Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast The Hardest Job Ever

Jasleen Agarwal found out she was pregnant on the flight home from teaching a production partner how to make paneer. She and her husband, Tarush, co-founded SĀCH Foods in 2019 to bring flavored paneer to American grocery shelves. By the time their daughter arrived in February 2020, Jasleen was working a full-time tech job, SĀCH had landed in Whole Foods, and COVID was weeks away. Purvi and Karen talk with her about who becomes the default parent when both careers matter equally, the postpartum anxiety she didn't have a name for the first time around, and why she still wants to be the one cooking dinner the way her mom did. Plus: why she never apologizes first, and what happens when a fight with her co-founder spills into a meeting.

Please like, follow, subscribe, and share with a mom who can resonate.

This season is brought to you in partnership with The Cumin Club. The Cumin Club makes it easy to bring authentic Indian food into busy, modern life with over 30 chef-crafted recipes rooted in the regional cuisines of India. Just add hot water for a restaurant-quality meal in minutes, from curries and lentils to rice, simmer sauces and dessert. Try The Cumin Club at (http://thecuminclub.com/) and use code HARDESTJOBEVER30 for 30% off new orders!

Purvi and Karen are back from summer break, and a lot has changed. Purvi is back to being the default parent, taking work calls from daycare bathrooms and pushing a promotion down the road again. Karen stepped away from work by choice and is trying to figure out who she is without a job title. In the Season 6 premiere, they talk about what ambition looks like when you stop giving 110%, the South Asian overachiever voice that still won't quiet down, and why neither of them can plan five years out anymore. Plus: the move Purvi can't agree on with her husband, the spreadsheet Karen made and never showed hers, and a first look at what's coming this season. 

Please like, follow, subscribe, and share with a mom who can resonate.

This season is brought to you in partnership with The Cumin Club. The Cumin Club makes it easy to bring authentic Indian food into busy, modern life with over 30 chef-crafted recipes rooted in the regional cuisines of India. Just add hot water for a restaurant-quality meal in minutes, from curries and lentils to rice, simmer sauces and dessert. Try The Cumin Club at (http://thecuminclub.com/) and use code HARDESTJOBEVER30 for 30% off new orders!

Season 5, Episode 7: It's the Season 5 finale of The Hardest Job Ever, and we're together in San Francisco taking an honest look at everything this season taught us about ambition, "balance," and what it really means to be a working mom.

From burning out and pivoting careers, to turning down a promotion, to finally learning (painfully) how to say no, this episode gets real about what it costs to be a high-achieving mom who's also expected to do it all.

In this episode:

• Why saying no feels like failure and how to do it anyway
• What changed (and what didn't) after this entire season of honest conversations
• The "ROI on your life" trap that's making ambitious moms miserable
• Why the women who felt most grounded this season weren't doing more. They were just clear on what they weren't doing

• The real cost of being the default parent when your partner's work ramps up
• Why ambition doesn't disappear after kids. It just needs a new definition

This is for every working mom who was raised to tie her worth to her career. Every mom who hustles through the day and then questions if she showed up enough. Every working parent figuring out what to let go of without feeling like they're falling apart.

Catch you next season. Like, follow, subscribe, and share this with a mom who needs to hear it.

Season 5, Ep 6: We sit down IRL in San Francisco with Sahana Carlsen, an engineering manager at a fast-growing AI company, content creator, and mom to an 18-month-old, for one of the most honest conversations we've had on the show. Sahana just started a high-intensity new job six weeks ago. She's in the office more, traveling more, and figuring it all out in real time.

We get into all of it: the "default parent" negotiation, setting boundaries without guilt, managing resentment in your marriage, and why your definition of success, not your ambition, is what actually changes after you have a baby.

In this episode:

• How Sahana negotiated who becomes the default parent before taking her new job
• The "top 5 priorities" framework she uses to say no, at work and at home
• Why she treats herself like the CEO of her household (and how to actually do it)
• The role meditation plays in managing mom guilt, anxiety, and reactive parenting
• Her honest take on ambition after kids, and why hers got stronger
• Planning for baby #2 when you're career-driven and your partner travels
• How to set work boundaries that stick, including blocking childcare on your work calendar

If you're a working mom trying to figure out how much you can take on before something breaks, this episode is for you.

Follow Sahana: @sahanaintech on Instagram

Season 5, Episode 5: What happens to your identity when your job, your title, or your career disappears, and all that's left is "mom"?

In this episode, we sit down with Avani Modi Sarkar, co-founder of Modi Toys, to talk about her journey, going from corporate marketing to wife, mom, and entrepreneur in the span of a year, building Modi Toys into a beloved South Asian children's brand, and now stepping back to sit in the in-between and figure out what's next.

We get into:

• Avani's path from corporate America to founding Modi Toys
• Losing yourself after a layoff or maternity leave
• South Asian cultural pressure to tie self-worth to output
• Mom guilt, mental load, and the myth of "doing it all"
• Drowning out the noise from parents and in-laws
• Following your curiosity when you don't know what's next

For every millennial mom, working mom, or woman in transition asking "who am I now?"

Follow the show and share with a mom in the trenches.

Season 5, Episode 4: He saved her postpartum. Now she's carrying the mental load alone. An anonymous listener wrote in with a question we couldn't stop thinking about: how do you hold both truths, that your partner showed up in your darkest moment after the baby, and isn't showing up the way you need now?

This week we sit inside the default parent trap. The version where you're keeping score in your head at 9pm, where "he'll help if I ask" still leaves you carrying everything, and where the partner who pulled you out of postpartum depression two years ago suddenly can't pick a doctor's appointment time without breaking your whole week.

Purvi confronts Dhruv after his work travel hits her breaking point, and her two-week experiment handing off the kids falls apart in 48 hours. Karen breaks down how she and Aakash redrew their mornings into actual ownership lanes, not "delegated tasks," and why "let me know what to do" is the phrase that ruins her week.

We get into default parent science (early imprinting, the consistency loop, why toddlers go to whoever regulates them fastest), the mental load nobody can see, scorekeeping and resentment, reset conversations vs. burst-of-anger confrontations, and how our South Asian moms did it, and what they sacrificed that we won't.

If you've ever felt grateful and resentful in the same breath, this one's for you. Send it to your partner. Or to a mom who feels all of this but hasn't said it out loud.

🎙 Subscribe to The Hardest Job Ever wherever you listen.

📩 Have a story like this listener's? DM us @hardestjobever on Instagram.

It's not about finding balance. It's about holding it all.

Season 5, Episode 3: Working Mom Guilt, Childcare Attachment & When Your Child Prefers the Nanny

What happens when your childcare setup works, but emotionally, it feels harder than expected?

In this episode, we unpack working mom guilt, childcare attachment, and the complex emotions that come with raising kids while relying on a nanny, daycare, or caregiver. Why does it feel like rejection when your child prefers someone else, even when you know they’re safe and loved?

We break down the psychology behind toddler attachment vs. preference, and why this is a common experience for working mothers navigating career and motherhood balance.

Topics we cover:

• Working mom guilt and identity after having kids
• Childcare guilt: nanny, daycare, and caregiver dynamics
• When your child prefers the nanny or another caregiver
• Attachment vs. preference in toddlers (child development insights)
• Emotional triggers: feeling replaced, rejected, or not needed
• Separation anxiety (for moms and toddlers)
• Stay-at-home mom vs. working mom expectations

• South Asian motherhood and cultural pressure around parenting roles
• Building a village vs. emotional impact of shared caregiving

• Reframing what it means to be a “good mom”

This episode is for working moms, new moms, and first-time parents navigating childcare decisions, mom guilt, and emotional challenges of modern motherhood.

🎙 Follow The Hardest Job Ever on Spotify and Apple Podcasts
📩 Share your story via Instagram @hardestjobever

Season 5, Episode 2: Looking through old photos can make you pause.
Not because you regret motherhood, but because you start wondering: Who am I now?

In this episode, we unpack a question one of our listeners asked: Do you miss the version of yourself before kids? The answer isn’t as simple as yes or no.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why motherhood can trigger an unexpected identity shift
• Losing spontaneity and autonomy, and why that feels so strange
• Karen’s journey navigating ambition, layoffs, and returning to work as a mom
• Purvi’s early pregnancy spiral about independence, twins, and moving cities
• Why your 30s might actually be the “era of becoming”

This conversation isn’t about grieving who we used to be. It’s about figuring out who we’re becoming as moms, women, and professionals.

If you’ve ever wondered how motherhood changes your identity, ambition, or sense of self, this episode is for you.

Season 5, Episode 1: We keep hearing about an “ambition gap.” That women don’t want the promotion anymore. That we’re opting out.

But what if it’s not a lack of ambition? What if it’s a lack of support?

To kick off Season 5, we’re joined by pediatrician, mom, and founder of PedsDocTalk, Dr. Mona Amin, for a conversation that hit way closer to home than we expected. From experiencing postpartum depression to walking away from corporate medicine and building a purpose-driven career, this episode is about what ambition actually looks like after motherhood.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why the so-called “ambition gap” misses the real story about working moms
• The friction between career drive and wanting control over your time
• Postpartum depression, burnout, and what happens when you can’t choose
• The pressure South Asian daughters feel to “do it all", and who modeled that for us

We also get honest about resentment, mental load, marriage taking a backseat, and the uncomfortable truth that you really can’t have everything at the same time.

If you’ve ever felt half-in at work, half-in at home, and fully guilty everywhere, this one is for you.

Ambition doesn’t disappear when you become a mom.
It evolves. And you’re allowed to evolve with it.

Season 4, Episode 9: We grew up believing ambition was linear - get the title, get the promotion, get the praise. But motherhood has a way of cracking that open. Suddenly the things we were taught to chase don’t fit the lives we’re actually living… especially when the system wasn’t built for us in the first place.

This episode gets into what it really looks like to work, mother, provide, and survive inside a structure that calls itself “flexible” — but still punishes moms for needing flexibility.

In this episode, we talk about:
• The truth behind the widening pay gap and why remote work isn’t saving moms the way we hoped
• Karen’s reality of being laid off, returning as a contractor, and navigating RTO with a toddler at home
• Purvi turning down a promotion because “having it all” required travel that her support system couldn’t absorb
• The emotional whiplash of working-mom identity: ambition shifting, shrinking, rewriting itself in real time
• Why childcare, healthcare, and postpartum support shouldn’t be “benefits” — they should be basic rights
• How our mothers taught us ambition… and how we’re trying to model something entirely different for our own kids

Because if motherhood really is the hardest job ever, the least we deserve is a system that doesn’t make it harder.

Season 4, Episode 6: POV: You’re a mom raising boys in 2025, and unlearning everything you were taught about what it means to be a “good man.”

In this episode, we sit down with @payalforstyle to talk about what it really looks like to raise emotionally intelligent boys in a world that still tells them not to cry, paint their nails, or wear butterfly clips.

From navigating gender disappointment to breaking generational cycles in South Asian homes, this one’s about parenting in the gray area, where culture, confidence, and compassion collide.

Because raising good men isn’t about pink cars or nail polish. It’s about unlearning the noise and letting them lead the way.

Season 4, Episode 5: What does it really mean to raise kids between two cultures? In this episode of The Hardest Job Ever, we unpack the mental load of being first-gen South Asian moms in America, the guilt, pressure, and pride that come with keeping culture alive while raising toddlers who think in English but celebrate Diwali.

From language lessons that end in chaos to finding toddler-safe ways to celebrate Holi and Diwali, we get real about identity, guilt, and redefining what it means to be an “Indian mom” today. This is for every millennial mom trying to pass down culture without losing her sanity (or her snacks).

 Topics we cover:

• Growing up ashamed, now obsessed with culture

• Guilt around language, festivals, and “doing enough”

• The invisible mental load of preserving traditions

• How to make Indian culture fun (not forced) for our kids

• Blending two worlds without burning out

Tune in if you’ve ever asked yourself: Am I doing enough to keep our culture alive?

Because the answer might be gentler than you think.

Season 4, Episode 4: Before our babies can even talk, the world decides who they are. In this episode, we unpack all the sneaky (and not-so-sneaky) ways gender stereotypes creep in, from pink unicorn onesies and bow pressure to “boys don’t cry.”

We talk about:
• How gendered comments start before birth
• Why girls get called “pretty” while boys get “strong”
• The weird guilt of buying your son a pink Barbie car
• What Disney and Barbie taught us (and how it’s changing)
• How to raise confident, emotionally aware kids, no matter their gender

Whether you’re a girl mom, boy mom, or both, this one will hit home. You’re not overthinking it, it really does start this early.

Motherhood has a way of making you feel like you’ve lost yourself; your time, your style, even your identity. But what if embracing fashion, confidence, and joy could actually help you feel more like you again?

In this episode with Tika (@tikabobika), we talk about:
• Losing style (and sanity) in the postpartum fog
• Breaking the “mom uniform” stereotype
• Fashion as self-expression for moms, and their kids
• Gender disappointment and learning to love being a boy mom
• Building confidence by choosing supportive friendships
• Practical tips for bringing back style and joy in everyday motherhood

If you’ve ever felt stuck in leggings and mom guilt, this conversation will remind you that style isn’t frivolous, it’s part of finding yourself again.

Season 4, Episode 2: Finding out your baby’s gender is supposed to be a joyful, magical moment. But what if it isn’t? What if instead of excitement, you feel a wave of disappointment, guilt, or even anger? You’re not alone, and it’s time we talked about it.

In this episode, we get real about gender disappointment, the complicated emotions no one prepares you for.

We cover:
• Purvi’s raw reaction to finding out she was having twin boys
• Why Karen was terrified of the idea of raising a son
• How cultural stereotypes about “boy moms” and “girl moms” shape expectations
• The guilt of wanting one gender when you know others are struggling to conceive
• Why many millennial parents are secretly hoping for girls
• How to rewrite your parenting story, no matter your baby’s gender

If you’ve ever felt conflicted after a gender reveal, this episode will remind you that your feelings are valid, and that love always finds its way.

Season 4, Episode 1: We’re back! And with life updates that range from total poopsicles to sweet popsicles. From potty training fails to toddler birthday chaos, we’re catching you up on what motherhood has really looked like these past few months.

In this episode, we share:
• Purvi’s first potty training attempt (and the carpet surprise she didn’t see coming)
• Karen’s Malibu burrito disaster, a.k.a. “the poop vest” story
• Twin birthday tips (always buy two of the exact same toy)
• Toddler tantrums that end with… poop sheets
• Karen’s big transition: returning to work after an extended maternity leave
• A sneak peek at Season 4’s focus on gender roles, cultural baggage, and raising emotionally strong South Asian kids

Motherhood is messy, magical, and sometimes covered in shit. We’re glad you’re here for another season with us.

Season 3, Episode 4: Baby food allergies, eczema, and starting solids can feel overwhelming, especially when mom guilt and family opinions get added to the mix. In this episode, we sit down with allergist Dr. Farah Khan (@farah.khan.md) for some real talk about food allergies, mom guilt, and navigating cultural skepticism.

We cover:
• Purvi's story of discovering a cashew allergy
• Why mom guilt hits hard when navigating a food allergy and why it’s not your fault
• Starting solids with less fear (and less math)
• How to know if it’s an allergy vs. a sensitivity
• EpiPens, testing, and the realities of oral immunotherapy (OIT)
• South Asian families, aunties, and why food allergies are “not real” in their eyes

If you’re managing food allergies and feel overwhelmed, this conversation will help you breathe a little easier. You are not alone.

Season 3, Episode 3: Sleep training feels like one of the most guilt-filled, opinion-loaded parts of parenting, especially in South Asian families where “just feed them more” is everyone’s go-to solution. Between night feeds, cultural pushback, and babies who suddenly learn to stand, it’s no wonder moms feel like they’re failing.

In this episode, we’re joined by Rinie Gupta (@riniegupta), pediatric sleep consultant and mom, to talk all things baby sleep without the shame, stress, or cultural guilt trips.

We cover:
• Karen and Purvi’s raw, emotional sleep training stories
• The most common cultural myths about baby sleep (and why they’re wrong)
• How to handle pushback from grandparents and in-laws
• Why regressions happen, and how to survive them without starting from scratch
• Crib escapes, nap strikes, and other curveballs you can actually plan for
• The mindset shift that makes sleep training less stressful for everyone

If your baby isn’t sleeping, you’re not failing. You’re just frigging exhausted, and you’re not alone.

Season 3, Episode 2: You think you cracked the sleep code. Then the regression hits. And the daycare germs. And the teething. And suddenly you’re rocking a baby to Timber at 2am wondering how it all fell apart.

In this episode, we’re talking about what happens after sleep training, when the real chaos begins.

We cover:
• The four-month and six-month sleep regressions
• Why daycare means nonstop sickness and zero sleep
• Crawling, walking, and the gross motor milestones that wreck naps
• Working mom guilt and nighttime separation anxiety
• Teething symptoms and the remedies that actually helped
• Our favorite mantras and middle-of-the-night coping rituals

Sleep is not linear. You are not alone. And you are not failing. You're just in the thick of it, and we’re right there with you.

Season 3, Episode 1: If you’re a new mom drowning in sleep deprivation, nap schedules, and unsolicited opinions, this episode is for you. We’re getting real about baby sleep: what we thought it would be, what it actually was, and how sleep training tested everything from our sanity to our cultural values.

In this episode, we share:

• What no one tells you about sleep training as a first-time mom

• How Purvi sleep trained her twins (with an Indian twist)

• Karen’s honest take on travel, regressions, and crying-it-out

• The emotional toll of baby sleep: mom guilt and cultural judgment

Whether you’re co-sleeping, Ferber-ing, or still Googling “how to get my baby to nap,” this is your permission slip to figure it out your way. Because every baby is different, and every mom deserves rest.

Season 2, Ep 5: After you have a baby, everyone has opinions—and zero respect for nap schedules. From unsolicited advice to uninvited drop-bys, setting boundaries as a new mom isn’t rude. It’s survival.

In this episode, we’re sharing:

• Real-life boundary wins (and fails)

• How we handled surprise visitors and unwanted advice

• The added pressure of cultural expectations (hi, South Asian guilt)

• How to align with your partner and stay a united front

• What we’ve learned about picking battles—and when to just let it go

This one’s for the moms trying to be respectful and realistic. Because you can love your family and still say no.

S2 Ep4: In this episode, Karen takes us inside her meticulous, exhausting, and sometimes maddening breastfeeding journey—from collecting colostrum at 37 weeks to weaning while working full-time.

We cover:

• How she learned to collect colostrum (and why it mattered later)

• Flange sizing, nipple shields, and other ridiculous breastfeeding gear

• The chaos of triple feeding and tube feeding—and how she survived it

• Pumping in office supply closets, hormonal crashes, and weaning grief

• What finally helped her feel like herself again (and why “fed is best” isn’t just a slogan)

This one’s for the overachieving pumpers, the exclusive breastfeeders, the formula moms, and anyone just trying to make it through one more feed. You’re doing more than enough.

Season 2, Ep 3: Two boobs. Two babies. One sleep-deprived mom with a spreadsheet full of milk data. In this episode, Purvi takes us inside her chaotic, emotional, and surprisingly hilarious breastfeeding journey with premature twin boys.

We cover:

• Pumping 9–10 times a day (yes, really)

• Tandem feeding fails and twin Z pillow wins

• The pressure to “exclusively breastfeed”—and what happened when mastitis hit

• Formula guilt, clogged ducts, and the great European formula rabbit hole

• Why fed is best—and your mental health matters more than any number of ounces

This one’s for the twin moms in the trenches, the pumping warriors, and anyone questioning if they’re doing enough. You are.

Season 2, Ep 2: There’s the body you had before baby. And then there’s the body that survived birth, surgery, sleepless nights, and somehow—kept tiny human(s) alive.

In this episode, we’re talking about the weird, real, and beautiful changes that happen to our bodies after birth, including:

• Night sweats, phantom cries, and postpartum hair loss

• C-section scars, stretch marks, and the mental spiral of “getting your body back”

• How we slowly started feeling human again (think sunshine, Peloton rides, shower bombs, and FaceTime workouts)

This one’s for every mom caught between grieving her old self and growing into something new. You’re not broken. You’re just becoming.

Season 2, Ep 1: No one warned us that the fourth trimester would feel like being reborn and slightly wrecked at the same time. You’re stitched, swollen, sobbing at everything, and somehow still keeping a little newborn baby alive.

In this kickoff to Season 2, we’re talking about the raw reality of those first 8 postpartum weeks, including:• Physical recovery

• Emotional recovery

• What helped us feel vaguely human again

This one’s for the moms deep in the fog—healing, holding, and hanging on. You’re not crazy. You’re in the f*ing fourth trimester.

Season 1, Episode 5: Karen & Purvi discuss the challenges of maintaining social lives after becoming mothers. They explore the pressures of keeping old friendships alive while trying to forge new connections with other moms. The conversation delves into the emotional struggles of feeling left out from pre-baby friendships and the complexities of navigating new mom friendships. They reflect on their past behaviors towards friends who became mothers before them and emphasize the importance of support and understanding in motherhood.

Season 1, Episode 4: Karen walks through her carefully crafted birth plan, while Purvi shares why she chose not to have one at all. What unfolds is an honest conversation about expectations, control, and the reality of labor.

From detailed planning to going with the flow, we unpack what actually matters when things don’t go as expected and how both approaches shaped our postpartum experiences. Karen reflects on the pressure to “get it right” and why flexibility might have been the most important part of all.

If you’re pregnant, planning your birth, or just curious about what labor is really like, this episode is a reminder that no matter how much you prepare, birth has its own plan.

Season 1, Episode 3: Purvi shares her twin birth story. What was supposed to be a planned C-section turned into a surprise early check-in. Even though she wasn’t fully packed or totally prepared for postpartum life with her twins, she embraced the chaos and came out the other side with a story that’s equal parts real and reassuring.

Season 1, Episode 2: Karen shares her personal birth story. She details her intense birth experience, which began with a plan to avoid interventions but ultimately led to an unexpected emergency C-section. The conversation highlights the challenges of labor, pain management decisions, and the importance of flexibility in birth plans. She also reflect on lessons learned and the need for mothers to share their stories and support one another.

Season 1, Episode 1: Getting laid off hits hard when you’re really Type A - your career & academics have always been a huge part of your identity. Add in becoming a new mom, and suddenly you’re not just questioning your job—you’re questioning who you even are. In this episode, Karen is unfiltered and talks moments after she’s laid off. She processes what’s happened - the loss of structure, the identity shift, the what now? and why it’s so hard to sit in the uncertainty.

If you’ve ever gone through a layoff, join Karen in the conversation!