Description

What happens when parenting and crisis collide? In this episode, we sit down with Meghna Kulkarni, a mother, partner, and working professional, to trace her extraordinary parenting journey shaped by love, loss, resilience, and reinvention.

Meghna shares how she and her husband Prashant navigated his diagnosis of Stage 4 Hodgkin’s lymphoma when their son was just a toddler, and how that experience reshaped their marriage, their parenting, and their sense of identity.

From raising a child through chemotherapy in London, adjusting to cultural shifts in Singapore, to returning to India during the pandemic, Meghna's story is a powerful reminder of what it means to show up —imperfectly, fully, and fiercely — for the people you love, and for yourself.

🎧 Why You Should Listen

This episode is a must-listen if you:

• Are navigating parenting while caregiving or going through a personal crisis
• Are raising children across cultures or planning a move abroad/back to India
• Need a reminder that “you are enough” as a parent, even when life feels overwhelming
• Want to hear a deeply authentic, quietly powerful take on motherhood and resilience

It’s not about perfect parenting. It’s about real parenting—gritty, tender, and full of grace.

⏱️ Highlights and Timestamps

• [2:21] Meghna’s intention for sharing her story: “If even one person is helped by what we’ve gone through, it’s worth it.”
• [9:39] The moment everything changed: Prashant's unexpected reaction to his cancer diagnosis—and how Meghna carried the emotional weight.
• [13:29] Parenting through uncertainty: How the trauma shaped their toddler Ishaan—and why Meghna is grateful he doesn't remember it.
• [20:24] The hardest conversation: “I’m worried our son won’t even remember you.” Meghna opens up about facing mortality and choosing courage.
• [23:00] Grieving missed milestones: “I don’t remember his first steps or words.” The painful trade-offs when survival takes over parenting.
• [25:23] Self-kindness as a survival tool: A powerful reminder that parents must care for themselves, not just their children.
• [34:45] Culture shock—at home: Returning to India after 20 years abroad, and the funny, unexpected challenges that came with it.
• [41:31] Reinventing her career for balance: Why Meghna stepped out of hospitality and chose a job that aligned with motherhood and selfhood.
• [54:07] Advice to her pre-parent self: “Good on you for waiting.” Why conscious parenting begins before the child arrives.
• [56:10] What Meghna hopes Ishaan takes with him: "Be kind. Be ambitious. And don't let the world tell you it's not cool to care."

👩‍🦰 About Meghna Kulkarni

Meghna is a hospitality professional turned FMCG operations manager, a wife of 27 years, and mother to 18-year-old Ishaan. With a life that has moved across continents and crises, Meghna is a quiet force of resilience and grace.

She lives in Gurgaon, India, with her family, and continues to balance a fulfilling career with intentional motherhood. Her story is not just about surviving cancer as a family—but about growing through it, together.

📱 Follow Meghna on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meghnakul

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