The Wellness Pod

In our final episode, we ask our batchmates: what will they miss about YNC, what are their favourite memories and places, and what are their hopes for themselves, the community and beyond. Thank you for journeying with The Wellness Pod across our four years!!

[Trigger Warning: Discussions about the closure of Yale-NUS College] In this episode, Maleeka and Mpiwa discuss the importance of community and community building with Serene, our Cendana College Manager. How do we build community, and which of these methods do we find the most effective?

[Trigger Warning: Discussions about body weight, weight loss/gain, anxiety, mental health and distress & dysmorphia, body management] In this episode, Mpiwa and Maleeka discuss how they balance goals about their body and wellness, instead of taking these goals to the extreme. Tune in to find out more about their experiences with 75 soft/hard, skin care regiments and wellness marketing campaign...

In this episode, we talk to two Yale-NUS graduates, Sharon and Valeria, about their experiences with graduation and adulting. They give us advice on job seeking post graduation, maintaining relationships and balancing adult responsibilities and their own passions.

In this episode, we talk about mental health awareness! We invited Sundarimaa and Heli, who are a part of PS We Care, a peer counselling group at Yale-NUS, to share their perspectives. They share about their own personal journeys with mental health, important suggestions about managing stress and anxiety and dispel myths about counselling.

The Wellness Pod is back for our fourth season! As part of our mini series on relationships, we explore how we can navigate the complexities of building and sustaining relationships through transitory phases in our lives. In these transitory phases, we might be making big decisions for ourselves, for instance, applying to grad school, choosing to go on a semester abroad, deciding where to work and...

This episode is part of our study abroad series! In this episode, Mpiwa shares about having to take a Leave of Absence during her semester abroad due to some visa issues. She reflects on how she processed her feelings, and what she has learnt from this journey.

This episode is part of our study abroad series! In this episode, Lecarl shares his experience studying abroad at University of Cape Town with Mpiwa. They discuss why he chose UCT, the culture shocks he experienced, the new experiences he had and the things he learnt from these experiences.

This episode is part of our study abroad series! In this episode, Maleeka shares about her exchange experience with Mishael, her suitemate from Yale-NUS. They discuss their experiences in University College Utretcht and Cambridge University respectively, touching on topics ranging from new experiences to making friends and finally giving some advice to people who are considering going on a semeste...

Tune into this week's episode to get to know the team behind the Wellness Pod! Cheryl, our Student Wellness Manager, Wei Lin, our podcast producer, Maleeka and Mpiwa share their reflections on 2022, and how they plan to go about 2023. It's not quite New Year's anymore, but it's still a good period to check in with yourself and think about how you want to live your life in 2023.

Today in the pod we are joined by Doug, an NUS College (NUSC) student living in Cendana who was previously a University scholars program student. Doug, Maleeka and Mpiwa exchange stories about their experience with change as NUSC students moved into the Yale-NUS campus this semester. They discuss their feelings and experiences about the change and express their hopes for NUSC and Yale-NUS. 

In this episode, we talk about bodies and sex! We invited Pippa, who co-founded the Body.ody Collective (a body neutrality identity collective) to share about why she co-founded the collective, and her insights on body neutrality. Pippa is also a student associate for Kingfishers for Consent, and we ask her for her insights on sex, its relation to body neutrality, and consent. 

We get deep about love this week at the Wellness Pod as we continue our inquisition into relationships (Check out our episode on Dating in College). We invited Prof. Marvin Montefrio and students Ziyang and Lynn to talk about the highs and lows of relationships and how it inevitably affects their wellness. With Valentine's Day as a yearly reminder of romance, we asked the three how they create hea...

As part of our mini series, relationships on campus, we explore how we can navigate the complexities and boundaries of relationships that we have. Some of our relationships intersect in different contexts, for instance, personal, professional, clubs and sports and many other spaces, and sometimes it can get difficult to separate the relationships in those intersections or reconcile with the inters...

Today in the pod we are joined by Betina, a familiar presence on campus, a senior and a Residential College Advisor at Yale-NUS. Betina, Maleeka and Mpiwa exchange stories about what it’s like being an international student living away from the familiarities of home, and the impact that their identities have had on their well-being. The three also discuss the roles that their Singaporean friends h...

Have you ever adjusted to a new community? In this episode, we sat down with Amalie Vestergaard, an exchange student from Denmark, and talked about overcoming homesickness, being intentional about having fun with people, and being kind and accommodating of other people’s stories. She shares about the pressures of being an exchange student, including the excitement about travels within Southeast As...

How do you feel about the easing of Covid regulations? In this episode, we hear what Madhu, a wellness student associate in her senior year, has to say about how she's been coping with post pandemic realities. How has our approach to wellness changed or remained the same after the pandemic? Madhu talks about her new self care habits, and carving out the time to keep these practices up amidst her b...

This week at the pod, we talk about finances! In a community where the diversity in experiences, cultures, and identities affect the way we  interact, we still somehow forget to talk about how socioeconomic status plays a factor. Maleeka and Mpiwa interview Shehryar (Class of 2023) about their experiences as a student spreading awareness and advocating for accommodations and resources  f...

In this episode, Maleeka and Mpiwa sit down with Annabelle, Magnus, Naia, Sid, Ethan and Zirdi to talk about the performance arts and how singing, dancing and acting have contributed to their own wellness and self-discovery.

This week on the pod, Maleeka and Mpiwa discuss the ins and outs of college dating. We asked our listeners to give us some of their juiciest and most poignant dating experiences. We talk about love, boundaries, and communication.  Note: This episode was recorded to be the first episode of the season however, due to recent events this episode's release was pushed later. 

In this episode, we want to share with you all stories about grief. To a lot of people, Yale-NUS was home and the news of the merger shook the community. One week after the announcement, the pod wanted to do a pulse check. Maleeka and Mpiwa interviewed community members to hear more about how they reacted and coped. 

Today in the pod, we are joined by two fitness-loving folks on campus. Miku is the co-founder of The Daily Movement, and Dexter is a sprinter for the Singapore National Team. Tune into this conversation as our hosts, Maleeka and Mpiwa, learn about what pursuing sports and fitness as a career looks like, how they balance that with college life and the things that keep them motivated (including havi...

Professor Tan Tai Yong joins us for a conversation in the pod today! Tune in to listen to our hosts Maleeka and Mpiwa discover the human being behind the title of 'President of Yale-NUS'. What did student life look like for Prof Tan? How does he manage stress in a high pressure environment? Why batik shirts? What does he do for self-care? (hint: it rhymes with porean prama!)

In this week's episode, Maleeka and Mpiwa discuss the topic of residential living with our guest, Tanya Sharma. Tanya shares openly and vulnerably about how she has managed suite conflicts over the last 4 semesters and gives advice on how to foster healthy living arrangements. The three also reminisce about what it was like moving in with complete strangers for the first time!

Join Mpiwa, Maleeka and our ~*mYsTeRy gUeSt*~ in the pod today as they converse about life lessons learnt from Winter Break, their favourite pick-me-up activities and what goals they are setting for the year ahead. Uncover the contents of their Semester 2 Self-care Starter Pack, and learn how you can build your very own!