My Thick Accent

Beyond The Highlight Reel: Gen Z, Identity & Curry Confessions | Ft. Hamza Islam Ep. 067

• Gurasis Singh

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What’s it really like behind Gen Z’s curated online personas?

In this episode, we sit down with Hamza Islam—host of Oh My Curry Goodness—a podcast dedicated to raw, unfiltered Gen Z stories. Born in the U.S. to Bangladeshi immigrant parents, Hamza brings a unique multicultural perspective to storytelling, blending South Asian identity with a deep curiosity about human connection.

From battling social anxiety to embracing vulnerability, Hamza opens up about how podcasting helped him find his voice and create safe spaces for others to do the same. We explore how he turned his discomfort with surface-level social media into a platform for authenticity, introspection, and cultural pride.

Whether you're passionate about Gen Z mental health, cultural identity, or authentic digital storytelling, this episode offers powerful insights into embracing your true self—beyond the highlight reel.

Follow the host and the podcast on Social Media channels below:  

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To contact Hamza:

Correction Note: In the episode, Hamza mentions that his mom said he speaks Bengali like a white person. He later clarified that it was actually his brother who made that comment. A small mix-up, but we wanted to set the record straight!

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Want to share your story? Or know someone I should invite next on the show? DM us or write to us at Hello@mythickaccent.com


Gurasis:

Have you ever seen your favorite celebrity and wondered what it's like to be them? Or perhaps you have come across someone intriguing while scrolling and had the same question. Maybe, at times, you simply crave a different perspective on the challenges you face daily. Well, these are the exact questions that inspired my guest to start his own podcast. Born in the US to a Bangladeshi immigrant family, my guest embarked on a journey to explore the essence of human connection and diverse perspectives. His podcast uniquely features Gen Z voices, allowing them to be their true selves and to portray authenticity in their stories. Oh my Curry Goodness podcast isn't just about conversations. It's about understanding what it's like to be another person, seeking those unique viewpoints and fostering genuine human connections. With a title as unique and flavorful as oh my Curry Goodness, he has created a platform that brings together stories and insights from all walks of life, particularly highlighting the experiences of Gen Z's. Join me as we dive into his story, his motivations and the incredible impact his podcast is making. Please welcome Hamza Islam.

Hamza:

Thank you so much for having me. I love the introduction. It was an amazing introduction and I know I joke about how uniquely creative oh my Curry Goodness is. But I also love your podcast, my Thick Accent. Truth be told, I do not have an accent, so slightly jealous of that because I sound like a really boring person, but nevertheless happy to be here. Thank you so much.

Gurasis:

Oh, thank you. Thank you for being on the podcast, and you don't have to have an accent to be on the podcast. It's about the impact that your background has had on you, right? It's not just limited to your accents and how you speak today. It's everything that you've been through, and even your parents in your case, right? So, welcome, very excited to get into your story today.

Hamza:

Yeah, thank you so much.

Gurasis:

Awesome. So, hamza, this podcast, this particular episode, is part of season two, where I'm trying to turn up the fun factor a little bit, because why not? So I'm going to start with some fun questions. Okay, so ready.

Hamza:

I'm ready.

Gurasis:

All right, so what's your go to breakfast?

Hamza:

My go to breakfast. So there's two. There's two meals I like to have. One is just two slices of bread and then Nutella chocolate, just because I really love chocolate, and so sometimes it annoys my mom because she notices that I eat quite often, but I mean I like it a lot, so I'm going to have it. But if I don't have two slices of bread, nutella I will also have. There's a cereal called cookie crisp, which is basically they're small cookies but it's not. It's not an actual snack, it's used for, it's used for having breakfast and I like the crunch whenever I have, when it's, whenever it's in my mouth and there's also that chocolatey flavor. So yeah, cookie crisps, cereal or two slices of bread and nutella, those are two of my go-to breakfast meals I mean, of course, nutella.

Gurasis:

right, who doesn't love nutella? I personally love it, you know I. Sometimes it's like. When I came to canada I actually got introduced to it for the first time, not that I didn't have it back in India, it just wasn't that casual and common. When I started seeing my new roommates and everybody I met here, their first breakfast go-to was literally like banana slices and those Nutella. So I started adopting that as well. So I love that All right. So next is share a favorite song or a dialogue or a movie and tell us why it's significant to you

Hamza:

.

Hamza:

Yeah, so, in terms of favorite song, I I've been, I've gotten in the habit of listening to music without lyrics, so like without actual words. For example, I don't know if you've ever seen the movie interstellar, which the one that stars that stars matthew mcconaughey, but there's a particular song or the scene in the movie where they're driving into a cornfield and the song that takes place during that scene is called cornfield chase. Now it's a bit interesting because when you hear music, when you hear songs or what's your favorite song, you think of the ones with words, but unless you haven't seen the movie or you haven't checked the soundtrack, you don't know how good of that song is. Because even without the words, the tune, the, the, just like you're creating this, like there's something about music without words that lets you kind of create imagination in your head and so there's something I love about that song.

Hamza:

I don't know how to explain it, but it's just like one of those things where you listen to it and it just takes you on some sort of weird adventure no-transcript run through yours if you have it. So that's a song and then maybe I'm gonna cheat myself here I'll probably say a tv show. So I don't know. Know, it's one of the most popular TV shows in the 90s, called Seinfeld, starring Jerry Seinfeld, and essentially for those who don't know and I'm not saying this in a hypothetical way I mean literally said this it's a show about nothing. And I think what makes it, what makes it so impactful is I think a lot of people have an idea. So like, okay, we want the show to be about this or we want something to be about this. It has to be about something.

Hamza:

And yet you look at a show like Seinfeld and it's literally about nothing. It's like literally going to the grocery store that's's a story. Reading a book that's a story. Asking a girl out and getting rejected that's a story. So you think like it's not even about anything. It's just something that happens on a regular basis or on a daily basis and you overlook it, but the fact that it's being overlooked is what makes it one of the most popular shows, not just of like the 90s but, honestly, of all time, because of how relatable it is to so many people. Even though that took place in the 80s and the 90s, there's still some bits of it that is relevant today. Asking a girl out is still something many people do, and even if you get rejected, that's another thing that many of us go through. So, yeah, definitely one of my favorite, if not favorite, tv shows of all time all right, I'm actually wrapping up my current show I'm watching.

Gurasis:

Maybe I can add that one to my next list, you know yeah, it's a great show.

Hamza:

It's a great show okay.

Gurasis:

So next is if you had to teach one phrase or anything you know in your mother tongue, what would it be and what does it mean?

Hamza:

yeah, so I'm not. For those who don't know, I mean, I think you may have talked about in your introduction, but I'm, my parents come from bangladesh, but I don't speak their language. I'm someone who can understand what people are saying, but if you tell me to write it, uh, it's a big no-no. But I'll give you a simple word because I'm not that well versed in the language. But it's called. It's basically the term is pasa or pasa, which means but in Bengali.

Hamza:

And I find it to be a bit funny at times because in my university I go to school in the United States there's a student organization called well, there's a Pakistan Student Association at our school, but they call themselves pasa, which also in bengali it means but, but for them it's it's just a short acronym for pakistan association. So anytime someone talks about, hey, you know you should join pasa, it's a friendly environment, I'm like, I'm sure it's a friendly environment. I'm sure it is, and I think some people know. I think some people know what it means because some of the people from the Pakistan Student Association can speak Bengali a little bit and then they're also friends with some of the people from the Bengali Student Association. But it's still a little funny that you call your your student organization and that name happens to be a part of your body in another language. So interesting thing. It's a simple word, but still an interesting word, especially if you're going to call your organization Kasa.

Gurasis:

That is funny. You know, I actually know many words in different languages which actually mean completely a different meaning altogether in my own language, and I wouldn't say that right now, but I do know a few of those examples. I love that. All right, yeah, uh. Next is if you could teleport back to a particular place, where would you go and what would you do?

Hamza:

I mean, there's a lot of fun places I would love to go back to, but I think, as a big, as a huge soccer fan, I I didn't attend this game, but I wish I could go back in time and just witness it in person, but one of my I mean, I'm a huge soccer fan and one of my favorite soccer games growing up was the 2010 world cup, when usa played algeria and, for obvious reasons, I was supported the united states and this so I was born in 2002. I was eight years old when the 2010 World Cup happened and the significance of that game was when the United States they had to win the game. Or else, for those who don't know what people like, don't know much about the FIFA World Cup, there was the group stage and then there was, like knockout stage. So USA had to win their last game in order to go to the knockout stage. So, spoiler order to go to the knockout stage. So, spoiler alert, they won the game, but they won with like very little time left on the clock.

Hamza:

So I think the fact and it's like it's one of those fantasy moments where you score the game-winning goal with seconds remaining of the match and I remember like that's. Like that's literally the definition of every soccer fan's dream, like scoring a goal with no time remaining. That puts your team in a really good place, and so I only watch it on tv. But if you could ask me, like, what's one place you'd love to go, it's probably definitely that moment, just because it was so cool seeing the usa win with with so much at stake, and I remember losing my mind at home but I could not imagine how much I would go crazy if it was actually if I witnessed it in person just because of how chaotic it was.

Gurasis:

I've asked this question before, also in our earlier conversation. I'd like to ask again you know for my listeners that tell us like when was the first time you got exposed to soccer?

Hamza:

Yeah, so probably maybe five or six years old I first started getting into the sport, because I remember being in a few soccer programs here and there, but I think when I was about eight years old seven or eight years old is when I started really developing that love for the game.

Hamza:

So, whether it's the 2010 world cup or other, like, we have our own soccer team in columbus where I'm based they call it the columbus crew. When I when I saw that we had our own soccer team in Columbus, where I'm based they call it the Columbus crew when I saw that we had our own soccer team, it was really cool to see that, okay, there's a soccer team that I can watch literally that's close to where I live and then just seeing the 2010 World Cup I think those two combinations then kind of propelled my interest in soccer. But to go back to your original question as to when I was exposed probably five or six, although my dad may be the better person to ask, because he's he he knows more about my soccer, my love for soccer, than I do.

Gurasis:

so okay, now I'd like to take you down the memory lane, hamza. I want to tell us a little bit about your formative years in America you were born there and also about your parents immigration as well yeah.

Hamza:

So unfortunately I don't know much about my mom's history. She usually tends to hide it or keep it to herself, which I respect because you know, just because I don't want to be I don't want to poke the bear, if you will but my dad, I know a little bit more about my dad's history. So, obviously, like you said, but both my parents come from bangladesh. My dad was an international student. He moved to the united states to uh, to go to college and he went to a school in kansas not kansas university, but there's a different school in kansas, okay, and there are a lot of challenges that he had to face throughout that time. So I mean obviously, as I mean obviously, when you're a student whether middle school, high school, college, elementary, whatever that is you want to do well, but forget trying to get the best grades possible. You're adapting into a new environment, because the united states and bangladesh are completely different in terms of absolutely how they look like, they're the way of life, different environments.

Hamza:

Um, south asian cultures don't usually like to go drinking, whereas in the united states, especially college years, you see a lot of that. So there's the environment aspect. There's the language barrier. He didn't understand english, so half like. So a lot of times if he didn't know a word, he would literally have a dictionary to figure out. Okay, what does this word mean? So I can understand the problem. And then there's the fact that college can be expensive. So there would be days where he would work X amount of hours and then not get that much sleep because he had a class in an hour or two. So he had to go through a lot to get to where he is today. So he had to go through a lot to get to where he is today and his goal is obviously to provide the best life for me possible, because he doesn't want me to go through those those, those struggles. And I think that's what a lot of south asian parents want for their kids. Where there's that common and when I say common notion I don't mean it's like oh, of course you're gonna say that, but it's unless you are not a parent you would not understand where it's like hey, listen yeah we, we went through a lot of stuff yeah, you

Hamza:

might be going through some things, but it's not comparable to what we went through. You might worry about trying to get the best grades in accounting, which is such a hard class for me, but for me I mean forget school being difficult. There were so many things, so many other things that were difficult. So I mean, my dad is an amazing human being. He is one of the smartest people I've met. He's very good at critical thinking skills, where I'm someone that overthinks and then I burn out whenever I do things. So I really wish I could have that. But yeah, who knows, maybe I'll get it at some point, but definitely not now. So that's a bit about my parents. And then some point my parents met and then moved to Ohio.

Hamza:

I was born in 2002. If you ask my parents, they'll say like I was a very energetic and chaotic kid and I feel like even today I'm still a chaotic person at times. Today I'm still a chaotic person at times. But I would say that, um, it's weird. Like growing up, it was like I spent so much time playing video games and being in like the sports, like sports, um world, because, like again, like when I said about being like five or six, being exposed to soccer and then, eight or nine, it was like, oh, I really love the sports. Like, growing up I was, um, I was someone who was like, so focused on trying to become a professional soccer player, but then at some point there came a point in time where I realized, yeah, this is probably not gonna work. There was a part of me that still wishes I could be a professional soccer player. But I wish there was a time where I decided you know what, instead of trying to live in this weird fantasy, I wish I probably would have done something more quote-unquote nerdy, like reading books or you know, going on these math, uh, like learning about math, learning about science. Looking at it now, like I'm someone who overthinks where my dad is, like, I know how to do these things. Even if it's going to take some time, I'll figure it out.

Hamza:

Yeah, I was a very like athletic oriented or athletic minded person, and then, I guess, once I stopped pursuing this dream of being a professional soccer player, then came this weird question of, okay, what do I want to do? Yeah, my dad is a computer science major, but for a while I was very hesitant to do computer science because I would see his computer screen and I go, that's a nightmare. It took me a while before I started liking computer science because it was just again one of those like okay, I see what I. I see the computer and I'm like this looks, there's so much, there's so much, it looks complicated. But then I went and ended up studying it. I'm still studying it right now in college and it took me some time because there's different computer programming languages. So it was one of those things. I had to figure that for myself.

Hamza:

But, like you said in introduction, I focus a lot on human connections and people's stories.

Hamza:

That came from when I was nine years old, meeting my some of the players who played for the columbus crew, which is still my favorite soccer soccer team to this day, and that kind of propelled my interest, because some, a lot of times we focus so much on the title of a person or like part of their identity without realizing their whole identity. So, for example, a professional soccer player is a part of a person's identity, or it's a part of a person but it is not the person. So as a nine-year-old it was like, okay, what's it like to be this professional soccer player? And then, still as a chaotic kid, I was like what's it like to be the president of the United States? What is it like to be a celebrity? What is it like to do this? And then, high school, it was like what is it like to be these people? Because I only saw my friends as classmates, not humans. That's why we spoke a lot, but we never spoke outside of the classroom in the sense of like, let's hang out as friends.

Hamza:

I didn't really get that opportunity because of maybe I was busy or they were busy, so that's kind of like what led me into the, I guess, the interest of humans. And now in college, now that I get to hang out with a few people here and there, there I've gotten a little bit of an understanding of like. Oh okay. So you know, I used to see you as this, but there's a different side of you and because of this weird, this interesting curiosity of like, oh wow, there's more to this person.

Hamza:

That's why here I am creating a podcast known as oh my goodness, where I learn about people so long explanation about my family, and then my little chaotic dreams of being a professional soccer player, adding in the mixture of computer science major, and then more, and then obviously not more importantly, but obviously here today, aside from majoring in computer science, creating a podcast that focuses on a person's journey. So hope that answers all the questions.

Gurasis:

I know that's a really long answer wow, you have definitely tapped into various phases of your life so far and I have like so many questions out of all you know. The part where you mentioned about your father, you know, coming and studying and managing work and trying to assimilate into a new culture, when you were talking about that, it really reminded me of a little bit of about my journey, a little bit about the journeys of people I speak to throughout on the podcast, so that really like resonated with that a lot. Second thing you said is that you are like a chaotic person, aren't? We all are.

Hamza:

We all are sort of figuring out, you know, work in progress, going with the flow, and just just literally like figuring out things as we go right oh, yeah, for sure, and I think chaos chaos, if you that varies from person to person and it's interesting and I think it's okay, because as a kid maybe we're just too imaginative, whereas adults, if we're imaginative, then people see us as kids. But I still feel like and obviously I don't know much I mean, maybe there'll be other people that maybe will elaborate more on this, because I'm still learning this idea but I feel like a lot of us can still be a kid, even as adults, where it's like we can be a massive, we can be ridiculous and a good way, in a good way, not in like a creepy way, I'm not talking about that. So we can always have that. And you know, going back to the international, being international student, I think that's something that none as someone like me like I grew up in the united states, went to school in the united states from elementary school to college something I'll never understand because you know the challenges that you guys have is so different and a lot definitely more difficult than what I go through, and that's not to say and I don't like the idea of comparing difficulties like, oh, you went through this, I went through much worse because, like, obviously people's difficulties are still difficulties, but it does allow you to have a more open mind and more appreciative and knowing that there are certain things that are given to you that are not given to other people.

Hamza:

Not because of preferences, not like, oh, it's because of your skin color or whatever. It's more like you know, you're used to this, whereas other people it's like they're doing this for the first time on their own, and independence is not an easy thing. And it's not just like I mean like the fact. It's not just like taking care of yourself, like okay, making sure that I dress well or my hair looks good, whatever. It's more like you really got you have to take care of yourself from, like, a financial standpoint and then make balancing jobs here and there, and then also course coursework and other passion projects. So definitely a difficult challenge and you know something I'll never understand. But you know, in a way, international students can be a source of inspiration, because you can really see that they literally know the definition of hard work, whereas hard work for many of us is studying x amount of hours to do well on a physics exam or accounting exam. Shout out to those who went through those classes because those are difficult, but yeah no, you totally articulated it perfectly.

Gurasis:

You know I I totally understand that all these challenges your father, for instance, have gone through to be able to give their children this life right, what you have right now. But I also want to go back to your family once more and your initial years once again. Tell me, like did your family maintain those bangladesi traditions and languages at home, and has that influenced your connection to your heritage in any way?

Hamza:

yeah, so, embarrassingly enough, I was one of those people that, like I said before, my parents could well. My mom speaks bangla to me, but my dad will speak english. My mom will speak bengali to me, but I will respond in english. That's basically how I am, where it's like they'll speak in one language, but I understand enough to be like okay, I know what you're saying, I just don't know how to say it in bangla, so I'm gonna say it in english. When I do speak bengali, my mom said I sound like a white person, so because of that, I just speak english in its entirety. Uh, although the only times I will speak bangla is if it's with my grandparents or whether it's on my mom or dad's side, that's the only time, although there are a couple of family members, particularly my mom said, that speak english, so I can speak bangla or english with them.

Hamza:

Um, in terms of the bengali heritage, they obviously practice it a lot. So, whether it's food, movies, traditions, um, I wouldn't say they're like those hardcore conservative, strict bengali people, but they're definitely one of those people where it's like this is a part of you and, regardless of how much you change, the bengali part is still a part of your identity. So it was. It was interesting because I never understood that growing up because and I think, think and I'm not using it as like this is a your fault thing or your fault thing but growing up in the United States, you're accustomed to interacting with non-Bengali people and then maybe every once in a while, like on a weekend, we'll go to a friend's house. Obviously they're mostly Bengali. A few of my mom's friends are Pakistani, so sometimes I'll hang out with them. Most of the time it's Bengali. A few of my mom's friends are Pakistani, so sometimes I'll hang out with them.

Hamza:

Most of the time it's Bengali. So maybe because I didn't get to spend time with other people who are like me, that's probably the reason why my relationship with my Bengali, my the Bengali side of me, wasn't strong and it's taking. It's taking a journey. I feel like now that I'm in college, I'm exploring that a little bit more. One of my goals is to learn the language that I could communicate more, and my only obsession with bengali culture. I don't know if you're a big cricket fan, but I'm a big fan of the bangladesh cricket team, so that's the only time where I become proud like that's the only. That's usually the only time where I'm like, I'm bengali for like eight hours back to being american, I see yeah, and then, whenever bangladesh plays, again back to bengali.

Hamza:

I can't speak the national, I can't recite the national anthem, but I'm bengali eight hours and then, once the bangladesh cricket team is done playing, back to being american. So that's kind of how it is. However, it's still a journey, but now it's. It's taken me a while before I realized you know what I I I like the fact that I'm mingali american. I know that it's a part of me and it's something that I can either just try to deny it as much as possible or I can embrace it, and so I chose to embrace it. It's definitely, like I said, it's been a journey, but I hope that, as I continue growing and learning, have a better relationship with that. So it's one of those things where it was difficult at first, but because I've still maintained it and I've never tried to remove it, even though it exists, I'm still going to try to do everything that I can to make sure I develop that positive relationship with my Bengali tradition and identity.

Gurasis:

You talked about attending a lot of those South asian parties. What about those festivals and traditions? How was that? Like you know, growing up, was it like only limited to the us traditions and cultures you were celebrating, or was it also something that you were celebrating on your own?

Hamza:

so in terms of traditions and festivals, I mean, we never really celebrated anything like we never celebrated bangla, new york, bengali independence. It wasn't anything like that. I think the only traditions and festivals that I really celebrated growing up were were basically eid or eid okay because I am muslim, so we celebrate eid twice a year majority of the time, although they're, it changes from year to year.

Hamza:

So in terms of eid celebrations, that's the only, that's the only festival or traditions I can think of. Um I don't think there's any difference between, like I don't know if there's any bengali traditions or practices other than just going to people's houses, talking to people and going to another house. Um weddings I don't know much about the whole wedding process. It's just more like again going to the, the ceremony and seeing the husband and the wife. So I guess in a way it's like american, but then again I don't know the whole marriage process. It's just there to see the two people getting married. Again, I don't know much about the tradition and the culture thing.

Gurasis:

That's another thing I'm learning about but more so just like the usual eat or regular get-togethers and I would like to pivot towards your career choices, and at one point I heard you talking about choosing computer science and you said that anything other than Ohio State University would be considered failure within the South Asian community, as they take pride in their academic qualifications, and it was also the time where you were very much entrusted into psychology. Right, but you end up choosing computer science. And then in your second year, in your senior year, when your father gave you the option, or he asked you whether you'd like to go back to psychology or want to stick to computer science, you said I want to stick to computer science. I want to know what happened in that one initial year and why would you never like to go back to psychology then?

Hamza:

yeah. So the interesting story is I thought that psychology majors had to overcome their fears, and I have a huge fear of spiders. So I thought like, in order to be like in psychology, you have to overcome that. However, after interacting with some of the people I've had on the podcast for example, I interviewed someone by the name of Kendi Wesley who's a professional soccer player and she's a psychology major, and she's like trust me, if I found out that I had to overcome my fears of spiders and other things, I would not study psychology. So I think that's the reason why.

Hamza:

But then I guess the other thing was computer science was still a part, even for a long time. It was just a matter of what's the right programming language for me, because computer science is a broad term. It's not just I mean, it is part of it is coding, but it's still a broad term. There's obviously different languages that take place, and so once I found the language that I enjoyed, which is html, javascript, basically building websites, then I was like oh okay, I, I really like doing this. So that's why I stuck to computer science, because of the idea of building websites.

Hamza:

Is psychology something I would like to visit at some point. Maybe because obviously my podcast centers around psychology understanding how humans think a little bit, because it's obviously about the person's journey, not actually like psychology, like concepts or anything. It's more like, okay, this is what a person is going through mentally during these times. But yeah, it was more, because I thought you had to overcome your fear of spiders. Turns out it's okay to be scared of spiders, even, and still study psychology. But also the fact that after spending some time with computer science, I realized, oh, I found what I'm interested in, this is what I'm gonna do. So I'm stuck with it and I'm happy with it, although, like every profession, but particularly computer science, there's obviously challenges here and there.

Gurasis:

Okay, you know. Another thing is that all the friends I have who were born here or the other first generation of immigrants I've spoken to on the podcast, one common denominator they had initially in their lives was that our life is sort of planned like it's kind of given that, okay, you have to follow like a certain path. You know the classics the doctor, lawyer, engineer, sort of a thing basically given the, the outline you have to follow, just because they had this immigrant guilt in them. Okay, our parents have done so much for us and we have to sort of follow what they are asking us to do. That was that at any point the case with you in your teenage years? But even like right now, do you have like any sort of those conversations or even a time just introspecting that, oh, my god, like my father has gone through all this, my parents have done all that. Maybe I should do this to be able to prove to them that, okay, I'm, I'm like the good kid yeah, it's, it's definitely a balance, I would say.

Hamza:

Growing up, my parents were never those very strict, hardcore people where it's like you have to be this okay or else you're a failure. Now, to be fair, there are people in the community that I grew up in that will have that mindset. My parents were the type of people that will say, like we, we really would like you to do like my dad because he's a computer science major. It's like hey, I would really love for you to do computer science because I can definitely help you in these areas, whether it's help you get a job if we get an internship, or help you with any sort of computer science or computer issue for any of your classes. But if you want to do things, that's fine. It's just more like I will probably not be able to help you. So if I chose to take the psychology route or the medical route or any other route, my dad would probably be not the best person. But if it's a computer science route, then he'll be able to help me. So it's more of like, not like a. I forget. You see this a lot where it's like it's not a requirement but it's appreciative, whereas some people would say, no, it's a requirement that you're here or else you are considered a failure. So, yeah, flexible, but like with boundaries, is how I would say my dad is, and I mean even then when I was still hesitant to do it.

Hamza:

Or I mean, obviously that took place while I was hesitant, but then, even now, or now that I've been into it, I still sometimes get help from every now and then, and I'll ask him some questions like hey, you know, I've there's this topic that I'm learning about. Does it make, can you explain more about it? And it's helped me develop a better appreciation for the topics that my dad studied. But again, that took that itself took a journey, and it wasn't. It wasn't easy because it was like, oh, I don't want to do this. And now it's like, okay, I want to do this, but please like I hope my parents would understand that like I would definitely need a lot of help in this, because it wasn't something that I was so passionate about. It wasn't like you need to do this, it was it's better you do this because I can help you, because you don't want to be in a situation where it's like I can't help you and then you're kind of figuring it out on your own. You're just going to stress yourself out.

Gurasis:

No, my takeaway is definitely they weren't as strict as the people I've spoken to. You know their parents. Like you said, you are sort of like broken the mold and you are starting your own podcast. You're working on it as well, right, you're not sticking to those traditional routes. So definitely I would say I'm really glad to hear their parents were one of those Also. You know, when I came to Canada Amza, I obviously didn't have the choice other than hanging out alone, like for the initial two months or so at least. You know, figuring things on my own, doing everything on my own and, just, you know, live with it by myself, roaming around alone. But I want to ask you that you have mentioned it so many times on the podcast that you used to hang out alone because you felt like you did not fit with your college mates. I want to know the reason behind that. Why is that?

Hamza:

Yeah, it's a a really good question. I think my biggest concern when it comes to hanging out with people is whether I became like a pest or a burden to them, because the thing about college is that everyone is busy, regardless of what they're majoring in. Everyone has a busy schedule, and I think the one thing that I try to stay away from is it's not that I don't want to hang out with people. It's I do, but I don't want to reach out with people. It's I do, but I don't want to reach out to you at a bad time, for you to then say you're becoming a pest or a burden. And it's something that I still deal with today, even though some of the friends have been really transparent in the sense where they say, hey, I really want to hang out with you, but I got this.

Hamza:

It's hard to find out which kind of friends you want to associate with because you don't you probably don't know their intentions and I think, because you don't know their intentions, that's why it can be a bit scary to reach out to people, so that's why I hang out by myself. However, if there is an advantage to hanging out by yourself that maybe you don't find when hanging out with other people is you get to spend more. Well, this is obviously a no dip sherlock kind of thing, but you get to spend time with yourself and you find ways to. You might find things that you like that maybe other people don't like, so maybe you might have lunch. Like, for example, I'll have lunch but I'll also watch maybe a late night or not late night show or, like you know, those late night tv shows like the Daily Show it used to be like the Daily Show with Trevor Noah, now it's called the Daily Show or Conan O'Brien, like. I like watching these shows, but maybe my friends don't.

Hamza:

So, in a way, I get to find ways to create entertainment for myself, entertainment for myself, and that's a weird advantage because you know yourself and you get to enter. You get to enjoy the things that you like that maybe in a group setting you don't get to. So, even though I worry about being a burden and a pest, there are times where I will hang out with people, but that's such a rarity because of people's schedules. Even though I worry about that, in a way, I'm glad that I do get alone time because it's like, okay, I can use that time to watch a soccer game or watch a cricket game um, not the 10-hour one, I mean like highlights or watch a funny podcast clip. So it has its pros and cons, but in a way I'm glad that if you were to say it's more like I'm more so glad that I spend time alone just because the fact that I get to create my own form of entertainment.

Gurasis:

But what about, like just going out for brunch or just coffee chats or just in general? Do you do that, or is that something also you stay away from?

Hamza:

I try to do that. It's just that maybe again it goes back to the fear of what if I'm becoming a burden or a pest. I think one of my biggest fears is sending follow-up messages because you don't exactly know when to respond, because you don't know that maybe they did see your message but they're busy and so it's like you don't want to be in a situation where you send a follow-up message and then the person goes I saw your message, you don't need to send me another one, but it's been a few hours and I haven't heard back. So I don't know. And I think again it goes back to that hesitancy. So even during brunch or anything, it's because of that fear of being seen as someone that I know I am not.

Hamza:

I would probably stick to the conservative side and just be like, okay, I'm just going to hang out by myself, because it's the less consequential side. However, there are parts of me where I'm like I wish I could use that time to hang out with people. It's just that people don't like it goes back to intentions. We just don't know what the other person is feeling or thinking, because we only see the outside stuff, not the inside.

Gurasis:

But when you meet them, don't, can, can't you see kind of like sense, the non-verbal, like you know, how are you feeling being with them? Or or would you say like sometimes maybe it's in your mind and you are overthinking and maybe you have that fear of judgment?

Hamza:

oh yeah, and the reason why it exists. It's not just something that I created in my head, it's something that actually happened, like there have been a few times where people are like, hey, you know, you've reached out to me too many times and even though it's like because you haven't responded to any of my text messages, there was one time where I reached out to someone and I waited five hours for them only to find out that they couldn't make it. But it's like, why did you, why did it take me five hours to wait for you to say something? So sometimes I feel like I don't want to say anything, or not necessarily criticize, but like question why? Because, again, I don't know what they're going through. So I guess maybe I'm overthinking, but the reason why I overthink is because they've happened.

Hamza:

But you know, fortunately, the friends that I've met nowadays they do a really good job of being transparent and I focus a lot on transparency. I don't like loyalty too much. I don't like the idea of I need you when I need it, but it's more like I would love to be able to spend time with you, but I want to know what's going on on your end that may be preventing you from making it happen. And the more elaborative they are, the more you can trust them. Because if people say these broad terms, like, oh, I'm really busy or I can't do it, maybe they're busy, but that's such a really broad answer.

Hamza:

So when people go like, hey, I'd love to meet with you, but right now I'm currently going through these challenges that's preventing me from doing this. But I can assure you that when my schedule does show up, that I can meet up. And then there's also times where I'll say like, yeah, I do worry about meeting or talking to people, or I worry about judgment, and they do a good job of saying like listen, you know, that's that's something that I deal with too. But you know, you know you don't ever give off that vibe and if it is, it's because maybe I'm not doing a good job on my end. So they're very transparent and that's what I look for and I really appreciate, I'm really glad that you know I have these type of friends because, yeah, it's not easy finding good people no, totally.

Gurasis:

These are the people you want to stick to and not the other ones who are kind of like throwing an attitude, like an underlying way of saying that I want to hang out with you. Maybe those are not the people you want to be with, you know, regardless, yeah yeah, for sure yeah okay, on another note, tell me you know what are the specific role models within your family or within the community or the parties you have attended to inspired you during your upbringing?

Hamza:

well, yeah, so I definitely say my parents. In a way. I think my dad is more like you know. He's very good at critical. I mean, he's someone who emphasizes the importance of critical thinking and someone who's willing to spend hours and hours just to get something right. He's one of the hardest working people I've met and, even though podcasting and software engineering are completely different lately, what I've been doing is spending hours and hours trying to come up with ways to improve the podcast itself, whether it's coming up with better questions, coming up with better ways to converse with people studying other podcasts. Again, that's something my dad understands, or may not understand because he doesn't do podcasts, understands, but or may not understand because he's not. He doesn't do podcasts.

Hamza:

But the fact that I'm willing to spend as many hours as I can to get to try to create the best thing possible, that's something I've taken away from my dad because he's he's he will spend like he. Well, there are days where he'll come home late because he's working on this thing that he hopes can can make money. He's willing to do thing that he hopes can make money. He's willing to do everything that he can to support his family. So I take inspiration from that and also my mom. I think my mom is very good at being calm and being present, even when other people might be going crazy or being ridiculous. My mom's very good at staying composed and calm, which is something that I struggle with, so I try to do that. It's still a challenge, but I hope that I can obtain these traits, because there are a lot of crazy things that can happen right, absolutely. It's nice to try to get that trait because people want to be around those calm people, especially in times where things not be going your way and have you?

Gurasis:

have you traveled within the country a lot or not? Well, I've been to a few states here and there, but mostly I've stayed, I've stayed home okay, and did that travel or just growing up in a diverse country like us influenced your worldview in any way?

Hamza:

yes and no. Yes, because even in different states of the united states there's different cultures within different states. How I grew up in ohio will be different from how someone grew up in California, florida, kansas or other states. So there's definitely the state culture.

Hamza:

But what's also easy to forget is someone who's lived in the United States is that the United States is not the world. The United States is part of the world, but there's different countries with different cultures, different environments. So, like you might, if you're born in the United States and you go to India, like if you're used to United States culture, when you go to India, it's a completely different environment. We go to Bangladesh, it's a different environment. When you go to China, england, belgium, russia, wherever you go, their way of living is different.

Hamza:

So I think yes, in a sense, where it's like I understand that there's different ways of living. That maybe I may not understand as someone who comes from Ohio, but in a sense I also have to be careful that the United States is not the world, even though it's one of the biggest countries in the world. There are other places that have different cultures and surroundings that if I were to go there, I would be. I would be quote unquote the dumbest person in the country because I don't know what's going on over there okay, let's just talk about your podcast.

Gurasis:

oh my curry goodness. And this podcast, I believe, wasn't the first time you were starting a podcast. You have started three different podcasts before this and this one you started in December 2022. And you have called this a more of like a self-discovery, because you were curious about different perspectives that exist in this world, or it could be for the same topic that you have a deep passion for. So tell us all about it.

Hamza:

Yeah. So I started oh my great goodness in january of 2023, but the whole process started in april of 2022 and essentially the reason why I started and quit started quit was because there wasn't a clear direction and also the guess the conversations I had were basically just friends from college or just neighbors, and while they may be good conversations, people really don't care about your day in calculus, like there's nothing too much to really relate to or seek inspiration from. So I was so interested in the storytelling or what's it like to be other people, like I said, like one of my favorite shows I would like to watch is the Daily Show with Trevor Noah or these late night interview talk shows and I'm like, oh, I really want to do that. But then let's find people that are not necessarily more interesting, but it's more like, oh, let's actually like that actually fit the narrative of storytelling, learning from people who have gone through difficult challenges to get to where they are today.

Hamza:

Because we're growing up at a time of social media, we're going at a time of social media, we're going at a time of the internet. We can easily talk about the accomplishments or the highlight reels. We don't talk about the journey. So it's like, okay, let's focus on that. So from april of 2022 through december of 2022, it was okay, come up with questions that are interesting, because I saw a video where it's like you need to ask questions that they've never been asked before and then also find people between April and December and even nowadays, but I don't do it as much Try to find people. That would be a great fit for the podcast, and the idea of oh my Curry Goodness stems from the fact that when we hear stories that are interesting, we say oh my Goodness. And then curry was a way to emphasize the goodness part. So oh my curry goodness.

Gurasis:

But why did you decide to do it just with Gen Zs?

Hamza:

Hypothetically talking about your life is a quote unquote easy thing, but I want to focus on a group of people that we don't do as much Like, we don't talk about vulnerabilities or difficult journeys. So I chose Gen Z and I want my goal. One of the things I want to do and I know it sounds weird ethically but it's still important is ask those uncomfortable questions, because that really shows the human side of you and I think absolutely it's easy to do that with older generations, but it's really difficult to do it with gen Z because it's like I guess maybe, gen Z, we can easily, we can focus, we can easily fall into the trap of judgment, or you know this idea of like Ooh, can I really talk about this? And it's like, yes, because that's what makes you you. Now, of course, there is the part where it's like you don't want to be too dark or you don't want to make them make it too uncomfortable.

Hamza:

But there is a argument you can make where you can learn about people's stories. You can learn about their journey. You can learn, even though you are young because gen z is a young generation that there's still experiences that you experienced, good and bad, that shaped you into who you are today. So let's try to have those difficult and yet important conversations, because I think, gen z, it's so easy to forget that we're human because of social media, gen z can easily fall into the fact of highlight reels and social media and materialistic things without focusing on the raw and the realness, which is the fact that they exist as human beings. So, yeah, that's why I focus on gen z and it's been fun. Hopefully at some point I don't know when, but I'd love to incorporate different generations, but that's going to be a it's going to be. It's going to take some time.

Gurasis:

I want to be able to develop a good relationship with gen z before I go to other generations now I see why you focus on just gen z's, because I heard you talking that you focus on Gen Z's because usually they play a version of somebody that they are not. But listening to this response of yours, I see what you're saying. There are so much like preoccupied by the social media image and like the like, the external, non-existent image which they are not just to be socially accepted within their friend group, so to say, and not really tapping into who they actually are. Right, and that's what I believe you're trying to bring them on the podcast and really unfold those layers of who they actually are.

Hamza:

Yeah, and it's, it's. It's a difficult. I mean, every, every guest has a different experience, even though I've had a lot of activists, entrepreneurs, podcasters they're all different people, right. So it's, it's definitely a challenge and obviously you know you don't want to ask those same basic tell me a bit about yourself, tell me about what it's like to do this and all that. It's more like let's go into, let's like it's, it's we want to be, we want to be creative, we want to have fun. We also want to be serious, but when you go to the serious part, it is a dance, it is a slippery slope, because when you are talking about difficult experiences, you have to make sure that they're comfortable talking about it before they can, and there are times where it's best not to talk about because of the magnitude, but maybe there will be situations where they'll go. You know I it's the first time I've talked about this, or you know this is the first time I'm talking more about this.

Gurasis:

You like these things because or you appreciate these things, because these are the things that make humans humans tell me about an episode where you felt like it never went as you planned, or somebody like who was like a really difficult guest, and how did you like tackle that?

Hamza:

I mean, every guest is difficult one way or another. Um, okay, so I interviewed someone when I say difficult, because I usually like to have a lot of research on my guests, but this person, I am not kidding. I think I had three bullet points for this person. So her name is alex ang. She's a mental health activist, content creator, and she has her own podcast, called as for anxious, where each letter of the alphabet it's focuses on a particular anxiety. So, like a is for anxious, b is for books, c is for climate change, slash career, d is for, I think, dog. So, basically, going through the alphabet, and when I had her on the podcast, it was a bit scary because I only had three bullet points, which is basically what she does, what she is known for and the fact that she has her own podcast.

Hamza:

However, I think what made the conversation the I think the interview itself was like an hour 18 minutes long, and I thought it was going to be like five minutes long because I had three bullet points.

Hamza:

I think the reason why it was such a it was a.

Hamza:

It was difficult because I only had three bullet points, but what made it easy was sharing our the common things that we're anxious about. So, whether it's social anxiety or overthinking, or our passion for storytelling, hearing other people's stories, podcasting because we were able to I was able to find out, like the other things that make alex ang, the person I interviewed, because of the fact that she talked about things that make her anxious. It was like, okay, let's talk about some things that make me anxious and see where we have in common and can we develop that conversation. So we spent a good amount of time talking about social anxiety because I was I'm not diagnosed with it, but I would say like that is something that I worry about, which is like that, that hesitation to talk to people worrying about the worst thing to happen, and so what was something that was like I don't know if this is going to go well, turned out to be a really unique, interesting conversation about someone else's anxiety and how it has a part in her personal life very interesting.

Gurasis:

You know, I don't can't relate to that. I've had those people as well where I decided to have them and sometimes, you know, I have that intro call with them and I know nothing about them and when I just sit with them there is some sort of click that you feel that, oh my god, I think I can talk to this person forever. So I've had those multiple people on the podcast. Tell me also like, do you have any certain ritual or something like, before you certain start recording anything that you have?

Hamza:

I took a break from the podcast. I'm starting to go back into publishing all my episodes because so from May through June I decided to not publish any episodes because I wanted to take that time to look back. Lately I've been going back into continuing season two of my podcast. Oh, my great goodness, before the 65 episodes no ritual, no prep, no ritual or anything. It was just get everything ready and then hit record. Now it's more like one of the things I want to do on each podcast, whether I'm the host or I'm the guest of, is to practice breathing and being more calm and being more present. I think it's.

Hamza:

I may be difficult as a as a guest, because I'm not used to being a guest on a podcast.

Hamza:

I'm used to being a host of a podcast.

Hamza:

So I've done a good job of trying to trying to calm myself and not talk too fast or say things that end up becoming a bad like, bad messaging or maybe contradicting myself in any way.

Hamza:

So focusing definitely on like trying to breathe, maybe for like 30 minutes.

Hamza:

You know, listen to music that doesn't have any background or doesn't have any lyrics, not necessarily meditating, but just like, just like, take a deep breath and, you know, do it as much as you can and then when you get to the interview you have try to have the best conversations possible, because I think the past 65 episodes that I did, it felt like every episode I was nervous, which is probably why I felt maybe the conversations weren't that good. So when I started going back it was like, okay, I really want to make sure that I'm calm and present so that I am not nervous and therefore we can have an exciting, exciting conversation. So something that I had to learn throughout my little break. But I'm glad that it's working, because now I feel like not to say that other interviews were bad, but it's like I know that I'm doing a good job because I'm not freaking out. I'm being present and trying to do everything that I can to make sure that we have an interesting conversation so, since you mentioned that, you know you've reflected on your previous episodes.

Gurasis:

What's something different that you're bringing in the season two? Tell us about that yeah.

Hamza:

So I mentioned this in my little podcast update that I published. It's not something that I guess is or someone from a listener's point of view will be able to notice, at least in the sense of like oh, wow, he definitely changed it, but it's more like again, it goes back to that calmness and being more intentional with what I say, making sure that I don't say anything that might be not necessarily controversial, but it's like oh, maybe not that that's that's wrong. Like there's a difference between being wrong and being controversial. So it's being more present and knowing what I'm saying, so that I don't freak out or get nervous or I talk too fast.

Hamza:

Another thing that I want to add which a friend of mine actually recommended me and it's, I guess, it's difficult because it'll be dependent on the guest is to try to be a little bit more funnier. Now, that is a little bit of a challenge because it depends on who I'm talking to, and then also the fact that when you implement comedic tones, it's a hit or miss. You can say something funny, but you might think it's funny, but the guest doesn't. So then you're like uh, this is weird. So I want to incorporate more like, I want to incorporate comedy. But I think the the thing with comedy is it's you got to be careful when you implement it, because you don't want to be in a situation where you say it and then it's like oh you look bad because the guest is not laughing or, even worse, a guest in order to make it less awkward.

Gurasis:

They're laughing, but they're laughing because they have to, not because they want to and I'm sure you are open to collaborations as well and also, if any of my listeners would like to listen to your podcast as well, tell us where they can find it absolutely so, you.

Hamza:

So you can find oh my Career Goodness on Spotify, apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcasts. You can also follow it on YouTube. A friend of mine said that he watches podcasts on YouTube, so that's why I decided to do that. And then, if you want to follow the podcast on social media, it's only an Instagram account, but it's at the omcg podcast. Um, you can find it. We're only on instagram, not anywhere else. So that's where you can find preview clips. And then I also do a thing where it's a podcast lineup, where it's like for the month of x, here are all the episodes that will be released. So it's kind of like a okay, like a, like a lineup. So there's that and then other updates or announcements.

Gurasis:

So, yeah, those are the places you can find and learn from people of the gen z generation before we uh get into the final segment, hamza, I've added this new segment in this season, obviously, and I call it know your host, where I ask my guests to ask me any question they might have okay, all right, well, let me put on my podcast mask.

Hamza:

Let's do this, okay. So question one, one of this, one of my favorite questions to ask people and probably not ask you it on if, when you join my podcast, so when you go into a new passion or experience, there are certain things that you picked up when you go through that experience. So envision like you know those, those, those, uh commercials about medicine where it's like before a person you would look like, you look like this after a person, you look like this when you look at my thick accent. Tell me a bit about what you were like as a person before my thick accent and how has your life changed since you started my Thick Accident podcast? So tell me a bit about the before and after of creating.

Gurasis:

Wow, I love this question and I feel like I've recently answered this offline, but I'll still answer that for you, of course. So you know, when I came to Canada in 2018, hamza, I felt like I had this spark, like enthusiastic, fun, good disease was there. But I feel like I had this spark, like enthusiastic, fun, good disease was there. But I feel like, with time, with the challenges I had as an immigrant trying to navigate a life in a new world where life has never existed before for me, right, for the first initial three and a half years, I feel like I lost that spark because I was too much occupied with the immigration process. The pandemic was the added pressure, because everything is nice and hunky-dory when you come here, right, but eventually the reality kicks in. The weather takes a toll on you. I think I lost a part of me, sort of, I would say. But when I started working on it and then I obviously started talking to these people, right, and and these people are the people who have been through a similar sort of a journey which I am in right now right, because y'all are like, I would say, like 20, some like 10 or 20 years ahead in their immigrant journey than me, right? So talking to them basically reassured me that whatever is happening with me, I'm not alone into this. And also because when I went to toronto last year you know it was I completed my one year I went to toronto, I spoke at networking event and I saw the live reaction of people about the podcast and it was just before the lunch time and during the lunch time I saw the amount of people who came and talked to me and I felt like damn that good, as he says back.

Gurasis:

You know, because I was this person back in india. I was into every possible, you name it. I was in that extracurricular activity except sports. I wasn't too much into sports, complete opposite from you, but I was into. You know, you can say I was into dramatics, I was into singing also. I was part of my school choir, the dancing also. I have done at one point, I've done a lot of hosting. I've done a lot of RG in my school, organized events, hosting, anchoring so much. But I feel like I never got that opportunity or that stage to really showcase what I had, you know, when I came to Canada. But through this podcast I feel like this was a great, you know, like a platform for me personally to be able to showcase that who actually I am, you know, which I never got before. So, yeah, the short answer is I feel like I didn't have that spark. I lost that spark before this, but after this podcast I have regained my spark and that energy which I lost before.

Hamza:

Yeah, you know it's interesting because the way I answer this question is, you know, I still develop that fear of talking to people. However, I feel like that there's a difference between wanting to talk to someone and I need to talk to someone. I think I do a better job of needing to talk to someone rather than the want, because on a podcast, you need, like, if you, if you want to have a guest on your podcast, you need to reach out to them. So some people will go through, like some people will go through the actual guests themselves, or there's maybe a pr man, like an assistant manager, whatever. I have to go through them.

Hamza:

Sometimes it can be difficult because they obviously have more like they're obviously managing the person, or maybe they're managing an organization that a guest is part of. So it's like, oh, do I really want to bother them? But I'm I kind of need to quote, unquote bother them, because if I really want this guest, I need to reach out to them. So I think the need, like I need to talk to someone If you want me to. If you say, like, hamza, I need you to talk to this person, I'll do it. If you say, hamza, go talk, I want you to go talk to this person. He has a podcast or she has a podcast. Oh boy, here we go again. All right, hi, hopefully this conversation is not a bad conversation. So I think the need, like need to talk to someone I'm okay with, but the wanting still a work in progress. But I hope to be at a point where I'm like you know what, regardless if it's a good answer, a bad answer, at least I tried my best so now we're in the final segment.

Gurasis:

I call it beneath the accent because we are knowing each other beneath our accents, unique accents. I'm going to ask a couple of questions. You can answer them in one word or a sentence, or however you feel like. The idea is just to know more about you. So first is are you an early bird or a night owl? Oh, early bird, a word that describes you best.

Hamza:

I was going to say curious, you know, like C-U-R-R-Y-O-U-S, but yeah, definitely curious. I like that. It just doesn't come out the tongue well, but definitely curious. Just because you know, I'm someone who likes to really know what it's like to be other people and I'd like to know more than what I see there's more to something than what is currently being presented. Just because you know why, not?

Gurasis:

it's, it's fun to learn more that's a great idea for a t-shirt. You know, curious, I love that I've tried.

Hamza:

I keep like stay curious, but it's just, it's gotta fit, I don't know.

Gurasis:

I'm still working on it no, you, you have to make a t-shirt for that for sure. I love that so cool. All right, what's your go-to comfort food?

Hamza:

Butter or chicken makhani. Chicken makhani, all the way. Garlic naan has to be it. Mangalasi, that's my go-to meal. That's like no, you're not taking anything else.

Gurasis:

Do you have any hidden talents?

Hamza:

Other than asking really weird philosophical questions from time to time. I think that's the only talent I can think of, but no, I don't know, just just asking weird questions.

Gurasis:

I don't even know that the talent I mean sure you know it's not everybody's cup of tea to even ask a question sometimes, you know that's true what's the best piece of advice someone ever gave you?

Hamza:

ironically enough, I hated getting this advice when I first started my podcast, but, to be honest, it's never been more truer than before. But things take time and I think it's the most important piece of advice, because you obviously want the good things to happen to you, but sometimes absolutely no one's taught me this. I think this is something I've come to realize my own which is, in order for something to be beautiful, it has to be ugly in a sense. That think of, like everything that everyone that's become successful or created that really incredible product that took a journey that took a lot of failures, challenges, obstacles, other things. And yeah, it takes time time. Now, for some people it may take more time, some people may take shorter time, but it really does take time to develop that thing and you have to make sure that you continue to keep fighting.

Hamza:

And I want to be careful when I talk about this, because there are a lot of people that really wanted that thing but they never end up getting it. And it's not a knock on them, but it's more like maybe there's something else that they decided to pursue or they just really couldn't do it. So there's something you have to be really careful of. But with this podcast, I really want this podcast to be successful, but I also know that in order for it to be successful, it's going to have to take a journey and, whether I like it or not successful, it's going to have to take a journey and, whether I like it or not, that's fact, but that's factual and I have to accept that fact well, honestly, I have no doubts it won't be successful.

Gurasis:

So definitely more power to you thank you, I appreciate it okay, tell me, if you could describe yourself as any creature, what would it be?

Hamza:

that's a good question. Probably a cat. I mean, I think I think the cats movie ruined it for me, that really terrible movie that came out in 2019, but even then, I mean, I I find cats really adorable. So I don't know, cats are just like the type of thing I mean. Also, I think people also like dogs as well, but I don't know what. I've noticed that whenever I see people with cats, they really like being around cats. So that's something I I wish if I were to be an animal, probably a cat, just because it's like oh yeah, I just want to be around you, not in a creepy way, but more like in like, in a fun way okay, who's your go-to person when you feel stuck?

Hamza:

okay. So I want to take it into a different route. In the sense, the easiest answer would be my mom and dad, but then, from a more religious standpoint, probably god. I am muslim, so for those listening, maybe you may not relate to this or not, but I definitely go to god for help. For help, I consider religion, or like faith, as a gps, so I usually go to that to help guide me as to what I should or should not do, what, what is right and what is wrong. So if that's an answer that you'll be willing to accept, because we obviously maybe different religions or we can't see God, obviously mom and dad is like my go to people, but if it's other than parents, without doubt God great answer.

Gurasis:

What's the most expensive thing you would like to own?

Hamza:

I'm not someone that likes to spend too much money, probably. I don't know how to say the microphone name, but it's called like Shure or Shure microphone. Yeah, so it's one of the best microphones out there because the voice is very professional and crisp. I use a Yeti microphone for my podcast, but if I were to make sound on my I'm currently using a desk but if you I don't know if you can hear this, but you can hear like scratching noises. Sometimes it picks it up on the yeti, but on a sure microphone sure, sure, whatever it's pronounced um, it does a good job of not picking that up. So maybe a shuri microphone is something I'd like to own one day. But then again, like like I said, I'm not someone who likes to spend. I'm one of those people that like to spend more money on books. I will probably get like a set of books for, like, the lord of the rings or hobbit, which is like which could be a lot of money because there's like six or seven books.

Gurasis:

So, yeah, probably probably sherry microphone if you could have any superpower, what would it be?

Hamza:

um, as someone who likes to overthink and be judged and worry about judgment, mind reading definitely like to read people's mind, like I would love to be those people where it's like you know we're having a good time, but I'd like to know are they really having a good time? You know, I'm one of those people that's like, yeah, you know, you seem like a really good guy. And then you know, in my mind I'm like, oh man, how long is he going to continue to talk about chicken curry and why it's the greatest food on the planet? What time is it? Oh man, only three hours left until I can get to my class. I'd love to know that. Obviously, I don't try to bore people out of my love for creative, but it's like I really want to know, because there's a difference between what you say on the outside and then how you really feel on the inside. So mind reading would definitely be a really cool superpower.

Gurasis:

If you could create this one law, Hamza, that everybody has to follow, what would it be?

Hamza:

Actually, interestingly enough, jay Shetty actually has asked his guest some of that question. So I was like whoa? I've always thought about what? How would I answer this question? I'm really glad you brought that up One law that I would create.

Hamza:

I don't know if this is a good law, but I still think it's. I wish it's something that we can all do, which is to be understanding Everyone, which is to be understanding. Everyone is different. You're one of 8 billion people on the planet, so you might have time, but other people may not have time, and that's not to say that they don't want to be around you. It's that there are certain things that's preventing them from being able to be in your or be able to help you or be able to spend time with you, and it's something that I've had to be patient with, because I used to think, oh, they don't want to hang out with me because of me. Later on I realized, no, there are certain things that are preventing them from doing that thing. So everyone has difficult challenges. Sometimes. It's just one of those things where you don't really understand. There's a reason why they can't do the things that you want to do with them, because they're going through something. So just be understanding and be patient totally.

Gurasis:

And to add to that, I feel like it also makes things very easier for your own sanity to accept that why is the reason they are behaving a certain way? So that you don't like overthink and kind of like make your own reasons behind it. And you start even start. Sometimes, I feel like when you don't think it that way, you also start criticizing your own self. Is it me? You start questioning yourself. I was the one who did that. Maybe I spoke wrong at this point. Maybe I did that. You know it's better to think from other person's perspective. At time. It's like you know that that classic example of your six might be their nine for sure, yeah, and it's.

Hamza:

And again, it's not something that we understand. If you're waiting for someone to hang out with you and they never respond to you, you might want to demand an explanation, like, hey, we were supposed to meet up, but what happened in you? You might want to demand an explanation like, hey, we were supposed to meet up, but what happened? In these cases you might want an explanation, but there are cases where it's like, whatever they're going through, just let it be. Because sometimes you know, maybe it's best to not hear the story, like, for example, if I say I'm sick, it's easy to go. Is he really sick? Or if he just does he really want to hang out with me?

Hamza:

But if I tell you I had diarrhea, then you're like, okay, you know what? I should not have asked that question. So, okay, you did not need to ask that, you did not need to tell me that. So there are. I think it is a difficult slope, but at the end of the day, you know, people are people and you know at some point you need to think it has to be outside of you, it needs to be bigger than you, right? Not everything revolves around you. People have other obligations.

Gurasis:

And finally, if you could leave me with one piece of advice, what would it be?

Hamza:

So I think the first thing would definitely be, like I said, everything takes time. It's great to find something that you're really passionate about. One piece of advice I'd love to give to people and it's something because I actually asked this question to my guest is it's okay to dislike your passion? And it's weird because you think that just because you're passionate about something, it means that you're going to love every minute. But it's not necessarily love, it's more of embracing. You know it's weird. I used to say think of your passion as your spouse, right In the sense. I'm not married, by the way.

Hamza:

But, you know, just whether it's wife, wife, wife, husband, husband, husband, whatever you know, you're going to have difficult conversations, you guys are going to fight, but at the end of the day, you're going to stick together because you believe that throughout the difficulty, you will still remain as one. Passions in general, it's similar to that. So if you don't like your passion, it's not necessarily a bad thing. It's part of the journey, because one of the things on my podcast, it's not about the destination, it's about the journey. So if there are times where you dislike your passion, it's not that you want to divorce from it. It's literally part of what it means to be in the field.

Hamza:

Podcasting there are a lot of challenges Leadership, promotion, good questions, good conversations. Maybe you're hard on yourself, these self-doubts. That's part of podcasting. Obviously there's more, but these are things that come to mind. So if there are times where you're like I don't like my thick accent or I'm not liking where it's at, that's a normal thing because, first of all, you care and, secondly, it's part of what it means to be in this field. So love your passion absolutely, but definitely embrace the the negativity, even though it's something that you are really passionate about no, no, exactly.

Gurasis:

You know, there are days obviously like I do question it, like okay, what am I doing? Am I doing it correctly? Am I done? So? I think that's also normal, like you just said, that it's a good thing that you care about it. That's why you are questioning yourself that what are you exactly doing? So, yeah, thank you for that.

Hamza:

And, lastly, how would you describe your experience of being on this podcast today? It's definitely been a fun experience, um, in a in a weird way and I I don't I hope I don't offend you by saying this but definitely a learning experience, because I'm so used to being the host, not the guest, right. So, host, you have a set of preparation, you know what to talk about, but as a guest now it's like okay, I really got to make sure that I do the talking. But then it's like, okay, how do I make sure that I don't? I don't want to talk too much about something, cause maybe there's other things you want to talk about.

Hamza:

But then I also don't want to be in a situation where I give you like a two or three word answer and then it's like, for example, hamza, tell me about your time, where you tell me like your favorite podcast guest and I'm like I like this person, and then you're like that's it. But then, at the same time, I also don't want to be in a situation where I spent two or three, four or five minutes talking about why I like this guest, because there's a difference. So, definitely a learning experience. So, if I apologize if I ramble too much, but it's one of those things where it's a learning experience, and I hope that in future episodes I figure out how to be a good guest, because being a great host is one thing, but being a great guest, that's another thing.

Gurasis:

Okay, awesome. Well, on that note, thank you. Thank you so much for being on the podcast today and adding value to my listeners. Thanks a lot.

Hamza:

Yeah, of course. Thank you so much and I hope to.

People on this episode

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Gurasis Singh

Host
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Hamza Islam

Guest