Desi Dramas

Dr. Heena Manglani-Terranova
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  • Mental Health
  • Updated weekly

Ever wish your therapist just got what it means to be a Desi? Step inside the mind of Dr. Heena Manglani-Terranova, a Desi clinical psychologist unpacking the familiar stories keeping us stuck. Each week, she transforms evidence-based tools using a cultural lens — bicultural identity, family conflict, marriage tension, and everything in between. Practical tools so you can feel empowered. This is not therapy, but we trust it will be therapeutic.

Episodes

  1. Season 1, Episode 6 Trailer

    "You should just know:" A date night exercise to be known

    "You should just know what I want. I shouldn't have to ask." If you've ever said that to your partner, this one's for you. Underneath that sentence is a more painful one: "If I have to ask, it means you don't love me." In this episode, I unpack why that expectation quietly sabotages closeness, why it's especially trained into so many of us as Desis, and what to do instead. You'll learn the User Manual exercise — seven questions you and your partner answer about how you each actually work, so you can stop guessing and start feeling known. It even doubles as a date night activity. Inside this episode: What you're really saying when you expect your partner to "just know"The loop that turns a bid for closeness into criticismWhy this gets culturally wired into Desi women — and the "good bahu" trapThe 7-part User Manual, from warning lights to do-not-press limits to how to reset after a fightWhy teaching someone to love you isn't a failure of intimacy — it IS intimacyBy the end, you get to decide: keep waiting to be read like a mind, or finally give your partner a fair shot at loving you the way you've longed for. CHAPTERS00:00 – "You should just know what I want"00:48 – What's really going on under the hood01:11 – Meet Priya01:36 – Why "you should just know" backfires02:37 – Why this is trained into us as Desis04:39 – The User Manual exercise05:46 – #1 How do I work best?06:22 – #2 My settings & preferences06:39 – #3 Warning lights07:27 – #4 Troubleshooting08:12 – #5 Do not press08:41 – #6 How to reset09:07 – #7 Maintenance09:37 – How to actually use your manual10:19 – "But isn't a manual unromantic?" I'm Dr. Heena Manglani-Terranova, a licensed clinical psychologist who provides couples therapy. This isn't therapy — but I trust it'll be therapeutic. Follow the show, leave a review, and reach me at desi-dramas.com.

    12 min

  2. 16 Jun

    I'm planning to fight with my husband

    I'm a couples therapist — and I still have to talk myself out of starting a fight with my husband. In this episode, I prep out loud for a hard conversation I want to have with him: I capture every sweet moment he shares with our baby girl, but he doesn't do the same for me — and I'm scared of losing these fleeting memories. Instead of leading with frustration, I walk through the exact therapy skills I'm planning to use to keep us on the same team. You'll hear how I: Anchor in my values before the conversation startsName the stories I'm telling myself — and leave them at the doorUse the "two mountains" metaphor to honor both perspectivesOpen gently and lead with appreciation instead of a demandLean on my husband's love language to soften the moment Whether you go into conflict ready for battle or avoid it altogether, you'll walk away with a practical way to be heard and stay close. CHAPTERS00:00 – The fight I want to have (and why I shouldn't)00:39 – From battle mode to teammates01:19 – The real issue: capturing memories with our daughter03:00 – Planning the conversation03:17 – Step 1: What kind of wife do I want to be?03:51 – Step 2: The story I'm telling myself04:30 – The mountain metaphor05:13 – Step 3: The gentle startup & leading with appreciation06:32 – Step 4: Speaking his love language07:12 – Putting it all together08:32 – Final thoughts I'm Dr. Heena Manglani-Terranova, a licensed clinical psychologist who provides couples therapy. This isn't therapy — but I trust it'll be therapeutic. If this resonated, follow the show, share it with someone you love, and leave a review — it genuinely helps. New episodes every Tuesday. Take good care.

    9 min

  3. 10 Jun

    Losing it with your Desi parents

    Why You Turn Into Your 15-Year-Old Self in Your Parents' Kitchen (and How to Stop) You give yourself the pep talk on the drive over. You're going to stay calm this time. Then your mom mentions that Sunita Auntie's daughter just got engaged to a cardiologist, and within an hour you've stomped off to your childhood bedroom and slammed the door — exactly like you did at 15. If you love your Desi parents but can't seem to be in a room with them without getting pulled into the same old fight, this one's for you. In this episode of Desi Dramas, licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Heena Manglani-Terranova explains why your nervous system reaches for a teenage playbook the moment those familiar comments land — and gives you two tools to break the cycle: one question to set your intention before you walk through the door, and the DBT-based STOP skill to use in real time when your intention slips (because it will). You're not actually 15 anymore. Your body just remembers how to be 15 in your mom's kitchen. Here's how to teach it a new way. 🎧 New episodes every Tuesday.💬 Got your own drama? Share it anonymously at desi-dramas.com.

    14 min

  4. 5 Jun

    What Your Grown Desi Child Needs From You

    Your Desi parent loves you. You love them. So why does every phone call leave you feeling more distant? This episode gives Desi parents 5 moves to make with their adult children. These are the things your child has likely struggled to say out loud, and the very things they need to hear to feel close to you. If you are the adult child listening, this episode will help you feel seen and give you language to ask for what you actually need. Built from Dr. Heena Manglani-Terranova's years of therapy with Desis. Therapy skills, packaged for Desi families. 00:52 A message for Desi parents02:55 Amrit and Jaspreet Example05:43 Izzat Respect and Autonomy07:48 Awareness of Your Needs09:29 Acknowledge Two Worlds11:41 Unconditional Positive Regard13:45 Right Kind of Support16:07 Recap and Practice This Week To get the guide that goes with this episode, head to Desi-dramas.com. You’ll get the exact questions and phrases to put the tools into practice.

    19 min

  5. 5 Jun

    Desi Couple Conflicts

    You and your partner love each other. So why does every conversation about money, in-laws, or whose family for the holidays end with someone walking away? In this episode, Dr. Heena Manglani-Terranova breaks down the 4 conversation patterns that predict divorce with 90% accuracy, and the 3 tools to change them. These come from decades of couples research, including the work of Dr. John Gottman and Dr. Sue Johnson, translated into something that actually works for Desi and bicultural couples. You'll learn: The 4 "Horsemen" that predict divorce, and how to spot them in your own fightsThe one question to ask yourself before a hard conversation, that changes how the next 40 minutes goThe biggest mistake Desi couples make in conflict (it's not what you think)What you are actually fighting for underneath the surface argumentHow to repair a fight with the "magic ratio" couples research has known about for decades 00:44 Outline of Tools 03:00 Simran And Raj Example 04:57 Predictors of Divorce (The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse) 07:44 Tool 1: What’s My Goal? 09:13 Soft Startup For Loaded Topics 10:02 When Horsemen Show Up 11:01 Tool 2: What am I really fighting for? 13:31 If you get overwhelmed during the conversation 14:39 Tool 3: Appreciate Your Partner 15:32 Emotional/Relational Bank Account 16:47 Get the Guide on desi-dramas.com 17:51 Practice for This Week Built from Dr. Heena's years of clinical work with Desi couples. Therapy skills, packaged for Desi families.

    20 min

  6. 5 Jun

    Boundaries in Desi Families

    Most boundary advice was built for individualistic cultures. It doesn't work the same way in Desi families. In this episode, Dr. Heena breaks down five common myths about boundaries in the Desi community, defines what a boundary actually is (most people get this part wrong), and gives you a three-tier toolkit for setting boundaries in ways that actually work with your mother, your in-laws, your partner, and your aunties. She also names the single biggest mistake people make after setting a boundary, the one that almost guarantees it won't hold. You'll learn: Why "setting a boundary" the way Instagram taught you can backfire badly with Desi familyThe behavioral, indirect, and direct ways to set boundaries (and when to use each)How to manage the guilt that comes up when you finally stop adjustingWhy your family will push back harder right when the boundary starts to work, and what to do when they doChapters 02:02 Five Boundary Myths 04:51 What Boundaries Actually Are 06:03 Boundary Toolkit 09:43 Scripts And Examples 11:12 Managing the Desi Guilt 12:09 Biggest Mistake After Setting a Boundary 12:54 How Your Boundary Will Get Tested15:09 Takeaways Therapy skills, packaged for Desi families. Want the full guide for this episode? Head to desi-dramas.com.

    16 min

  7. Trailer

    Desi Dramas Trailer

    Desi Dramas is a podcast for Desis navigating the family, relationship, and identity questions that don't have easy answers. Hosted by Dr. Heena Manglani-Terranova, a Harvard-trained clinical psychologist who has spent years working with Desi individuals, couples, and families, the show brings the questions Desis ask in therapy directly to you. Each episode is a window into how a therapist actually thinks. Dr. Heena shares the questions she asks, the patterns she names, and the evidence-based tools she adapts for Desis. Here you will learn how to set boundaries with immigrant parents, break intergenerational guilt, and navigate cultural expectations around marriage. By seeing yourself in these stories and learning practical tools, we hope to empower you to find a new rhythm within the cultures you value. Desi Dramas brings clinical perspectives tailored to Desi lives, written and hosted by someone who lives them, too. This isn't therapy. But we trust it will be therapeutic.

    2 min

Trailers

About

Ever wish your therapist just got what it means to be a Desi? Step inside the mind of Dr. Heena Manglani-Terranova, a Desi clinical psychologist unpacking the familiar stories keeping us stuck. Each week, she transforms evidence-based tools using a cultural lens — bicultural identity, family conflict, marriage tension, and everything in between. Practical tools so you can feel empowered. This is not therapy, but we trust it will be therapeutic.

Information

  • Creator
    Dr. Heena Manglani-Terranova
  • Years Active
    2k
  • Episodes
    7
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Dr. Heena Manglani-Terranova
  • Show Website
    Desi Dramas

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