In this episode, I reflect on our tendency to search for patterns, brace ourselves for loss, and become suspicious of joy. Why does happiness sometimes feel like dreaming? Why do we prepare for endings that haven’t happened yet? And how can we appreciate the good things in our lives without becoming afraid of their impermanence?

This episode is about neuroscience, gratitude, dreaming, and what it means to live fully in a world where nothing is promised.

It is also, unexpectedly, an episode about grief.

Inspired by my recent blog, Fleeting Good:

This episode is dedicated to the memory of my beloved cousin and brother, Kareem. Thank you for the love, laughter, and memories that make saying goodbye feel impossible. Please keep him and our family in your prayers.

Tell the people you love that you love them. 💛

In this episode, I talk about perception, beauty standards, identity, and the invisible “lenses” we inherit long before we’re old enough to choose them for ourselves.

Inspired by my essay, The Lens of the Beholder, this episode explores how neuroscience, culture, memory, and repetition shape the way we see ourselves and the world around us. From vision neuroscience and neuroplasticity to stories about my Egyptian-American upbringing, my grandma, Twilight Zone episodes, and even my childhood glasses fascination, this became a conversation about one question I keep coming back to:

…says who?

Maybe the way you see yourself was never as objective as you thought it was.

Thank you so much for all the love on the first episode. I genuinely can’t explain how much it means to me ♡

In this episode, I talk about neuroplasticity, mindset, self-belief, identity, and the stories we accidentally teach our brains to believe. Through personal stories about soccer, running, becoming a morning person, and finally starting this podcast after years of overthinking it, I explore how our thoughts shape the lives we build and the people we become.

This episode was inspired by a question someone asked me after reading my post, “The Delusion of Becoming,” and honestly… this is my very long-winded answer.

Maybe this is your sign to try the thing you keep talking yourself out of. Please give me feedback, and I hope you enjoy!