Pops in a Pod

Nadir Pop and Peter Pop's passion for education and learning will always be in focus, so much so that this time around they managed to get Sumeet Mehta the Co-Founder and CEO of LEAD India’s largest School EdTech company. As Co-Founder and CEO of LEAD, Sumeet’s mission is to make excellent education accessible for every child, by transforming schools across India. Sumeet draws inspiration from his journey of growing up in a family of teachers in a small town inIndia. All three pops had a lot to talk about when it came to learning, the future of education and of course parenting Before founding LEAD, Sumeet was the Chief Executive Officer at Zee Learn (2007 to 2012) which grew 5X during his tenure. Prior to this, Sumeet spent eight years at Procter & Gamble Singapore, where he led Healthcare and Skincare businesses across the APAC region. An alumnus of IIM Ahmedabad and PEC Chandigarh, Sumeet grew up in Pathankot, Punjab, and currently lives in Mumbai with his spouse, Smita who is also Co-Founder, LEAD and their two teenage kids. Sumeet is an avid reader and loves traveling to new countries. Get in touch with the Pop duo on popsinapod@gmail.com Follow Pops In A Pod Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/popsinapod/    Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/popsinapod  Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/c/PopsinaPod Nadir is a media and advertising professional with 17 years of experience, of which Nadir spent a decade in TV and digital video production – producing, directing, developing content, and writing.  www.linkedin.com/in/nadir-kanthawala-47249814/ Peter is a marketing and podcast guy. He has over a decade of experience working with companies ranging from startups to public listed companies. 

Nadir Pop and Peter Pop are joined by entrepreneur parent, Amarpreet Singh Anand, Founder & CEO, Superfoods Valley. The Pop duo discussed with him the origins of the brand, the importance of nutrition for kids and also the problem of Hidden Hunger.  An IIM Calcutta alumnus Amarpreet Singh Anand has been associated with brands such as Cadbury, Diageo and Royal Challengers Bangalore. In 2021, he began his journey to build Superfoods Valley, a food and nutri-tech platform to make nutrition easy for modern consumers who wish to be in charge of nourishing their lives.  Superfoods Valley is his humble attempt to create a social impact and be beneficial to his immediate and extended world.    Get in touch with the Pop duo on popsinapod@gmail.com Follow Pops In A Pod Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/popsinapod/    Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/popsinapod  Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/c/PopsinaPod Nadir is a media and advertising professional with 17 years of experience, out of this Nadir spent a decade in TV and digital video production – producing, directing, developing content, and writing.  www.linkedin.com/in/nadir-kanthawala-47249814/  Peter is a marketing guy. He has a decade of experience working with companies ranging from startups to public listed companies. https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterkotikalapudi/

The Pop duo are joined by Rati Girish to discuss Indian children's literature and also of course book recommendations too.  Some of the books discussed on the episode  Gobi Goes Viral Help! My Aai Wants to Eat Me   Get in touch with the Pop duo on popsinapod@gmail.com Follow Pops In A Pod Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/popsinapod/    Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/popsinapod  Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/c/PopsinaPod Nadir is a media and advertising professional with 17 years of experience, out of this Nadir spent a decade in TV and digital video production – producing, directing, developing content, and writing.  www.linkedin.com/in/nadir-kanthawala-47249814/  Peter is a marketing guy. He has a decade of experience working with companies ranging from startups to public listed companies. https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterkotikalapudi/

Nadir Pop and Peter Pop are joined by author Divya Thomas to discuss the all-pervasive topic of skin colour in India. Divya Thomas shares the experiences that shaped her book, I am so much more, the response from children and parents and even her journey as an author.  I am so much more won the FICCI award for Children’s book of the year in English for under 10 years! Buy I am so much more - https://www.amazon.in/Much-More-Than-Colour-Skin/dp/935489481X Divya Thomas is a storyteller and campaigner for gender equality and the environment. She is an alumnus of Cornell University and Northwestern University where she studied communications and data driven marketing. She is passionate about changing the narrative to empower both young children and grown-up children (adults) to redefine our world. Having lived in the U.S., U.K. and India, Divya draws on common themes across cultures to reflect her belief that while we are all different, we are all the same. Find more of her thoughts at www.anillustratedworld.com. Get in touch with the Pop duo on popsinapod@gmail.com Follow Pops In A Pod Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/popsinapod/    Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/popsinapod  Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/c/PopsinaPod Nadir is a media and advertising professional with 17 years of experience, out of this Nadir spent a decade in TV and digital video production – producing, directing, developing content, and writing.  www.linkedin.com/in/nadir-kanthawala-47249814/  Peter is a marketing guy. He has a decade of experience working with companies ranging from startups to public listed companies. https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterkotikalapudi/

The Pop duo discusses the movie that has taken over popular culture recently, Barbie. Nadir Pop and Peter Pop explain why the movie is not for kids, some of the learning that parents can take from it and much more.  Get in touch with the Pop duo on popsinapod@gmail.com Follow Pops In A Pod Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/popsinapod/    Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/popsinapod  Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/c/PopsinaPod Nadir is a media and advertising professional with 17 years of experience, out of this Nadir spent a decade in TV and digital video production – producing, directing, developing content, and writing.  www.linkedin.com/in/nadir-kanthawala-47249814/  Peter is a marketing guy. He has a decade of experience working with companies ranging from startups to public listed companies. https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterkotikalapudi/     Image Courtesy - https://www.barbie-themovie.com/gallery/

Peter Pop is joined by Ashdin Doctor, The Habit Coach to discuss developing habits in kids. They also discuss Ashdin’s 2nd book, “The Book of Good Habits for kids”, his observations about parents and kids, and also a few tools that parents can use. Ashdin Doctor is a Mumbai-based popular habit coach who has been transforming the lives of many who feel stuck by creating habits that can be easily incorporated into daily life. He is the founder of Awesome 180, a habit coaching programme. He also hosts a popular podcast, The Habit Coach. https://instagram.com/ashdindoc Buy “The Book of Good Habits for kids” -https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/935699157X/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Get in touch with the Pop duo on popsinapod@gmail.com Follow Pops In A Pod Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/popsinapod/    Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/popsinapod  Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/c/PopsinaPod Nadir is a media and advertising professional with 17 years of experience, out of this Nadir spent a decade in TV and digital video production – producing, directing, developing content, and writing.  www.linkedin.com/in/nadir-kanthawala-47249814/  Peter is a marketing guy. He has a decade of experience working with companies ranging from startups to public listed companies. https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterkotikalapudi/

Nadir Pop are Peter Pop are joined by Shals Mahajan, author of Reva and Prisha. The book tells the stories of two children sharing a home with two mothers, Runu and Pritam. Reva and Prisha was a part of Parag Honour List 2023 under Young Reader Fiction. Shals Mahajan is a writer and genderqueer fellow based in Mumbai.  They have worked on issues of gender, sexuality, caste and communalism as trainer, teacher and activist. Their other books include Timmi in Tangles, Timmi and Rizu and No Outlaws in the Gender Galaxy. Buy Reva and Prisha - https://www.amazon.in/Reva-Prisha-Shals-Mahajan/dp/9354710565 Get in touch with the Pop duo on popsinapod@gmail.com Follow Pops In A Pod Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/popsinapod/    Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/popsinapod  Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/c/PopsinaPod Nadir is a media and advertising professional with 17 years of experience, out of this Nadir spent a decade in TV and digital video production – producing, directing, developing content, and writing.  www.linkedin.com/in/nadir-kanthawala-47249814/  Peter is a marketing guy. He has a decade of experience working with companies ranging from startups to public listed companies. https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterkotikalapudi/

In this Father’s Day special compilation, Peter Pop and Nadir Pop discuss some of the highlights from past episodes, where they have learned from different dads. Some of these dads are Dr. Rakesh Kapur, Jose Covaco, Varun Duggirala, and Ankit Jindal. Dr. Rakesh Kapur - https://www.podpage.com/pops-in-a-pod/science-of-dads/ Jose Covaco - https://www.podpage.com/pops-in-a-pod/jose-covaco-aka-hoezaay-fathers-month-bonus-episode/ Varun Duggirala - https://www.podpage.com/pops-in-a-pod/ep-114-entrepreneur-parents-varun-duggirala-pooja-jauhari/ Ankit Jindal - https://www.podpage.com/pops-in-a-pod/ep-82-the-dad-who-defies-the-odds-ankit-jindal/   Get in touch with the Pop duo on popsinapod@gmail.com Follow Pops In A Pod Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/popsinapod/    Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/popsinapod  Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/c/PopsinaPod Nadir is a media and advertising professional with 17 years of experience, out of this Nadir spent a decade in TV and digital video production – producing, directing, developing content, and writing.  www.linkedin.com/in/nadir-kanthawala-47249814/  Peter is a marketing guy. He has a decade of experience working with companies ranging from startups to public listed companies. https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterkotikalapudi/

On this Father's day episode, Nadir Pop and Peter Pop are joined by Harpreet Singh Grover, the Curious Parent. They discuss Hapreet shift into parenting research from an  entrepreneur, his thoughts on the changes in parenting in India and even the concept of Father's Day.  Harpreet is an independent researcher in the field of parenting and children. He posts as The Curious Parent on Instagram. (https://www.instagram.com/thecuriousparent.harpreet/) Before that he spent 12 years in EdTech building CoCubes which was acquired by Aon Hewitt in 2017. He is also the author of the no-bull shit book on entrepreneurship called Let's Build a Company published by Penguin. And an angel investor/coach with 50 odd start-ups including Ola, Ola Electric, Chaayos, Bombay Shaving Company and 15+ EdTech start-ups.  Beyond work, he has been mountaineering for 12 years and completed a few 100km+ trail running races in 2019. After this Harpreet tried to convince his wife to live in the hills. Failing which he lives in Mumbai with Bhakti and his daughter Diya.   Get in touch with the Pop duo on popsinapod@gmail.com Follow Pops In A Pod Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/popsinapod/    Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/popsinapod  Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/c/PopsinaPod Nadir is a media and advertising professional with 17 years of experience, out of this Nadir spent a decade in TV and digital video production – producing, directing, developing content, and writing.  www.linkedin.com/in/nadir-kanthawala-47249814/  Peter is a marketing guy. He has a decade of experience working with companies ranging from startups to public listed companies. https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterkotikalapudi/

On this Mother's day special episode, Nadir Pop and Peter Pop are joined by an educationalist and entrepreneur, Rittika Karvat.  They discuss the neglect of postnatal support for new mothers and emphasizes the need for tailored support to tackle not just physical but also hormonal and emotional changes that occur during this period. The episode also highlights the changing roles of both parents in child-rearing and puts focus on the need for communication, respect, and honoring one's partner.  Rittika Karvat is the founder of Rittika Karvat Diamond Solutions and House of Entrepreneurs. She is trained in resiliency psychology and positive parenting.  Get in touch with the Pop duo on popsinapod@gmail.com Follow Pops In A Pod Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/popsinapod/    Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/popsinapod  Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/c/PopsinaPod Nadir is a media and advertising professional with 17 years of experience, out of this Nadir spent a decade in TV and digital video production – producing, directing, developing content, and writing.  www.linkedin.com/in/nadir-kanthawala-47249814/  Peter is a marketing guy. He has a decade of experience working with companies ranging from startups to public listed companies. https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterkotikalapudi/

A few weeks ago a video went viral where a social media influencer highlighted the amount of sugar in a malt-based health drink.  On this episode, Nadir Pop and Peter Pop discuss it and also look at ingredients and nutritional value in packages food - The good, bad and ugly. To shed more light on this they are joined by food scientist, Sudip Putatunda.  Sudip Putatunda, is an Award-winning scientist and serial entrepreneur in the Food Industry. Sudip graduated as a Food Scientist from the University of Reading, UK. He earned his post graduate degree, from Imperial College Business School, London, UK. And he is currently a Doctoral Scholar at the S.P. Jain University, Australia, in the field of Behavioral Finance. Apart from running his own ice cream business, in his 15-year-long career, Sudip has worked closely with product development teams at leading companies Food Processing companies such as Unilever, PepsiCo, Mondelez (Kraft), as well as the largest hospitality companies such as Taj (Indian Hotels), Starwood Marriot, Accor and many others. Sudip is also a proud father to an almost 2-year-old son. Get in touch with the Pop duo on popsinapod@gmail.com Follow Pops In A Pod Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/popsinapod/    Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/popsinapod  Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/c/PopsinaPod Nadir is a media and advertising professional with 17 years of experience, out of this Nadir spent a decade in TV and digital video production – producing, directing, developing content, and writing.  www.linkedin.com/in/nadir-kanthawala-47249814/  Peter is a marketing guy. He has a decade of experience working with companies ranging from startups to public listed companies. https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterkotikalapudi/

On this episode, Nadir Pop and Peter Pop are joined by Dr. Manjula Srinivas to discuss the impact of AI in the Indian education sector. The short term and long term results of it and how parents should be prepared to guide their children.  Dr. Manjula Srinivas (M.A, M.Phil. PhD) is Professor, & Dean Liberal Arts and Design Thinking, and Dean Student Affairs, SOIL(SOBD) in Delhi. She has more than 24 years of experience in the field of media education. Dr. Manjula Srinivas is the former Head, Department of Mass Media, KC College, Nadir Pop's Alma Mater.  Get in touch with the Pop duo on popsinapod@gmail.com Follow Pops In A Pod Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/popsinapod/    Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/popsinapod  Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/c/PopsinaPod Nadir currently leads the Business Development division at a digital agency. Prior to this Nadir spent a decade in TV and digital video production – producing, directing, developing content, and writing.  www.linkedin.com/in/nadir-kanthawala-47249814/  Peter is a marketing guy. He has a decade of experience working with companies ranging from startups to public listed companies. https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterkotikalapudi/

In this throwback episode, Nadir Pop and Peter Pop spoke to Freyan Bhujwala & Kanika Vasudeva from The Share Bear thesharebear.in on sustainable living, mindful parenting and promoting a circular economy, in an easy and convenient manner. Their vision is to normalise the buying and selling of pre-loved items Kanika has a post-graduate degree in Social Communications and Media from Sophia’s Polytechnic, Mumbai. She has been part of the PR and Marketing team at Sony Pictures, has worked with Idream Productions and UTV and spent nine years at Fox Star Studios as VP International, Sales and Distribution. Freyan has a post-graduate degree in Marketing and Advertising from St. Xavier’s Institute of Communication, Mumbai. She worked with JWT Advertising, was part of the marketing team at Fox Star Studios, and went on to become Head of Marketing at Maddock Films. A must listen episode for all parents. Get in touch with the Pop duo on popsinapod@gmail.com Follow Pops In A Pod Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/popsinapod/    Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/popsinapod  Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/c/PopsinaPod Nadir currently leads the Business Development division at a digital agency. Prior to this Nadir spent a decade in TV and digital video production – producing, directing, developing content, and writing.  www.linkedin.com/in/nadir-kanthawala-47249814/  Peter is a marketing guy. He has a decade experience working with companies ranging from startups to public listed companies. www.linkedin.com/in/peterkotikalapudi

April 2nd is World Autism Awareness Day. Nadir Pop and Peter Pop are joined by Deepa Bhat Nair to understand Autism better. They discussed the common misconceptions around autism and also how to treat it. Deepa Bhat Nair is the Founder Director, Communiverse - The centre for Autism and related conditions, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. She is passionate about Early Intervention, parent empowerment, and manpower development. Deepa is the mentor for the Indian Navy’s Early Intervention Centre, Chetna at New Delhi. www.communiverse.in https://youtube.com/@CommuniverseIndia https://www.instagram.com/communiverseindia/   Get in touch with the Pop duo with feedback, questions, and more on popsinapod@gmail.com Follow Pops In A Pod Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/popsinapod/   Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/popsinapod  Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/c/PopsinaPod  Nadir currently leads the Business Development division at a digital agency. Prior to this Nadir spent a decade in TV and digital video production – producing, directing, developing content, and writing.  www.linkedin.com/in/nadir-kanthawala-47249814/  Peter is a marketing guy. He has a decade experience working with companies ranging from startups to public listed companies. www.linkedin.com/in/peterkotikalapudi

On this throwback episode, Nadir Pop and Peter Pop were joined by someone from the LGBTQA+ community to talk about her parenting journey. Chitra is a mother, a trans woman, a lesbian, and is raising her preschool-age child along with her ex and her partner. She writes as @threegirlfamily on Instagram, Twitter and Substack about her experiences of balancing motherhood and her career with life as an 'out' queer woman. Chitra spoke to the Pop duo about co-parenting, her transition journey, the representation of LGBTQA+ community in popular media and much more. Get in touch with the Pop duo with feedback, questions, and more on popsinapod@gmail.com   Follow Pops In A Pod Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/popsinapod/   Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/popsinapod  Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/c/PopsinaPod  Nadir currently leads the Business Development division at a digital agency. Prior to this Nadir spent a decade in TV and digital video production – producing, directing, developing content, and writing.  www.linkedin.com/in/nadir-kanthawala-47249814/  Peter is a marketing guy. He has a decade experience working with companies ranging from startups to public listed companies. www.linkedin.com/in/peterkotikalapudi

Who are Chitra and Mahima? And what do they have to contribute to the recent affidavit filed by GOI? To start off Chitra Mathur is a Trans woman and has spoken extensively on her journey of transition on the podcast, you can listen to to HERE. Mahima Vashisht is the author of the weekly newsletter, "Womaning in India", which highlights gender bias blind spots in everyday life through real stories of real women of India. Mahima is also a working mother, who has 15 years of experience working as a civil servant with the Government of India, and later as a development sector professional with UNICEF, World Bank, and Tata Trusts. By qualification, she is an Electronics and Communications Engineer from the National Institute of Technology Kurukshetra and an MBA from IIM Bangalore. On this episode Mahima and and Chitra have a very candid conversation on the legality of same sex marriages in India and the Supreme Court's stand on it. Get in touch with the Pop duo with feedback, questions, and more on popsinapod@gmail.com Follow Pops In A Pod Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/popsinapod/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/popsinapod Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/c/PopsinaPod Nadir currently leads the Business Development division at a digital agency. Prior to this Nadir spent a decade in TV and digital video production – producing, directing, developing content, and writing.  www.linkedin.com/in/nadir-kanthawala-47249814/ Peter is a marketing guy. He has a decade experience working with companies ranging from startups to public listed companies. www.linkedin.com/in/peterkotikalapudi

Nadir Pop and Peter Pop are joined on this episode by Radhika Mohta, a Bengaluru based Matchmaker & Relationship Coach. They discuss the challenges of dating in your 30's and how to navigate them.  Radhika Mohta runs a Dating Accelerator that helps single people get ready for their last first date, at radhikamohta.com She has enabled over 3,000 singles with their life partner search. Ran Eligible - a community of independent singles for a year. Built Slow Dating - audio dates on Discord. Get in touch with the Pop duo with feedback, questions, and more on popsinapod@gmail.com Follow Pops In A Pod Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/popsinapod/   Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/popsinapod  Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/c/PopsinaPod  Nadir currently leads the Business Development division at a digital agency. Prior to this Nadir spent a decade in TV and digital video production – producing, directing, developing content, and writing.  www.linkedin.com/in/nadir-kanthawala-47249814/  Peter is a marketing guy. He has a decade experience working with companies ranging from startups to public listed companies. www.linkedin.com/in/peterkotikalapudi

The idea for this episode was sparked by the release of the documentary "The Romantics" on Netflix.  Nadir Pop and Peter Pop debate if "Amrish Puri's character is every Indian dad in the 90’s". Tune in to find out what the Pop duo think.  Get in touch with the Pop duo with feedback, questions, and more on popsinapod@gmail.com Follow Pops In A Pod Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/popsinapod/   Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/popsinapod  Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/c/PopsinaPod  Nadir currently leads the Business Development division at a digital agency. Prior to this Nadir spent a decade in TV and digital video production – producing, directing, developing content, and writing.  www.linkedin.com/in/nadir-kanthawala-47249814/  Peter is a marketing guy. He has a decade experience working with companies ranging from startups to public listed companies. www.linkedin.com/in/peterkotikalapudi

Conflict and war are a difficult topics to discuss especially with children. In this throwback episode, Nadir Pop and Peter Pop are joined by 2 guests  to better understand how to explain the topic of conflict and war to children, pre-schoolers as well as teenagers. Dr. Swati Popat Vats and Dr. Wilona Annunciation share with the Pop duo their experiences as an educator and psychiatrist respectively. Dr. Swati Popat Vats, President of Podar Education Network, is a global educator with over 32 years of experience and holds many important positions in the field of early childhood education, currently she is the President of the Early Childhood Association of India. Dr. Wilona Annunciation is a practicing psychiatrist who has worked with kids and geriatrics alike. Get in touch with the Pop duo with feedback, questions, and more on popsinapod@gmail.com Follow Pops In A Pod Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/popsinapod/   Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/popsinapod  Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/c/PopsinaPod  Nadir currently leads the Business Development division at a digital agency. Prior to this Nadir spent a decade in TV and digital video production – producing, directing, developing content, and writing.  www.linkedin.com/in/nadir-kanthawala-47249814/  Peter is a marketing guy. He has a decade experience working with companies ranging from startups to public listed companies. www.linkedin.com/in/peterkotikalapudi

In this throwback episode, Nadir Pop and Peter Pop are joined Mrinal Ghosh, a finance professional to discuss effective ways to plan finances for your children and also dispel some myths.  Mrinal Ghosh is a Chartered Accountant and MBA with over 20 years of work experience working with multi‑national consulting companies in the US and in India. He is also a parent to a 4-year-old daughter. Get in touch with the Pop duo with feedback, questions, and more on popsinapod@gmail.com Follow Pops In A Pod Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/popsinapod/   Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/popsinapod  Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/c/PopsinaPod  Nadir currently leads the Business Development division at a digital agency. Prior to this Nadir spent a decade in TV and digital video production – producing, directing, developing content, and writing.  www.linkedin.com/in/nadir-kanthawala-47249814/  Peter is a marketing guy. He has a decade experience working with companies ranging from startups to public listed companies. www.linkedin.com/in/peterkotikalapudi