Untether Your Life

South Asian immigrants face a number of mental health challenges associated with the pressures of straddling two different worlds. The stress that comes with acculturation, trauma, and discrimination has been linked with depression, anxiety, and more, and getting help isn’t always as easy as it seems.

Most traditional psychotherapy has been modeled on Western families, which is why today’s guest takes a more collaborative and multicultural approach. Today, we sit down with Dr. Ammara Khalid, a Licensed Clinical Psychologist who specializes in individual, couples, and family therapy with children, adolescents, and adults of diverse backgrounds.

In 2012, Dr. Khalid, together with Dr. Amanda Rios, co-founded the Center of Relational Empowerment (CORE), which helps individuals, couples, and families strengthen their core selves and, in doing so, empowers them to strengthen their relationships with others.

Mental health in the South Asian diaspora is a key component of The Shelly Story, so we’re grateful to have the opportunity to speak to a mental health professional like Dr. Khalid, who is deeply knowledgeable and compassionate about this topic.

Ultimately, an understanding of different cultural perspectives and experiences is vital to how we shape mental health services for different populations of people. Tune in today to learn more!

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Want to connect with Dr. Khalid? You can find her on LinkedIn.

To learn more about CORE, visit their website or follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

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Are you looking to improve your mental health and overall sense of wellbeing? Focusing on deep breathing and gentle poses through the practice of yoga may help!

On this podcast, we speak to people from a variety of backgrounds about diverse issues, most notably mental health, but we also love to dive into topics that might be considered outside the mainstream when it comes to managing mental wellness.

Today we will be discussing yoga as a mental health management tool. To help educate us and our audience, we have invited one of the practice’s preeminent voices, Dylan Bernstein. Nikhil and Dylan have quite a history, going back to their middle school days at Maumee Valley Country Day School in Toledo, Ohio in 1989. This is where Dylan was introduced to yoga and meditation when he was just 14 years old, from their favorite teacher Jenny Barthold. Since then, he has called upon these practices to engage the body, still the mind, and seek more subtle expressions of self.

He has gone on to teach classes, workshops, retreats, and teacher training in Hong Kong, Istanbul, Bali, and other locations worldwide.

While all physical exercise plays a role in improving your mental health, yoga is particularly helpful as it incorporates breathwork and meditation to help quiet the mind.

Tuning in today, you’ll learn more about Ashtanga yoga, the self-directed practice of Mysore, and some of the ​​benefits of yoga and meditation for not only your physical health but your mental and emotional wellbeing too!

Ultimately, Dylan believes that yoga is for everyone, not just Instagram models in designer yoga pants or devout yogis who can twist themselves into seemingly impossible poses. It’s all about owning your health and doing what works for you, and we hope that this episode will inspire you to do just that.

Topics discussed in this episode:

You can stay up to date with Dylan by following him on Instagram and Facebook! You can also check out his website or reach out to him directly at [email protected]

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The need for mental health advocacy is at an all time high right now. Having gone through two years of a devastating pandemic, with mental health services unable to keep up with the demand, we need to speak out on behalf of those who are suffering before it is too late.

Our guests on today’s episode are two people that know how precarious mental health can be, as they watched their brother and son fall victim to mental illness, and experienced how help was not so readily available.

Joining us today are Dana Marks and Paulette Mitchell, a mother and daughter who have dedicated their lives to mental health advocacy in light of the passing of their son and brother, Joshua Marks.

Joshua was a second runner up on the popular television show ‘MasterChef’, who suffered from bipolar disorder. Dana and Paulette furiously attempted to seek adequate assistance for Joshua’s mental illness, however were disappointed with the results time and time again.

After Joshua’s passing, Dana and Paulette launched The Larger Than Life Foundation to advocate for change in how people receive mental health help, destigmatize mental illness, and champion initiatives in culinary arts and philanthropy - two causes near and dear to Joshua’s heart.

Tune in to hear a story about two strong and empowered women dedicated to change the way we think about mental health.

Topics discussed in this episode:

Learn More About Dana, Paulette, and The Larger Than Life Foundation:

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Some of the most successful people of our age have experienced issues with mental health. From the outside it seems as if things couldn’t be better, but the inner world can be insidious in its ability to show the world one thing but experience the inner turmoil in another way.

This rings true for our guest on today’s episode. Chris Brogan, co-author of Trust Agents, chief of staff at AppFire, executive level strategist, CEO advisor working with companies at the $100 million revenue and up range, sought after keynote speaker, and The New York Times bestselling author of nine books and counting, and, did we miss anything? The point is, this man has accomplished more in this lifetime than most dream to accomplish in 10, and he did it while dealing with depression.

Chris’ grew up in a loving, supportive home - much like The Brady Bunch, as he says. However, he still experienced severe clinical depression. After trying many different treatments, he found what worked for him and was able to manage his depression in unique ways, while still hitting major professional and personal milestones.

Chris has faced demons head on, and has come out on the other side with a ton of wisdom to share with our listeners.

Tune in to hear a story of triumph and perseverance, and someone who did not give up in the face of mental health challenges.

Topics discussed in this episode:

Head to Chris’s website for more information on what he is up to or follow him on Twitter!

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Owning your own health is one of the key precepts of the Untether Your Life platform. As our lived experience showed us, it's important to look beyond "tried and true" methods for managing your body, mind and soul health. Eastern medicine offers many insights that may prove elusive with solely relying on surgery or medication.

With this in mind, Nikhil speaks with William J. Kaplanidis, Acupuncturist, Therapist, Teacher, Author and Founder of Acudragon Wellness. For over 30 years, William has helped people find the insight and courage to transform their lives and move towards true freedom and happiness. He developed the Acudragon® Wellness System to provide clients with skills and various modalities to achieve their goals and find their own path in life.

William has helped thousands through his individual treatment sessions as well as through his many classes. Individual sessions combine eastern modalities like acupuncture, acupressure, tui na, herbs, moxibustion, cupping with western mind-body therapies like the Sandlin Technique, hypnotherapy, counseling and aromatherapy. William teaches workshops and lectures on these modalities, as well as T’ai Chi and Qi Gong.

William lives and practices in New York City.

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"ENTJ." "ISFP." You've likely heard these abbreviations, but what do they mean exactly?

These are two of the 16 types in the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) - a framework for analyzing individuals' personality types, strengths, and preferences based on a self-assessment. Every day the test is used by hundreds of universities, almost 90% of Fortune 500 companies, and more recently even on dating apps such as So Syncd.

A few years ago Joe Arrigo, author of the recently published Marble and Sculptor: A Personality Type Manifesto, became fascinated with the MBTI and its potential application to his job as a corporate recruiter. He took a deep dive into the subject, became an expert on it, and developed a coaching practice around this approach to personality type. With great insight and humor, Joe shares his unique perspectives with Nikhil on MBTI, and how he's helped clients leverage the tool to achieve alignment between job candidates, companies, and employment opportunities.

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“Trauma” means many things to many people. Mytrae Meliana is innately familiar with its myriad implications, having endured an indescribably abusive marriage, being subject to exile and house arrest in India by her own parents, and fighting against cultural and societal patriarchy to find her own voice. She captured her harrowing, and ultimately redemptive story in a memoir entitled Brown Skin Girl: An Indian American Woman’s Magical Journey from Broken to Beautiful. 

Nikhil and Shelly spoke with Mytrae about her incredible story, which provides hope to many South Asian women who feel they are suffering in silence. She exudes light, wisdom, and quiet power in recounting her tale of triumph and healing, which now finds her as a holistic psychotherapist, trauma specialist, women’s empowerment and Divine Feminine teacher, channel, award-winning author, musician, sound healer, and speaker in Portland, Oregon.

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Rick Clemons is a globally recognized professional speaker, a published author (Frankly My Dear I'm Gay - A Late Bloomers Guide To Coming Out), successful podcaster (Life (UN)CLoseted and 40 Plus: Gay Men, Gay Talk), and highly regarded public speaking coach. Like more than 15 million other Americas, he also contends with the challenges of depression on a daily basis. 

In this episode, Rick speaks with Nikhil about his struggles with mental health, and what it means to live an unapologetic, uncloseted life on your terms. It was a long journey for him - coming out of the closet at 36, and stepping into entrepreneurship at 43 - but ultimately a very rewarding one.

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Alexa James is the CEO of NAMI Chicago, the Chicagoland chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness -  the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. Since assuming the role in 2020, she's played an integral role in influencing mental health policies and initiatives in the nation's 3rd largest city.

We were fortunate to speak with Alexa on a broad variety of topics, including:

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Mental health is not a one-size-fits-all concept. It's important to find the a therapist that understands your individual situation, and can help you manage your treatment plan accordingly.

In this episode, Nikhil speaks with Dr. Monica Kathuria, PsyD, CEO and Founder of Encircle Wellness, an established private practice located in Chicago’s West Loop which focuses on mental health and wellbeing. They touch on numerous topics, including the importance of the "five basic food groups" of mental health, the pros and cons of social media, and the importance of gathering input from the patient's family. 

Additionally, Nikhil shares what constitutes a "good" vs. "bad" provider, based on his own personal experience with seeking therapy for bipolar disorder.

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