That's Total Mom Sense

Kanika interviews Mom 2.0 husband and wife duo John and Carrie Pacini on the genesis of the annual summit and community. During her live podcast with author, educator, and advocate Jen Hatmaker, they discuss her opening keynote which had everyone in the room feeling seen and understood as well as her podcast, For the Love, and cookbook, Feed These People. She also chatted with attendees Frenchi Fe...

Racha Narwekar is an accomplished children's educator and a remedial therapist based in Bombay, Kanika’s birth city. Together they share their childhood roots and Rachna walks her through practical ways to engage your child, alternatives to authoritative discipline, and visual reminders that help with emotional regulation. Meet My Guest: INSTAGRAM: @rachnanarwekar LINKEDIN: Rachna Narwekar Learn m...

Annika Sharma is a jack of all trades and master of...some of them. From healthcare to romcom authorship to podcasting for South Asians to new motherhood, this episode tackles chasing passions, taking risks, and learning lessons along the way. Meet My Guest: WEBSITE: AnnikaSharma.com INSTAGRAM: @annikasharma FACEBOOK: /AnnikaSharmaWrites Press: FORBES: Five Asian American Podcasts That Are Busting...

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...

Chloe Trujillo is a world renowned artist, designer, musician, and reiki healer. Married to lead guitarist for the legendary band Metallica, Robert Trujillo, they have created a space for their two children to thrive as creative souls in their own right. Chloe shares her inspiration for her works as a native Parisian, her motherhood journey, and her latest venture designing sustainable swimsuits f...

Priti Tanna is a creative strategist and author of I Married a Coconut. In this interview, she shares how future generations of the South Asian diaspora can find ways to honor their age old traditions while assimilating with western cultures. She and Kanika talk about values from immigrant parents, growing up in the 80s and 90s, and encouraging children to embrace their cultural roots. Meet My Gue...

Neha Ruch, CEO/Founder of Mother Untitled, shares her personal journey of taking pauses in her career to discover her purpose as a parent, challenging societal expectations and building a necessary community for mothers. She references the inspiring stories of Shannon Watts and Jessica Me Rivera, who were SAHM turned activists and have driven monumental change in society.  Meet My Guest: WEBSITE:...

Matthew “Dr. Matt” Zakreski, PsyD is a high energy, creative clinical psychologist who utilizes an eclectic approach to meet the specific needs of his neurodivergent clients. He is proud to serve the Gifted community as a consultant, a professor, an author, and a researcher. He has spoken over 300 times all over the world about supporting neurodivergent kids. Dr. Zakreski graduated from Widener Un...

Are you a frenzied parent who’s craving structure, fulfillment, and harmony at home? Enter Kaitlin Soule, licensed marriage and family therapist, women’s mental health specialist and author of A Little Less of A Hot Mess. We discuss pragmatic tactics and daily routines to manage your sanity and your household. Meet My Guest: WEBSITE: WellNotesForHer.org INSTAGRAM: @kaitlin.soule AMAZON: A Little L...

We all know and love M. Night Shyamalan as a world renowned director, producer and actor who was labeled “the next Spielberg” by Newsweek in 2002. His films have grossed over $3 billion globally with cult classics like The Sixth Sense which received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay, Signs, The Last Airbender, and The Unbreakable Series. We may also b...

Martial arts is a metaphor for life. Did you ever think about that? It requires a fine balance of the body, mind, and spirit - a keen understanding of people and their intentions, skill, flexibility, wisdom, focus, anticipation, practice, and after you are hit to the ground with this challenge or that level of adversity, you muster up the courage and willpower to stand up and fight again. That is...

Isn’t it ironic and kind of sad that having kids can wreak havoc on a marriage and your sex life? Today, get ready to get your mojo back and rekindle the spark with your spouse thanks to renowned licensed psychotherapist and nationally recognized sex counselor Ian Kerner. Ian Kerner, who is a PhD and LMFT specializes in sex therapy, couples therapy and working with individuals on a range of relati...

Have you ever thought about going plant based? Could you do it? Do you have the interest and willpower to revamp your refrigerator, your skincare essentials, your clothing, and essentially your philosophy in life. Today, I’m joined by a celebrity who has made this choice as a serial entrepreneur, and is also famous as an actress, influencer, and mom - Daniella Monet. LA native, sitcom actress Dani...

Dr. Simran Sethi, MD, MBA, internal medicine physician and founder of skin by Dr. Simran Sethi & RenewMD Spas, joins me to discuss how BIPOC can best take of their skin with the right ingredients in products and ongoing procedures like chemical peels and microneedling to combat acne scarring, hyperpigmentation, and melasma, and increase luminosity, elasticity, and cell turnover. We also discuss th...

On this episode, we are featuring a live event in New York City hosted by the esteemed Asia Society led by Neelam Chowdhary and The Culture Tree, founded by Anu Sehgal. In honor of AAPI Heritage Month, I was asked to moderate a panel with extraordinary South Asian women who have made a lasting impact in their industries and communities - Anu Aiyengar (JP Morgan Chase & Co), Snigdha Sur (The Jugger...

Welcome back to That's Total Mom Sense, your trusted podcast decoding the world of parenting with the help of expert entrepreneurs, speakers, and authors. We've been away for a few weeks while I had the honor of speaking at The KNOW Summit in Phoenix, AZ and the MOM 2.0 Summit in Scottsdale, AZ. These events have been incredible, providing much inspiration and insight from powerful women making si...

One of India's first supermodels. Actor. Cancer survivor. Mother of twins through surrogacy. Woman of no fixed address. Today I am honored to interview cross cultural phenomenon Lisa Ray. She is an internationally acclaimed performer, philanthropist and star with a reputation for taking on challenging issue-oriented films. Raised in Canada by an Indian father and Polish mother, Ray was discovered...

As the adage goes, “Nine months on; nine months off.” It takes about 9 months to put on the baby weight during pregnancy, and roughly that amount of time to lose it. But for many women, it’s not that easy. I know I can relate after having my twins! Now imagine having the added pressure of being in the spotlight on TV, which sadly does add 10 lbs, all while juggling life with a new baby. Today, I’m...

In 2006, Raegan co-founded aden + anais, the baby lifestyle brand globally recognized for its high-quality design driven muslin swaddles and baby products. Raegan continued to work full-time in her sales role at The Economist Group until May 2009 when she left to run aden + anais in a full-time capacity as the brand’s sole owner eventually selling the company in 2013 and continuing on as CEO until...

When you think "mom fashion," it may sound like an oxymoron because moms are stereotypically viewed as frumpy and disheveled because we are too busy sacrificing for our kids. Hello! But it doesn’t have to be this way. We CAN look like a million bucks and we SHOULD spend time and energy to do so because it does wonders for our confidence and self-esteem, which makes us better as moms, at our jobs,...

Hitha Palepu is an entrepreneur, investor, and writer. Her blog, Hitha On The Go, reached hundreds of thousands of readers worldwide and became known for its travel and productivity content. Her first book, How To Pack: Travel Smart for Any Trip was published by Clarkson Potter in 2017. It has been released worldwide, translated into German and Italian, and is currently in its 3rd printing with 50...

Soon after Meenal Lele's first child was diagnosed with multiple food allergies, new research upended decades of allergy advice. The LEAP study found that consistently adding allergenic foods beginning at four months of age could drastically reduce the rate of developing food allergies. The American Academy of Pediatrics subsequently began recommending that parents give allergenic foods to their b...

From the physicality and load of taking care of your kids, making strides in your career, keeping your marriage or partnership together or dating if you’re solo parenting, to working out and taking care of yourself, do you constantly feel bogged down, burnt out, and like you’ll never really be happy. I’m joined by an expert who reprogramed herself and is helping others reframe their mindsets to li...

With the US Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade where about half the states in the US which bans abortion, having kids learn about sex has become crucial. But how young is too young? Many of us feel it’s awkward, may not want to divulge too much, just want to preserve their innocence, and so on. So how do we go about it? My guest today is here to help! Amy Lang, MA has been a sexual health educa...

Are you burnt out doing the admin, accounting, and email correspondence for your business or personal brand in addition to managing your home and taking care of your family. You’re not alone. And thankfully, there are professionals out there who can help you take a load off. Today I’m joined by Amanda Rush Holmes who knows this conundrum all too well as an entrepreneur and busy mom. So she aimed t...