Avani Patel is the Chief Operating Officer at ESSENCE. In this role, she leads the Technology, Finance, and Human Resources functions. A veteran of the technology & business consulting industry, her career spans product launch, management/operations and consulting across Fortune 500 companies and start-ups. She intends on fulfilling ESSENCE’s mission of serving Black Women deeply by a continued focus on the company’s digital landscape and business growth. Patel previously led technology at Sundial Brands/Unilever, as well as professional services at Verizon/Totality Corp.

Avani is also a PMP (Project Management Professional) and Six Sigma Black Belt. She recently completed the Women in Leadership Program at Oxford University. A true Jersey Girl by heart, Avani was born and raised in Sayreville, NJ and went on to attend Rutgers University.

Avani is an award-winning Indian folk-dance choreographer and former television host for a South Asian network. Coming from a large family, Patel learned to be organized and vocal from a young age; these are the skills that became the greatest asset to the launch of her career. She continues to lean on the skills and values inherited from her Gujarati family to help guide her, both personally and professionally. When not strategizing for ESSENCE, Avani travels the world with her children, Lucas, 15 & Lara, 14 with the hope that they will, one day, become model global citizens.

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• MANLUU: Luxurious, unexpected interpretations of Creole culture

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Isn’t it ironic and kind of sad that having kids can wreak havoc on a marriage and your sex life? Today, get ready to get your mojo back and rekindle the spark with your spouse thanks to renowned licensed psychotherapist and nationally recognized sex counselor Ian Kerner.

Ian Kerner, who is a PhD and LMFT specializes in sex therapy, couples therapy and working with individuals on a range of relational issues that often lead to distress.

Ian is regularly quoted as an expert in across all media outlets. He’s a regular on the Today Show and in CNN HealthThe Atlantic, The New York Times, The Economist and NPR. He gives lectures on sex and relationships, with recent presentations at NYU, Yale, Princeton, the Ackerman Institute and TED 2021. Ian is the New York Times best-selling author of She Comes First (Harper Collins) which has been translated into over a dozen languages.

His new book, So Tell Me About the Last Time You Had Sex was recently published by Hachette. Ian lives in New York with his wife, two sons and two dogs. He maintains a private practice in NYC dedicated to honoring the centrality of sexuality in his patients’ lives.

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Today’s show delves deep into motherhood, how it’s intergenerational and we are birthed from the mothers before us. Their love, their thoughts, their dreams live on in us. I am thrilled to have Nandana Dev Sen on my show.

Nandana Dev Sen is an award-winning actor, writer, and child-rights activist. Daughter of the world renowned economist and philosopher Amartya Sen and the famous Indian poet, author, and academic Nabaneeta Dev Sen, Nandana was destined to pursue a career in the arts. After graduating Phi Beta Kappa from Harvard University (where she won the John Harvard Scholarship and Elizabeth Agassiz Prize each year) and studying filmmaking at the USC School of Cinema-Television, she worked as a book editor, a screenwriter, a script doctor, a poetry translator, a short film maker, and just for fun, as Princess Jasmine in Disneyland. Nandana grew up in India, England, and America, and has acted in over 20 feature films from all three continents (and in multiple languages). She is the Ambassador for Child Protection for Save the Children India. Nandana has worked closely with children and grown-ups at UNICEF, RAHI (India's first organization for survivors of child sexual abuse), Apne Aap (ends sex-trafficking by providing education and preventing intergenerational prostitution), and Operation Smile (transforms lives of children with cranio-facial deformities), as an Ambassador and advocate for child protection. In 2019, Nandana was awarded the Last Girl Champion Award for her campaign against human trafficking and child abuse, and her tireless fight to empower marginalized girl children.

Nandana is the author of six children's books, In My Heart (Penguin Random House, 2019), The Monkey Who Wanted to Fly (Italian: La scimmietta che voleva volare, Fetrinelli Kids, 2018), Talky Tumble of Jumble Farm (Penguin Random House, 2017), Not Yet! (Tulika Books, 2017), Kangaroo Kisses (Otter-Barry Books, 2016), and Mambi and the Forest Fire (Puffin, 2016), as well as Youthquake, a fiction series for young adults (published in The Wire, The Telegraph, and Youth Ki Awaaz). Nandana‘s first book Kangaroo Kisses was selected by 320+ UK nurseries as a “Book of Excellence”, and her interactive workshops have been loved by more than 30,000 young people, in person, across the world. She frequently writes for newspapers and journals, and has edited and co-authored a bilingual book of her translations of her mother Nabaneeta Dev Sen's Bengali poetry, Make Up Your Mind. Her latest book, Acrobat, is a collection of her mother’s poems translated from Bengali by Nandana and is published by Archipelago Books.

Nandana lives with her husband John Makinson and daughter Meghla with homes in New York, London, and Kolkata. She loves to eat, bike, rhyme, dance, and argue.

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• NANDANADEVSEN.COM: Latest Press

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Kanika: In our final “At Home with HOMER'' episode, I want to focus on something we’ve strived to incorporate into every one of our conversations -- How can we simplify information for families with easy, quick, applicable, tips for parents that help instead of overwhelm. In the spirit of that, I would love to hear in a more general sense about what you think parents truly need to focus on and more importantly, what parents can confidently forget about!

Stephanie: Yes, I love this question, because this is truly my goal. Simplify, streamline, cut out the noise and find the 80/20 approach to parenting.

Stephanie’s Tips:

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Dr. Alpa Patel is a pediatrician, who has retired from clinical practice, a biochemist, mother of 2, and now, CEO & CoFounder of Luvanya. After completing her Bachelors in Biochemistry, Alpa worked as a biochemist for a short time, learning to identify and separate chemicals in pharmaceutical waste for recycling, before going on to medical school and a pediatric residency. She and her husband, an Internal Medicine physician, settled in CT after marriage and started their family medical practice together. Unfortunately, during the 15 years she spent growing her medical practice and raising her two children, Alpa also dealt with rare, chronic medical conditions. After suffering for years with severe health issues, chronic illnesses, surgeries, and treatments, she was forced to close her pediatric practice over 4 years ago and move her family across the country.

Once she realized that the treatments were doing more harm than good, and were also damaging her skin, she turned to researching botanicals, natural oils and ayurvedic ingredients to treat herself. By adopting a holistic lifestyle, using meditation, and nutrition Dr. Alpa regained the strength she needed. She used ayurvedic and plant based ingredients in both topical form to rejuvenate skin, as well as in homemade juices, to revive her health at the cellular level. By utilizing her biochemistry background, not only was she able to turn her skin back to life, but she was also able to formulate simple, safe skincare solutions for all of her family. That’s when she knew she had something to share with the world, and there came the birth of Luvanya, a 100% clean, vegan, non – toxic skincare brand, made for the health of your skin, which combines Science with Nature for the most visible and effective results! Other than her efforts with Luvanya, Dr Alpa enjoys painting, meditating, spending time with family and spending time in nature.

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• ABILLION: A brand new app that allows you to discover and review vegan brands, businesses and products from around the world

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In the digital age, we have the ability to create and consume content, namely stories be it fiction or nonfiction, around the clock at our fingertips and since this way of life is all that Gen Z has ever known, it’s important to understand what sticks. What do teens enjoy as a pastime? How do they communicate? What resonates most?

One such app which is revolutionizing the art of storytelling is Hooked and the mastermind behind it is Prerna Gupta.

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• SLACK: A new way to communicate with your team

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Kanika: It's been a hard year; families have been through a lot of twists and turns. Through it all, our kids have shown us just how resilient they are. As we prepare for kids to go back to school this Fall, what should parents be thinking about? How can best prepare their kids?

Stephanie: For me personally and the way we think about it at HOMER is, it's most important to spend time this summer building confidence and connection. As you mentioned, kids have shown just how resilient they are but we as parents must continue building their confidence by giving them tools to continue learning, solving problems, overcoming obstacles, and taking on challenges with a growth mindset.

Stephanie Tips:

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Back to School season is upon us and whether you’re hybrid or in person, the best part about it in my opinion is the shopping and getting organized.

Today, I have the founder of Mabel’s Labels Julie Cole on the show! Julie Cole is a recovered lawyer, mom of six and co-founder of Mabel’s Labels. She has helped her company bring their product to a worldwide market, gain media recognition and win countless awards. Cole is a passionate entrepreneur, published author, and sought after speaker. Julie is no stranger to the media, having appeared on NBC’s The Today Show, HLN’s Raising America, Breakfast Television, The Marilyn Denis Show, CP24, among many others. As a blogger and writer, her articles have appeared in The Huffington Post, Today’s Parent, The Globe and Mail, Profit Magazine, Working Mother Magazine, Chicken Soup For the Soul - Power Moms and numerous websites.

When she’s not juggling her busy family and professional life, Julie is an engaged community member serving on boards and volunteering. She is passionate about women’s issues, mentoring young entrepreneurs, and social justice.

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Kanika: In case our listeners don’t know, your children are very involved in their community. How do you inspire your kids to get involved?

Stephanie: I used to think that teaching my children generosity meant I had to put together these big, elaborate gestures to be meaningful. But the BEST form of generosity we can teach our children comes in the form of small, simple acts of kindness. The best part is these small acts can fulfill many purposes, making them a double win -- a win for you and your child!

Stephanie’s Tips:

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The Breastfeeding Series on That's Total Mom Sense

August is Breastfeeding Awareness Month so I am bringing you The Breastfeeding Series on That’s Total Mom Sense. A 3-part series with leaders in the industry.

Some people feel breast is best and others think fed is best and I’m here to be an objective insight and provide perspective for you because in the end, you have to trust your mom sense.

So whether you breastfeed, formula feed, pump, or use donor milk, it’s entirely up to you.

However, it is important to destigmatize breastfeeding in modern day society. I want you to know your options, the benefits, hear from medical professionals, public figures, and legal experts on lactation regulations in the workplace which you can use to your advantage.

I hope you feel empowered by the Breastfeeding Series on “That’s Total Mom Sense.”

Introduction

Debi Yadegari is the Founder and CEO of Villyge. Her experience juggling a challenging legal career and breastfeeding as a new mom was the muse for Villyge, and why Debi is so dedicated to providing parents with the workplace support they need to pursue their professional goals while also balancing the responsibilities of new parenthood.

Debi traded her brief case for a diaper bag in 2005 and has been supporting working parents ever since. Today, she is the leading authority on lactation accommodation law and a trusted expert on all matters working parenthood. She is a sought-after speaker and frequent contributor to Fox Networks, Working Mother Media, and various HR syndicates. Most importantly, she is a working mother of five (ages 3, 9, 12, 13 and 15).

Prior to joining the esteemed ranks of motherhood, Debi developed a distinguished legal career. She began her career as a Corporate Associate in Big Law, where she specialized in security offerings within the capital markets. Subsequently, she served as Counsel to the Investment Banking Division of a leading international investment bank. While practicing law, Debi also offered pro bono legal assistance to the New York Legal Assistance Group.

Debi received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Barnard College of Columbia University, where she double majored in economics and political science, and her Juris Doctor from George Washington University. Debi is a Certified Lactation Counselor with the Academy of Lactation Policy and Practice and lives on Long Island, with her supportive husband and five children.

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Mom Haul:

• INSTACART: “Instacart for door-to-door Costco essentials, because I have zero time!”

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