8 women mental health and wellbeing speakers to book in India
These eight women speak on mental health and wellbeing at work, at home and in public life in India, and every one of them is a verified speaker on the Dais. The list has a psychiatrist, two psychologists, two founders of care and therapy platforms, a wellness coach, a communication coach and a social-sector leader, and between them they cover workplace wellbeing, maternal and caregiver health, relationships and stigma.
Each woman here applied to the Dais, was verified, and lists mental health and wellbeing among the subjects she speaks on.
In short
- Eight verified Dais speakers on mental health and wellbeing, based in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi and Sri Ganganagar, with one available nationally.
- A Deloitte survey of 3,995 employees, reported in September 2022, found that 80% of India's workforce had reported mental health issues in the past year.
- Deloitte put the cost of poor employee mental health to Indian employers at about Rs 1.1 lakh crore a year.
- All eight take talks, panels and podcast interviews. Five also run workshops, and three take media requests for comment.
Why organisers in India book mental health speakers
Deloitte's survey on mental health and well-being in the workplace covered 3,995 employees and found that 80% of the Indian workforce had reported mental health issues over the previous year, as reported by People Matters in September 2022. It estimated the annual cost to employers at about Rs 1.1 lakh crore, or about $14 billion, through absenteeism, presenteeism and staff turnover.
Presenteeism, people coming to work while unwell, was the largest share, at about Rs 51,000 crore a year. For HR leaders, employee resource groups and conference organisers, that puts mental health on the agenda well beyond World Mental Health Day on 10 October.
We have interviewed two of the women below at length: Disha Manchekar on workplace mental wellness and Dr Aninda Sidhana on mental health and advocacy. For the bigger picture on how working women fit paid work around unpaid care, see our reading of the September 2026 labour data.
Dr Aninda Sidhana, psychiatrist, Indian Psychiatric Society
Dr Aninda Sidhana is a psychiatrist, an Assistant Professor and a leader within the Indian Psychiatric Society. She is National President of the WICCI National Women's Mental Health & Psychosocial Wellness Council, a UN Next Generation Leader Fellow and an Assistant Editor of the Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine. She founded The Dignity Dialogues, a platform that uses storytelling to talk about mental health.
She has spoken on The Mohua Show about men who face domestic abuse, on The AboutHer Show's World Mental Health Day special on stigma in psychosexual medicine, and in a Josh Talk titled Silent Battle. She takes talks, panels, podcasts, workshops and media requests for comment. Book Dr Sidhana on the Dais.
Harshika Ramasubramanian, founder and counselling psychologist, Ekya Counselling Centre
Harshika Ramasubramanian is a counselling psychologist with 11 years of practice and the founder of Ekya Counselling Centre in Bengaluru. She is trained in counselling psychology, expressive arts therapy, narrative therapy and queer affirmative practice, and works across therapy, school counselling and workplace wellbeing.
She has run employee assistance and wellbeing programmes for Ford, Wipro, Samsung, TCS and Flex, and was named among the Top 10 Women in Healthcare & Wellness at the HerKey HerRising Awards 2026. She speaks on relationships, anxiety, identity, youth and school mental health, caregiver and perinatal mental health, and workplace wellbeing. Book Harshika on the Dais.
Disha Manchekar, psychologist and founder, Innate Mind
Disha Manchekar is a psychologist and the founder of Innate Mind, a mental wellness organisation in Mumbai. Her work covers individual therapy, women's support groups, corporate wellness programmes and guided journals for self-reflection.
She runs vision board workshops for individuals and for couples, and has been interviewed on Radio One 94.3 FM and by Mid-Day about her work. She takes talks, panels, podcasts and workshops. Book Disha on the Dais.
Carina Kohli, founder and CEO, Humm Care
Carina Kohli is the founder and CEO of Humm Care in Mumbai, which provides maternity and family-building healthcare benefits to families and organisations. Its support runs from fertility and family planning through pregnancy and postpartum care to the return to work and early parenthood.
She has given a talk on tackling the stigma around women's health, and speaks on mental health and wellbeing and on relationships and family. She takes talks, panels and podcasts. Book Carina on the Dais.
Tanvi Agrawal, founder and CEO, Elfina Health
Tanvi Agrawal is the founder and CEO of Elfina Health, a Bengaluru platform that matches people with therapists. She worked in financial services and fintech for more than 13 years before starting Elfina in 2024.
She is a chartered accountant with an MBA from the Indian School of Business and a B.Com (Hons) from Shri Ram College of Commerce. She speaks on mental health at work, burnout in high-pressure careers and building a healthcare company from a non-traditional background, and takes talks, panels and podcasts. Book Tanvi on the Dais.
Mira Swarup, executive presence and communication coach
Mira Swarup is a coach and speaker on executive presence and impact communication, with more than 13 years of experience. She has trained more than 3,000 professionals at organisations including Deloitte, BCG, DBS Tech, BlackRock and Razorpay, and coached more than 500 people one to one.
She came to coaching from clinical research, hosts the Candid With Mira podcast and has been an invited TEDx speaker. She speaks on workplace culture, leadership, difficult conversations and wellbeing, works across India, and takes talks, panels, podcasts, workshops and media requests. More on her coaching programmes. Book Mira on the Dais.
Dr Binti Jhuraney, health and wellness coach and founder, Shwaas
Dr Binti Jhuraney is a health and wellness coach and the founder of Shwaas, a wellness studio in Delhi. She trained in dentistry and alternative medicine, is a certified yoga teacher and evaluator (YTT-800 hours) under the Ministry of AYUSH, and is a certified meditation coach.
She spent six years as a Research Officer at AIIMS and has written on health for Financial Express. She coaches clients online and in person on diet, breathwork, meditation and mental wellbeing, and takes talks, panels, podcasts and workshops. Book Dr Jhuraney on the Dais.
Disha Shrivastava, head of new initiatives, Centum Foundation
Disha Shrivastava is Head of New Initiatives and Knowledge Management at Centum Foundation in Mumbai. She moved from banking to the social sector and works on gender equality.
She speaks on maternal mental health, returning to work as a mother, and mental health through endurance sports, and uses movement therapy in her sessions. She takes talks, panels and podcasts. Book Disha on the Dais.
How to book a mental health speaker through the Dais
Every woman above has a verified profile on the Dais that lists her topics and the formats she takes on. You can see all women who speak on mental health and wellbeing, or send us a brief with your date, city, audience and budget, and we will suggest names within 24 hours.
For clinicians and health founders more broadly, see our list of women in healthcare and medtech worth a panel invite.