Dream Life Club — “Welcome to WTF Do We Do Now”
Host: Sumi Krishnan
Date: November 13, 2025
Episode Overview
This inaugural episode of "WTF Do We Do Now" sets the stage for an open, honest, and engaging discussion about navigating life and business as women founders in a world that often feels overwhelming and uncertain. Host Sumi Krishnan, joined by her co-host Ryan, introduces the show’s mission: to create a space for processing the chaos around us—politics, society, business, and personal life—while offering authentic conversation, catharsis, and a dose of humor. Their candid exchange highlights the power of speaking out during trying times, the importance of community, and the unique perspectives they each bring to the table.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
The Meaning Behind the Podcast Name
[00:04 – 02:24]
- Sumi explains, “My goal for the podcast is to give space and conversation to what so many people, including me and including you, are feeling now about, like, what's going on in this country and the world. Because shit's kind of fucked up, and yet we keep living and we keep needing to…go to work… and take care of family.” ([00:26])
- She emphasizes the importance of “giving voice” to difficult realities, speaking out against negative forces, and how “every person that speaks out gives another person permission to also not think they're crazy and also not think they're alone.” ([01:56])
- Ryan adds a “micro/macro” lens, viewing the show as a way to process both personal turmoil and the larger societal picture—“How do you weigh trying to fix the world around you with trying to fix your own world?” ([04:47])
The Hosts’ Dynamic: Optimist vs. Cynic
[05:59 – 07:03]
- A key theme: Sumi embodies optimism, Ryan self-identifies as a “cynical by nature” but not entirely.
- Sumi: “Yeah, you are cynical. And I am an optimist, I think.” ([06:03])
- Ryan: “I'm more cynical than you.” ([06:17])
- Their banter underscores the complementary nature of their outlooks and the productive tension it brings.
Origins of Their Collaboration
[07:03 – 08:36]
- Sumi, an LA-based artist, met Ryan, a seasoned music producer, through mutual connections in the music industry. What began as a creative collaboration led to frequent, wide-ranging conversations that inspired the podcast: “We should be recording these and sharing these, because why should the conversations just stay between us and these four walls, right?” ([02:26])
From Washington DC to LA: Personal and Perspective Shifts
[08:36 – 11:15]
- Sumi contrasts the politically charged atmosphere in DC with the laid-back LA lifestyle, observing that “you could just literally ignore everything that's going on in the world when you live in LA because you're just in a little paradise.” ([08:56])
- She shares her background: working in DC, volunteering for campaigns, studying public policy, and ultimately making the leap to a music career while retaining her drive for social change. ([09:26 – 10:47])
- Ryan humorously calls Sumi “a grown up” given her impressive civic experience. ([10:35])
Contrasting Life Experiences
[11:27 – 12:32]
- Their differences—Ryan is married with kids; Sumi is single and dating—add layers to their perspectives, both personally and professionally, especially around issues of gender, race, and work-life balance.
The Podcast’s Purpose and Promise
[12:33 – 13:52]
- The show aims to tackle both “big social issues” and “things going on in our own lives,” recognizing that “how to carry on, how to…balance…internal and external…we don't know how to do that necessarily, but we're figuring it out, and it's nice to have conversations to try and do that.” ([12:53])
- Ryan quips, “maybe listening to two idiots try to figure it out themselves will help,” highlighting the show’s humility and humor. ([13:39])
Politics, Conflict, and Identity
[14:04 – 17:29]
- They preview future topics: conflict resolution, political engagement, and the challenge of interacting across political divides, especially as a “minority female” versus a “white male.”
- Sumi admits heightened sensitivity to sexism and negative speech about women, acknowledging, “I'm just so sensitive to anybody speaking negatively about a woman, especially a tall white man.” ([15:52])
- Ryan reflects on learning from his wife, a minority woman: “I know that the levels of ignorance that I used to have are pretty damn high and might still be pretty high…my biases as a white man, I'm just not gonna see things I don't see the things that y'all see.” ([17:07])
Progressivism and Regional Bubbles
[18:05 – 19:38]
- Both hosts identify as “progressive,” but Sumi sees a distinction between the LA and DC “bubbles”:
- “To me, the LA bubble is not even progressive…most people don’t actually keep up, I think, with, like, what’s going on.” ([19:05])
- Ryan discusses maintaining roots and group chats with friends from his Midwestern hometown, highlighting the diversity of opinions within his social circle. ([18:13 – 18:54])
The Challenge of “Truth” and Political Division
[20:02 – 24:24]
- They lament the fragmentation of shared reality and media:
- Sumi: “Year from now we’re gonna be saying what is truth?” ([20:02])
- Sumi asks, “what do we do as…progressive people on the left…to actually, like, win back America?” ([20:10])
- Ryan stresses, “You need different parties, differing beliefs…But when it can be weaponized, when you can use that divisiveness to push narratives that actively hurt people, that’s when it becomes an issue.” ([20:30])
- They debate whether the solution is dialogue—Sumi doubts the effectiveness amid widespread “gaslighting”—and reflect on the limits of seeking validation by proving “the other side wrong.”
- Ryan: “This doesn’t end with the other side going, ah, you got me. Well, it doesn’t go down like that…it never will and it never has in human history.” ([24:00])
Where Do We Go From Here?
[25:10 – End]
- Looking ahead, they tease future episodes exploring possible societal outcomes and pathways for positive change.
- Sumi: “Maybe the next episode is…where we could potentially be…in four years. How…the kind of various options, like, where we could be as a society or country.” ([25:10])
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- “Every person that speaks out gives another person permission to also not think they're crazy and also not think they're alone.” — Sumi, [01:56]
- “How do you weigh trying to fix the world around you with trying to fix your own world?” — Ryan, [04:47]
- “It's okay to not be a crusader, and it's okay to, you know, take an edible and watch some trash TV at night. It's okay. And then there's other days when you can…take to Twitter and, you know, come at a representative, which is cool.” — Ryan, [05:25]
- “We don't want the world to suck. And at the moment it feels like the world kind of sucks, or at least it sucks more than it should.” — Ryan, [11:17]
- “How do we make this place better?” — Ryan, [21:03]
- “It’s going to be unsatisfying…it doesn't mean we can't keep fighting.” — Ryan, [25:04]
- “Every now and again, I think more than every now and again.” — Sumi, on how often politics will arise, [12:50]
- “We hope not. I hope at least that we're not idiots. But it's like a space for these conversations…” — Sumi, [13:52]
- “The LA bubble is not even progressive…most people don't actually keep up, I think, with, like, what's going on.” — Sumi, [19:05]
Timestamps for Important Segments
- 00:04 — Origin of podcast name & intentions
- 01:56 — Speaking out as a form of empowerment/change
- 05:59 — Optimist vs. Cynic dynamic
- 07:03 — How Sumi and Ryan met, music industry backgrounds
- 08:36 — From DC to LA: shifting worldviews
- 11:27 — Personal differences enhance perspectives
- 12:33 — Scope and promises for the podcast
- 14:04 — Navigating politics, identity, and engagement
- 18:05 — Definitions of progressivism in LA vs. DC
- 20:02 — Wrestling with questions of "truth"
- 24:00 — The futility of searching for validation from “the other side”
- 25:10 — Teasing future episodes on social outcomes
Overall Tone
Unfiltered, humorous, and thoughtfully candid, blending optimism with healthy skepticism. The hosts create a welcoming space to process cultural, political, and personal upheaval—proof that it’s possible to “keep calm and carry on” without ignoring the world’s messiness, and to do it together, out loud.