Episode Details

In this episode, I sit down with Riyan Parekh, a high school senior juggling life as a philosophy club president, Boy Scout, tennis player, and full-time thinker, to talk about what it actually means to live philosophically at 18.

Riyan shares the philosophical motion he lives by, how leading discussions has reshaped the way he listens in his personal life, and what it’s like balancing ambition, reflection, and responsibility in a world that often rewards self-obsession over self-awareness.

We unpack the tension between truth and reality, how to express emotions—Platonic or romantic—without losing yourself, and why second chances matter when navigating identity, ego, and growth.

We also talk about what advice he’d give his future self five years from now, and Riyan leaves listeners with a final message that feels grounding, honest, and deeply relevant for anyone trying to figure themselves out while growing up in public.