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 other Thursday. Listen and watch wherever you get your podcasts.

Subscribe, listen and watch wherever you get your podcasts

Season 2, Episode 3: Dual Heritage, Belonging & Finding Your Place – Mary-Claire Wilson

This honest discussion explores how early experiences of not belonging can shape our sense of self, and why therapy became the catalyst for understanding and embracing her identity.

This episode explores themes of dual heritage identity, racial identity, belonging, feeling like an outsider, and cultural displacement.

Join us for an inspiring and deeply personal conversation with psychotherapist and trainer Mary-Claire Wilson as she shares her transformative journey from feeling like an outsider in two different worlds to becoming a specialist who helps others navigate the complexities of dual and multi-heritage identity.

In this compelling episode, Mary-Claire openly shares:

  • Growing up in a village in Nigeria with her mother’s family
  • The experience of dual heritage in a Nigerian community
  • Moving to the UK with her White father to a small village in Norfolk
  • Being singled out as the only person of dual heritage in both environments
  • Asking herself as a child: ‘what’s wrong with me?’
  • Feeling profoundly different and like an outsider
  • Studying at Oxford University and continued feelings of not belonging
  • Training as a primary school teacher
  • Experiencing a persistent feeling of emptiness she couldn’t shake
  • Seeking therapy to address her emotional struggles
  • The transformative and healing power of her own therapeutic journey
  • The decision to change careers and train as a psychotherapist
  • Specialising in dual and multi-heritage identity work
  • Lecturing for various counselling and psychotherapy organisations
  • Running workshops on inclusion and social equity
  • Using her lived experience to support others navigating identity

This essential conversation offers invaluable insights for anyone navigating dual or multi-heritage identity, struggling with belonging, or seeking to understand how cultural displacement shapes our sense of self.

Key Topics Discussed:

  • Dual heritage identity and cultural displacement
  • Feeling like an outsider in multiple environments
  • The impact of being visibly different in predominantly White spaces
  • Racial identity development and self-perception
  • Childhood experiences of not belonging
  • Identity struggles at university and in professional settings
  • The persistent feeling of emptiness and disconnection
  • Therapy as a path to understanding and accepting yourself
  • Career transition from teaching to psychotherapy
  • Specialising in dual and multi-heritage therapeutic work
  • Creating inclusive spaces and challenging social inequity
  • Using lived experience to support clients authentically
  • Finding belonging and peace with your identity

Learn more about Mary-Claire Wilson.

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.