Ep. 53 Vasu Tolia, MD on Navigating Life’s Transitions; Dawn’s Responses
- Neil Parekh
- a few seconds ago
- 3 min read
Unique is one way to describe our next episode of Shining Light on “Shadows: A Candid Conversation About Mental Health.” Vasu Tolia, my aunt, joined us two weeks ago for Ep. 52 to talk about the challenges she faced in finding her footing after retiring from her medical career. Art “opened the door” back to her self.
Dawn Neuburg, my co-host, had a lot she wanted to talk to Dr. Tolia about. An Internet outage and technical failures prevented her from participating in the show. Ep. 53 gives Dawn the opportunity to explore this topic of navigating life’s transitions and the role art can play in that.
The unique part of this episode? We’ll play clips of Vasu Tolia’s answers to the questions I posed. Dawn will then respond. As always, we’ll entertain additional comments and questions from the audience.
Watch Ep. 53, “Vasu Tolia, MD on Navigating Life’s Transitions; Dawn’s Responses” on Thursday, July 23 at 7pm ET / 6pm CT.
Watch the live show or recording on this website or watch and comment on social media: Facebook* | Twitter | LinkedIn | YouTube | Instagram
*Facebook will delete the video in about 30 days (approx. August 22).
**We won't know the exact urls for Twitter and Instagram until we go live.
For now, these links go to the main pages of my accounts.
As Vasu Tolia wrote in her blog post, “Beyond being a doctor, teacher, mentor, mother, and friend, what was left? There were days when I felt invisible, unmoored, and unsure of my place. In hindsight, that restlessness and emptiness may have had some features of subtle depression, though I never sought formal help or had a formal diagnosis.”
She also wrote, “As a visual artist, I often speak about painting, but I believe creativity is much broader than that. For one person, it may be writing. For another, music, crochet, cooking, gardening, dancing, walking, sewing, or arranging a space with care. There are countless forms of creative expression. Creativity gives us a doorway into what we feel. It can help us begin conversations that are otherwise difficult to start.”
On Episode 53, we’ll cover:
What life was like for Dr. Tolia as she approached the end of her medical career;
How long it took for her to become comfortable with art;
Three of her paintings;
The evolution of her calling as an artist;
How art connects with healing; and
A special guide, “Five Creative Practices to Navigate Your Next Chapter" (available on her website.
I’m particularly proud that she was a guest on our show because Vasu Tolia is family. She’s my aunt. Very few people in my parents’ generation are comfortable talking about mental health. I think it showed a lot of courage for her to share her story.
Programming Notes
Episode 52 Vasu Tolia’s original appearance was on July 9, 2026
Episode 54 On August 13, Alison DeCamp will join us to talk about how decluttering intersects with mental health, including depression, trauma and ADHD. I met Alison through Calibrate ADHD, the ADHD support group I belong to, where she serves as a coach.
Alison brings several years of experience helping people declutter and organize their spaces. Her background includes training in ADHD coaching, graduate study in conflict resolution and mediation, experience supporting sexual-assault survivors in hospital and crisis settings, and professional development through the Institute for Challenging Disorganization. Her approach is also informed by her own experience with ADHD and burnout, giving her a practical, compassionate understanding of the mental-health challenges that can make decluttering difficult.
I know firsthand how difficult it can be to work through clutter—and how deeply it can affect your mental health.
Background
Dawn and I launched this twice a month show (usually the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of the month) in order to help reduce the stigma associated with mental health. Thank you for being part of our community.
We are proud to be in Year 3 of the show. If you are interested in being a guest on the show or know someone who might be interested, please let us know. We’re looking for people who would be willing to share their story, advocates and people who work in the field of mental health.
We hope you can watch the show and share your own thoughts in the comments.
Resources / Relevant Links
Vasu Tolia's Website
vasutolia.art
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Helpline
800-950-6264 Or text "HelpLine" to 6264; nami.org
Mental Health America Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org; mhanational.org Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) National Sexual Assault Hotline 800-656-HOPE (4673); rainn.org