?

01:01:08: Speaking our minds

01:08:52: Being tall

01:15:47: How stressful school has been

01:19:52: Khyber drops heat

01:20:54: Feeling personally disadvantaged

01:31:24: Age, again

01:33:31: Physical touch

01:37:21: Guy on guy

https://unswamped.podbean.com/e/khyber-mcfarland/ 

Recorded in the Francis Parker music (practice) room afterschool Thursday, May 16, 2024.

Jared D'Onofrio is an English and Creative Writing teacher, an almost ex-writer, and a could-be-life-of-the-party. We talk about drugs and why he thinks it might be good to take them when he's 80 years old. He talks about his thoughts on religion and shares the philosophy of life he came up with unconsciously while living life. We also talk about friends and how he is an "anti-social but not unfriendly" person. He also tells me about his thoughts on parenting and his own experience. In the end, I ask him a few rapid-fire questions. Among them are: how to develop a reading habit, is the bible real, and is the college admissions process a good thing?

Chapter Markers and Podbean Link:

00:00:03: Beginning

00:00:39: Curiosity about drugs

00:07:39: Personal experiences and reflections

00:09:56: Connection to religion

00:18:49: The role of faith

00:32:02: Having a personal philosophy

00:38:54: Navigating friendships and social interactions

00:39:27: Understanding antisocial behavior

00:51:46: Parenting

01:01:20: Parenting practices and experiences

01:06:49: College and education

https://unswamped.podbean.com/e/exploring-curiosity-faith-and-lifes-guiding-principles/ 

Recorded in the Francis Parker music (practice) room afterschool Monday, May 6, 2024.

York is a health nut, an experienced cross-country runner, and a first-year at Carnegie Mellon University now. Our conversation centers around self-improvement in the context of athletic performance and life. I ask him about nutrition and figuring out how to deal with food binging and injuries. He reflects on having a "why" behind our actions, and about trial and error in finding the right way to eat and train. We talk about comparison and York talks about how others were still faster than him even when he worked just as hard, if not more than them--he explains the way we should think about it.

Chapter Markers and Podbean Link:

00:00:01: Beginning

00:00:28: Nutrition and Running

00:05:48: Eating

00:07:12: Goals in Nutrition

00:12:59: Navigating Motivation

00:26:30: Comparison

00:31:23: Understanding Effort

00:37:23: Expectations and Self-Discovery

https://unswamped.podbean.com/e/navigating-nutrition-and-motivation-a-runners-perspective/ 

Recorded in the Francis Parker music (practice) room in the morning of Friday, April 5, 2024.