Lauren sits down with Mallika Basu to talk about building a multi-passionate career without burning out, using social media as a tool (not a self-worth meter), and parenting teenagers in a digital world that moves faster than any of us can keep up with. Mallika shares what she’s learned about capacity, boundaries, friendships, co-parenting, and divorce—and why “food as a force for good” has become the red thread connecting everything she does. Listen to the end for quick-fire questions on a belief that aged badly, a boundary Mallika lives by, her go-to energy reset and advice to her younger self.

Mallika also shares what it’s been like writing her first non-cookbook: In Good Taste: What Shapes What We Eat and Drink and Why It Matters — releasing January 22. The book explores how culture, sustainability and impact are shaping food and what this means for consumers who care.

How skill stacking helped Mallika build a cohesive professional identity

A burnout prevention plan that’s surprisingly simple

Parenting teens and online safety: parental controls, hard conversations, and why parent communication matters more than surveillance from community-building to “digital entertainment,” and what that means for experts and thought leaders

Divorce, therapy, and the “deep dark tunnel” metaphor—plus why two happy homes can be better than one unhappy one

Friendships, boundaries, and the “radiators vs. drains” framework

New episodes every Thursday on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube. Subscribe and if a conversation inspires you, share with a friend who would love these insights too.

Connect with Mallika Basu

🖥️ Blog - In Good Taste

📃Substack - In Good Taste by Mallika Basu

📹 YouTube - @MallikaBasu

📱 Instagram - ⁠@mallikabasu_

📖 Her Cookbook - Masala: Indian Cooking for Modern Living

Connect with Lauren Dudley

📱 Instagram - @bylaurendudley

🖥️ Website - Purpose-First Social Media at ⁠theauxo.com⁠

📖 Poetry Collection - Phoenix: Rising from the Ashes by Lauren Marie Dudley