Sukhan - The Discourse

In the final episode of Season 2, we are in conversation with Nida Usman Ch about the challenges faced by women in the legal profession. She shares her journey and experiences and talks about her initiatives: Women In Law" and "Lahore Education & Research Network (LEARN) Pakistan". We discuss the barriers to entry for women in this profession in Pakistan and how their participation is extremel...

In the fourth episode, we are in conversation with A deel Afzal about his journey and experiences so far. We dig deeper into the types of content and the quality of content along with how we can encourage originality. We also talk about creating content across different mediums and his preferred choice. He talks about his brief but critically acclaimed acting career so far and ends the show with a...

In the third episode of season 2, we talk about some of the most important yet least talked about topics of legal requirements, rights, and protection for start-ups and small-medium enterprises especially those who are providing digital services/products. Our guest Salman Ahmad Maan takes us through the process while explaining different laws and regulations that affect them. He also takes about c...

In the second episode, we are in conversation with Wardah Noor, who is a social activist, an avid researcher, and an aspiring lawyer fighting for the basic rights of common citizens. She is the founder of KhudKaar under which 0.5 Million PKR has been disbursed among 20 girls which is enabling them to continue their education. She has counseled 8,000+ students on personal development opportunities...

In the first episode of the second season of our series Circle of Stories , we are in conversation with Asrar who is a musician, singer, writer, and composer based in Lahore. His work has been critically acclaimed with hits like Sub Aakho Ali Ali, Afghan Jalebi, Shakar Wandan, Bulleya, Cheekt, and Parizaad OST to his name.   We talk about his journey and work so far, and the creative tho...

We are in conversation with Saddam Hussain , captain of the Pakistan National Football Team, and plays for Sui Southern Gas Company in the Pakistan Premier League, and previously played for Kyrgyz club FC Dordoi Bishkek, Isa Town FC, Gençler Birliği S.K. & Khan Research Laboratories, as a central midfielder.  He has previously played for Pakistan International Airlines and led PIA to thir...

In this episode, we talk about the challenges of new motherhood, and how they impact the psycho-social/emotional well-being of mothers. Fatmah and Anushka who are both trained and ethical therapists talk about the importance of having support/community through this time and introduce us to their Support Group for new mothers and how is this Support Group different from just getting together with f...

In this episode, we are in conversation with Zoon Ahmed Khan about China`s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) with a special focus on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). We talk about the reasons behind misunderstandings and myths about the project and the country and how things can be improved. Zoon takes us through the lives and experiences of the Chinese and there are some lessons to be learne...

In this special World Radio Day episode of Sukhan Unplugged, we are in conversation with Javed Pasha about the history, evolution, present, and future of Radio. We talk about how radio is still among the most trusted sources of information and has played its part in literally liberating countries.   Javed Pasha is the son of famous songwriter Nazam Panipatti, the person responsible for i...

Fatmah defines different types of losses and processes of grief for us.  She discusses how losses that are a natural part of life where some can be distressing (e.g. sudden, traumatic, or 'out-of-turn), or ambiguous. The various forms that loss can take (not just death), and grief as the way we process loss. We talk about the individual and cultural processes of navigating grief and how to su...

Seasoned psychotherapist Jasmyn Rana addresses the societal impact of violence and femicide, and how canceled culture can work against true accountability and justice. Jasmyn Rana is a Psychotherapist based in Lahore who has dedicated the last decade of her private practice to working with Adults and Couples. Her modality is relationally integrative, and her other areas of work involve being a cli...

In this episode, we explore Conflict (اختلاف) as a normal and healthy part of all relationships. We discuss how there are healthy and unhealthy ways of engaging in conflict. Tooba introduces us to Compass of Reactions, the importance of healthy conflict, and tools for having healthy conflict.  Tooba is a psychotherapist based in Lahore. She is a Fulbright scholar and received her Master's deg...

In this episode, we talk about the prevalent issues faced by us regarding #Covid19 . We explore what it is like for us to adjust to virtual interactions and relationships. We talk about how our body and mind are handling virtual interactions without the physical presence of our loved ones. The conversation focuses on finding work-life balance and particularly explore the challenges faced by mental...

In the sixth episode, we explore the ever-important question: what does it mean to have a relationship with ourselves? We question how do we feel about ourselves, what we believe about ourselves, and how we feel in our own company. We discuss how all of this impacts our behavior and relationships and if our relationship with ourselves is suffering, how do we engage with the work of healing?  ...

In the fifth episode, we talk to Geti-Ara Sayed about the value of strong friendships and social support, and what healthy friendships look like. We define healthy boundaries in friendships and talk about losing friendships, red flags, and friend break-ups (and how much all of these can hurt). In the later part, we define and discuss what makes a Community, and what role they play in individual an...

In the fourth episode, Tooba Qaiser explains the term "neurodiverse" and what neurodiversity looks like in children and its common presentation. We discuss how we can be more compassionate towards neurodiverse children and break the idea that they can be "fixed" or "should try harder". Recognizing the stress of parenting neurodiverse children, and providing some resources for managing oneself and...

The third episode with Daheem Din helps us in understanding childhood from the child's perspective and highlighting important socio-emotional skills that caregivers can foster, and how.  Daheem is a psychotherapist and clinical supervisor with over ten years of experience working with children, young adults, and adults in individual and group therapy. She has a Master's in Marriage and Family...

The second episode Maryam Suheyl identifies what a healthy marriage partnership look like, and its impact on one's socio-emotional well-being. We explore how can couples build supportive and equitable relationships and how parenting changes the dynamics of a marriage. We talk about advantages and challenges of marriage in collectivisitic and joint family systems and cultures.  Maryam Suheyl i...

Taluqaat تعلقات  is a podcast series that interviews experienced therapists about attachment, love, conflict, communication, and grief among other relational topics.  The first episode explores Attachment as a blueprint for relational patterns, how attachment styles impact all our relationships, and pathways to identifying and healing attachment wounds.  Omar is an experienced psych...

In today`s episode we talk to Isbah Khalid about stereotypes and challenges associated to Autism. She is mother to an amazing and loving young Ateeb who is one of the kindest souls you`ll ever meet. We talk about her life as a single parent to an Autistic kid and how as a society we need to understand their language and more importantly change our attitude towards them. You can watch the episode o...

In todays episode Adeel joins us for an interesting discussion on the challenges and stereotypes associated with desi men if they are involved fathers. Adeel (also known as Jellyman from his radio days) runs his own Instagram blog where he documents his experiences and creates awareness regarding the challenges and stereotypes associated with involved fathers.  In this episode Hammad and Adee...

In conversation with Aroosa and Wajiha about the challenges of living in Pakistan as divorced women. Based on their own experiences, they shed light on the challenges they faced, their support systems and most importantly how as society we need to change our approach and behavior towards this.

In this episode of Sukhan Unplugged, we have Dr Anita Wiess who will be talking about her latest book Countering Violent Extremism in Pakistan: Local Actions, Local Voices (available at https://oup.com.pk/all-titles/countering-violent-extremism-in-pakistan.html).    Professor Weiss has published extensively on social development, gender issues, and political Islam in Pakistan. Professor...

In this episode we are talking to Usman Tanveer Malik about his personal journey, speculative fiction in Pakistan, how to write, publish and sell stories and about his debut collection Midnight Doorways: Fables from Pakistan which has garnered praise from writers such as Aamer Hussein, Brian Evenson, Joe Hill, Paul Tremblay, and Man Booker finalist Karen Joy Fowler. You can order the book at (www....

We are in conversation with Sana Munir, who is an author and we are going to talk about her latest book The Stained-Glass Window: Stories of the Pandemic from Pakistan. Sana Munir is the Lahore-based author of Unfettered Wings: Extraordinary Stories of Ordinary Women. A fiction writer with a feminist approach, she believes Feminism is not just an ideology or school of thought but a way of life roo...