Parenting can be a juggling act. While the experience comes with infinite love and warm memories, it also brings along a never-ending to-do list. As such, when Tina Singh had her third baby, she soon realized that she was so busy day to day, she’d forget to capture the little moments that make parenthood so fulfilling. Her phone was filled with photos of just her kids, but not as many that included her. With a mission to document her parenting journey and create a video journal to someday show her children down the road, she decided to vlog her way through motherhood on her YouTube platform, now known as @TheTinaSingh. Fast forward to today, Singh wears many hats as a mom of three boys, social media content creator, occupational therapist, and the founder of Sikh Helmets Inc.
In 2007, Singh began practicing occupational therapy through her private practice, where she focused on providing assessment and treatment for those with acquired brain injury. It was in 2015 that she also started creating digital family content on YouTube. She has since expanded her content multifaceted topics and has even dipped her feet into the world of podcasting in 2019, via One Take With Tina, a podcast series in which she addressed heavier social issues such as human trafficking, racism, domestic violence, and mental health. As her platform grows through YouTube, Instagram and Facebook, over the years, she has worked with various brands to script, film, and edit content.
Through her work, Singh has always tried to normalize her family as a Canadian family. Everyone in her family is born and raised Canadian. That said, when it comes to sharing her cultural identity as a Sikh or South Asian, Singh’s efforts have been to authentically ingrain these elements in her content, too. Whether it be enthusiastically celebrating Bandi Chorh Divas with fireworks or finding the perfect ornaments for the family Christmas tree, Singh covers it all. The mom boss is a believer of encouraging her children with positivity and leading with patience, when it comes to practicing religious and cultural aspects, including the Punjabi language. Her approachability as a person also translates to her vibe as an influencer; she considerately answers questions surrounding themes like being a first generation Canadian, teaching kids about religious holidays, and why she keeps her kids’ hair.
Of course, her social media content has a stellar supporting cast featuring her sons, Jora, Kabir, and Ajit. Singh’s husband, Herpreet, is also her biggest champion. In fact, he was the first to hear about Singh’s latest entrepreneurial venture, Sikh Helmets, a project through which Singh is developing and producing the first ever multisport helmets specifically designed for Sikh kids with joorhas or patkas, aged five and up. The helmets are safety certified by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Singh elaborates, “I actually talked to my husband about Sikh Helmets many years ago and he said it was a great idea. Then, we went quiet about it for a while. When the kids got older, the lack of safety started hitting me since no helmets in the market fit them properly. I decided to take action and Sikh Helmets was born. There has been no looking back since and friends and family have been beyond supportive!”
Given her background as an occupational therapist, Singh deeply understands the importance of a safe, well-fitting sports helmet. Although the idea of Sikh Helmets was met with positivity in its development phase, there was also the question of whether there was a significant enough market for it. Singh notes that product development entails one step forward and five steps backwards. Alongside other challenges, it’s also pretty expensive. However, upon the product’s release, Sikh Helmets has gotten an overwhelming amount of heartening, positive traction in the right direction and has become the talk of the town not just nationally, but also internationally.
What’s also wholesome to see is that as Singh, the blossoming entrepreneur, conducts media interviews on a busy Sunday morning, her partner-in-crime, Herpreet, shows up fully with his dad mode on and takes the kids out for breakfast to allow Singh to conduct business as needed. Truly, it’s a team effort and the solid family support is evident. Singh’s future vision for Sikh Helmets involves offering products that can be used for any sport and any activity. Although she is currently a one-person team, the fearless trendsetter looks forward to potentially expanding her team eventually, so that she can continue to create products that support safety and inclusion.
Undoubtedly, a passion project that started with the thought of encapsulating her journey of motherhood and the story of her life is now entering the next phase for Singh. Excited to see how her story evolves as a result of this project, the busy bee takes a moment to remind herself and other mothers the importance of recognizing themselves as separate individuals, “Remember that your mental health matters. I remember feeling huge mom guilt when I’d take any trips in the past, but that guilt has mellowed down now. Having been a parent for 10 years, I can now recognize that it’s okay to take 72 hours out for myself without the kids. In fact, taking care of yourself means you’ll be a better you, and a better parent. It’s okay and it’s allowed. Our mothers and grandmothers may not always have had such opportunities, but that doesn’t mean we can't have them either. Especially to South Asian moms in their 40s, I also say that you are never too old to take on something new. We can be who we are as individuals while still being parents.” Singh holds the utmost appreciation for her team of mom supporters, lovingly called the Marmy (mom army).
As her platform continues to reach new heights, the influencer turned businesswoman has also undergone tremendous growth and change herself. Although she only really realized the full-time potential of her business in recent years, she intentionally keeps herself grounded, keeping in mind inevitable fluctuations in the influencer market, her own influence as a professional, and as well as audience shifts. In addition to being close to her family and having the option to step away when needed, Tina wholeheartedly just loves the work she does for all the right reasons, and enjoys every second of it. Unquestionably, her passion shines through in every video release, every photo post, and, now, every Sikh Helmet.
