What Living in Japan Teaches You About Toilet Paper, Matcha Lattes, and Subtle Nuance + Living Abroad, Cultural Assimilation, and Learning the Rules Between the Lines

Humans Are Creators, Not Just Workers in the Machine + AI Anxiety, Ancient Instincts, and Returning to Nature Before We Forget Ourselves

S2 E2 Hey Awesome you! In this episode, I talk about creativity, AI anxiety, and why I believe we need to double down on being human right now. As technology moves faster and the world feels increasingly uncertain, it is easy to fall into fear, apathy, or the feeling that we are powerless. But underneath all the noise, we are still human beings. We still need nature, rest, food, movement, connection, art, and moments where we remember we are alive. I reflect on the difference between the natural world and the human-made world, and how civilization can start to feel like a kind of virtual reality built on top of nature. Screens, algorithms, work culture, consumerism, and the constant flood of information can pull us away from our bodies and our instincts. S2 E2 Hey Awesome you! Kit here. Thank you for being here, I really appreciate your time. Time is priceless. I hang out on Threads a lot these days… hope to see you there! 👉Threads ⁠⁠@curiouskit7 [https://www.threads.com/@curiouskit7]⁠⁠ 👉IG ⁠⁠@curiouskit7⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/curiouskit7/] Here are my links: 👉 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/curiouskit7⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://linktr.ee/curiouskit7⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠] This episode is a reminder that humans are creators, not just workers in the machine. Creativity, meditation, music, art, cooking, cleaning, walking outside, and even simply listening to birds can bring us back into ourselves. If the noise of the world has been feeling heavy, this episode is an invitation to stay calm, stay sharp, return to nature, and remember what makes you human. Awesome Artist Introduction 🔥Liam Mangino Liam is an amazing artist whose talent span across multiple creative disciplines, including photography and dance. Go visit his website and IG!! Instagram👉 ⁠⁠@liamfotoz [https://www.instagram.com/liamfotoz/]⁠⁠ Website👉 ⁠⁠Liam's Darkroom⁠⁠ [https://liamfotoz.darkroom.com/] 🔥Tim Skula: Great sonic artist..! He is the composer behind the intro & outro tracks for this podcast. Check out Tim’s music: 🎶 👉⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://open.spotify.com/artist/77a15MA59VWYXXQcRxVbVX?si=KIMyweGYTp2IBPxkI-I3Ag&nd=1&dlsi=7c2a518b29a8434e] 🎶 👉⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Soundcloud [https://soundcloud.com/timothy-skula/181-oiyi-4-30-25]⁠⁠

Returning After Perfectionism Trap, Finding X Terra, and Choosing Courage Over Fear + Nature, Nomad Dreams, and Remembering What Makes Us Feel Alive

Welcome back!! Season 2 is here... ! ——— Hey Awesome you! Kit here. Thank you for being here, I really appreciate your time. Time is priceless. ——— Season 2 begins with a return. After a few months away, I’m back with a simple update that turned into something much bigger: perfectionism, nomad dreams, getting a 2009 Nissan Xterra, and trying to remember what actually makes us feel alive. In this episode, I talk about coming back to New York after time in Japan, letting go of old routines, and feeling the pull toward nature, road trips, camping, and a life that feels less boxed in. I also reflect on fear, courage, and why stepping outside the daily grind can feel like a spiritual reset. This one is about returning after getting stuck in your head. About choosing movement over perfection. About looking up from the noise, reconnecting with nature, and reminding ourselves that life is still here, waiting for us to participate. If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed by the world, stuck in routine, or quietly craving a reset, this episode is a gentle nudge to breathe, step outside, and remember what makes you feel alive. ——— Thank you for being here. You deserve the best. We deserve the best. Have a wonderful day, night, wherever you are. Love and gratitude, Kit Awesome Artist Introduction 🔥Liam Mangino Liam is an amazing artist whose talent span across multiple creative disciplines, including photography and dance. Go visit his website and IG!! Instagram👉 ⁠⁠@liamfotoz [https://www.instagram.com/liamfotoz/] Website👉 ⁠⁠Liam's Darkroom [https://liamfotoz.darkroom.com/] 🔥Tim Skula: Great sonic artist..! He is the composer behind the intro & outro tracks for this podcast. Check out Tim’s music: 🎶 👉⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/artist/77a15MA59VWYXXQcRxVbVX] 🎶 👉Soundcloud [https://soundcloud.com/timothy-skula/181-oiyi-4-30-25] I hang out on Threads a lot these days… hope to see you there! 👉Threads @curiouskit7 [@curiouskit7] 👉IG @curiouskit7 [https://www.instagram.com/curiouskit7/] Here are my links: 👉 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

What Living in Japan Teaches You About Toilet Paper, Matcha Lattes, and Subtle Nuance + Living Abroad, Cultural Assimilation, and Learning the Rules Between the Lines

Ep. 23 🤩 We welcome Amber from Amber Japan Travels in our first-ever invitation episode!! Please go support her: IG @amberjapantravels [https://www.instagram.com/amberjapantravels/] Threads @amberjapantravels [https://www.threads.com/@amberjapantravels] ——— Hey Awesome you! Kit here. Thank you for being here, I really appreciate your time. Time is priceless. ——— As mentioned above, this is BLTN!’s first-ever invitation episode... and we welcome Amber from Amber Japan Travels!! Please go support her @amberjapantravels [https://www.instagram.com/amberjapantravels/] Amber and I talk about what it’s actually like to live in Japan long enough for the novelty to wear off and the real learning to begin. We share stories about cultural assimilation, identity, subtle social cues, and the small, often awkward everyday moments that quietly teach you how a place actually works. We talk about reading the room, navigating unspoken rules, and why living abroad is less about mastering a culture and more about softening yourself enough to listen. This is not a guide on how to “do Japan right.” It’s a conversation about humility, curiosity, and the patience required to belong anywhere new. About what happens when you stop observing from the outside and begin participating from the inside. We also discuss about living abroad as a process of adjustment, humility, personal growth, and self-reflection. About how culture reveals itself in small details, shared spaces, and the patience it takes to truly belong. This is an episode rooted in curiosity rather than certainty. A reminder that understanding another culture often begins by letting go of your assumptions and paying attention to what’s right in front of you. If you’re interested in travel, identity, or the unseen layers of cultural life, this conversation offers a grounded, thoughtful place to sit with those questions. ——— Thank you for being here. You deserve the best. We deserve the best. Have a wonderful day, night, wherever you are. Love and gratitude, Kit Ep. 23 - Awesome Artist Introduction 🔥Liam Mangino Liam is an amazing artist whose talent span across multiple creative disciplines, including photography and dance. Go visit his website and IG!! Instagram👉 ⁠⁠@liamfotoz⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/liamfotoz/] Website👉 ⁠⁠Liam's Darkroom⁠⁠ [https://liamfotoz.darkroom.com/] 🔥Tim Skula: Great sonic artist..! He is the composer behind the intro & outro tracks for this podcast. Check out Tim’s music: 🎶 👉⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://open.spotify.com/artist/77a15MA59VWYXXQcRxVbVX?si=iNqqGLIpSRK5dPaJbRpaRg] 🎶 👉⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Soundcloud⁠⁠ [https://soundcloud.com/timothy-skula/181-oiyi-4-30-25] I hang out on Threads a lot these days… hope to see you there! 👉Threads ⁠⁠@curiouskit7⁠⁠ [https://www.threads.com/@curiouskit7] 👉IG ⁠⁠@curiouskit7⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/curiouskit7/] Here are my links: 👉 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/curiouskit7⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://linktr.ee/curiouskit7⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠]

A Guide to Finding Your True Self With Child-like Joy and Honesty + Helping Others, Peeling the Onion of Identity and Stepping Off the Consumerist Loop

Ep. 22 This episode is Part 3 of a 3 episode series on: “How to get off the proverbial treadmill of life and find our true selves” Hey Awesome you! Kit here. Thank you for being here, I really appreciate your time. Time is priceless. I hang out on Threads a lot these days… hope to see you there! 👉Threads ⁠@curiouskit7⁠ [https://www.threads.com/@curiouskit7] 👉IG ⁠@curiouskit7⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/curiouskit7/] Here are my links: 👉 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/curiouskit7⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://linktr.ee/curiouskit7] Ep. 22 - Awesome Artist Introduction 🔥Liam Mangino Liam is an amazing artist whose talent span across multiple creative disciplines, including photography and dance. Go visit his website and IG!! Instagram👉 ⁠@liamfotoz⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/liamfotoz/] Website👉 ⁠Liam's Darkroom⁠ [https://liamfotoz.darkroom.com/] 🔥Tim Skula: Great sonic artist..! He is the composer behind the intro & outro tracks for this podcast. Check out Tim’s music: 🎶 👉⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://open.spotify.com/artist/77a15MA59VWYXXQcRxVbVX?si=KIMyweGYTp2IBPxkI-I3Ag] 🎶 👉⁠⁠⁠⁠Soundcloud⁠ [https://soundcloud.com/timothy-skula/181-oiyi-4-30-25] ---- Episode 22 brings the three-part journey to a close. After noticing the treadmill and questioning the carrot we’ve been chasing, this episode sits with what comes next.  I talk about the layers of illusion that shape our lives, the identities we inherit without realizing it, and how slowly peeling back those layers can feel both unsettling and freeing. We explore what it means to break the spell of comparison, productivity, and borrowed timelines, not through dramatic change, but through honest seeing. Through recognizing where survival patterns once helped us, and where they quietly kept us running long after they stopped serving us. I reflect on truth, gratitude, and presence. I also ponder on how clarity often arrives later than we expected, and why that does not make it a failure, but rather show us the way forward. I share openly that this is still a process for me too.  I am not speaking from the other side of it, but from inside, as I continue learning how to live with intention instead of momentum. This final chapter is an invitation to meet your honest self, right where you are. To choose a life guided by honesty rather than illusions. To let go of the rush, reclaim your attention, and remember that presence is not a destination. It is a practice, one moment, one day at a time. —— Thank you for being here. You deserve the best. We deserve the best. Have a wonderful day, night, wherever you are. Love and gratitude, Kit

Life Beyond the Carrot and the Clock, Inertia of Survival, and Reclaiming the Only Moment That Exists + Mental Time Travel and Seeing Through the Illusion of “Falling Behind”

Ep. 21 This episode is Part 2 of a 3 episode series on: “How to get off the proverbial treadmill of life and find our true selves” Hey Awesome you! Kit here. Thank you for being here, I really appreciate your time. Time is priceless. I hang out on Threads a lot these days… hope to see you there! 👉Threads @curiouskit7 [https://www.threads.com/@curiouskit7] 👉IG @curiouskit7 [https://www.instagram.com/curiouskit7/] Ep. 21 - Awesome Artist Introduction 🔥Liam Mangino Liam is an amazing artist whose talent span across multiple creative disciplines, including photography and dance. Go visit his website and IG!! Instagram👉 @liamfotoz [https://www.instagram.com/liamfotoz/] Website👉 Liam's Darkroom [https://liamfotoz.darkroom.com/] 🔥Tim Skula: Great sonic artist..! He is the composer behind the intro & outro tracks for this podcast. (Scroll down for their links)👇👇 —— This episode is Part 2 of a 3 episode series on: “How to get off the proverbial treadmill of life and find our true selves” Episode 21 continues the journey we started in the last episode. Once we notice the proverbial carrot in front of us and the treadmill beneath our feet, the next question becomes how to step off and why it is so difficult for most, if not all, of us. I talk about the inertia that keeps us running, the invisible expectations that shape our days, and why so many of us feel we are falling behind regardless of how fast we run. Then we explore what happens when we zoom out far enough to see the bigger arc of human life, and how mental time travel can break the spell of that very feeling of falling behind. When we look at our life through the lens of human history, something shifts in our perspective. The pressure to compete fades, and a different kind of clarity appears. You remember that being alive is a miracle, and deep presence is a form of freedom. This episode is about understanding the forces that may have pushed us off our true path and learning to reclaim the only moment that belongs to us. It is also a reminder that we can always return to ourselves at any moment by waking up from the illusions. This is the second chapter in a three part invitation to find your way back to who you were always meant to be. If you have ever felt lost in the pace of the world or disconnected from your own path, this episode offers a gentle way back to yourself. It is an invitation to live, breathe, and love your life with a solid sense of gratitude and presence. —— Thank you for being here. You deserve the best. We deserve the best. Have a wonderful day, night, wherever you are. Love and gratitude, Kit Here are my links: 👉 ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/curiouskit7⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://linktr.ee/curiouskit7] Artist Introduction Check out Tim Skula’s music: 🎶 👉⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://open.spotify.com/artist/77a15MA59VWYXXQcRxVbVX?si=KIMyweGYTp2IBPxkI-I3Ag] 🎶 👉⁠⁠⁠⁠Soundcloud⁠ [https://soundcloud.com/timothy-skula/181-oiyi-4-30-25]