Ep8: The Mental Health Conversations We Never Had

Ep8: The Mental Health Conversations We Never Had

Since it’s Mental Health Awareness Month, I wanted to talk about what it was like growing up in a South Asian/Indian immigrant household where emotions and mental health weren’t really openly discussed. In this episode, I share personal experiences around emotional suppression, survival mode, being told to “be grateful” or “don’t think too much,” and how those messages shaped the way I learned to process emotions and view myself. I also talk about starting therapy during the pandemic, learning more about myself emotionally, and realizing how many emotional patterns I had normalized growing up. A conversation about mental health, emotional conditioning, therapy, and learning how to stop dismissing your own feelings.

Ep7: Growing Up Lower Middle Class Pt.2

In this episode, I continue my experience growing up lower middle class. I talk about life after high school, going to community college, feeling behind compared to others, figuring things out alone, and why asking for help felt hard.

Ep6: Growing Up Lower Middle Class Pt.1

In this episode, I talk about what it felt like growing up lower middle class in an immigrant household and how that shaped my sense of belonging. We had what we needed, but there was no extra and no real guidance on how to navigate school, college, or life in a system my parents didn’t grow up in. I share personal moments from growing up, feeling behind, and not knowing how to ask for help, and how that experience stays with you. If you’ve ever felt out of place or like you were figuring things out on your own, this one will resonate.

Ep5: Finding Belonging Through Music

In this episode, I talk about the deeper role music has played in my life, how it shaped my identity, helped me process emotions, and became a source of belonging. From childhood memories in India to growing up in a new country, I reflect on how music supports emotional regulation, self-expression, and connection. If you’ve ever felt understood by a song or found comfort in a playlist, this conversation is for you.

Ep4: Paused by Perfection

This episode is about the pause before we start, the moment where perfectionism, fear of judgment, and self-doubt quietly turn into procrastination. I share how this pattern showed up in my own life and how I learned that confidence isn’t something you find first, it’s something you build by starting.