Today we’d like to introduce you to Kanika Chadda Gupta.
Hi Kanika, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Let’s start from the beginning. I was born in Bombay, India and my parents immigrated to the US when I was just two years old. Watching the news was a daily ritual in our home and I grew up feeling most inspired by women of color on TV – Oprah, Lisa Ling, and Connie Chung – who helped me believe that I could pursue a similar career path and create space for South Asians in the media.
In my teens, I competed in local beauty pageants (crowned Miss India Maryland and Miss India East Coast) and loved that I could showcase my Indian classical dance training and public speaking skills on stage in front of a mass audience. I enjoyed the adrenaline rush of thinking on my feet. What was most important to me , however, was being on a platform where I could share my perspectives on society’s most pressing issues with the aim to make an impact.
I later earned my BA from Boston University in International Relations and MA from the University of Miami in Broadcast Journalism. I’m a proud ‘Cane and graduated from the School of Communication during President Donna Shalala’s tenure. I covered stories including UM hosting the Democratic presidential candidate’s debate with then senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, the draught’s looming effects on Lake Okeechobee, and Miami Fashion Week. I am still in touch with my professors Sam Roberts (who was an Executive Producer at CBS for over 30 years working with the likes of Walter Cronkite and Mike Wallace) and Sanjeev Chatterjee, a filmmaker and pioneer in the clean water crisis (he directed the film One Water). I did my internship at NBC in Miramar, Florida and was part of the Investigative Unit alongside veteran reporter Willard Shepard, covering mortgage fraud, murder, and breaking news stories.
In order to make my mark in broadcast news, I decided to move to India where I was hired by CNN. Life came full circle. I worked as a television anchor and executive producer. I hosted “E Tonight,” where I covered the gamut of events from the 26/11 terror attacks to the groundbreaking film Slumdog Millionaire. I felt most compelled to unearth human interest stories that touched the heart, like my expose of the young child actress Rubina Ali who was born into the largest slum in the world (Dhairavi, India) and went on to win an Oscar.
Upon moving back to the states, I worked as the Director of Programming for a leading international network, then as the Editor-in-Chief for an online fashion retailer, and finally launched my digital marketing firm (Kronologie Agency).
A few years later, my husband and I had our boy-girl twins and my younger son back to back.
“I was thrown into the deep end [of motherhood] when I gave birth to three kids within a year and a half. It was either drown or doggy paddle my way to the surface. As a journalist, I’m hardwired to ask tough questions, so I found myself seeking answers about life as a parent from everyone including my pediatrician to the friendly Amazon customer service rep over the phone. I knew others were in the same boat.”
With no time to read the mountain of parenting books at my bedside, I was yearning for tools to simplify my daily life, as well as an outlet to feel part of a conversation and community. I began listening to podcasts at 3 am while nursing or pumping and felt that parenting programming involved a lot of complaining and commiserating, and was bereft of a show that is: I) Informative, II) Insightful, III) Inclusive, and IV) Inspiring. So I set out to create a shift in the narrative in the market and my podcast, “That’s Total Mom Sense,” was born!”
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
My life is a testament to the Steve Jobs quote, “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”
My career has been circuitous; however, the common denominator has been storytelling. With media ever-changing, the biggest challenge has been to stay ahead of the curve. I made a transition from television to digital for that reason. I knew I wanted to learn all I could about new media because that’s what’s most relevant now. In 2019, there were only 70,000 podcasts and now there are over 2.2 million. eMarketer shows that US podcast ad spending will surpass $2 billion by 2023. Soon the metaverse will become the mainstream. We all have to roll up our sleeves and evolve.
Another struggle has been time management because I strive to be a hands-on parent to my three young kids while I build my media presence. During the pandemic, my husband and I homeschooled them. I would take them outside to play every day, rain or shine, have them play with their dad during his lunch break, then proceed to drive around the neighborhood so they’d fall asleep in their car seats, and then record interviews when they napped and work late at night while they were sleeping. It was erratic and exhausting. Nevertheless, I was intentional about giving my family the attention they needed from me and dedicating time to fulfilling my own purpose.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
“That’s Total Mom Sense” isn’t your typical parenting podcast. Using my journalism skills as a former CNN television anchor turned CEO and podcast host, my show lies at the intersection of entertainment, human interest, and family life. I interview celebrities by design to discuss the life lessons that led to their career success, their family dynamic, how parenting has changed them, how they tap into their superpower of intuition (“mom sense” and “dad sense”) and the legacy they aim to pass on to their children – the innovators, leaders, and change-makers of tomorrow. These are conversations we all should be having and that should be highlighted by the media because we have the opportunity to learn from one another and grow as a global parenting community!
My podcast is binge-worthy because my VIP is the listener. As a seasoned interviewer, I ask insightful questions and bring thought leaders on to help parents problem-solve.
For instance, serial entrepreneur and beauty industry titan Bobbi Brown shares how she was the PTA president for her three sons, talks about her rallying commencement speech for the graduating class of 2020 where she exclaims, no matter the circumstances (even a global pandemic), “get over it, get over yourself, and get out there!”
Acclaimed designer Rebecca Minkoff who released her memoir, Fearless, talks about how her family had a ledger in the kitchen and when she asked to buy an expensive dress when she was eight years old, her mom refused but taught her how to sew instead. That became the catalyst for her lifelong career in fashion design.
Bobbi Brown shares how she built her empire while raising her three sons. She chose to be the PTA president so that she was active in their school and during a commencement speech to the graduating class of 2020, she said, no matter the circumstances, “you must get over it, get over yourself, and get out there!”
Other guests on the show include Chelsea Clinton, Sarah Harden, Kelly Rowland, America Ferrera, and Shannon Lee.
In an effort to be inclusive, I encourage dads to pull up a seat at the table and share their perspectives on parenthood. In my monthly series, “What Matters Most with Maple,” featuring co-host Michael Perry, a tech founder (Maple app) and father of two, we discuss topics like infertility, debunking gender norms, and dividing the workload at home. In my upcoming series, “#GirlDad Talk” with co-host Kimberly Wolf (Educational Entrepreneur, Speaker, and Author of Talk With Her: A Dad’s Essential Guide to Raising Healthy, Confident, and Capable Daughters), we interview celebrity dads and shed light on the long term impact fathers have on a child’s, particularly their daughter’s, personality and sense of self-worth.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
“Risk, then, is not just part of life. It is life. The place between your comfort zone and your dream is where life takes place. It’s the high-anxiety zone, but it’s also where you discover who you are.” – Nick Vujicic
With every risk you take, there’s an opportunity to explore something new and that’s the only way to grow. Choosing an uncommon career path is risky and involves a ton of hustle and hard work, but the reward is spending hours doing what you love and what you are great at. It doesn’t feel like work at all.
Choosing to have a family is a risk as you’re signing up for a lifelong sacrifice to care for your children, but I feel the privilege of raising young ones to go out and change society for the better is worth it. If you’re a loving, dedicated parent, your kids will take care of you in your ripe old age too.
Don’t get me wrong. I still feel fear and anxiety, especially when it comes to posting on social media. However, when self-deprecating thoughts creep in, I choose to put on my blinders and tell myself, “I will continue to build a life I love and fulfill my dharma — my purpose — on this planet. I’ll do what serves me and serves others and forget about the rest.”
Pricing:
- $1,500 – $5,000 – Podcast Advertising Package
- $5,000 – $15,000 – Multimedia Sponsorship Package
Contact Info:
- Website: http://thatstotalmomsense.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kanikachaddagupta/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kanikachaddagupta
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/KanikaChadda
- Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/c/kanikaChaddaGuptaXOXO
- Other: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thats-total-mom-sense/id1463443667
Image Credits
Laura Brett Photography
