Pooja Priyamvada, India

Pooja Priyamvada is a higher education educator in various fields, including media, literature, mental health and theater. Pooja holds a background in media. She is an author, a translator and, more recently, an entrepreneur. Pooja likes to say that she is also a full-time parent. 

In this episode, Pooja discusses her reasons to begin writing about mental health after experiencing postpartum depression about 16 years ago… her prior interest in mental illnesses and mental health… the stigma and taboo one faces in discussing depression, and the challenges at the time, of finding psychiatrists and psychologists in Delhi… beginning to educate herself about mental health support and training to become a counselor… the broad misunderstanding of mental health… the dismissal and resistance someone faces when speaking about their mental health experiences… cultural norms that expect women “to  stay within the margins that are defined for us”  and to not speak out….  the books she has written and translated… writing newspaper columns and appearing on radio shows… being labeled a mental health activist despite her diverse roles and areas of expertise… her experiences with the cultural expectations related to death and grieving… her role as a grief counsellor… the various forms of grief…. intersectional feminism… the importance of women lending support to each other and building each other up… the power of sisterhood, of community, and of our collective voice… and the reminder that “You are the most important person in your life.” (India)