We recently connected with Dr. Amita Shah and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Dr. Amita thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea
It all began in the summer of 2017.
At the time, I was teaching Child and Adolescent Development at San Jose State and had years of experience as an elementary school teacher and curriculum designer. But that summer, something changed. There was a noticeable shift in my community—parents were worried. With the rise in school shootings and growing concerns about children’s mental health, they started asking for support. They wanted their kids to learn emotional intelligence—skills they weren’t getting in school.
That was the spark. It felt like a calling.
The next step? I didn’t wait. I began right in my neighborhood in the Bay Area, launching pilot classes where I taught kids about emotional intelligence using brain science and mindfulness. To my surprise and joy, it worked—kids went home talking about their “prefrontal cortex” and using the tools they learned. That’s when I knew I had something powerful.
Between 2018 and 2020, I expanded the program through the City of Dublin’s recreation classes. I brought in blank notebooks, taught brain diagrams, and watched kids thrive as they learned to regulate their emotions. From those classes came our first workbook—Brain-Based EQ for Kids!—built from the activities that resonated most.
Brain-Based EQ for Kids Workbook: https://a.co/d/hNfwLda
Then came the pandemic. Everything moved online, and I adapted quickly. I offered free Zoom classes to help kids and families navigate the emotional chaos of lockdown. It became clear that this model could go far beyond my local community. So, I registered Social Edge as an official business and launched the online version of the program.
That summer, we had students from across California. Soon after, I shifted to self-paced online courses so families and educators could access the content anytime, anywhere.
Fast forward to today—our signature Brain-Based EQ Workshop for Kids! (ages 7–12) is available online. With 10 units and 22 lessons, the course teaches emotional regulation, self-awareness, and resilience through brain science and fun EQ strategies—like mind jars, calming slime, and positive affirmations.
Brain-Based EQ Workshop: https://amitashah.podia.com/brain-based-eq-for-kids-workshop
But I didn’t stop there. As I continued teaching, I developed a new workshop for teens, Brain-Based Life Hacks!, focused on the brain’s happiness chemicals. Around this time, I also realized something was missing—kids from bicultural homes needed more than EQ. They needed Cultural Intelligence (CQ). So I revamped our approach to include both EQ and CQ, giving kids tools to embrace their full identities and navigate the challenges of growing up between cultures.
In 2024, I launched the Brown*ish Parenting Podcast (available on all major streaming platforms) to support South Asian American families. Each episode focuses on culturally relevant parenting topics—from attachment and perfectionism to food and identity. We’re now active on Instagram and TikTok, sharing daily tips for raising emotionally healthy, culturally confident kids.
Brain-Based Life Hacks for Tweens and Teens: https://a.co/d/48PHutj
Brownish Parenting Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/2J4n6BmbZIfjruun6wB16b
I also started looking at how food and emotions connect. That led to publishing a Brain-Based EQ Workbook for PreK/K and launching Brainy Bites—a collaboration with wellness coach Karuna Khera that combines EQ with nutrition and mindful eating for kids of all ages.
Brain-Based EQ for PreK/K: https://a.co/d/2GCKQd6
This summer, we’re offering in-person Brainy Bites workshops for PreK/K and Brainy Bites workshops for School-Age, plus a new college readiness program called Thrive in College with Confidence. This course supports first-year college students with EQ strategies, nutrition hacks, and self-awareness tools to help them succeed independently.
What started as a neighborhood need has grown into a full platform—Social Edge Media. We now teach, create content, and support families through science, culture, and community.
Brainy Bites Workshop (ages 4-6): https://www.nourishhealthyhabits.com/event-details/brainy-bites-event-1-pre-k-k-4-6-years-2025-06-09-11-00
Brainy Bites Workshops (ages 7-12): https://www.nourishhealthyhabits.com/event-details/brainy-bites-event-2-age-9-12-years
Thrive In College: https://www.nourishhealthyhabits.com/event-details/thrive-in-college-c-2025-07-16-16-00
And the journey is just getting started…!
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Meet Dr. Amita Roy Shah: Educator, Author, and Founder of Social Edge Media
Dr. Amita Roy Shah is a passionate educator, curriculum designer, and entrepreneur who has dedicated her career to empowering children through emotional, cultural, and culinary intelligence. Her journey began as an elementary school teacher and later a university professor at San Jose State, where she taught Child and Adolescent Development.
In 2017, as concerns about children’s mental health and emotional well-being rose in her Bay Area community, Dr. Shah took action—launching Social Edge, a movement to help children better understand and manage their emotions.
Through Social Edge Media, Dr. Shah offers innovative programs and resources that blend neuroscience, mindfulness, and cultural awareness. Her Brain-Based EQ curriculum includes a series of engaging workbooks:
• Brain-Based EQ for PreK & K (ages 4-6)
• Brain-Based EQ for Kids! (ages 7–12)
• Brain-Based Life Hacks! for Tweens and Teens (ages 11-18)
These tools teach children how their brains work, how to manage emotions, and how to build resilience—all in age-appropriate, fun, and science-based ways.
Dr. Shah is also the author of several award-winning cultural children’s books that highlight South Asian traditions and foster bicultural pride:
• It’s Time for Holi!
• Lights, Camera, Diwali!
• Shanti and the Knot of Protection: A Rakhi Story
Recognizing the importance of nutrition and overall well-being in emotional regulation, she co-created Brainy Bites, a hands-on class that merges emotional intelligence with culinary education. Additionally, she hosts the Brown*ish Parenting Podcast, where she brings together experts, educators, and influencers to support South Asian American parents raising bicultural children.
What sets Dr. Shah apart is her holistic, inclusive approach to child development—combining brain science, emotional tools, cultural pride, nutrition, and practical strategies for modern families. At her core, she’s committed to helping children feel seen, understood, and confident in who they are.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
Building a meaningful platform and community from scratch is not easy—especially in a space as saturated as emotional intelligence. Early on, I struggled with getting traction on social media. I was posting consistently, creating original graphics, and sharing valuable EQ insights—but the engagement was slow. It was disheartening at times. I knew my work had impact, especially with educators, but reaching families and truly building a community for Social Edge felt like an uphill battle.
Still, I didn’t stop. I stayed consistent. I kept learning and evolving. My breakthrough came when I launched Brown*ish Parenting. It was a turning point.
Through Brown*ish Parenting, I tapped into conversations that were deeply needed but rarely had—topics like raising bicultural children, attachment theory in South Asian homes, the pressure of perfectionism, toxic masculinity, intergenerational trauma, and cultural taboos around therapy and emotions. Each episode sparked meaningful dialogue, and suddenly, my content began to resonate on a whole new level.
Season 1 explored:
• How culture shapes attachment and parenting styles
• The importance of emotional safety in immigrant families
• Breaking cycles of silence and shame
• Parenting in a bicultural world
• The role of food, faith, and family in identity-building
The response was clear: my community wanted more. That’s why Season 2 is expanding with even bolder conversations, new expert voices, and deeper explorations of emotional wellness in bicultural homes. We’ll be diving into school-related pressures, gender expectations, mental health tools for parents, and how to empower our kids through cultural pride and emotional fluency.
Resilience, for me, has meant showing up even when the likes were low, staying grounded in my mission through trial and error, and continuously pivoting until I found what truly connected. My own struggles growing up as a bicultural child in America—navigating identity, emotional expression, and belonging—have shaped the heart of my work. They’ve helped me fulfill what I now see as my calling: to support families raising emotionally strong and culturally confident kids.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
In 2020, everything changed—not just for the world, but for me personally and professionally. I had been teaching Brain-Based EQ classes in person through city programs, building strong connections with families and children who were learning how to regulate their emotions using neuroscience and mindfulness. But then the pandemic hit, and every in-person class stopped overnight.
At first, I felt stuck. My model was hands-on, interactive, and built around human connection. But I knew I couldn’t just wait for things to “go back to normal.” Families were struggling more than ever. Children were isolated and overwhelmed. So, I pivoted.
I moved everything online—offering free Zoom classes, creating digital content, and redesigning my curriculum for virtual delivery. My introductory class was offered on Udemy, and we had families sign up from around the world. We have had families signed up from Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, India, Nigeria, Egypt, Brazil and Australia.
That shift opened my eyes to the potential reach of my work. It wasn’t limited by geography anymore. Kids from all over began joining. Soon, Social Edge evolved from a local program into a digital platform with self-paced courses, downloadable workbooks, and resources for parents, teachers, and nonprofits.
What felt like a setback became a launchpad. That pivot wasn’t just about adapting to survive—it was about expanding to serve more families in a more accessible, scalable way.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mysocialedge.com/
- Instagram: @my.socialedge
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dramitaroyshah
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dramitaroyshah/
- Twitter: https://x.com/dramitaroyshah
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@dramitaroyshah
- Other: https://amitashah.podia.com/brain-based-eq-for-kids-workshop
