The Hardest Job Ever

Purvi Vyas and Karen Desai
  • 5.0 (5)
  • PARENTING
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Welcome to The Hardest Job Ever! If you’re a mom trying to juggle literally everything—your career, your baby, your sanity—you’ve come to the right place. We’re here to have the real conversations—about the mom guilt, the mental load, and why our marriages now feel like business meetings. We’ll share the highs, the lows, and the WTF are we even doing? moments with a little humor (bc if we don’t laugh, we’ll definitely cry). This is your space, where you’re seen, supported, and reminded that you’re not in this alone. Let’s figure this motherhood thing out together.

  1. FEB 18

    Redefining Ambition: Dr. Mona on Work, Motherhood, and Identity

    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.

    51 min

  2. 12/03/2025

    The System Is Failing Working Moms (And We’re Done Pretending It’s Fine)

    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.

    39 min

  3. 11/12/2025

    Postpartum Care in the U.S. Is Broken. Let’s Talk About It

    Season 4, Episode 8: The first eight weeks after birth are supposed to be a blur of baby snuggles and sleepy smiles, but for most of us, it’s survival mode. Between recovery, round-the-clock feeding, and the loneliness that hits when the visitors fade, postpartum can feel like an emotional free fall. In this episode, we get brutally honest about:• The postpartum anxiety Karen faced after her C-section, and what no one tells you about the physical recovery• Why Rani’s experience looks completely different (and what corporate support actually changes)• The three kinds of support every mom needs — family, partner, and systemic• How privilege, policy, and paid leave determine whether postpartum feels healing or hellish• Why America’s “bounce back” culture is failing new parents, and what needs to change Because motherhood shouldn’t feel like a test of endurance. It should feel like care. ❤️‍🩹

    32 min

  4. 11/05/2025

    Raising Boys Without the Box: Gender, Identity & the New Masculinity with @Payalforstyle

    Season 4, Episode 7: 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.

    41 min

  5. 10/22/2025

    Keeping Culture Alive (When You’re Exhausted and Living in Two Worlds)

    Season 4, Episode 6: 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.

    33 min

  6. 10/15/2025

    Modern Diwali: Rewriting Traditions for Our Kids (and Ourselves)

    Diwali as kids meant different things for each of us: Karen had choreographed dances, Bollywood karaoke, and back-to-back parties. Purvi had home pujas, temple visits, and learning family recipes. Fast forward to now, and we’re the ones trying to keep the light (and sanity) alive. In this episode, we talk about:• How we celebrated Diwali growing up, and how different it looked for each of us• The pressure to “create” new traditions for our kids as first-gen moms• Why celebrating away from family hits harder than we expected• Supporting South Asian brands like Modi Toys, Little Muffet, and Clover Baby & Kids• The role (and guilt) social media plays in how we show up for our culture• The real mental load behind keeping our traditions alive Whether you’re hosting a full-blown Diwali bash or just lighting a single diya before bedtime, it all counts. You’re doing enough, mama. ✨

    32 min

  7. 10/08/2025

    Why Can’t Our Girls Be Loud and Our Boys Be Soft?

    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.

    37 min

  8. 10/01/2025

    Style, Confidence & Gender: Redefining Motherhood with Tika (@tikabobika)

    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.

    35 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

Welcome to The Hardest Job Ever! If you’re a mom trying to juggle literally everything—your career, your baby, your sanity—you’ve come to the right place. We’re here to have the real conversations—about the mom guilt, the mental load, and why our marriages now feel like business meetings. We’ll share the highs, the lows, and the WTF are we even doing? moments with a little humor (bc if we don’t laugh, we’ll definitely cry). This is your space, where you’re seen, supported, and reminded that you’re not in this alone. Let’s figure this motherhood thing out together.

Information

  • Creator
    Purvi Vyas and Karen Desai
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    32
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Purvi Vyas and Karen Desai
  • Show Website
    The Hardest Job Ever