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The Thought Café Podcast

The Thought Café Podcast

By Nikhil, Mira, & Donna

There’s a lot out there. From cults to comedy, political satire to unsolicited relationship advice–join three teenagers, Nikhil, Mira and Donna, every Tuesday as they explore this messy world together.
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Time Flies - The Season Finale

The Thought Café PodcastJul 23, 2021

00:00
52:60
Time Flies - The Season Finale

Time Flies - The Season Finale

Welcome to our last episode of Season 1! To celebrate the end of their first season, Nikhil, Mira and Donna tackle the most mind-bendingly muddling topic they physically can: time travel. This week, the three talk paradoxes and multi-dimensional universes as they try their best to figure out what Stephen Hawking was on about. They don’t get close - but hey, you’re not here to listen to three astrophysicists anyway, right?

Jul 23, 202152:60
Unplugged #2

Unplugged #2

It’s happened once again. They’ve snapped. Running off of the few brain cells they have left after their AP tests, Nikhil, Mira, and Donna rant about everything from gym class to Donna’s (nonexistent) love life. Though Nikhil has a lot of editing by the end of it, the parts we didn’t have to cut out are entertaining!

Welcome to our series, Unplugged! This is the second episode where we go completely off-script: no plans, no preparation. It’s still a trainwreck, but we promise you’ll enjoy it.

Jun 19, 202148:49
It’s Too Early For This

It’s Too Early For This

In this week of the Thought Café, Nikhil, Mira and Donna get up way too early in the morning to talk ethical philosophy. While Donna and Nikhil debate the meaning of life, Mira reveals her secret desire to make all of humanity a little more giraffe-like. Although they learn absolutely nothing by the end of this episode, one thing’s for sure: modern art is definitely not real art.

May 03, 202151:16
S.W.A.G.

S.W.A.G.

Listen to this podcast bruv. Don't be cheeky, mate. Grab your crisps and enjoy. This week, your favorite podcast lads Nikhil, Mira, and Donna tackle the big life questions submitted to them on Instagram! Although they’re clearly not very well-versed in British slang (Nikhil wrote the first three sentences of this description), everything they say is critical advice and should be taken like a divine mandate. Obviously.

Apr 30, 202142:14
Breaking News: Donna’s Editing This One

Breaking News: Donna’s Editing This One

There’s a lot of weird news on the internet, and this week, the Thought Café takes it all on. Do German nudists save laptops from wild boars? Is Cinnamon Toast Crunch sticking to their guns about shrimp tails in cereal? With misinformation at an all-time high, Nikhil, Mira and Donna compete for the title of Best Fake News Detective.

Apr 14, 202153:50
The Thought Café on Cool-Aid for One Hour and Five Minutes

The Thought Café on Cool-Aid for One Hour and Five Minutes

This week, The Thought Café tackles high school stereotypes and realism as they talk Gilmore Girls, Gossip Girl and an obscene amount of Ginny & Georgia. With a healthy dose of reluctant race politics towards the end, trust us: we cram in all possible intelligent conversation in the last ten minutes, as usual.

Sponsored by Riverdale: Use code: #ARCHIEISN’TEVENTHATHOT for 10% your next purchase of teenage angst!

Apr 07, 202151:43
The Working Dead

The Working Dead

The hustle never stops… until it does. On our thirteenth episode anniversary, Nikhil, Mira, and Donna dive into the truth behind why Nikhil naps literally all the time (hint: he’s just lazy). Exploring the relationship between grind culture and work productivity, they look into how ‘hustling’ affects nearly every aspect of their lives: from sleep schedules to college degrees, how does breaking the 9-5 shift change us?

Mar 23, 202147:29
Surprise - We’ve Solved the Wage Gap!

Surprise - We’ve Solved the Wage Gap!

Happy International Women’s Month! Day? History month? History day? We don’t actually know the official name of the holiday, but we support women anyway! On our table this week, Nikhil, Mira and Donna tackle the motherhood penalty and the consequences of pregnancy  on professional careers. Along the way, Nikhil tries his hand at solving the wage-gap, and although he’s quickly shot down, we’re giving him ten Feminist Points for trying.

Mar 17, 202152:55
POV: Nobody Showed Up to Your Wedding (Including Your Fiancé)

POV: Nobody Showed Up to Your Wedding (Including Your Fiancé)

This week, Nikhil, Mira and Donna get tired of pretending to be intelligent and instead spend their time playing Would You Rather for forty minutes. Mira carries the first half (she’s the only one awake) but we swear it’s great content anyway. As usual, the last fifteen minutes are the only part worth listening to, but you’re probably used to this by now. Welcome to The Thought Café!

Mar 09, 202147:31
Can the Internet Ever End Racism?

Can the Internet Ever End Racism?

You know what time it is? Time for Nikhil, Mira, and Donna to actually have conflicting opinions for once! In this episode, they debate the merits of internet activism and race politics online. Analyzing the effects of social media on the Black Lives Matter movement earlier this summer, they take a critical look at the relationship between technology and advocacy.

Feb 23, 202152:39
Valentine’s Day Gone Wrong

Valentine’s Day Gone Wrong

Happy Valentine’s Day! This week, Nikhil, Mira and Donna reveal their worst romantic trials and tribulations as they explore the world of teenage love. Crushes are tough, and your favorite hosts are here to complain about them together. Doing their absolute best to stop Donna from making the conversation depressing, Mira describes her perfect man (Yon Gonzalez), while Nikhil shares his hilarious (almost) first kiss story.

Feb 15, 202143:32
Unplugged #1

Unplugged #1

It’s happened. They’ve finally snapped. Seven episodes in, they’ve come in with nothing but their camp horror stories and middle school math class trauma. We guarantee you a solid forty-minutes of nonsense.

Welcome to our series, Unplugged! This is the first episode where we go completely off-script: no plans, no preparation. It’s a little bit of a train-wreck, but we promise you’ll enjoy it.

Feb 10, 202147:45
Fauci’s Back Y’all

Fauci’s Back Y’all

New year, new president! In this episode, The Thought Café discusses their hopes for the Biden administration, and their political wishes for our country. Through extensive discourse on Covid-19 and national polarization, we find out who Nikhil’s favorite white man is: Biden or Fauci? Sit back and relax as three teenagers spend a solid forty minutes gushing about our new leaders.

Jan 26, 202138:51
73 Questions With The Thought Café

73 Questions With The Thought Café

So, it turns out Nikhil has an obsession with Vogue that none of us knew about. This week on The Thought Café, Nikhil, Mira, and Donna decide to finally introduce themselves and actually share some personal anecdotes with everyone. We can’t vouch for its educational quality, but at least they figure out their preferred tactical strategies if they’re ever tasked with fighting elephant sized-chickens.

Jan 19, 202138:21
How to Make a Communist Cry

How to Make a Communist Cry

Welcome to Capitalist Hell! This week, Nikhil, Mira and Donna finally do enough research to have a comprehensive discussion on antitrust lawsuits. From Silicon Valley to Washington DC, they examine the complex relationship between big tech and big government. Regrettably, Mira forgets to insult Mark Zuckerberg’s hair partway through, but at least they discover something new about oligopolies.

Jan 12, 202137:32
It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane (Crash), It’s a Deep Dive into Authoritarian Parenting

It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane (Crash), It’s a Deep Dive into Authoritarian Parenting

In this episode, join Nikhil, Mira and Donna as they explore the psychology and economics behind strict parenting, knowing full well that they are possibly the least qualified individuals in the world on this specific subject matter. It’ll be an awesome ride anyway.

Jan 06, 202139:11
Political Satire: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Political Satire: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Welcome to the first episode of The Thought Café! Nikhil, Mira, and Donna explore the depths of political satire and its drawbacks, all while realizing that Nikhil doesn’t know any late night hosts! From Mel Brooks’ Blazing Saddles to John Oliver, your favorite hosts take a critical look at the role of political satire in US policy.

Dec 30, 202041:49
A Hitchhiker’s Guide to Conspiracy Theories

A Hitchhiker’s Guide to Conspiracy Theories

In this episode of The Thought Café, Nikhil, Mira and Donna unravel conspiracy theories about the universe and break down some of their own (weirder) ideas about the world around us. Does fate exist? Is there a natural order to the universe? Are Russian elves evil? We do our best to take on these big questions.

Dec 30, 202037:39
r/MyEvilPlan(?)

r/MyEvilPlan(?)

What is revenge? Apparently eating ice cream sandwiches and poop drawings. Follow Nikhil, Mira, and Donna as we explore the dark corners of Reddit. From cancel culture, to revenge stories, to Phillipe v. Phillipa (Team Phillipa all the way!), join us in this episode of The Thought Café.

Dec 30, 202036:10