The Hardest Job Ever

Purvi Vyas and Karen Desai
  • 5.0 (6)
  • 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. MAY 13

    Who Am I Outside of My Career? And as a Mom? with Avani Modi Sarkar of Modi Toys

    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 ToysLosing yourself after a layoff or maternity leaveSouth Asian cultural pressure to tie self-worth to outputMom guilt, mental load, and the myth of "doing it all"Drowning out the noise from parents and in-lawsFollowing your curiosity when you don't know what's nextFor 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.

    41 min

  2. APR 29

    Why Does It Feel Like I Carry Everything for Our Family?

    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.

    43 min

  3. APR 1

    Why Does It Hurt When My Child Prefers the Nanny?

    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 kidsChildcare guilt: nanny, daycare, and caregiver dynamicsWhen your child prefers the nanny or another caregiverAttachment vs. preference in toddlers (child development insights)Emotional triggers: feeling replaced, rejected, or not neededSeparation anxiety (for moms and toddlers)Stay-at-home mom vs. working mom expectationsSouth Asian motherhood and cultural pressure around parenting rolesBuilding a village vs. emotional impact of shared caregivingReframing 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

    34 min

  4. MAR 11

    Who Am I Now? Motherhood, Identity & the Era of Becoming

    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.

    36 min

  5. 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

  6. 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

  7. 11/05/2025

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

    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.

    41 min

  8. 10/22/2025

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

    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.

    33 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
6 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
    26
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Purvi Vyas and Karen Desai
  • Show Website
    The Hardest Job Ever

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