# Ep. 32 Treating the Brain, Fighting the Stigma with Dr. Ali Farooqui

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/mastermined-a-behavioral-mental-health-podcast-7348207/ep-32-treating-the-brain-fighting-the-stigma-with-dr-ali-farooqui
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/mastermined-a-behavioral-mental-health-podcast-7348207/ep-32-treating-the-brain-fighting-the-stigma-with-dr-ali-farooqui.md
Podcast: [MasterMined: A Behavioral & Mental Health Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/mastermined-a-behavioral-mental-health-podcast-7348207)
Published: 2025-12-23T12:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://7b85b8b9-e12c-419f-86e6-b1da2ff0426b.libsyn.com/ep-32-treating-the-brain-fighting-the-stigma-with-dr-ali-farooqui
Audio file: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/7b85b8b9-e12c-419f-86e6-b1da2ff0426b/Ep._32_Ali_Farooqui_Full_Episode_01.mp3?dest-id=5072550
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/mastermined-a-behavioral-mental-health-podcast-7348207/episodes/ep-32-treating-the-brain-fighting-the-stigma-with-dr-ali-farooqui
Duration seconds: 3204

## Resource

In this episode of MasterMined , hosts Mark Scrivner, Jeff Skillen, and Lee Pepper sit down with Dr. Ali Farooqui to explore what's broken in today's mental health system—and how it can be fixed. From destigmatizing psychiatric diagnoses to building a quality-first clinical model, Dr. Farooqui shares how Healthy Minds Tennessee is redefining access, outcomes, and patient experience. The conversation spans interventional psychiatry, leadership in clinical teams, and why "good enough" simply isn't good enough in mental health care. Key Moments 00:00 – Why mental health disorders are brain disorders, not personal failings 02:31 – Dr. Farooqui's journey from neurosurgery to psychiatry and healthcare leadership 04:55 – Building Healthy Minds: aligning values, care delivery, and business strategy 08:22 – Removing stigma by focusing on health instead of pathology 12:10 – Drawing the line between normal emotions and diagnosable disorders 18:18 – Why "good enough" is not good enough in psychiatric care 22:50 – Designing clinics that respect patients' time and dignity 30:05 – Ketamine, TMS, and the future of interventional psychiatry 34:09 – When "buzzy" treatments lead to real clinical breakthroughs Learn More & Connect Show Notes + Resources: https://snapshotinteractive.com/mastermined Connect with Dr. Ali Farooqui: https://www.linkedin.com/in/farooquimd | https://psychiatrynashville.com , integrativepsy.com Connect with Mark Scrivner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markscrivner | https://snapshotinteractive.com Connect with Jeff Skillen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffskillen | https://www.skillsetenterprises.com Connect with Lee Pepper: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leepepper | https://www.neveroutmatched.com Our Sponsor - Snapshot: https://snapshotinteractive.com

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## Transcript

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