77: Sumit Shukla - South Asian Americans for Change (SAAFC) and Breaking the Silence on Mental Health

Two years since our first guest interview episode of Untether Your Life with clinical psychologist Dr. Jyothsna Bhat, many strides have been made in mental health in the South Asian diaspora. This is due to the work of groups like South Asian Americans for Change (SAAFC), co-founded by Rupal Joshi, Keerthi Channarasappa, and this week’s guest - Sumit Shukla.

In addition to this role, Sumit is an accomplished pharmaceutical expert with nearly 15 years of industry experience, a dedicated husband and father, and a passionate mental health advocate.

Driven by personal experiences with depression and anxiety and overcoming alcohol addiction, Sumit established SAAFC with a mission to dismantle mental health stigma and promote holistic well-being in the South Asian American community through arts, education, and community-building events.

Breaking the Silence, Sumit’s YouTube documentary series featuring renowned comedian Nimesh Patel and previous Untether Your Life guest Ankur Varma, serves as a platform for raising awareness and sparking conversations on mental health, particularly among South Asian men.

Join host Nikhil Torsekar and Sumit Shukla this week as we discuss:

• The upcoming annual SAAFC event - The Healing Through Art - on March 2, 2024 at Tendenza in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Tickets available at the SAAFC Website.
• What Sumit and his cousin Nimesh Patel – an Emmy award-nominated comedian and writer for Chris Rock, Hasan Minhaj, and Saturday Night Live - uncovered when they teamed up with Ankur Varma to create Breaking the Silence.
• The application of the operating systems analogy when we look at updating values, traditions, and behaviors passed down from our parents. How the outdated template of gender norms has prevented many South Asian males from focusing on mental health.
• Second-generation South Asian immigrants’ destructive habit of “toxic gratitude” and feelings of inferiority when comparing their struggles to those of their immigrant parents.
• How Sumit had turned to alcohol throughout his undergrad years at Ohio State University and many years afterward; how this ineffective form of self-medication prompted a wake-up-call, and intervention from his wife Rupal, cousin Nimesh Patel, and other family members.
• The origin of SAAFC, which sprung from a discussion between Sumit, Rupal, and Keerthi, and coincided with many of the board members relocating to Philadelphia to launch the organization. How Sumit’s desire to – as a father of a young son – “break the cycle” of mental health issues.
• How the 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization achieves this mission through online workshops, social events, and the upcoming The Healing through Art Gala on March 2nd, 2024.

Visit the SAAFC Website to learn more about the organization, or get tickets for the The Healing Through Arts gala. You can also connect with the team on Instagram at @saaforchange, or with Sumit directly at @sumit112

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