Episode 05: Forced Thankfulness

25/11/2025 Temporada 1 Episodio 05

Listen "Episode 05: Forced Thankfulness"

Episode Synopsis

The Gratitude Industrial Complex (And Why It's Making You Less Grateful)Forced thankfulness isn't just performative – it's fundamentally missing the point of what gratitude actually is, and turning authentic appreciation into another productivity metric you're failing at.In this episode, Hema and Mike expose how we've turned gratitude into instant content, corporate training exercises, and 90-second journal prompts that promise to optimize your life. You've been posting #blessed on Instagram, speed-running through your gratitude app notifications, and treating thankfulness like a checkbox on your self-improvement to-do list. But here's the truth: you can't rush into genuine appreciation. Real gratitude requires slowing down, and we've done the exact opposite.In this episode, you'll discover:• How gratitude became a billion-dollar industry selling your feelings back to you • Why performative thankfulness creates pressure instead of connection • The difference between listing what you're grateful for and actually feeling grateful • How "gratitude as productivity hack" strips away authentic emotion • Why curating your thankfulness for an audience misses the entire point • The anxiety of the "Gratitude Olympics" – whose life is more blessed?From corporate gratitude training to Thanksgiving table performances where you prove you're thankful enough, we break down why treating gratitude like instant gratification destroys the very thing that makes it meaningful.Ready to disrupt the forced thankfulness default? Tune in now.Perfect for: Anyone who feels guilty for not being grateful enough, treats their gratitude journal like a chore, performs thankfulness for social media, or wonders why listing their blessings doesn't actually make them feel more appreciative.