This podcast episode is published in collaboration with Hadar's Web and Third Culture Therapy.

In this episode of Hadar's Web, host of Third Culture Therapy Layla Maghribi shares personal stories of ancestral pilgrimage to Libya and Syria. She traces her family history of activism against colonialism, which she continues through her own work, and highlights the critical history of Italian colonialism in Libya that is so often overlooked. In conversation with Hadar Cohen, Layla explores the mental health impacts of exile, the necessity of community to regional resilience, and the centrality of Palestinian liberation.

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Hadar's Web is hosted by Hadar Cohen, an Arab Jewish scholar, mystic and artist. She teaches spirituality and Jewish mysticism at Malchut, a spiritual skill building school teaching direct experience of God. Hadar is a Jewish mystic who builds decolonial frameworks to worship God. Hadar is an artist weaving the spiritual with the political through the artistic mediums of performance, movement, writing, weaving, sound, and ritual.

To learn more about Hadar, visit hadarcohen.me //@hadarcohen32

To study at her mystical school, check out malchut.one.

Subscribe to her Substack to stay tuned to latest episodes and offerings hadarcohen.substack.com

Hadar's Web is a podcast featuring community conversations on spirituality, healing, justice, and art.

You can follow Layla at laylamaghribi.com, substack.com/@thirdculturetherapy & on Instagram @laylamaghribi

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Nisrine Maktabi is a Lebanese Canadian psychotherapist, trauma-informed coach, and founder of Rooted and Resilient, a program supporting multicultural individuals in reclaiming belonging and inner peace.

In this intimate conversation, Nisrine joins Third Culture Therapy podcast to explore the invisible threads of intergenerational trauma, the grief we inherit, and the embodied paths to healing. We speak candidly about tracing ancestry, reclaiming joy through storytelling, and how somatic therapy helps multicultural communities move from survival to connection.

💬 Topics Covered:

✔️Tracing ancestry and grief after loss

✔️How unacknowledged grief shows up in high-functioning adults

✔️The sacredness of ancestral storytelling and cultural grief

✔️What healing looks like in a trauma-informed lens

✔️Somatic tools: breath, movement, self-touch, and sensory grounding

✔️ Understanding Internal Family Systems (IFS) and parts work

✔️From blame to compassion in parent-child dynamics

✔️The power of community healing and group therapy

Learn more about Nisrine here

🔔 Subscribe for more conversations on mental health & culture!

Follow Third Culture Therapy on

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Support the show: Like, follow, and share 💛

This episodes is sponsored by luxury hair wrap brand Paradise Fold. Listeners get a special discount with the code TCT10. 

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In this episode, Third Culture Therapy’s Layla speaks with Selma, the Moroccan-Dutch creator of Heal Magazine, a wellness platform created to centre diverse voices and increase representation in conversations around mental health. They explore how mainstream wellness often misses the mark, what it means to create community-led healing spaces, and the highs and lows of creating new narrative spaces in media.

💬 Topics Covered:

✔️Why the wellness industry feels “vanilla” to many

✔️The lack of representation in mainstream wellness content

✔️The power of ancestral healing and intergenerational trauma

✔️Challenges in building inclusive wellness spaces and media

✔️The future of Heal Magazine and in-person community

✔️Selma’s personal rituals for maintaining mental well-being

🔔 Subscribe for more conversations on mental health & culture!

Follow Third Culture Therapy on

🌍 Substack | 🎧 Apple Podcasts | 🎙 Spotify | 📱 Instagram

Support the show: Like, follow, and share 💛

This episodes is sponsored by luxury hair wrap brand Paradise Fold. Listeners get a special discount with the code TCT10. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How does Islamophobia shape our mental health? In this powerful conversation, we explore the deep psychological toll of racism, internalised Islamophobia, and the struggle for belonging. Our guest, Shaista Aziz, a British-Pakistani writer, politician, stand-up comedian, and fearless advocate, shares her personal journey of reckoning with these forces. 

As the co-founder of The Three Hijabis, Shaista has dedicated herself to tackling racism in football and challenging gendered Islamophobia head-on. She speaks candidly about the complexities of identity, community, and faith. 

We discuss the profound impact of recent global events, particularly the genocide in Gaza, on our collective grief and resilience. This episode is an invitation to confront the ways racism permeates our inner worlds and how we can reclaim our mental well-being through solidarity, compassion, and community healing.

🎙 Topics Covered:

✔️ The hidden weight of internalised Islamophobia

✔️ How racism shapes our mental and emotional well-being

✔️ The role of faith and spirituality in resilience

✔️ Collective grief as a form of love and resistance

✔️ The importance of finding and creating spaces for healing

Tune in for an unfiltered discussion on navigating identity, pain, and strength in an unjust world.

🔔 Subscribe for more conversations on mental health & culture!

Follow Third Culture Therapy on

🌍 Substack | 🎧 Apple Podcasts | 🎙 Spotify | 📱 Instagram

This episodes is sponsored by luxury hair wrap brand Paradise Fold. Listeners get a special discount with the code TCT10. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How does generational trauma shape parenting? How can cultural values evolve while maintaining their core essence?

In this episode, Third Culture Therapy host Layla Maghribi sits down with parenting coaches Sarah Raslan and Karen Abou Joude of The Wise Parent consultancy and popular Instagram page to unpack the challenges of raising children in a multicultural setting. From emotional intelligence to breaking past cycles, they explore what raising the next generation in a third culture world looks like and how self-awareness and intentional parenting can create healthier family dynamics.

If you're a parent, especially from a Third Culture background, this episode offers invaluable insights into raising emotionally aware and resilient children while maintaining cultural identity. Tune in to learn how to break unhelpful cycles and foster healthy relationships with your kids.

🎙 Topics Covered:

✔️ How trauma impacts parenting styles

✔️ Why emotional awareness is key for both parents & children

✔️ The neuroscience behind trauma and emotional regulation

✔️ Cultural values: what to keep and what to adapt

✔️ Practical strategies for self-regulation and parenting mindfully

✔️ The shift from authoritarian parenting to conscious parenting

✔️The role of respect, communication, and modelling behaviour

🔔 Subscribe for more conversations on mental health & culture!

Follow Third Culture Therapy on

🌍 Substack | 🎧 Apple Podcasts | 🎙 Spotify | 📱 Instagram

This episodes is sponsored by luxury hair wrap brand Paradise Fold. Listeners get a special discount with the code TCT10. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Who gets to tell your story—and what happens when others tell it for you?

In this episode of Third Culture Therapy, I sit down with journalist, humanitarian, and founder of mental health organisation Art of Hope, Tara Kangarlou, to unpack the emotional toll of constantly explaining, justifying, and correcting misconceptions about one’s heritage.

Tara shares:

✨ The exhaustion of being in ‘explanation mode’ and the burden of representation

✨ How storytelling can be a tool for both personal healing and systemic change

✨ The role of mental health in humanitarian work and why emotional well-being is often overlooked in crisis response

✨ The challenges of the international aid sector—why too much of it is top-down and how real change happens when we centre the voices of those directly impacted

We also discuss the work of Art of Hope, a grassroots organisation focused on mental health support for refugees, and why sustainable, community-driven solutions—not external, one-size-fits-all aid—are key to lasting impact.

For anyone who has ever felt caught between worlds, exhausted by the need to explain, or frustrated with the way global narratives are shaped, this conversation is a reminder: your story matters. And how we choose to tell it can be a force for transformation.

Click through for more about Tara Kangarlou and Art of Hope

Let us know what you thought about the episode through a like, review or share and visit our Instagram and YouTube channel

✨ This episode is sponsored by the luxury silk hair wrap company, Paradise Fold. TThird Culture Therapy listeners get a special discount on products with the code TCT10

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How does where we come from impact our mental wellbeing? And why did Layla Maghribi decide to create a podcast about it?

We're turning the tables in this insightful episode, as Ned Sedgwick sits down with Layla Maghribi, the creator and host of the acclaimed podcast Third Culture Therapy.

Layla Maghribi is a writer, journalist and podcaster. Born in the UK to Libyan/Palestinian and Syrian parents, Layla spent her childhood summers in Damascus and later lived and reported from there at the start of the uprising-turned-civil war. After several years working for international media outlets, including Reuters and CNNI, across the Arab world Layla returned to the UK and over the past few years she has been working on various independent projects, like creating this podcast and writing a book.

Tune in to hear Layla share her journey as a third-culture individual navigating the intersection of cultural identities, and how her experiences inspired her to create a platform for others like her. We delve into her motivations, the stories that have resonated the most with her, and the profound lessons she's gained from recent episodes.

Whether you’re a third-culture kid yourself, or simply curious about the nuances of global identities, this conversation will leave you inspired and reflective.

To make sure you never miss a Third Culture Therapy session, download the pod on your favourite platform and watch us on YouTube here and Instagram here.

And you can follow Layla's work here

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What makes the search for mental health support so challenging? And can technology help make it easier?

In this episode, we’re joined by Dr. Nicole Nasr, a psychologist, entrepreneur, and the founder of Journey Starts Here, a platform transforming how clients and therapists connect. Growing up in Montreal, Beirut, and London, Nicole developed a unique perspective on the intersection of culture, identity, and mental health.

Tune in to this episode for an exploration on the often-overwhelming process of finding the right therapist, the barriers many people face in accessing care, and how Nicole’s platform is making it easier to connect with mental health professionals. 

Nicole also gives us a rare look into how mental health practitioners care for their own well-being, and she shares her journey from psychologist to tech innovator, offering insights into how therapy can evolve to meet the needs of a diverse and ever-changing world.

To make sure you never miss a Third Culture Therapy session, download the pod on your favourite platform and watch us on YouTube here and Instagram here.

And to stay connected with Nicole’s work, follow Journey Starts Here

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How can you belong if you’re only ever considered “half” of something? How can we redefine identity on our own terms?

In this episode, we’re joined by actor, filmmaker, and writer Jassa Ahluwalia. Jassa’s debut book Both Not Half is both a celebration but also a reclamation of the mixed heritage experience, centred around his ethos that we are all more than the sum of our parts. 

Born in Coventry to a white English mother and a Punjabi Sikh father, Jassa has spent his life navigating overlapping identities, challenging stereotypes, and carving out his own space in the world.

We explore Jassa’s personal journey to embrace his Sikh roots, examine his unique philosophy of self-definition, and discuss the lessons he’s learned while advocating for greater representation of mixed heritage voices in the acting industry.

To make sure you never miss a Third Culture Therapy session, download the pod on your favourite platform and watch us on YouTube here and Instagram here.

If you’d like to support us further, please consider donating to our Patreon here.

And to stay connected with Jassa’s work, you can follow him here: 

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How can we take care of our mental health while sustaining activism? How can we find strength in our struggles? 

In this episode, we sit down with Palestinian psychotherapist and activist Mustafa Jayyousi, who specialises in trauma therapy for those facing systemic oppression and mental health care for activists. Mustafa shares his approach to helping activists manage trauma, build resilience, and avoid burnout through workshops designed to support long-term social justice work. He discusses his journey into activism, shaped by his personal experiences, and how he balances his roles as a father and an activist while maintaining close connections to his family in Palestine.

We also explore Mustafa’s thoughts on “decolonising” mental health and how breaking from Western frameworks has allowed him and his clients to find more culturally rooted, communal methods of healing. 

To make sure you never miss a Third Culture Therapy session, download the pod on your favourite platform and watch us on YouTube here and Instagram here.

If you’d like to support us further, please consider donating to our Patreon here.

And to stay connected with Mustafa’s work, you can follow him on Instagram or his website

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What does it take to truly understand yourself? And how can you unlock your full potential in life?

In this episode, I sit down with Isik Tlabar, a life coach and spiritual guide who splits her time between Istanbul and London. Isik helps people connect with their inner power through breathwork, a technique that combines breath, sound, and movement to create a deeper connection between the body and mind.

We dive into her approach to self-discovery and why she believes balancing both feminine and masculine energies is essential for personal growth. Isik also shares practical ways to use your intuition as a tool for clarity, purpose, and empowerment.

Join us for an inspiring conversation that will leave you thinking about how you can better connect with yourself and live more fully.

To not miss a single episode, make sure to subscribe to the podcast and follow us on our youtube and instagram, and if you'd like to support our work, consider donating to our Patreon here.

Finally, click this link to find out more about Isik’s work. 

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CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains several mentions of extreme violence and self-harm, particularly involving children. 

While difficult to talk about and listen to, we felt it right to include these moments to illustrate the severity of the situation and the vital importance of Alexandra’s work. 

In spite of these difficult conversations, we hope that the episode will leave you feeling more hopeful and provide you with a better idea as to how we should help the most vulnerable. 

What are the long term effects of war on the children who suffer because of it? And what can we do to help those most in need? 

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Alexandra Chen, a Hong Kong-born child psychologist and trauma specialist with over a decade of experience working with war-affected children and families across the Middle East and Africa.

Alexandra shares her deep insights into the often-overlooked, long-term impacts of conflict on children’s mental health, cognitive development, and education—drawing on her work with UN agencies, governments, and nonprofits in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and beyond.

We delve into how Alexandra copes with the emotional weight of witnessing such profound trauma, the strategies she employs to maintain her own wellbeing, and how her diverse identities—from her Hong Kong roots to her experiences in the UK—shape her approach to helping and healing.

Join us for a conversation that explores resilience, trauma, and the enduring power of hope in the face of unimaginable adversity.

If you are directly impacted by the war in Gaza and require mental health support, follow this link to sign up for support from Healing for Gaza. 

And if you want to provide support as a clinician or interpreter, or just want to donate to Healing for Gaza, all the information about how to do that can be found here. 

To not miss a single episode, make sure to subscribe to the podcast and follow us on our youtube and instagram, and if you'd like to support our work, consider donating to our Patreon here.

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How do you stay hopeful when times are hard? And can love truly survive, and even thrive, in the face of adversity?

In the first episode of Season 2, we hear from award-winning journalist and writer Anna Lekas Miller, who specialises in conflict and migration. Despite covering distressing events like the Syrian civil war and the rise of ISIS, Anna has always sought stories of compassion and love.

Her latest book, Love Across Borders, which recently won the Arab American Book Award, weaves real-life stories of couples navigating conflict and borders. One of those stories is Anna's own relationship with her husband Salem, a Syrian journalist.

Together, we explore the power of love in the face of adversity, discuss Anna's upcoming novel, and examine what role stories of hope can play even in the darkest times.

To make sure you never miss a Third Culture Therapy session, download the pod on your favourite platform and watch us on YouTube here and Instagram here.

We deeply appreciate your support as one of our listeners. If you'd like to support us even more, feel free to donate to our Patreon here.

And if you want to hear more from Anna, you can find her brilliant Instagram here:

This episode is sponsored by Paradise Fold, the silk hair wrap company. Listen to the episode for a special discount code on all purchases.

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Third Culture Therapy host Layla Maghribi announces the return of another season of the podcast with an amazing new line-up of guests!

From the impact of hostile foreign policies on love and relationships to the role of art, poetry & literature in healing, Layla goes deep on topics that are both highly personal, and completely universal.

Third Culture Therapy will be back on the 25th September - and every other Wednesday after that - so make sure to follow & subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts and get alerted when the next episode drops. 

And if you’re a watcher then we are also on YouTube!

If you’re new to the show, scroll back & have a listen to previous episodes where i talk to therapists, shamans, tech entrepreneurs, and many more.

Like follow and subscribe everywhere you get your podcasts, and follow us on instagram and patreon @thirdculturetherapypod

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How do a father and son maintain a strong relationship while working together on healing others?

Can professional collaboration strain personal family ties?

Daniel Mate, musician, author, mental chiropractor, and Palestine advocate, joins us to explore these questions. Co-author of The Myth of Normal with his father, Gabor Mate, Daniel shares insights into their father-son partnership and their joint project, "Hello Again: A Fresh Start for Parents and Their Adult Children."

Together, we dive into Daniel’s healing journey, his unique mental chiropractic approach, and the transformative experiences that shaped him, including Ayahuasca in Peru. We also explore the challenges of growing up in the shadow of a famous father and how Daniel has created his own path.We further discuss Daniel’s recent involvement in the Israel-Palestine debate and how his healing work applies to larger societal conflicts. Join us as we discuss personal healing, family collaboration, and activism.

To not miss a single episode, make sure to subscribe to the podcast and follow us on our twitter and instagram, and if you'd like to support our work, consider donating to our Patreon here.

Finally, to hear more from our brilliant guest Daniel, you can find them on instagram here, and their website here.

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How can embracing both Arab and Jewish identities offer a new vision for healing in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?

What does it mean to love Judaism but reject Zionism?

Hadar Cohen, an Arab Jewish scholar, mystic, and artist, joins us to explore these complex questions. Founder of malchut, a spiritual school focused on Jewish mysticism and direct experience of God, Hadar’s work bridges spirituality, politics, and social issues. As a 10th-generation Jerusalemite with roots in Syria, Kurdistan, Iraq, and Iran, her personal and ancestral experience brings a unique perspective to her teachings on healing and justice.

Together, we discuss growing up in a divided Jerusalem, the challenges and beauty of identifying as both Arab and Jewish, and why true healing between Israelis and Palestinians requires the recognition of shared pain. Hadar also shares her thoughts on spiritual maturity, why personal healing is vital for societal change, and how building interfaith spaces can strengthen Arab communities across different religions. Join us for a conversation about identity, spirituality, and the path to peace.

To not miss a single episode, make sure to subscribe to the podcast and follow us on our youtube and instagram, and if you'd like to support our work, consider donating to our Patreon here.

Finally, to hear more from our brilliant guest Hadar, you can find her instagram here.

This episode is sponsored by Paradise Fold, the silk hair wrap company. Listeners get a special discount on all products with the code TCT12

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How can we navigate personal loss while holding space for collective grief during times of crisis?

What does it mean to find healing through the mind, body, and spirit after deep personal and communal trauma?

Hana Elrais, a British-Libyan creative, grief counsellor, and end-of-life carer, joins us to share her unique approach to processing grief and trauma. Founder of Permission to Grieve, where she leads monthly grief circles and one-on-one sessions, Hana uses a holistic approach, including vibrational sound medicine, to create a safe space for others to heal. Drawing from her own experiences of loss—her brother, her marriage, her country—Hana helps others through the complex layers of grief.

Together, we discuss how death and divorce shaped her understanding of loss, her journey through an identity crisis as a Libyan-Brit, and how history played a role in resolving it. Hana also shares how she weaves Sufi practices into her work, and what it's been like to support the Arab and Palestinian community in the UK through grief circles during the ongoing crisis in Gaza.

Join us for an intimate conversation about trauma, healing, and the power of collective grief.

To not miss a single episode, make sure to subscribe to the podcast and follow us on our youtube and instagram, and if you'd like to support our work, consider donating to our Patreon here.

Finally, click this link to hear more from our brilliant guest, Hana.

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What does it mean to live outside the stereotypes, and how can we free ourselves from shame?

How do we stop caring about others' judgments and start living for ourselves?

Alya Mooro, Egyptian-born and London-raised writer and best-selling author of The Greater Freedom: Life as a Middle Eastern Woman Outside the Stereotypes, joins us to explore these themes. Many of you may know Alya from her newsletter and community, The Greater Conversation, but did you know she’s also a TV producer with exciting projects on the horizon? In this episode, we dive into her journey of self-development, her mental health toolkit, and how she’s learned to trust herself more through life’s challenges.

Together, we discuss what it means to be a “woman outside the stereotypes” and why Alya might rethink putting "Middle Eastern" in her book title today. We also touch on body image, how illness taught her self-trust, and why looks are the least interesting thing about her (though she still loves a good selfie!). Alya also reflects on hosting her podcast The Talk of Shame and explores how confronting shame can empower us, especially for women.

To not miss a single episode, make sure to subscribe to the podcast and follow us on our youtube and instagram, and if you'd like to support our work, consider donating to our Patreon here.

Finally, click this link to hear more from our brilliant guest, Alya!

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How can we practice self-compassion and set boundaries while facing collective grief during a genocide?

What does it mean to decolonize therapy, and how can it help communities struggling with generational trauma?

This week, we’re joined by Palestinian-Polish therapist Tasha Matar, who specialises in generational wounds, diasporic grief, and complex trauma. Raised in Canada by a Polish mother and a Palestinian father, Tasha brings her third-culture perspective and decolonial approach to her work, connecting deeply with clients—many of whom are Palestinians. Her eclectic practice includes Sensorimotor, DBT, internal family systems, and art psychotherapy.

In this episode, Tasha shares how her experience as an intersectional therapist has been especially invaluable during the ongoing genocide in Gaza. We explore tough but critical questions: How can we be self-compassionate during a genocide? How do we deal with survivor’s guilt? And how can we stop intellectualizing trauma and learn to sit with our grief?

Join us as Tasha discusses how art therapy bridges the brain’s divide, what ‘good’ therapy looks like during a crisis, and why decolonizing therapeutic practices is essential for more effective healing.

To not miss a single episode, make sure to subscribe to the podcast and follow us on our youtube and instagram, and if you'd like to support our work, consider donating to our Patreon here.

Finally, to hear more from our brilliant guest, visit their instagram here!

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How can healthcare workers cope with the emotional toll of witnessing a humanitarian crisis, and what can be done to protect them in conflict zones?

What are the mental health impacts of being an outspoken advocate for Palestinians in politically hostile environments?

In this episode of Third Culture Therapy, Dr. Omar Abdel-Mannan, a British-Egyptian paediatric neurologist and humanitarian activist, joins us to discuss these questions. As a leading voice in the global movement to protect healthcare workers in Palestine, Omar shares the mental and emotional challenges he’s faced after witnessing the horrors in Gaza. He also reveals advice he received from PTSD experts on how to process such trauma healthily.

We dive into Omar’s experience as a UK-based activist, the personal challenges of advocating for Palestinian rights in a politically difficult environment, and the reasons he decided to speak publicly about the mental health struggles faced by medics, including suicidal ideation. Omar sheds light on why it’s essential to destigmatise mental health issues among healthcare workers, particularly those on the frontlines of conflict.

Together, we explore Omar’s journey as a humanitarian, from his early trips to the West Bank and Gaza to co-founding Gaza Medic Voices, a platform amplifying the voices of Palestinian healthcare workers. We also discuss his work with Health Workers for Palestine, a global civil society movement holding vigils for healthcare workers killed in Gaza.

To not miss a single episode, make sure to subscribe to the podcast and follow us on our youtube and instagram, and if you'd like to support our work, consider donating to our Patreon here.

Finally, To hear more from our brilliant guest you can follow Omar's work here and here.

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