I’m really excited about this episode — not just because I got to talk (and laugh a lot) with this amazing human, but because she’s about to release a book that is so important. Jyoti Chand, also known as Mamajotes, is a mom of three, a beloved social media personality, and now the author of the upcoming book Fitting Indian, releasing May 13. Order it now.

Jyoti advocates for self-love, self-care, and maternal mental health -  all of which are wrapped beautifully into her book, a teen graphic novel about a young South Asian Indian girl’s search for identity growing up in America. Fitting Indian is being hailed as an authentic and powerful story that highlights the harm of mental health stigma -  and the lifesaving power of finding an honest, supportive community.

That’s exactly who Jyoti is: real, honest, open, and unapologetically herself. Her social media presence is one I look forward to seeing every time I open Instagram.

This was actually the first episode I recorded virtually - and Jyoti’s humor came through immediately. She told me how her husband, two dogs, and three kids were all “trapped” in the basement so she could record uninterrupted (she emphasized that it’s a finished basement, not a dungeon).

What we talked about:

How identity can often feel “decided” for us based on our cultural backgrounds -  but how growing up in America can complicate that. Jyoti shared how she felt “Indian at home and American outside.”

The importance of owning our mental health journeys and being open about them. Both Jyoti and I have shared publicly about being on Zoloft. When we recorded this episode a month ago, I was still on it -  and now, for the first time in 17 years, I’m not. I’ll be sharing more about that soon because normalizing mental health is so important. Jyoti opened up about her mother’s silent struggles with mental health, and how stigma made it even harder.

Gender roles in the home -  how both of us “wear the tool belt” in our families, but are lucky to have partners who aren’t afraid to own the kitchen, too.

The importance of showing affection to our kids - especially when we didn’t grow up seeing it modeled between our own parents.

There’s more, but I’ll let you hear it for yourself.

Jyoti is as real as they come -  and truly one of the most fun people ever.

TLDR: Taking care of your mental health is self-care - and it’s non-negotiable.

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