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On this week’s episode of In the Den, Jen visits with TikTok mother/daughter duo Monica Gupta Mehta and Asha Lily Mehta about a range of topics from how to maintain good parent/child communication to understanding gender, neurodiversity, and queer sexuality. It’s a conversation you won’t want to miss!

Special Guest: Monica Gupta Mehta

Monica (she/her) is a teacher, educational psychologist, author, nonprofit director, mom, and now an artist! She started teaching 20 years ago in a very progressive classroom, where she taught social emotional learning and sex education along with her humanities course. Monica took time off to raise her children, all of whom are autistic and queer, requiring extremely dedicated parenting and putting them at high risk for mental health struggles. Monica went back to earn her master's degree in educational psychology, which she used creating educational content that she has taught over TikTok, Instagram, in her Normalizers podcast, and in her co-authored book, It’s Totally Normal! An LGBTQIA+ Inclusive Guide to Puberty, Sex, and Gender.

Special Guest: Asha Lily Mehta

Asha (she/her) is a freshman at Northwestern University, currently studying physics and dark matter. As a neurodivergent minority lesbian, Asha has had to deal with microaggressions and outright bigotry for most of her life. In addition, the Covid-19 pandemic separated Asha from her peers during a critical phase of social development. Recognizing a similar combination of mental health, support, education, and socialization needs in teens around the world, Asha decided to join Monica, her mom, in creating online safe spaces. Asha helped create a community that has helped over 100,000 LGBTQIA+ and neurodivergent teens around the world.

Links from the Show: 

• Non-profit website: https://www.kindnessproject.love/ 
• The Kindness Project on IG: https://www.instagram.com/kindnessproject.love/ 
• The Normalizers Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/3lzQmBuZNpnSkAaCJtC9dr?si=8dfd115abc7640fc&nd=1&dlsi=b10a090c73394e07 
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@monicatheteacher 
• Buy It’s Totally Normal  here: https://bookshop.org/p/books/it-s-totally-normal-an-lgbtqia-guide-to-puberty-sex-and-gender-asha-lily-mehta/zMpsaRqEGMJKthzZ?ean=9781839973567&next=t
• Join Mama Dragons today: www.mamadragons.org 

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