The Asian Mental Health Podcast

The Asian Mental Health Podcast is brought to you by Asami and Marcus from Shapes and Sounds, the leading voice for Asian mental health and wellbeing in Australia. With our incredible guests, we're here to normalise and destigmatise mental health conversations in Asian communities.

The Asian Mental Health Podcast is a health podcast hosted by Shapes and Sounds, with 42 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Shapes and Sounds hosts The Asian Mental Health Podcast, a health show with 42 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

• 

  Episode #40

  International Student Mental Health: What 20 Student Leaders Reveal About Loneliness, Resilience & Support

  Aug 10, 202651 minS5

  Season 5 of the Asian Mental Health Podcast is a wrap. This finale episode looks back on everything: the Student Changemakers leadership program, the students who made it what it was, the practitioners who showed up for them, and the very big feelings the Shapes and Sounds team has about what the mental health sector still needs to do. Season finales are usually about celebration, and there's plenty of that here. Asami, Marcus, and senior producer Yeo Choong reflect on six weeks of running a first-of-its-kind international student mental health leadership program, a full season of conversations, and what it really takes to reach communities that larger services a seem to be finding too hard. The results were clear. Students came in thinking about how to help others. But, they left knowing that it's important to help themselves first. They built WhatsApp groups, they attended focus groups, they gave their time and their stories, and 88 of them tried to sign up to a program that only had room for 20.So yes, there is pride. There is also a rant, delivered with love, about why large, well-resourced organisations haven't yet figured out what two people (ie. us) planned in three months on the side. The answer, Asami and Marcus argue, is not complexity. It might be intention. You'll hear about: ✅ How students' answers changed across six weeks of the leadership program ✅ The three biggest challenges international students reported: finances, loneliness, and distrust of services ✅ Why the peer practitioner model could change how international students access mental health support ✅ Why culturally responsive care is often far simpler to implement than services pretend ✅ The Shapes and Sounds definition of leadership (and why you already qualify) ✅ What comes next for Shapes and Sounds and the Asian Mental Health Podcast Key Takeaways: Vinca: "Being a leader is not about being bossy. It's more about giving empathy, listening, and giving back to the team" Sania: "I wasn't aware of how many free mental health resources were available for international students. I also learned how I can support myself while helping my friends around me" Eva: "They gave you sample question styles, like what kind of question to ask people to actually let them self-reflect. It's really practical and I can use it" Marcus: "The answer is often so much more simple than we make it. We need to start so much more basic. Services need to do more, and more services need to care" Asami: "Focus back on a strengths-based model. These students are doing their best every single day. We have to recognise that positivity and that resilience" Yeo: "We got so much interest from students wanting to be on the podcast as guests. Real students talking about real experiences. That is the heart of this season" Find culturally responsive practitioners on the Asian Mental Health Practitioner List Shapes and Sounds website ️ Resources and References Find them all over on the full show notes Connect with Shapes and Sounds ⁠ Instagram ⁠ ⁠ LinkedIn ⁠ ⁠ Website ⁠ Free Resource: Download ⁠ "International Students and Mental Health" ✨ There are 39 other episodes to explore if you're looking for more. Please subscribe, rate, and review the Asian Mental Health Podcast on your favourite podcast app, and share this season with someone who might need it. Word of mouth is how we destigmatise mental health in Asian communities. See you in season 6! The Asian Mental Health Podcast is a production from Shapes and Sounds, made on the stolen lands of the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people of the Kulin Nation. This show is hosted by Asami Koike and Marcus Lai and produced by Yeo Choong. This season is brought to you by Embrace Multicultural Mental Health (The Embrace Project). All thoughts and ideas you hear are independently ours and our guests.The Embrace Project is part of Mental Health Australia. For more information about the Embrace Project, visit here .

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  The Asian Mental Health Podcast

  "I'm Crying, But I'm Crying in Melbourne": International Student Loneliness & Life Far From India

  Aug 3, 202652 min

  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. You'll hear about: ✅ What people get wrong about international students and their emotional reality ✅ Racial slurs in the CBD two months after arriving in Melbourne ✅ Melbourne's housing crisis and how it hits international students hardest ✅ Mental health stigma in Indian communities and why "boys don't cry" sticks with you ✅ The WEIRD bias in mental health research and why culturally matched practitioners matter ✅ Peer mentorship programs, Bollywood clubs, and how to build a community from zero ✅ Sleep, eating well, and why loneliness sometimes wins over a good night's rest About the Guests Divnoor Kaur is originally from Ludhiana, Punjab, India. She moved to Melbourne at 18 to study psychology at the University of Melbourne and is now completing a diploma in early childhood education. A passionate advocate for youth mental health, she was a peer mentor at UniMelb and a participant in the Shapes and Sounds Student Changemakers program. She has been trying to get involved with Shapes and Sounds since 2023. Three years later, she made it. Tina Liu is a practicing psychologist at MindBodyHeart Psychology, a bilingual Mandarin and English private practice in Melbourne and a Shapes and Sounds practice partner. Originally from China, Tina completed undergraduate studies at Monash, a PhD at Deakin, and a masters in psychology at VU. She worked for years teaching in a university foundation program before transitioning to clinical practice, where she works primarily with Mandarin-speaking migrants and international students. Find Tina Liu and other culturally-responsive practitioners on our Asian Mental Health Practitioner list Our Practice Partner, Mind Body Heart Psychology ️ Resources Mentioned: Find them all in the full show notes over on our blog Connect with Shapes and Sounds ⁠ Instagram ⁠ LinkedIn Website Free Resource: Download ⁠ "International Students and Mental Health" ⁠✨ If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, rate, and review the Asian Mental Health Podcast on your favourite podcast app. Share this episode with someone who is an international student, or who loves one. Word of mouth is how we destigmatise mental health in Asian communities. The Asian Mental Health Podcast is a production from Shapes and Sounds, made on the stolen lands of the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people of the Kulin Nation. This show is hosted by Asami Koike and Marcus Lai and produced by Yeo Choong. This season is brought to you by Embrace Multicultural Mental Health (The Embrace Project). All thoughts and ideas you hear are independently ours and our guests.The Embrace Project is part of Mental Health Australia. For more information about the Embrace Project, visit: https://embracementalhealth.org.au/

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #38

  "You Don't Have to Prove Yourself": Filipino-Chinese Psychology Student on Cultural Pride, Systemic Stigma, and Finding Yourself Far From Home

  Jul 27, 202646 minS5

  ⚠️ 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". You'll hear about: ✅ Growing up Filipino-Chinese and falling short of academic expectations ✅ Depression and navigating stigmatised mental health services in the Philippines ✅ Moving to Australia and leaving your mental health history behind, and why that backfired ✅ Kakayanin: the Filipino concept of endurance and its double edge ✅ Why Filipinos telling stories through karaoke might actually be the research gap we need About the Guest Cait is a Filipino-Chinese undergraduate psychology student in Melbourne and a passionate advocate for youth mental health, particularly within Filipino communities. As a participant in the Shapes and Sounds Student Changemakers program, Cait carries both her own lived experience with depression, anxiety, and navigating cultural stigma, and the stories of other young Filipinos she has spoken with along the way. She is deeply invested in reshaping how mental health is understood and researched across Southeast Asian contexts, and believes those conversations start over food, language, and karaoke. Find culturally responsive practitioners on the Asian Mental Health Practitioner List As a bonus, connect with Arthur De Jesus who's a Filipino clinical psychologist and the founder of AK Psychology, Melbourne's first Filipino psychology private practice ️ Resources Mentioned: Find them all over on the full show notes on our blog Connect with Shapes and Sounds ⁠ Instagram ⁠ ⁠ LinkedIn ⁠ ⁠ Website ⁠ Free Resource: Download ⁠ "International Students and Mental Health" ⁠✨ If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, rate, and review the Asian Mental Health Podcast on your favourite podcast app. It really helps other international students find these conversations. Share this episode with your friends, especially if you know, or are, a young Filipino navigating life far from home. Word of mouth is how we destigmatise mental health in Asian communities. The Asian Mental Health Podcast is a production from Shapes and Sounds, made on the stolen lands of the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people of the Kulin Nation. This show is hosted by Asami Koike and Marcus Lai and produced by Yeo Choong. This season is brought to you by Embrace Multicultural Mental Health (The Embrace Project). All thoughts and ideas you hear are independently ours and our guests.The Embrace Project is part of Mental Health Australia. For more information about the Embrace Project, visit: https://embracementalhealth.org.au/

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #37

  "I Cried for Two Hours Before Coming Out": Malaysian Psychologist Dr. On on Identity, Shame, and Finding Safety in Melbourne

  Jul 20, 202656 minS5

  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." You'll hear about: ✅ Moving from a small Malaysian town to Melbourne at 19 and experiencing culture shock✅ The loneliness crisis facing international students today✅ Coming out as gay to friends and family while studying abroad✅ University counselling: the benefits, barriers, and what students need to know✅ Understanding your "parts" and what it means to work on yourself✅ How to support peers using the HEAR framework About the Guest Dr. Zhi Xiang On is a clinical psychologist, forensic psychologist, clinical neuropsychologist, and the director of Back On Track Psychology, a private practice in Melbourne. Originally from Klang, Malaysia, On moved to Australia at 19 to study psychology at the University of Melbourne. His work emphasises a collaborative, safe, values-guided therapeutic relationship. Find Dr. On on the Shapes and Sounds Practitioner List HERE Back On Track Psychology website ️ Resources Mentioned: Find them in the full show notes over on our blog Connect with Shapes and Sounds ⁠ Instagram ⁠ ⁠ LinkedIn ⁠ ⁠ Website ⁠ Free Resource: Download ⁠ "International Students and Mental Health" ⁠ ✨ If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, rate, and review the Asian Mental Health Podcast on your favourite podcast app. It really helps other international students find these conversations. Share this episode with your friends, especially if you know or are an international student, because word of mouth helps destigmatise mental health in Asian communities. The Asian Mental Health Podcast is a production from Shapes and Sounds, made on the stolen lands of the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people of the Kulin Nation. This show is hosted by Asami Koike and Marcus Lai and produced by Yeo Choong. This season is brought to you by Embrace Multicultural Mental Health (The Embrace Project). All thoughts and ideas you hear are independently ours and our guests.The Embrace Project is part of Mental Health Australia. For more information about the Embrace Project, visit: https://embracementalhealth.org.au/

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #36

  Finding Help as an International Student: The Gap Between Services and Real Support in Australia

  Jul 13, 202657 minS5

  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. 🎧 You'll hear about: ✅ Why international students struggle to access mental health services in Australia ✅ The reality of university counseling: long wait times and mismatched support ✅ The fear that accessing mental health services might affect your visa ✅ What international students actually need: a single navigation point and welcoming spaces ✅ How to build community through movement, online platforms, and university events 👤 About the Guests Vinca Metta Julicia is an Indonesian international student who recently completed her Master of Urban Design in Melbourne after studying architecture in Taiwan. Her journey as an international student across multiple countries has shaped her understanding of resilience, belonging, and people-centered design. Vinca is passionate about creating environments where individuals feel safe, connected, and supported, which links closely to mental wellbeing. She participated in the Student Changemakers peer leadership program in Semester 1, 2026. Sania Jatin Prabhu is an Indian international student pursuing her Master of Artificial Intelligence at Monash University in Melbourne. She has moved countries three times: from India to South Africa at age two, back to India for high school and university, and now to Melbourne, where she's navigating student life completely alone without family nearby. Each move has felt progressively harder, and she joined Student Changemakers hoping to provide the kind of support she wished she'd had. Sania has been in Melbourne for nine months and is passionate about helping other international students find their footing. 🛠️ Resources Mentioned: Find them all linked in the full show notes here ! 🙌 Connect with Shapes and Sounds Instagram ⁠⁠ LinkedIn Website⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ✨ If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, rate, and review the Asian Mental Health Podcast on your favourite podcast app. It really helps other international students find these conversations. Share this episode with your friends, especially if you know or are an international student, because word of mouth helps destigmatise mental health in Asian communities. 💛The Asian Mental Health Podcast is a production from Shapes and Sounds, made on the stolen lands of the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people of the Kulin Nation. This show is hosted by Asami Koike and Marcus Lai and produced by Yeo Choong. This season is brought to you by Embrace Multicultural Mental Health (The Embrace Project). All thoughts and ideas you hear are independently ours and our guests.The Embrace Project is part of Mental Health Australia. For more information about the Embrace Project, visit here .

  ListenShow Notes

Recent guests on The Asian Mental Health Podcast. Study who booked and why before you pitch.

Based on semantic analysis of episode topics and host coverage, this show is a strong guest fit for executives in:

Industry fit is computed by PitchCentric using vector embeddings of the show's episode catalog.