In this episode, Third Culture Therapy’s Layla speaks with Nyree Abrahamian, a writer, producer, and educator whose work centres storytelling as a tool for identity, belonging, and collective healing. As a Canadian-born Armenian living in Armenia, Nyree reflects on the paradoxes of diaspora, repatriation, and feeling both deeply connected and perpetually in-between. The conversation explores the impact of the Nagorno-Karabakh war, the stories behind Nyree’s acclaimed podcast Country of Dust, and how Armenian cultural practices hold space for grief, resilience, and communal care.

💬 Topics Covered:

✔️ Diaspora, repatriation, and navigating belonging

✔️ Armenian identity and cultural inheritance

✔️ Storytelling as a tool for collective healing

✔️ The impact of the Nagorno-Karabakh war

✔️ Creating the Country of Dust podcast

✔️ Processing grief, trauma, and resilience in Armenia

✔️ Community-building and Armenia’s first Storytelling FestivalTimeline

00:00 Introduction to Third Culture Therapy

00:09 Meet Nari Abramian: A Journey of Identity and Storytelling

01:03 Diaspora Dynamics and the Concept of 'Repatriation'

04:48 The Impact of the Nagorno-Karabakh War

05:10 Creating the Country of Dust Podcast

08:05 From Education to Storytelling

10:51 Armenia's Post-Independence Development

14:06 Armenia as a Haven for Diasporic Communities

16:16 Processing Trauma and Grief in Armenia

19:20 The Role of Storytelling in Healing

23:27 Behind the Scenes of Country of Dust

39:31 The Power of Community and Storytelling Festivals

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In this episode, Third Culture Therapy’s Layla speaks with Ariana Alexander Sefre, a British-Iranian activist and entrepreneur, and the founder of Spoke – an innovative app using music as a tool for mental health and emotional regulation. Together, they explore the cultural and systemic gaps in mainstream healthcare, Ariana’s personal journey into building Spoke, and the power of music to reach communities often excluded from traditional mental health support. The conversation also touches on technology, activism, ethical business, and what it means to build care-led platforms as a culturally diverse founder.

💬 Topics covered:

✔️ Music as a tool for mental health and emotional regulation

✔️ Ariana’s journey to founding Spoke

✔️ Cultural and systemic barriers in mental healthcare

✔️ Technology, accessibility, and innovation in wellbeing

✔️ Navigating entrepreneurship as a British-Iranian founder

✔️ Activism, ethical business, and social justice

✔️ Mental health, creativity, and collective care

Timeline:

00:00 Introduction

00:55 Ariana's journey to founding Spoke

03:11 The science and impact of music on mental health

10:44 Challenges and strategies in reaching the audience

13:47 Personal reflections and cultural insights

25:26 Activism and social justice

42:27 Conclusion and final thoughts

Relevant links

https://spoke.world/

https://entrepreneursforpalestine.com

https://techforpalestine.org/

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In this episode, Layla speaks with Nat Rustom, a Lebanese clinical psychologist and co-founder of the Arab Psychedelic Society. Together, they explore psychedelic-assisted therapy through an Arab and culturally rooted lens. From the role of indigenous practices through community-based healing to the complexities of working with psychedelics within legal and cultural frameworks. Nat shares their personal journey into psychology and how reclaiming ancestral and regional knowledge can reshape mental healthcare in Arab communities.

💬 Topics Covered:

✔️ What psychedelic-assisted therapy can look like in Arab contexts 

✔️ Nat’s journey into psychology and psychedelic work

✔️ MDMA, trauma, and culturally informed healing

✔️ Indigenous knowledge, local plant medicines, and ancestral practices

✔️ Legal and cultural challenges of integrating psychedelics into therapy

✔️ The mission and future of the Arab Psychedelic Society

✔️ Community care and collective healing beyond Western models

00:00 Introduction to Third Culture Therapy

00:10 Meet Nat Rustom: Clinical psychologist and co-founder of the Arab Psychedelic Society

00:57 Nat's journey into mental health and psychedelics

01:58 First encounter with MDMA

06:12 Cultural impact on psychedelic experiences

08:41 Culturally informed and rooted approaches in therapy

09:50 Challenges and opportunities in integrating psychedelics 14:43 The Arab psychedelic society: mission and initiatives

16:33 The role of psychedelics in trauma therapy

33:04 Future directions and hopes for psychedelic therapy in Arab communities

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In this episode, Third Culture Therapy’s Layla speaks with award-winning journalist, author, and cultural commentator Yomi Adegoke about the intersections of culture, identity, and mental wellbeing. Drawing on her experiences growing up Nigerian-British, Yomi reflects on representation, online accountability, and the complexities of Black British identity in media and public discourse. Layla and Yomi explore cultural heritage, community grounding, and the ongoing challenges and progress in creating more nuanced and inclusive narratives.

💬 Topics Covered:✔️ Black British identity and cultural diversity✔️ Growing up Nigerian-British and navigating belonging✔️ Representation, visibility, and media narratives✔️ Online accountability, backlash, and mental health✔️ Writing Slay In Your Lane and centring Black women✔️ Anti-racist literature and political shifts post-2020✔️ Community, heritage, and grounding practices

00:00 Introduction and Guest Introduction

00:54 Exploring Cultural Identity

02:16 Black British Identity and Influences

04:22 Navigating Cultural Differences

06:46 The Impact of Representation

11:30 Writing 'Slay In Your Lane'

15:17 Comparing Black British and American Experiences

21:12 Reflections on Progress and Challenges

24:16 Navigating Post-2020 Social Dynamics

24:43 The Backlash and Political Shifts

25:32 The Importance of Anti-Racist Literature

28:37 Writing for Black Women

31:49 Exploring Fiction During Lockdown

33:09 The Complexity of Online Accountability

40:03 Balancing Online Presence and Mental Health

43:03 Grounding in Community and Heritage

45:10 Upcoming Projects and Future Plans

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Exploring Asian Fetishisation and Self-Discovery with Kaila YuIn this episode, Layla Maghribi speaks with Kaila Yu, a Taiwanese American writer, model, and singer, about her memoir Fetishised: A Reckoning with Yellow Fever, Feminism, and Beauty. Together, they unpack the fetishisation of East Asian women in Western media and culture, Kaila’s experiences in the entertainment industry, and the personal cost of navigating visibility, desirability, and stereotype. The conversation explores identity, recovery, self-love, and the ongoing process of healing through self-reflection and culturally aware care.

💬 Topics Covered:

✔️ Asian fetishisation and “yellow fever” in Western culture

✔️ Kaila’s journey through the entertainment industry

✔️ Historical roots of racialized beauty standards

✔️ Family dynamics, identity, and cultural pressure

✔️ Addiction, recovery, and self-reckoning

✔️ Therapy, mental health, and self-love

✔️ Healing as an ongoing, non-linear process

00:00 Introduction to Third Culture Therapy

00:12 Meet Kaila Yu: Author and Entertainer

00:42 Exploring 'Fetishise': A Deep Dive into Kaila's Book

01:35 Kaila's Journey in the Entertainment Industry

02:55 The Impact of Cultural Stereotypes

04:52 Personal Experiences and Family Dynamics

06:13 Defining and Discussing Fetishisation

07:44 Historical Context and Personal Reckoning

13:07 Addiction, Recovery, and Self-Reflection

14:01 The Role of Family and Cultural Background

17:37 Therapy, Self-Love, and Moving Forward

32:14 Future Aspirations and Final Thoughts

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Third Culture Therapy is back on the 28th of January with a slate of riveting new episodes! From entrepreneurs to healers, entertainers to storytellers, tune in to hear our exceptional guests share their personal and professional insight on how culture shapes mental and emotional wellbeing.

Out every other Wednesday. Click follow now to never miss an episode!

This podcast episode is published in collaboration with Hadar's Web and Third Culture Therapy.

In this episode of Hadar's Web, host of Third Culture Therapy Layla Maghribi shares personal stories of ancestral pilgrimage to Libya and Syria. She traces her family history of activism against colonialism, which she continues through her own work, and highlights the critical history of Italian colonialism in Libya that is so often overlooked. In conversation with Hadar Cohen, Layla explores the mental health impacts of exile, the necessity of community to regional resilience, and the centrality of Palestinian liberation.

***

Hadar's Web is hosted by Hadar Cohen, an Arab Jewish scholar, mystic and artist. She teaches spirituality and Jewish mysticism at Malchut, a spiritual skill building school teaching direct experience of God. Hadar is a Jewish mystic who builds decolonial frameworks to worship God. Hadar is an artist weaving the spiritual with the political through the artistic mediums of performance, movement, writing, weaving, sound, and ritual.

To learn more about Hadar, visit hadarcohen.me //@hadarcohen32

To study at her mystical school, check out malchut.one.

Subscribe to her Substack to stay tuned to latest episodes and offerings hadarcohen.substack.com

Hadar's Web is a podcast featuring community conversations on spirituality, healing, justice, and art.

You can follow Layla at laylamaghribi.com, substack.com/@thirdculturetherapy & on Instagram @laylamaghribi

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nisrine Maktabi is a Lebanese Canadian psychotherapist, trauma-informed coach, and founder of Rooted and Resilient, a program supporting multicultural individuals in reclaiming belonging and inner peace.

In this intimate conversation, Nisrine joins Third Culture Therapy podcast to explore the invisible threads of intergenerational trauma, the grief we inherit, and the embodied paths to healing. We speak candidly about tracing ancestry, reclaiming joy through storytelling, and how somatic therapy helps multicultural communities move from survival to connection.

💬 Topics Covered:

✔️Tracing ancestry and grief after loss

✔️How unacknowledged grief shows up in high-functioning adults

✔️The sacredness of ancestral storytelling and cultural grief

✔️What healing looks like in a trauma-informed lens

✔️Somatic tools: breath, movement, self-touch, and sensory grounding

✔️ Understanding Internal Family Systems (IFS) and parts work

✔️From blame to compassion in parent-child dynamics

✔️The power of community healing and group therapy

Learn more about Nisrine here

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This episodes is sponsored by luxury hair wrap brand Paradise Fold. Listeners get a special discount with the code TCT10. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Third Culture Therapy’s Layla speaks with Selma, the Moroccan-Dutch creator of Heal Magazine, a wellness platform created to centre diverse voices and increase representation in conversations around mental health. They explore how mainstream wellness often misses the mark, what it means to create community-led healing spaces, and the highs and lows of creating new narrative spaces in media.

💬 Topics Covered:

✔️Why the wellness industry feels “vanilla” to many

✔️The lack of representation in mainstream wellness content

✔️The power of ancestral healing and intergenerational trauma

✔️Challenges in building inclusive wellness spaces and media

✔️The future of Heal Magazine and in-person community

✔️Selma’s personal rituals for maintaining mental well-being

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This episodes is sponsored by luxury hair wrap brand Paradise Fold. Listeners get a special discount with the code TCT10. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How does Islamophobia shape our mental health? In this powerful conversation, we explore the deep psychological toll of racism, internalised Islamophobia, and the struggle for belonging. Our guest, Shaista Aziz, a British-Pakistani writer, politician, stand-up comedian, and fearless advocate, shares her personal journey of reckoning with these forces. 

As the co-founder of The Three Hijabis, Shaista has dedicated herself to tackling racism in football and challenging gendered Islamophobia head-on. She speaks candidly about the complexities of identity, community, and faith. 

We discuss the profound impact of recent global events, particularly the genocide in Gaza, on our collective grief and resilience. This episode is an invitation to confront the ways racism permeates our inner worlds and how we can reclaim our mental well-being through solidarity, compassion, and community healing.

🎙 Topics Covered:

✔️ The hidden weight of internalised Islamophobia

✔️ How racism shapes our mental and emotional well-being

✔️ The role of faith and spirituality in resilience

✔️ Collective grief as a form of love and resistance

✔️ The importance of finding and creating spaces for healing

Tune in for an unfiltered discussion on navigating identity, pain, and strength in an unjust world.

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This episodes is sponsored by luxury hair wrap brand Paradise Fold. Listeners get a special discount with the code TCT10. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.