The Wellness Pod: Recent Episodes
Dean of Students Wellness
Join our hosts Maleeka and Mpiwa as they navigate the ins and outs of college life, and learn from members within our community on strategies for improving well-being.
[Trigger Warning: Discussions about the closure of Yale-NUS College]In this episode, Maleeka and Mpiwa discuss the importance of community and community building with Serene, our Cendana College Manager. How do we build community, and which of these methods do we find the most effective?
[Trigger Warning: Discussions about body weight, weight loss/gain, anxiety, mental health and distress & dysmorphia, body management]
In this episode, Mpiwa and Maleeka discuss how they balance goals about their body and wellness, instead of taking these goals to the extreme. Tune in to find out more about their experiences with 75 soft/hard, skin care regiments and wellness marketing campaigns. Let's start the conversation about the mind, body, and the economy.
In this episode, we talk to two Yale-NUS graduates, Sharon and Valeria, about their experiences with graduation and adulting. They give us advice on job seeking post graduation, maintaining relationships and balancing adult responsibilities and their own passions.
In this episode, we talk about mental health awareness! We invited Sundarimaa and Heli, who are a part of PS We Care, a peer counselling group at Yale-NUS, to share their perspectives. They share about their own personal journeys with mental health, important suggestions about managing stress and anxiety and dispel myths about counselling.
The Wellness Pod is back for our fourth season! As part of our mini series on relationships, we explore how we can navigate the complexities of building and sustaining relationships through transitory phases in our lives. In these transitory phases, we might be making big decisions for ourselves, for instance, applying to grad school, choosing to go on a semester abroad, deciding where to work and so on. These are all scary decisions we’re making with our futures/selves in mind, but it becomes especially daunting when you consider the relationships and ties we have. Join us as we speak to Acting Dean of Students, Cory Owen, to find out more about her thoughts and experiences of navigating these relationship ties in transitional periods of her life.
This episode is part of our study abroad series!
In this episode, Mpiwa shares about having to take a Leave of Absence during her semester abroad due to some visa issues. She reflects on how she processed her feelings, and what she has learnt from this journey.
This episode is part of our study abroad series!
In this episode, Lecarl shares his experience studying abroad at University of Cape Town with Mpiwa. They discuss why he chose UCT, the culture shocks he experienced, the new experiences he had and the things he learnt from these experiences.
This episode is part of our study abroad series!
In this episode, Maleeka shares about her exchange experience with Mishael, her suitemate from Yale-NUS. They discuss their experiences in University College Utretcht and Cambridge University respectively, touching on topics ranging from new experiences to making friends and finally giving some advice to people who are considering going on a semester abroad.
Tune into this week's episode to get to know the team behind the Wellness Pod! Cheryl, our Student Wellness Manager, Wei Lin, our podcast producer, Maleeka and Mpiwa share their reflections on 2022, and how they plan to go about 2023. It's not quite New Year's anymore, but it's still a good period to check in with yourself and think about how you want to live your life in 2023.
Today in the pod we are joined by Doug, an NUS College (NUSC) student living in Cendana who was previously a University scholars program student. Doug, Maleeka and Mpiwa exchange stories about their experience with change as NUSC students moved into the Yale-NUS campus this semester. They discuss their feelings and experiences about the change and express their hopes for NUSC and Yale-NUS.
How do you feel about the easing of Covid regulations? In this episode, we hear what Madhu, a wellness student associate in her senior year, has to say about how she's been coping with post pandemic realities. How has our approach to wellness changed or remained the same after the pandemic? Madhu talks about her new self care habits, and carving out the time to keep these practices up amidst her busy schedule.
As part of our mini series, relationships on campus, we explore how we can navigate the complexities and boundaries of relationships that we have. Some of our relationships intersect in different contexts, for instance, personal, professional, clubs and sports and many other spaces, and sometimes it can get difficult to separate the relationships in those intersections or reconcile with the intersection. Join us as we interview Residential Life Officer Jie Min, a recent graduate of Yale-NUS to find out more about his thoughts and experiences in these situations.
Have you ever adjusted to a new community? In this episode, we sat down with Amalie Vestergaard, an exchange student from Denmark, and talked about overcoming homesickness, being intentional about having fun with people, and being kind and accommodating of other people’s stories. She shares about the pressures of being an exchange student, including the excitement about travels within Southeast Asia and the stresses of schoolwork, and how to reduce school stress.
In this episode, we talk about bodies and sex! We invited Pippa, who co-founded the Body.ody Collective (a body neutrality identity collective) to share about why she co-founded the collective, and her insights on body neutrality. Pippa is also a student associate for Kingfishers for Consent, and we ask her for her insights on sex, its relation to body neutrality, and consent.
We get deep about love this week at the Wellness Pod as we continue our inquisition into relationships (Check out our episode on Dating in College). We invited Prof. Marvin Montefrio and students Ziyang and Lynn to talk about the highs and lows of relationships and how it inevitably affects their wellness. With Valentine's Day as a yearly reminder of romance, we asked the three how they create healthy boundaries with their partners and what this holiday means for them.
This week at the pod, we talk about finances! In a community where the diversity in experiences, cultures, and identities affect the way we interact, we still somehow forget to talk about how socioeconomic status plays a factor. Maleeka and Mpiwa interview Shehryar (Class of 2023) about their experiences as a student spreading awareness and advocating for accommodations and resources for low income students.
In this episode, Maleeka and Mpiwa sit down with Annabelle, Magnus, Naia, Sid, Ethan and Zirdi to talk about the performance arts and how singing, dancing and acting have contributed to their own wellness and self-discovery.
This week on the pod, Maleeka and Mpiwa discuss the ins and outs of college dating. We asked our listeners to give us some of their juiciest and most poignant dating experiences. We talk about love, boundaries, and communication.
Note: This episode was recorded to be the first episode of the season however, due to recent events this episode's release was pushed later.
In this episode, we want to share with you all stories about grief. To a lot of people, Yale-NUS was home and the news of the merger shook the community. One week after the announcement, the pod wanted to do a pulse check. Maleeka and Mpiwa interviewed community members to hear more about how they reacted and coped.
Today in the pod, we are joined by two fitness-loving folks on campus. Miku is the co-founder of The Daily Movement, and Dexter is a sprinter for the Singapore National Team. Tune into this conversation as our hosts, Maleeka and Mpiwa, learn about what pursuing sports and fitness as a career looks like, how they balance that with college life and the things that keep them motivated (including having many rest days!).
Professor Tan Tai Yong joins us for a conversation in the pod today! Tune in to listen to our hosts Maleeka and Mpiwa discover the human being behind the title of 'President of Yale-NUS'. What did student life look like for Prof Tan? How does he manage stress in a high pressure environment? Why batik shirts? What does he do for self-care? (hint: it rhymes with porean prama!)
In this week's episode, Maleeka and Mpiwa discuss the topic of residential living with our guest, Tanya Sharma. Tanya shares openly and vulnerably about how she has managed suite conflicts over the last 4 semesters and gives advice on how to foster healthy living arrangements. The three also reminisce about what it was like moving in with complete strangers for the first time!
Today in the pod we are joined by Betina, a familiar presence on campus, a senior and a Residential College Advisor at Yale-NUS. Betina, Maleeka and Mpiwa exchange stories about what it’s like being an international student living away from the familiarities of home, and the impact that their identities have had on their well-being. The three also discuss the roles that their Singaporean friends have played in helping them feel more included in our community.
Join Mpiwa, Maleeka and our ~mYsTeRy gUeSt~ in the pod today as they converse about life lessons learnt from Winter Break, their favourite pick-me-up activities and what goals they are setting for the year ahead. Uncover the contents of their Semester 2 Self-care Starter Pack, and learn how you can build your very own!
Our hosts Maleeka and Mpiwa interview RLO Olivia Dure to find out about how she is making Yale-NUS her home away from home during this Winter break! Learn about where Olivia inherited her creative spirit from, how she has been coping during this pandemic, and what advice she has on finding what feels right for yourself amidst external pressures.
We live in a world where social media and content creation is a norm. Join our hosts Maleeka and Mpiwa as they speak with vlogger William Lee to find out about how digital journalling is a form of self-care for him and how videography is helping him to process the pandemic.