Why Human Connection Is Disappearing | Simone Heng on Loneliness, Belonging & Modern Life

Why Human Connection Is Disappearing | Simone Heng on Loneliness, Belonging & Modern Life

In this episode of Eudaimonia with Rhitu, Simone Heng explores one of the biggest emotional realities of our time: why people feel increasingly disconnected despite constant digital connection. The conversation explores loneliness, vulnerability, emotional safety, communication, belonging, relationships and the psychological impact of modern life. Topics covered include: * The loneliness epidemic * Technology and emotional disconnection * Hyper-independence and modern identity * Vulnerability and emotional safety * Why meaningful relationships are becoming harder * Communication in the digital age * Belonging, self-worth and rejection * Building deeper human connection * A thoughtful conversation on what human beings truly need from one another.

What Modern Life Is Quietly Doing to Us | Natasha Badhwar on Parenting, Identity & Selfhood 🌿

What happens when you stop performing the version of yourself the world expects? In this conversation, I sit down with Natasha Badhwar — writer, filmmaker, educator and one of the most thoughtful observers of modern life and human relationships. This episode moved through themes that feel deeply personal and quietly universal: the pressure to succeed, the narrowing of identity, parenting with vulnerability instead of control, emotional honesty, self-reflection, gentleness and the ways modern life disconnects us from ourselves and each other. There’s a moment where Natasha says: “We do not seem to give ourselves permission to fully be who we are.” And in many ways, that became the emotional centre of the conversation. We spoke about: • Why modern systems reward performance over authenticity • The emotional cost of becoming “one fixed version” of yourself • Parenting through trust, vulnerability and emotional honesty • Why children don’t need perfection — they need presence • Conscious parenting and unschooling • How social media and constant stimulation affect family life • The quiet estrangement many people carry in relationships and within themselves • The healing power of storytelling, memoir writing and community • Why empathy is something we are born with, not something we should have to relearn This isn’t a conversation built on advice. It’s a conversation built on reflection. And perhaps that’s why it feels so human.

Building a Life Without a Blueprint | Steve Gove on Community, Creativity & Belonging ✨

In this conversation, I sit down with Steve Gove — co-founder of the Prague Fringe Festival, strategist, curator, and someone who has spent much of his life building communities across cities, cultures and creative worlds. What struck me most was how little of his life seems to have been built through certainty. And yet, somehow, that openness became the foundation for everything. We spoke about moving countries without a fixed plan, creating spaces where strangers become collaborators, and how some of the most meaningful things in life begin before you fully know what you’re doing. There’s a recurring idea throughout this conversation: That not knowing can sometimes be an advantage. That naïveté, especially when you’re young, can allow you to attempt things more experienced people might dismiss as impossible. We also explored work, joy, creativity, belonging and what it means to build something that outlasts you, not through scale or monument, but through human ripple effects. In this episode: • The courage of building without certainty • Naïveté as an unexpected creative strength • Why community became the real product behind Prague Fringe • Asking for opportunities without fear • Belonging across borders and cultures • Building meaningful ripple effects through people • Why joyful work changes how we live This isn’t a conversation about productivity or success in the conventional sense. It’s about participation. In life, in people, and in the communities we create around us. If you do spend time with it, I’d love to know, what stayed with you?

The Story Behind the Film: R.S. Prasanna on Creativity, Values & Living Fully 🎬✨

What helps us live in alignment? In this conversation, I sit down with R. S. Prasanna to explore storytelling not only as craft, but as a philosophy for living. There’s a thread in this episode that stayed with me: That the way we make films… build teams… choose work…and define success… all reveal what we value. We spoke about underdog stories, the influence of his father, why he walked away from a massive film opportunity, and how he thinks about creativity, faith and decisions through what he calls a Personal Happiness Index. There’s also a beautiful conversation here about Vasana - the restlessness that tells you what makes you come alive. In this episode: • The underdog as the most human story • Values over money • Creativity cannot be reduced to a checklist • Building trust-led teams • The Personal Happiness Index • Spirituality as a practical tool • What makes us come alive • A film school dream for children This isn’t only about filmmaking. It’s about how we build a life we can stand inside honestly. If you spend time with it, I’d love to know what stayed with you. Chapters: 00:00:00 Intro 00:00:47 Prasanna’s Influences growing up 00:04:27 Favourite Movies and Why 00:08:15 Prasanna’s Dad: His Hero 00:14:42 Eklavya and Prasanna’s Production House 00:17:49 Favourite Book Recommendations 00:20:22 Learnings from each blockbuster movie: Process over Product 00:27:09  Crewing up a stellar team 00:30:39 Picking 10 neurodivergent actors from 2500 00:43:23 What the World is missing out on today 00:52:54 Spirituality and Faith - A useful construct? 00:56:47 Personal Happiness Index 01:00:06 Ram Sampath and filling up voids 01:03:33 Forging meaning in Pain 01:11:15 Happy places and dreams about the future 🔗 REFERENCES FROM THIS CONVERSATION Some of the ideas discussed in this episode were inspired by or connected to these conversations and thinkers: • Diary of a CEO with Gelong Thubten https://youtu.be/RiM5a-vaNkg?si=sn8amLU5oyY2sAYB [https://youtu.be/RiM5a-vaNkg?si=sn8amLU5oyY2sAYB] • Andrew Solomon (writer & thinker on identity, meaning and human experience) • Full episode with R.S. Prasanna https://youtu.be/vIbLQQ1i56Y?si=4oD0IFLrgdlxnzZs [https://youtu.be/vIbLQQ1i56Y?si=4oD0IFLrgdlxnzZs]

From Romance to Reality: Yashodara Lal on Love, Conflict & Modern Marriage ✨🌿

What does it actually take to make a relationship work? In this conversation, I sit down with Yashodara Lal - author, columnist, and someone who brings a rare mix of honesty, humour, and lived experience to conversations around relationships and modern life. There’s a thread through this episode that stayed with me. The idea that we’re often trying to “get it right” choosing the right partner, saying the right things, finding the right balance. And yet, so much of what makes relationships difficult isn’t about getting it wrong. It’s about not fully understanding what we’re carrying into them. We spoke about things that don’t always get said out loud - how the early stages of love are often built on illusion, why conflict feels so personal and how patterns we don’t even realise we have… quietly shape the way we show up. There’s also something grounding in the way this conversation unfolds. No quick fixes. No oversimplified advice. Just an honest look at how relationships evolve and how much of that evolution begins with self-awareness. In this episode: • Why we often end up marrying the “wrong” person • The different stages of a relationship — and why the honeymoon phase fades • How childhood patterns influence adult relationships • Why there’s no real “objective truth” in a conflict • The pressure of balance in marriage, parenting, and identity • Desire, resentment, and the conversations we avoid • Why understanding yourself might matter more than fixing the relationship This isn’t just a conversation about relationships. It’s about how we understand ourselves within them. If you do spend time with it, I’d love to know, what stayed with you? If this conversation sparked something for you and you’d like to explore relationships more deeply, here are a few thoughtful resources for the layperson: Relationship Resources • The Couples Institute Blog: https://www.couplesinstitute.com/couples-blog/ [https://www.couplesinstitute.com/couples-blog/] • The Gottman Institute Blog: https://www.gottman.com/blog/ [https://www.gottman.com/blog/] • The Secure Relationship: https://www.thesecurerelationship.com/ [https://www.thesecurerelationship.com/] • Esther Perel Podcast: https://www.estherperel.com/podcast [https://www.estherperel.com/podcast] Connect with Yashodara Lal • Instagram: Instagram.com/yashodharalal [http://Instagram.com/yashodharalal] • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@YashodharaLalCouplesCoach [https://www.youtube.com/@YashodharaLalCouplesCoach] • Personal Website: yashodharalal.com [http://yashodharalal.com] • Practice Website: allsomeness.in [http://allsomeness.in] Order the Book 📘 What They Don’t Tell You About Marriage… and What You Need to Know About Yours Order here: bit.ly/WhatTheyDontTellYou [http://bit.ly/WhatTheyDontTellYou]