Your Story Isn’t What You Think, Until You’re Asked Better Questions
- Cinekorn Digital
- Nov 21, 2025
- 3 min read
Updated: Nov 24, 2025
In a world obsessed with LinkedIn bios, Instagram highlights, and endless to-do lists, it's easy to assume we all have our personal narratives down pat. You know your career milestones, your biggest heartbreaks, your wildest dreams for the future.
What if I told you that self-discovery through storytelling isn't about reciting facts it's about peeling back the layers no one's ever dared to touch?
That's the magic (and the mess) I've witnessed time and again on Chai With Ilachi, my podcast where raw conversations over virtual cups of chai reveal the unfiltered truths people bury deep inside.
I’ve hosted over 19 episodes on Chai With Ilachi, sitting across people from every corner of the industry actors trying to find their truth behind the camera, writers recovering from creative burnout, producers juggling pressures nobody sees, creators rebuilding their identity, professionals hiding their struggles behind confidence, and everyday humans carrying stories they’ve never said out loud.
And every time, that initial fog lifts only when we go deeper. It’s like handing someone a mirror they didn’t even realise they still owned.
We live in a world that teaches people to hide their story, not understand it.
From a young age, we’re trained to skip the “why” behind who we are.
We’re taught to present ourselves, not express ourselves.To be impressive, not honest.To appear strong, not real.
Most people never sit with their own memories long enough to connect the dots.
They know the events.They don’t know the meaning.They know what happened.They don’t know what shaped them.
And when nobody asks the kind of questions that hit the heart, life goes on autopilot.Their story remains untold even to themselves.
One right question can open the door people kept locked for years.
I’ve seen this happen on my show more times than I can count.
Someone will say, “My childhood was normal.”So I ask, “Normal compared to what?” Suddenly their entire emotional world opens up.
Or someone will say, “I just wanted success.”And I ask,
“Success according to whose definition?” Everything changes.
Because the truth is:
People know the surface of their life.They don’t know the story behind their life.
And all it takes is one honest question at the right moment for them to finally hear their own voice.
The right question forces you to meet the version of yourself you avoid.
It’s uncomfortable.It’s scary.It’s revealing.But it’s also powerful.
Because when someone is finally asked a question that cuts through the noise, they discover:
Why they became who they are.What they’re actually running from.What they’re secretly chasing.What broke them.What healed them.What shaped them.
And that moment when they hear themselves say something they’ve never said out loud that’s when the real story begins.
Not everyone needs therapy. But everyone needs someone who asks real questions.
Most people are dying to be understood.They’re just waiting for someone to ask in a way that makes them feel safe to answer.
That’s why conversations matter.
Not the scripted ones.Not the “how are you?” ones.Not the small talk.
The real, uncomfortable, personal ones the ones that strip away the image and reveal the human.
Those questions don’t just bring out a story.They bring out a truth.
The real story always begins where the script ends.
People think their story is simple until someone finally asks the question they’ve been avoiding their whole life.
That’s why every conversation on Chai With Ilachi feels different real, raw, and honest.
If you want to understand what truly shapes actors, writers, producers, creators, and everyday humans behind their public lives, watch all the episodes of Chai With Ilachi. Because the real story always begins where the script ends.
If you believe your story deserves to be heard too, or you want to understand others more deeply, explore more episodes of Chai With Ilachi. Every conversation reveals something the world never sees.
Comments