Chelsea Sahai 0:00

Hi, I'm Chelsea

Lesleynrish 0:01

And I'm Leslie,

Chelsea Sahai 0:02

and we've been friends for almost 30 years.

Lesleynrish 0:05

We've been through a lot together. We were there from first crushes to first husbands.

Chelsea Sahai 0:10

We both brought our blankies to college with us. We talked our way out of arrests and almost got kicked out of our dorm.

Lesleynrish 0:17

We talked about who we become, and then when we became that and decided that we wanted something different, we were there too.

Chelsea Sahai 0:24

We probably wouldn't have used this language at the time. We were too irreverent and rebellious, but we've been taking care of each other for a long time. One of my most vivid memories of our friendship is when my mom called me really early in the morning to tell me Gigi had died, and our walls in college were so thin. You heard my conversation and immediately jumped out of bed so fast, and I just remember hearing your door get caught on all of the clothes on your floor because you were so messy, and you ramming it open over the clothes and running into my room to make sure I was okay. It was so sweet.

Lesleynrish 0:56

Uh, yes, I was a mess and still am a mess. And dunno how I would've survived four years of college without you cooking For me, cleaning up after me and teaching me that fabric softener is not actually the same thing as laundry detergent. And when I was 24 and way too fucking young to be getting married, you were the only person in my life to tell me to my face that I was marrying someone who was totally wrong for me. Yet you still put on your bridesmaid dressed and slapped on a smile, and were there to pick up the pieces. When years later, it inevitably all crumbled you even waited a while for your, I told you so. Moment.

Chelsea Sahai 1:32

Now we've got a lot to take care of. I've got two boys, four and eight who are sweet and smart and never stop talking. My husband and I have been married for almost 10 years, and between his career as a spine surgeon and mine as an immigration attorney, we've been pretty busy getting to where we are today. Now we're living in Hoboken, New Jersey. Something I never thought I'd say, and traveling, entertaining, and figuring out how to live our best life.

Lesleynrish 1:58

And I live on six acres in Des Moines, Iowa with my husband, 10-year-old stepdaughter. 2-year-old son and another boy joining our family in just a few months. I have been an entrepreneur for all of my adult life and currently run a cookie business out of our home garage. Turn commercial kitchen. Iowa can be a tough place to live sometimes, but we are putting down roots here, quite literally, growing our own food, planting an orchard, and building a cabin in our timber to share the natural beauty with others. We wanna make a life here that is authentically ours and keep holding out hope for brighter days ahead.

Chelsea Sahai 2:33

Now, we could just be living our nice little lives. Retired from our days of troublemaking, but with the current state of affairs, we figured it was time for some good trouble. We see a lot of decisions being made that impact women and the way we take care of ourselves, our families, and our communities.

Lesleynrish 2:51

We think women have always known how to take care of people, and this is a really beautiful, ancient wisdom that has the power to change us from a collection of people to a collective people. And we think caretaking is so important and so powerful that it isn't just something you do at home. It is something you do in your community and even your country.

Chelsea Sahai 3:12

It's essential to have women's voices heard and revered in conversations about culture, policy, and especially government because we believe that's what a government should do, take care of its people,

Lesleynrish 3:23

and who knows better how to take care of people than women.

Chelsea Sahai 3:26

We aren't policy experts, and you don't have to be a news junkie to join the conversation.

Lesleynrish 3:30

Each week we'll catch up on how we're taking care of ourselves and our families. Reminisce a bit on our more carefree days and chat about culture and politics through the lens of a caretaker.

Chelsea Sahai 3:42

So join us for conversations on taking care ourselves, our families, our work, and our country. Welcome to Taking care

Lesleynrish 3:52

with Leslie

Chelsea Sahai 3:53

and Chelsea.