that’s total nonsense

  • Chase Jennings
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003: Melanie Chandra — Navigating the Entertainment Industry as a New Mom
003: Melanie Chandra — Navigating the Entertainment Industry as a New Mom 1024 512 Chase Jennings

You may recognize her from her roles on ABC’s medical drama Code Black, HBO’s The Brink and films including Love, Lies and Seeta and For Here or to Go which is currently on Netflix. What you may not know is that actor and producer Melanie Chandra is a wife and supermom to her 1-year-old daughter Arya. In our candid chat, we talk about how she and I first met during our pageant days over a decade ago, how she and her husband met, what it was like being pregnant and filming her latest project, Surina and Mel, and what she hopes to leave behind as her legacy her daughter. 

Tune In:

About Our Guest:

Show Notes:

  • 1:23 – How Melanie and I met over 10 years ago
  • 3:00 – How Melanie broke into the entertainment industry
  • 6:10 – Why Melanie decided to become a producer
  • 8:00 – What it’s like being a #woc in entertainment
  • 10:56 – How Melanie and her hubby met
  • 14:03 – Building a Family
  • 15:50 – Trying to find work while pregnant
  • 18:29 – Working with her best friend on “Surina and Mel”
  • 20:10 – A day in the life as a mother, wife, actor, and producer
  • 24:01 – Pitching with Kal Penn and being on the road
  • 26:10 – Balancing a social life with a baby
  • 28:32 – Advice for moms who want to break into the industry
  • 29:50 – It takes a village – professionally and personally
  • 31:08 –  Hospital for Hope charity
  • 33:42 – Melanie’s Mom Sense moment
  • 35:44 – Quote of the Day
  • 36:47 – Mom Haul

Mom Haul:

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002: Holland Haiis — How Much Screen Time is Too Much?
002: Holland Haiis — How Much Screen Time is Too Much? 1024 512 Chase Jennings

The World Health Organization recently tightened its guidelines on screen time for kids.  Babies in their first year of life should never be exposed to screens and those aged 2 to 4 should spend no more than an hour a day in front of a screen. (Cue – parents gasping everywhere). Though technology can be beneficial in many ways, we can’t deny the increase in cases of childhood obesity, vision/eyestrain issues, anxiety, and behavioral disorders due to introducing our little ones to our digital world too soon. 

Speaker, author, and leading expert on digital detox, Holland Haiis advises on how much time each age group should ideally spend in front a screen, if it all. She also takes a deep dive into why kids get addicted, how it effects their brain and behavior, and how we can flip the script and get them to ditch the habit. Parents, you may want to put down your smartphone and lead by example with this one! 

Tune In:

About Our Guest:

Show Notes:

  • 2:56 – Meet Holland Haiis, digital detox expert 
  • 4:20 – Stats on how much time kids & adults are on screens
  • 6:49 – How much time should kids spend on a screen, if at all?
  • 18:04 – How screens affect children’s behavior and disorders like ADHD, ADD, etc.
  • 20:30 – Holland’s tips on freeing you and your kids of screen time
  • 31:30 – Mom Sense Moment
  • 33:20 – Quote of the Day
  • 34:40 – Mom Haul
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