That's Total Mom Sense

There's no hood like parenthood. Kanika Chadda Gupta, a seasoned CNN television journalist, podcaster, and mother of three (including twins), aims to give credit where it's often overlooked - the lasting impact of living your purpose and modeling that for the next generation. She hosts the popular podcast That's Total Mom Sense, where she interviews public figures on their life lessons, parenting journey, and legacy. Guests include Chelsea Clinton, Kelly Rowland, Bobbi Brown, America Ferrera, Daphne Oz, Sarah Harden, Rebecca Minkoff, Reshma Saujani, and Shannon Lee. She has worked in partnership with the March of Dimes, Mom 2.0, Mother Honestly, and the White House. Her show garnered over 1 million digital streams last year and Kanika has been featured in Forbes and on ABC, NBC, Fox, and Thrive Global.

Old feed (please disregard) 12/12/2023

Michelle Brandriss: Leveling up a Label Making Brand 11/16/2023

Anita Chatterjee: Bringing Your A-Game Through Public Relations 11/10/2023

In Loving Memory: Navigating Pregnancy & Infant Loss with March of Dimes 10/26/2023

Farnoosh Torabi: Transforming Fear into Your Superpower 10/12/2023

Dr. Cara Natterson & Vanessa Kroll Bennett: Making Puberty Less Awkward 10/05/2023

Fran Hauser: Unmasking Your Inner Nice Girl & Feeling Empowered in Your Career 09/28/2023

MOM 2.0: The Power of Community to Drive Change 09/21/2023

MOM 2.0: The Role of Prominent Black Voices in Education for Anti-Racism 09/14/2023

MOM 2.0: Fame, Family, & Fashion 09/07/2023

MOM 2.0: Marketing, Media, & Motherhood in the Digital Age 08/31/2023

Rachna Narwekar: Using Visual Guides for Emotional Regulation, Organization, & Early Learning 08/24/2023

Annika Sharma: Spilling the Chai on Publishing a Book Series, Motherhood, & Mental Health 08/17/2023

Dr. Allie Ticktin: Teaching Kids to Thrive Through Sensory Play 08/10/2023

Chloe Trijullo: Art & Soul - Using Creativity to Inform Your Life’s Work 08/03/2023

Priti Tanna: Weaving her South Asian Roots into a Bi-Cultural Identity 07/27/2023

Neha Ruch: Embracing Career Breaks & Shifts During Parenthood 07/20/2023

Dr. Matt Zakreski: Unlocking Potential — Understanding & Supporting Gifted Children 07/13/2023

Kaitlin Soule: Becoming "A Little Less of a Hot Mess" as a Parent of Multiples 07/06/2023

Bhavna Shyamalan: Trusting Your Sixth Sense and Helping Humanity (Replay) 06/29/2023

Bhavna Shyamalan: Trusting Your Sixth Sense and Helping Humanity (Replay) 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 be fans of Saleka, his daughter who is a singer songwriter and wrote an original song for his recent release, Old, with a voice smooth as silk reminiscent of old school R&B. But today, I’m honored to interview M. Night’s wife, Bhavna Vaswani Shyamalan, who is the silent strength of the family and is the glue who is keeping it all together. For more than 15 years, Bhavna Shyamalan, PhD, has served in her role as co-founder and vice-president of the M. Night Shyamalan Foundation. The foundation focuses on discovering and supporting grassroots leaders around the world who are moving depressed communities out of poverty and oppression. These global leaders are empowering their communities by supporting social justice, equality, and access to basic needs such as food, water, and education. A deep belief in human-dignity and freedom as a birthright, as well as in our joint responsibility to become participants in the fight for social equity and justice, have been Dr. Shyamalan’s driving force in creating and steering the efforts of the foundation. With an international upbringing and global perspective, Dr. Shyamalan has developed a keen awareness of the power of poverty to determine the life course of individuals, families, and communities by severely limiting opportunity and choice. The foundation leaders work to eliminate those barriers. More recently, Dr. Shyamalan has focused her foundation on helping the most disenfranchised communities; the forgotten and “disposable’ people entrapped and exploited by modern day slavery and human trafficking. Although born in India, Bhavna was raised in Hong Kong before her family moved to the U.S. An immigrant herself, Dr. Shyamalan is keenly aware of the challenges posed to immigrants in any new country. Having travelled widely, however, her exposure to different people and cultures has not only reinforced her belief in the gift diversity brings, but also deepened her commitment to valuing each individual life. Dr. Shyamalan oversees the foundation’s international grants, the implementation of its vision and mission, strategic growth, fundraising, and overall operations. Additionally, DR. B (as she is known in the fitness world) is co-owner at Vibe Vault Fit, a boutique fitness & wellness studio in PA, and has been teaching Dance Fitness classes since 2011. Dr.B’s believes working out can be inspired, and should address health and fitness in all aspects, including body, mind, spirit. In addition to teaching dance fitness classes, Dr. B also manages the “mind” and “spirit” side of Vibe Vault Fit, running workshops, and talking about how to uplift our lives through the Vibe Vault Fit podcasts and blogs. Her vision for Vibe Vault Fit is to promote a warm community, that will walk together toward a healthier, more fulfilling, and extraordinary life. Dr. B sees wellness, like happiness, as a mindset. Her goal is to help you make your own wellness a priority and claim the life that is waiting for you. Earlier in her career, Dr. Shyamalan worked as a therapist in the counseling centers of Swarthmore College and St. Joseph’s University. She earned her doctorate in Clinical Developmental Psychology from Bryn Mawr College and her B.A. in psychology from New York University. Meet My Guest: WEBSITE: WEBSITE: FACEBOOK: /episode/index/show/thatstotalmomsense/id/27456276

Shannon Lee: Leading A Legacy (Replay) 06/22/2023

Shannon Lee: Leading A Legacy (Replay) 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 what living is all about. Today, I am joined by a woman who lives by this philosophy more than anyone I know. She is Shannon Emery Lee. She’s famously known as Bruce Lee’s daughter but she is SO much more than that and is carving her path and place in this world in such an authentic way. Across the globe, billions revere her father who made his mark as an incredibly talented martial artist, filmmaker, actor, and philosopher. But to her, he was simply Dad. To say she had big shoes to fill is an understatement, and to think her father’s shoes were never worn again when he died at the age of 32 and little Shannon was just 4 years old. Shannon has been a keen martial artist throughout life in her own way. She’s also an American singer, actress, producer and entrepreneur. After her father’s death, her mother Linda Lee Cadwell left Hong Kong and raised her in California along with her brother Brandon Lee, who also died far too young during an accident while shooting for a film. People tried to tell her that acting was not good for the family but Shannon decided to maintain the legacy of her father and learned martial arts from his students. She then made her debut into film and TV with movies like Enter the Eagles and Martial Law. She endeavours to preserve and promote her father’s legacy as the president of the Bruce Lee Foundation and Bruce Lee Enterprises. Her book Be Water, My Friend pays homage to her father’s life and teachings, and her most important role is being a dedicated mother to her daughter Wren. Welcome to the show, Shannon! Let’s bow in ceremoniously to this interview so that we are both aware and present. Meet My Guest: INSTAGRAM: /episode/index/show/thatstotalmomsense/id/27456246

Ian Kerner: How to Have Your Best Sex Life (Replay) 06/15/2023

Daniella Monet: Are You Ready to Go Plant-Based? (Replay) 06/08/2023

Dr. Simran Sethi: Skincare SOS — Rescuing Your Skin from Common Issues 06/01/2023

The Asia Society: South Asian Trailblazers Commemorate AAPI Heritage Month 05/25/2023

Taking a Pause for #IRL Events and Motherhood and Gearing up for Exciting To Come 05/18/2023

Lisa Ray: Close to the Bone and Stories From the Heart (Replay) 05/11/2023

Lisa Ray: Close to the Bone and Stories From the Heart (Replay) 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 while on vacation in India and went on to become not only one of the most successful cover models and celebrities in India but also an acclaimed, award-winning actress who starred in Canada’s Oscar nominated film, Water, amongst other prestigious credits. Named one of the ‘Ten most beautiful Indian women of the millenium’ by a Times of India poll, Ray cemented her profile as an iconic figure in India before leaving for drama school in London and opportunities around the world. Along the way, Ray found time along the way to host her own entertainment show in India, filmed a landmark music video for Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, and became the enduring brand ambassador for Rado Watches. In 2009, Ray attended the Toronto International Film Festival in support of her work in two films. The event marked an important public announcement, in which Ray chose to share her diagnosis of Multiple Myeloma with media and the public. The outpouring of support was immediate and overwhelming. She also started a blog (‘The Yellow Diaries’) to share her cancer experiences. Her forthrightness and humour in navigating a difficult illness have earned her the attention and respect of people from all corners of the world, as well as ‘The Voice Achievers Award, 2009’ and ‘The Hope Award, 2010’. Ray went on to help raise funds for the establishment of the first research chair for Multiple Myeloma at Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto. Ray’s philanthropic interests range from taking part in the on-air drive for SickKids Hospital to Ambassador of Plan Canada’s ‘Because I Am A Girl’ campaign, a global movement that supports the rights of girls around the world. In 2019, Lisa released her memoirs Close to The Bone. “An unflinching, deeply moving account of her nomadic existence: her entry into the Indian entertainment industry at sixteen; her relationship with her Bengali father and Polish mother; life on the movie sets and her brush with the Oscars; her battle with eating disorders; being diagnosed with multiple myeloma at thirty-seven; her spiritual quest; lovers and traitors, mentors and dream-makers; and the heartaches and triumphs along the way. It is also about Lisa's quest for love. Funny, charming, and gut-wrenchingly honest all at once, Close to the Bone is Lisa Ray's brave and inspiring story of a life lived on her terms.” Lisa and her husband Jason Dehni have two lovely daughters, Sufi and Soleil. /episode/index/show/thatstotalmomsense/id/27456183

Mara Shiavocampo: Get 'Thinspired' — How I Lost 90 lbs After Having a Baby (Replay) 05/04/2023

Raegan Moya-Jones: How I Built a $100M Business After Becoming a Mom (Replay) 04/27/2023

Katie Kabel: From Drab to Fab — A Personal Stylist's Top Tips for Moms (Replay) 04/20/2023

That's Total Mom Sense

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