Prestigious colleges, STEM degrees, and hot takes with Zarna Garg | ReThinking

ℹ️ EPISODE INFO

Released

February 3, 2026

Duration

29m

Channel

Re:Thinking with Adam Grant

Watch on YouTube

▶ Open ↗

📝 EPISODE DESCRIPTION

@ZarnaGarg is a stand-up comic, screenwriter, bestselling author, and one of the busiest people in comedy right now. But before she ever set foot onstage, she went to law school and tried her hand at entrepreneurship, failing at a vegan chili company, a tomato sauce brand, and even a matchmaking service. In this episode, Adam and Zarna reflect on how her daughter challenged her to consider a career pivot, debate the usefulness of a humanities degree, and break down the meticulous process that goes into developing a hit performance. Zarna also delivers some hot takes and tells the story of how she found her husband by posting a shockingly no-nonsense online ad. Host & Guest Adam Grant (Instagram: @adamgrant | LinkedIn: @adammgrant | Website: https://adamgrant.net/) Zarna Garg (Instagram: @zarnagarg | YouTube: @zarnagarg | TikTok: @ZarnaGarg | Website: https://zarnagarg.com/) Join us in person at a TED conference: https://tedtalks.social/events Become a TED Member to support our mission: https://ted.com/membership Subscribe to a TED newsletter: https://ted.com/newsletters Follow TED! X: https://www.twitter.com/TEDTalks Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ted Facebook: https://facebook.com/TED LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ted-conferences TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tedtoks Podcasts: https://www.ted.com/podcasts The TED Audio Collective is a collection of podcasts for the curious. The TED Audio Collective videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with our TED Talks Usage Policy (https://www.ted.com/about/our-organiz...). For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), please submit a Media Request at https://media-requests.ted.com.

🎤 SPEAKERS

• Zarna Garg

  guest

  Stand-up comedian known for humor about immigrant life, parenting, and culture.

• Adam Grant

  host

  Organizational psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania and host of the ReThinking podcast.

🧾 EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Re:Thinking with Adam Grant, featuring Zarna Garg and Adam Grant, Prestigious colleges, STEM degrees, and hot takes with Zarna Garg | ReThinking explores Zarna Garg on comedy craft, career pivots, and STEM-hustle parenting Zarna Garg explains how her daughter’s persistence—collecting stories from Zarna’s past and pushing her to visit an open mic—catalyzed her switch from failed business attempts and stay-at-home motherhood into stand-up comedy.

🔗 RELATED EPISODES

Esther Perel on the relationship baggage we bring to work | ReThinking

Searching for life on other planets with astrophysicist Sara Seager | ReThinking

Why politics have an elitism problem with Hélène Landemore | ReThinking

How to create a flourishing community with Dan Coyle | ReThinking

Gen Z's way of talking, explained | ReThinking

Ken Burns on his next projects and dealing with grief | ReThinking