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From Searching Alone to Finding My Fit: On letting go, leaning in, and redefining what alignment means
I’ve always been independent—someone who tries to figure things out on my own and only reaches out for help as a last resort. But this year has knocked that approach sideways. Since January, the international development field has essentially disappeared, and I’ve been left wondering: where do my skills even fit in the private sector?…
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When Control Meets Chemistry: My Gestational Diabetes Diagnosis
I was recently diagnosed with gestational diabetes and anemia. Diabetes runs in my family. My mother developed it when she was pregnant with me — and it never went away. My father, on the other hand, managed to keep it at bay through diet and exercise until his sixties. Their paths have always been a…
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From Pandemic Companion to Big Sister
When I think back to the pandemic, I don’t just remember the fear, the uncertainty, or the long stretches of isolation—I remember Bailey. She was my anchor, my comfort, and in so many ways, my first born child. I brought her home when the world felt like it was spinning out of control, and somehow…
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From Bangkok to Bureaucratic Healthcare: Finding Care that Feels Human
Growing up, I spent much of my childhood in Asia. Bangkok, Thailand, in particular, was where my family would go for annual check-ups or any health issues that came up. Looking back now, I realize I was accustomed to something many would consider a luxury: concierge healthcare. Doctors knew me, appointments were thorough, and there…
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500 Classes Later
Three years ago, I walked into F45 Edgewood with one simple goal: shed my pandemic pounds and start getting my body ready for pregnancy. What I didn’t know then was just how much that studio would come to mean to me. Not long after I started, my dad’s dementia worsened. F45 quickly became more than…
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Balancing Two Worlds: Bengali Roots, American Choices
Holding Space for Myself in Family and Culture From a young age, my father had me living in two different worlds that often contradicted each other. At home, I was encouraged to be empowered, independent, and ambitious — a girl who could think for herself and chart her own path. Yet, when his extended family…
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From the Field to the Café: Job Applications Over Free Lattes
Monday afternoons used to feel heavy, but lately they’ve turned into something I actually look forward to. During baseball season, the Capital One Café gives everyone a free coffee on Mondays—and if you’ve got a Capital One card, it’s half price the rest of the time. That little perk has become the highlight of my…
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How I Got Here: Advocacy, Patience, and Love
Motherhood feels like stepping into a role I’ve been preparing for my whole life — though not in the ways I expected. Caring for my parents taught me lessons I could never have learned in books, workshops, or even my years of international development work. Lessons in patience, advocacy, problem-solving, emotional resilience — all of…
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Pregnancy Plans and Plot Twists
The Lived Experience of Pregnancy For most of my career, I’ve been a planner. In government and international development, you learn to thrive on spreadsheets, work plans, and five-year strategies. Everything has a process. Everything has a timeline. Everything has a fallback plan — or at least, it used to. Pregnancy laughed in the face…
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Inheritance, Not Rebellion
Category: Legacy & Love | Motherhood & Moxie When people hear I’m becoming a single mother by choice, they often assume it’s rebellion.For me, it feels more like inheritance. I come from a family of quiet revolutionaries. My parents were born into a conservative Bengali society where women were expected to follow, not lead, and…
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Bureaucrat to Baby Steps 