Healing the Tigress

We had the great pleasure of talking with Kriti Lodha in today's episode about her postpartum story that surrounds the highly stigmatized and misunderstood topic of postpartum psychosis, which can affect 1 to 2 in 1000 women. While Kriti didn't have noticeable risk factors for postpartum psychosis, her experience with being a first-time pandemic mom while also grappling with the postpartum mental health emergency has profoundly affected and shaped her motherhood journey and career path going forward.Kriti is a South Asian mom who was born and raised in Luxembourg, Europe and moved to the U.S. when she was 11 years old. Kriti is a seasoned marketing and technology executive with a track record of building and scaling multi-million-dollar businesses, brands, and teams across the SaaS and CPG industries, including Toast and Procter & Gamble. Today, Kriti proudly serves as Executive Advisor at the Center for Women’s Mental Health at Mass General Hospital, on the Board of Directors at Postpartum Support International, as well as a peer support group leader for fellow psychosis survivors. In this episode, we talk about Kriti's story, thoughts on breastfeeding and societal pressures, how being South Asian played a role in her journey, and why she now chooses to pursue work that advocates for maternal mental health. We also pointedly talk about why it is important not to "rarify" postpartum psychosis and see it only as the sensationalized version portrayed in the media. Because while postpartum psychosis is a medical emergency, it is often not the sensationalized version and also highly treatable so families need to be equipped with the tools to recognize symptoms and know how to take action.We loved this discussion with Kriti and we are excited that she is now working on marrying her lived experience and professional expertise to design new models of care that expand access to specialized treatment for families navigating severe perinatal mental health challenges!Find More of Kriti:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kritilodha/Resources Mentioned:Dr. Ruta Nonac's blog on breastfeeding/mental health More than Blue documentary - this is where folks can check out trailer, sign up to host screenings, etc. Postpartum Psychosis (PPP) Get Help Page from PSI- one stop shop that includes discussion tool, support groups, etc. So Glad You Asked Podcast (Available anywhere you get podcasts too!)Send us your thoughts! Support the show✨ If you'd like to subscribe to our podcast for access to more bonus episodes, please click here for Buzzsprout Subscriptions! Once subscribed, you can use an RSS feed to listen from any of your podcast platforms. Thanks in advance for your support, as this really helps us keep the show going! ❤️ (Think of it like buying us a boba...to share! 😉🧋)

We've had several guests on the podcast talk about postpartum depression, but fewer have notably admitted or recognized depression during pregnancy too. In today's episode, our guest Serein Wu shares about how she was worried about postpartum depression with her mental health history going into motherhood, but she did not expect to have prenatal depression while she was pregnant too.Serein goes into depth sharing her story about the complicated emotions of losing her mother, who she shared a very close relationship with, before becoming a mother herself. Then when she thought she was ready to conceive, the pandemic had started closing in on the world and Serein suddenly found herself even further isolated from loved ones while navigating pregnancy without her mom and/or community. In the episode, we dive deeper into:Maternal health care during the pandemicSerein's traumatic birth with PUPPP (Pruritic Urticarial Papules and Plaques of Pregnancy), pre-eclampsia, and an emergency C-sectionPrenatal depression, postpartum depression, and ways to heal--including Serein's thoughts on how she wished she had tried medication in hindsightThe shame of not bonding with your baby right away and recognizing that not everyone has that instantaneous connectionSerein's work of moving through the grief of not having her mom with her through her motherhood journey and finding pieces of her mom in her life nowDeciding whether or not to have a second child while also considering her partner's experience in this parenthood journeySerein Wu is a Taiwanese/Chinese American mother, a certified nutritionist through Precision Nutrition, and a Lagree Level 2 certified fitness instructor. She has dedicated her career to helping people improve their overall well-being and has had 10 years of experience creating digital content on her YouTube channel, her blog, and more.Find more of Serein:Instagram: @sereinwu TikTok: @sereinwuYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MoreSereinWuWe want to say a sincere thank you to Serein for being so vulnerable and open about your motherhood experience and loss, and we hope her story might help someone else out there who is also going through any similar stories. Send us your thoughts! Support the show✨ If you'd like to subscribe to our podcast for access to more bonus episodes, please click here for Buzzsprout Subscriptions! Once subscribed, you can use an RSS feed to listen from any of your podcast platforms. Thanks in advance for your support, as this really helps us keep the show going! ❤️ (Think of it like buying us a boba...to share! 😉🧋)

In today's episode, we sit down with Shivani Berry, CEO and Founder of Career Mama, to talk about the raw realities of balancing career and motherhood. Shivani is a Harvard MBA, a LinkedIn Top Voice in Leadership, and has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and Nasdaq. But more importantly, she is a mom of two who has lived through burnout, identity shifts and even a near-death experience just days after giving birth to her second child.Shivani shares candidly about the identity shift that came with becoming a mother, the burnout she faced during her second pregnancy, and the life-changing perspective she gained after her postpartum health crisis. We explore how cultural expectations as a first-generation Indian-American shaped her motherhood journey, why supportive partnerships matter in sharing the mental load, and what ambitious moms need most to thrive both at work and at home.If you're a new mom or even a seasoned mom who has wondered what it means to "do it all," Shivani's story reminds us that leadership and motherhood are not about perfection, but about presence, intention, and creating space for support. This is not just for the career mamas out there, but for any mama wondering if they have to choose between career and motherhood.Find more of Shivani:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shivaniberry/Website: https://careermama.com/Send us your thoughts! Support the show✨ If you'd like to subscribe to our podcast for access to more bonus episodes, please click here for Buzzsprout Subscriptions! Once subscribed, you can use an RSS feed to listen from any of your podcast platforms. Thanks in advance for your support, as this really helps us keep the show going! ❤️ (Think of it like buying us a boba...to share! 😉🧋)

Peggy and Jasmine are back for a third season of Healing the Tigress! This opening episode goes over a few updates and recaps, and we also answer some listener questions that we collected from you guys!One of the biggest updates over the summer is that we've switched to Buzzsprout Subscriptions! This is a way that you can give us a little more support if you resonate with our mission to continue to destigmatize mental health and open up more conversations in this space for AAPI parents. We go over how to sign up if you're interested and once you're subscribed, we'll have bonus episodes available for you to listen! (We even tease our next bonus episode coming up VERY soon!)As always, we appreciate if you can drop us a rating or review and if you follow the show! These steps can help boost our show visibility in searches and that's what we really hope to accomplish so an AAPI mom struggling with her perinatal mental health can find the stories she may need to feel seen and find the resources to heal.Please follow along, share the show, catch us on IG, and we'll be back really soon with our first bonus episode and guest of the season! Thank you for all your support; we couldn't do this without all of YOU amazing listeners!Send us your thoughts! Support the show✨ If you'd like to subscribe to our podcast for access to more bonus episodes, please click here for Buzzsprout Subscriptions! Once subscribed, you can use an RSS feed to listen from any of your podcast platforms. Thanks in advance for your support, as this really helps us keep the show going! ❤️ (Think of it like buying us a boba...to share! 😉🧋)

On our final episode of the season, we were thrilled to interview another AAPI mom duo, who host a podcast named "Not a Tiger Mom Podcast." We have been wanting to bring on AAPI moms who identify as neurodivergent or are raising neurodivergent children, and both of these moms identify as neurodivergent themselves AND are raising autistic children AND work with neurodivergent children in their careers (behavioral analyst and speech therapist)!Jenny Lai, MA, BCBA and Bettina Lopez-Lam, MS, CCC-SLP, IBCLC, are the amazing duo behind Not a Tiger Mom Podcast. Jenny is Chinese-Cambodian American, and Bettina is Filipino American and they met on Instagram in 2023 through their shared experiences of raising autistic sons. Bettina is a late-diagnosed autistic and ADHD (AuDHD) individual, a survivor of childhood sexual abuse and birth trauma, and has navigated postpartum depression and anxiety. Jenny is self-diagnosed with ADHD, identifies with highly sensitive person (HSP) traits, and has a clinical history of anxiety and depression.In 2024, they launched the Not a Tiger Mom Podcast, where they speak candidly about their lives as neurodivergent AAPI mothers raising autistic children. Through heartfelt and relatable conversations, they aim to break cultural stigma and encourage others in the community to find connection, healing, and acceptance. On our podcast episode today, we discuss:The journey of how Jenny and Bettina discovered they were neurodivergent themselves (both found out later in life)How being neurodivergent may have impacted Jenny and Bettina's postpartum experienceThe experience of getting autism diagnoses for their kids and how it affected their mental healthsThe importance of using neurodivergent-affirming language How being AAPI adds another layer to being neurodivergent and raising neurodivergent childrenThe importance of having neurodivergent-identifying providers such as Jenny and Bettina in the space of support for neurodivergent kidsThe controversy behind traditional ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) therapy versus neuro-affirming ABA therapy.Addressing the harmful comments and misrepresentation of the autistic communityWe encourage those who want to learn more about Jenny and Bettina's journeys to check out their pages and podcast!Find more of Jenny and Bettina:Not a Tiger Mom PodcastJenny's Instagram: @msjennybxBettina's Instagram: @beeingaudhdNATM Instagram: @notatigermompodcastNote: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speakers' own. This podcast is not a replacement for therapy or professional/medical advice. If you need more support or advice, please reach out to your own medical professional who can answer your questions with your individual medical history and background in context.Please take a moment to RATE and REVIEW our show if you enjoy the episodes we bring to you! It helps others to find our show when you do. Thanks so much! =)Send us your thoughts!Support the show✨ If you'd like to subscribe to our podcast for access to more bonus episodes, please click here for Buzzsprout Subscriptions! Once subscribed, you can use an RSS feed to listen from any of your podcast platforms. Thanks in advance for your support, as this really helps us keep the show going! ❤️ (Think of it like buying us a boba...to share! 😉🧋)

In this episode, we explore how doulas or birthkeepers can be so powerful and helpful during the birthing and postpartum experience with Leonora Ilovea Willis.Leonora is a native-born Samoan, born on the island of Tutuila in the great Pacific ocean, but who is practicing and working in diaspora as a Birthkeeper, childbirth educator, lactation education specialist, perinatal yoga teacher and bodyworker, serving her community in Oakland and the greater Bay Area. She owns and operates her own birthwork business called Daughter of Samoa, which is part of the title of a book that an ancestor wrote and published in 1889, The Story of Lauli’i, A Daughter of Samoa.We talk to Leonora about:The importance of having a postpartum plan and communityGenerational trauma to be addressed before motherhoodWhy it is important to have cultural congruency in birth workWhere the word "doula" comes from and the importance of language to describe birthkeepersWhat the difference between a doula/birthkeeper is versus a midwifeWhat kind of systemic level changes would be idealLeonora humbly and graciously imparts her wisdom and experience of the birthkeeping world with us and we hope this episode can help others learn more about the power and importance of working with a birthworker or building a postpartum team with intention.Find more of Leonora at:Website: https://leonorawillis.life/IG: @daughter_of_samoaFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/daughterofsamoa/Resources:Leonora's ancestor's book: The Story of Lauli'i, A Daughter of Samoa  Tema Mercado, midwife from San DiegoHealing the Tigress Episode 21--Healing our Makuahine with Dr. Kalena Kaopuuokalani LanuzaHealing the Tigress Episode 32-- Expecting the Unexpected: A Realistic Look at Ways to Prepare for Postpartum Note: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speakers' own. This podcast is not a replacement for therapy or professional/medical advice. If you need more support or advice, please reach out to your own medical professional who can answer your questions with your individual medical history and background in context.Please take a moment to RATE and REVIEW our show if you enjoy the episodes we bring to you! It helps others to find our show when you do. Thanks so much! =)Send us your thoughts!Support the show✨ If you'd like to subscribe to our podcast for access to more bonus episodes, please click here for Buzzsprout Subscriptions! Once subscribed, you can use an RSS feed to listen from any of your podcast platforms. Thanks in advance for your support, as this really helps us keep the show going! ❤️ (Think of it like buying us a boba...to share! 😉🧋)

Dr. Jenny T. Wang, a Taiwanese American clinical psychologist and founder of the Asians for Mental Health community, shares her insights on breaking generational cycles. She discusses the importance of healing the inner child to approach parenting with compassion. Dr. Wang reflects on her own postpartum experiences, the pressures of AAPI cultural expectations, and how to balance valuing personal mental health while nurturing children. She also emphasizes the urgency of addressing mental health issues among AAPI youth, calling for community support and early intervention.

In this heartfelt episode, our guest Elise Ruiz-Hom, a Portland-based new mom, shares the powerful story of her and her wife Lydia’s years-long journey to parenthood. Raised in a multicultural, biracial  family in Hawai'i, Elise reflects on how her identity has shaped her worldview—especially as a white-passing Asian woman navigating life on the mainland.She takes us through their emotional fertility journey: from Lydia’s eight failed IUIs and three rounds of IVF—including traumatic procedures and heartbreaking losses—to Elise’s smoother journey to pregnancy after just two IUIs. With raw honesty, Elise opens up about grief, guilt, and healing, the importance of cultural roots in building their family, and how their son Chaves finally brought their dream to life. This is a story about building a family with intention, love, and deep resilience, navigating both the healthcare system and cultural roots as two LGBTQ mothers.Resources:Postpartum Support International Queer & Trans Parent Support GroupConnect with Elise:Instagram: @juxtapose53Note: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speakers' own. This podcast is not a replacement for therapy or professional/medical advice. If you need more support or advice, please reach out to your own medical professional who can answer your questions with your individual medical history and background in context.Please take a moment to RATE and REVIEW our show if you enjoy the episodes we bring to you! It helps others to find our show when you do. Thanks so much! =)Support the showSend us your thoughts!Support the show✨ If you'd like to subscribe to our podcast for access to more bonus episodes, please click here for Buzzsprout Subscriptions! Once subscribed, you can use an RSS feed to listen from any of your podcast platforms. Thanks in advance for your support, as this really helps us keep the show going! ❤️ (Think of it like buying us a boba...to share! 😉🧋)

Among our AAPI community, it can feel like not enough people talk about the neurodivergent population and how it can impact their families and communities because of a heavy stigma–a stigma that echoes the one around talking about mental health. Our guest for this episode is Clarissa Chui, LCSW, a second generation Chinese American therapist, who works as care coordinator with families who have children diagnosed on the spectrum--specifically autism spectrum. We talk about how her own postpartum journey led her to work with other parents who need more support with their children. Clarissa breaks down what it means to be neurodivergent and something she says is, "Neurodivergence is a description not a diagnosis." We explore how AAPI folks might potentially receive the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with more resistance. We discuss what is needed on a macro level to support parents of neurodivergent children and Clariassa shares a few resources that parents can look into now too. We also talk about how people can support friends with kids of neurodivergent children. Overall, we hope this episode can be a resource for parents of neurodivergent kids or people who want to support their friends who may be parents of neurodivergent children. We know it can feel lonely in this journey, but you are deserving of support and you are never alone.Resources (CA):Regional CenterUC Davis Mind InstituteUCLA Center for Autism Research and Treatment (CART)Disability Rights CaliforniaNationwide Resources:Autism Speaks National Autism CenterNational Autism ResourcesBook: The Science of Making FriendsCentral Reach Podcast:How to Tell Your Child About Their Autism Diagnosis - Child Mind InstituteParents Helping ParentsFind More of Clarissa:Psychology Today profileNote: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speakers' own. This podcast is not a replacement for therapy or professional/medical advice. Please take a moment to RATE and REVIEW our show if you enjoy the episodes we bring to you! Send us your thoughts!Support the show✨ If you'd like to subscribe to our podcast for access to more bonus episodes, please click here for Buzzsprout Subscriptions! Once subscribed, you can use an RSS feed to listen from any of your podcast platforms. Thanks in advance for your support, as this really helps us keep the show going! ❤️ (Think of it like buying us a boba...to share! 😉🧋)

Of all the perinatal mental health disorders, postpartum psychosis is considered a medical emergency and absolutely requires treatment. It affects 1 to 2 in 1000 mothers and is often misunderstood. On this episode, our guest is Jigyna Patel, a South Asian mom of 3 girls from Houston, Texas. Her perinatal story spans over 10 years, including many different layers: the cultural stigma South Asians mom feel, the struggles of having a surprise twin pregnancy, being undiagnosed with postpartum psychosis, and having fertility issues while having PCOS. After her severe experience with 3 different perinatal mental health disorders (PMHDs), it has become her passion to spread awareness and knowledge of maternal mental health. Jigyna developed postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, and postpartum psychosis in 2014 and then postpartum depression and anxiety again in 2019 with her twins. We talk with Jigyna about how her traumatic birth and lack of sleep may have contributed to her PMHDs the first time around. She shares how she started to lose speech, stop seeing color, and hallucinate but she never knew these were symptoms of psychosis. Jigyna didn't know how to explain these symptoms to providers out of fear and the stigma in South Asian culture around mental health struggles. This episode dives into how Jigyna finally learned she had postpartum psychosis (years later) and how she recovered and received treatment. We discuss cultural barriers that she had to overcome and what work still needs to be done to support moms with postpartum psychosis, especially being a person of color. We hope this episode will help others feel seen if this experience resonates with you or for providers to learn more about the experience of postpartum psychosis, especially from the perspective of an AAPI mom.Find more of Jigyna:Instagram: instagram.com/jigyna525Email: jpatelpsihouston@gmail.com Jigyna has a degree from the University of Houston with a bachelors in Communications. Her career background is in Public Relations and Event Planning. She holds several different volunteer roles within in PSI such as the Houston & Hindu support coordinator, a peer in the peer mentor program, and a member of the postpartum psychosis taskforce. Recently, she joined the Texas Chapter as a board member for 2025 as well became a project manager for The Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health. Jigyna is also sharing her story through digital platforms such as The Moth and Storycenter and has been a speaker at the annual PSI conference in 2023 and 2024 on her lived experience with postpartum psychosis. Note: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speakers' own. This podcast is not a replacement for therapy or professional/medical advice. If you need more support or advice, please reach out to your own medical professional who can answer your questions with your individual medical history and background in context.Please take a moment to RATE and REVIEW our show if you enjoy the episodes we bring to you! It helps others to find our show when you do. Thanks so much! =)Send us your thoughts!Support the show✨ If you'd like to subscribe to our podcast for access to more bonus episodes, please click here for Buzzsprout Subscriptions! Once subscribed, you can use an RSS feed to listen from any of your podcast platforms. Thanks in advance for your support, as this really helps us keep the show going! ❤️ (Think of it like buying us a boba...to share! 😉🧋)