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.
Subscribe, listen and watch wherever you get your podcasts
Episode 21: From Music Business to Desert Retreats: Blending Eastern Wisdom with Western Therapy | Ben McKie
Join us for an inspiring and wide-ranging conversation with psychotherapist, executive coach and businessman Ben McKie as he shares his remarkable journey from the music business to founding innovative therapeutic projects that blend Eastern wisdom with Western psychological practice.
This episode contains discussion around nomadic childhood experiences, career transitions, therapy training, and alternative therapeutic approaches.
This thought-provoking discussion explores how following your calling can lead to unexpected paths, and why stepping outside traditional frameworks can create profound opportunities for healing and growth.
In this compelling episode, Ben openly shares:
- How his nomadic childhood shaped his worldview and approach to life
- His journey into therapy as a young father working in the music business
- The pivotal moment of turning down a lucrative job to follow his therapeutic calling
- Building and running a successful private practice for several years
- Growing frustrated with traditional therapeutic approaches and seeking alternatives
- Founding innovative projects that integrate Eastern wisdom with Western psychology
- Juggling private client work with desert retreats in Egypt
- Developing social impact projects across the UK
- The lies we tell ourselves and how to recognise them
- What really happens when we courageously leave our comfort zone
- Why doubt can actually become our greatest ally in personal growth
This essential conversation offers profound insights for anyone questioning conventional paths, seeking deeper meaning in their work, or curious about innovative approaches to healing and personal development.
Key Topics Discussed:
- The impact of nomadic childhood experiences on adult perspectives
- Career transitions and following your authentic calling
- Integrating Eastern wisdom with Western therapeutic practice
- Building alternative therapeutic frameworks outside traditional models
- The role of doubt in personal and professional growth
- Creating meaningful work that aligns with your values
- Desert retreats and experiential therapeutic approaches
- Social impact projects and community healing
- Recognising and challenging the lies we tell ourselves
- The transformative power of leaving your comfort zone
A full transcript of this episode is available here. Learn more about Ben McKie.
Subscribe, listen and watch wherever you get your podcasts
More from A Bunch of Therapists
Your hosts
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 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.