July 15, 2025 • 36 mins
In this episode, we sit down with Diksha Sethi — entrepreneur, mother, and unapologetic truth-teller — to talk about what it really takes to raise a child in today’s world, especially as a working woman without a traditional support system.
From navigating the crushing guilt of returning to work postpartum, to tackling gender stereotypes in the classroom and at home, Diksha opens up about the invisible load of motherhood, the evolution of her co-parenting relationship, and why raising boys with empathy is one of the most radical things we can do for society.
Through warmth, wit, and lived experience, Diksha reminds us that parenting is never perfect — but it can be purposeful.
🎧 Why You Should Listen
- You're a parent (or future parent) who’s tired of picture-perfect parenting narratives.
- You want to hear a realistic, emotional, and empowering perspective on motherhood and working life.
- You’re raising a boy — and wondering how to instill values of empathy, equity, and emotional fluency.
- You’re curious about the motherhood penalty and how gender expectations shape families.
- You want to feel a little less alone in your parenting journey — and more understood.
💬 Notable Quotes from Diksha
- "The only way through it is to go through it. There is no shortcut, right?"
- "Sometimes I just want to drop everything and run away somewhere. I'm sure a lot of mothers feel that."
- "He just hugged me from behind and said, 'I know being a mom is so difficult, Mama, but I’m so proud of you.'"
- "I don’t beat myself up anymore. I try not to. It’s one of those days — it’s okay. Tomorrow will be better."
- "Put the damn phone down. Seriously. Kuch nahi chhutega 5 minute mein."
- "The way sons are raised in the Indian setting — it needs to change."
📚 Resources & Mentions
- 📖 On the motherhood penalty: https://gap.hks.harvard.edu/getting-job-there-motherhood-penalty
- 📚 Books for Raising Emotionally Intelligent Boys:
- The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog – Dr. Bruce Perry
- Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys – Dan Kindlon and Michael Thompson
- Parenting Beyond Pink & Blue – Christia Spears Brown
- 🎙️ On gendered parenting scripts in education: TED Talk: “Teach girls bravery, not perfection” – Reshma Saujani
- 💡 For conversations about gender in parenting: Visit Breakthrough India for media and resources challenging gender norms.
👩⚕️ More About Diksha Sethi
Diksha Sethi is a mother, entrepreneur, and communications professional who has spent the last decade building not just her career, but a home grounded in empathy, equity, and intention. Known for her no-nonsense honesty and emotional intelligence, Diksha shares stories that reflect the layered, joyful, and often messy reality of modern parenting. She’s especially passionate about raising boys to be kind, aware, and responsible citizens of the world.
📱 Follow Diksha on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dikshassethi/
💬 Join the Conversation
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Become a very light sleeper. Yeah, like he he would turn, you
know, take a Karvadvi legato. I will.
I will wake up. Hello beautiful people, and
welcome back to Parenthood. I'm your host Neha Gurkh, and
(00:20):
every week we meet parents from all walks of life.
Parents who are brave enough to share their stories with
honesty, humour and heart. This isn't a podcast about
perfect parenting. It's about real people
navigating the beautiful, messy world of raising children while
also holding onto themselves. In today's episode, we'll be
(00:44):
speaking with Deeksha Sethi, an entrepreneur, a mother, and
someone who speaks with refreshing clarity about the
often invisible load that mothers carry.
Her journey into parenting hasn't been a linear one.
From navigating the overwhelmingearly years of motherhood in a
big city without a support system to becoming fiercely
(01:07):
aware of the motherhood penalty and advocating for equity for
mothers at home and at work, Diksha brings both vulnerability
and insight to this conversation.
So whether you are a parent yourself, thinking of becoming
one, or simply curious about what it really takes to show up
for your child while showing up for yourself, this one's for
(01:28):
you. Diksha, welcome to Parenthood
and thank you so much for being here.
Thank you so much Neha for beingso kind with your introduction.
You deserve it and more. I think all mothers do.
Yeah, that's true. That's true.
So let's begin somewhere light. If you had to pick just three
(01:48):
words to describe who you are, what would those 3 words be?
Oh wow, I always get stuck at this question.
I don't know how to describe myself.
I think this is my imposters in speaking, but I think I would
say curious. That's one.
(02:08):
I believe I'm a learner for life.
That's what has defined me, you know, so far.
I'm always curious to learn something new.
Wow, thinker. Yeah.
Maybe an over thinker. Yeah, yeah.
(02:31):
We are, we are just seeing the glimpses of that side of your
personality, right? Over thinker for sure.
Intuitive, yeah. Right now, tell us a little bit
about your family. Ihans name.
I, I think I just love the name.It's so beautiful.
(02:53):
What does it mean to start with and then tell us how he is as a
person? What makes him uniquely him?
Wow, so I still remember the story behind this name.
OK, because we had already started shortlisting names, one
for a boy, one for a girl, and Iwas not liking any boy names
(03:15):
whatsoever. I wanted something with an
Arabic origin. I'd already shortlisted a name
for a girl, but boys, kilometricwith Samajini, Allah.
It was such a struggle and I didn't want to keep anything
complicated, long, tongue twisting, none of that.
Something very simple, short andsweet and something unique.
And you know how the the cultureis in North Indian families,
(03:37):
they usually take out an alphabet and then you have to
choose a name with that as I don't want to go through any of
that because by the time that time comes, it's already 4045
days. And they, you know, the family
has already started to call the child with some pet name.
I didn't want that to happen in Munnar Chotu.
None of that. So like he decide karma, I am
(03:59):
Ajay and I just want to just stick to that and that's it.
So yeah, it was actually we crowd sourced the Dame.
So my office, Vishal's office, my husband.
So we invited, you know, suggestions from everywhere.
It's a Long story short. We looked through a lot of names
for boys and then this name cameup and I was like, you know,
(04:20):
this is perfect. This is small.
This is not difficult to pronounce.
Ihhan. It was very unique that time and
it means full moon. Oh.
Wow, so. Yeah.
So it it was just just perfect that I was like, OK, you know,
he's the light of going to be the light of our lives.
And yeah, it is. So then we just finalize the
(04:40):
name. And how is he like a person now?
He's how old is he now? 10 He's a big boy, yeah.
Very sensitive child. Very, very thoughtful.
Extremely loving. And yeah, I'm like a typical boy
(05:05):
sometimes as well. You know, he's super smart and
super chatty and he knows a lot of things already and very
curious and has a lot of questions to ask.
And he'll be like challenging you on every step and he'll make
you think and he'll make me go crazy sometimes.
So yeah, I mean, it's it's it's quite a ride having.
(05:26):
I'm sure, I'm sure. And you spoke about your Co
parenting journey with your partner.
It sounds like it's been a very shared experience.
What were what was that early season like stepping into
parenthood together? So, you know, initially I think
it was a lot of struggle. I would say it wasn't easy
(05:49):
stepping into parent parenthood for both of us because we knew
what we were getting into. And honestly, we were not
prepared mentally for what was coming ahead of us, you know,
because we knew our safety net is really thin, support system
is really weak. We stay away from the family.
And we were not in a position to, you know, leave our jobs,
(06:10):
uproot ourselves, go back home. None of that was possible at the
time. So, yeah, it was jittery,
honestly. And, you know, he obviously
understood that, you know, my career is important and there is
at no point there was a conversation in our house to say
that, you know, to drop to thereor, you know, make a choice
(06:33):
between this or that. There's never that conversation
in the house. So that was that was a good
thing, a very positive thing. And I think unless it's a
mother's choice to take a step back from her work and focus
completely on her child, it should never be forced.
Yeah. And I knew that even if I wanted
(06:56):
to leave work, I couldn't at thetime.
Yeah. So that I think that decision
was very neutral when we arrivedat it, that, OK, we've got to do
this together in whatever way wecan.
So we started looking around forhelp and.
And it was back in 2015 and maternity was only three months
(07:18):
back then. Wow.
No concept of working from home and remote work and, you know,
hybrid and none of that, none ofthat existed.
Either you're there or you're not there, you know.
So yeah, it was, it was nerve wrecking, honestly.
(07:38):
And of course initially because as as a baby, the, you know, the
mothers required more around thebaby.
So yeah, I, I did give majority of my time to, to my son.
I'm carrying a lot of guilt every day.
You know, when I went back to work, I still remember that day
when I, when I had to leave him behind with a nanny.
(08:03):
It was, I mean, I could not focus at work at all that day.
It was just so hard and the guilt would just, you know, eat
me inside. And I was like, I want to go
back. I just, I don't want to do this.
I, you know, but I made a choiceand I was like, OK, you know,
I've, I've got to calm down. I, I have to get through this.
(08:25):
And the only way through it is to go through it.
There is no shortcut, right? So.
Yeah. And, you know, something that
you've said is stayed with me, that you didn't have much of A
social life for the first five years of motherhood.
That level of isolation, I mean,you know, it's very hard to even
imagine. It's something many parents
(08:48):
feel, I think, but not many to talk about it.
How did you navigate that time? It was lonely.
It was very lonely. In fact, I could see the change
happening even during pregnancy,even though I was working till
the last day of, you know, before just a day before my
(09:10):
delivery, I chose to work until the very last day because
everything was normal. My health was OK.
So I was I was quite active thatway.
But I could see how, you know, obviously there are lots of
restrictions, you know, your body doesn't allow their mood
swings, their hormonal changes, and you don't feel like, and you
(09:31):
have to be cautious all the time.
And for me, I mean it, it just sort of came to a grinding halt,
you know, when my son was born, not that that I was very, very
social, but at least I had I hada choice to, you know, step out,
meet people or they could come over or whatever.
(09:51):
But yeah, that just completely stopped.
And it was lonely. It was very lonely.
And, you know, suddenly you realize that you know, your
friends circle, they're not, youknow, half of them are not even
married. And you're, you've become a
mother. You're at a very different stage
of life. You're at a very different stage
of life. You can't expect them to
(10:12):
understand what you're going through.
It's not going to happen. And I can say this now, but at
that time I felt really bad. I was like, you know, no, this
is not done, but I understand now.
You know, you, you evolve, you mature with time and you get it.
That OK, then they're not going to get it.
It's fine, you know. And yeah, I mean, I was back
(10:36):
home for 2 1/2 months with my mother, my parents.
So that, that was great help. But then when I came back to
Delhi, I had to join back work. It was very, very intimidating.
It was difficult. It was just work and home and
work and home and and that's it with no break, no breather, no
(11:01):
proper sleep, none of that. So but I do thank my stars we
found a good nanny. We found somebody who we could
trust. Thankfully, we, you know, we're
not very jaded parents. We knew technology.
We understood technology, so we could get that security system
(11:23):
at home. And, you know, thank God for for
all of this to be present in ourtimes that, you know, we can
make use of it. And there were cameras installed
and CCTV's everywhere. And we would like just, you
know, be there like a Hawkeye, you know, keeping a Hawkeye all
the time. What's happening, every moment,
everything would get notified, you know, So.
(11:45):
Yeah. Yeah, sounds, sounds very tough.
I'm, I'm just so glad that you came out of that.
How did you, how, how did it go from being a lonely journey to,
you know, discovering your social side again and
rediscovering? Did you, did you rediscover
that? But it of course it is limiting,
(12:08):
right? But then, then when the choices
are taken away from you, then itbecomes a different story.
Then it becomes really restricting and then it becomes
a little suffocating also that you want to just break free.
And, you know, there are days when you're feeling like, oh, I
would say I just want to drop everything and then run away
somewhere, right? That I'm sure a lot of mothers
(12:30):
feel that that frustration. But but yeah, it was
challenging. But, but thankfully I had work,
which I used as, you know, as a,as a respite, as as an escape
mechanism where I would meet people, I would speak to
somebody else, I'd get to, you know, have other human touch
(12:53):
points in my, my life. So yeah, that I think helps me,
you know, keep my sanity somewhere.
Right, and you said Ihan was born via C-section.
Would you be comfortable tellingus a little bit about that
experience? What do you remember most
vividly from that time? I remember everything actually,
(13:18):
as if it just happened yesterday.
Wow. Yeah, everything was normal in
my case. There really were no
complications, honestly. But the only thing was that his
head had not settled and he was still moving, like moving like,
you know, very vigorously moving.
And I was also, you know, cracking a joke saying that
(13:41):
they're a bunch of footballer. But yeah, so and because of
that, he was because he was moving, the umbilical cord got
stuck very tightly around his his neck.
And then so she was like, OK, you know, let's not take a
chance. Let's just go for AC SEC because
Lagni Raik is like a hoga. There seems to be a lot of gap
(14:01):
and he has plenty of room to play around and he seems to be
very mischievous. So let's just go and see.
I was like, fine, OK, so, so that's, that's what that's how
it happened. Everything was fine.
Were really no complications andthankfully, but yes, my recovery
was like, I think any, any mother would experience it.
(14:24):
It was. It was difficult, yeah.
It was painful and very overwhelming.
I would say very, very overwhelming.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. And if you had to close your
(14:44):
eyes and think of 1 moment, justone that feels like it holds the
whole parenting journey for you till now, what comes to mind?
You know, it's difficult to put just describe this in one
moment, but I remember once I think I was in the kitchen and I
(15:10):
was making something and just randomly Ihan just walks up to
me and says he just hugs me frombehind.
And he says, you know, I'm, I know being a mum is so
difficult, Mama, but I'm so proud of you.
And I was like, where is this coming from?
I mean, just, I just started bawling my eyes out and I was
(15:32):
like, OK, you know, this, this, this makes it all work great.
I'm doing something right. Yeah, yeah, you are.
You are. Yeah.
And what does life look like these days, as a parent, as a
professional, and as just? Oh, wow, life is actually, I
(15:55):
have no complaints, honestly, nocomplaints.
He's a, like I said, he's a sensible child, very sensitive,
very curious. And I'm glad that, you know,
there's a lot of room for open discussion in our house.
He's an avid reader, He reads a lot.
So he has he asks a lot of questions.
(16:15):
So, and we've also introduced him to certain books, which are,
you know, age appropriate books like preteens and, you know,
sexual education and all sorts of things.
So he's read them up and he willask questions and there are very
open conversations in our house about, you know, where do babies
come from, what you know about genitals, about good touch, bad
(16:37):
touch, you know, all sorts of things.
And I think it's, it's very, very important to to guide
children at the right time. Yeah.
Because there is so much information out there.
There is so much out there whichcan just go wrong.
Yeah. And before it's too late, it's
just so important to channel that energy in the right way.
(17:01):
Yeah, yeah. And tell us a little about your
work. What does your day-to-day life
look like now? Or how do you space for both
work and parenting? Go to Patani.
I I really have no idea who Kaise who are Kaise Kiya.
But like I said, you know, all thanks to the kind of times we
(17:23):
live in, there is ample support that you can hire, you know, you
can line up for yourself. And that I think is a is a huge
blessing, which we just sort of,you know, really underestimate
that time. So, you know, the school, the
daycare, the crashes that are, you know, available around us
(17:46):
all. Thanks to all that kind of
infrastructure and the facilities that we have, you
know, we can safely leave our children there and, you know, go
back to work for four hours, five hours and get come back to
them, you know, when they need us.
So I I don't know how our mothers did it.
Yeah, they. They didn't have any of this
back then. So yeah, we're we're really
(18:08):
blessed. Yeah, and I often find that
becoming a parent kind of rearranges us, not just our
teens, but something more internal.
Have you felt that too? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
I think I, I've become a very light sleeper.
Yeah. Like he, he would turn, you
(18:34):
know, take a caravan. Be like that.
I will. I will wake up.
It's that, you know, instinctiveas a mother.
Yeah. I may sound like a like a total
helicopter mom, but but that's how it is.
It's so intertwined. It's so wired.
Yeah, it's so happens it's funny.
OK, Hamari Karma, you joke. Hey, internal joke.
(18:55):
Behave that sometimes Eon will just walk up to me and tell me
Mama, tell me what I'm thinking and I will just say it out loud.
Wow. Like he'd be like, how did you
know? How did you get that?
I was like, I just know you. So that happens a lot.
A lot. It's that intertwined, you know?
(19:15):
Yeah. What I'm what I'm very
interested to know. You know, you said even though
you didn't have a traditional support system while you were
bringing him up, you've said that both you and your partner
were deeply involved, making decisions together, staying
hands on. That's that's kind of rare even
(19:37):
in today's time. And how, how did you build that
kind of partnership when it comes to raising your child?
I think I'm just lucky that way and I think Ihan is very lucky
that he had such a devoted dad and Vishal is really, really
involved in every little thing that when it comes to Ihan, you
(20:01):
know. Smallest of the things from his
school projects to his uniform to his annual day to what he is
going to take, you know, in his Tiffin today to dropping him to
the bus stop to you know, what kind of friends he makes and you
know, who is he talking to? Not talking to everything.
(20:22):
And it's it's really heart warming to see them fight.
Sometimes they fight like crazy.They argue as if you know it's
not the 10 year old Ihan talking, it's suddenly he's just
like 2025. But is not far, yeah.
Yeah, I know. I'm sure it's not far, but it's
(20:42):
heartwarming. I get really worked out when I
see them arguing, like when theyfight over food, you know, like
siblings. They're like bickering over it
and it's like life like that. But I think that's where the
bonding is, right? And that's what I I think is
needed in a child's life where one parent can be the the friend
(21:06):
and the other parent is holding boundaries.
Of course, we keep switching roles.
You know, at times we, we have to, you know, good cop, bad cop.
That keeps happening. So yeah, that's the balancing
act that really works well. Yeah.
And do you feel like you've started to kind of find your
(21:26):
village now or at least a few people who hold you through this
journey, in this journey of parenting?
Not I don't know how to answer that honestly.
I think I would say the kind of people I've I've met at work or
(21:55):
through my podcasting, the people kind of people I've
connected with be psychologist, nutritionist, you know,
teachers. I've learnt a lot from them and
their stories. The so the shared experiences,
the shared journeys that I thinkhas has really helped, you know,
(22:16):
in, in making some choices for, for my child and of course, our
own journey, right, with our ownparents.
That also brings in a lot of learning and tells you what not
to do, what to do, you know, andwhat to carry forward what to
just, you know, where to break the cycle.
So a lot of that as well. Yeah, yeah.
And amidst everything else, Diksha, how do you find moments
(22:39):
that are just for you? Or is that still something that
you're figuring out? No, I've managed to find that.
So, and that's the reason why I'm a night out, because that's
the time when I get, you know, time for myself in the night.
So that's my time, my space. And I'm like, I'll just watch
some trash on TV or, you know, I'll just, you know, do some
(23:02):
unfinished business. I'll complete that or something
or the other. So yeah, that's the time when
I'm most productive, most active, and I'm, you know,
finishing up my work. Got it, Got it.
And was there a moment, maybe one of those hard days when you
felt completely overwhelmed and you know, that maybe, you know,
(23:25):
just put your hands up, overwhelmed that I can't do
this? What did that look like and how
did you move through it? Honestly, I keep counting my
blessings every day and I don't know what I would do with the
kind of, you know, support system that I have in place.
(23:47):
Yeah. You know, the, the cook who
comes to, you know, feed you onetime and the person who comes to
clean your house and keep thingsin order.
And even when I, you know, know what happens, right.
So I, I really, I'm very, very grateful for, for all the help
that they do for us. And of course, it gets very
(24:09):
overwhelming. Of course, you know, there are
there are days when you're you know, you're like you just throw
your hands up in the air and you're like bust then you're up.
And there used to be a time whenI would beat myself up to say,
why can't I figure this out? Why can't I do this?
You know, I don't anymore. I try not to beat myself up
(24:29):
anymore and I'll I'll be like, it's one of those days.
It's OK. Tomorrow's going to be better
then you Raj. I don't want to push myself
anymore. It's fine.
So it's a constant reminder thatyou you got to be kind to
yourself. You got to be gentle with
yourself. Some days it's fine.
(24:50):
In your, in your, you know, ideal world, what would a more
fair and just parenting world feel like when it comes to, at
least when it comes to corporatesetups?
You know, the day we start taking this for granted that
(25:12):
it's only a mother's job to raise a child is the day I think
we've won this battle. I mean, for example, if there
are there's a man in the boardroom and his son or
daughter is sick and he gets a call, he may not.
(25:33):
I'm. I'm sorry, I may be generalizing
it, but if the child is sick, yeah, the mother by default
would be, you know, staying backat home either out of guilt or
whatever. But it's not expected out of the
the dad to immediately drop everything and go, yeah, it's,
it's not the right example maybe, but.
(25:56):
It's not the norm. It may be.
Yeah, yeah. It's not expected.
It's not the default setting. I'm talking about the default
setting. I'm sure there are tons of dads
out there who are, you know, extremely doting and caring and
they would drop everything to rush back home.
But I'm saying it's not expected.
And even if they have to drop everything and go, the the team
(26:20):
would step up and, you know, fill in.
Yes. But if it's a woman, I don't
think that's going to happen. You know, it may not happen.
It may be, I don't know, frownedupon or it just maybe looked
upon as, oh, he's got those guys, those kind of remarks.
Because I'm speaking from experience.
(26:41):
Yeah, I obviously it's not a comment on anybody else.
I can't speak for anyone else, but it does happen.
Yeah. You know, So it's not taken very
kindly. It's expected from a woman to
balance everything. Yeah.
(27:03):
And then when we we say that it's not an equitable world,
then, you know, the whole narrative around feminism is
just thrown back in the face, which of course has just, I
think that entire definition, that entire conversation has
become so skewed and so misunderstood.
(27:27):
Probably another podcast. Yeah, we'll get to it.
Yeah. Yeah, coming back to you and
Ihan, sometimes I feel it's the smallest things that leave the
biggest mark. Is there a tiny moment or maybe
an incident from your parenting journey that has really shifted
(27:50):
something for you? I think one thing I was always
very clear on, I'm not sure if this is this answers your
question, but I was very, very clear on one thing that even if
you know, I'm raising a boy, a boy mother, it's actually my
responsibility actually towards the society and towards my own
(28:15):
family is a lot more. Right.
Because as mothers of boys, you know, we really, really got to
do this right. Yeah, I was very clear on that.
And so from from choosing the right school, you know, giving
(28:38):
him the kind of value system where he sees both of us, you
know, switching roles, say in the kitchen, for example, right.
Those small things make so much difference in shifting that
perception, shifting that narrative that OK, khana banana
serum, mahakaam nahin. Right.
(28:59):
Laundry karanasaram mamaka kaam nahi hai.
This is everybody's job, right? I remember once when COVID had
hit, COVID had hit in I think KGor something.
So the teacher was, you know, and he was, I think in yeah, KG
of grade one or very little. And the teacher was trying to
(29:21):
explain some concept. And she was like, you know, when
Mama is in the kitchen and chopping vegetables and I was
listening and I was like, OK, you know, this is how these
subtle, you know, examples, you know, just seed in that
stereotype in the minds of kids that Mama is supposed to be in
the kitchen and Daddy's supposedto be in the study and working.
(29:42):
So I wrote this huge lambast chora letter to the principal
without, you know, making it sound like a complaint, but as
feedback that, you know, this sensitization is very important.
Yeah. This is how we are, you know,
perpetuating gender stereotype. We, we can't have that.
(30:04):
And thankfully that was very well received.
And then they did this entire training for teachers and you
know, also, so those kind of things, you know, the small
little steps, these are I think very important where I, I feel
that, you know, that shift is happening every day at home.
Yeah, yeah. And I'm glad you brought that
(30:26):
up. I being a boy mom myself, you
know, that was that was kind of,I feel that responsibility.
Every day that. You know what, I will do it
right. And I don't know whether we are
burdening the boys. You know, sometimes I get caught
up in that, that we are burdening them.
But whatever it takes, you know,we got to make it right.
(30:49):
So just does Iman realize that there is something different
that is happening here or is it kind of normalized in his
circle? Also, does he does he see that
difference? See, honestly, we don't push him
for anything and I, I don't think we've had that level of
(31:13):
conversation yet where he would be able to see the difference.
Yeah, over here and, you know, at his friend's place.
Not yet maybe, but we are makingthese conscious choices for him
and for ourselves as well, right?
And I'm very clear on this one thing, and I've made this very
(31:36):
clear to my partner as well, that listen, I don't want him to
be raised with the sense of entitlement at all that I am a
boy, you know, because this is the starting of everything going
wrong, right? You know, with this whole
machoism and the toxic masculinity and all sorts of
(31:58):
things that are happening, this is where it all begins.
And it, it and the way especially sons and boys are
raised in the Indian setting, yes, it needs to change.
Yeah, that's very, very important.
Yeah, yeah, and Diksha, if you could go back and sit beside
(32:19):
your pre motherhood self, what would you say to her?
That's a very loaded question, Ithink.
(32:51):
I don't know what to say to her honestly.
I, I think I would just be very proud of her.
Wow. Yeah, because every mother
should be very proud of their journey.
It's not easy. It is damn difficult.
Whether you're a, you know, mother to one child or two
(33:13):
children or three children, it'sdifficult, full stop.
You know, and whether you have support system and, or you don't
have a support system, whether you're a single mother or you're
a, you're a couple, there are different challenges.
Yeah. With every parenting, with every
(33:34):
you know, child, there are different kinds of challenges.
Yeah. It's not easy.
You're responsible for another life.
Yes, it's a huge responsibility.To get it right is a lot of
pressure. Yeah.
So yeah, I would just say just be damn proud of what you're
doing, continue to do that and be kind to yourself.
(33:58):
How lovely is that? And I have my last question for
you, Diksha. If there's one thought or
insight that feels like your truth right now, something you'd
want to leave our listeners with, what would that?
Be I don't know. Oh wow.
(34:24):
I think put that damn phone down.
Now put that phone down. Seriously.
A child comes to you and they want to.
They want to ask you something. They want a hug.
They are just bothering you. They're bugging you.
They actually want to connect with you.
(34:45):
Just put the damn phone down. Trust me.
Yeah. Wow, thank you.
Thank you for saying that so simply.
And you know, I think we all need to hear that.
And Diksha, this has been such awonderful conversation.
(35:09):
Thank you for showing up here asyou are, for naming the guilt,
the imbalance, the stretch, the care, and the fierce love that
has shaped your journey. So much of what you've shared
today will sit gently in the hearts of our listeners and
maybe even make some feel a little less alone.
Thank you. Thank you for joining us.
(35:32):
Thank you so much, Neha. This was so good, you know,
having this conversation and I hope to all the expecting mums,
to all the mums who have been onthis journey, I really, really
hope that you have that safety net.
You have somebody by your side who you can cry on, you can
weep, you can, you know, laugh with and share these difficult
(35:53):
times with. I really hope that because it
can be very overwhelming and be very, very proud of yourself.
You've got it. Thank you once again and to
everyone tuning in, thank you for being here with us.
If something in this conversation moved you or made
(36:14):
you think of someone you love, do share this episode with them.
You can also follow, subscribe and leave us a little review.
It helps this community grow. Until next time, take gentle
care. Bye bye.
Become a very light sleeper. Yeah, like he he would turn, you
know, take a Karvadvi legato. I will.
I will wake up. Hello beautiful people, and
welcome back to Parenthood. I'm your host Neha Gurkh, and
(00:20):
every week we meet parents from all walks of life.
Parents who are brave enough to share their stories with
honesty, humour and heart. This isn't a podcast about
perfect parenting. It's about real people
navigating the beautiful, messy world of raising children while
also holding onto themselves. In today's episode, we'll be
(00:44):
speaking with Deeksha Sethi, an entrepreneur, a mother, and
someone who speaks with refreshing clarity about the
often invisible load that mothers carry.
Her journey into parenting hasn't been a linear one.
From navigating the overwhelmingearly years of motherhood in a
big city without a support system to becoming fiercely
(01:07):
aware of the motherhood penalty and advocating for equity for
mothers at home and at work, Diksha brings both vulnerability
and insight to this conversation.
So whether you are a parent yourself, thinking of becoming
one, or simply curious about what it really takes to show up
for your child while showing up for yourself, this one's for
(01:28):
you. Diksha, welcome to Parenthood
and thank you so much for being here.
Thank you so much Neha for beingso kind with your introduction.
You deserve it and more. I think all mothers do.
Yeah, that's true. That's true.
So let's begin somewhere light. If you had to pick just three
(01:48):
words to describe who you are, what would those 3 words be?
Oh wow, I always get stuck at this question.
I don't know how to describe myself.
I think this is my imposters in speaking, but I think I would
say curious. That's one.
(02:08):
I believe I'm a learner for life.
That's what has defined me, you know, so far.
I'm always curious to learn something new.
Wow, thinker. Yeah.
Maybe an over thinker. Yeah, yeah.
(02:31):
We are, we are just seeing the glimpses of that side of your
personality, right? Over thinker for sure.
Intuitive, yeah. Right now, tell us a little bit
about your family. Ihans name.
I, I think I just love the name.It's so beautiful.
(02:53):
What does it mean to start with and then tell us how he is as a
person? What makes him uniquely him?
Wow, so I still remember the story behind this name.
OK, because we had already started shortlisting names, one
for a boy, one for a girl, and Iwas not liking any boy names
(03:15):
whatsoever. I wanted something with an
Arabic origin. I'd already shortlisted a name
for a girl, but boys, kilometricwith Samajini, Allah.
It was such a struggle and I didn't want to keep anything
complicated, long, tongue twisting, none of that.
Something very simple, short andsweet and something unique.
And you know how the the cultureis in North Indian families,
(03:37):
they usually take out an alphabet and then you have to
choose a name with that as I don't want to go through any of
that because by the time that time comes, it's already 4045
days. And they, you know, the family
has already started to call the child with some pet name.
I didn't want that to happen in Munnar Chotu.
None of that. So like he decide karma, I am
(03:59):
Ajay and I just want to just stick to that and that's it.
So yeah, it was actually we crowd sourced the Dame.
So my office, Vishal's office, my husband.
So we invited, you know, suggestions from everywhere.
It's a Long story short. We looked through a lot of names
for boys and then this name cameup and I was like, you know,
(04:20):
this is perfect. This is small.
This is not difficult to pronounce.
Ihhan. It was very unique that time and
it means full moon. Oh.
Wow, so. Yeah.
So it it was just just perfect that I was like, OK, you know,
he's the light of going to be the light of our lives.
And yeah, it is. So then we just finalize the
(04:40):
name. And how is he like a person now?
He's how old is he now? 10 He's a big boy, yeah.
Very sensitive child. Very, very thoughtful.
Extremely loving. And yeah, I'm like a typical boy
(05:05):
sometimes as well. You know, he's super smart and
super chatty and he knows a lot of things already and very
curious and has a lot of questions to ask.
And he'll be like challenging you on every step and he'll make
you think and he'll make me go crazy sometimes.
So yeah, I mean, it's it's it's quite a ride having.
(05:26):
I'm sure, I'm sure. And you spoke about your Co
parenting journey with your partner.
It sounds like it's been a very shared experience.
What were what was that early season like stepping into
parenthood together? So, you know, initially I think
it was a lot of struggle. I would say it wasn't easy
(05:49):
stepping into parent parenthood for both of us because we knew
what we were getting into. And honestly, we were not
prepared mentally for what was coming ahead of us, you know,
because we knew our safety net is really thin, support system
is really weak. We stay away from the family.
And we were not in a position to, you know, leave our jobs,
(06:10):
uproot ourselves, go back home. None of that was possible at the
time. So, yeah, it was jittery,
honestly. And, you know, he obviously
understood that, you know, my career is important and there is
at no point there was a conversation in our house to say
that, you know, to drop to thereor, you know, make a choice
(06:33):
between this or that. There's never that conversation
in the house. So that was that was a good
thing, a very positive thing. And I think unless it's a
mother's choice to take a step back from her work and focus
completely on her child, it should never be forced.
Yeah. And I knew that even if I wanted
(06:56):
to leave work, I couldn't at thetime.
Yeah. So that I think that decision
was very neutral when we arrivedat it, that, OK, we've got to do
this together in whatever way wecan.
So we started looking around forhelp and.
And it was back in 2015 and maternity was only three months
(07:18):
back then. Wow.
No concept of working from home and remote work and, you know,
hybrid and none of that, none ofthat existed.
Either you're there or you're not there, you know.
So yeah, it was, it was nerve wrecking, honestly.
(07:38):
And of course initially because as as a baby, the, you know, the
mothers required more around thebaby.
So yeah, I, I did give majority of my time to, to my son.
I'm carrying a lot of guilt every day.
You know, when I went back to work, I still remember that day
when I, when I had to leave him behind with a nanny.
(08:03):
It was, I mean, I could not focus at work at all that day.
It was just so hard and the guilt would just, you know, eat
me inside. And I was like, I want to go
back. I just, I don't want to do this.
I, you know, but I made a choiceand I was like, OK, you know,
I've, I've got to calm down. I, I have to get through this.
(08:25):
And the only way through it is to go through it.
There is no shortcut, right? So.
Yeah. And, you know, something that
you've said is stayed with me, that you didn't have much of A
social life for the first five years of motherhood.
That level of isolation, I mean,you know, it's very hard to even
imagine. It's something many parents
(08:48):
feel, I think, but not many to talk about it.
How did you navigate that time? It was lonely.
It was very lonely. In fact, I could see the change
happening even during pregnancy,even though I was working till
the last day of, you know, before just a day before my
(09:10):
delivery, I chose to work until the very last day because
everything was normal. My health was OK.
So I was I was quite active thatway.
But I could see how, you know, obviously there are lots of
restrictions, you know, your body doesn't allow their mood
swings, their hormonal changes, and you don't feel like, and you
(09:31):
have to be cautious all the time.
And for me, I mean it, it just sort of came to a grinding halt,
you know, when my son was born, not that that I was very, very
social, but at least I had I hada choice to, you know, step out,
meet people or they could come over or whatever.
(09:51):
But yeah, that just completely stopped.
And it was lonely. It was very lonely.
And, you know, suddenly you realize that you know, your
friends circle, they're not, youknow, half of them are not even
married. And you're, you've become a
mother. You're at a very different stage
of life. You're at a very different stage
of life. You can't expect them to
(10:12):
understand what you're going through.
It's not going to happen. And I can say this now, but at
that time I felt really bad. I was like, you know, no, this
is not done, but I understand now.
You know, you, you evolve, you mature with time and you get it.
That OK, then they're not going to get it.
It's fine, you know. And yeah, I mean, I was back
(10:36):
home for 2 1/2 months with my mother, my parents.
So that, that was great help. But then when I came back to
Delhi, I had to join back work. It was very, very intimidating.
It was difficult. It was just work and home and
work and home and and that's it with no break, no breather, no
(11:01):
proper sleep, none of that. So but I do thank my stars we
found a good nanny. We found somebody who we could
trust. Thankfully, we, you know, we're
not very jaded parents. We knew technology.
We understood technology, so we could get that security system
(11:23):
at home. And, you know, thank God for for
all of this to be present in ourtimes that, you know, we can
make use of it. And there were cameras installed
and CCTV's everywhere. And we would like just, you
know, be there like a Hawkeye, you know, keeping a Hawkeye all
the time. What's happening, every moment,
everything would get notified, you know, So.
(11:45):
Yeah. Yeah, sounds, sounds very tough.
I'm, I'm just so glad that you came out of that.
How did you, how, how did it go from being a lonely journey to,
you know, discovering your social side again and
rediscovering? Did you, did you rediscover
that? But it of course it is limiting,
(12:08):
right? But then, then when the choices
are taken away from you, then itbecomes a different story.
Then it becomes really restricting and then it becomes
a little suffocating also that you want to just break free.
And, you know, there are days when you're feeling like, oh, I
would say I just want to drop everything and then run away
somewhere, right? That I'm sure a lot of mothers
(12:30):
feel that that frustration. But but yeah, it was
challenging. But, but thankfully I had work,
which I used as, you know, as a,as a respite, as as an escape
mechanism where I would meet people, I would speak to
somebody else, I'd get to, you know, have other human touch
(12:53):
points in my, my life. So yeah, that I think helps me,
you know, keep my sanity somewhere.
Right, and you said Ihan was born via C-section.
Would you be comfortable tellingus a little bit about that
experience? What do you remember most
vividly from that time? I remember everything actually,
(13:18):
as if it just happened yesterday.
Wow. Yeah, everything was normal in
my case. There really were no
complications, honestly. But the only thing was that his
head had not settled and he was still moving, like moving like,
you know, very vigorously moving.
And I was also, you know, cracking a joke saying that
(13:41):
they're a bunch of footballer. But yeah, so and because of
that, he was because he was moving, the umbilical cord got
stuck very tightly around his his neck.
And then so she was like, OK, you know, let's not take a
chance. Let's just go for AC SEC because
Lagni Raik is like a hoga. There seems to be a lot of gap
(14:01):
and he has plenty of room to play around and he seems to be
very mischievous. So let's just go and see.
I was like, fine, OK, so, so that's, that's what that's how
it happened. Everything was fine.
Were really no complications andthankfully, but yes, my recovery
was like, I think any, any mother would experience it.
(14:24):
It was. It was difficult, yeah.
It was painful and very overwhelming.
I would say very, very overwhelming.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. And if you had to close your
(14:44):
eyes and think of 1 moment, justone that feels like it holds the
whole parenting journey for you till now, what comes to mind?
You know, it's difficult to put just describe this in one
moment, but I remember once I think I was in the kitchen and I
(15:10):
was making something and just randomly Ihan just walks up to
me and says he just hugs me frombehind.
And he says, you know, I'm, I know being a mum is so
difficult, Mama, but I'm so proud of you.
And I was like, where is this coming from?
I mean, just, I just started bawling my eyes out and I was
(15:32):
like, OK, you know, this, this, this makes it all work great.
I'm doing something right. Yeah, yeah, you are.
You are. Yeah.
And what does life look like these days, as a parent, as a
professional, and as just? Oh, wow, life is actually, I
(15:55):
have no complaints, honestly, nocomplaints.
He's a, like I said, he's a sensible child, very sensitive,
very curious. And I'm glad that, you know,
there's a lot of room for open discussion in our house.
He's an avid reader, He reads a lot.
So he has he asks a lot of questions.
(16:15):
So, and we've also introduced him to certain books, which are,
you know, age appropriate books like preteens and, you know,
sexual education and all sorts of things.
So he's read them up and he willask questions and there are very
open conversations in our house about, you know, where do babies
come from, what you know about genitals, about good touch, bad
(16:37):
touch, you know, all sorts of things.
And I think it's, it's very, very important to to guide
children at the right time. Yeah.
Because there is so much information out there.
There is so much out there whichcan just go wrong.
Yeah. And before it's too late, it's
just so important to channel that energy in the right way.
(17:01):
Yeah, yeah. And tell us a little about your
work. What does your day-to-day life
look like now? Or how do you space for both
work and parenting? Go to Patani.
I I really have no idea who Kaise who are Kaise Kiya.
But like I said, you know, all thanks to the kind of times we
(17:23):
live in, there is ample support that you can hire, you know, you
can line up for yourself. And that I think is a is a huge
blessing, which we just sort of,you know, really underestimate
that time. So, you know, the school, the
daycare, the crashes that are, you know, available around us
(17:46):
all. Thanks to all that kind of
infrastructure and the facilities that we have, you
know, we can safely leave our children there and, you know, go
back to work for four hours, five hours and get come back to
them, you know, when they need us.
So I I don't know how our mothers did it.
Yeah, they. They didn't have any of this
back then. So yeah, we're we're really
(18:08):
blessed. Yeah, and I often find that
becoming a parent kind of rearranges us, not just our
teens, but something more internal.
Have you felt that too? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
I think I, I've become a very light sleeper.
Yeah. Like he, he would turn, you
(18:34):
know, take a caravan. Be like that.
I will. I will wake up.
It's that, you know, instinctiveas a mother.
Yeah. I may sound like a like a total
helicopter mom, but but that's how it is.
It's so intertwined. It's so wired.
Yeah, it's so happens it's funny.
OK, Hamari Karma, you joke. Hey, internal joke.
(18:55):
Behave that sometimes Eon will just walk up to me and tell me
Mama, tell me what I'm thinking and I will just say it out loud.
Wow. Like he'd be like, how did you
know? How did you get that?
I was like, I just know you. So that happens a lot.
A lot. It's that intertwined, you know?
(19:15):
Yeah. What I'm what I'm very
interested to know. You know, you said even though
you didn't have a traditional support system while you were
bringing him up, you've said that both you and your partner
were deeply involved, making decisions together, staying
hands on. That's that's kind of rare even
(19:37):
in today's time. And how, how did you build that
kind of partnership when it comes to raising your child?
I think I'm just lucky that way and I think Ihan is very lucky
that he had such a devoted dad and Vishal is really, really
involved in every little thing that when it comes to Ihan, you
(20:01):
know. Smallest of the things from his
school projects to his uniform to his annual day to what he is
going to take, you know, in his Tiffin today to dropping him to
the bus stop to you know, what kind of friends he makes and you
know, who is he talking to? Not talking to everything.
(20:22):
And it's it's really heart warming to see them fight.
Sometimes they fight like crazy.They argue as if you know it's
not the 10 year old Ihan talking, it's suddenly he's just
like 2025. But is not far, yeah.
Yeah, I know. I'm sure it's not far, but it's
(20:42):
heartwarming. I get really worked out when I
see them arguing, like when theyfight over food, you know, like
siblings. They're like bickering over it
and it's like life like that. But I think that's where the
bonding is, right? And that's what I I think is
needed in a child's life where one parent can be the the friend
(21:06):
and the other parent is holding boundaries.
Of course, we keep switching roles.
You know, at times we, we have to, you know, good cop, bad cop.
That keeps happening. So yeah, that's the balancing
act that really works well. Yeah.
And do you feel like you've started to kind of find your
(21:26):
village now or at least a few people who hold you through this
journey, in this journey of parenting?
Not I don't know how to answer that honestly.
I think I would say the kind of people I've I've met at work or
(21:55):
through my podcasting, the people kind of people I've
connected with be psychologist, nutritionist, you know,
teachers. I've learnt a lot from them and
their stories. The so the shared experiences,
the shared journeys that I thinkhas has really helped, you know,
(22:16):
in, in making some choices for, for my child and of course, our
own journey, right, with our ownparents.
That also brings in a lot of learning and tells you what not
to do, what to do, you know, andwhat to carry forward what to
just, you know, where to break the cycle.
So a lot of that as well. Yeah, yeah.
And amidst everything else, Diksha, how do you find moments
(22:39):
that are just for you? Or is that still something that
you're figuring out? No, I've managed to find that.
So, and that's the reason why I'm a night out, because that's
the time when I get, you know, time for myself in the night.
So that's my time, my space. And I'm like, I'll just watch
some trash on TV or, you know, I'll just, you know, do some
(23:02):
unfinished business. I'll complete that or something
or the other. So yeah, that's the time when
I'm most productive, most active, and I'm, you know,
finishing up my work. Got it, Got it.
And was there a moment, maybe one of those hard days when you
felt completely overwhelmed and you know, that maybe, you know,
(23:25):
just put your hands up, overwhelmed that I can't do
this? What did that look like and how
did you move through it? Honestly, I keep counting my
blessings every day and I don't know what I would do with the
kind of, you know, support system that I have in place.
(23:47):
Yeah. You know, the, the cook who
comes to, you know, feed you onetime and the person who comes to
clean your house and keep thingsin order.
And even when I, you know, know what happens, right.
So I, I really, I'm very, very grateful for, for all the help
that they do for us. And of course, it gets very
(24:09):
overwhelming. Of course, you know, there are
there are days when you're you know, you're like you just throw
your hands up in the air and you're like bust then you're up.
And there used to be a time whenI would beat myself up to say,
why can't I figure this out? Why can't I do this?
You know, I don't anymore. I try not to beat myself up
(24:29):
anymore and I'll I'll be like, it's one of those days.
It's OK. Tomorrow's going to be better
then you Raj. I don't want to push myself
anymore. It's fine.
So it's a constant reminder thatyou you got to be kind to
yourself. You got to be gentle with
yourself. Some days it's fine.
(24:50):
In your, in your, you know, ideal world, what would a more
fair and just parenting world feel like when it comes to, at
least when it comes to corporatesetups?
You know, the day we start taking this for granted that
(25:12):
it's only a mother's job to raise a child is the day I think
we've won this battle. I mean, for example, if there
are there's a man in the boardroom and his son or
daughter is sick and he gets a call, he may not.
(25:33):
I'm. I'm sorry, I may be generalizing
it, but if the child is sick, yeah, the mother by default
would be, you know, staying backat home either out of guilt or
whatever. But it's not expected out of the
the dad to immediately drop everything and go, yeah, it's,
it's not the right example maybe, but.
(25:56):
It's not the norm. It may be.
Yeah, yeah. It's not expected.
It's not the default setting. I'm talking about the default
setting. I'm sure there are tons of dads
out there who are, you know, extremely doting and caring and
they would drop everything to rush back home.
But I'm saying it's not expected.
And even if they have to drop everything and go, the the team
(26:20):
would step up and, you know, fill in.
Yes. But if it's a woman, I don't
think that's going to happen. You know, it may not happen.
It may be, I don't know, frownedupon or it just maybe looked
upon as, oh, he's got those guys, those kind of remarks.
Because I'm speaking from experience.
(26:41):
Yeah, I obviously it's not a comment on anybody else.
I can't speak for anyone else, but it does happen.
Yeah. You know, So it's not taken very
kindly. It's expected from a woman to
balance everything. Yeah.
(27:03):
And then when we we say that it's not an equitable world,
then, you know, the whole narrative around feminism is
just thrown back in the face, which of course has just, I
think that entire definition, that entire conversation has
become so skewed and so misunderstood.
(27:27):
Probably another podcast. Yeah, we'll get to it.
Yeah. Yeah, coming back to you and
Ihan, sometimes I feel it's the smallest things that leave the
biggest mark. Is there a tiny moment or maybe
an incident from your parenting journey that has really shifted
(27:50):
something for you? I think one thing I was always
very clear on, I'm not sure if this is this answers your
question, but I was very, very clear on one thing that even if
you know, I'm raising a boy, a boy mother, it's actually my
responsibility actually towards the society and towards my own
(28:15):
family is a lot more. Right.
Because as mothers of boys, you know, we really, really got to
do this right. Yeah, I was very clear on that.
And so from from choosing the right school, you know, giving
(28:38):
him the kind of value system where he sees both of us, you
know, switching roles, say in the kitchen, for example, right.
Those small things make so much difference in shifting that
perception, shifting that narrative that OK, khana banana
serum, mahakaam nahin. Right.
(28:59):
Laundry karanasaram mamaka kaam nahi hai.
This is everybody's job, right? I remember once when COVID had
hit, COVID had hit in I think KGor something.
So the teacher was, you know, and he was, I think in yeah, KG
of grade one or very little. And the teacher was trying to
(29:21):
explain some concept. And she was like, you know, when
Mama is in the kitchen and chopping vegetables and I was
listening and I was like, OK, you know, this is how these
subtle, you know, examples, you know, just seed in that
stereotype in the minds of kids that Mama is supposed to be in
the kitchen and Daddy's supposedto be in the study and working.
(29:42):
So I wrote this huge lambast chora letter to the principal
without, you know, making it sound like a complaint, but as
feedback that, you know, this sensitization is very important.
Yeah. This is how we are, you know,
perpetuating gender stereotype. We, we can't have that.
(30:04):
And thankfully that was very well received.
And then they did this entire training for teachers and you
know, also, so those kind of things, you know, the small
little steps, these are I think very important where I, I feel
that, you know, that shift is happening every day at home.
Yeah, yeah. And I'm glad you brought that
(30:26):
up. I being a boy mom myself, you
know, that was that was kind of,I feel that responsibility.
Every day that. You know what, I will do it
right. And I don't know whether we are
burdening the boys. You know, sometimes I get caught
up in that, that we are burdening them.
But whatever it takes, you know,we got to make it right.
(30:49):
So just does Iman realize that there is something different
that is happening here or is it kind of normalized in his
circle? Also, does he does he see that
difference? See, honestly, we don't push him
for anything and I, I don't think we've had that level of
(31:13):
conversation yet where he would be able to see the difference.
Yeah, over here and, you know, at his friend's place.
Not yet maybe, but we are makingthese conscious choices for him
and for ourselves as well, right?
And I'm very clear on this one thing, and I've made this very
(31:36):
clear to my partner as well, that listen, I don't want him to
be raised with the sense of entitlement at all that I am a
boy, you know, because this is the starting of everything going
wrong, right? You know, with this whole
machoism and the toxic masculinity and all sorts of
(31:58):
things that are happening, this is where it all begins.
And it, it and the way especially sons and boys are
raised in the Indian setting, yes, it needs to change.
Yeah, that's very, very important.
Yeah, yeah, and Diksha, if you could go back and sit beside
(32:19):
your pre motherhood self, what would you say to her?
That's a very loaded question, Ithink.
(32:51):
I don't know what to say to her honestly.
I, I think I would just be very proud of her.
Wow. Yeah, because every mother
should be very proud of their journey.
It's not easy. It is damn difficult.
Whether you're a, you know, mother to one child or two
(33:13):
children or three children, it'sdifficult, full stop.
You know, and whether you have support system and, or you don't
have a support system, whether you're a single mother or you're
a, you're a couple, there are different challenges.
Yeah. With every parenting, with every
(33:34):
you know, child, there are different kinds of challenges.
Yeah. It's not easy.
You're responsible for another life.
Yes, it's a huge responsibility.To get it right is a lot of
pressure. Yeah.
So yeah, I would just say just be damn proud of what you're
doing, continue to do that and be kind to yourself.
(33:58):
How lovely is that? And I have my last question for
you, Diksha. If there's one thought or
insight that feels like your truth right now, something you'd
want to leave our listeners with, what would that?
Be I don't know. Oh wow.
(34:24):
I think put that damn phone down.
Now put that phone down. Seriously.
A child comes to you and they want to.
They want to ask you something. They want a hug.
They are just bothering you. They're bugging you.
They actually want to connect with you.
(34:45):
Just put the damn phone down. Trust me.
Yeah. Wow, thank you.
Thank you for saying that so simply.
And you know, I think we all need to hear that.
And Diksha, this has been such awonderful conversation.
(35:09):
Thank you for showing up here asyou are, for naming the guilt,
the imbalance, the stretch, the care, and the fierce love that
has shaped your journey. So much of what you've shared
today will sit gently in the hearts of our listeners and
maybe even make some feel a little less alone.
Thank you. Thank you for joining us.
(35:32):
Thank you so much, Neha. This was so good, you know,
having this conversation and I hope to all the expecting mums,
to all the mums who have been onthis journey, I really, really
hope that you have that safety net.
You have somebody by your side who you can cry on, you can
weep, you can, you know, laugh with and share these difficult
(35:53):
times with. I really hope that because it
can be very overwhelming and be very, very proud of yourself.
You've got it. Thank you once again and to
everyone tuning in, thank you for being here with us.
If something in this conversation moved you or made
(36:14):
you think of someone you love, do share this episode with them.
You can also follow, subscribe and leave us a little review.
It helps this community grow. Until next time, take gentle
care. Bye bye.
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