Mariam Helmy’s personal blog. Start Here.


While it seems like it would be easy for a doctor–who is surrounded by health care providers every day– to find a therapist, the stigma in the healthcare industry makes it quite difficult. Featuring interviews with mental health professionals and healthcare providers, this article discusses the stigma in the health care industry and what employers can do to support their people.


Coming out can be liberating – but a lot of people struggle to do it safely in the context of their local communities. Through interviews with professional mental health providers and Lyra Health members, in this article I discusses mental health in the LGBTQIA+ community, and ways that faith, culture, and queerness can coexist.


Depression can be scary and difficult to talk about–but it’s a common and treatable mental health issue. Read More.


User profiles for Oxygen Bank, written and produced by Mariam Helmy. Read More.


William Liberatore, 57, is a rare witness to the growth and dynamics of the San Francisco Bay Area musical theater space. “I grew up here,” he says about Palo Alto, “I started playing gigs when I was 14. I’ve been involved in the production scene here for the better half of three decades. This place is a part of who I am.” Read More.


Most of us get a little anxious (to say the least) when we think about our banking. The experience is objectively terrible; I was recently on the set of an Oxygen user profile feature, where we had planned to film a musician, Michael, at his teaching and recording studio. On the day of the shoot, our subject came out of his studio with a sheepish grin on his face… Read More.


Financial inclusion has been a hot topic since 2008, linked to microfinance endeavors, praised as being a potential prohibitor to future financial crises, and hailed as a new approach to solving global poverty issues. But what does it have to do with the gig economy, and why is it so important? Read More.


As a twelve-year-old, freshly-minted Californian, I remember the distinct feeling of gut-wrenching disappointment when, upon starting school in my new state, I took a quick glance at the sixth-grade reading syllabus. In addition to the numerous book reports and “classics,” towards the center of the reading list, in tiny italic letters, was printed “Julie of the Wolves — Jean Craighead George.” Great, I thought, another stupid animal book… Read More.


The most fundamental beliefs I hold now about women’s rights, intersectionality, racial conflicts, and so much more, come from the children’s literature I read in my youth. The decisions I have made regarding my capabilities as an immigrant, Arab, female have been heavily influenced by books like Alanna: The First Adventure, series like The Arabian Nights, and TV shows like HBO Kids’ The Worst Witch… Read More