My Inner Shakti

finding strength in everyday things

Diary of a Working Mom – Yours Truly

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So many of the moms I’ve interviewed for this series have told me to answer the questions myself. Well, it took me a while, but I’m doing it!

I thought this would be a good way for new readers/followers to get to know me, as the questions span everything from schedules to mottos to guilty pleasures.

Let’s get right to it!

1. Tell me a little more about your family – number of kids, names, ages.
My family consists of me, my hubby of 7.5 years Vishnu, and our beautiful and fun baby boy Kaiden. We’re originally from Atlanta but have been living in Chicago for the past 3.5 years.

2. Tell me more about your line of work, role, responsibilities, etc.
I work for a global accounting organisation and am a Senior Manager on the People and Culture (P&C) team. Essentially, I collaborate and work with and for P&C leaders in our member firms (we have ~140 firms) on various projects, initiatives, tools, etc. related to (you guessed it!) people and culture issues.

I like this role because it’s more strategic in nature. We don’t do any hiring, firing and paperwork. It’s really about working on the things that will impact our network and make us future-fit.

And I’ve been with my current organisation for a little over 7.5 years.

3. Walk me through a day in your life.
The answer to this depends on if I’m going in to the office or not.

Par going to office – wake up at 4:45 and shower + get ready; start prepping breakfast shake and mine and Vishnu’s lunch; Kaiden up at 6; cuddle with K, feed him breakfast, wrap up everything else; get K dressed for school and brush his teeth; get myself dressed; get out the door by 7:15; drop K off at school and walk to work; get to the office by 7:45; work work work until 4:14 pm; walk to Kaiden’s daycare, pick him up and get home by 5 ish; prep dinner and keep K entertained until it’s time to eat; sit down to eat at 6; either Vishnu or I give K a bath at 6:30 while the other person cleans up in the kitchen; once K is dressed and ‘creamed’ up, we sit, read and play; at 7:15, Vishnu takes K to brush his teeth; I then put him down (sing 4 songs, say our prayers and affirmations, goodnight kisses, lights out!); from 7:30-9:00, Vishnu and I hang out on the couch – watch TV, talk, blog, do work, etc.; I get into bed by 9:15 and read for about 20-30 minutes; then it’s lights out for me!

Par works from home – the day looks very similar to the above except I wake up at 5:30; also my afternoon looks different when I’m home – I stop working at 4 and then I clean up around the house, start prepping dinner, etc.

Vishnu and I decide who will pick up and drop off Kaiden based on our schedules. Sometimes he does one or both and sometimes it’s me.

4. How has becoming a mom influenced your role at work?
I feel like I’m a lot more efficient. Time and self-management are key ‘mom skills’ and I’m glad I’m able to transfer those over to my role at work.

Another way motherhood has impacted me at work is that I don’t take things to heart anymore. I used to analyze anything and everything someone said or did. I would get upset if I wasn’t included on a project. Work took up a lot of my mind space. Now? I realize work is one (small) element. My goal is to do what I need (and do it well) to do to provide for my family and prioritize the rest of my time around our family. Life is too short to spend so much energy on work (just my personal opinion).

5. What is your favorite tip on how to integrate work and life?
If you’re not already, become a list person. Like paper and pen list person. My lists keep me sane and on track – for work and personal stuff. I feel like if you have system for capturing the random thoughts that come and go during the day (and night!), you can more easily flow between work and life.

Also, don’t multitask. It’s a myth. Set a timer, focus on one task at a time, and slowly get stuff done.

6. How do you handle mom guilt?
To be honest, I felt a lot of mom guilt in the beginning…about anything and everything. And I think that was because Kaiden was so helpless and I thought I was the only one who could (and should) help him. As he’s gotten older, I see that he only benefits from having rich relationships with other people including his dad (duh!), his grandparents, his aunts/uncles, daycare providers, baby sitters, etc.

If you love the s*** out of your kid and make the most of the time that you do have with him/her, mom guilt should really start to fade away.

It does rear it’s ugly head from time to time, but I try my best to push it out because I know I’m doing the best I can and I know I love my child to bits and pieces and that’s all that matters!

7. What is the most surprising part of being a working mom?  And the most rewarding?
Surprising – being ok with things being undone at times. I used to be someone who’d spend 4 hours every weekend cleaning a one bedroom apartment. I now don’t nitpick at that level. It’s ok if some things get left for tomorrow.
Rewarding – picking Kaiden up at daycare and seeing his face light up when he sees him (or when he gets home if Vishnu picks him up)!

8. How do you carve out ‘me’ time?  What does ‘me’ time look like for you?  On that same note, what’s your guilty pleasure?
I try to use the time when K’s sleeping (naps, down for the night) to my advantage. Sure, I could spend hours scrolling IG (which I occasionally do). But I really try to be intentional about how I spend the hours I do get to myself.

Me time for me looks like reading, blogging, chatting with a friend, watching a show with Vishnu.

And my guilty pleasure has to be chocolate. Chocolate in most any form is life!

9. What’s your mama mantra?
One day/hour/minute at a time.

10. What’s the best piece of advice you received when returning back to work after having your baby?
Don’t jump back in…wade back in. Everyone knows your capable but take the time you need to get re-acclimated.

11. What advice would you give to mamas-to-be about returning back to work?
Ask for what you want/need. The worst thing anyone can say is no! This goes for assignments, to pumping rooms, to everything in between. Be your own best advocate!


Diary of a Working Mom – Q&A with Rashmi Patel

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It’s been a minute since I’ve shared a Diary of a Working Mom Q&A post, and I’m so excited for today’s. Rashmi (of @rushmehome) is someone I connected with on Instagram. On her page, she shares home decor inspiration, products, tips, tricks, etc. She’s super creative (and sweet!), and it shows!

But of course, there’s another very important side to her as well…MOM! She’s the mom of two adorable kiddos, and I love seeing how she balances that role with her full-time Marketing job as well as her side hustle…not to mention the million other hats she wears.

Anyways, I’ll let Rashmi tell her story…

1. Tell me a little more about your family – number of kids, names, ages.
My name is Rashmi and I’ve been married to my husband Chirag for almost 9 years now (together for almost 13 years). We have two toddlers. A 4.5 year old boy and 3 year old girl. I call them my almost twins! They def keep us on our toes.

2. Tell me more about your line of work, role, responsibilities, etc.
I’m a Digital Marketer for a tech company, and my work involves personalization for our website. I manage a team of four that are offshore. I’m responsible for various project implementations for our B2B (Business to Business) customers. When I’m not at my 9 to 5, I run my blog at RushMeHome.com. I’m a company of one employee so far, me! I try my best to plan my content, but it’s not always easy when you’re a full time working mom. I try my best though! RushMeHome is a passion project of mine, so for me, it doesn’t feel like work. It’s something I love to do. 

3. Walk me through a day in your life.
Gosh! This is a hard question. For us, it’s different every day. I wake up around 6:30 and get the kids ready for school (breakfast, lunches, etc.). I get to work around 8:45 am and typically leave around 4:30-5:00. My mom duties start the minute I get home. I prep dinner, get the kids to eat, etc. After that, my husband typically washes the dishes while I clean up. We play with the kids, watch some TV with them as well and then my husband and I trade off putting the kids to bed every day. One day I’ll put one to bed and he puts the other and the next night we switch. That way we both get time with each kid. It works out pretty nicely for us.  

4. How has becoming a mom influenced your role at work?
I feel like becoming a mom has made me more patient at work and also more productive because I know once I get home I want to be with them instead of thinking about work. It’s hard sometimes, but I try my best. I think it’s also helped me want to do more and show them that you have to work hard for what you want.  

5. What is your favorite tip on how to integrate work and life?
To be quite honest, I don’t know if I have the best tip. I will say to try and separate the two when you get home. It’s easier said than done because we know in reality something may have gone wrong at work and you sometimes bring home those feelings. I think it’s trying your best to evolve and know that work will always be there. And when it’s family time, it’s family time.  

6. How do you handle mom guilt?
Mom guilt is hard. I remember when I first had my son and went through the baby blues. The first few months were hard. I didn’t want to leave the house because I felt like I was failing as a mom for other reasons such as not being able to breastfeed or the fact that somehow it was my fault he wouldn’t nap for more than 30 minutes at a time. But once I was out of that phase, I knew that for me to be away has helped me be a better mom. And since then, I’ve been better about mom guilt. I know that at the end of the day if I don’t get those breaks, it’s harder for me to be a happy mom to them. TAKE THE BREAK when needed.

7. What is the most surprising part of being a working mom?  And the most rewarding?
That it makes me a better mom honestly. I felt like because I was very maternal growing up that I would want to be a stay at home mom. And for me, that is actually not something I wanted to do. I realized I needed to be away at work and be my own person outside of being a mom. It’s a VERY personal decision for a mom to make whether or not she wants to work or stay at home. Both are hard no matter what. But for me, that was the most surprising. 

The most rewarding has been seeing little versions of me and my husband in them. The good and the bad, and that we have the ability to shape them to be the kind, caring humans beings I hope they become one day. 

8. How do you carve out ‘me’ time?  What does ‘me’ time look like for you?  On that same note, what’s your guilty pleasure?
My husband and I make sure we have “me” time, especially because I naturally have a more anxiety driven personality. Whether it’s time away at Target or getting my nails done, I always make sure I take time for me.

My guilty pleasure is to literally eat nachos and watch the bachelor/bachelorette. I’m an OG fan of the show. Ha!

9. What’s your mama mantra?
Everything will work out the way its supposed to. And sometimes you have to let things go.  

10. What’s the best piece of advice you received when returning back to work after having your baby?
The best advice I received was that it’s ok if things don’t always get done at home. If you’re expecting to cross everything off your to-do list then you are setting the wrong expectation. You will always have an ongoing list and THAT IS OK. You work through it one at a time and do your best.  

11. What advice would you give to mamas-to-be about returning back to work?
Honestly, I would say to take your time to ease back into it. Your whole world feels different, and it takes time to get back into a routine. Definitely give yourself some credit and take it one step at a time. You will figure out what works best for you and your family.

Thank you so much, Rashmi, for sharing your life and thoughts with us! You are a true inspiration, and I admire all that you’re doing – at home, at work, and with RushMeHome! What an example you are to your babies!

Q&A with Mama and Food Blogger Meeta Arora

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In my opinion, today’s mama Q&A requires no introduction! If you own an Instant Pot, I’m 99.9% sure you’ve come across Meeta’s blog – Piping Pot Curry If you haven’t tried her recipes, what are you waiting for…? Seriously though, her blog is a go-to for simple, easy, and delicious recipes and meal ideas.

I love Meeta’s story because she truly went from pursuing her passion on the side to turning it into a venture – a true momprenuer. I think you guys will be super inspired by her journey, the hacks she shares and more.

Over to you, Meeta! 🙂

1. Tell me a little more about your family – number of kids, names, ages.
Hi, I am Meeta, and my husband is Mahendra. We have an adorable daughter Riya who is almost 6 years old, and we are expecting our second in July this year. My daughter is super excited and looking forward to meeting the baby.  

2. Tell me more about your line of work. 
I am a former Product Manager by profession, where I worked at an insurance software company building and improving software products. What that really means is I was responsible for defining the direction and for improving the product I managed. Before that, I worked as a software engineer. I made the switch to product management after doing graduate studies in management. 

Currently, I manage my food blog called Piping Pot Curry, where I enjoy combining my culinary skills with sharing my love for delicious and healthy food with others. Having been a working mom, I understand the challenges faced by mom’s where they want to feed their family healthy food, while not spending a ton of time in the kitchen. It is all about efficiency. So I share recipes and tips to make cooking easier, and lots of my recipes can be made under 30-minute. 

3. Tell me more about how you got to where you are now with Piping Pot Curry.
As I was working in my previous job, I wanted to do something on the side, a passion project. All that came to mind was food. I am a complete foodie. I love to cook, I love to go out to eat. Cooking is like unwinding time for me. At the same time, I met some friends who were into blogging. So after learning about their passion and success with blogging, I decided to start a food blog. 

In February 2017, I launched Piping Pot Curry. It has been a wonderful journey. Initially, I was doing it as a side project on the weekends while working. But then for completely different reasons, I decided to leave my job in August 2017 and had more time to work on the blog.  I spent some time learning photography, all the social media, creating videos. It has been super fun learning about this whole new world of blogging. I also saw good traction on the blog. So here I am almost two years later and still enjoying doing this full-time. 

4. What does a typical day in the life look like for you?
Our day typically starts around 6am, when my husband and I wake up. We go downstairs, I make tea, and we both get some work done while sipping tea until 7 am. Then we start getting ready and making breakfast/lunches. 

My husband and daughter leave home at 8:20 am and he takes care of the drop-off. This is when I finish cleaning up/getting ready and start my work at home around 8:45-9 am. My work involves cooking 1-2 days in the week, and most of the other time is spent on the laptop writing posts, social media, etc. (yes, this might seem counterintuitive, and I don’t always have to be cooking even though I have a food blog).  

Depending on the day, my daughters school ends at 3:15 pm or if she has an extra-curricular class at school around 4:30-5 pm. So I wrap up work and pick her up. We come home and finish homework, which is luckily just 15-20 minutes currently. Then my daughter gets some relaxing time to play with her toys or watch a little episode of TV while I prepare dinner. 

We then play some games or practice music or just do some artwork. Riya loves to play some board or card games every day. We have dinner around 7 pm. Most days my husband gets home around the same time, so we can have dinner together. Dinner is a struggle with our very very picky kid who can live on snacks but no real food. I have to give in extra time to get some nutritious food in her belly. 

Then my husband or I go through our bedtime routine with Riya – shower, reading, sleep (by 9 pm). This gives the other person time to finish up the dishes, clean, etc. If given a chance, my daughter would love to stay awake and keep playing, reading, etc. So we have to make a real effort to get her in bed by 9 pm. She does make sure to get enough sleep by only waking up after 7 am. And then we go to sleep around 10 pm. Some days it is later depending on any chores we have to complete.  Some days I wake up earlier at 5 am to finish up work or my husband is working late to finish his office work. 

Weekends are for chores around the house, meeting up with friends, going to the park, grocery shopping and just having some family time. We try to also watch a movie or show after putting Riya to bed. 

Now, this typical schedule is completely going to change once the new baby is here. I plan to take a couple of months off and then ease myself back into work by getting a part-time nanny.  

But overall, I love the flexibility my work allows. It is satisfying as I get to do what I like and do not have the pressure of reporting to someone. At the same time, I do have my goals for the blog and am committed to making it a success. 

5. What are your best hacks, tips, and tricks for getting the most out of your day?
The main mantra to follow here is to be present in what you are doing. In the evening, I completely block out work and only focus on home and my daughter. And during the day, I focus on working on the blog.  

Planning the week helps a lot too. I use Asana to help me plan out my work week. I can add tasks and assign them to specific days of the week to make sure I accomplish my goals. 

We also try to divide up chores between me and my husband which makes it easier to manage the day…using the calendar is our friend. Any task that needs to get done by a specific time goes on the calendar. My husband and I add each other to the tasks or events which need both our attention. This also helps to not double book ourselves or over-commit. 

6. What are some of the big challenges you face and how do you overcome them?
Even though I get a good amount of time in the day, it feels like I am never able to get done all the work I planned out. I guess we all have a long to-do list of things to do both for home and work. And it is best to accept that the list is never coming down to zero. 

That said, how I tackle my list is by “prioritizing.” Whether it is work or home, we sit down and think about the most important tasks to finish on a day or on a specific weekend and try to get them done. For example, on the blog, I am deciding between creating a new recipe versus creating a video for an existing popular recipe. Or when I have less time in the day when my husband is traveling for work (typically 1 week in a month), I plan accordingly. 

On the side of spending time with Riya, there are always so many things we want to do along with her such as taking her to the park, zoo, museums or just spending the evening coloring and reading books. We are not able to do it all, but the idea is to have small wins and feel like we are making some progress.

7. How do you deal with mom guilt? 
I am the person who does not feel as much mom guilt. I feel like I’m now able to give my daughter a good amount of time when I can pick her up before 5 pm (some days at 3:15) and spend 3-4 hours with her in the evening. This was different in my previous job when I could only pick my daughter at 5:45 pm every day. So the time I get to spend with her is much more now and we definitely cherish it. This will change as the new baby comes and the time will get divided between the two.
 
Oh…a couple of areas I feel where we can do much more is in taking her out to various weekend learning activities such as the museum, exploratorium, etc. We also want to get the kids (and us) to spend more time with nature and get some exercise, but we have not been able to incorporate much hiking in our routine in the last 1-2 years. We used to be able to do much more of that. 

8. How do you carve out ‘me’ time?  What does ‘me’ time look like for you?
As I work from home, it is much easier to carve out me time. It is mostly a massage or catching up with friends over lunch/coffee for me. 

9. What are some of your guilty pleasures?
The simple things! Enjoying a good cup of coffee with a croissant while I work being one of them. Or there are days when I am not in a mood to work (especially if it is a day when I am at the laptop writing rather than cooking) or I’m too tired from other chores. Having my own work, also means I can decide on a whim to take time off and go for a massage!

I need to work on my health goals, but I also enjoy desserts, so there is no way I am dieting or leaving desserts out of my life!

Also, we don’t leave a chance when we can have a date night, by dropping Riya off for a play date with friends. 

9. What’s your mama mantra?
Prioritize the most important things to be done and be okay with things not being perfect. Every child (and life) goes through phases. Some will be wonderful and some not so much. Remember that if you are in a phase where you are stressed or are not enjoying as much, it too shall pass. 

Thanks for making time for this Q&A, Meeta! I love that you followed your dreams and made PPC a reality! I can’t wait to see what’s next…including your beautiful baby of course!

Diary of a Working Mom – Q&A with Aartee Badiani

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It’s FriYAY, and I’m back with another Diary of a Working Mom Q&A!

Today, Aartee Badiani is sharing a bit more about her life and how she juggles being a working mama to not one, not two, but THREE boys!

Aartee and I ‘met’ on Instagram a while back (story of my life it seems!), and we instantly hit it off. Her page is full of the awesome books she reads to her boys every night, and I get so much inspiration from it all. Makes me want to buy all of B&N for K! 🙂

More than anything, I love how Aartee keeps it real and doesn’t sugarcoat motherhood. She’s my kind of people!

1. Tell me a little more about your family – number of kids, names, ages.
We have 3 boys! Neel is almost 7, Nish is 5, and Nirav will be 2 in July. Funnily I always wanted 3 kids even when I was little! 

2. Tell me more about your line of work, role, responsibilities, etc.
I work in customer information. I essentially review account data, set up new accounts, make changes to existing accounts, etc.

3. Walk me through a day in your life.
My alarm goes off at 5:10 am, and I generally snooze it at least once! I take a quick shower and then get ready for work. If needed, I finish up anything I didn’t get to the night before – so lunch boxes, the kids clothes, setting out backpacks, etc. Then I head to work where my day runs from 7:00 to 3:45.

After work it’s off to the races! I pick up Nish and then Neel. Sometimes I’ll do a quick grocery run with them, but I try to get that done on the weekends. We get home, and I give the boys about 15-20 minutes time to unwind while I empty lunch boxes, go through backpacks, and give Nirav some attention.

My in laws live with us and my MIL will cook a few nights of the week. If I am making dinner, I get that started while the boys are doing homework. If I am not making dinner, I stick Nirav in his high chair with some crayons and paper while I help the other two with their homework. I probably also throw in a load of laundry at this point as well. After homework, I just keep them at the table and serve dinner. Post dinner is bath time and then they are allowed to watch TV or play if they have any time left. They usually don’t to be honest, so it’s story time (our favorite), prayers, and bed! I try to tie up all the stuff for the morning the night before, but if I’m being honest, there are days I fall asleep with the kids! 

4. How has becoming a mom influenced your role at work?
It’s made me value my time more! You don’t realize how much you can actually get done in a short amount of time until it becomes a lifestyle! 🤣

5. What is your favorite tip on how to integrate work and life?
Cut yourself some slack! Laundry is never ending in my house, and I struggle to find a way to manage it. That being said, I do the best I can and I have to be ok with not getting to everything! 

6. How do you handle mom guilt?
I struggle with this daily! Lol. If you have tips I need them! 

7. What is the most surprising part of being a working mom?  And the most rewarding?
The most surprising is know your kids are ok without you! Which sucks to know, but they benefit from everyone in their lives in some way! The most rewarding has been knowing that I will figure it out and balancing the two worlds! 

8. How do you carve out ‘me’ time?  What does ‘me’ time look like for you?  On that same note, what’s your guilty pleasure?
Right now I’m bad about me time because at the end of the day I just fall asleep…. My guilty pleasure is definitely bad reality TV though…when I get the opportunity! 

9. What’s your mama mantra?
Prioritize what’s the most important and focus on that! You’ll figure the rest out.

10. What’s the best piece of advice you received when returning back to work after having your baby?
Funnily your mantra! Take things one day at a time!

11. What advice would you give to mamas-to-be about returning back to work?
Don’t worry about everyone else! Figure out what works best for your family and stick with that.

Thanks for stopping by, Aartee! Your boys are so lucky to have a mama like you!

Diary of a Working Mom – Q&A with Anandi Shah

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It’s Friday! Finally! I’m back with another ‘Diary of a Working Mom’ Q&A. Today’s guest is Anandi Shah – we connected over the ‘gram. I LOVE her style. It’s trendy and cute while being affordable. I highly recommend following her at HeyAnandi.

Anandi is a busy lady – she works full-time managing a big team, is raising two kiddos, and runs a really fun side hobby/business (again, check out HeyAnandi on Instagram). I think you’ll love her responses because they’re filled with wisdom and a go with the flow kind of feeling.

1. Tell me a little more about your family – number of kids, names, ages.
Hey guys! My name is Anandi Shah. I’ve been married to my husband, Harshil, for almost 13 years and we have two kids – our daughter is 8 and our son is 5.

ell me a little more about your family – number of kids, names, ages.
Hey guys! My name is Anandi Shah. I’ve been married to my husband, Harshil, for almost 13 years and we have two kids – our daughter is 8 and our son is 5.


2. Tell me more about your line of work, role, responsibilities, etc.
I work in the Sales and Marketing department of my organization where I manage a team responsible for license agreement negotiations for our products, as well as supporting and managing our CRM. They’re two completely different roles which require me to put on different hats everyday, but my main role is managing the CRM (executing projects, working with stakeholders to ensure that deliverables are met, etc.). Basically, I make sure our system is running smoothly, projects stay on target, negotiations are managed and my team is happy and willing to come back another day!

3. Walk me through a day in your life. 
**DISCLAIMER: While I wish I had a set routine every day (which, trust me, I strive for each new day), my life is a little more like a “Choose your own adventure” book. Especially with two young, strong-willed children in the house and a couple of parents with a million things to remember! In conclusion, we wing it!

I digress…Here’s an example of one of the many types of days we live!**  I usually wake up around 6/6:15, shower real quick (under 10 min), wake up my oldest first who is pretty independent, except she needs to be pushed to do things faster (like we all do!). My husband is great and wakes up my son and gets him ready. While they are eating breakfast, I’m getting ready and multitasking to get their lunch out (which is packed the night before, reheated in the morning if needed), water bottles, backpacks, my breakfast etc. Once we’re all ready to go, I drop them off to school which is on my way to work. I try to get to work by 8 but that doesn’t always happen (all depends on how the morning goes. Sometimes I’ll forget something – kids’ lunch, their backpack, my laptop, did I leave my hair thing on, traffic, etc.). Once at work, I’m usually there until about 4:15/4:30, working through lunch if I get in late. If I do take a lunch, it’s usually to go run errands (oh hey, Target!). Then I pick up the kids by 5 (*a mom guilt trigger, my kids always want me to pick them up when their friends get picked up at the end of the school day). Once we get home, it’s dinner, baths, homework and getting ready for bed (pjs, brushing teeth, reading, etc.) Dinners could be anything from leftovers from the night before, something I was able to whip up real quick, a freezer meal, or take out (or on super special days, something my mom made that I was able to pick up during the day since she lives near where I work! *Thanks, mom for continuing to mom <3* )! The kids are usually in bed by 7:30 but can take up to a half hour to fall asleep. I tuck them in and stay with them for a few minutes.  Then, I go down to finish off the dishes, clean the kitchen, make lunch (if they’re not buying school lunch), pack snacks, etc. This can take anywhere from a half hour to an hour. My husband usually gives my son a bath, packs lunch some days and makes dinner if needed. Once that’s all done, I’m usually doing things for my insta-blog (could be shopping, engaging on social media, content building, stories, etc) and then I may or may not get the time to watch something (if I don’t fall asleep on the couch -____-). I try to be in bed by 11:30. 

4. How has becoming a mom influenced your role at work?
I’m more patient, more understanding, and can empathize a whole lot more. It’s helped me be a better teacher and help manage interpersonal relationships with my team and colleagues. Since I manage people, it’s also helped me be a better manager. 

5. What is your favorite tip on how to integrate work and life?
Keep the two separate. When I’m at work, I do my best to give my all to my job. I know the kids are in the best hands possible (after my husband and I, grandparents, etc.). You have to trust that, and if you don’t, it’s time to find new childcare. When I get home, my attention is given to the kids. If I need to check work emails, I check them after they’re asleep. To me, having a good balance means keeping the two separate.

6. How do you handle mom guilt?
My biggest source of mom guilt is probably feeling like I’m not spending enough time with them. So I do my best to spend time with them when we’re together. This also means that all the things I needed to do take a back seat—laundry to be folded stays piled up for weeks, cleaning, running errands. Over the years, I’ve gotten better at giving myself a break. Sometimes, I give myself grace and I’m better at letting certain things go so it’s easier for me—it’s ok to let them be on their iPads a little longer, get that cleaning lady in more often to help with whatever I need, get the grandparents to help more. Do whatever you need to so that you can be happier, and in turn, be a better mom.

7. What is the most surprising part about being a working mom?  
When I went back to work after my first maternity leave, it was hard. But after a while, once I was settled into work life, I realized I liked the separation between work and home. Although I was working full time, I needed this “break.” AND I got to dress up again! I’m a strong believer in if you look good, you feel good! And a mommy who feels good can bring that energy back to her kids.

And the most rewarding?
Believe it or not, I’m an introvert. Being at work, I’ve made some good friends through the years, people I enjoy being around (we laugh a lot) which makes coming into work that much better. It gives me a chance to recharge a bit. Don’t get me wrong, I have my days where I don’t want to go to work…we all do. But having a work environment that doesn’t make your stomach turn every morning and one that is flexible to your needs as a working mom (doc appts, events at school, etc) is so important.

8. How do you carve out ‘me’ time?  What does ‘me’ time look like for you?
My “me” time consists of different things. During the week, it’s the hour or so I get at the end of the night to either watch a show or do things for my insta-blog (website coming eventually but that’s a whole new ballgame I can’t seem to figure out how to find time for!). Some days, my husband and I tag team and I get to go to the gym straight from work (still working on getting to the gym more!). On the weekends it might be going out with friends or just going for a mani/pedi.  Regardless of what it is, my husband plays a huge part on helping me carve out that “me” time. And we BOTH give each other that “me” time—sometimes it’s planned weeks in advance and sometimes just the night before, but we work together to figure it out (sometimes after bickering!).

On that same note, what’s your guilty pleasure?
Ugh, if you haven’t guessed it already—I love to shop! I may need to cut it down a bit, but that’s a topic for another day! 

9. What’s your mama mantra?
“We’ll figure it out, it’s going to be ok”—laundry, folding of said laundry, dishes, organizing, getting kids from one place to another, date night, disagreements, getting the house presentable before people come over, finishing that school project that you completely forgot about until Sunday afternoon. If you have a partner that’s willing to figure things out with you, then that’s great because in the end because you’re in it together.

10. What’s the best piece of advice you received when returning back to work?
Start your childcare early! Whether it’s a daycare or an at home nanny, start it at least a week or two early. You’re basically easing yourself into someone new watching your precious baby but you don’t have that added stress of being at work too. 

11. What advice would you give to mamas-to-be about returning back to work?
Start midweek. Wednesday – Fri is a lot better than Monday-Friday. And if possible, ask your manager if you can work from home 2 days a week for a little bit (I did that for about 2 months I think), then cut back to 1 (if needed).

Thank you, Anandi, for taking the time to share your journey and thoughts! You’re a true inspiration, and your little family is so lucky to have you!

P.S. If you know someone who is willing to share her working mom/momprenuer story on MIS, shoot me an email (myinnershakti@gmail.com).






Diary of a Working Mom – Q&A with Pragati Gusmano

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Happy Friday!

I’m so excited to bring you today’s ‘Diary of a Working Mom’ Q&A. Pragati and I have ‘known’ each for a few years now. We met (surprise, surprise) through our blogs and have stayed in touch ever since.

Not only is she super sweet and a fellow #boymom, but Pragati is also a Naturopathic doctor who shares her knowledge about modern wellness and lifestyle medicine in an easy to understand way. If you don’t already, you need to follow her on Instagram – @happyandwell.

Ok, let me pass it over to her to share her story…

Tell me a little about your family.
I have one son, Matteo, who is 2 years old, and three rescue pups ranging in age from 9 years old to 14 years old. 

Tell me more about your line of work.
I’m a naturopathic doctor and a functional medicine consultant. My training prepared me to be a primary care physician and my interest is in functional and lifestyle medicine. I love helping patients feel their best by optimizing nutrition, lifestyle and environment. My practice, Happy + Well, is virtual so that I can work with families all over the country. If you follow me on Instagram, I’m always sharing my integrative and holistic perspective when it comes to healthcare and raising children. 

In addition to being an ND, I am also a full time functional medicine consultant for a nutraceutical company. I help medical doctors, osteopathic doctors, acupuncturists, chiropractors and nutritionists who want to shift the way they practice to take a more integrative approach. 

At home, I’m a busy mom to a 2 year old boy, a wife, a dog mom, an aspiring photographer/videographer and a lover of cooking, crafting and being in nature.

Walk me through a day in your life.
Our morning starts with an alarm at 6:30am. I usually get Matteo seated with breakfast and then start my routine to get ready for work. Breakfast can be hit or miss – sometimes he will eat, other times I have to sit with him and feed him. Lately, we’ve been making protein smoothies to make it easier for all of us to get something nourishing in our bellies before we are out the door. We aim to leave between 7:45-7:55am. 

I drop Matteo off at school by 8:15am and then my work day starts. Since I am a remote employee, work for me can be anywhere in Central or NE Florida. I usually have between 2-5 meetings scheduled each day with additional time in my schedule to visit new accounts/doctors who would be good candidates for functional medicine. 

Since I’m in my car a large part of the day, I usually pack my lunch, snacks, water and coffee for the road. I really feel like my passenger seat is my office!

Matteo gets picked up from school around 3:30pm by my husband. Depending on my work day, I occasionally can pick him up. 

I tend to get home by 4:00pm daily and spend the last hour of my work day catching up on “office” work like sending emails, returning calls and wrapping up loose ends from my meetings that day. By 5:00pm, I’m in the kitchen preparing dinner, which only takes about 30 minutes because I plan a menu in advance and have things ready to go. After dinner, I spend time with Matteo, we hang out in the backyard and play or take a walk. By 6:15pm its bath time, followed by a small snack, stories and bedtime at 7:30pm. 

I spend about an hour putting Matteo to bed each night (if you’re a mom with a child who hates sleep, I feel you!). By 9:00pm my day as mom ends and I get to work on my other job – Happy + Well.

I usually take some time to work on content for Happy + Well and follow up with emails. I always try to be in bed no later than 10:30pm. On a good night, I’ll skip working on my side hustle and get in bed with a good book and a cup of tea (currently reading Bad Blood and it is SO good!).

How do you integrate your passion to help others with a full time career?
When I first graduated, I immediately when into a consulting role and I was comfortable there. I think that I’m truly a “teacher” at heart and in consulting, I was teaching other physicians how to use nutrition therapeutically. It was only in the last two years that I decided to become a true “mompreneur” and start a virtual practice. This big shift happened when I became a mom and realized how much value there was to the knowledge I had; I wanted to find a way to share that with other moms and families. While my local community only allows me to reach so many people, the internet and platforms like Instagram give me the opportunity to connect with so many more people who are interested in what I have to offer. 

How do you deal with mom guilt?
Mom guilt is probably the worst thing about being a mom! I’ll give an example of something that happened recently because it fully illustrates how I am terrible at dealing with mom guilt:

On the night before Matteo’s first day of school, we were preparing for bed and Matteo was very rambunctious (he skipped his nap earlier so he was likely overtired). He was jumping on the bed and then he took my cellphone. I asked him to put it down so we could get ready for bed. Instead, he threw it behind the headboard and then laid down on my bed. I’ve been trying really hard to show him that actions have consequences, so I told him he needed to go to his room and wait for me there. This set off the biggest tantrum ever, including lots of tears and screaming. Basically, everything fell apart. I tried to comfort him, and tell him we could read a story but he really didn’t want to talk to me or hear what I was saying. I ended up rocking a crying toddler to sleep and I felt so horrible because I thought it was going to ruin his first day of school. It literally kept me up most of the night because I was worried and I was upset that our evening didn’t go as planned. Guess what? He woke up the next morning and said “good morning mommy, I love you” and off to school we went. Moral of the story: the guilt we feel isn’t always reflective of how they feel. 

Whether you’re a working mom, stay at home mom, work from home mom or any other variation of a mom, you’ve likely felt bad for something you did or didn’t do. The thing that keeps me going in knowing that children are forgiving and resilient and all they really need/want is love. 

What are your guilty pleasures?
I love alone time! I totally took that for granted before becoming a mom. Now, a few minutes to myself really recharges me. Other guilty pleasures include: champagne, brunch with girlfriends, a good spa day and quiet time to read a book.

What are your favorite hacks, tips, and tricks for how to get the most out of your day?
Be proactive! I find that if I review what I have going on the next day the night before, my day goes so much smoother. It helps me to organize what I need to have ready for myself and Matteo, it gives me a preview of my work schedule, and it allows me to not feel rushed or panicked in the morning. 

I also find that packing lunches right after dinner clean up is the biggest time saver for me. That way I’m not rushing around the kitchen in the morning trying to figure out who is eating what for lunch that day. 

And finally, having a weekly menu planned for dinner. This streamlines my grocery shopping so that I’m only buying what we are going to eat that week. It also gives my husband a heads up on what’s for dinner and it makes coming home from working and preparing dinner a lot less hectic.

Thanks for sharing your journey, P! And thanks for all the knowledge you drop. I know it’s helped me a ton!



Diary of a Working Mom – Q&A with Ami Shah

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Happy FriYAY! I’m back with yet another ‘Diary of a Working Mom’ Q&A! Like all the others, today’s interview is full of insights and ‘yessss…me too!’ moments.

Ami and I know each other via her cousin Monica, who is one of my good friends from college. I really loved Ami’s fun loving personality the couple of times we’ve met, and through the magic of social media, I’ve been able to keep up with her motherhood journey.

Enough of my rambling…here’s Ami!

1. Tell me a little more about your family – number of kids, names, ages.
We have the boss of the family, Alina (3), her trusty sidekick/little brother, Dilan (1), and, and of course, my husband Jay and me (Ami) – who are just along for the ride.

2. Tell me more about your line of work, role, responsibilities, etc.
I work in public relations (PR) for a New York City PR agency, but I work from home full-time since moving to NC. I currently manage two NYC-based teams and help clients with all their PR needs (campaigns, events, social media content, media interviews, press releases, celeb relationships, etc.)

3. Walk me through a day in your life.
With two toddlers, no day is the same – but most weekdays, we try to follow:

  • 6:30 am: Jay leaves for work
  • 6:45 am: Dilan (and, I, by default) wake up, brush teeth, change clothes, have a morning cup of milk and play
  • 7:45 am: Alina joins us and so begins our morning of negotiations – brush teeth and (hopefully) eat breakfast
  • 8:30 am: Our Nanny arrives (while I’m still negotiating/begging Alina to eat; Dilan is usually on breakfast #2 by now); our Nanny watches Dilan while I usually help Alina pick out her outfit and do her hair
  • 9:00 am: I sneak into my home office to start a full day of conference calls and hopefully some work; the kids are off to their morning activity (library, kids museum, etc.)
  • 2:00 pm: The kids come home and pop in to the office for a quick “Hi Mommy!” (usually during a conference call)
  • 5:30 pm: The nanny leaves, and I try to bribe the kids with something while I wrap up a conference call
  • 6:15 pm: Jay’s home, the kids are (hopefully) starting dinner, while I whip up something for us
  • 7:00 pm: Jay and I will try to squeeze in dinner with the kids while we Facetime Dada, Dadi, and Dada; followed by family play time (the best time!)
  • 7:45 pm: Baths are done and it’s time for storytime (Goodnight Moon, Goodnight Numbers and princess books are the current favorites)
  • 8:15 pm: Divide and conquer bedtime
  • 9:30 pm – midnight: Adulting – dishes, pick up toys, finish up any work, showers, and hopefully sneak in a little TV and dessert (current rotation: Top Chef and chocolate chip cookies)
  • Too late: Go to bed promising the next day, I’ll go to sleep earlier

4. How has becoming a mom influenced your role at work?
I’ve always had high standards (for myself and for my teams) and can be tough on myself and my teams. I think being a Mom has made me a little more of softie – after all, everyone is someone’s bab

5. What is your favorite tip on how to integrate work and life?
It’s the same thing I have to remind myself everyday – be flexible. Every day isn’t going to go to plan. Some days will be perfect – they’ll eat every bite, nap and be full of smiles. Some days the dishes will pile up, the toys will take over, and the work never ends. At the end of the day, we are all happy and healthy and it all works out.

6. How do you handle mom guilt?
If I’m being honest, I have lots of guilt. I have wife guilt. I have friend guilt (if you’re reading this – I saw your text, I love you, and I will text you back in approximately 5 years). I have daughter guilt, but I don’t have mom guilt.

I know from the deepest place in my heart that I everything I do, I do for Alina and Dilan. I work so Alina knows that she can be whatever she wants too and it’s possible to be a mom and have your identity too. I sneak a date night with Jay so the kids see Jay and I are a united front, and we do actually like each other. I know I try my best every day, and hopefully, when they are old enough to understand, they will see it too.

7. What is the most surprising part of being a working mom?  And the most rewarding?
The most surprising is by far, how hard it is. Don’t get me wrong – I knew it was hard, but it is like REALLY, REALLY HARD. So kudos to all of you – my Mom, my sister in law, my friends and to all of you reading this right now – for making it look so easy and tricking us all into have kids and working.

The most rewarding is how pure and unconditionally they love me. For everything I did or didn’t accomplish that day, they don’t care. They love me just the same.

8. How do you carve out ‘me’ time?  What does ‘me’ time look like for you? On that same note, what’s your guilty pleasure?
Jay and I just aren’t in a season of life where there is as much opportunity for “me time” as we would like, but small wonders – like a long, hot shower – go far. Also, I travel decently often to work (to great cities with great restaurants) and I take full advantage of my kid-free time (while my sweet husband holds down the fort).

My guilty pleasure list is longer than it should be – but dessert, a cold Cherry Coke, hanging out with Jay, and mindless TV often top the list.

9. What’s your mama mantra?
Say it with me Mommies: “This too shall pass.”

The good and the “bad.” There will be a day where Alina will pee somewhere other than my hardwood floors, but there will also be a day where she doesn’t yell “MOMMY IS MY BEST FRIEND” at the top of her lungs. There will be a day where Dilan will not wake up at an ungodly hour, but also a day where he won’t want to spend every waking moment with his Mommy. I just try to soak it up and remind myself every day, one day I will miss this.

10. What’s the best piece of advice you received when returning back to work after having your baby?
My Mom unexpectedly passed away three weeks before I had Dilan. She was my best friend, my go-to source for everything Mom-related, and, like Parita mentioned in a recent post, my safe place. She gave me lots of unsolicited, but usually correct, advice – and in honor of her, I’ll tell you what she basically told me every day: “You can do it.”

There were so many days, especially after I had Alina, that I just felt overwhelmed and like I couldn’t handle it all. But the truth is my Mom, like many women before her, did the whole Mom thing before iPads and Amazon, working 12 hours a day, with her Mom a half a world away, and without swaddling expertise of my husband. If she can do it and thrive, then, I can certainly survive, right?

11. What advice would you give to mamas-to-be about returning back to work?
As my mom would say if she was here, “You can do it!” Just remember, a new routine is an adjustment for everyone. It may take a little time, but you’ll hit your stride and find a schedule that will work for everyone. If you’re happy and healthy, you’re doing something right.

Ami, thank you for taking the time to share your heartfelt responses! Your little crew is very lucky to have a mama and wife like you.

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