Half Past Chai

This week on Half Past Chai… we're answering YOUR questions, and some of these stories left us speechless! 👀 What do you do when your Indian in-laws refuse to accept you? How do you navigate cultural differences in an interracial marriage? And how would you react if someone admitted they were secretly in love with your spouse?! We're diving into family drama, controlling parents, marriage boundaries, cultural expectations, relationship green flags, running motivation, and so much more. We also answer your questions about how we met, starting our podcast, introducing your partner to a South Asian family, and when we might finally leave Indiana! 💬 Question for the Half Past Crew: How would YOU handle these situations? Let us know in the comments! 🎙 Submit your stories and questions: https://www.halfpastchai.com/ 📲 Follow us: https://bio.site/halfpastchai 🏃 Support our NYC Marathon fundraiser: Hallie — Therapists Beyond Borders: https://givebutter.com/hallie-patel-therapists-beyond-borders-nyc-marathon-2026-xtuif8 New episodes every Monday at 7 AM ET. Don't forget to subscribe, and as always, we love you! Thank you for spending your Monday with us. 💛 So settle in, get cozy, and grab your chai. 💛

We’re 29 and 27, we’ve been together for over a decade, we’re married, we have a house, we’re building our careers… and naturally, everyone keeps asking us the same question: “So when are you having kids?” And the answer is… we don’t know. In this episode, we’re having an honest conversation about why we don’t feel ready to have kids right now, even though we may want them someday. We talk about the cost of raising children, giving up freedom, career timing, family and cultural pressure, whether there’s ever actually a “right time,” and the things about becoming parents that genuinely excite us. And apparently, we’re far from the only couple having this conversation. Younger Americans are delaying parenthood, and more people are questioning whether they want children at all. So… are people choosing not to have kids? Or has having kids simply become harder? Now settle in, get cozy, and grab your chai. 💛 New episodes every Monday at 7 am. Don’t forget to subscribe, and as always, we love you! Thank you for spending your Monday with us 💛 🎙 Submit your stories: https://www.halfpastchai.com/ 📲 Follow us: https://bio.site/halfpastchai Donate to Team For Kids here: https://fundraisers.nyrr.org/suketu Donate to Therapists Beyond Borders here: https://givebutter.com/hallie-patel-therapists-beyond-borders-nyc-marathon-2026-xtuif8 Time codes 0:00 - WELCOME TO HALF PAST CHAI 3:00 - When are we having kids? 5:33 - Ask yourself these questions 8:23 - Stats on having having babies today 11:24 - Money and kids? 16:15 - Do we have to give up our life? 19:27 - Im scared to have kids because… 24:21 - Why we WANT kids. 27:40 - to anyone listening to this

This week we're celebrating five years of marriage and with the five years, we've learned a few things along the way, and we wanted to share those lessons with you. Now settle in, get cozy, and grab your chai. 💛 New episodes every Monday at 7 am. Don’t forget to subscribe, and as always, we love you! Thank you for spending your Monday with us 💛 🎙 Submit your stories: https://www.halfpastchai.com/ 📲 Follow us: https://bio.site/halfpastchai Donate to Team For Kids here: https://fundraisers.nyrr.org/suketu Donate to Therapists Beyond Borders here: https://givebutter.com/hallie-patel-therapists-beyond-borders-nyc-marathon-2026-xtuif8 Time codes 0:00 - WELCOME TO HALF PAST CHAI 5:05 - Lesson 1: Date each other 9:03 - Lesson 2: Sleep together 14:06 - Lesson 3: Why are you actually mad? 18:07 - Lesson 4: Push each other to be better 24:55 - Lesson 5: Discover Change together

This week… my wife left me. I know, I can’t believe it either.SIKE! Let's talk about the importance of spending time apart. Now settle in, get cozy, and grab your chai. 💛 New episodes every Monday at 7 am. Don’t forget to subscribe, and as always, we love you! Thank you for spending your Monday with us 💛 🎙 Submit your stories: https://www.halfpastchai.com/ 📲 Follow us: https://bio.site/halfpastchai Donate to Team For Kids here: https://fundraisers.nyrr.org/suketu Donate to Therapists Beyond Borders here: https://givebutter.com/hallie-patel-therapists-beyond-borders-nyc-marathon-2026-xtuif8

This week… we’re sitting down with Monica Sunny, founder of The Chai Box, who just opened Atlanta’s first dedicated chai cafe We’re getting her full story like where she’s from, how a family chai ritual turned into a nationally recognized brand, and everything that went into opening the cafe Now settle in, get cozy, and grab your chai. 💛 New episodes every Monday at 7 am. Don’t forget to subscribe, and as always, we love you! Thank you for spending your Monday with us 💛 The Chai Box Socials 👇 Insta: https://www.instagram.com/thechaibox Website: https://thechaibox.com/ 🎙 Submit your stories: https://www.halfpastchai.com/ 📲 Follow us: https://bio.site/halfpastchai Donate to Team For Kids here: https://fundraisers.nyrr.org/suketu Donate to Therapists Beyond Borders here: https://givebutter.com/hallie-patel-therapists-beyond-borders-nyc-marathon-2026-xtuif8 Time codes 0:00 - WELCOME TO HALF PAST CHAI 4:22 - What is the chai box? 8:37 - Where were you born and how did you end up here? 10:47 - Taking the leap into start a chai business 15:20 - Going viral in costco 21:29 - Oprah loves your chai?? 28:48 - Was a cafe a part of the plan? 33:20 - What is it like running a cafe 37:39 - Rapid Fire questions 42:35 - What would your younger self say right now

This week on Half Past Chai… we're doing a full Q&A! We are talking hate comments, our finances, and we're reading a few real, anonymous stories from listeners navigating love across culture and family, and giving our honest takes. Now settle in, get cozy, and grab your chai. 💛 New episodes every Monday at 7 am. Don’t forget to subscribe, and as always, we love you! Thank you for spending your Monday with us 💛 🎙 Submit your stories: https://www.halfpastchai.com/ 📲 Follow us: https://bio.site/halfpastchai Donate to Team For Kids here: https://fundraisers.nyrr.org/suketu Donate to Therapists Beyond Borders here: https://givebutter.com/hallie-patel-therapists-beyond-borders-nyc-marathon-2026-xtuif8 Time codes 0:00 - WELCOME TO HALF PAST CHAI 3:24 - Dealing with hate comments 8:57 - How are you so comfortable sharing your life online? 13:03 - Running advice? 16:12 - Where does our cat go when we travel? 17:36 - What did we study and what were our jobs? 20:10 - What does your business do? 22:10 - Boyfriend is keeping me a secret 26:04 - Daughter-in-law duties?

This week on Half Past Chai… We’re joined by Nate Spangle. He is THE Indiana guy. Hallie and Suketu have lived in Indiana their whole lives and this guy has dedicated his life to telling the stories of Indiana to the world. We are going to ask him the hard questions like WHY Indiana, and WHAT is Indiana and Where is Indiana. Now settle in, get cozy, and grab your chai. 💛 New episodes every Monday at 7 am. Don’t forget to subscribe, and as always, we love you! Thank you for spending your Monday with us 💛 Nate’s Socials 👇 YT - https://www.youtube.com/@natespangle Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/natespangle Tiktok - https://www.tiktok.com/@natespangle 🎙 Submit your stories: https://www.halfpastchai.com/ 📲 Follow us: https://bio.site/halfpastchai Donate to Team For Kids here: https://fundraisers.nyrr.org/suketu Donate to Therapists Beyond Borders here: https://givebutter.com/hallie-patel-therapists-beyond-borders-nyc-marathon-2026-xtuif8 Time codes 0:00 - WELCOME TO HALF PAST CHAI 3:33 - Nate is NOT from Indiana 5:25 - What do you want to be when you grow up 8:42 - Why Indiana? 13:19 - When did GetIN start? 16:58 - Why are we still in Indiana? 18:38 - Why you should visit Indiana 26:02 - Did you think you’d ever do this? 32:55 - What was it like quitting your job to do podcasting? 41:38 - How do you manage everything? 44:07 - This changed the way I live my life 50:24 - Rapid Fire questions! 58:32 - Where can people find you?

Today we're breaking down the biggest lessons from 5 of the most-listened-to podcasts in the world - Jay Shetty, Mel Robbins, Steven Bartlett, Alex Cooper, and Andrew Huberman and how you can actually use them in your everyday life. Discipline, honesty, habits, boundaries... we're pulling out the real, usable takeaways so you don't have to binge 5 different shows to get them. If you've been wanting an episode packed with tools you can actually apply, this is the one. 💛 Now settle in, get cozy, and grab your chai. 💛 New episodes every Monday at 7 am. Don’t forget to subscribe, and as always, we love you! Thank you for spending your Monday with us 💛 🎙 Submit your stories: https://www.halfpastchai.com/ 📲 Follow us: https://bio.site/halfpastchai Suketu’s NYC Marathon Fundraiser: https://fundraisers.nyrr.org/suketu Hallie’s NYC Marathon Fundraiser: https://givebutter.com/hallie-patel-therapists-beyond-borders-nyc-marathon-2026-xtuif8 Time codes 0:00 - WELCOME TO HALF PAST CHAI 3:22 - Jay Shetty, On Purpose 6:37 - Mel Robbins 9:15 - Diary of a CEO 12:43 - Call her daddy 16:07 - Huberman Lab

This week on Half Past Chai… we're pulling back the curtain on what it actually takes to build a home out of two cultures. When an American girl and an Indian guy fall in love, "home" becomes a beautiful negotiation - and over the years we've figured out the little (and big) things that make our house feel like both of us. From the mandir and Bible upstairs, to chai every single morning, to the very Indian rule that shoes come off at the door, we're giving you the realistic list of how we've blended our worlds under one roof. Some of it came easy. Some of it we had to figure out the hard way. All of it made us who we are. Now settle in, get cozy, and grab your chai. 💛 New episodes every Monday at 7 am. Don’t forget to subscribe, and as always, we love you! Thank you for spending your Monday with us 💛 🎙 Submit your stories: https://www.halfpastchai.com/ 📲 Follow us: https://bio.site/halfpastchai Donate to Team For Kids here: https://fundraisers.nyrr.org/suketu Donate to Therapists Beyond Borders here: https://givebutter.com/hallie-patel-therapists-beyond-borders-nyc-marathon-2026-xtuif8 Time codes 0:00 - WELCOME TO HALF PAST CHAI 2:34 - Learning to make chai 3:46 - We got a pet 6:45 - Shoes off at the door 10:52 - Celebrating both sets of holidays 12:27 - The food that we eat 15:07 - Mandir and Bible? 16:30 - We are close with both Families

What We'd Tell Ourselves a Year Ago When We Quit Our Jobs One year ago, we did the scary thing instead of the safe thing… we both quit our 9 to 5 to chase this podcast full time. We talk about what it's really like working as a married couple, why you don't get sick days anymore, and why health has to come first even when work never stops calling. We also look back at the success we had like the brand deals with companies like Honda, Perplexity AI, and COROS, growing to 350K+ followers, marathon training, meeting people we've admired for years, and even a spot on the Today Show. Now settle in, get cozy, and grab your chai. 💛 New episodes every Monday at 7 am. Don’t forget to subscribe, and as always, we love you! Thank you for spending your Monday with us 💛 🎙 Submit your stories: https://www.halfpastchai.com/ 📲 Follow us: https://bio.site/halfpastchai Donate to Team For Kids here: https://fundraisers.nyrr.org/suketu Donate to Therapists Beyond Borders here: https://givebutter.com/hallie-patel-therapists-beyond-borders-nyc-marathon-2026-xtuif8 Time codes 0:00 - WELCOME TO HALF PAST CHAI 4:07 - How this started 5:45 - We are learning to be okay with instabilities 7:56 - We work all the time 10:59 - Don’t do this if you want to have an easy life 14:26 - Brand is everything 16:08 - Work for free to get paid 19:38 - No one is going to tell you you did a good job 20:42 - It’s easy to not do work 23:20 - Working as a couple is hard 25:25 - Health is wealth 27:28 - NO MORE SICK DAYS 30:16 - ALL THE SUCCESS!

In this episode of Questions of the Week, we're reacting to your anonymous stories and giving our honest takes on situations involving family pressure, dead bedrooms, interfaith relationships, situationships, difficult in-laws, and everything in between. 💬 Questions like: What do you do when your partner chooses their family over you? Is a dead bedroom a dealbreaker? How do you raise kids in an interfaith marriage? When is it time to walk away from a situationship? Are your in-laws crossing the line? Thank you to everyone who submitted a question. We love making this podcast a two-way conversation and getting to connect with you beyond the comments. Drop into the comments and tell us: which question was your favorite? Then head to our site and submit your own for a future episode we love keeping this podcast a two-way conversation 💛 https://www.halfpastchai.com/ Now settle in, get cozy, and grab your chai. 💛 New episodes every Monday at 7 am. Don’t forget to subscribe, and as always, we love you! Thank you for spending your Monday with us 💛 📲 Follow us: https://bio.site/halfpastchai Donate to Team For Kids here: https://fundraisers.nyrr.org/suketu Donate to Therapists Beyond Borders here: https://givebutter.com/hallie-patel-therapists-beyond-borders-nyc-marathon-2026-xtuif8 Time codes 0:00 - WELCOME TO HALF PAST CHAI 2:26 - Interfaith kids? 7:45 - Who comes first? Mom, Wife, Daughter? 10:31 - Eldest daughter wants to move out 14:03 - Dealing with Indian Family Oriented Mindset 16:17 - What happens when the sex stops? 20:50 - Situationship? 24:16 - How do I ask for couples therapy 27:06 - His mom stopped him from seeing me 31:57 - Stereotyping in your relationship… 34:07 - How to feel comfortable in your own skin?

This week on Half Past Chai… We are talking about MONEY! (Suketu’s favorite topic). We share all the numbers with you to be transparent about how we manage our finances. Talking about money is hard in a relationship and we are trying to normalize the conversation. If you want more info about finances: https://bio.site/suketupatel Now settle in, get cozy, and grab your chai. 💛 New episodes every Monday at 7 am. Don’t forget to subscribe, and as always, we love you! Thank you for spending your Monday with us 💛 🎙 Submit your stories: https://www.halfpastchai.com/ 📲 Follow us: https://bio.site/halfpastchai Donate to Team For Kids here: https://fundraisers.nyrr.org/suketu Donate to Therapists Beyond Borders here: https://givebutter.com/hallie-patel-therapists-beyond-borders-nyc-marathon-2026-xtuif8 Time codes 0:00 - WELCOME TO HALF PAST CHAI 3:48 - How much money we made Q2 8:36 - My thoughts on our new normal with money 17:55 - How do we talk about money in a relationship

It's somehow already halfway through the year… so we sat down and asked the scary question: is this year actually going how we planned? 😅 In this episode we're doing our mid-year check-in completely unfiltered: our best months, our proudest moments, the stuff that genuinely didn't go to plan, and the January goals we'd honestly forgotten about. It's funny, it's a little vulnerable, and if you've ever wondered whether you're "behind," this one's for you. 👉 We also made a free Halfway Check-In worksheet so you can do this exact reflection right alongside us. Grab it here: https://www.halfpastchai.com/halfway Now settle in, get cozy, and grab your chai. 💛 New episodes every Monday at 7 am. Don’t forget to subscribe, and as always, we love you! Thank you for spending your Monday with us 💛 🎙 Submit your stories: https://www.halfpastchai.com/ 📲 Follow us: https://bio.site/halfpastchai Donate to Team For Kids here: https://fundraisers.nyrr.org/suketu Donate to Therapists Beyond Borders here: https://givebutter.com/hallie-patel-therapists-beyond-borders-nyc-marathon-2026-xtuif8 Time codes 0:00 - WELCOME TO HALF PAST CHAI 3:54 - Looking Back 21:22 - The Fun Round 26:52 - Looking ahead

This week on Half Past Chai… We’re joined by Kaitlin & Sourabh - partners in both life and business They’re the duo behind their social media where they cook, make chai, and travel , and today, they’re opening up about the reality of building a brand while building a life together We’re diving into the inspiration that sparked their journey, the hurdles of the Indian-American business experience, and exactly what it takes to brew a successful startup from the ground up Now settle in, get cozy, and grab your chai. 💛 New episodes every Monday at 7 am. Don’t forget to subscribe, and as always, we love you! Thank you for spending your Monday with us 💛 Katlin & Sourabh’s Socials 👇 YT - https://www.youtube.com/@katsourabh Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/katlinandsourabh Tiktok - https://www.tiktok.com/@sourabhhanumant Tiktok - https://www.tiktok.com/@katlinsannan 🎙 Submit your stories: https://www.halfpastchai.com/ 📲 Follow us: https://bio.site/halfpastchai Donate to Team For Kids here: https://fundraisers.nyrr.org/suketu Donate to Therapists Beyond Borders here: https://givebutter.com/hallie-patel-therapists-beyond-borders-nyc-marathon-2026-xtuif8 Time codes 0:00 - WELCOME TO HALF PAST CHAI 3:37 - How did you guys meet? 7:15 - Why did you start posting videos? 10:16 - How did your parents react to you two? 11:01 - What was it like to get introduced to Indian Culture 14:10 - Why do you cook? 18:20 - First time out of the country 21:18 - Quitting your job 26:30 - How do you guys work together? 29:28 - Are you getting married? 34:07 - Going to an Indian Wedding 39:50 - Travel Tips 42:58 - Favorite place you’ve traveled to 50:38 - Traveling is important 55:57 - Favorite food

This week on Half Past Chai… has your partner ever picked up something you love and just instantly been better at it than you? Because same. We're deep in marathon training together, and it is humbling, hilarious, and honestly a little revealing. We're talking about different paces, different pain tolerances, and what happens when doing something incredibly hard as a team teaches you things about each other you weren't expecting. Now settle in, get cozy, and grab your chai. 💛 New episodes every Monday at 7 am. Don’t forget to subscribe, and as always, we love you! Thank you for spending your Monday with us 💛 Get 10% off GHEE here: https://iloveghee.com/discount/HALFPASTCHAI10 🎙 Submit your stories: https://www.halfpastchai.com/ 📲 Follow us: https://bio.site/halfpastchai Donate to Team For Kids here: https://fundraisers.nyrr.org/suketu Donate to Therapists Beyond Borders here: https://givebutter.com/hallie-patel-therapists-beyond-borders-nyc-marathon-2026-xtuif8 Time codes 0:00 - WELCOME TO HALF PAST CHAI3:24 - When your partner is better than you 8:25 - Our dilemma 11:27 - Our first race together 17:08 - Why do we treat our partner differently? 24:33 - The lessons we learned

This week on Half Past Chai, we're answering YOUR questions... and some of them caught us completely off guard. 😅 From relationship secrets and awkward conversations with parents to our thoughts on moving to NYC, future India trips, marathon training, friendships as adults, and yes... even questions about kids and our married life, nothing was off limits. Thank you to everyone who submitted a question. We love making this podcast a two-way conversation and getting to connect with you beyond the comments. Drop into the comments and tell us: which question was your favorite? Then head to our site and submit your own for a future episode we love keeping this podcast a two-way conversation 💛 https://www.halfpastchai.com/ Now settle in, get cozy, and grab your chai. 💛 New episodes every Monday at 7 am. Don’t forget to subscribe, and as always, we love you! Thank you for spending your Monday with us 💛 Get 10% off GHEE here: https://iloveghee.com/discount/HALFPASTCHAI10 📲 Follow us: https://bio.site/halfpastchai Donate to Team For Kids here: https://fundraisers.nyrr.org/suketu Time codes 0:00 - WELCOME TO HALF PAST CHAI 2:34 - NYC / MOVING 4:32 - RELATIONSHIP & SOCIAL LIFE 13:25 - FITNESS / RUNNING 19:44 - INDIA / TRAVEL 24:51 - Quick Fire Questions 26:30 - BONUS Qs

This week on Half Past Chai… We talk about potentially moving to NYC? We have lived in Indiana our whole lives and just want to change things up. Hear us talk about our decision process Now settle in, get cozy, and grab your chai. 💛 New episodes every Monday at 7 am. Don’t forget to subscribe, and as always, we love you! Thank you for spending your Monday with us 💛 Blueground Homes (USE CODE BGHALFPASTCHAI): https://blgrnd.com/halfpastchai Get 10% off GHEE here: https://iloveghee.com/discount/HALFPASTCHAI10 🎙 Submit your stories: https://www.halfpastchai.com/ 📲 Follow us: https://bio.site/halfpastchai Donate to Team For Kids here: https://fundraisers.nyrr.org/suketu Time Codes: 0:00 - Intro 3:20 - Your questions and our truth 14:56 - Why we want to move 21:00 - What has it been like in NYC so far?

Naked Work From Home Tuesdays. Synchronized bathroom schedules. Poking each other in the butt. Telling your partner you find someone else attractive. …Is that normal, or are you just built different? From couples who sleep in separate beds to the ones who make up full choreographed dances together, we're covering it all. Spoiler: you're probably weirder than you think. And honestly? So are we. Now settle in, get cozy, and grab your chai. 💛 New episodes every Monday at 7 am. Don’t forget to subscribe, and as always, we love you! Thank you for spending your Monday with us 💛 Get 10% off GHEE here: https://iloveghee.com/discount/HALFPASTCHAI10 🎙 Submit your stories: https://www.halfpastchai.com/ 📲 Follow us: https://bio.site/halfpastchai Donate to Team For Kids here: https://fundraisers.nyrr.org/suketu Time codes 0:00 - WELCOME TO HALF PAST CHAI 2:57 - We’re like REALLY weird people 7:50 - Naked WFH Tuesday’s 10:29 - Drinking chai 2x 12:18 - How was “it”? 14:46 - Sleeping in separate beds 15:57 - Finding other people attractive 19:34 - Snuggling every day 21:29 - Crashing my car 23:53 - Friends with my EX 25:22 - Dating from other religions

I say words wrong. I can't cook Indian food on my own. And apparently… I can't even do garba right… Hallie had to teach me once she learned. 😅 The South Asian community, especially Gujjus, let me know about it constantly. This week on Half Past Chai, Suketu gets into all the flack he catches from his own community, both in India and online. But this episode isn't just for Gujaratis. It's for anyone who's ever been told they're not enough of their own kind… not Indian enough, not Black enough, not Latino enough, not whatever enough. If you've ever felt like an outsider in your own culture, this one's for you. ☕ Now settle in, get cozy, and grab your chai. 💛 New episodes every Monday at 7 am. Don’t forget to subscribe, and as always, we love you! Thank you for spending your Monday with us 💛 Get 10% off GHEE here: https://iloveghee.com/discount/HALFPASTCHAI10 🎙 Submit your stories: https://www.halfpastchai.com/ 📲 Follow us: https://bio.site/halfpastchai Donate to Team For Kids here: https://fundraisers.nyrr.org/suketu 0:00 - WELCOME TO HALF PAST CHAI 2:42 - Why is there so much hate? Why we don’t fit in… 4:47 - Stop comparing yourself to people 13:19 - Surrounding yourself with different kinds of people 16:01 - Why my family didn’t own a traditional business 19:28 - Dealing with close-minded people 24:01 - 3 most valuable lessons

This week on Half Past Chai … We're breaking down the small daily things, the big lessons, and the honest moments that have kept us choosing each other year after year. From laughing every single day to pushing each other to be better, embracing each other's cultures, and just being each other's person. Whether you're in a long-term relationship, just starting out, or still waiting for your person… this episode is for you. Now settle in, get cozy, and grab your chai. 💛 New episodes every Monday at 7 am. Don’t forget to subscribe, and as always, we love you! Thank you for spending your Monday with us 💛 Get 10% off GHEE here: https://iloveghee.com/discount/HALFPASTCHAI10 🎙 Submit your stories: https://www.halfpastchai.com/ 📲 Follow us: https://bio.site/halfpastchai Donate to Team For Kids here: https://fundraisers.nyrr.org/suketu Time codes 0:00 - WELCOME TO HALF PAST CHAI 2:39 - We had an argument 5:05 - Suketu Makes me laugh 7:25 - Hallie shows up for me 10:16 - You handle things so I don't have to think about them 12:30 - Hallie pushes me to be better 15:50 - We make a great team 18:10 - Hallie embraces my culture 21:25 - The little things that keep us going