Episodes
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We're in #chaiversation with Ektha Aggarwal, a licensed clinical health worker, Ektha is a distinguished mental health leader, pioneering holistic therapies at Shakti Therapy and Healing Services, and addressing the unique needs of the South Asian community as the Founder of Jiva Mental Health.
She combines ancient Eastern practices with modern science to deeply heal and transform lives, focusing on sustainable mental wellness rather than temporary solutions.
We talk to her about her "holistic mental health" approach and what it constitutes"Love" as an emotionMisconceptions about "holistic mental health" A fun rapid fire round you don't want to miss!To discover more about Ektha's transformative approach or to schedule a consultation, visit www.shaktitherapyhealing.com or email [email protected]. Join a community where healing is integrated, respected, and celebrated.
chaiversations.org
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4 women, 4 unique experiences - this episode is unlike anything we've done in the past.
To begin, Shwetha hadn't even heard of peri-menopause until Rema, who's actively in the throws of it, mentioned it to her. It was then that it occurred to us that this is yet another swept-under-the-rug, rarely talked-about phenomenon and that we need to hear from more women.
In this episode, we feature:
The lovely founders of the very popular NRI Woman Podcast, Bettina Tauro & Ninorah Fernandes Brookshire, volunteered to join our #chaiversation and share their raw, real experiences.
Arti Dussane Rao, a finance professional who's on a much-needed career break
They, each share their unique journeys with peri-menopause and its effects on their mental health.
Our hope with this episode is for you to experience the warmth of sisterhood, unwavering support, and a space where judgment is left at the door.
You can join the #chaiversation on Instagram or email us at [email protected]
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Missing episodes?
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We're in #chaiversation with Seema of the Mindful Parent and Child Journals. Seema shares with us why she started this venture, her self-publishing journey, and how the journal can benefit you, your child, and the overall harmony of your home and family dynamics.
You can find The Mindful Parent and Child
On Instagram
On Etsy
Chaiversations.org
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Meet, Mrinal Gokhale, an Indian-American writer who began her career as a freelance journalist in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the most segregated city in the United States. She reported on Mental Health Awareness Month events for Hispanic and African-American publications as part of her work. She realized that these conversations were lacking in Asian and South Asian representation. To increase education and acceptance of mental health among South Asian generations, while also showing non-South Asians how intersectionality looks in the diaspora, she went on to author 2 books, both anthologies, the first one in 2021, called “Saaya Unveiled” and “Taboo: South Asian Mental Health Stories” published in 2023.
Chaiversations.org
You can purchase her books on Amazon
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So far in this season, we have been talking about normalizing conversations around mental health and we’ve also talked about the fact that seeking professional help isn’t always tied to big life events.
In this episode, we talk to Shruthi Bharath about one of the biggest life-changing times in a woman’s life - motherhood. We delve into those vulnerable, often loney moments of early motherhood and the challenges it presents.
Here are some of the topics we discuss
Early motherhood challenges and how it impacts mental health and well-beingWe’re 3 women on this episode, all of us mothers, each of whom have had their unique, yet common struggles being new mothers - we discuss identity crisis, feeling lonely in those early months of motherhood and so much moreAs a platform, what are the various elements of early motherhood that you envision on the platform, and where does maternal mental health fit in?Chaiversations.org
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Dr. Monica Shah is a licensed psychologist and certified school psychologist based in
Manhattan. She specializes in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy
(DBT), and rational-emotive behavior therapy (REBT).
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Chapter 1: What is Good Girl Syndrome? How the phrase "good girl" is ingrained in the vocabulary of our Indian culture and where it stems from? Shwetha & Rema share anecdotes from their personal experiences.
Chapter 2: The personality and mental health implications of "good girl syndrome"
Chapter 3: Shwetha & Rema answer a series of questions to find out if they have Good Girl Syndrome and you can play along too.
chaiversations.org
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Our guest today is Kareena Mehta, a mental health professional with a B.A. in Psychology from Bryn Mawr College and further education from Teachers College, Columbia University, where she earned an Ed.M. in Mental Health Counseling and an M.A. in Psychological Counseling.
Kareena brings with her a plethora of cross-cultural experiences, both from her own personal life growing up in Belgium, moving to India and then the USA; as well as professionally, wherein her clients are spread throughout the globe from Africa to India, USA, Cannada and beyond.
We talk to her about:
Her forray into the mental health spaceThe basic differences between a psychologist, psychotherapist and psychiatristThe differences she experiences being a mental health professional in India vs here in the USAThe most common mental health challenges in India and the USAThe gaps in the mental health space5 things everyone can do to work on their mental well-being on a daily basisCheck out the full episode and Subscribe to our monthly Substack newsletter at
chaiversations.org
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We discuss the barriers we faced whilst trying to access mental health services in the US, and South Asian organizations that are doing the groundwork in creating databases of a network of therapists and services, Plus, Rema shares a few ground-breaking mental health books that were a huge part of her journey.
We hope you enjoy this episode! You can check out our website chaiversations.org and Subscribe to our monthly Substack Newsletter chaibreakpodcast.substack.com
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We, Shwetha & Rema, address the elephant in the room - mental health and well-being by sharing our own personal journey of how/why/what got us to seek professional help. It's raw, it's real and it's just the beginning of a power-packed season of personal stories, chaiversations with expert guests, and continuing the chaiversation online via Instagram and the launch of our Substack Newsletter.Sign up for our newsletter via our website chaiversations.org or at chaibreakpodcast.substack.com for your monthly fix of exclusive behind-the-scenes of the world of podcasting, exclusive guest interviews, the latest episode drops and so much more.
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Jashima Wadehra is the co-founder and CEO of Ode, a brand strategy, talent management and business development firm catering predominantly to children of immigrant brands, businesses and artists.
While companies rely on third-party metrics, Jashima specializes in taking a “lived experience meets data” approach to representing talent and brands. Specifically from communities whose consumption patterns and preferences are often not aggregated by general marketing data firms or cultural nuances that talent agencies are not well versed in.
Ode’s talent roster has worked with Audiomack, Netflix, Tunecore, Amazon, VEVO, Lincoln Center, Meta, Applaus, Kulture Khazana, Brown Girl Mag, 5XFest, DesiFest and many more on both the talent representation and brand strategy side.
With a background in music journalism, consumer psychology and events, Jashima is the link between brands and companies to create intentional and impactful campaigns.
chaiversations.org
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With a background in behavioral psychology, Chandani wears many hats. From co-founding a marketing tech agency to more recently becoming an angel investor and venture capitalist, she is here to talk to us about the world of finance and importance of financial wellness in the South Asian space.
In our chaiversation, we talk to her about the journey to entering a largely man's world AKA the world of finance. She gives listeners handy tips on investing, and how to navigate a world that is somewhat overwhelming for newbies.
chaiversations.org
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Amrita Doshi, is the co-founder and Executive Director of South Asian SOAR, a national organization dedicated to ending gender-based violence in the US, within the South Asian diaspora. She is deeply committed to advancing healing and justice for South Asian survivors and communities. Amrita comes to this work with her own experiences of survivorship as well as several years of work across public health, technology, and art.
chaiversations.org
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Today’s episode is all about how one woman’s mission to share the truth turned into a 40 thousand strong following. From gender inclusivity, fighting the patriarchy, breaking stigma, supporting marginalized voices and curating South Asian content beyond the ordinary, Divya Soneji, Founder of South Asian Nation, has made it her life mantra to use her platform and voice for the greater good.
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Mental health in the South Asian community has always been taboo. Although we've made great strides, we still have ways to go in normalizing conversations around going to therapy/seeking professional help, not just when you experience a life changing event, but on a regular basis, it's like taking your vitamins!
Our chaiversation this week is with Ragini Jha, a trained counselor, based in the UK, she specializes in the area of cultural-relations and cognitive behavioral therapy, focused in the South Asian diaspora space.
https://www.cardamomcounselling.com/
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Niha Elety is a sustainable fashion advocate and designer/founder of Tega Collective. She uses fashion, art and heritage to bring awareness about sustainability and its importance.
When joining the sustainability space full of advocates and leaders, Niha noticed that there weren't many discussions about culture and ancestral knowledge. Since then her goal has been to bring inclusivity and a variety of perspectives from BIPOC creators (the original sustainability leaders) to the environmental movement.
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In this episode, we chat with Indian-American actress Anjali Bhimani, so much talent packed in one person, its astounding! Her "why not me" attitude helped her pave a unique path in a world where she did not see representation, so she decided to lead the way and not be bogged down by rejections!
From the world of TV, theatre, film, virtual gaming world, voice over — you name and she has delved deep into each of these mediums and excelled in it, no less!
And today, she adds yet another feather to her cap, "BESTSELLING AUTHOR", with the release of her very first book, "I'm Fun Size & So Are You" - a raw, real, engaging book, that actually feels like a conversation with your BFF!
PS: We have a very special GIVEAWAY with Anjali. Be sure to check out our Instagram page - @chai_break_podcast
chaiversations.org
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As a chalk carver and Arthropod curator, Anjali has spent over a decade carefully weaving her interests around the natural world. Along with practicing ways of permaculture, she intends to inherit her values from the balancing forces of Gaia and other elements.
She is on a quest to bridge the loopholes in the community using her interdisciplinary art skills to narrate diverse thought-provoking subjects.
Her research on eco-socialism with the tribal communities has helped her understand the importance of indigenous presence in our societies. “I want to trace back the lost wisdom to help individuals connect with earth like our ancestors did, resulting in a harmonious way of life".
I deeply resonate with diversified indigenous instruments, and vivid cultures and look forward to reviving them using interdisciplinary arts with time”, says Anjali.
She considers herself as someone who can never be put in a box!
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Born and raised in Vijayawada, India, Shravya moved to Brooklyn in 2015 and graduated from the School of Visual Arts with an MPS in Photography.
Captivated by oral histories and how they can shape a culture, her work is an exploration of home, identity and personal space largely focuses on the intimate and interpersonal stories of people of color and of queer people.
In this chai-versation, we talk about her journey to America and how she created a niche for herself and her tales of trials and triumphs along the way.
https://www.shravyakag.com/
chaiversations.org
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Shilpa Bhim is the founder of Glowreel, a media startup dedicated to celebrating the achievements and amplifying the stories of BIPOC, Black, Indigenous, and people of color women. Through Glowreel, Shilpa's aim is to ensure current and future generations of BIPOC women feel represented, empowered and inspired to blaze their own trail!
We talk to Shilpa about how it was like growing up brown in Kiwi land, her career in Social reform and policy and what led to her eventually starting Glowreel and her thoughts on USA's recent Roe V Wade decision by the Supreme Court, based on what NZ's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern recently said in the light of the courts ruling.
chaiversations.org
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