May 7, 2025

How to Overcome Supermom Syndrome and Mom Guilt ft. Author Bhakti Mathur

When I was a new mom, I wanted to be a supermom like the ones portrayed in the media- 10 hands and doing something different and supposedly productive with each of them. I found it powerful without realizing that it was actually stressing me out. Realistically koi bhi itni sari cheezen ek time pe nahi kar sakta hai- bachche ka dhyan rakho, khana banao, ghar dekho, family ka dhyan rakho, relax karo, workout karo aur phir jab bachcha bada ho jaye to uske school se leke after school activities dekho aur baki sab to karna hi hai. Oh and if you have a job besides all of this unpaid work, consider the load doubled. Hume lagta hai ki wah humare paas to superpower hai hum sab kar lenge par isse hota hai burnout, stress and lots of other mental and physical health issues.

This is one of those discussions that never gets old and when done right provides good takeaways. I am discussing all of this with author Bhakti Mathur. If you are an Indian mother, you are probably familiar with Bhakti Mathur’s Amma tell Me series. It’s a series of children’s picture books about Indian festivals and mythology. After a long stint as a banker, she now juggles her time between her writing, her passion for yoga and long-distance running, and her family. She lives in Hong Kong with her husband, their two children and two dogs. She is also the author of Amma, Take Me Series. The latest addition to the series is Amma, Take Me to the Hill Forts of Rajasthan which my daughter loved and so did I.

In this episode, Bhakti and I talk about the idea of a good mother, mom-guilt, equal marriage, mental load and how to overcome the overwhelm of it all.

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