A Season Green of

The first quarter is done and dusted, and we are bang in the busy end of the tax season—a certainty that can’t be ignored and must be endured. I counter the added stress that comes from managing and reporting the submissions in three different states by spending time in my garden—planting seeds, watering the plants, and just walking outside is both therapeutic and relaxing.

Since April is the month that gets our heads wrapped around all things financial, it was serendipitous that our cover story features someone who knows all about money matters.

Sunaina Sinha Haldea is one of the most influential people working in private equity today. As the global head of Private Capital Advisory group for Raymond James, she is often the only woman in the room brokering deals for some of the largest private equity sponsors in the world.

We also offer intriguing and inspiring stories of South Asian women who are paving the way for a new generation—not just opening doors but making them. In the Prosper section, read about Shasti Conrad—at 38, she is the first and youngest woman of color to serve as chair in the Washington State Democratic Party. Left outside an orphanage in Kolkata, India as a baby, she was adopted by a single white woman and was raised in rural Oregon. In Nourish, Priyanka Srinivas, the co-founder of Live Green, shares her plant-based wisdom. Her company provides plant-based alternatives to meat, eggs, and milk and also replacements for additives and ultra-processed ingredients.

If you have a wedding in the works , we share the latest trends to help you plan the big day. As Earth Day falls later in the month, we shine a light on some of our favorite ecofriendly and sustainable brands and highlight a new wave of women “ eco-prepreneurs ” who have built businesses that prioritize the planet alongside the profits.

A s traffic nightmares return to pre-pandemic levels (or worse), an increasing number of companies are favoring a return-to-office policy. In our Prosper section, we bring to you a few tips on how to manage the balance between commuting and continuing remote work. And if you are like me, and there’s no escaping the commute, we have you covered with some meditation apps to streamline your self-care.

I f you are a food lover (also like me), we share two ways in which you could celebrate the food-focused holidays in April to celebrate the Indian Solar New Year. The Nourish section also highlights the plantbased revolution, which is being adopted worldwide. For vegetarians who are often falling short of options when eating out or hosting a meal at home, Vasudha

Viswanath, the founder of We Ate Well, has got you covered. Her book—TheVegetarianReset—features cuisines from all over the world with a healthy Indian vegetarian twist so you can eat food that tastes good and is good for you.

I hope our April issue, which is loaded with information and inspiration, gets your mind off the burden of computing your taxes and looking toward all the good things that the month has to offer.

• Seema Kumar, Founder, SEEMA Network •