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In this deeply personal episode of Love-ly, host Mehak reconnects with licensed marriage and family therapist Samar Haroon, founder and clinical director of Therapy in Colour, a mental health collective centering on BIPOC and South Asian clients. The two first met as teenagers in Karachi, and now they sit down for their first real conversation, diving into topics such as therapy, bicultural identity, and generational trauma, as well as why dating today feels more complicated than ever.

Samar shares how her upbringing, moving between the U.S. and Pakistan after 9/11, growing up in a single-parent household, and later navigating hyper-religious family dynamics informs her work. She and Mehak unpack the cultural shame around therapy in South Asian communities, the impact of the Me Too movement on gender dynamics, and why so many smart, accomplished women are struggling with connection, intimacy, and dating today.

This episode is for anyone navigating love, healing, and identity across borders and expectations.

Hosted by: Mehak @whatthemehak on TikTok and @whatthemehak_ on IG

Producer: Saadia Khan and Shei Yu | Content Writers: Mehak I Editorial Review: Saadia Khan I Sound Designer & Editor: Lou Raskin I Love-ly Theme Music: Lou Raskin | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover art design: Josephine Chai | Executive Producer: Saadia Khan

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