GupShup with Namita Moolani Mehra
Motherhood changes you. It lands you on a slippery surface, where you struggle to hold onto the life you lived before the baby’s arrival. Reorganizing lifestyle is essential.
For some this rearrangement of priorities can lead to a crisis of identity. While others, add in modifiers and embrace their new identity.
Namita Moolani Mehra is an inspiring example of how women, by adding the ‘and’ instead of the ‘or’ to their caps, can continue to have a successful career and be a present mom.
“I had a very demanding corporate job at Facebook. I didn’t want to pump on a plane and I couldn’t find the strength to leave my son behind. I found myself in an attachment-style of parenting. So I decided to start something of my own. That is when I launched the Indian Spicebox.”
Her story did not end there. Having lived in various countries and exposed to many cultures, two things that Namita picked up on the way, was her love for food and the stories from everyday situations.
(GupShup with Namita Moolani Mehra: Part 1)
From being the owner of Indian Spicebox to becoming a children’s book author was an organic process. In no time the flavors and colors of the Indian spices soon translated into her first book ‘The Magic Spicebox’. This was followed by ‘Superfood for Superheroes’ in 2020 and ‘Anni Dreams of Biryani’ in 2022.
“There were no picture books of little brown girls on the cover. I wanted to be a part of that movement, of inclusion, of representation, of bringing characters into the world that our children can connect with.”
The author enjoys the opportunities she gets to meet and interact with children and is grateful for the love and respect she receives from them.
(GupShup with Namita Moolani Mehra: Part 2)
However, the journey isn’t one without hiccups – whether it is as a woman entrepreneur, a writer’s block, or motherhood. Each one is a uniquely unpredictable path.
While Namita adapts an approach of openness to grow, learn, get better, and keep growing, the key differentiator for her is her entrepreneur circle, which provides her a platform to learn and share.
Watch our full GupShup with Namita Moolani Mehra.
