EP.121 - Astha Soni - "You Can Always Bring Back Your Culture"

What happens when we try to understand South Asian mental health through a Western lens? We end up feeling lost—told to cut ties instead of repair them, to heal alone instead of within community. But healing was never meant to be an individual pursuit.In this conversation with Astha, we start scratching the surface—getting curious about what it would take to truly decolonize mental health. How do we challenge the pressure of productivity in our culture while making space for our own healing? Where is the line between evolving and losing ourselves?Astha also shares how her semester abroad in Delhi shaped her understanding of mental health—what she learned, what surprised her, and how it continues to influence her career today.Together, we discuss:  - Why being person-first rather than treatment-first matters  - How we have privileges our ancestors didn’t—but also struggles they wouldn’t recognize  - The tension between growth and staying true to who you are  - The power of self-awareness: If you conquer your mind, you conquer the worldThis episode is about unlearning, reclaiming, and finding your path—because true change starts with understanding yourself.Instagram: theessenceofselfWebsite: theessenceofself.comSupport the showIf you like what you hear please click on "subscribe" or "follow" -  It's free and you will get notified when the newest episodes are posted!  Check us out on Instagram, X, and YouTube @mfupodcast. Give feedback, middle finger recommendations as well as random thoughts to [email protected]. Thank you for listening!In the spirit of reconciliation, we acknowledge that we live, work and play on the traditional territories of the Blackfoot Confederacy (Siksika, Kainai, Piikani), the Tsuut’ina, the Îyâxe Nakoda Nations, the Métis Nation (Region 3), and all people who make their homes in the Treaty 7 region of Southern Alberta.