Anushka Kalyanpur De Luca

After almost two decades in global health and humanitarian work, Anushka Kalyanpur De Luca reached a turning point: motherhood.

“I loved the mission, impact, and brilliant colleagues,” she says.

But becoming a mother in 2022 shifted her priorities.

Travel no longer aligned, and moving from the U.S. back to Dubai, where she was raised, gave her time to reflect.

“While motherhood is magical, it can also be overwhelming and isolating, especially for those far from family,” she says.

That realization pushed her to build what she wished for.

The result was Nanniesandmoreuae launched in 2023.

“Providing vetted childcare is central, but the ‘& More’ is as important. We are building a one-stop shop for nanny recruitment and visa processing, training, child friendly airport pick-ups, drivers, travel nannies, and household help,” she says.

Most services are home-based because she knows the weight of parenthood logistics. “I remember how overwhelming it felt to bring my four-day-old baby out to a lactation consultant in the U.S., a moment that sparked solutions that meet families where they are.”

While that determination was part of the journey, Anushka also faced the emotional weight of redefining her career.

Fear of leaving behind a career, and later, guilt, for feeling stretched between my first child, and then twins, and my work,” she says.

Reframing became her strategy: “Fear meant I was growing, and guilt was evidence of how much I cared.”

Her “village” anchored her through the early chaos: her husband, parents and doulas. Mentorship from her father, who built the Derby Group of Companies, and support and insights from the Crunchmoms community and other women founders.

“It stretched me to grow from humanitarian worker into a founder,” she says.

As her personal brand grows, and she focuses on building parenthood ecosystems and sharing ideas on modern motherhood and ambition, she feels fulfilled by the alignment.

“My work and my values no longer feel separate,” she says, adding, “I never expected I would become an entrepreneur because of motherhood, not in spite of it.”

Originally from India, raised in Dubai, and with most of her adulthood spent in the U.S. and working in crisis zones like Yemen, Southern Turkey, and Ethiopia, she has returned to build an ecosystem of care in the city she calls home.