A smiling woman with shoulder-length dark hair, wearing a satin blouse and a necklace with an Om symbol, sitting in a living room with a large plant in the background.

Psychologist, Keynote Speaker, Consultant

ANUSHKA

PHAL

Public speaking: where your words have the power to move mountains, inspire change, and maybe even get a standing ovation (or at least a polite golf clap)

Snapshot

Panel discussion at a conference with an audience seated on tiered seating facing four women on stage. One woman is speaking and holding papers. The stage has a large screen displaying the title "Undelented" and a graphic. The conference room has wood-paneled walls.

A woman standing and smiling at a table of seated women during a workshop or presentation in a conference room, with a large screen displaying a diagram of flowers and the words "Identify" and "Flower" in the background.

A woman giving a presentation at a conference, standing at a podium with a microphone, with banners and a screen behind her.

Two individuals seated on stage in front of a large screen displaying a schedule of speakers for a mental health panel discussion. The man on the left is wearing a cream jacket with patches, light jeans, and sneakers, and holding a microphone. The woman on the right is wearing an orange pants, black boots, and a white blazer, and holding a microphone, smiling at the camera.

Talks delivered on both national & global platforms

A woman giving a TEDx talk at Victor Harbor with a large red and black screen behind her displaying a diagram about provide and its historical context.

Hi, I’m Anushka Phal - Educational and Developmental Psychologist, founder of Umeed Psychology and The Third Place, TEDx speaker, community-builder, chai enthusiast, and the unofficial CEO of starting conversations people’s parents warned them about.

At my core, I’m obsessed with making people feel understood. Not in a “tell me your star sign and unresolved childhood wounds” way (although… also that), but in a “you’re safe here, sit down, breathe, I got you” way.

I founded Umeed Psychology to make mental health care feel culturally grounded, accessible, and actually human. And then we created The Third Place because our people deserve spaces to cry, laugh, heal, write poetry, process mother-in-law politics, and eat momos - sometimes all in one evening.

My work revolves around de-stigmatising mental health in multicultural communities and bringing wellbeing into everyday life - not just therapy rooms. Community-led programs, cultural education, safe spaces, empowerment… basically all the things I wish existed when teenage Anushka was trying to figure out why her brain felt like 63 tabs open with one invisible audio playing.

I’m also the co-host of the Girls That ADHD Podcast, which I created with my brilliant co-conspirator Sayaka because:

ADHDers deserve a space that sounds like us,
Diagnosis stories shouldn’t require a PhD to understand,
And honestly? We needed a place to feel less unhinged and more understood.

It’s where we talk neurodivergence, culture, chaos, executive dysfunction, rest guilt, intergenerational expectations - all with equal amounts science, storytelling, laughter, and deeply unnecessary side tangents.

Beyond the therapy room, I’m a founding member of Guardians of the Pacific, a Fiji-focused charity close to my heart as a Fiji Indian woman. Our mission is to support Fijian communities through poverty alleviation, education, and individual welfare - with a particular focus on working alongside orphanages and vulnerable children.

We’ve spent years helping orphanages access essential resources, from educational materials to everyday necessities, ensuring kids have safety, stability, and the chance to thrive. Our work is hands-on, community-driven, and rooted in the belief that every child deserves dignity, opportunity, and a village around them.

Being part of Guardians connects me back to my roots and reminds me why service matters - because when our communities rise, we rise together.

As a TEDx speaker & Keynote Speaker, I take the conversations our communities whisper about and place them on a global stage - especially around intergenerational trauma, culture, identity, and the psychology of being raised between worlds. I’m obsessed with helping people understand that healing isn’t rebellion. It’s reclamation.

I’ve also worked as a school psychologist, published research in youth mental health, and serve as an Ambassador for the Australia & New Zealand Mental Health Association, where I advocate for mental health reform that reflects the actual realities of multicultural communities - not the textbook version.

I’m a co-author of Undefeated, a storyteller, a community-space builder, and someone who will absolutely bring snacks to any meeting, event, or emotional breakdown.

If you’re here, welcome to my corner of the internet - where psychology meets culture, where community meets healing, and where ADHD brains are not just accepted, but adored.

And if it feels a little chaotic…
Well, that’s just brand alignment.