The MyndStories Podcast

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Do you sometimes struggle to make decisions without checking with them? Or feel guilty for wanting space or independence in a relationship?

In this episode, Ankit talks with Dr. Rachel Jayaseelan, a psychologist who works extensively with couples, about a pattern that quietly erodes many relationships: enmeshment. It's the slow fade of your own routines, the friends you stop seeing, the hobbies you let go of, all while thinking everything's fine because the relationship feels good. 

She examines how growing up in collectivist Indian households sets us up for enmeshment without even realizing it. She maps out what healthy separation actually looks like, and why sitting with discomfort beats avoiding it every time. If you've ever felt like you're performing a relationship rather than living one, this conversation offers a way back to yourself.

About The Therapy Room
The Therapy Room is a segment where we talk to mental health professionals for insights on life's challenges, which range from managing everyday stressors to chronic anxiety. Tune in as we explore topics around mental health issues, emotional wellbeing, and techniques to help you heal. 

We discuss

• Why having a strong sense of self matters in relationships.
• What enmeshment looks like in a relationship.
• What makes enmeshment different from feeling deeply connected, and how one can start to see signs of it early.
• Why women tend to think more about relationships while men tend to act more.
• How we learn to set healthy boundaries and communicate them.
• Why self-reflection is rare until something goes wrong in the relationship.
• Small, gradual steps to reclaim your sense of self without blowing up the relationship.

Dr. Rachel’s bio

Dr. Rachel Jayaseelan is a Bangalore-based psychologist with over 14 years of clinical experience. Trained in NLP, Career Counselling, Cognitive Analytic Therapy, Solution Focused Brief Therapy, and Master Level Hypnosis, she uses an eclectic, client-centred approach. She is also a certified Sleep Consultant.

Her work centers on young adults and premarital relationships, with a special focus on relationship security — the subject of her doctoral research. Dr. Rachel has conducted 300+ workshops on communication, anxiety, depression, and healthy relationships, and has been featured in the Times of India and Deccan Herald. She is the founder of Wellness Within.

Connect with Dr. Rachel

 Wellness Within | LinkedIn

Credits

• Ankit Narasimhan, host and episode planner.
• Ravi Kumar, sound designer and editor.

Liked this podcast? Write in to us and tell us your thoughts or if you want to be our next guest - [email protected] 

Find us on Instagram and LinkedIn.

*Disclaimer – The content in this podcast is only for educational purposes. It cannot be considered as individual therapy advice or counseling.

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There is something uniquely powerful about hearing someone say, “This is what happened to me. This is how it felt. And this is how I survived.”

In Episode 2 of The MyndReaders Podcast, Anima and Swati talk about memoirs. The episode steps away from to-do lists and expectations and shows how memoirs hold space for vulnerability and why they resonate so deeply. 

Swati brings a curated collection of books that span generational trauma, anxiety, anticipatory grief, and more. The range of these stories demonstrates that there is no single way to experience mental health challenges.

Anima complements this with a memoir that shows how humour and absurdity can coexist alongside depression and anxiety without diminishing their seriousness.

Together, the conversation is a map of the human interior and a reminder that healing is rarely linear and that self-compassion often begins by witnessing someone else’s vulnerability.

We talk about

• Why mental health memoirs matter 
• Generational trauma expressed differently in graphic memoir format
• How humour can coexist with lifelong anxiety
• The concept of anticipatory grief where we mourn someone before they are gone. 
• How birdwatching becomes a practice of presence and finding a way back to yourself
• Reframing happiness as rebellion against depression
• Recommendations from a selected member of the MyndReaders community

Meet the hosts 

Anima is CPD-Certified Neurodiversity Practitioner, TEDx speaker, and advocate. She is dedicated to promoting neuro-inclusive practices in the corporate world. Anima loves to read classics and fantasy, write about neurodiversity and parenting a child who lives with autism, and spend time with her pet dog and cat.

Swati is the co-founder of MyndStories where her mission is to hear more conversations, see more action on mental health. She reads all the time, watches too many movies, and obsesses over her fitness.

Connect with the hosts

Swati | Anima 

Resources

• Remember Us to Life - Joanna Rubin Dranger
• My Mess Is a Bit of a Life: Adventures in Anxiety - Georgia Pritchett
• Birds Art Life: A Year of Observation - Kyo Maclear
• Furiously Happy - Jenny Lawson
• Remnants of a Separation - Aanchal Malhotra
• Born a Crime - Trevor Noah

Loved this episode?

Write to us to be part of the conversation to make mental health cool - [email protected]

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In the first episode of The Therapy Room in 2026, Smitha sits down with Dr. Mahima Sahi, a therapist who works extensively with couples and individuals guiding them on relationships. In their conversation, they explore why love today feels harder, messier, and lonelier than ever before and what we can do about it.

Dr. Mahima takes a compassionate look at the struggles of today's relationships and walks through the difference between wanting and needing a partner, why situationships have become emotional limbo, and how control disguised as concern is the biggest red flag to watch for.

About The Therapy Room

The Therapy Room is a segment where our host Smitha Murthy talks to mental health professionals for insights on life's challenges, which range from managing everyday stressors to chronic anxiety. Tune in as we explore topics around mental health issues, emotional wellbeing, and techniques to help you heal.

We talk about

• The most common patterns Dr. Mahima sees in therapy within relationships
• What safety in a relationship actually means
• Why Gen Z shuts down during conflict despite being more mentally health-aware
• How to navigate dating today with consciousness rather than checklists
• Why we confuse chemistry and intensity for connection
• Attachment styles and how they act as an invisible GPS
• The one major red flag everyone should watch for
• What actually constitutes green flags
• Why modern loneliness has little to do with being single or coupled and how to overcome it

Dr. Mahima Sahi's bio

Dr. Mahima Sahi is a clinical psychologist who has clocked over 3,000 therapy hours and has vast experience as a clinician, researcher, and educator. She is also the program director at eMbrace where she leads initiatives focused on building quality care for neurodiverse populations and advancing evidence-based therapeutic practices. She helps individuals facing a wide spectrum of challenges, from emotional regulation and trauma to social anxiety, relationship dynamics, self-work and career transitions. 

Connect with Mahima

Website | LinkedIn 

Our partner

This episode is made possible thanks to support from eMbrace, a platform that provides evidence-based therapeutic services to those impacted by mental health and developmental disorders.

Credits

• Smitha Murthy, host and episode planner.
• Ravi Kumar, sound designer and editor.

Find us on Instagram and LinkedIn.

*Disclaimer – The content in this podcast is only for educational purposes. It cannot be considered as individual therapy advice or counseling.

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In this calming episode of Myndful Moments, host Anitha Aswath takes us through a gentle breathwork practice.

The session begins with noticing the breath. Anitha then introduces a simple breathing rhythm creating a foundation of ease and steadiness.

The episode progresses into a grounding pattern with inhaling and exhaling rhythms to make space to rest, allowing the breath to move like a tide.

The session closes with a powerful affirmation: "I don't have to push right now. I can pause. I can return to myself." Listeners are invited to carry this sense of ease into the rest of their day.

Episode highlights

• Simple 3-2-4 breathing rhythm to establish calm 
• Visualization technique for releasing tension
• Focus on the quiet center behind the heart
• Grounding breathwork pattern to calm the nervous system
• Affirmations to pause and return to oneself

Anitha's bio

Anitha Aswath is a Leadership Coach Consultant Facilitator and DEI Consultant with 26 years of rich experience. She has trained over 4100 leaders and professionals and has more than 1100 hours of coaching hours to her credit. 

Anitha’s other pursuits include blogging, photography, travelling and of course, music. “Perseverance is a virtue: an invaluable lesson music taught me,” she says. She is a voice over artist and trained singer. She is an eternal student of Indian Classical music.

Connect with Anitha

LinkedIn 

Credits

• Anitha Aswath, host and episode planner.

Enjoying our podcasts? 

Visit www.myndstories.com for all the guidance you need on your mental health journey.

Find us on Instagram and LinkedIn.

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In this brand new podcast, Myndful Moments, host Anitha Aswath guides listeners through a grounding exercise designed to anchor the body and mind. 

By visualizing roots growing from their feet or sitting bones into the earth, listeners are encouraged to feel supported and calm. The session includes deep breathing exercises and progressive muscle relaxation, focusing on various body parts from the feet to the forehead. 

Listeners are prompted to affirm their safety and presence in the moment with the mantra 'I am grounded here, I am safe in this moment, I am enough.' 

The episode closes with an invitation to carry the sense of calm into daily life.

Episode chapters

00:00 Introduction to Myndful Moments
01:17 Grounding visualization
02:06 Body relaxation
03:28 Focused breathing exercise
05:11 Affirmations and conclusion

Anitha's bio

Anitha Aswath is a Leadership Coach Consultant Facilitator and DEI Consultant with 26 years of rich experience. She has trained over 4100 leaders and professionals and has more than 1100 hours of coaching hours to her credit. 

Anitha’s other pursuits include blogging, photography, travelling and of course, music. “Perseverance is a virtue: an invaluable lesson music taught me,” she says. She is a voice over artist and trained singer. She is an eternal student of Indian Classical music.

Connect with Anitha

LinkedIn 

Credits

• Anitha Aswath, host and episode planner.

Enjoying our podcasts? 

Visit www.myndstories.com for all the guidance you need on your mental health journey.

Find us on Instagram and LinkedIn.

Support the show

Tell us what you feel. Message us.

In this very first episode of the new and revamped "The MyndReaders Podcast", hosts Swati and Anima Nair explore not only how anxiety feels, but how books can become powerful companions through its many layers. 

Their discussion begins with honest reflections on their own experiences on how anxiety creeps in, how racing thoughts take over, and how the pressure to function perfectly often leaves people feeling overwhelmed and alone. They share small, grounding practices which help them return to calm as well as the big role that books play.

Comforting rereads, slow-paced classics, Buddhist wisdom, and contemporary fiction that mirrors emotional truths, all form part of a reading list that accompanies listeners through different shades of anxiety. 

This episode blends personal reflection with literary insight, offering listeners a compassionate understanding of anxiety as well as a set of books that can soothe and help find comfort in words that understand us. 

We talk about

• Honest reflections on what anxiety feels like
• Reaching for “anchor books” and why certain stories become lifelines during anxious moments
• Novels that beautifully capture anxiety in its many forms
• Listener-recommended healing fiction and a list of nonfiction books written by mental health professionals
• How stories can reveal the emotional patterns behind anxiety
• A bonus reading list from a Mynd Readers Book Club member

Meet the hosts 

Anima is CPD-Certified Neurodiversity Practitioner, TEDx speaker, and advocate. She is dedicated to promoting neuro-inclusive practices in the corporate world. Anima loves to read classics and fantasy, write about neurodiversity and parenting a child who lives with autism, and spend time with her pet dog and cat.

Swati is the co-founder of MyndStories where her mission is to hear more conversations, see more action on mental health. She reads all the time, watches too many movies, and obsesses over her fitness.

Connect with the hosts

Swati | Anima 

Resources

• Terry Pratchett's Discworld series
• When Things Fall Apart - Pema Chodron
• Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine - Gail Honeyman
• Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
• Anxious People - Fredrik Backman
• The Midnight Library - Matt Haig
• Barely Functional Adult - Meiji Ng
• Age of Anxiety - Amrita Tripathi
• Anxiety: Overcome It and Live Without Fear - Sonali Gupta
• Yeonnam-dong's Smiley Laundromat - Kim Jiyun
• Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop - Hwang Bo-Reum

Credits

• Swati Nair and Anima Nair, hosts and episode planners.
• Ravi Kumar, sound designer and editor.

Loved this episode?

Write to us to be part of the conversation to make mental health cool - [email protected]

Find us on Instagram and LinkedIn.

*Disclaimer – The content in this podcast is only for educational purposes. It cannot be considered as individual therapy advice or counseling.

Support the show

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This episode is a conversation that takes us deep into the invisible yet deeply damaging forms of emotional abuse that many experience without realizing it. Smitha talks to Anamika, the founder of Let’s Heal who unpacks how emotional abuse can take many forms, from gaslighting and guilt-tripping to control disguised as care, and why so many people fail to recognize it when they’re living through it.

Drawing from her own lived experience and her professional work as a trauma-informed therapist, Anamika explains how emotional abuse affects the mind and body alike, shaping the nervous system and distorting self-worth. They dig into the cultural and familial conditioning that often normalises such behaviour, keeping people trapped in cycles of guilt, fear, and self-blame.

But this episode is as much about healing as it is about recognition. It's a reminder that healing begins the moment we start believing our own truth. 

About The Therapy Room

The Therapy Room is a segment where our host Smitha Murthy talks to mental health professionals for insights on life's challenges, which range from managing everyday stressors to chronic anxiety. Tune in as we explore topics around mental health issues, emotional wellbeing, and techniques to help you heal. 

We talk about

• Understanding the many faces of emotional abuse
• Why recognizing abuse can be so difficult
• The long-term impact of emotional abuse
• How social and cultural conditioning can normalise unhealthy relationship patterns
• Practical steps towards recovery

Anamika's bio

Anamika is a trauma-informed therapist specializing in supporting individuals moving through complex trauma, anxiety, depression, grief, burnout, and relationship issues. She is also the founder of 'Let’s Heal', a space dedicated to helping people reconnect with themselves after emotional pain. 

With years of experience in guiding individuals through recovery from emotional abuse, she combines her professional expertise with deep empathy and lived understanding. Her approach focuses on creating safety, self-awareness, and compassion as the foundations for healing. 

Connect with Anamika

LinkedIn | Instagram 

Credits

• Smitha Murthy, host and episode planner.
• Ravi Kumar, sound designer and editor.

Find us on Instagram and LinkedIn.

*Disclaimer – The content in this podcast is only for educational purposes. It cannot be considered as individual therapy advice or counseling.

Support the show

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In this episode of The Therapy Room, Smitha sits down with Deepti Chandy, Chief Operating Officer at Anna Chandy & Associates and a trained Transactional Analysis (TA) therapist to explore how our childhood experiences continue to shape our thoughts, behaviors, and relationships in adulthood.

Deepti explains how TA gives us a clear, relatable way to understand internal narratives, sometimes created through messages like “Be strong” or “Don’t be vulnerable” and how to counter the persistent feeling of “I’m not enough”. 

Here's a heart-to-heart conversation grounded in practical tools and deeply relatable experiences. 

About The Therapy Room

The Therapy Room is a segment where our host Smitha Murthy talks to mental health professionals for insights on life's challenges, which range from managing everyday stressors to chronic anxiety. Tune in as we explore topics around mental health issues, emotional wellbeing, and techniques to help you heal. 

We talk about

• What transactional analysis is and why it's a powerful framework for personal growth
• How the Parent, Adult, and Child ego states influence how we think, feel, and respond
• The most common childhood messages people carry, like "be perfect" or "don’t show emotion"
• How these messages show up in our adult relationships and workplaces
• Practical tools to reframe self-criticism, manage emotional triggers, and start shifting long-held patterns
• Tools and helpful strategies Deepti shares, which include recording voice notes when angry to process emotions before reacting, using simple “I” statements to express needs without blame, naming your inner critic, and more

Deepti's bio 

Deepti Chandy is the COO and chief therapist at Anna Chandy & Associates, a counseling firm based in Bangalore. Her journey into mental health began through her own experience with Transactional Analysis therapy during a challenging period in her late teens and early adulthood. With an Advanced Counselling certification from a prestigious collaborative program between the Link Centre UK and Anna Chandy, Deepti specializes in supporting young adults and professionals navigating identity, relationships, and personal development.

Beyond her professional roles, she maintains an active interest in fashion and fitness, embodying a holistic approach to well-being that encompasses both personal and professional growth.

Connect with Deepti

Visit Anna Chandy & Associates | Instagram 

QOTD

Have you tried transactional analysis therapy? Write in and tell us - [email protected] 

Resources

• What is TA?
• How TA works

Credits

• Smitha Murthy, host and episode planner.
• Ravi Kumar, sound designer and editor.

Find us on Instagram and LinkedIn.

*Disclaimer – The content in this podcast is only for educational purposes. It cannot be considered as individual therapy advice or counseling.

Support the show

Tell us what you feel. Message us.

ADHD is often reduced to stereotypes like restlessness and distraction. 

But behind the label is a complex inner world. Behind the label there's an individual constantly struggling with emotional overwhelm and coping with misunderstanding.

In this compelling conversation, Smitha Murthy speaks with Dr. Mahima and Dr. Supriya from eMbrace to explore the many layers of ADHD, especially how it manifests in women. Moving beyond the clinical definition, they talk about what it feels like to live with ADHD daily.

Why are so many women diagnosed late? How does childhood masking result in long-term emotional costs? These are just some of the questions they answer, opening a window into the world of ADHD which carries the invisible weight of always trying to “fit in.”

About The Therapy Room

The Therapy Room is a segment where our hosts Ankit Narasimhan and Smitha Murthy talk to mental health professionals for insights on life's challenges, which range from managing everyday stressors to chronic anxiety. Tune in as we explore topics around mental health issues, emotional wellbeing, and techniques to help you heal. 

We talk about:

• Clinically defining ADHD and addressing common misinterpretations
• Why women are so often overlooked
• Clues in childhood and why are often missed
• The hidden struggle of emotional dysregulation
• How to get a diagnosis in India 
• Practical coping tools and strategies 
• Is medication necessary? 

Dr. Mahima and Dr. Supriya's bios 

Dr. Mahima Sahi is a clinical psychologist who has clocked over 3,000 therapy hours and has vast experience as a clinician, researcher, and educator. She is also the program director at eMbrace where she leads initiatives focused on building quality care for neurodiverse populations and advancing evidence-based therapeutic practices. She helps individuals facing a wide spectrum of challenges, from emotional regulation and trauma to social anxiety, relationship dynamics, self-work and career transitions.

Dr. Supriya Malik has over 18 years of experience working with a range of developmental and mental health disorders, and setting up early intervention programmes as well as leading diagnostic services. Supriya is passionate about working with children, adolescents and young adults, improving quality of therapeutic services and building capacity. Supriya holds a PhD in Psychology from the University of Birmingham. She is also a board member of the  Indo-Canadian Autism Network (I-CAN).

Connect with Dr Mahima and Dr Supriya

Visit eMbrace | Connect with Dr Supriya | Connect with Dr Mahima 

Our partner

This episode is made possible thanks to support from eMbrace, a platform that provides evidence-based therapeutic services to those impacted by mental health and developmental disorders.

QOTD

How have you managed your ADHD? Write in and tell us - [email protected]

Liked our episode? Visit www.myndstories.com for more. Find us on Instagram and LinkedIn.

*Disclaimer - The content in this podcast is only for educational purposes. It cannot be considered as individual therapy advice or counseling and is not to be taken as medical or mental health advice.

Support the show

Tell us what you feel. Message us.

Aparna Subramonian, a brand marketer, writer, and self-proclaimed quirky cat lover, didn’t grow up trying to fit in. She grew up thinking she's a boy, fell in love with her best friend in seventh grade, and later discovered she had ADHD. All while battling social mores in a small, conservative city like Coimbatore. 

Smitha has a warm, honest, and often humorous exploration conversation in this delightfully candid episode with Aparna, journey through gender, sexuality, neurodivergence, and self-acceptance. 

We discuss

• Aparna reflects on her eccentric early years  
• Reflecting on the surreal experience of believing she was a boy and her first queer relationship 
• The unique way she came out to her family
• Her relationship with ADHD, the relief of finally having a label,  
• The joys and challenges of living with a neurodivergent partner
• How her biggest anchor is her community made of friends she can unmask with 

Aparna's bio 

Aparna Subramonian is a writer, storyteller, and brand strategist from Hyderabad. She’s queer, neurodivergent, and passionate about creating systems that accommodate brains like hers. Also, she loves cats. A lot.

Connect with Aparna

LinkedIn 

QOTD

How have you managed your neurodivergence? Write in and tell us - [email protected]

Credits

• Smitha Murthy, host and episode planner.
• Ravi Kumar, sound designer and editor.

Liked our episode? Visit www.myndstories.com for more.

Find us on Instagram and LinkedIn.

*Disclaimer - The content in this podcast is only for educational purposes. It cannot be considered as individual therapy advice or counseling and is not to be taken as medical or mental health advice.

Support the show