On Second Thought with Komal Mirani

On Irrationality, Nuance, and Behavioural Design w/ Pratyush Pillai (TinkerLabs)

We like to believe we’re rational. That we think, then act. But most of the time, behaviour is shaped elsewhere by habit, perception, context, and a special kind of chaos. In this episode, I’m in conversation with Pratyush Pillai, Head of Behavioural Design at TinkerLabs. We explore what it really means to design for people as they are not as we assume them to be. From irrational decisions to the gap between knowing and doing, this is a deep dive into how behaviour actually works in the real world. Along the way, we cover his personal journey into behavioural design, the thinking behind TinkerLabs and what makes the practice unique, how innovation often comes from the most unexpected places, and the nuances of behaviour in the Indian context from stereotypes to social cues. There are second thoughts, contradictions, and a lot to take away on the other side of this one. Tune in!

Designing Your Own Genre w/ Yash Pradhan | Nostalgia, Ownership & Creative Independence

Yash Pradhan [https://yashpradhan.com/?srsltid=AfmBOorwpnLVCYdg5ijCmVsGyaC4jZOIw5naKuwendRbkOdVeRJBNHdu] is a self-taught illustrator and designer whose creative education happened online. A 90s baby shaped by internet culture, he began his career as an accountant before turning his obsession with design into a full-time practice. What started as small experiments shared online became commissioned work for brands like Coach, Real Madrid, Meta, Kingfisher and lots more!. In this conversation, we unpack: * what it means to build taste in public * how digital curiosity becomes a competitive edge * why understanding IP, ownership, and pricing is non-negotiable for creators today * genre-building * nostalgia as aesthetic strategy * why the best work often comes from designing for yourself first More than anything, this is a conversation about playing the long game: making the work, owning it, and not taking the process so seriously that you stop enjoying it. Follow Yash below: Website [https://yashpradhan.com/?srsltid=AfmBOorwpnLVCYdg5ijCmVsGyaC4jZOIw5naKuwendRbkOdVeRJBNHdu], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/yashpradhan/]

Talented’s PG Aditiya on Where Advertising Still Feels Alive

PG Aditiya is the Co-Founder and CCO of Talented, one of India’s sharpest and most awarded creative agencies, built on the belief that great work begins with great people. Titles, however, only partly describe his role. His thinking extends well beyond the mechanics of advertising, shaped by a deep reverence for craft, an archival curiosity for its history, and a visible pride in the people behind the work. In this episode of On Second Thought, he reflects on the changing agency model, the thinking behind Talented’s internal handbook [https://talentedagency.notion.site/Talented-Handbook-d0b7a11bb6f143729ea79862902e3ba4], and why talent density - rather than scale has become the organising principle of the company. Drawing on family lore, objects of close affection, and years spent in the business of advertising, he speaks candidly about creative ambition, and how Talented responded to a long-standing need in the market. He also considers the history of advertising and its influence on modern culture, alongside his own journey as a founder. The conversation also covers culture and attention, touching on matcha raves, soft clubbing, and the fragmentation of media and meaning online. Taken together, it is a portrait of a creative leader thinking carefully about what endures and where advertising still feels alive. About Talented: [https://www.talented.agency/] Talented is on a mission to be the greatest creative company in the world. It is an independent creative agency founded in 2022 in Bangalore by Gautam Reghunath and PG Aditiya. The firm has quickly built a reputation for thoughtful, nuanced work for both legacy and modern brands, and has been recognised on the global stage: Talented has won multiple Cannes Lions, including a Silver Lion for its Avani’s Gold campaign for Britannia Marie Gold at the 2025 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, among other metals for work across media and storytelling.

On Curation, Craft, and Taste w/ Malini Malik | Co-Founder, General Items • Founder, Come Away

What does it mean to live a life guided by curiosity, taste, and intuition? In this episode, I sat down with Malini Malik, co-founder of General Items in Bangalore and founder of Come Away, to explore a life shaped by art, travel, and trust in the process. Growing up as an army kid, Malini’s world was defined by movement: each new place leaving behind textures, colors, and memories that quietly built her aesthetic sensibility. With a background in art history and textile design, she began her career at Chumbak, working at the intersection of design and sourcing before finding her own voice as a curator and cultural entrepreneur. The conversation traces her leap into entrepreneurship with General Items—a design-led store that celebrates the beauty of everyday objects and the emotional resonance of craft. Malini reflects on building something rooted in thoughtfulness and joy, the art of curation, and the confidence that comes from trusting the universe to guide your path. It’s a story about taking the plunge, noticing deeply, and living a life rich in experience and meaning.

The Business of Doing Good: How to Make the World Slightly More Just w/ Siddhartha Menon, Tiny Miracles

Most people talk about changing the world. A few try to redesign it: system by system, person by person, story by story. Siddhartha Menon [https://www.instagram.com/smenon86/?hl=en] is one of those few. As Head of Mission at Tiny Miracles [https://tinymiracles.com/], Siddhartha helps lead a social enterprise with a clear, ambitious goal: enable communities to get themselves out of poverty and stay out. Their model moves beyond short-term aid to tackle systemic change through five interconnected pillars: education, health, livelihood, social awareness, and happiness. At its core, it’s about dignity, agency, and designing systems that last. In this conversation, we go deep into the realities of doing good: the trade-offs, the invisible walls, and the constant tension between business and social purpose. Siddhartha shares what poverty really is beyond income, how trust is built in communities that have been let down before, and why design can be as powerful as policy in creating change. We also explore his work on the Tiny Cane Collective [https://www.instagram.com/tinycanecollective/?hl=en]: an open experiment in radical transparency. From artisan wages to projected losses, nothing is hidden. The goal is simple but rare: keep a business truly social by showing the full, messy, handcrafted reality of balancing bottom lines with moral imperatives. This episode covers: * How Tiny Miracles’ “Get Out, Stay Out” model works in practice * The role of design in breaking the poverty cycle * Why transparency can be the strongest trust-building tool * Navigating the “profit vs purpose” paradox in real time * What it takes to keep purpose at the center as you scale I stumbled upon Tiny Miracles by chance but with a conversation that left a deep, lasting impression. This is the story of what I found: a team making the world slightly more just, one system at a time.