31/08/2026
What happens when Western ideas about therapy meet the lived experiences of Asian Australians?
In the latest episode of Mindful Speechies, we were joined by Asami Koike, a registered music therapist and founder of Shapes and Sounds, which started as a blog and has grown into an incredible platform for Asian mental health and culturally responsive care.
We had a fascinating conversation about some of the Western assumptions embedded in healthcare and therapy. Goals around assertiveness, independence or boundary setting might seem inherently positive, but what happens when they reflect individualistic values that don't necessarily fit a person's cultural or family context?
We also talked about the model minority myth, quiet or invisible distress, and the importance of looking beyond surface level compliance. My co-host Kizzy Searle shared some of her own experiences of growing up Asian Australian, including how easily significant struggles can go unnoticed when, from the outside, someone appears to be doing everything 'right'.
Culture and cross-cultural communication have been longstanding interests of mine, through study, travel and time spent living overseas, so I particularly loved the chance to explore these questions through the lens of mental health and speech pathology.
I'm really proud of this episode and very grateful to Asami and Kizzy for sharing so generously from their personal and professional experiences.
I hope you get as much out of the conversation as I did!
๐ง Listen to the latest episode of Mindful Speechies: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0uBhTXXShqe4RfPoDB2CIk