Third Culture Therapy

In this episode, Third Culture Therapy’s Layla speaks with Selma, the Moroccan-Dutch creator of Heal Magazine, a wellness platform created to centre diverse voices and increase representation in conversations around mental health. They explore how mainstream wellness often misses the mark, what it means to create community-led healing spaces, and the highs and lows of creating new narrative spaces in media.💬 Topics Covered:✔️Why the wellness industry feels “vanilla” to many✔️The lack of representation in mainstream wellness content✔️The power of ancestral healing and intergenerational trauma✔️Challenges in building inclusive wellness spaces and media✔️The future of Heal Magazine and in-person community✔️Selma’s personal rituals for maintaining mental well-being🔔 Subscribe for more conversations on mental health & culture!Follow Third Culture Therapy on🌍 Substack | 🎧 Apple Podcasts | 🎙 Spotify | 📱 InstagramSupport the show: Like, follow, and share 💛This episodes is sponsored by luxury hair wrap brand Paradise Fold. Listeners get a special discount with the code TCT10. 

How does Islamophobia shape our mental health? In this powerful conversation, we explore the deep psychological toll of racism, internalised Islamophobia, and the struggle for belonging. Our guest, Shaista Aziz, a British-Pakistani writer, politician, stand-up comedian, and fearless advocate, shares her personal journey of reckoning with these forces. As the co-founder of The Three Hijabis, Shaista has dedicated herself to tackling racism in football and challenging gendered Islamophobia head-on. She speaks candidly about the complexities of identity, community, and faith. We discuss the profound impact of recent global events, particularly the genocide in Gaza, on our collective grief and resilience. This episode is an invitation to confront the ways racism permeates our inner worlds and how we can reclaim our mental well-being through solidarity, compassion, and community healing.🎙 Topics Covered:✔️ The hidden weight of internalised Islamophobia✔️ How racism shapes our mental and emotional well-being✔️ The role of faith and spirituality in resilience✔️ Collective grief as a form of love and resistance✔️ The importance of finding and creating spaces for healingTune in for an unfiltered discussion on navigating identity, pain, and strength in an unjust world.🔔 Subscribe for more conversations on mental health & culture!Follow Third Culture Therapy on🌍 Substack | 🎧 Apple Podcasts | 🎙 Spotify | 📱 InstagramThis episodes is sponsored by luxury hair wrap brand Paradise Fold. Listeners get a special discount with the code TCT10. 

How does generational trauma shape parenting? How can cultural values evolve while maintaining their core essence?In this episode, Third Culture Therapy host Layla Maghribi sits down with parenting coaches Sarah Raslan and Karen Abou Joude of The Wise Parent consultancy and popular Instagram page to unpack the challenges of raising children in a multicultural setting. From emotional intelligence to breaking past cycles, they explore what raising the next generation in a third culture world looks like and how self-awareness and intentional parenting can create healthier family dynamics.If you're a parent, especially from a Third Culture background, this episode offers invaluable insights into raising emotionally aware and resilient children while maintaining cultural identity. Tune in to learn how to break unhelpful cycles and foster healthy relationships with your kids.🎙 Topics Covered:✔️ How trauma impacts parenting styles✔️ Why emotional awareness is key for both parents & children✔️ The neuroscience behind trauma and emotional regulation✔️ Cultural values: what to keep and what to adapt✔️ Practical strategies for self-regulation and parenting mindfully✔️ The shift from authoritarian parenting to conscious parenting✔️The role of respect, communication, and modelling behaviour🔔 Subscribe for more conversations on mental health & culture!Follow Third Culture Therapy on🌍 Substack | 🎧 Apple Podcasts | 🎙 Spotify | 📱 Instagram This episodes is sponsored by luxury hair wrap brand Paradise Fold. Listeners get a special discount with the code TCT10. 

Who gets to tell your story—and what happens when others tell it for you?In this episode of Third Culture Therapy, I sit down with journalist, humanitarian, and founder of mental health organisation Art of Hope, Tara Kangarlou, to unpack the emotional toll of constantly explaining, justifying, and correcting misconceptions about one’s heritage.Tara shares:✨ The exhaustion of being in ‘explanation mode’ and the burden of representation✨ How storytelling can be a tool for both personal healing and systemic change✨ The role of mental health in humanitarian work and why emotional well-being is often overlooked in crisis response✨ The challenges of the international aid sector—why too much of it is top-down and how real change happens when we centre the voices of those directly impactedWe also discuss the work of Art of Hope, a grassroots organisation focused on mental health support for refugees, and why sustainable, community-driven solutions—not external, one-size-fits-all aid—are key to lasting impact.For anyone who has ever felt caught between worlds, exhausted by the need to explain, or frustrated with the way global narratives are shaped, this conversation is a reminder: your story matters. And how we choose to tell it can be a force for transformation.Click through for more about Tara Kangarlou and Art of Hope Let us know what you thought about the episode through a like, review or share and visit our Instagram and YouTube channel ✨ This episode is sponsored by the luxury silk hair wrap company, Paradise Fold. TThird Culture Therapy listeners get a special discount on products with the code TCT10

How does where we come from impact our mental wellbeing? And why did Layla Maghribi decide to create a podcast about it? We're turning the tables in this insightful episode, as Ned Sedgwick sits down with Layla Maghribi, the creator and host of the acclaimed podcast Third Culture Therapy.Layla Maghribi is a writer, journalist and podcaster. Born in the UK to Libyan/Palestinian and Syrian parents, Layla spent her childhood summers in Damascus and later lived and reported from there at the start of the uprising-turned-civil war. After several years working for international media outlets, including Reuters and CNNI, across the Arab world Layla returned to the UK and over the past few years she has been working on various independent projects, like creating this podcast and writing a book.Tune in to hear Layla share her journey as a third-culture individual navigating the intersection of cultural identities, and how her experiences inspired her to create a platform for others like her. We delve into her motivations, the stories that have resonated the most with her, and the profound lessons she's gained from recent episodes.Whether you’re a third-culture kid yourself, or simply curious about the nuances of global identities, this conversation will leave you inspired and reflective.To make sure you never miss a Third Culture Therapy session, download the pod on your favourite platform and watch us on YouTube here and Instagram here.And you can follow Layla's work here

What makes the search for mental health support so challenging? And can technology help make it easier?In this episode, we’re joined by Dr. Nicole Nasr, a psychologist, entrepreneur, and the founder of Journey Starts Here, a platform transforming how clients and therapists connect. Growing up in Montreal, Beirut, and London, Nicole developed a unique perspective on the intersection of culture, identity, and mental health.Tune in to this episode for an exploration on the often-overwhelming process of finding the right therapist, the barriers many people face in accessing care, and how Nicole’s platform is making it easier to connect with mental health professionals. Nicole also gives us a rare look into how mental health practitioners care for their own well-being, and she shares her journey from psychologist to tech innovator, offering insights into how therapy can evolve to meet the needs of a diverse and ever-changing world.To make sure you never miss a Third Culture Therapy session, download the pod on your favourite platform and watch us on YouTube here and Instagram here.And to stay connected with Nicole’s work, follow Journey Starts Here

How can you belong if you’re only ever considered “half” of something? How can we redefine identity on our own terms?In this episode, we’re joined by actor, filmmaker, and writer Jassa Ahluwalia. Jassa’s debut book Both Not Half is both a celebration but also a reclamation of the mixed heritage experience, centred around his ethos that we are all more than the sum of our parts. Born in Coventry to a white English mother and a Punjabi Sikh father, Jassa has spent his life navigating overlapping identities, challenging stereotypes, and carving out his own space in the world.We explore Jassa’s personal journey to embrace his Sikh roots, examine his unique philosophy of self-definition, and discuss the lessons he’s learned while advocating for greater representation of mixed heritage voices in the acting industry.To make sure you never miss a Third Culture Therapy session, download the pod on your favourite platform and watch us on YouTube here and Instagram here.If you’d like to support us further, please consider donating to our Patreon here.And to stay connected with Jassa’s work, you can follow him here: 

How can we take care of our mental health while sustaining activism? How can we find strength in our struggles? In this episode, we sit down with Palestinian psychotherapist and activist Mustafa Jayyousi, who specialises in trauma therapy for those facing systemic oppression and mental health care for activists. Mustafa shares his approach to helping activists manage trauma, build resilience, and avoid burnout through workshops designed to support long-term social justice work. He discusses his journey into activism, shaped by his personal experiences, and how he balances his roles as a father and an activist while maintaining close connections to his family in Palestine.We also explore Mustafa’s thoughts on “decolonising” mental health and how breaking from Western frameworks has allowed him and his clients to find more culturally rooted, communal methods of healing. To make sure you never miss a Third Culture Therapy session, download the pod on your favourite platform and watch us on YouTube here and Instagram here.If you’d like to support us further, please consider donating to our Patreon here.And to stay connected with Mustafa’s work, you can follow him on Instagram or his website

What does it take to truly understand yourself? And how can you unlock your full potential in life?In this episode, I sit down with Isik Tlabar, a life coach and spiritual guide who splits her time between Istanbul and London. Isik helps people connect with their inner power through breathwork, a technique that combines breath, sound, and movement to create a deeper connection between the body and mind.We dive into her approach to self-discovery and why she believes balancing both feminine and masculine energies is essential for personal growth. Isik also shares practical ways to use your intuition as a tool for clarity, purpose, and empowerment.Join us for an inspiring conversation that will leave you thinking about how you can better connect with yourself and live more fully.To not miss a single episode, make sure to subscribe to the podcast and follow us on our youtube and instagram, and if you'd like to support our work, consider donating to our Patreon here. Finally, click this link to find out more about Isik’s work.