New Year’s Day changed everything for broadcast journalist Michelle Li. During a standard segment on traditional foods eaten on the holiday, Li briefly mentioned eating “dumpling soup,” referencing the Korean dish duk mandu guk. Later, she went viral after airing the voicemail a racist caller left her, criticizing Li for being “very Asian.” Li turned the critique into a rallying cry, and #veryAsian blew up on social media, leading Li to cofound the Very Asian Foundation dedicated to “shine a light on Asian experiences through advocacy and celebration.”

And though she’s widely known now for her advocacy and storytelling, Li is also a mother—you’ll see her adorable toddler show up intermittently if you follow her on Instagram. When Bella’s Table host Bella Sangar sat down to talk motherhood—the good, the bad, the ugly—with a fellow parent, Li was a natural choice.

It seemed only fitting that their conversation is punctuated by the background squeals of Li’s son, as her family was snowed in during a storm, with outside childcare not an option. Moms, they get shit done, right?