<img src="https://topmate-staging.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/sNacfFujzN9VWWpNaUw6EC.png"> Hello there. Thanks for signing up to Lived Experience 101. There's no need to prepare before the session. This isn't an academic lecture; I invite you to show up with an open mind, and expect to engage with perspective-expanding questions rather than rigid and prescriptive answers. Some housekeeping: <ol><li>I am NOT a mental health professional and WILL NOT offer clinical advice or therapist recommendations. To ensure the safety of all participants, please don't use the message board during the session to ask for or offer mental health advice.</li><li>This session is meant for a conceptual discussion on the idea of lived experience and is NOT meant for sharing personal mental health stories. Please do not use it as such and seek out peer support groups if that's what you need.</li><li>We will follow the Chatham House rule. This means that you are free to use the information received, but you MAY NOT disclose the identity or affiliation of any speaker or participant in the session.</li></ol> See you soon,Tanmoy

<h1>Lived Experience 101 - 'Woke' Buzzword or Tool for Empowerment?</h1> Hello there. Welcome to Lived Experience 101. I've delivered this popular two-hour interactive session for the past two years as part of a closed-group mental health leadership programme, and now I am opening it up to you. Attendees in the past have included therapists, psychiatrists, social workers, researchers, policymakers and allied professionals, students, lived experience experts, and folks curious about the mental health movement from diverse parts of the world. Here's what some of them have said: <blockquote>"Thanks Tanmoy for reshaping the discussion around persons with lived experience. Since we are in throes of the beginning of this movement of transparency, we will have to accept the distress and unease that comes along with inclusivity."</blockquote> <blockquote>"The way you introduced the fish pamphlet in the beginning was a really interesting and novel way of looking at 'the struggle' of those going through mental health conditions. It really helps reshape the narrative from a passive victim to an active and empowered survivor. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on the subject!"</blockquote> <blockquote>"Thank you Tanmoy.&nbsp;Wonderful session."</blockquote> <h2>Big questions we will explore together</h2><ul><li>What is lived experience, really, and what is it not?</li><li>How did a term that originated as part of the feminist movement become embroiled in one of our time's most polarising culture wars?</li><li>Are individuals weaponising lived experience to undermine 'objective' capital-T Truth, by claiming that their own subjective experiences are the highest form of truth?</li><li>Or is lived experience a legitimate form of expertise that's finally asserting itself against the privileged elite who have long monopolised the idea of expertise?</li><li>Who can lay claim to lived experience and who is kept out of this community? Does lived experience belong only to people with a diagnosis?</li><li>How did lived experience expertise become a career currency you can put on your CV?</li><li>How can people in power incorporate lived experience in their policies and programmes to create better, more inclusive systems and structures?</li></ul> <h2>Session structure</h2>In this two-hour interactive session open to a limited audience, I will:<ol><li>Walk you through the modern history of lived experience - its origins and evolution</li><li>Address myths and confusions about the idea of lived experience</li><li>Highlight best practices on integrating lived experience in various domains</li><li>Direct you towards a rich list of further readings and reference materials</li><li>Hold space for intra-group discussion.</li></ol> <h2>After this session, you will be able to...</h2><ol><li>Get a nuanced understanding of lived experience that goes beyond the polarising noise on the topic</li><li>Better appreciate, evaluate, and contextualise your own lived experience</li><li>Feel equipped to explore the history and politics of lived experience in depth</li><li>Develop your own frameworks for integrating lived experience expertise in your domain</li></ol> <h2>What you should not expect + housekeeping</h2><ol><li>This is a space for reflection and discussion and NOT an academic lecture. The aim is to help us engage with perspective-expanding questions rather than rigid and prescriptive answers.</li><li>I am NOT a mental health professional and WILL NOT offer clinical advice or therapist recommendations. To ensure the safety of all participants, please don't use the message board during the session to ask for or offer mental health advice.</li><li>This session is meant for a conceptual discussion on the idea of lived experience and is NOT meant for sharing personal mental health stories. Please do not use it as such and seek out peer support groups if that's what you need.</li><li>We will follow the Chatham House rule. This means that you are free to use the information received, but you MAY NOT disclose the identity or affiliation of any speaker or participant in the session.</li></ol> <h2>Who am I?</h2>Hi, I am Tanmoy. I am a lived experience expert, mental health storyteller, and former newsroom leader with top publications. I bring all these experiences to bear as the creator of <a href="https://www.sanitybytanmoy.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sanity by Tanmoy,</a> India's first independent reader-funded mental health storytelling platform, which has subscribers in over 50 countries. I love teaching and mentoring, and have spoken and delivered sessions at forums including the University of Amsterdam; The Vedica Scholars Programme for Women; Knight Centre for Journalism at the University of Texas, Austin; and King's College, London. My work has been featured on, and I have been quoted in, the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, IJ Net, Times of India, The Economic Times, Forbes, Poynter, and Suno India, among others. I also write for global publications including The Mekong Review, Griffith Review, Business Insider, and Welcome to the Jungle. I'm a past fellow of the Reuters Institute at the University of Oxford and a LinkedIn Top Voice in Social Impact, and I sit on lived experience panels and committees across the world. I have<a href="https://www.sanitybytanmoy.com/sanity-is-in-the-lancet-psychiatry/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> co-authored a paper on suicide prevention in the Lancet Psychiatry</a> and serve as an advisor to the Keshav Desiraju Indian Mental Health Observatory at the Centre for Mental Health Law and Policy. I am also a jury member for the Project SIREN Awards that recognise excellence in journalism on the topic of suicide prevention. I hope to see you soon.

How lived experience became 'hot' and started a culture war

AMA Call with Individuals: 30 mins

A Brief (Explosive) History of Lived Experience

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Sanity by Tanmoy

Tanmoy Goswami is insightful, supportive, and articulate, offering valuable perspectives and deep listening that aid personal and professional growth.

Welcome to The Best of Sanity, a series of downloadables featuring mental health stories you can’t miss. I’m excited to bring you Vol. 3 of the series, containing three thought-provoking pieces on therapy: <ol><li>Are we using words like ‘trauma’ and ‘depression’ too casually, and is this hurting the mental health movement?</li><li>The term 'lived experience' is popping up everywhere. But what does it really mean?</li><li>Do mental illness diagnoses help or harm?</li></ol> Each piece also includes questions for you that'll help expand your imagination around these topics. Gift The Best of Sanity to yourself or your friends. Download now.

Research and analysis you won't find anywhere else

The Best of Sanity Vol. 1: The Big Debates

Welcome to The Best of Sanity, a series of downloadables featuring mental health stories you can’t miss. I’m excited to bring you Vol. 1 of the series, containing three thought-provoking pieces on the most hotly debated topics of our time: <ol><li>The Untold story of therapists became leaders</li><li>Where have all the male therapists disappeared?</li><li>In the age of AI, Freud is still therapy's main course</li></ol> Each piece also includes questions for you that'll help expand your imagination around these topics. Gift The Best of Sanity to yourself or your friends. Download now.

The Best of Sanity Vol. 3: Big Reads on Therapy

I’m excited to bring you Vol. 1 of the series, containing three thought-provoking pieces carrying messages of hope: <ol><li>A radical new way to save vulnerable lives: give them cash.</li><li>How neurodivergent people are making bold statements and asserting their identity through their email signatures</li><li>If you are sick of the torrent of self-help advice, try CHIME.</li></ol> Each piece also includes questions for you that'll help expand your imagination around these topics. Gift The Best of Sanity to yourself or your friends. Download now.

The Best of Sanity Vol.2: Stories of Hope

Welcome to The Best of Sanity, a series of downloadables featuring mental health stories you can’t miss. I’m excited to bring you Vol. 1 +2+3 of the series, containing 9 thought-provoking pieces on mental health: <h2>The Big Debates</h2> <ol><li>Is the overuse of mental health terms driving us to cultural collapse?</li><li>Inside the brave new world of vulnerable email signature.</li><li>Diagnosis: angel or demon?</li></ol> <h2>Stories of Hope</h2> <ol><li>Want to save vulnerable lives? Try giving them cash.</li><li>Inside the brave new world of vulnerable email signatures</li><li>Sick of self-care? Try CHIME. </li></ol> <h2>Big Reads on Therapy</h2>﻿<ol><li>The untold story of how therapists became leaders</li><li>The case of the missing male therapist</li><li>Why Freud is therapy’s main course</li></ol> Each piece also includes questions for you that'll help expand your imagination around these topics. Gift The Best of Sanity to yourself or your friends. Download now.

The Big Debates + Stories of Hope + Big Reads on Therapy

The Best of Sanity: Vol.1-3

This option is for you if you are stuck with a specific problem and need a quick and concise answer.

Troubleshoot over DM

<h2>So you want to quit your boring/toxic job and "follow your passion"? Let's talk.</h2> I lost my job 4 years ago, freaked out because I'd never been involuntarily jobless before, and started writing a mental health newsletter to cobble together an income. It was a wild punt, because people paying to read a newsletter produced by an independent writer was unheard of in our part of the world. In this two-hour School of Sanity session, I will tell you all the hard truths I've learned about surviving in this career. Because, let's face it, jobs - especially those you actively want to do - are vanishing like glaciers, and you can't afford to not think about starting something of your own. But first... <h2>... let's cut out the BS</h2> There's a lot of bullshit flying around about life as an independent creator. Most stories you hear are either about gigantic successes - creators with millions of paying fans, or deflating failures - those who gave up in three months. My story is different. I am part of the unsung but vital middle class of the creator economy. This is the zone where 99% of independent creators - likely including you, should you choose this path - will find themselves. I haven't become rich, and the anxiety of doing it all alone has nearly given me ulcers. But hey, I have been able to do work that means a lot to me, uphold my personal values and principles, build precious connections with a loyal community of readers around the world, and create a bit of impact along the way. Oh, and I've also managed to make just enough money that I don't have to smile awkwardly and say "I'm just following my passion" when someone asks me why I do what I do. <h2>After this two-hour session, you will:</h2> <ol><li>Get clarity and learn to bust myths about working as an independent creator</li><li>Validate/challenge your assumptions about striking out on your own, AKA answer the all-important question: "Is this for me?"</li><li>Feel empowered to move from a vague idea in your head to a working concept of what you want to build</li></ol> <h2>Housekeeping</h2><h2> </h2><ol><li>This is a space for reflection and discussion and NOT an academic lecture. The aim is to help us engage with perspective-expanding questions rather than rigid and prescriptive answers.</li><li>I am NOT a mental health professional and WILL NOT offer clinical advice or therapist recommendations. To ensure the safety of all participants, please don't use the message board during the session to ask for or offer mental health advice.</li><li>This session is meant for a conceptual discussion on the idea of lived experience and is NOT meant for sharing personal mental health stories. Please do not use it as such and seek out peer support groups if that's what you need.</li><li>We will follow the Chatham House rule. This means that you are free to use the information received, but you MAY NOT disclose the identity or affiliation of any speaker or participant in the session.</li></ol> <h2>Who am I?</h2>Hi, I am Tanmoy. I am a lived experience expert, mental health storyteller, and former newsroom leader with top publications. I bring all these experiences to bear as the creator of <a href="https://www.sanitybytanmoy.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sanity,</a> India's first independent reader-funded mental health storytelling platform, which has subscribers in over 50 countries. I love teaching and mentoring, and have spoken and delivered sessions at forums including the University of Amsterdam; The Vedica Scholars Programme for Women; Knight Centre for Journalism at the University of Texas, Austin; and King's College, London. My work has been featured on, and I have been quoted in, the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, IJ Net, Times of India, The Economic Times, Forbes, Poynter, and Suno India, among others. I also write for global publications including The Mekong Review, Griffith Review, Business Insider, and Welcome to the Jungle. I'm a past fellow of the Reuters Institute at the University of Oxford and a LinkedIn Top Voice in Social Impact, and I sit on lived experience panels and committees across the world. I have<a href="https://www.sanitybytanmoy.com/sanity-is-in-the-lancet-psychiatry/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> co-authored a paper on suicide prevention in the Lancet Psychiatry</a> and serve as an advisor to the Keshav Desiraju Indian Mental Health Observatory at the Centre for Mental Health Law and Policy. I am also a jury member for the Project SIREN Awards that recognise excellence in journalism on the topic of suicide prevention. I hope to see you soon.

Busting "follow your passion" and other myths

25 no-bullsh*t lessons on life as a solo creator

A 'portfolio career' involves stitching together a livelihood by adding up different gigs. Building a solid portfolio career is a superpower in a world where 'job security' is increasingly fragile. For instance, I write a reader-funded newsletter, freelance for national and international publications, do some public speaking and teaching, offer my services as a consultant and guest editor, and mentor folks on Topmate. The chaos of managing so many different income streams does get a bit hairy from time to time, but I am hugely grateful for the chance to work with so many kind and interesting people all over the world. Plus it helps me derisk my livelihood by diversifying my bets, and it has allowed me to harness skills and knowledge that would otherwise rust away. I am excited to speak with you about whether a portfolio career is right for you, and how you too can have fun and unlock new income by tapping into multiple gigs. Book a 1:1 call with me. And as prep, check out this <a href="https://time.com/charter/6206500/portfolio-career/?ref=sanitybytanmoy.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">nuanced essay</a>&nbsp;on the subject. No-go areas: Therapy or mental health advice; recommending mental health professionals; sharing details of personal mental health journeys that may constitute boundary violation for either of us.

Unlock new income + have fun combining multiple gigs

Create a Portfolio Career

Choose this if you <ol><li>Are a founder or executive at a company that wants to foray into mental health and needs expert opinion on business model/privacy policy/lived experience-based advice.</li><li>Want to discuss potential collaborations. Please note that collaborations have no bearing or influence on my work as an independent mental health storyteller. I retain full editorial control irrespective of the nature or scope of such collabs.</li></ol> No-go areas: Therapy or mental health advice; recommending mental health professionals; sharing details of personal mental health journeys that may constitute boundary violation for either of us.

Exploring consulting projects or exploring potential collab

Discovery Call with Businesses

We can discuss anything you want - from your project ideas to career goals - over a 30-minute one-on-one video call. No-go areas: Therapy or mental health advice; recommending mental health professionals; sharing details of personal mental health journeys that may constitute boundary violation for either of us.

We can discuss anything you want - from your project ideas to career goals - over a 1-hour one-on-one video call. No-go areas: Therapy or mental health advice; recommending mental health professionals; sharing details of personal mental health journeys that may constitute boundary violation for either of us.

Connect 1:1 with me over a brainstorming call

AMA Call with Individuals: 60 mins

Don't know how I can help you? Then book this quick discovery call where I'll try to learn more about you and we'll find ways to help you reach your goals. A request: I take every call seriously, so please book a slot only if you are sure you'd be able to make it, or raise a reschedule request at least a day in advance. Thank you. No-go areas: Therapy or mental health advice; recommending mental health professionals; sharing details of personal mental health journeys that may constitute boundary violation for either of us.

Discovery Call with Individuals

Limited pro bono slots available for: *Journalism students interested in covering mental health.*A student of any other discipline who needs mentoring on the mental health ecosystem, or on applying to courses and programmes related to the subject.*Young professionals who want to derisk their livelihoods by building a portfolio career I take every call seriously, so please book a slot only if you are sure you'd be able to make it, or raise a reschedule request at least a day in advance. Thank you. ﻿No-go areas: Therapy or mental health advice; recommending mental health professionals; sharing details of personal mental health journeys that may constitute boundary violation for either of us.

Pro bono Mentoring: Students

I am a lived experience expert, mental health storyteller, and former newsroom leader with top publications. I bring all these experiences to bear as the creator of Sanity by Tanmoy, India's first independent reader-funded mental health storytelling platform, which has subscribers in over 50 countries.

My expertise and interests

I am excited about the intersection of these four themes:

1. Mental health advocacy with a lived experience lens.
2. Business and technology.
3. Culture of mental health in workplaces.
4. Niche media entrepreneurship, AKA the creator economy.

I love helping people and organisations engage with these issues and start conversations that could seed real change. For instance:

1. If you are a business leader, I believe it's time you got rid of the wasteful idea of employee 'happiness' and pivot your policies towards humanity instead.

2. If you are a mental health entrepreneur, your startup needs to bake in lived experience expertise and ethical tech principles from Day Zero.

3. If you are a psychology student, you need to develop awareness of the big currents shaping the mental health movement globally.

4. Investors and philanthropies: the mental health community needs you to support projects that respect and meaningfully embed lived experience.

5. If you are a media professional or a newsroom leader, I'd love to talk to you about why mental health is not a 'soft' beat, and how following the principles relevant to mental health journalism can make all of your journalism much better and more valuable to your audience.

6. If you are an independent media entrepreneur or are planning to become one, I'm happy to share with you what I have learnt from my journey so far, including insights on building reader relationships and staying ad-free.

Detailed bio

I am not a mental health professional, wellness guru, or coach. 'Consulting', as that term is broadly understood, is not my thing either. I don't work with PPTs and Excel sheets (though I can). My strength lies in telling powerful stories centred on the human mind. I geek out on perspectives and insights 100% rooted in lived experience, using my vantage as a person with mental health challenges as well as a professional journalist. I love nuanced and respectful conversations. I am allergic to bullshit.

Before shifting to mental health journalism to make sense of my own lifelong mental health challenges, I worked as an editor and writer in giant corporations, tiny startups, and top mainstream media outlets for over 13 years.

*I spent a significant part of my journalism career understanding and writing about tech startups.

*I was the youngest managing editor of a magazine cofounded by a former dean of Harvard Business School, and the founding editor of India's first innovation magazine.

*I headed the desk at Fortune magazine's Indian edition and helped build ET Prime, the subscription-based platform owned by India's largest pink paper, The Economic Times.

*In 2016, I was the joint winner of the Prize for Economic Journalism in Asia awarded by IE Business School, Madrid.

*I am an advisor to Project SIREN, India's first-ever programme to monitor and evaluate the quality of media reporting on suicide. I am also part of various work groups on suicide prevention.

*In 2021, I was selected for the Entrepreneurial Journalism Creators Program at the Newmark Business School, City University of New York.

*In 2022, I was invited to speak on the creator economy in Asia at the International Journalism Festival in Perugia. (Thanks to my friends at Splice Media, Singapore.)

*I was a fellow at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, University of Oxford, researching mental health journalism in the global south between October 2022 and April 2023.

Lived experience expertise is real, game-changing expertise, but it is habitually disrespected and exploited. Many lived experience experts have uncertain income streams, but they are unfailingly generous with their time and wisdom. Whether or not you and I decide to work together, I urge you to please pay any lived experience expert for their (emotional) labour – even if it's for a panel discussion or a fireside chat in your organisation.

Let's talk.

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Mental Health | Writing | Editing | Creator Economy | Portfolio Careers | Newsletters | Founder, Sanity | Fellow, Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, University of Oxford, 2022-23