Healing the Tigress: An AAPI Maternal Mental Health Podcast

Healing the Tigress Podcast
  • 5.0 (55)
  • Mental Health
  • Updated Semiweekly

A podcast that focuses on conversations & stories around Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) maternal mental health, hosted by Taiwanese American mothers Peggy (LCSW, PMH-C) & Jasmine (PharmD, PMH-C) who are also postpartum depression and postpartum anxiety survivors. Mental health is not talked about enough in our AAPI communities, and we want to break these stigmas especially for mothers and partners. As AAPI healthcare providers who personally struggled during postpartum and are now perinatal mental health certified, we want to see more representation of other AAPI parents who know how important it is to take care of our mental health.We talk with AAPI guests about a variety of themes in mental health and parenting, particularly what that looks like through the lens of our culture within the Western world. There are also discussions with professionals in the field, to help our providers and allies. We're not afraid to talk about the hard things that might seem taboo. We hope this podcast reminds you that you are not alone in your struggles as an AAPI parent! If you'd like to support our cause or subscribe for exclusive bonus episodes, please check out this link to support or subscribe! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2401277/subscribe

  1. Ep. 58 - Season 3 Finale: The Future of Healing the Tigress

    May 26

    Ep. 58 - Season 3 Finale: The Future of Healing the Tigress

    Happy Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month AND also, Happy Maternal Mental Health Month! May is always a big month because of these two things coincide and are also the basis of our podcast themes. We don’t usually do a season finale episode, but starting at the beginning of 2026, we had to make some shifts to think ahead for the future of Healing the Tigress. And after working it out amongst ourselves, we thought it was important to share it with you, our listeners. That’s what this episode aims to do: we want to be transparent about our process because it involves our mental health, and we have always wanted there to be less shame, stigma, and secrecy around mental health.  So, tune in for the updates as we fill you in on some of the behind-the-scenes discussions we've been having about this podcast passion project of ours as we close out this season and head into summer. Above all, we thank you for coming along with us on this ride. It has been an honor and means everything to us that you've been supporting us these past 2.5 years!  P.S. If you'd like to send us some "fan mail," please click on "Send us your thoughts!" below! 😘 Send us your thoughts! Please visit GrieversAndFriends.com if you'd like to support the "Look to the Sky" Kickstarter to help our Episode 45 guest, Dr. Jenny Kim, bring her book to more people who need it! 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! 😉🧋)

    35 min

  2. May 19 ·  Bonus

    [Sneak Peek] How We Found Peace with Being One and Done

    [This is a sneak peek version, but you can SUBSCRIBE TODAY for the full episode #8 at healingthetigress.buzzsprout.com!] Besides for talking to each other about their perinatal mental health challenges like postpartum depression and postpartum anxiety during the early motherhood years, Peggy and Jasmine have also had many reflective talks over the years about the decision to have just one child or not. Having a safe space to contemplate is not often easy to come by, and we were lucky to have each other's company to discuss this topic in depth. It has taken a few years of being on the fence, but we are both finally in a space of peace with being One and Done. As Peggy describes in this episode, it truly involved doing some of our "richest inner work." In honor of National Only Child Day last month, we had wanted to do an episode on how we realized we were finally off the fence and confidently enjoying our single child life. So in this more personal Subscriber episode, we share more of this journey with you, including: When we started to think we might not want more children and what we had originally envisionedThe toughest barriers, thoughts, or grief to overcome, including misguided only child stereotypesOur most helpful reframes in arriving at this peaceThe moments when we started feeling at peace with being done having childrenWhether certain circumstances might have changed our decision or notWhat we've gained from this experience and decisionHow our mental health has shaped this journey and evolved as wellIf you're someone on the fence or looking for validation in choosing to be One and Done, this episode might resonate as we lay out both our unique journeys to getting here. Your family size is a very personal choice, and we aren't here to say any number of kids is better than another. We simply want to hold space for those in the One and Done community who feel misunderstood or misjudged and show  show how life can be incredibly joyful and complete on this side.  Society seems to think that only children are lacking something. But in reality, this life we have now feels so fulfulling and abundant in love, and our families feel like exactly what they were meant to be. ❤️ Other Resources: Jasmine's "One and Won" Substack newsletterEpisode 11: Behind the Choice of Being One and Done with Shannon Eng (@onlynotlonelykids)Subscribe today to get the full episode and access to all our other subscriber Bonus episodes 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! 😉🧋)

    12 min
  3. Ep. 57 - Pursuing Egg Freezing and the Non-Linear Path with Jen from @AsiansInBloom

    May 12

    Ep. 57 - Pursuing Egg Freezing and the Non-Linear Path with Jen from @AsiansInBloom

    This episode dives into the topics of non-traditional paths to parenthood, as well as not settling for a partner if it doesn't feel like the right fit. Our guest today is Jen from @AsiansInBloom. Jen is a second-generation Taiwanese American woman and eldest daughter of immigrant parents, with degrees in Psychology, Speech-Language Pathology, and Human-Centered Design Engineering.  Jen shares with us how she had always felt like a "late-bloomer" when she was growing up, though she doesn't like to refer to herself as that anymore. We talk about how she had tried following her parents' path laid out for her and when her timeline just didn't match up with their expectations, she started to question whether it was even a timeline that she really wanted too. We discuss the pressures of marriage and parenthood in Asian American households and how that could be a disservice to our mental health and the future generation's mental health as well. Jen also walks us through her journey to pursue two rounds of egg-freezing and what it entailed. She shares some tips that might help others who are considering it or going through it too, and mainly Jen wants to share her story so others felt less alone than she did when she was navigating the process without a partner or her family nearby. Please join us in this episode as we dive into Jen's exploration of a non-linear path in relationship to her Asian American identity! Find more of Jen: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asians.in.bloom/ If you resonate with topics in this episode, you may also enjoy: Episode 53: Single Mom by Choice: Unexpected Joys Navigating Special Needs with Michele ElizagaEpisode 38: Permission to Break Generational Cycles with Dr. Jenny T. Wang, PhD Send us your thoughts! Please visit GrieversAndFriends.com if you'd like to support the "Look to the Sky" Kickstarter to help our Episode 45 guest, Dr. Jenny Kim, bring her book to more people who need it! 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! 😉🧋)

    42 min
  4. Ep. 56 - AAC & Autism: A "Tigerish" Mom's Gift of Voice with Lana Marcucio

    Apr 28

    Ep. 56 - AAC & Autism: A "Tigerish" Mom's Gift of Voice with Lana Marcucio

    Today's guest, Lana Marcucio, found us through last year's episode 40 that we did with Not a Tiger Mom Podcast's hosts (two neurodivergent moms raising their own autistic kids), and she connected with us in hopes of sharing her story too. In honor of April as Autism Awareness Month, we were thrilled to speak with her about her journey. Lana is a 1.5 generation Vietnamese/Chinese American mom of 3, one of which is a non-speaking or non-verbal daughter with Autism. She eventually turned to technology to help her daughter speak, as Lana has been a mobile app developer for many years prior to having kids. So when this mom couldn't find a software good enough for her daughter, she took to creating one herself.  Her daughter's name is Quinn and her app is called QVoice. In the episode today, Lana shares with us how discovering her children had varying disabilities actually led her to be a recovering tiger mom--hence her moniker of "Tigerish Mom" was born. She explains how tiger parenting did not work with her son who had ADHD, nor her non-verbal daughter who Lana would go on to learn had both epilepsy and autism. Between navigating new diagnoses and giving birth to a third child while also figuring out how or when to explain to her immigrant parents about Quinn, Lana was overwhelmed with the many things she had to juggle.  We talk about how Lana had to break so many generational cycles and do the deep inner work to heal in order to foster the kind of relationships she truly desired to have with her children--including the softening of her previous tiger mom approaches. Lana also shares with us how being trilingual and using her own understanding of languages helped her to develop the kind of AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) application that would best help her daughter, who did not have strong receptive language skills.   We loved learning about the challenges and needs of language development in some neurodivergent children from Lana, as well as hearing how she tended to her own maternal mental health over the years with therapy and medications. Take a listen to this strong, inspiring mama's journey today! Find more of Lana: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/qvoice.app/ https://www.instagram.com/tigerishmom/ Website/App: https://qvoice.app Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@qvoice-app If you resonate with this episode, you may also like: Episode 40: Neurodivergent Moms Raising Autistic Kids with Jenny Lai and Bettina Lopez-Lam from Not a Tiger Mom PodcastEpisode 36: Supporting Parents of Neurodivergent Children with Clarissa Chui, LCSWSend us your thoughts! Please visit GrieversAndFriends.com if you'd like to support the "Look to the Sky" Kickstarter to help our Episode 45 guest, Dr. Jenny Kim, bring her book to more people who need it! 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! 😉🧋)

    54 min
  5. Ep. 55 - Embracing a Childfree Life after Infertility with Emilie Chuong

    Apr 14

    Ep. 55 - Embracing a Childfree Life after Infertility with Emilie Chuong

    For this year's National Infertility Awareness Week, we wanted to give the spotlight to a beloved friend, fan, and contributor to our podcast. Joining us today from her usual behind-the-scenes role is Emilie Chuong, the gracious Japanese/Chinese American photographer who took our podcast photos and headshots to help us launch Season 2! Emilie walks us through her infertility journey with her husband, which entailed all the tests and a year of IUIs before attempting to try IVF. But literally just before they were going to do their first IVF round, the pandemic shut down everything and "elective surgeries" like IVF were put on hold indefinitely. Two years later, they attempted again and Emilie walks us through the outcomes.  We talk about what a huge financial burden IVF is and how Emilie decided she couldn't gamble yet another round, knowing what her chances might be. We discuss what other options they considered like adoption, fostering, surrogacy, along with the rare chances of getting an Asian-identifying child in some of these scenarios. Ultimately, Emilie explains that they arrived at the decision to embrace a childfree life, even though it was not truly by choice. Emilie shines a light on how being childfree can be abundantly joyful even while holding space for the grief of a life they once envisioned. On the other side of the journey to find peace in their life path, Emilie continues to find joy in capturing and preserving beautiful life moments of others. Thank you to Emilie for being vulnerable with our listeners in this episode about her personal journey. And an equally bigger thank you to her for taking some wonderful photos for our team! More about Emilie: Emilie is a professional photographer based in the Bay Area, specializing in portraits, couples, family, and event photography. She is 4th generation Japanese American, as well as 5th or 6th generation Chinese American. With a Bachelor's in Graphic Design from California College of the Arts in San Francisco and Oakland, she has always had a deep passion for visual storytelling. After Covid, Emilie made the intentional decision to fully dedicate herself to building her own photography business, capturing meaningful moments in her work. When she's not behind the camera with a client, you'll likely find her and her husband exploring a new corner of the world together, where, of course, she's still behind the camera, capturing it all. Find more of Emilie: Instagram: @emiliechuongWebsite: https://www.emiliechuong.comSend us your thoughts! Hey Healing the Tigress listeners! This is Dr. Jenny Kim from episode 45. You may remember my story about losing my baby Joey before he was 7 months old and how I grew through the grief. Last year, I wrote and created a customizable picture book called "Look to the Sky," reminding loved ones that their love lives on through every day signs.  Now we are trying to make this book more accessible to the community. So from now unt 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! 😉🧋)

    46 min
  6. Ep. 54 - Surviving Hyperemesis Gravidarum Across Two Pregnancies & Countries with Raag Malhotra, MSc., PMH-C

    Mar 31

    Ep. 54 - Surviving Hyperemesis Gravidarum Across Two Pregnancies & Countries with Raag Malhotra, MSc., PMH-C

    Today’s guest will be talking about the topic of hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) , which is a severe form of nausea and vomiting in pregnancy that requires medical intervention. Raag Malhotra is a PMH-C certified perinatal mental health therapist who transformed her own journey through postpartum depression and HG across two pregnancies into a mission to support mothers navigating their darkest moments.  Raag is a mother of two and brings a unique lens of experiencing one pregnancy in India during the pandemic and the second pregnancy in the United States. She was not informed that getting hyperemesis gravidarum in her first pregnancy gave her a higher chance of recurring HG in subsequent pregnancies. We talk about how Raag navigated HG in both pregnancies and how she finally found validation in her condition with the right providers and treatment plans.  We discuss how while HG is a very physically taxing and traumatic experience during pregnancy, it is equally tolling on mental health. Through her online platform and her dual-market practice serving clients in India and the US diaspora community, Raag creates a bridge between evidence-based care and the raw, authentic reality of maternal mental health struggles in South Asian  families.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ She brings both clinical expertise and lived experience to her work with South Asian mothers who face unique cultural pressures around mental health treatment. To this day, Raag says she has yet to find another South Asian mother tell her that they had HG too. However, we have a feeling she's not alone, and maybe this episode might help her connect with another mother in her community who experienced it too! Find More of Raag: Instagram: @momsinnerjourney Resources Mentioned: HER Foundation Instagram: @hgmomsHER Foundation: https://www.hyperemesis.org/@hg.Canada Pregnancy Sickness Support UK Dr. Marlena S. Fejzo GD15 linked to maternal risk of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy - Link to paperSend us your thoughts! Please visit GrieversAndFriends.com if you'd like to support the "Look to the Sky" Kickstarter to help our Episode 45 guest, Dr. Jenny Kim, bring her book to more people who need it! 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! 😉🧋)

    43 min
  7. Ep. 53 - Single Mom By Choice: Unexpected Joys Navigating Special Needs with Michele Elizaga

    Mar 17

    Ep. 53 - Single Mom By Choice: Unexpected Joys Navigating Special Needs with Michele Elizaga

    Join us in this episode as we explore the inspiring journey of Michele Elizaga, a Filipina American single mom by choice. Michele shares her decision to embrace motherhood on her own terms and defy societal expectations of needing to be partnered to have a baby. It started on her 40th birthday in Costa Rica where she had a pivotal conversation with a good friend that led her to consider having a child without a partner and pursue fertility options. What started as a wild idea turned into a fast-paced roller coaster as Michele navigated sperm banks, fertility tests and doctors, and then a shocking pregnancy with the odds stacked against her all in less than a year. She shares with us the unexpected joy of becoming a mother to a son with Down Syndrome and autism.  Michele's story is a testament to the power of choice and destiny and highlights the challenges and triumphs of raising a child with special needs. We talk about how being supported by her community was essential to Michele's journey, and we also talk about how Michele has utilized things like therapy and medications in different seasons to support her own mental health and ADHD. We hope this episode offers hope and inspiration to anyone considering non-traditional paths to parenthood or wanting to learn more about it, as Michele exudes joy and possibility in our conversation that life as a single mom by choice to a child of a special needs is equally wondrous and amazing. Find more of Michele: Instagram: instagram.com/micheleelizaga Story: Love What Matters Send us your thoughts! Please visit GrieversAndFriends.com if you'd like to support the "Look to the Sky" Kickstarter to help our Episode 45 guest, Dr. Jenny Kim, bring her book to more people who need it! 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! 😉🧋)

    47 min
  8. Ep. 52 - How Motherhood Led to C-PTSD Recovery with Stella Falkner

    Mar 3

    Ep. 52 - How Motherhood Led to C-PTSD Recovery with Stella Falkner

    In this episode, Stella Falkner shares her inspiring journey from postpartum mental health struggles to creating and founding Dowa, a platform that bridges community support with clinical care for mothers. We dive into Stella’s personal experiences through postpartum that led her to discovering she had complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD) and how she started healing from this. Stella tells us about how C-PTSD is different from PTSD because it arises from not one singular traumatic event but from an accumulation of prolonged, repeated, or chronic traumas that becomes woven into daily heightened feelings of being under duress.  We discuss how Stella was lucky enough to find a partial hospitalization program (PHP) that would take her in even when she was past a year postpartum, which ultimately felt so life-saving in her journey. We talk about the scarcity of dedicated postpartum mental health programs and the difficulties in accessing in-network support, shedding light on the broader mental health challenges beyond perinatal mental health disorders.  When designing her company, Stella was intentional about the way Dowa was set up. Stella introduces Dowa's innovative approach to maternal wellness, featuring a diverse provider network and support tools designed to break the stigma around seeking mental health help. The conversation highlights the critical role of community in maternal mental health and emphasizes the importance of finding safe spaces and culturally specific support, particularly for Asian American and Pacific Islander mothers. More about Stella: Stella Falkner is a Korean-American entrepreneur, mother, Certified Mental Health Peer Specialist, Postpartum Doula, Lactation Educator, and maternal health advocate. Her work centers on building technology that is deeply empathetic and grounded in the lived experiences of real families. After navigating her own mental health challenges in motherhood and finding strength in the support of other moms, Stella founded Dowa — a platform designed to bridge community support with clinical care. She built Dowa to provide integrated support that addresses the full spectrum of motherhood: mental health, physical wellness, and the often overwhelming stress and anxiety that come with raising a child and tracking their development. Website:  dowahealth.com Instagram: http://instagram.com/dowahealth Resources mentioned: "What My Bones Know-A Memoir of Healing from Complex-PTSD" by Stephanie Foo Send us your thoughts! Please visit GrieversAndFriends.com if you'd like to support the "Look to the Sky" Kickstarter to help our Episode 45 guest, Dr. Jenny Kim, bring her book to more people who need it! 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! 😉🧋)

    50 min
See All (59)

Trailer

5
out of 5
55 Ratings

About

A podcast that focuses on conversations & stories around Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) maternal mental health, hosted by Taiwanese American mothers Peggy (LCSW, PMH-C) & Jasmine (PharmD, PMH-C) who are also postpartum depression and postpartum anxiety survivors. Mental health is not talked about enough in our AAPI communities, and we want to break these stigmas especially for mothers and partners. As AAPI healthcare providers who personally struggled during postpartum and are now perinatal mental health certified, we want to see more representation of other AAPI parents who know how important it is to take care of our mental health.We talk with AAPI guests about a variety of themes in mental health and parenting, particularly what that looks like through the lens of our culture within the Western world. There are also discussions with professionals in the field, to help our providers and allies. We're not afraid to talk about the hard things that might seem taboo. We hope this podcast reminds you that you are not alone in your struggles as an AAPI parent! If you'd like to support our cause or subscribe for exclusive bonus episodes, please check out this link to support or subscribe! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2401277/subscribe

Information

You Might Also Like