Motherhood

Yummy Mummy Series, featuring Shreya Krishnan

“The attitude you have as a parent is what your kids will learn from more than what you tell them. They don’t remember what you try to teach them. They remember what you are.”
~Jim Henson

This quote aptly defines what I believe a #Yummy mummy is. She is a force to reckon with, she is the embodiment of calm, courage and vulnerability. She is defined by her outlook and it shows in the cloth she wears, the lipstick she applies and the words that comes out of her pretty mouth.

My second mom in the #yummymummyseries is a poetess, a yogini, a belly dancer, a public speaker, a philanthropist and award winning marketing & CSR chief of a prominent multinational company in India. She is a pampered wife, a loving daughter and a doting mother. Women like her are tagged as “Working Moms” but I call her a Superwoman in disguise.

 

Her name is Shreya Krishnan and she is a very proud mother of a beautiful little Anika, her 3.5 years old daughter. Shreya lives with her family in Bangalore, India and works at a very senior position in an American MNC.

I first met her, some 5 years ago, when I was interviewing her for this position in the company (that she now works in) , in front of me was this petite woman, with a very infectious smile and overflowing enthusiasm and ideas, dressed in crisp cotton saree, draped perfectly on her slender body, meaning business. She was professional but she wore it with her femininity.  I was told by the other decision makers then, that she was too young for the job, but I saw something in her, I saw, “ another me”. I was the youngest HR head the company had known and I was inching towards getting their youngest marketing head, and she was the one. Anyway, she impressed her way into the company and has earned her respect, laurels, achievements and awards through sheer hard work and passion. Why I admire her more now, is because unlike me, she continued to work, rise and shine, through her pregnancy, child birth and the responsibility of a new baby while performing her duties at work. I on the other hand, choose to stay at home.

Being a working mom, needs a different level of discipline, and confidence. It’s not easy to manage a work-life-balance this strong, and still grow and smile every single day. Shreya does it and that’s why she is my Yummy Mummy.

Shreya, speaking at a Nasscom event

Here are the questions that I asked her. Have fun reading her answers.

  1. What was the last compliment you received?

At an event last week – “You are as articulate as you are attractive”

  1. What per you are the “must buy” and “never buy” beauty products?

For me my routine is simple and basic – I need a day/night moisturizer to keep my skin from drying and my lip balm is a must. As for make up, I just use a good kajal and more recently I have started experimenting with lipstick. So this is my must buy list.

A never buy list should be made up of stuff you would never use, it’s easy to compile, just look into your make up and don’t buy things you haven’t used in a year, and that’s the list!

  1. What’s your beauty regime? Any skin care tip/hack?

Drink water, I keep forgetting to but when I do, my skin is a lot healthier and eat healthy too! My mum grinds a powder out of green gram and dried peas, works like a charm, its your scrub and cleanser and face wash all rolled into one! J

  1. What is your view about fitness? Are you happy with your post baby body? What is your fitness regime?

I am ok with my post baby body, although I would have liked to be fitter. I don’t have much of a routine but I manage to keep to a little over 10K steps a day and I dance for a couple of hours every weekend. It’s hard to do more with my work, home and baby.

  1. If you had to live in only 2 outfits and 1 pair of shoes for 1 full year, what would you pick?

Harems and gunjee (tank) and a pair of comfy flat sandals.

  1. What’s your definition of a Yummy Mummy? Who is your Yummy Mummy crush?

A yummy mummy is a mommy who is confident and unapologetic, takes care of herself and flaunts what she’s got, sans size, sans body image issues and doesn’t really bother about the judgement or what others will think or say about her life choices and her clothes choices…

Lots of yummy mummies around me and its super inspiring… :* But my all-time favorite is my mother .

  1. What per you is the biggest fashion faux pas? Do you have any embarrassing fashion faux pas story of your own?

Don’t ever give a dress or an outfit more than it deserves, remember it’s just something that you, the person is wearing. Lack of confidence with an outfit is the worst faux pas you can commit. Whatever it is, make sure you own it and it doesn’t own you!  I grew up being a fashion faux pas from big glasses, to two oily haired braids and oversized clothes, I was a nerdy looking awkward teenager, but it never did bother me.

  1. What’s your advice to expecting & new moms?

Do what your gut tells you, don’t pay heed to a lot of the noise around you or buckle to pressure of norms! Enjoy this phase of life and cut yourself some slack, it is not an easy task! This journey is a long haul and you need your wits about you to survive and succeed. Seek honesty as what most people tell you is a bubbly dream!

  1. Why do you like to groom yourself, stay sassy/fashionable/fit even with thousand and one chores, kids to distract you? What’s the motivation behind looking like a million bucks?

My mum is my first inspiration, she was in the same central government office for 39 years and her zeal to dress up every single day in smartly starched cotton sarees, perfectly accessorized and well turned out all the time was something I grew up imbibing. Some of the style and the zeal rubbed off I guess.

Also, when you dress well and are well groomed, it’s a mechanism to tap into your inner diva and gives you a lot of confidence. Even if you are home all day, just taking a shower and wearing fresh clothes can be a mood boost!

Isn’t she fabulous? Can you even imagine this beauty as a gawky, nerdy , teenager? I can’t.

Here, is what she is wearing,

I hope you like this interview and this series. It has been a pleasure to work on it and put it up for you all. Keep your eyes on my Facebook, Instagram , & twitter this week, because I will be sharing more content about Shreya my Mum No.2 of the Yummy Mummy Series.

 

Stay Yummy!

7 Comments

  1. Love Life And The Little One

    Thank you all. I love to get your feedback.

  2. I love this series! It is so interesting to read perspectives from mothers that have different locations, cultures, careers, etc. and find out what similarities and differences there seems to be.

  3. Awesome post! I totally agree with the advice to do what your gut tells you! You know your kid best!

  4. This was a great read and Shreya Krishnan is a rockstar! I definitely have to take her advice and start owning my outfits =) every momma should be able to feel confident in herself and how she appears to the world. Great interview!

  5. I love this! What an empowering series! I love reading about other mamas, their strengths and what helps them on the day to day! Thank you for this!

    1. Love Life And The Little One

      Thanks

  6. Kayla

    Love the simple beauty tips! I totally agree that drinking water and using moisturizer are some of the best things we can do for your skin!

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