Muzna Abbas: Mental Health In The South Asian Diaspora

by Jeff Bond

At the core of Jeff's work is helping servant leaders use their influence as a force for good. As the Co-Founder of Chat With Leaders Media and Executive Partner at People First Elevation Team, he empowers organizational leaders with media solutions that spark collaboration and shared purpose with their teams and customers.

Together with his team, Jeff delivers event production, podcast production, content creation, cross-cultural training, and strategic advisory solutions. They are committed to unlocking the power of inclusive storytelling, shared experiences, leadership development, and feedback integration to ensure their media solutions meet the needs of their clients' stakeholder groups.

Their core values—Partnership, Inclusion, and Empowerment—guide everything they do. By fostering strong partnerships, embracing diverse perspectives, and equipping leaders with the tools to succeed, they aim to transform the way people engage while getting meaningful work done.

Outside of work, Jeff cherishes time with his wife and three kiddos, balancing his roles as a husband and father with his professional life in Atlanta, GA. Connect with Jeff to explore how impactful media solutions can drive success and engagement.

Muzna Abbas is the author of the book “Letters to My Brown Mother.” As a Pakistani-American daughter of immigrants, Muzna wrote this book as an ode to her own struggles with mental health. She hopes that sharing her insights and those of the people whom she interviewed in her research will encourage others to be more proactive in taking care of their mental wellbeing.

She is currently a dual-degree Master’s degree student at Georgetown University, pursuing an MBA as well as a Master of Science in Foreign Service (MSFS) with a concentration in International Development. Prior to graduate school, she served as a bilingual teacher (Spanish and English) with Teach for America in Buffalo, NY where she also earned a Master’s degree in Bilingual Education from Canisius College.

Muzna is originally from Southern California and is a first-generation Pakistani-American. In her spare time, Muzna enjoys reading, photography, and learning how to cook Pakistani foods. She speaks Urdu, Hindi, and Spanish and is working on learning Arabic soon. Muzna currently resides in the Washington, D.C metro area with her dog, Baxter.

Discussion Topics

Why has mental health been a taboo topic in the South Asian (desi) diaspora and how has this shaped your own experiences?
What inspired you to embark on the journey of writing your book, “Letters To My Brown Mother?”
What are some of the cultural themes you became more aware of through your research that further deepens the stigma towards mental health in desi communities?
How can we be more attentive to mental health concerns with our family, friends, and co-workers across a range of cultural backgrounds?

Follow/Get In Touch

Check out “Letters To My Brown Mother” Pre-Sales Campaign at https://igg.me/at/letterstomybrownmother
Instagram: Book | Personal
Twitter
LinkedIn
Email

Our Community Partners

B Local GA: A collection of for-profit companies each dedicated to creating a future where businesses operate as a positive influence on society.
InspirEDU: A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that seeks to support education equity with its commitment to youth and their families, through training, device distribution, and technology career development.
AppBarry: An Atlanta-based software engineering team specializing in building custom web and mobile applications, cloud migrations, and software integrations.
Classic City Consulting: An Atlanta-based WordPress design + development, content writing, and SEO consulting firm.
Stratfield Consulting: Helping organizations successfully adapt to a rapidly changing landscape with an approach that integrates proven consulting, staffing, and recruiting services.