Notes from Chris

Episode 378

Parijat Deshpande’s side hustle journey started back in 2012 when she was pregnant. What should have been one of the most joyous moments of her life ended up being one of the most challenging. Parijat’s pregnancy was considered very high-risk. With eight complications, sixteen weeks of bed rest at home, and another two at the hospital, she was understandably very concerned. As a clinically-trained therapist, Parijat assumed that there would be a strong online support system and resources for someone in her position, but after hours of fruitless searching, she came up empty-handed.

She was discouraged by a lot of generic pregnancy advice that didn’t really apply to a high-risk situation, so she decided that if she and her baby made it out of this experience okay, she’d find a way to help others like her.

And make it out okay they did! In her 22nd week, she was rushed to the hospital, but despite the odds and the predictions of her doctors, she was able to remain pregnant for an additional two more weeks giving her baby a better chance at life. After that long uphill battle, Parijat was finally able to take her infant son home.

Parijat knew that she didn’t have any special powers and that if she could do it, others could too. She thought back to her experience where she had wanted someone with her that had been in her shoes. And that’s when it occurred to her that maybe the best thing she could do for other women in these situations was to show up for them, offering them the resources and support that she never had. You could say it was the birth of her side hustle!

Like many of our featured stories, Parijat bounces back and forth between satisfaction with her side hustle progress and impatience for the next thing. But she’s not just waiting around for the next big thing, she’s actively working on building her business and her profile. She wants to make sure that no one going through this struggle feels like they are alone—and now, because of what she’s created, they don’t need to be.

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MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Parijat Deshpande | High-Risk Pregnancy Expert: Learn more about Parijat and the work she's currently doing on her website!
• Delivering Miracles: Check out Parijat's podcast in Apple Podcasts!

SEE ALSO:

• Lawyer Creates Online Course for Mothers Returning to Work: For her first side hustle, a Washington, DC attorney creates an online course for new mothers returning to the world of work—and then finds a way to get employers to pay for it
• New Mother Gives Life To Self-Care Coaching Business: In need of some routine before returning to her job as an Ultrasound Technician, a new mother creates a side business focused on self-care coaching
• “Mommee Coffee” Becomes a $20,000/Month Side Hustle: Tired of the guilt associated with consuming coffee while pregnant and breastfeeding, a biomechanical engineer creates a line of coffee bean options that keep Mom happy and baby healthy

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,

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