Mehroo Turel, originally from Mumbai’s Dadar Parsi Colony and now based in Hong Kong, is the founder of Mums@PLAY (now known as Mums At Play, or MAP) — a community that brings together women entrepreneurs, mothers and parent entrepreneurs through networking events, workshops, bazaars, pop-ups, panel discussions and collaborations.
A community born from a real need
Mehroo started Mums@PLAY in 2016 after recognising the need for a supportive and accessible platform for women, particularly mothers, building small businesses alongside family responsibilities. The community gave women an opportunity to showcase their products and services, meet potential customers, exchange ideas and build meaningful relationships with one another. This year, MAP marks ten years of doing exactly that.
Over time, Mums@PLAY has grown well beyond a platform for business promotion. It has become a close-knit community centred on connection, encouragement and shared learning. For Mehroo, creating a welcoming space is just as important as creating business opportunities — she believes women grow more confidently when they have people around them who understand their experiences and are willing to support them.
Today MAP operates on two levels: MAP Community, a free, open WhatsApp-based network offering updates and connection to any woman entrepreneur who wants in, and MAP Circle, a more intimate annual membership offering deeper connection, visibility and growth opportunities. Through both, Mehroo has organised community bazaars, pop-ups, workshops, networking gatherings and panel discussions — including events like the “Mother’s Day Market,” a “Mom vs AI” panel discussion, and this year’s inaugural “Reboot Your Business” summit. The community counts organisations like The Hive, the Women’s Entrepreneur Network (WEN HK), Launchpad and Joint Dynamics among its supporters, and has partnered with Fresh Start Impact to specifically support mompreneurs in Hong Kong. These events have supported women-led and small businesses while encouraging collaboration and visibility within the wider Hong Kong community.
Coach, mentor, and guide
Alongside her community work, Mehroo is an ICF PCC certified coach, working with women on confidence, clarity, mental fitness, personal growth, transitions and business development under the banner “Build, Brand, Balance.” Her coaching is practical and compassionate, helping women understand what may be holding them back, recognise their strengths and take purposeful steps forward. Her programmes range from a Personal Branding Bootcamp and Business Coaching Program to a 12-week Mental Fitness for Business group programme built around what she calls quieting the “Sabs” — the saboteurs, or inner critics, that hold women back.
Her interest in coaching and personal growth has been shaped by her own experience of navigating very different roles and stages of life. Mehroo began her career after completing an MBA in Marketing from NMIMS, Mumbai, and working in the Tata Group as a TAS Officer. She later transitioned into full-time motherhood, writing, entrepreneurship, community-building and coaching — each chapter bringing new questions, challenges and possibilities, including a home-run garments venture called SUMMER along the way.
A blog that traces an unusual journey
Writing has been a constant thread through it all. In 2012, Mehroo started her blog, From Miss India to Motherhood, as a space to reflect on motherhood, identity, family life, personal growth and the transitions women experience. The blog takes its name from her own path — a past participant in the Miss India 1994 and Miss Asia-Pacific 1992 pageants who moved from modelling and the glamour world into corporate life and, eventually, motherhood. Growing up in an open-minded Parsi Zoroastrian family in Mumbai, she has described her own journey as “a mother, a home maker, a teacher, an entrepreneur…and now a coach,” a long way, in her words, from the “almost Miss India” she once was. What began as personal reflection grew into a platform for parenting stories, travel writing and everyday life, and has since been featured in Hong Kong outlets including Sassy Mama, BaoBae, The HK Hub, Southside and Expat Parent, as well as in profiles by The Brand Called You and Naari Magazine.
Nineteen years in Hong Kong, and a family rooted in faith
Mehroo has been based in Hong Kong for the past 19 years, apart from a short stint in London. She is a mother to two boys, now young men aged 18 and 22.
As a Parsi from Mumbai, Mehroo feels a special connection to stories about members of the community living and contributing around the world. Her husband and both her sons are ordained Parsi priests, and together the family helps conduct New Year Jashans and prayers at the Parsi Club in Hong Kong — a way for the family to stay closely connected to their faith, traditions and the local Parsi community even thousands of miles from Mumbai.
When she is not coaching, writing or managing her thriving community, Mehroo can often be found hiking the hills of Hong Kong Island with her much-loved Labrador, Loki.
Useful links
- Blog: frommissindiatomotherhood.com
- Community: mumsatplay.com
- Coaching: mehrooturel.com
- LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook: @mehrooturel and @mumsatplayevent
