# Reflecting Pools, Temp Jobs & Brooklyn Coffee Shop | Pooja Tripathi

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/that-sounds-like-a-lot-with-matt-buechele-7832702/reflecting-pools-temp-jobs-brooklyn-coffee-shop-pooja-tripathi
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/that-sounds-like-a-lot-with-matt-buechele-7832702/reflecting-pools-temp-jobs-brooklyn-coffee-shop-pooja-tripathi.md
Podcast: [That Sounds Like A Lot with Matt Buechele](https://stenobird.com/podcast/that-sounds-like-a-lot-with-matt-buechele-7832702)
Published: 2026-06-26T07:30:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/mgln.ai/e/257/pscrb.fm/rss/p/traffic.megaphone.fm/VMP3458373440.mp3
Audio file: https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/mgln.ai/e/257/pscrb.fm/rss/p/traffic.megaphone.fm/VMP3458373440.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/that-sounds-like-a-lot-with-matt-buechele-7832702/episodes/reflecting-pools-temp-jobs-brooklyn-coffee-shop-pooja-tripathi
Duration seconds: 4553

## Resource

Matt Buechele breaks down Washington's mysterious reflecting pool saga, why America suddenly can't stop talking about the color of swamp water, and the surprising symbolism of a government struggling to fix a reflecting pool. He also reports back from Los Angeles, where self-driving cars, delivery robots, and eerily empty sidewalks make New York feel almost normal. Then he sits down with creator and Brooklyn Coffee Shop star Pooja Tripathi to talk about leaving a career in fashion, discovering comedy later in life, weird temp jobs, improv classes, internet fame, and building one of the internet's most beloved comedy series from a tiny Brooklyn coffee shop. They also get into Japan, social media brain rot, comment-section warfare, and why embarrassment is usually a sign you're headed in the right direction. Chapters: 00:00:00 Why creator Pooja Tripathi quit her dream job 00:06:22 When the self-serious fashion world got old 00:18:40 Turning a green screen sketch into a viral hit series 00:24:42 Why being embarrassing is a creative superpower 00:30:56 The extreme rise of male beauty standards 00:36:12 Industry gatekeepers and the "Too niche" Myth 00:42:10 My chill boss was working two secret jobs 00:49:10 Why the world of improv comedy is so nerdy 00:55:13 International vs global production costs 01:01:21 Comparing the noise of New York City to Japan cities 01:07:41 Predicting the first influencer brand trip to space Topics: Quitting a corporate fashion career at Bloomingdale's The logistical absurdity of filming in Tokyo vs Kansas City Why improv feels like a trap Dealing with modern social media comments The rise of leg lengthening surgery for men Japan’s cleanliness and quiet vs NYC Treating TikTok like high-end HBO productions Predicting the first influencer brand tri…

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