Stories of Stigma: South Asian Mental Health

Dr. Ankita Krishnan chats with Anand Jayanti about her journey into child psychology, how she navigates complex parent-child dynamics, and what parents can do to raise children with a therapeutic mindset.

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Comedy can be a way to process tragedy and joy alike. Audria and Anand sit down with comedian Nimesh Patel to chat about his personal interest in mental health, what can and can’t be funny, and how COVID-19 has provided a “renaissance” of sorts for creators amidst all the pain and chaos.

Check out Nimesh Patel’s latest ventures:

Instagram: @findingnimesh

YouTube, including his animated series, Zoo Idiots: youtube.com/c/NimeshPatelComedy

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Kirandeep is joined by Dr. Jasmine Singh to discuss the heartbreaking story behind the now trending #BreakTheStigma4Nima, the spectrum of PostPartum Mood Disturbances, and the Mental Health Stigmas that plague the South Asian community.

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MannMukti Podcast Co-Producer Kirandeep joins in conversation with Aparna Sagaram, LMFT (@reflectionswithatherapist) to discuss the role of self-compassion in healing two differing but related self-conscious emotions: Shame & Guilt 

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Shameem Patel, a 1st grade teacher, shares the educator's side of the school opening debate. Along the way, we discuss child psychology, parental strategies for facilitating home learning, and how to deal with going viral on Twitter.  Find Shameem @meemiecat on Twitter and @livefromfirstgrade on IG. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mannmukti/message

The MannMukti Podcast Team collaborates to bring you the very first installment of the Round Table Talk!

Anand, Audria, Chintan, Kirandeep & Parth discuss the important current topic of the Role of South Asians in the Black Lives Matter Movement.

*Disclosure: These views are solely that of the producers themselves and not of MannMukti as an organization*

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Parag Mehta & Vaibhav Jain sit down with co-producers Kirandeep & Audria to share their experience following the viral wedding speech given by Parag's Father. This LGBTQ Pride Month special episode gets candid on how to embrace love, be an ally, and #SpeakUp on mental health struggles.

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I (Parth) sat down with Amrit Kapai from Family Karma so he can share his journey of coming out and being such a powerful advocate for the LGBTQ community in light of Pride month. He was extremely articulate with his thoughts and I enjoyed having this conversation with him. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on not only to be confident about yourself, but how others like myself can be an ally! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mannmukti/message

Kirandeep joins in conversation with Sahaj Kohli, creator of Brown Girl Therapy to discuss the FAQs surrounding the topic of therapy, coping with the COVID 19 Pandemic 'Stay at Home' orders and the actualities of being a first-generation child of an immigrant and minority. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mannmukti/message

Relationships are often difficult to navigate in the beginning, and all the more fraught now that communication itself has changed in such dramatic ways. Where in the past, we hurt each other and learned how to be better by being around each other more, it’s getting more and more easy to avoid the lessons of intimacy with another person. I’ve been guilty of this kind of lapse and I feel like there’s a lot I don’t have a chance to learn except when it’s too late. So as always, I called my bullshit detector-in-chief, Audria Choudhury, to explore practical solutions to this and many more of life’s problems. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mannmukti/message

Kirandeep & Mohan discuss reactions and emotions surrounding the sudden death of Kobe Bryant, and why celebrity deaths affect us. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mannmukti/message

No pings, likes, or double-taps, oh my! Social media is an everyday norm for 3.5 billion people around the world, and while it has the power to bring people and ideas together, there are studies showing it can make people feel more disconnected than ever. MannMukti veteran, Anand, and rookie co-producer, Audria, talk about the role social media plays in their lives, and what effects cutting it all out for one week has on their mental health. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mannmukti/message

This month, we sat down with Ms. Parul Mehta and Ms. Tejal Shah Sahasrabudhe from South Asian Austin Moms (http://www.southasianaustinmoms.com/) to discuss their mission of bringing the community together through the medium of dance and social events and how that lead them on to creating a safe space for women and children to thrive and grow into. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mannmukti/message

In this podcast, Parth Badhiwala interviews the CFO of Dil to Dil: Sachin Doshi where they talk about the importance of social support and community in fighting social isolation. To learn more about Dil to Dil and if you're interested in takeovers, please check them out on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram: @diltodil --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mannmukti/message

We sat down with Coach Shanita Liu to talk about the state of mental health in our community and why burnouts are on the rise! ---------- Coach Shanita Liu, MPA, CPC teaches women how to say bye to burnout. As a certified transformational life coach, workshop facilitator, speaker, and reiki practitioner, she shows women and girls how to tune in and reconnect to their courage, power, and strength so that they can stop sacrificing themselves and start transforming what’s in their hearts into realities. Her career path includes community-building events for families, college success programs for first-generation students, and professional salsa dancing. You can follow her @CoachShanita and learn more about healthy hacks to address burnout at http://coachshanita.com/hacks. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mannmukti/message

In this podcast, I invited 3 beautiful ladies from Canada who've created a podcast to help create cross generational change within the south asian community. Harpreet, Nimrat, and Simran talk about life coaching, creating conversations through podcasts (Check them out on Spotify, Apple Music, and Soundcloud), and offering toolkits surrounding mental health on their Instagram page. Tune in and watch how fun aunty is on this podcast! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mannmukti/message

With Minute Meditations, MannMukti aims to help all of our listeners attain inner peace and strength. In today's fast pace world, we often forget to take a breather and realign our spirits. This leads to stress, anxiety and slew of other issues. Let us take a minute out of our lives and refresh our minds and rejuvenate our spirits. **Please Follow as This Playlist will Continue to Populate with More Tracks in Future** Meditations Conducted by Anand Jayanti --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mannmukti/message

With Minute Meditations, MannMukti aims to help all of our listeners attain inner peace and strength. In today's fast pace world, we often forget to take a breather and realign our spirits. This leads to stress, anxiety and slew of other issues. Let us take a minute out of our lives and refresh our minds and rejuvenate our spirits. **Please Follow as This Playlist will Continue to Populate with More Tracks in Future** Meditations Conducted by Anand Jayanti --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mannmukti/message

With Minute Meditations, MannMukti aims to help all of our listeners attain inner peace and strength. In today's fast pace world, we often forget to take a breather and realign our spirits. This leads to stress, anxiety and slew of other issues. Let us take a minute out of our lives and refresh our minds and rejuvenate our spirits. **Please Follow as This Playlist will Continue to Populate with More Tracks in Future** Meditations Conducted by Anand Jayanti --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mannmukti/message

With Minute Meditations, MannMukti aims to help all of our listeners attain inner peace and strength. In today's fast pace world, we often forget to take a breather and realign our spirits. This leads to stress, anxiety and slew of other issues. Let us take a minute out of our lives and refresh our minds and rejuvenate our spirits. **Please Follow as This Playlist will Continue to Populate with More Tracks in Future** Meditations Conducted by Anand Jayanti --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mannmukti/message

In this podcast, we talk to Ms. Supriya Kini about her struggles and triumphs in life and parenting. How she chose to change her parenting to fit her children's needs, the importance of being vulnerable to your kids. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mannmukti/message

Join psychiatrist Dr. Manizeh Mirza-Gruber and MannMukti Ambassador Aproteem Choudhury as they explore how the breath can inspire and support awareness in each of our journeys to wellness and peace. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mannmukti/message

The Power of Finding Your Self-Worth to Conquer Your Dreams by MannMukti --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mannmukti/message

This week, we talk to two members of the MannMukti family who've chosen to remain anonymous but tell the story of their relationship, considerations to take when your partner has anxiety, and some clever ways to make arguments productive. We hope you listen, share, and speak up! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mannmukti/message

Introducing the new Podcaster for Mannmukti. Giving a bit of a background of who he is and why he wants to be a podcaster for this organization. Keeping it very light, fun and simple, we hope to get you just as excited as he is for the guests he will bring in for the podcasts next year! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mannmukti/message

You've heard of Uber; you've heard of Yelp. Now there's OOTify, a new platform for users seeking resources like therapy and life coaching to find professionals who offer those services on a streamlined, vetted, privacy secured medium. Today, we have as our guests Ravi Sharma and Michael Quinones, the founders of OOTify. We hope you listen, share, and speak up. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mannmukti/message

Pooja Mamidanna, a Pre-Licensed Psychologist and Marriage/Family Therapist talks to our CEO Abhi Ravinutala about her experiences and differences in dealing with clients in India and United States. She mentions the complex nature of mental health and how indirect family situations and conflicts can affect client's kids' mental health directly and how she manages to fight the stigma surrounding mental health to provide the right therapy to her clients. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mannmukti/message

What are the biological components of mental illness? How do parents and children begin to understand each other? What forces conspire to cultivate a mind for mental health work? Dr. Maitreyee Lund, a psychiatrist and educator with Synergy Psychiatry in Austin and Texas A&M Health Science Center, joins us to tackle these questions and more. We hope you listen, share and speak up. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mannmukti/message

This week's ep, which falls during Sexual Assault Awareness Month, features our very own Vaidehi Gajjar, who not only has experienced assault, but also found herself afterwards. We hope you listen, share, and speak up. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mannmukti/message

What does it feel like to approach a counselor? How do South Asian students uniquely talk about mental health? We talk about these practical questions and more with Chandni Shah, a licensed Counseling Psychologist at the University of Maryland, College Park, and an officer of the Division on South Asians of the Asian American Psychological Association. She talks to us about her intersecting passions for social justice and mental health, and what she's learned from speaking with students. Listen to Chandni, and you're sure to feel more comfortable about considering therapy! Musical feature: Whitewoods ft. Chintan. Find them at https://bit.ly/2Gmhzrd. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mannmukti/message

In this episode, Saajan Bhakta shares his story of recovery from a place of doubt and isolation to one of philanthropy, empathy, and optimism. We hope you listen, share, and speak up. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mannmukti/message

In this episode, we focus on a different topic than usual. Instead of talking to us about her own experience with mental health, Anita Wadhwani talks to us about watching her loved ones suffer through mental illness. She bares the tough parts of her family's story: taking care of her schizophrenic mother and dealing with her brother's suicide. Listen to her incredibly honest story to learn about how to care for others, how to care for yourself, and where to find joy in the tough moments. Musical feature: Mr.Wllms ft. Shama. Find him at @mrwllms. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mannmukti/message

In this episode, Faria Akram, VP of Marketing at Mannmukti, and Anand Jayanti, your faithful podcaster, talk about experiencing the holidays from a South Asian perspective, with all of the associated baggage, expectations, and joy. We hope you enjoy, share, and speak up! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mannmukti/message

In this episode, we highlight someone who’s doing their part to break the stigma! Jai Gandhi, a psychiatry resident in Seattle, started his own radio show to discuss South Asian mental health. Jai talks to us about the good and bad of the show, and what he learned about sharing stories with South Asians. We’ll also hear some of his thoughts on stigma and mental health care. Be sure to listen, share, and #SpeakUp! Music on today's episode is brought to you by Vik Sevak aka Junglee. Listen to more of his beats at www.soundcloud.com/junglee-1. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mannmukti/message

We know how a negative relationship with your parents can affect your mental state. But, what about if you have a good relationship with your parents? Can you still expect mental strain? Listen in as two of MannMukti's very own talk about how their relationships with their parents has changed over the years and it has effected their mental health. Music on today's episode was provided by Mandippal. Find him @mandippal on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and at mandippal.com. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mannmukti/message

In this episode, we talk to Yumnah Syed, Licensed Master of Social Work as well as Coordinator of Evaluation and Training at the Adelphi University School of Social Work’s Institute for Adolescent Trauma Treatment and Training. Yumnah is the former Youth Empowerment Advocate at Sakhi for South Asian Women, an advocacy organization working to raise awareness about as well as put an end to domestic violence in South Asian diaspora communities. She will discuss the politics surrounding mental health care, the circumstances that give rise to situations of domestic violence, and insights on having mentally healthy relationships. REFERENCES- Sakhi's Website: http://www.sakhi.org/ Thanks to Bizet and Scott Joplin for their timeless classics! Rest in Peace. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mannmukti/message

In this episode, we talk to Saranya Sundaram, M.R.C. who is pursuing her Ph.D in Clinical Psychology at Palo Alto University in California. We’ll learn from Saranya about the role of culture in psychology, the current state of culture and assessment in psychological evaluations, and how various cultures define the concept of mental health. As always with our guests, we’ll hear about Saranya’s personal experience with mental health as well as her thoughts on stigma in the South Asian community. We hope you listen, enjoy, share, and #SpeakUp! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mannmukti/message

In this episode, an anonymous guest shares his story of depression, alcoholism, and the path of recovery from a disease that taught him the power of identity and where to find it. We hope you listen, share, and #speakup! Thanks to Podington Bear, Monplaisir, and the PK Jazz Collective from the Free Music Archive. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mannmukti/message

Sexual assault and abuse is a silent epidemic that affects every race, religion, or socioeconomic status. While it is a subject enveloped in silence and shame in any community, multicultural communities often have unique forms of stigma that make it very difficult for survivors to heal. Survivors often suffer from Depression, anxiety, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, eating disorders, and other mental illnesses. In this episode, we discuss this issue with Kimberlee Parmer, who is a Licensed Professional Counselor Intern at the Brazos Valley Sexual Assault Resource Center. In addition to talking about sexual violence, we will be covering how to help loved ones in crisis. We hope you listen, enjoy, share, and #SpeakUp! For more information on the Brazos Valley Sexual Assault Resource Center, and their services please visit http://www.sarcbv.org/ The music in this episode is brought to you by Cheap Haircuts, and their music is available on Spotify and iTunes. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mannmukti/message

On today’s episode we have Akhilesh Menawat. He is the Director of Communication at Kitchen Cabinet Strategies LLC in Minneapolis. Akhilesh & Shama went to college together for four years. But, it took them 6 years to know they both were struggling with mental illness during that time. Why is it that we choose to mask our truths & not confide with our peers, or those we consider our friends? Listen as they discuss the importance of talking about mental health within our circles. This episode's music is brought to you by Kaly! Catch more of his music at kalymusic.com. We hope you listen, enjoy, share, and #SpeakUp! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mannmukti/message

One of the strains on mental health in the South Asian community is the pressure of being a “model minority”. How does that perception affect our understanding and desire to share experience of trauma? In this episode, we talk to Shanta Kanukollu, a licensed clinical psychologist, about her thoughts on gender-based violence and the associated trauma in the South Asian community. Shanta has also just started her own private practice in Chicago, so we’ll hear about how she became interested in mental health and how she thinks we can tackle stigma. REFERENCES- If you are located in the Chicago area, and need counseling/psychotherapy sessions, Shanta is available by email at shanta@alliancepsychotherapy.org or by phone at 773-270-2360. CREDITS- Music by the Harmonic Flaneurs Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/harmonicflaneurs/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/harmonicflaneurs Band page: https://soundcloud.com/harmonicflaneurs Ouroboros (Original): https://soundcloud.com/harmonicflaneurs/ouroboros Wicked Game (Cover): https://soundcloud.com/harmonicflaneurs/wicked-game-cover --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mannmukti/message

Divorce is one of the most difficult choices a person can make, but to navigate that space as a woman in a Muslim family bears its own set of challenges and gifts. Samaiya Mushtaq is a resident psychiatrist in Dallas and joins us today to talk about how she overcame the stigma of speaking out, and what perspectives she's developed to move on. Samaiya's article on the same topic can be found at: http://www.altmuslimah.com/2017/05/not-say-someone-going-divorce/ Artist Dave Shah, whose music is featured in this podcast can be found at: https://soundcloud.com/dshahproductions We hope you listen, enjoy, share, and #SpeakUp! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mannmukti/message

In this episode, we talk to Rana Khan, a former teacher and leader of Friends of the Collaborative, a group of individuals with lived experiences of mental illness who have come together to support a research collective known as the Collaborative for South Asian Mental Health, which, coincidentally, is led by the guest from our last two episodes, Dr. Gursharan Virdee. We’ll learn from Rana the exact reasons she wanted to start the FotC, the process she went through in forming the association, and the success she has had in reaching out to the South Asian community at large. As always, we’ll also hear about her own personal interest/experience with mental health and her thoughts on stigma in the South Asian community. We hope you listen, enjoy, share, and #SpeakUp! Credits: - Music: www.purple-planet.com - Tonez&Re-C - Kyoto by @TONEZPRO (OFFICIAL) @tonez-pro Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/b... Music provided by Audio Library youtu.be/vq4okoteFEc --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mannmukti/message

In this 2nd installment of a 2-part episode, we’ll learn about the most crucial pieces of research Gursharan has found that illuminate the major mental health issues plaguing South Asians, as well as her thoughts on stigma in the South Asian community. We hope you listen, enjoy, share, and #SpeakUp! References- Centre for Addiction & Mental Health Website: www.camh.ca/en/hospital/Pages/home.aspx To subscribe to the Collaborative for South Asian Mental Health's newsletter, scroll down this page: www.porticonetwork.ca/web/health-equ…llsouthasianmh Follow them on Twitter: twitter.com/SouthAsian_MH Credits: - Music: www.purple-planet.com - Tonez&Re-C - Kyoto by @TONEZPRO (OFFICIAL) @tonez-pro Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/b... Music provided by Audio Library youtu.be/vq4okoteFEc --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mannmukti/message

In the first installment of this 2-part episode, we talk to Dr. Gursharan Virdee, a psychologist from the United Kingdom currently doing clinical research at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, and Co-Lead of the Collaborative for South Asian Mental Health, a group that works to “develop a research strategy that promotes better mental health in South Asian communities”. In this first part, we’ll learn from Gursharan about the efforts of the Collaborative and her own personal interest/experience of mental health. References- Centre for Addiction & Mental Health Website: http://www.camh.ca/en/hospital/Pages/home.aspx To subscribe to the Collaborative for South Asian Mental Health's newsletter, scroll down this page: https://www.porticonetwork.ca/web/health-equity/initiatives/collsouthasianmh Follow them on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SouthAsian_MH Credits: - Music: www.purple-planet.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mannmukti/message

WARNING: This episode contains sensitive material. If you have dealt with or are currently dealing with an eating disorder, mood disorder, or addiction, please be aware that these issues are discussed here. In this episode, we talk to Salma Vir-Banks who, after completing her degree at the University of California, Berkeley, is currently traveling and pursuing a career as a tattoo artist and healer while exploring various issues, including mental disorders/conditions. We’ll learn from Salma about her own personal experiences with mental illness and what she feels others can learn from them. As always, we’ll also hear about her thoughts on stigma in the South Asian community but in addition, we will get her unique perspective as a person of mixed race. We hope you listen, enjoy, share, and #SpeakUp! References- To learn more about Salma and her work, check out her website: www.tattoosandtarot.com Credits: - Music: www.purple-planet.com - Tonez&Re-C - Kyoto by @TONEZPRO (OFFICIAL) @tonez-pro Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/b... Music provided by Audio Library youtu.be/vq4okoteFEc --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mannmukti/message

In the premiere episode, we start with Buddy and Abhi talking about the founding of MannMukti and our journey to site launch. Then, we interview our first special guest, Megha Pulianda, who’s currently pursuing her PhD in Counseling Psychology at Texas Women’s University and working as a licensed professional counselor intern at The Montfort Group in Plano, Texas. We’ll learn from Megha about what she wishes millennials knew about therapy, and some of the common myths about therapy that she’d like to dispel. In addition, we’ll hear about her own personal interest/ experience with mental health, and her thoughts on stigma in the South Asian community. Continue the conversation at mannmukti.org on our Forum! References: - Megha P's Blog at Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-in-between-0 - The Montfort Group: http://www.themontfortgroup.com/ Credits: - Music: http://www.purple-planet.com - Tonez&Re-C - Kyoto by @TONEZPRO (OFFICIAL) https://soundcloud.com/tonez-pro Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b... Music provided by Audio Library https://youtu.be/vq4okoteFEc --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mannmukti/message