Hey there, Brave Table fam, thanks for being here! I am so excited to have with me today Nawal Mustafa—yes, it’s @thebraincoach! Nawal’s created a massive following on Instagram (gaining 1 million followers in just two years!), and once you check out her content, it’s easy to see why. As a fellow highly ambitious brown woman in the mental health space, it only made sense to bring her on the show. 

After immigrating to Canada from Pakistan as a teen, Nawal began to notice the challenges first-generation immigrants face at home. While society overall doesn’t favor ‘low’ emotions like sadness and fear, it can be especially tough for immigrant children whose parents sacrificed so much to provide their kids with better lives. As immigrant children, we are often told to keep our feelings to ourselves and suppress our emotions, but Nawal is committed to reframing the story. 

A Ph.D. Candidate in Neuropsychology, Nawal is using her education, experience, and platform to be a voice for healthy emotional expression, coping with anxiety, and improving family relationships with boundaries, compassion, and empathy. We share some of our own experiences and guide you through practices and tools you can use to build your emotional resilience and create a ripple effect on those around you. 

What you’ll get out of this episode…

- What is emotional regulation, and why is it important?

- How to normalize ‘unpleasant’ human feelings like sadness and anxiety

- Having grace and empathy towards your parents, especially in immigrant families

- Tools for teaching emotional regulation to your kids

- Tips on setting effective and loving boundaries in relationships, in particular with family members

- How to identify when a boundary has been crossed

- Understanding and communicating your attachment style and emotional needs to others

- Identifying physical symptoms in the body as a reflection of your emotional state

- How to cope with anxiety

- Normalizing taboo topics and difficult conversations

If you loved this episode, make sure you check out…

- Nawal’s Instagram at www.instagram.com/thebraincoach 

- More on attachment styles with Silvy Khoucasian https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/silvy-khoucasian-understanding-your-attachment-styles/id1608226580?i=1000568718289 

- Ghosting & Setting Boundaries: What Does It Really Say About You https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ghosting-setting-boundaries-what-does-it-really-say/id1608226580?i=1000558858100 

- Healing Generational Trauma & Breaking Free From Asian Immigrant Parents https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/healing-generational-trauma-breaking-free-from-asian/id1608226580?i=1000553426419 

Thanks for listening, and I hope you loved this episode! If you did, please consider leaving a 5-star review to help others find and benefit from the show. 

After you do, send a screenshot of your review to [email protected] to receive my course on Emotional Mastery as my FREE gift to you. Thanks for helping us get to 100 reviews this month! So grateful for you all.