Hello, Stranger Podcast by Andrew Riis

The Experiment

For the entire duration of our friendship, Andrew has been exploring the deep and meaningful world of people, relationships and the impact a simple personal story can have on our society.

Living in big cities, not knowing our neighbours or locals is a common notion. At a cafe, at the pub, in an elevator, on the train and in most public places, talking to strangers isn’t the norm. But when those conversations do occur at random times in unexpected places, it can be refreshing and in some cases, feel like magic. In fact, Andrew was a stranger at one point in time and a simple hello changed it all.

A quote often mentioned by Andrew is by Steven Pressfield, who says “The disease of our times is that we live on the surface. We’re a mile wide and an inch deep.”

Each episode is a conversation with someone that is or used to be a stranger. Because… perhaps we don’t need scholars or celebrities to create a meaningful podcast, maybe some of the best stories are tucked away, folded into the pockets of random passers-by or strangers on the train, of people who may have just never been given a space to tell their story.

Dinner With 40 Strangers

#1: Raj S –– A Dinner Party with 40 Strangers // Hello, Stranger “Some people get caught up in a bit of a bubble where everyone’s okay with the friends groups they have right now. I think we forget to socialise with other strangers, and when you get out of that bubble and see other stories and experiences, you realise how cool and beautiful it is.” (Raj)

On The Other Side Of Hello….

Listened to the conversation? Now it’s your turn. On the other side of hello, anything is possible. Who in your life is similar or different from Raj? And, if you want to get connected with another random listener somewhere in the world, head to hellostranger.fm/connect.

Connect with the Hello, Stranger experiment on Instagram @hellostrangerpodcast