Brown Girl Empowered
Welcome to Brown Girl Empowered the self-help podcast that blends insightful guidance with real-life stories, hosted by Manpreet Dhaliwal, a Brown South Asian psychotherapist with a passion for helping you thrive. In each episode, Manpreet dives deep into powerful topics like mental health, breakups, self-love, confidence, leadership, and more, offering practical tools and heartfelt advice to empower you on your personal growth journey.
Whether she’s sharing her expertise solo or featuring inspiring guests, Manpreet’s mission is to help you break free from limiting beliefs and step into your true power. With her warm, relatable style and years of experience as a therapist and educator, Manpreet is here to guide you towards a life of authenticity, resilience, and self-compassion.
Tune in, transform your mindset, and unlock the best version of yourself with Brown Girl Empowered.
About Manpreet Dhaliwal:
Manpreet is a brown woman who holds a Master’s in Social Work and a Bachelor of Arts. With years of experience, she’s dedicated to making mental health resources accessible and relatable for all.
Manpreet Dhaliwal has worked as a therapist for many years and has served as a college instructor in British Columbia.
Instagram: ManpreetDhaliwal.88
Email: dhaliwalcounselling@gmail.com
Psychotherapy Services: www.dhaliwalcounselling.com
Book a consult:
Brown Girl Empowered
My Journey in Finding My Authentic Voice in Spaces that Weren’t Built For Me
What happens when you don't see yourself represented in the career you dream of pursuing? In this deeply personal introduction, I share my journey as a brown Punjabi woman navigating the mental health field as a therapist whereas historically therapists rarely looked like me growing up.
Instagram: @manpreetdhaliwal.88
Emails, questions:
Dhaliwalcounselling@gmail.com
Services: www.dhaliwalcounselling.com
Psychology Today Profile:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/therapists/manpreet-dhaliwal-surrey-bc/332001
Hi everyone. I thought I would do an episode really introducing who I am. So my name is Manpreet and I'm your host for this podcast. I am a brown Punjabi girl living in Surrey, bc. I was born in Mackenzie, bc, but my family moved to Surrey early on so I grew up here in Surrey, bc.
Speaker 1:I grew up listening to rap, r&b, slow jams, pop and old school Bhangra and Hindi songs from Hindi movies here and there. Some of my favorite artists were Tupac, eminem, monica and Maya. These sounds were the sounds that really shaped me. I remember when I first listened to Tupac's poem the Rose that Grew From Concrete. This poem really uplifted me and, yeah, at times I felt that childhood anger, energy and found myself really vibing to Tupac, thinking about the social injustices in the world while listening to Tupac's music as well as Eminem's music. Other times I found myself listening to slow jams. Slow jams such as Monica's tunes, maya's music and even Joe. You know that song I wanna know you get the idea, the song I Wanna Know by Joe.
Speaker 1:So I wasn't much of a troublemaker growing up, but I had my moments. For example, I was really into Tupac's music, so my teacher in high school had us put up quotes on the wall and I really wanted to put up a quote by Tupac. And I really wanted to put up a quote by Tupac, but then she wouldn't let us because she had her own opinion of him and she didn't think he was a very good example. But I was so into his music, his poetry, and I really wanted to put up his quote, but she wouldn't let us. So what we did, me and my friend, was we took Tupac's quote and listed someone else as the author and she let us put it up on the wall because she didn't know it was a quote by Tupac. Me and my friends were just beaming with happiness when she allowed it to be posted and we were just looking at it on the classroom wall with so much happiness and that was quite a moment. It was funny when it happened. But yeah, later on I would end up putting Tupac's poem, the Rose that Grew from a Crack in the Concrete onto my wall of my office, my therapist's office.
Speaker 1:So yeah, I would go on to graduate high school and go to university. While I was taking courses for undergrad, I worked as a data entry clerk or operator, or whatever you want to call it Data entry, though this gave me some job related skills. However, what I really enjoyed doing was developing relationships at work. It was a workplace filled with great friendships I made throughout my years there.
Speaker 1:My studies were filled with a deep inquiry into wanting to learn about human behavior. My passion for learning about human behavior started with wanting to learn about criminal behavior. However, when I learned about the link between trauma and criminal behavior, I decided I want to help people who were struggling and in pain, because we all know hurt people hurt people, not everyone, because some people who are in pain don't inflict pain on others. It it can be different for everyone, but quite often her people hurt people. So I completed my master's degree and became a mental health counselor.
Speaker 1:However, this would bring further obstacles. As I would find out, I had a level of imposter syndrome. You see, in my world, south Asian girls were often not counselors. You see, in my world, south Asian girls were often not counselors. Those represented in the therapy world often didn't look like me growing up. They didn't look like me in therapist's office. They didn't look like me in movies depicting therapists or even, let's say, cartoons depicting therapists. So I thought I had to look a certain way. When I did become a therapist, I thought I had to dress a certain way, talk a certain way, wear certain clothing. You know the typical understanding of what clothing therapists wore. It was a real problem thinking like a girl like me could authentically be herself and still be a therapist. Imposter syndrome, I believe, is the result of a lack of historical representation of diversity in the workplaces and the spaces without South Asian and brown girls and girls who come from minority backgrounds find ourselves in. I felt the imposter syndrome and I really struggled with it, believing my authentic self couldn't be a therapist, that a therapist had to be a middle-aged white woman or white guy. I continue to find myself in the therapy field, but my imposter syndrome has gotten better the more free I feel to reveal my real, authentic self in all spaces and places. I also find myself evolving as I pack all who I am into my therapist self and my authentic self.
Speaker 1:I also develop my leadership skills. Through my time teaching at various colleges in BC. I learned that a good leader acts and behaves in certain ways and a good leader has empathy, gets to know each and every individual individually, each individual. The person is guiding and teaching. So I learned that teaching is not just transmission of knowledge or transmitting knowledge. It's fostering a passion for seeking knowledge. So individuals have this passion. They feel energized to seek knowledge, to learn and, to, you know, reap the fruits of education. My time teaching has allowed me to grow not only as a professional, not only as a college instructor, but also as a human being.
Speaker 1:However, this is not to say that, you know, all times have been amazing and wonderful, although you know I've had some great moments in my life. However, I've been through some dark times in terms of my marriage ending. You see, I find myself 36, without children and not married. However, that hasn't diminished my capacity for nurturing. In fact, I have had the privilege of guiding amazing students on their academic journey and that has been fulfilling to me and that has energized me and that has filled my heart with warmth.
Speaker 1:You see, nurturing comes in many forms. It comes in the impact we have on others, the guidance we offer and the love we share, regardless of societal timelines in terms of marriage, relationships and children. We can nurture individuals outside of those you know rules of what nurturing should really look like. We can go beyond those rules and societal timelines when we encounter the end of a relationship, whether toxic or not. We often believe that is the end of any possibility of love.
Speaker 1:But I have discovered love in many forms, places and spaces. There is love in our relationship with a higher power. This may be God or this may be. You know your love for nature. If you do not believe in a higher power, you might find love in your companionship with your pet. You may find love in your relationship with your family members. I have found love through my relationship with God, as I found myself sitting in the gutoara in my dark times when reflecting on the end of my marriage. Love is found in so many places and spaces. You just have to challenge the cognitive distortion that all is lost if your relationship ends.
Speaker 1:A life well lived looks different for everyone. Living is a deeply personal experience that is unique to every individual. So today, take a moment to ask yourself what would a life worth living look like for you? What would a life worth living look like without all the traditional beliefs and timelines? As you think about your own life, remember, it's not about following a timeline. It's about finding what truly brings you joy, fulfillment and love. So welcome Welcome to Brown Girl Empowered Podcast with me Manpreet as your host. Talk to you later.
