A Bunch of Therapists Podcast

A Bunch of Therapists Podcast goes behind the doors of the therapy room, turning candid conversations with fellow therapists into powerful revelations about the human experience - from both sides of the couch.

Hosted by our CEO, Michaela McCarthy, and Dipti Solanki, each episode shares insightful and sometimes unexpected stories from people who’ve experienced counselling and psychotherapy – and the lessons they’ve learned along the way.

Whether you’re in therapy, considering it, or simply curious about how it works, this podcast offers real insight into the therapeutic journey – what it feels like, why it matters, and how it can change lives.

New episodes every Thursday. Listen and watch wherever you get your podcasts.

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Episode 27: How To Rebuild Your Life – Joy Zheng

This episode contains discussion around ADHD, cultural expectations, gender inequality, relationship breakdown, depression, and career transitions.

Join us for an inspiring and honest conversation with counsellor and former DJ Joy Zheng as she shares her transformative journey from struggling with self-worth in a society that valued boys over girls, to building a thriving private practice in London.

This compelling discussion explores how overcoming cultural expectations, navigating ADHD, and embracing therapy can lead to profound personal reinvention and professional fulfilment.

In this compelling episode, Joy openly shares:

  • Growing up in China and internalising messages about her worth as a girl
  • Being diagnosed with ADHD and struggling through school
  • Finding creative escape through music and the DJ scene
  • Building a successful career as a DJ in Shanghai
  • Meeting her husband through the music industry and moving to London
  • The devastating impact of relationship breakdown and lost dreams
  • Experiencing depression and feeling lost after separation
  • A pivotal conversation that sparked her interest in therapy
  • Training as a therapist whilst managing ADHD and learning in English
  • Overcoming academic and group work challenges
  • Building and growing her private practice in London
  • Redefining self-worth beyond societal and relationship expectations
  • Creating a new life on her own terms

This essential conversation offers valuable insights for anyone struggling with self-worth, navigating ADHD, recovering from relationship loss, or considering a career transition into therapy.

Key Topics Discussed:

  • Cultural gender expectations and internalised feelings of inadequacy
  • ADHD in school settings and the lack of support
  • Using creativity as a coping mechanism
  • Career building and finding your place in the world
  • Relationship breakdown and grief
  • Depression and the journey towards recovery
  • The transformative power of therapy
  • Training as a therapist with ADHD and language barriers
  • Redefining identity after major life changes
  • Building a successful private practice
  • Self-worth beyond external validation

Learn more about Joy Zheng.

Subscribe, listen and watch wherever you get your podcasts

More from A Bunch of Therapists

Your hosts

Therapy in Marylebone with Michaela McCarthy

Michaela McCarthy

Michaela McCarthy is a psychotherapist, entrepreneur, and the creator and host of A Bunch of Therapists podcast. Born into a working-class Irish immigrant family, Michaela was exposed early to the realities of mental illness and addiction within her own home. Her personal experiences, including witnessing her mother’s psychiatric hospitalisation and her father’s struggle with alcoholism, shaped a deep commitment to understanding the human psyche.

Feeling different from a young age and struggling with her own issues, Michaela embarked on a long and transformative journey towards self-discovery, healing, and belonging. Years of personal therapy led her to train as a counsellor, psychotherapist, psychosexual & relationship therapist and clinical supervisor. Her mission has always been clear: to support others in navigating their own paths, allowing space to explore, heal and grow.

Michaela is the founder and CEO of The Awareness Centre, The Awareness Centre Training School, and Michaela McCarthy & Associates. Through these platforms, and now her podcast, she brings together insight, empathy, and unfiltered conversations to de-stigmatise therapy and empower others.

Grounded in lived experience and professional expertise, Michaela describes herself as a “person of knowing” who approaches life with honesty, grit, and a passion for connection.

Dipti Solanki

Dipti Solanki

Dipti Solanki is a therapist, grief coach, and founder of Grief Matters 4 All CIC, with 19 years of experience supporting people through life’s transition and emotional crossroads. Whether that’s loss, identity shifts, emotional overwhelm, or navigating complex relationships. Her work sits at the meeting point of therapy and coaching, helping people feel seen, supported, and reconnected to their own sense of self, even in the most difficult seasons.

Dipti brings a unique depth to her work, blending the insight of therapy with the action-oriented clarity of coaching. Whether she’s holding space one-to-one, facilitating group work, training organisations on grief and wellbeing, or speaking to larger audiences, her approach is grounded, inclusive, and always real.

She’s been featured in a range of media, including a BBC documentary ‘Living with Loss’, BBC London Radio, The Independent, The Observer, and OK! Magazine, and is the creator of ‘Grief, Heartbreak and Hope – There’s So Much More to Say’ a guided journal designed to help people gently process and make space for their grief after losing a loved one.

Dipti is passionate about creating emotionally honest spaces. She works at the intersection of emotional wellbeing, compassion, and cultural sensitivity, with a deep commitment to making mental and emotional support feel accessible and human.

On this podcast, Dipti brings all of that and more: therapist, coach, speaker, and human – offering honest, heart-led conversations about therapy, life, healing, and what it means to grow through the things that shape us.