In this Spotlight episode, Neha sits down with Khushboo Goel, founder of The Hush Tree — an after-school, year-long fellowship for children aged 6 to 13 that blends books, nature, emotional intelligence, habit-building, and community. Khushboo traces her journey from a 90-person Haveli childhood soaked in collective love, through engineering and an MBA, to building a space she always knew children needed — one that teaches them not about distant solar systems, but about their own bodies, emotions, and inner lives. She talks about the gap between what schools teach and what children actually need, the invisible battles of entrepreneurship, what equal parenting looks like in her home, and why calmness — not achievement — is what children need most right now. Why You Should Listen If you've ever felt that your child's day is one long sprint from one class to the next, this episode will feel like a deep exhale. Khushboo speaks with rare clarity and warmth about slowing childhood down — not out of idealism, but from years of working closely with children and watching what actually sticks. This one's for parents who want to build a home with intention, not just a schedule. Notable Quotes "They were learning about solar system and not their own bodies. They were learning about Japan, they were not learning about the city that they are living in.""The biggest challenge I faced in this journey has nothing been external. It's only been internal. All the things that I wish all children to develop are the things I have also struggled in.""What do children need the most right now? Calmness. If you shut the noise and just do the thing, it's actually easy. Many things are very easy.""When the child knows that there is no mama, there are two mamas, two papas." Practical Takeaways Start the morning with 5–10 minutes of stillness or movement. Children who begin their day without rush carry that calm into everything else.Plan the week together as a family. Khushboo finds that when children write it down, it actually happens.Build the environment before building the habit. Don't tell a child to read — build a library corner. Don't tell them to eat well — stop keeping junk in the house. The environment does the parenting when you're not in the room.Get partners aligned first. Before routines, before programs, Khushboo says the most important thing is for both parents to sit and agree on the kind of life they want to build for their child. Resources and References The Hush Tree — Khushboo's after-school fellowship for children aged 6–13: https://www.thehushtree.comAtomic Habits by James Clear — the framework Khushboo references as central to her parenting and to The Hush Tree's philosophy: jamesclear.comSahaj Marg — the meditation community Khushboo references as her earliest model of what intentional community can feel like: sahajmarg.org About the Guest Khushboo Goel is the founder of The Hush Tree, an after-school journey for children that nurtures their mind, body, and soul through habits, values, books, nature, and community. Trained as an engineer and holding an MBA, Khushboo spent years teaching children on the side — in schools, in neighborhoods, with underprivileged kids — before formalising what she always knew needed to exist. The Hush Tree's flagship offering, the Hush Fellowship, is a year-long program that gives children aged 6 to 13 the roots to grow any branch they choose. Khushboo lives in Dehradun with her husband and their three-and-a-half-year-old son, Udyan, who is already, by all accounts, a willing test subject for everything she believes in. 💬 Join the Conversation 🔔 Review & Subscribe: If you enjoyed today’s episode, please leave a review, subscribe, and share it with your friends and family! 💖 Follow Us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parenthootwithneha/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/parenthoot/☕ Support Us: https://buymeacoffee.com/gargneha Your support helps keep the show running.
