The Woman Next Door

The side of motherhood that doesn’t make it to Instagram.We sat down to talk about nutrition. What unfolded was something far more important.In this episode I sit down with my dear friend Sudarshana, a Product Manager turned Nutritionist — opens up about her high anxiety pregnancy, the invisible toll on a new mother’s body and mind, and the rage that nobody warned her about.It wasn’t the tearful sadness we associate with PPD. It was an intense, frightening rage — thoughts that scared her — that made her pick up the phone and call her therapist.We talk about the invisible mother, paternal PPD, the floating road to recovery and why even 0.5% of doubt is enough reason to reach out.Her words: “You owe it to yourself. Don’t wait.”And mine: Seek support shamelessly. Don’t let your ego come in the way.  Because happy mothers raise happy children. Struggling with postpartum depression? Reach out to iCall India at 9152987821. You are not alone.

What does it actually mean to be a modern Indian woman? Is it the clothes you wear? The rituals you skip? The traditions you follow?In this episode I want to challenge that conversation. Because modern doesn’t mean defiance. Modern means informed. And traditional doesn’t mean blind. Traditional means rooted.I share some of the most personal moments from my own life — a ritual at my wedding I laughed through, a ceremony I researched before agreeing to, a surname we chose that belongs to neither me nor my husband, a fast I don’t keep but a festival I never miss.And a mother who looked at the word Kanyadan — the giving away of a daughter — and said: why would I give you away? You are still mine.This one is for every Indian woman quietly navigating the space between who she was raised to be and who she is choosing to become. 

What does it take to walk away from a stable paycheck and follow your creative passion? In this episode, we sit down with Adrisha, a former business analyst turned full-time DJ on the Bangalore underground music circuit. She opens up about the slow-burn moment that changed everything, how she taught herself to DJ, navigating financial uncertainty, and why having the right support system made all the difference. If you’ve ever felt the pull of something bigger, this one’s for you.​​​​​​​​​​​​

What happens when you grow up not fitting the beauty standard? Not the Kamal Nain. Not the fair complexion. Not the lead in the school dance performance.In this episode I share something I have never spoken about publicly — growing up being called China Gate, hearing cute but rarely beautiful, and the moment on my wedding day when I finally learned that what I had been apologising for my whole life had a name.I also talk about why India’s obsession with female facial beauty runs so deep — from our ancient texts to British colonialism to Bollywood. This conversation is 2000 years old. And it’s time we had it honestly.This one is personal. Raw. And I have a feeling it will resonate.Because somewhere out there is a girl who was never called the beautiful one. This episode is for her!

We grew up on DDLJ. On Kasauti Zindagi Ki. On heroes who moved mountains and women who waited gracefully. Nobody handed us a manual — but somehow we all received the same blueprint. Education. Job. Husband’s home. In that order.In this episode I share my personal journey of questioning that blueprint. From a 9th grade girl in UP asking her father “then what?” — to witnessing empowered women in Gujarat who showed me there was another way — to refusing to shrink for an alliance, pursuing my MBA, moving cities, and marrying the man I chose at 30.This one is personal. And I have a feeling it will resonate.Because somewhere between the movies we watched and the lives we were expected to live — most of us never stopped to ask:Whose blueprint are you living? And is it actually yours? 

Nobody asked us to be the second mother. Nobody sat us down and said — you’re the elder one, so you’re responsible. It just happened. Quietly, gradually, and so naturally that we didn’t even notice.In this episode I sit down with my dear friend Anusha — also an elder daughter — and we talk about something that doesn’t get spoken about enough. The weight of being first. The invisible responsibility. The moment you realised your sibling is an individual perfectly capable of making their own mistakes. And the guilt of letting go.This one is for every elder daughter who has been everything to everyone — and is still figuring out how to just be herself. 

In our debut guest episode, Anukrity sits down with Aditi, a "rockstar entrepreneur" who has spent over a decade navigating the Indian business landscape. From helping with her family’s business to founding Sticky Pins and her fragrance and personal care brand Avyu, Aditi gets candid about the "greener grass" on the corporate side, the exhaustion of motherhood, and why being a "woman entrepreneur" should eventually just mean being an "entrepreneur."

Imagine a boardroom with high-stakes decisions. Who did you picture? If they were all men in suits - you’re not alone. This episode is about why women say ‘we did it’ while men say ‘I did it,’ and what that pattern costs us over decades. From cameras-off in meetings to apologizing before speaking, we’re making ourselves invisible. And visibility leads to sponsorship, advocacy, and promotions. I’m still learning to say ‘I’ - join me in figuring this out.Data source: McKinsey & Company - Women in the Workplace 2025 (India)

Right when something good is happening in life, a voice appears and whispers: Are you sure you deserve this?In this episode of The Woman Next Door, I reflect on the inner critic that made me doubt myself for years — from career moments to creative dreams.If you’ve ever delayed something because you felt you weren’t good enough, this one’s for you.

Happy Women’s Day! This one’s a fun one.In this episode, we’re ditching the heavy inspiration and celebrating something better — our quirks. The clichés about Indian women that we joke about, roll our eyes at, and then immediately recognise in ourselves.From “I’m almost ready” taking 45 minutes, to packing for a weekend like we’re relocating, to running three grocery apps simultaneously to save 15 rupees — we’re diving into all of it. With a lot of laughter and zero judgement.Because these aren’t flaws. They’re survival skills.If you’re an Indian woman juggling everything at once — this episode is for you. Listen in, laugh a little, and enjoy your Sunday.Happy Women’s Day. You deserve it. 🌸Drop a comment and tell me — do you prefer longer episodes or a crisp 15-minute one? I’d love to hear from you.

It's Saturday morning and I'm irritated - but I can't pinpoint why. A misplaced towel? Toys on the floor? Turns out, it's neither. It's the exhaustion of being the household CEO all week, even with all the help in the world. If you've ever felt weekend irritation you couldn't explain, or wondered why you're tired when you 'have so much help' - this one's for you. Spoiler: you're not overreacting.

At 4 AM, feeding my baby for the third time that night, I remembered something I’d completely forgotten: the little girl who used to practice interviews in the mirror.