That's Total Mom Sense

190.6 million Americans ages 5-90 play video games and 61% report playing a video game at least one hour per week. Video games have evolved over the decades and have become more than just entertainment— they teach team building, critical thinking skills, and are a means for socializing. Patricia E. Vance, President of the ESRB who has spent over 20 years in the industry, shares her insights on how...

Parenting isn’t broken — but the way we’re doing it might be. Kira Willey joins me to unpack what kids really need today, and how we can show up with more clarity, connection, and confidence. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if the key to fewer tantrums, better behavior, and deeper connection with your child wasn’t discipline—but play? In this powerful episode, Kanika Chadda Gupta sits down with Dr. Kim Van Dusen—aka The Parentologist—to unpack the science and strategy behind her new book Parenting Through Play. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

🎙️ Megaphone Blurb (Podcast Description)Grief changes you—but it doesn’t have to erase you. In this deeply moving episode, Kanika sits down with author and grief coach Kate Doerge, who shares her unimaginable journey through loss: losing both parents and her 16-year-old daughter, Penny. Through heartbreak, Kate found a new way forward—one that doesn’t try to “fix” grief, but instead helps you move...

What does it take to start over and build a life in wine? In this episode, Namratha Stanley shares her extraordinary journey from Bangalore to Bordeaux, where she built her own wine brand, Solicantus, from scratch. Alongside her powerful personal story, she breaks down Bordeaux Wine 101 – grapes, regions, and how to actually enjoy wine without intimidation. This is a conversation about reinvention...

As per Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy’s national advisory, 1 in 3 parents is feeling high levels of stress. There are 63 million parents living with children under the age of 18 in the US, so this is roughly 210 million people who are feeling burnout. Today we have Harvard stress expert Dr. Aditi Nerurkar on the show to break down the different types of stress (adaptive and maladaptive) and how...

Psychiatrist and Clinical Assistant Professor Dr. Sue Varma’s groundbreaking work shows that “optimism” goes beyond just having a positive outlook – it brings about better outcomes. Optimists tend to achieve more success, report higher incomes and job satisfaction, adopt healthier habits, build stronger relationships, and experience greater overall life satisfaction, ultimately leading to increase...

When I was in my teens, I remember watching a biopic on famed Indian mathematician from the early 1900s - Ramanujan. He was often saying “There’s so much to do yet so little time.” He’d work for 30 hours at a stretch and slept for 20. He discovered nearly 4,000 equations + formulas and died at the prime age of 32.  Why do I bring him up? Because he wanted more time to achieve his goals in life whi...

What if picky eating isn’t your child’s fault—but how we’re feeding them? In this episode, I sit down with Erica Bethe Levin, founder of Globowl, the baby food brand redefining how kids experience food from their very first bites. After struggling with picky eating with her first child, Erica took a completely different approach the second time—introducing bold, globally inspired flavors like curr...

What if your biggest disadvantage could become your greatest edge? In this powerful episode of That’s Total Mom Sense, I sit down with venture capitalist, author, and founder of Backstage Capital, Arlan Hamilton, who went from sleeping on the floor of the San Francisco airport to building a multimillion-dollar fund investing in underestimated founders. With no degree, no connections, and no tradit...

For generations, mothers have been asked to carry an outsized share of the unpaid, invisible, and logistical labor that keeps families functioning. From caregiving and mental load to emotional labor and school forms, modern motherhood has been shaped by systems that quietly assume women will fill the gaps — at home, at work, and in society.   But the cultural narrative is shifting — and parents, c...

She built a community of over a million moms by telling the truth—but this conversation goes even deeper. Libby Ward joins me to unpack the realities no one prepares you for: mom rage, postpartum depression, burnout, and how childhood trauma quietly shapes the way we parent. We talk about what it actually means to break generational cycles, why so many mothers feel overwhelmed and triggered, and h...

What does it look like to live your dream and then have your world shattered? TODAY Show co-host Sheinelle Jones knew since fifth grade that she was made for morning television. She manifested it, worked for it, and built a life of beauty alongside her Northwestern sweetheart Uche. Then came the nightmare no vision board could prepare her for. In this deeply personal Mom Sense conversation, Sheine...

In this episode of That’s Total Mom Sense, host Kanika Chadda Gupta sits down with nationally recognized clinical psychologist Rachel L. Goldman to talk about something so many parents silently struggle with: burnout, stress, and the pressure to do it all. Dr. Rachel, a cognitive behavioral therapy expert and author of When Life Happens, shares practical tools for navigating emotional overwhelm, b...

Kanika opens this episode by sharing her personal story living in the “sandwich generation” as a mom of three (including twins) and caregiving for her mother who has dementia. She is later joined by ⁠Danielle Cabral⁠, star of Real Housewives of New Jersey, for an on stage keynote interview to talk about motherhood, fame, and the challenges of being on reality TV. They discuss the importance of sup...

After kids, many parents notice that their bodies don’t respond the way they used to. Weight loss feels harder. Energy fluctuates differently. Hormones, sleep disruption, stress, and the mental load of caregiving all intersect — and the growing conversation around GLP-1 medications has added a new layer of curiosity, confusion, and questions. Join us for GLP-1s & the Post-Kids Body: What’s Differe...

Hi everyone. I’m Kanika Chadda Gupta. I’m a television journalist, podcast host of “That’s Total Mom Sense,” wife and mom of three. I am having a fangirl moment right now because I am with the beautiful, talented singer, songwriter, actress, and author who has grown up alongside us. She’s been singing her whole life and began her musical career as a founding member of Destiny’s Child and here we a...

What if regret isn’t something to avoid, but a compass to guide your biggest decisions? In this episode, I sit down with Parul Somani,  business strategist, MIT and Harvard Business School graduate, former Bain & Company leader, cancer survivor, and author of The Path of Least Regret. After being diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer at 31, shortly after the birth of her second child, Parul tran...

In this special episode called Ma Ki Rasoi (from his Mother's Kitchen) to Michelin Star, Kanika sits down with Chef Vikas Khanna at his NY restaurant, Bungalow. The common thread is the letter "M" as they open by admiring a floral mandala and he shares poignant stories about his motherland, mother, Masterchef India, Michelin Star, and manifestation. Meet My Guest: WEBSITE: ⁠www.bungalowny.com⁠ INS...

The term “mental load” gets thrown around a lot — but what does it actually mean, and why does it so often fall on moms and primary caregivers? Join us for The Invisible Workload: Why 75% of the Mental Load Lands on Primary Caregivers, a candid, expert-led conversation about the invisible labor that keeps families running — and the emotional, logistical, and identity toll it takes. We’re joined by...

“God could not be everywhere, so he created Mothers.” This adage could not ring more true when it comes to the life of C.J. Taylor. Her life story could be made into an Oscar-winning biopic, and believe me, it’s just a matter of time. She is a divorced single mom of three, an attorney, and a football coach with over 20 years of experience - she is the first female coach in the Snoop Dogg’s youth f...

Are smartphones and social media harming our kids—or is the truth more nuanced? In this episode of That’s Total Mom Sense, journalist and mom of three Kanika Chadda Gupta sits down with Jacqueline Beauchere, Snapchat’s Global Head of Platform Safety, for a thoughtful, data-driven conversation about parenting teens in a digital world. Together, they explore real online risks, how Snapchat differs f...

In this episode of That's Total Mom Sense, host Kanika Chadda Gupta sits down with Alex Spitz, Founder and CEO of New Mom School, to explore what happens when the village disappears and how she is rebuilding it. After experiencing the isolation of early motherhood herself, Alex set out to create a solution. Today, she is actively rebuilding the village for modern mothers through New Mom School, a...

Jen Hatmaker on AWAKE, reinvention, grief, divorce, new love, and raising 5 kids. A deeply intimate conversation about rebuilding your life with honesty, tenderness, and hope. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Allie Ticktin is the founder of Play 2 Progress, and author of the book, Play to Progress, where she provides parents with an overview of all 8 (yes, 8) senses and gives them 90 exercises to engage their children in sensory learning. Dr. Allie uses the science of child development and the joy of play to boost childrens’ confidence and enhance development within all areas of their life, from so...