Chocolate and Spice: Two Brown Women Talk

Kid's schooling can be a hard area to decide. Public, private, Montessori… plus a curveball: a new “Montessorium” program that blends classic Montessori with a two‑hour AI‑powered learning model. Today, we share the pros, cons, money math, and the emotional side of selecting school for our kids—how it feels to be a working parent trying to make a good decision without falling into the comparison trap.We'll talk about how re...

Today we’re diving into perimenopause and menopause. We'll talk about symptoms and diagnosis, age at which it starts, discrimination women often face, support women need, how exercise and sleep help and how hormone therapy may help. We are so excited for today’s guest: Miranda Zuhlke, a certified Physician Assistant and menopause specialist with the North American Menopause Society. She supports women through hormone therapy, r...

We're diving into one of the most personal, often polarizing questions in parenting: Do you want a second child? we both have one child each. But we’ve landed in very different places about whether we wanted another. We talk openly about what influenced those choices: our upbringing, secondary infertility, our capacity, our mental load, the cultural pressure we feel as brown women, and how much of this comes from what we were taugh...

Pets are amazing. Having a dog or any pet is a huge gift. Today, we're talking about how getting a rescue dog changed our lives. We cover not only the advantages of having a dog, but also the process of getting one. Especially, if you've never had a pet before, this episode gives tips on navigating the journey of getting one.

Rescue or shelter pets are particularly vulnerable and need so much of our love and help. We talk about tha...

Today we're talking money from an introvert and extrovert's perspectives. Money management is a critical skill we all need. That said, we all approach money differently. Some like to spend more than the others! Join us as we get into the psychology of why and how we developed different approaches to saving and spending and what we think are the best ways to handle our finances.For more behind-the-scenes, photos and blogs, v...

Whether it’s a local book club, an online group chat, or even your neighborhood block party—communities are what give life richness. Today, we’re talking about the why, how, and what of building communities that truly matter. CIF or Cambrian Indian Families is a thriving, family-oriented community in the Bay Area, California.We are thrilled to welcome Priti, who’s one of the core admins of CIF—a community so vibrant it now has offs...

We were clueless cooks and learned cooking after our respective marriages! But once we got a hang of cooking, we went all in. From home cooked meals everyday to creative cooking to meal prep to cooking for fussy toddlers and teenagers, we've been through it all. Today, we talk about what helped us learn and start enjoying cooking and why we started but gave up on meal prep. Plus, some chats on food habits and healthy eating as ...

Our guest, Divya, was born and brought up in the US, making her a first-generation American. Her parents moved to the US from India. Today, we’re exploring what it means to navigate spaces as someone who's simultaneously 100% American and 100% Indian.

From the pressure of being the family's "first everything" to the unique advantages that come with this experience, we're getting real about the beautiful complexity of first-generati...

Check out GenZ's questions on relationship building! Today we cover topics on relationship such as dating, love and marriage. 19 years old GenZ is asking us questions on arranged marriage and how long-term relationships work. We go deep into love marriage, relevance of arranged marriage in Indian culture and how different personalities work together in marriage. Don't miss this thoughtful and fun episode! #marriage #dating #arrange...

Self-care is important, and an important life lesson we've learned as working moms. We share how we prioritize self-care, how we find growth opportunities through new learnings and hobbies and why self-improvement often comes from taking a pause and resting. As working moms, we make sure to take care of self by finding rituals and fun time and creating boundaries. Let's dive deep into how we can create happiness by prioritizing sel...

What does it really mean to be “a good daughter”? Where does people pleasing start - and how do we begin to unlearn it?

In this episode of Chocolate and Spice - Two Brown Women Talk, we explore the quiet epidemic of people pleasing - how it’s shaped by culture, gender roles, and childhood expectations, especially in South Asian families.

🎙️ Neha opens up about her journey as a recovering people pleaser, and Nidhi shares what helped ...

Nicole, our guest, shares her difficult journey through trauma and pain. Going through a traumatic experience early in her life, Nicole had to deal with mental health issues related to survivor's guilt that left her feeling alone and in pain for a more than a decade. Therapy, meditation, inner work, spirituality and friends helped her heal. Today, she is a strong advocate for support for trauma patients and helps by bravely sharing...

Style ideas, outfit inspiration and dressing for confidence, we're covering all about fashion! We share dressing ideas for petites, and for women in 30s and 40s and beyond in this fashion blog. Our podcast episode is all about dressing for yourself, feeling confident in your outfit and how we figured the best styles for our body types. #styleinspo #thredup #fashion #antiaging Check out this podcast and let us know what you think! S...

Sustainability is stylish! Our podcast has easy tips for eco-friendly style, thrifting + reuse and recycle ideas. We share sustainable outfit, eco-friendly toys, vintage decor and thrifted furniture. In this podcast, we discuss thrifting or second hand buys, sustainable fabric, limiting consumerism and why global warming is a real danger to next generation. Both sisters care for the environment, we are climate optimists and follow ...

Are you terrible at making friends? Are you an introvert who struggles with finding new friends? Do you have no social network? Do you want friendship? Do you like being alone?Chocolate and Spice talk about friendship in this episode--particularly, the art of making new friends. Whether you're an introvert like Neha ("I can sometimes feel alone when I am surrounded by too many people, even people I know.") or an extro...

Society has us all think aging is some kind of problem that must be solved. Why, though?

It is the most inevitable thing in life. And yet, there are milestones in our lives like turning 30 or 40 which definitely makes you realize you are getting older. Signs are there for all to see!

From skincare to soul care, from fine lines to big life shifts, both of us sisters have had very different experiences — and we’re bringing it all her...