WE ARE CHILDFREE

Hi! I am a first-generation Canadian born to immigrant parents from India. I came to the US to study dentistry and stayed because I met my husband while we were in dental school. We are both orthodontists and started a multi-location orthodontic practice which we ultimately sold in 2016. I am currently creating digital art NFT’s (nonfungible tokens) that focus on mental health and addiction struggles.

I split my time between Bucks County, PA, and NYC. I have 2 adorable dogs. I am a sober vegetarian and therefore some think I am not the most fun dinner companion. I beg to differ.

As we started building our business I was in my early thirties. After 11 years of schooling, I was finally making enough money to support myself. On paper, this seemed like the perfect time to have kids but we were managing dozens of employees and working 14-hour days.

To manage the stress of the business I started drinking like most other people — a glass of wine to relax at night turned into 2 or 3 glasses or a bottle. However, during my heaviest drinking, I was achieving highs in my career that I hadn’t even considered possible. The idea of having children in that environment was unfathomable – between my professional and ‘recreational’ activities, where would I fit a child in? I did briefly consider getting pregnant to force me to quit drinking but decided against it.

Then life gave me the most wonderful gift — we sold our company. Suddenly I had more free time — both mentally and physically. I was ready to face some uncomfortable truths about myself and those around me and I quit drinking. I thought that my biological clock would start ticking now that I was not drunk….but it didn’t.

I knew that there were so many things I could now do with my life – having both the business and the drinking off my back. Still, one of these things was not having kids.

I was able to become actively involved in several non-profit organizations – entrepreneurship training for incarcerated people, aid for those with mental health and addiction issues, and victims of sex trafficking.

I have taken classes on every topic I have ever been interested in: bonsai, cooking, gardening, baking, journaling, meditation, yoga, knitting, and finally photography.

I completed a certificate program in photography and realized that I wanted to help others struggling with mental health and addiction issues through my images.