Sisterhood for mental wellness on Meghan Markle's podcast 'Archetypes'

Meghan Markl and Deepika Padukone. Pics Courtesy/Wikimedia commons

"She sat at the back and they said she was shy. She led from the front and they hated her pride." American actor Meghan Markle recites this poem, Breathe by Becky Hemsley in her latest episode titled Decoding the Crazy, and it flawlessly encaptures the essence of her podcast - Archetypes.

Markle is no stranger to stereotypes, and the podcast enables talks around the several uncalled-for labels society uses for women. By inviting women icons who have had similar experiences, the podcast aims to decode and dissect years of conditioning that have been enforced on them. Naturally, it has been a huge success since its launch in late August.

The second episode - Decoding the Crazy, launched after the demise of Queen Elizabeth II, spoke of terms such as ‘hysteria' and ‘nuts' that have been used to describe women who dare to stray away from societal norms. Markle was joined by actors Deepika Padukone and Constance Wu, as they spoke of their experiences of being labelled by their audiences and the media for stepping out of the boxes they were shoved into. Padukone speaks about her journey through depression in 2014 and 2015. She highlights how discussing her personal struggles had played a key role in destigmatising mental health issues in India. Constance Wu, who recently rejoined Instagram, spoke about online bullying which had made her sever ties with social media three years ago.

The podcast is filled with such enlightening conversations that will help listeners make a little more sense of their jumbled thoughts. The fact that it is hosted by a public figure who is known for breaking stereotypes and wielding courage only makes it more authentic and impactful.

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