Unfiltered: Afghan, not Dewana
“Unfiltered: Afghan, not Dewana," is a podcast that focuses on raising mental health awareness in Afghan communities and societies. Often, when we tell other Afghans or even our parents that we are "depressed" or "sad”, the word “dewana” gets thrown back at us. Dewana translates to “crazy” in Dari and each episode will help you better understand that feeling sad and depressed does not mean we are crazy. My mission is twofold: breaking cultural barriers around mental health discussions, fostering better communication amongst Afghans, and amplifying Afghan voices worldwide. Each episode brings unique guests, encouraging open conversations and sharing stories to foster empathy and unity, as well as some solo episodes. Let's embrace vulnerability, shatter boundaries, and make a difference as the proud, resilient Afghans we are. Email me at medinamua18@gmail.com with topic ideas or questions. Together, we'll grow and heal. Together, my #notdewana family we will make our culture even more beautiful than it already is.
FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM @UNFILTEREDAFGHANPODCAST
Episodes
18 episodes
S2E6: Psychotherapy, Building self esteem, Generational trauma, Disconnection, & Anxiety w/ Husna Safi
Hello and Salaam Jigars and Jaans, In this episode, I had the honor of interviewing Husna Safi, a psychotherapist in Canada. She is an Afghan registered clinical social worker and provides a tailored approach using a bio-psycho socia...
S2E5: Afghan Women Strong, Importance of education/awareness, Afghan women's rights, & Mental health/humanitarianism w/ Tarana Rahimi
Hello Jigars and Jaans,In this episode, I've had the honor of interviewing Tarana Rahimi the founder of Afghan Women Strong. Tarana Jaan is a human rights activist who uses her platform to continuously shed light on what's going on wi...
S2E4: Afghan American Conference and Me!
Hello and Salaam my Jigars and Jaans! Join me on this special episode as I share my wonderful journey and unforgettable moments from the Afghan-American Conference 2023, held in the vibrant city of Washington DC from June 23rd to June ...
S2E3: Ariana Magazine, Career in Journalism, Cultural Representation, & Amplifying Afghan Voices w/ Ariana Abawe
In this episode, I share a very powerful conversation with Ariana Abawe. She is the Founder of Ariana Magazine. Ariana's main goal with the magazine is to give a voice to the voiceless and amplify their voices. As an Afghan, she aim...
S2E2: Understanding anxiety, Survivor's guilt/trauma, & Mental health stigma w/ Dr. Nafisa Sekandari
In this episode, I try to ask all the questions we as first generation Afghan Americans, want to ask a therapist. What's even better than asking a therapist? Asking a licensed clinical psychologist like my special guest, Dr. Nafisa Sekand...
S2E1: Podcast life, Afghan friends, people pleasing & vulnerability w/ Sarah Safi
HELLLOOOO Jigars and Jaans! Did you miss me? Did you enjoy season one? I hope you did because I most definitely did :) WELCOME TO SEASON 2!!!!!My first official guest of Season 2 is Sarah, a dear friend who is in the podcast world just ...
S1 Finale, Recap, & Gratitude
Hello and Salaam Jigars and Jaans!!!Happy birthday to me!!! Today is a beautiful day... On my birthday I decided to upload a bonus episode simply summarizing season 1 and expressing my immense gratitude to my listener in all 29 countries!!!...
Ep10: 2022 Reflection w/ 2 Very Special Guests!
Hello and Salaam Jigars and Jaans!You won't want to miss this one. This episode is all about self reflection. Often, we hear about goals and resolutions, but I feel it is just as important to reflect on the past year before sett...
Ep9: Raising Awareness, Providing Resources, and Helping our Communities?
Hello and Salaam Jigars and Jaans!! Today's episode focuses on Afghan American communities and how we can make them into better safe spaces. I discuss some powerful points that were provided by @thelanterninitiative (follow them on in...
Ep8: Did Forgiveness Grant me Peace?
Hi, hello and salaam jigars and jaans. If Ross and Rachel can take break why can't I? This was a really tough one to record after a break , so please be kind! In this episode, I share a tragic experience that happened in my life. ...
Ep7: Self Care Check In?
Be enough for yourself first, the rest of the world can wait! Self-care means taking care of yourself so that you can be healthy, you can be well, you can do your job, you can help and care for others, and you can do all the things you need to ...
Ep6: Emotional Intelligence?
The three musketeers: Empathy, Sympathy, Compassion (title courtesy of my creative niece) are what help increase emotional intelligence. Have you ever stepped back and thought about how high your emotional intelligence is just as much ...
Ep5: How Many Times Did I Say Reset?
With everything going on in our daily lives, it’s important to understand we need to sometimes take a step back and recalibrate to reduce stress. Before we feel too exhausted or drained, we should take the time and mentally reset ourselves. Thi...
Ep4: Weight For it…Bodyshaming?
Unfortunately, people have an opinion about everything. But for some reason our skin, hair, nails, bodies, height, etc constantly become the topic of conversation. We are constantly fed these unnecessary comments and have been guilty of making ...
Ep3:Q&A Session
Jigars and Jaans! As some of you know, I needed to unplug which caused a delay in uploading this episode. Remember, it's completely okay to unplug and take a step back from whatever your mental health state can't handle at that moment.&nb...
Ep2: Who is She?
This episode is about “Getting to know your host.” I dive deep into my childhood, school experiences, and some personal self esteem triggers. This one definitely shows a more vulnerable side of me and how certain negative experiences impacted m...
Ep1: Intro and Why a Podcast?(yall dont judge me this was my first episode)
A lot of people reached out and wanted more details on what this podcast will be about so here it is! In this episode, I talk about my support system and the people in my everyday life who keep me going. A support system is key in maintaining a...