How memoirs make us feel less alone

Hosted by MyndStories|February 25, 2026

There is something uniquely powerful about hearing someone say, “This is what happened to me. This is how it felt. And this is how I survived.”

In Episode 2 of The MyndReaders Podcast, Anima and Swati talk about memoirs. The episode steps away from to-do lists and expectations and shows how memoirs hold space for vulnerability and why they resonate so deeply.

Swati brings a curated collection of books that span generational trauma, anxiety, anticipatory grief, and more. The range of these stories demonstrates that there is no single way to experience mental health challenges.

Anima complements this with a memoir that shows how humour and absurdity can coexist alongside depression and anxiety without diminishing their seriousness.

Together, the conversation is a map of the human interior and a reminder that healing is rarely linear and that self-compassion often begins by witnessing someone else’s vulnerability.

We talk about

Why mental health memoirs matter
Generational trauma expressed differently in graphic memoir format
How humour can coexist with lifelong anxiety
The concept of anticipatory grief where we mourn someone before they are gone.
How birdwatching becomes a practice of presence and finding a way back to yourself
Reframing happiness as rebellion against depression
Recommendations from a selected member of the MyndReaders community

Meet the hosts

Anima is CPD-Certified Neurodiversity Practitioner, TEDx speaker, and advocate. She is dedicated to promoting neuro-inclusive practices in the corporate world. Anima loves to read classics and fantasy, write about neurodiversity and parenting a child who lives with autism, and spend time with her pet dog and cat.

Swati is the co-founder of MyndStories where her mission is to hear more conversations, see more action on mental health. She reads all the time, watches too many movies, and obsesses over her fitness.