“The need for stories is such a human instinct. Human beings crave stories, they crave narrative to understand our world,” says Sumi Aggarwal, award-winning journalist and mother of two adopted daughters. Now the Interim Editor in Chief and Managing Editor at Reveal, Sumi explains that human instinct plays a crucial role in her life. Whether it’s in parenting or at work, Sumi always trusts her instincts to lead her in the right direction.

The daughter of two Indian immigrants, Sumi originally faced backlash from her parents when she decided to pursue journalism. However, after they witnessed her ambition and passion for the field, Sumi’s parents quickly became her biggest cheerleaders. Now a mother herself, Sumi explains that she has more empathy for her parents than she initially thought she would. While she has taken a decidedly different approach in some respects, she has mimicked their parenting strategies in others.

Tune into this week’s episode of Bathtime 2 Boardroom to hear more about Sumi’s journey through investigative reporting and adoptive motherhood. Learn more about the emotional challenges of the adoption process, Sumi’s take on work-life balance, and why Sumi and her family will never outgrow their love of America’s Funniest Home Videos.

Quotes

• “I think what has been really really exciting is just watching [my daughters] change and grow, but they still have that innate part of themselves that they were even when they were little. You kind of see the core of them, but then they take on these different facets….All of the kids that are part of our little tribe….imagining who they’re going to be and what they’re going to do out in the world is just such an exciting prospect.”  (6:29-7:19)

• “I think what I was not prepared for – and this is true whether you do a domestic adoption or an international adoption – is just the emotional toll that waiting takes on you. Both of our girls are adopted from India, and it would be like get to this step of the process, and then you’re waiting for one guy somewhere to file a paper, and nobody knows why he hasn’t filed the paper. And it will drive you insane.” (15:47-16:15)

• “Women particularly get sold a bill of goods about having work-life balance. And the older I get, the more I believe that you cannot have work-life balance every day, but hopefully over the course of your life and your career you find that balance.” (22:45-23:01)

• “While change has been slow and difficult, I think it’s here to stay. And I think those things that people like me took for granted, like oh this is just part of the deal, are no longer true. So now that I lead my own newsroom, it’s been an evolution in my own thinking of how to empower the people on our team to really set the culture and set what’s acceptable and what’s not and lead from that perspective.” (33:15-33:44)

• “Something that does guide my intentions is to feel scared on a regular basis. If you’re not scared, you’re not doing something new, you’re not pushing yourself out of your comfort zone.” (40:56-41:07)

Links

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sumiaggarwal/

Podcast production and show notes provided by FIRESIDE Marketing