New Delhi, Sept. 2 -- What remains when the audience, influence and familiar measures of success suddenly disappear? For creator and podcaster Prakhar Gupta, the answer lies in skills, curiosity and personal agency.

In a candid conversation with LiveMint, Gupta discussed ambition, comfortable success and rebuilding from zero. He explained why becoming useful matters more than becoming famous.

Q: You've built a career around asking uncomfortable questions. What's one question you secretly hope nobody asks you?

A: "Are you actually as ambitious as you pretend to be?"

I think a lot of my identity is built around ambition. I like difficult things. I talk endlessly about agency, courage and not living a small life. But there is obviously a...