Desi Dramas

"You can honor your family's sacrifices without sacrificing yourself." Many parent–child struggles in South Asian and immigrant families aren't about a lack of love — they're about not knowing how to stay connected while being true to yourself. In this episode, Heena talks with licensed counselor Surbhi Vyas (Healing Lotus Mental Health) about the tensions she sees every day:...

You're raising your kids to blend Desi and American values — and you want the grandparents in their lives. But when you pick your kids up and find them on their second movie of the day, it can feel like you have to choose between being a respectful daughter and being the parent you want to be. You don't. 💛 This week, Dr. Heena Manglani-Terranova teaches one simple skill — replacing "but" with "an...

"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 Ma...

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 skil...

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 pare...

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 lan...

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...

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 pa...

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 actuall...