The Asian Mental Health Podcast

What does it really take to move across the world at 18, navigate a new city alone, and build a life from scratch? In this episode, Asami is joined by Divnoor Kaur, a Punjabi-Indian psychology graduate and early childhood diploma student who has been quietly determined to be part of Shapes and Sounds since 2023. It took three years, but we're so grateful that she made it here!The conversation also features voice memos from Tina Liu, a bilingual psychologist at one of our Practice Partners, MindBodyHeart Psychology, and former international student herself, who reflects on the challenges she witnessed both as a student and as a practitioner working with migrants and international students every day.Together, Asami, Divnoor, and Tina unpack what people get wrong about the international student experience: it's not just about managing study and a part-time job. It's about navigating racism you didn't expect, housing markets that weren't built for you, support services you didn't know existed, and a homesickness that only hits once you've left.This is one for every international student, every person who loves one, and everyone who has ever felt like a fish discovering what water actually is.

⚠️ Content warning: This episode includes mentions of eating disorders and depression. Please approach this carefully. If this doesn't feel right for you today, skip ahead or return when you're ready.What happens when your culture is something you only truly discover after leaving it behind? In this episode, Asami sits down with Cait, a Filipino-Chinese undergraduate psychology student, youth mental health advocate, and owner of 11 dogs (!) each with their own personality and their own wanted-poster photo frame.Cait moved from the Philippines to Melbourne to study psychology, carrying with her a history of depression, anxiety, and an eating disorder, none of which she disclosed when she arrived. "I had a clean slate," she says, "and it really backfired on me." What followed was a year and a half of navigating a new country, a fragmented mental health system, and the slow, surprising discovery of who she actually was as a Filipino, something she never had to think about back home.In this conversation with Asami, Cait opens up about the Filipino concept of kakayanin (to endure), how colonialism has shaped the way Filipinos understand mental health, why a diagnosis in the Philippines can feel more like a kryptonite than a lifeline, and what it means to fight for culturally grounded mental health research. This one is warm, funny, and deeply honest, and it's the kind of conversation that reminds you why representation in mental health spaces is a non-negotiable, not a "nice to have".

What does it take to move to a new country at 19, navigate culture shock, come out as gay while studying psychology, work through perfectionism and shame, and eventually build your own clinical practice? In this episode, Dr. Zhi Xiang On takes us on that journey with warmth, humour, and remarkable honesty.On moved from Klang, Malaysia to Melbourne to study psychology at 19. What started as curiosity about a big city quickly became a complex navigation of identity, belonging, and self-discovery. From not understanding why everyone walked so much, to learning that "Asian Australian" was a thing, to spending two hours crying before coming out to a friend, to eventually becoming a clinical psychologist, forensic psychologist, and clinical neuropsychologist, On's story is both deeply personal and universally relatable.In this conversation with Asami, On opens up about the pressures of college party culture when you come from a conservative family, the guarded way he first approached university counselling, the moment a professor pointed out what he wasn't ready to hear about his sexual identity, and how working through his own "parts" transformed not just his studies but his entire approach to being a therapist.This episode is for anyone who's ever felt like they had to perform being okay, anyone navigating identity while far from home, and anyone wondering what it really means to "work on yourself."

Why is it so hard to find help as an international student in Australia? When services exist but feel impossible to access, when information is scattered across a dozen websites, and when you're not even sure what "good therapy" looks like... where do you even start?In this episode of the Asian Mental Health Podcast, Marcus sits down with Vinca Metta Julicia and Sania Jatin Prabhu, two international students and Student Changemakers participants, for an honest conversation about what it's really like trying to navigate mental health services in Melbourne.Vinca, from Indonesia, has studied architecture in Taiwan and urban design in Melbourne. Sania, originally from India with time in South Africa, is pursuing her Master of AI at Monash. Together, they break down the barriers international students face: the one-month wait times for uni counseling, the confusion about costs and confidentiality, the fear that seeking help might affect your visa, and the overwhelming reality that no single place exists to guide you through it all.But this episode isn't just about what's broken. It's also about what helps: ClassPass and bouldering for moving your body, BumbleBFF for finding community, The Couch for free meals and connection, and the small acts of resilience that keep students going when the system fails them.

 ⚠️ Content Warning: This episode includes discussions of grief, self-harm, and harassment. Please listen with care. If hearing about these topics doesn't feel right for you today, please skip to another episode or return at another point in time.What happens when you lose a parent just months after arriving in Australia as a 19-year-old international student? How do you keep going when grief, visa timelines, and financial pressure collide and there's no space to stop?In this powerful episode of the Asian Mental Health Podcast, Asami speaks with Maneesha Singh, a registered psychologist, founder of ManAsha Psychology, and former international student from India. Maneesha shares her deeply personal story of arriving in Melbourne at 19, navigating culture shock, losing her father within her first year, and feeling the overwhelming pressure to "just keep going" through grief, study, and survival.Now as a clinician specialising in culturally responsive trauma-informed care, Maneesha works with international students, migrants, and second-generation Asian Australians facing similar struggles. She opens up about what she sees in her practice: students arriving at crisis point, the shame and stigma around mental health in South Asian communities, self-harm as a coping mechanism, and the systemic barriers that keep international students from seeking help until it's almost too late.This conversation offers both a mirror for those who've walked this path and a roadmap for mental health services, educators, and peers who want to better support international students navigating migration, grief, and belonging. 

⚠️ Content Warning: This episode includes discussions of mental health struggles, isolation, and burnout. Please listen with care.What does it really look like to be an international student in Melbourne? Beyond the curated social media posts and "day in the life" videos, what are the hidden struggles that students face every day?In this episode of the Asian Mental Health Podcast, Asami sits down with Rachel Tan Mun En and Cheng Qien Vrede, two Malaysian international students and Student Changemakers participants, for an honest conversation about loneliness, financial pressure, broken trust, and the realities of building a life from scratch in Australia.Rachel, a double degree student in education and music working three jobs, and Vrede, a final-year psychology student, share their raw experiences of what it's really like to navigate university life as an international student - from the small daily struggles that build up over time, to the moments of breaking down, to finding unexpected sources of strength like religion, community, and vulnerability.

⚠️ Content Warning: Today's conversation includes mentions of suicide. Please approach this carefully. If hearing about suicide doesn't feel right for you today, please skip to another episode or return at another point in time.Welcome back to Season 5 of the Asian Mental Health Podcast! In this season opener, hosts Asami Koike and Marcus Lai reunite in the studio for the first time since August 2025 to introduce a very special season dedicated entirely to the international student experience in Australia. They're joined by Daleney Ing, facilitation support at Shapes and Sounds and psychology honours student, to unpack what they learned from running Student Changemakers: a peer leadership program for international students in Semester 1, 2026.You'll hear directly from students in their own words: voice memos, reflections, and raw honest moments about what it's really like to arrive in Melbourne full of hope, and navigate the gap between expectation and reality.

⚠️ Content warning: This episode discusses suicide and sexual assault. Please listen with care and use the support services listed below if you need them.

As promised, here is the unabridged version of the documentary that Oscar made during his travel through Japan. He dives deeper into the Eastern philosophies behind Fukumitsu's calligraphy practice and discovers a fascinating link between art, language, nature and mental wellbeing.The transcript is available here.Help us destigmatise mental health conversations in Asian communities by downloading this episode on your favourite app and sharing it with your friends and family.We'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas about Asian mental health. Find us online at ⁠@justshapesandsounds⁠ or ⁠justshapesandsounds.com⁠English voiceovers provided by Kim Brockett, Vivan Vo, Junxin Peng and Yeo Choong.This podcast is supported by the Victorian Department of Health via the Diverse Communities Program. All information provided is general information only and should not be used in lieu of professional advice.

Asami and Marcus invite their beloved teammate Stef Kam onto the show to discuss their work as an art therapist and an artist. Stef explains how creating art in art therapy plays a role in helping people to deal with feelings and emotions that words cannot express. And don't worry, our third host Oscar reunites with the group at the end to wrap up the season.The transcript is available here.Help us destigmatise mental health conversations in Asian communities by downloading this episode on your favourite app and sharing it with your friends and family.We'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas about Asian mental health. Find us online at ⁠@justshapesandsounds⁠ or ⁠justshapesandsounds.com⁠This podcast is supported by the Victorian Department of Health via the Diverse Communities Program. All information provided is general information only and should not be used in lieu of professional advice.

In a very special travel documentary episode, Oscar explores the intersection of work, honing a craft and mental health in Japanese craft. The team discuss the way Japanese culture, crafts and "Zen" are romanticised and appropriated by the Western gaze.The transcript is available here.Help us destigmatise mental health conversations in Asian communities by downloading this episode on your favourite app and sharing it with your friends and family.We'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas about Asian mental health. Find us online at ⁠@justshapesandsounds⁠ or ⁠justshapesandsounds.com⁠English voiceovers provided by Kim Brockett, Vivan Vo, Junxin Peng and Yeo Choong.This podcast is supported by the Victorian Department of Health via the Diverse Communities Program. All information provided is general information only and should not be used in lieu of professional advice.

Dom Thattil, influencer and advocate for BIPOC and queer communities, drops into the studio for a chat with Asami about balancing safety with visibility, his relationship with his family and the inner work we need to do to keep ourselves mentally healthy.The transcript is available here.Help us destigmatise mental health conversations in Asian communities by downloading this episode on your favourite app and sharing it with your friends and family.We'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas about Asian mental health. Find us online at ⁠@justshapesandsounds⁠ or ⁠justshapesandsounds.com⁠This podcast is supported by the Victorian Department of Health via the Diverse Communities Program. All information provided is general information only and should not be used in lieu of professional advice.

The Shapes and Sounds team share workplace survival stories, how would you deal with these situations? Asami investigates an insulting rumour, Oscar confronts his racist manager and Marcus duels his harshest critic–himself.The transcript is available here.Help us destigmatise mental health conversations in Asian communities by downloading this episode on your favourite app and sharing it with your friends and family.We'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas about Asian mental health. Find us online at ⁠@justshapesandsounds⁠ or ⁠justshapesandsounds.com⁠This podcast is supported by the Victorian Department of Health via the Diverse Communities Program. All information provided is general information only and should not be used in lieu of professional advice.

Asami sits down with clinical psychologist and relationships expert Sanduni Silva. They discuss the emotional baggage we carry into the workplace and how to effectively communicate while staying true to your values. Listen to learn how to navigate workplace challenges and maintain your sense of self.The transcript is available here.Help destigmatise mental health conversations in Asian communities by downloading this episode on your favourite app and sharing it with your friends and family.We'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas about Asian mental health. Find us online at ⁠@justshapesandsounds⁠ or ⁠justshapesandsounds.comThis podcast is supported by the Victorian Department of Health via the Diverse Communities Program. All information provided is general information only and should not be used in lieu of professional advice.

A Shapes and Sounds community member shares her inspiring story of living and working with ADHD and autism.The transcript is available here.Help destigmatise mental health conversations in Asian communities by downloading this episode on your favourite app and sharing it with your friends and family.We'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas about Asian mental health. Find us online at ⁠@justshapesandsounds⁠ or ⁠justshapesandsounds.com⁠This podcast is supported by the Victorian Department of Health via the Diverse Communities Program. All information provided is general information only and should not be used in lieu of professional advice.

Marcus and Asami are joined by Rachel Lim, psychologist and clinical lead from Headspace Syndal. With a strong passion for youth mental health, Rachel tells us about the evolution of her own career goals and how a false start at uni actually led her to doing the work she wanted to do.The transcript is available here.Help destigmatise mental health conversations in Asian communities by downloading this episode on your favourite app and sharing it with your friends and family.We'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas about Asian mental health. Find us online at ⁠@justshapesandsounds⁠ or ⁠justshapesandsounds.com⁠For more info about Rachel's work and mental health support for young people, visit headspace.org.auThis podcast is supported by the Victorian Department of Health via the Diverse Communities Program. All information provided is general information only and should not be used in lieu of professional advice.

The Asian Mental Health is back! To kick things off, Asami, Marcus and Oscar define the theme they've chosen for our third season and talk about the impact that work has on our mental health. The transcript is available here.Help destigmatise mental health conversations in Asian communities by downloading this episode on your favourite app and sharing it with your friends and family.We'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas about Asian mental health. Find us online at ⁠@justshapesandsounds⁠ or ⁠justshapesandsounds.com⁠This podcast is supported by the Victorian Department of Health via the Diverse Communities Program. All information provided is general information only and should not be used in lieu of professional advice.

For our season 2 finale, Oscar and Marcus interrogate our technical producer Yeo about his copyright beef with Kanye West (!) and find out how community, cooking and creativity all play a part in keeping him mentally healthy. The transcript is available here. Help us destigmatise mental health conversations in Asian communities by downloading this episode and sharing it with your friends and family. We'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas about Asian mental health. Find us online at ⁠@justshapesandsounds⁠ or ⁠justshapesandsounds.com⁠ This podcast is supported by the Victorian Department of Health via the Diverse Communities Program. All information provided is general information only and should not be used in lieu of professional advice.

Marcus and Asami gain invaluable insight from Beverley Wang (ABC's National Culture Correspondent and host of Stop Everything! and Life Matters) as she talks about the benefits of sleeping well, not replying in the heat of the moment and her general approach to self-care when under pressure. The transcript is available here.

Our fearless leader Asami finally takes the hot seat and tells all about the link between physical and mental wellness, building a good relationship with your limits, and how she persevered with Shapes and Sounds through financial hardship and uncertainty. The transcript is available here. Help us destigmatise mental health conversations in Asian communities by downloading this episode sharing it with your friends and family.

Asami describes the alarming findings of the latest youth mental health research, Marcus explains how the pandemic has changed the brains of young people, and Oscar contemplates the effects of social media on our identities and values. The transcript is available here.  All the support services mentioned in this episode can be found here. Help destigmatise mental health conversations in Asian communities by downloading this episode and sharing it with your friends and family.

Jagesh Panchal, founder of Shakti Mental Health, speaks about comfortable spaces for conversations between men about their mental health, the diversity within Asian and South Asian culture and how compartmentalising your thoughts can actually help you through difficult moments. The transcript is available here. Help us to destigmatise mental health conversations in Asian communities by downloading this episode on your favourite app and sharing it with your friends and family. Connect with Jagesh on instagram at @shaktimhmelbourne or shaktimentalhealth.com 

We nudge Oscar into the hot-seat and try to convince him that he's creative. As our co-host and community engagement lead, he explains why bathing, constant learning and social connection are necessary for his well-being. The transcript is available here. Help destigmatise mental health conversations in Asian communities by downloading this episode on your favourite app and sharing it with your friends and family. We'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas about Asian mental health. Find us online at ⁠@justshapesandsounds⁠ or ⁠justshapesandsounds.com⁠ This podcast is supported by the Victorian Department of Health via the Diverse Communities Program. All information provided is general information only and should not be used in lieu of professional advice.

Our co-host and resident psychology student Marcus shares ideas on combating stressful workload paralysis while leading an academically-driven lifestyle, and why pulling an all-nighter is never a good choice. The transcript is available here. Help destigmatise mental health conversations in Asian communities by downloading this episode on your favourite app and sharing it with your friends and family. We'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas about Asian mental health. Find us online at ⁠@justshapesandsounds⁠ or ⁠justshapesandsounds.com⁠ This podcast is supported by the Victorian Department of Health via the Diverse Communities Program. All information provided is general information only and should not be used in lieu of professional advice.

To kick off our second season, the Shapes and Sounds team discuss the harmful misconceptions and serious consequences of poor mental health in Asian communities and how simple conversations can make a difference.  Content warning: this episode contains discussion of suicide. The transcript is available here. Help destigmatise mental health conversations in Asian communities by downloading this episode on your favourite app and sharing it with your friends and family. We'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas about Asian mental health. Find us online at ⁠@justshapesandsounds⁠ or ⁠justshapesandsounds.com⁠ This podcast is supported by the Victorian Department of Health via the Diverse Communities Program. All information provided is general information only and should not be used in lieu of professional advice.

"It seems like a lot of mental health messaging seems to be a rejection of Asian values..."

It's easy to think that you're all alone in your struggles, especially if you come from an Asian family where often, conversations about mental health really don't occur that much. But as a therapist, let me just say that you're definitely not alone and many of the concerns that you might have are shared by others just like you too.  You'll get to hear this first hand via the Asian Mental Health Podcast, which is a Q&A podcast hosted by Asami, Marcus and Oscar and we're from Shapes and Sounds which is the leading voice for Asian mental health and wellbeing. Throughout the season, we're joined by Asian therapists, community leaders and advocates and with your support too, we're on a mission to normalise and destigmatise mental health in Asian communities, one conversation at a time.  Say hello: website: justshapesandsounds.com instagram: @justshapesandsounds