How a Mindful Message Is Transforming Mental Health Care – Interview with Jaskaran Soomal

Jaskaran Soomal is a pioneer in the field of mental health, dedicated to breaking down language and cultural barriers in accessing healthcare. Utilizing self-awareness and Maslow's hierarchy of needs, she has developed a blueprint guide for achieving optimal health. She is the founder of A Mindful Message, an initiative aimed at promoting mental wellness through accessible and inclusive approaches. Her mission, to build the world's most human-centric multilingual mental health service.

Jaskaran Soomal, Mental Health Mentor

Who is Jaskaran Soomal?

Hello, my name is Jaskaran Soomal. When it comes to conversations, I try to establish values, so here are mine, Integrity, growth, freedom, diversity, and service to others. I am a woman who blends faith, compassion, and entrepreneurship. I’m not just "in business", the business is an extension of who I am. I am consciously working on emotional regulation, self-talk, irritability (when life is “life-ing”), and spiritual anchoring.

I travel, socialise, and build meaningful communities every week. I’m not all work, I enjoy a work/life/ study balance. I value close circles (friends, mentees, colleagues) more than large, shallow networks. I am aiming for freedom, financially, emotionally, and spiritually, while staying true to service and impact.

I have hit “rock bottom” in the past. So, one day (which turned to my day one) I said an affirmation to like and love the woman in the mirror. That same morning, I pursued my journey to find purpose. 2 years later, I am the founder of a mental health service that serves people of culture.

Interestingly enough, I at home and I in business are intertwined, I am present, I try my best to practice mindfulness in all areas of my life. So, when it comes to family, I am in my safe space. I protect my space by working hard in business and not stopping till the job is done.

What inspired you to start A Mindful Message during the pandemic?

We were all in a global lockdown, which meant communication and connection were nonexistent. I was adjusting to distant learning and completing my Master's when COVID-19 hit. I chose to answer the question “What are the barriers for people in the BAME community accessing mental health services?” in my Master's dissertation. The results were significant, and I found that the two main barriers were language and culture. The inspiration to create a service to support language and culture started when a close family member was suffering from alcoholism. I set out to remove the barriers and give people in every community a chance to have a safe space.

“A mindful message” the name came on a day when I thought of how to blend mindfulness and the message of my own legacy, so a mindful message.

I was firsthand witnessing the effects of social distancing, isolation, and lack of routine. In 2022, survivors' guilt got the best of me. On my screen (privileged much), I saw children murdered and communities in the UK shattered. I wondered how the thousands of immigrants, asylum seekers, and refugees would recover from their traumatic experiences. So, I started to print multilingual mental health workbooks, build mental health workshops for bilingual counsellors, and post motivational content on Instagram (@amindfulmessage). “My mission to be the founder of Earth's most human-centric multi-lingual mental health service.”

What challenges do ethnic minorities face in accessing mental health support?

Here’s my reality, living between Birmingham and London, I see an array of ethnic minorities face a unique set of barriers when accessing mental health care, stigma, language barriers, and often a lack of trust in the system.

For instance, I still pick up bank shifts at my local GP surgery, and at least once a day someone walks in that needs language support because they’re experiencing extreme low moods or anxiety. Many institutions still rely on language lines or interpreters, which, let’s be honest, don’t work well when it comes to mental health. Key information gets lost in translation, both literally and figuratively, which means the real issues often go unaddressed.

AMM solves this problem by matching clients with practitioners who speak their language and understand their cultural context. No more relying on third-party interpreters. This way, we don’t just improve communication, we build real trust and save money, which is the key to sustaining long-term relationships.

For universities, partnering with AMM, we focus on closing the gap for ethnic minorities and delivering effective, culturally-sensitive care that leads to better outcomes, improved engagement, and higher retention.

How do you ensure cultural sensitivity with over 260 languages and 178 practitioners?

AMM is built to scale and adapt. We have a bank of 178 practitioners who speak 260+ languages, and the key here is that they’re not just fluent in those languages, they also have real-world cultural understanding.

It’s not enough to just speak the language, you need to get the culture, the challenges, the unique stressors that might impact someone’s mental health. Unlike traditional services, we don’t rely on interpreters or generic, one-size-fits-all solutions. We use “my-amma”, our proprietary platform, to track data and optimize our services based on real-time feedback from clients. This way, we’re not just ensuring that we’re culturally sensitive today, we’re constantly improving to meet evolving needs.

I designed the framework and delivery to ensure that every client is provided with psycho-education, culturally competent care backed by data, something that’s both more effective and more scalable for institutions looking to serve a diverse population.

The service uses frequent psychometric assessments (mainly WHO-5), so clients and commissioners can see progress, emerging issues, and adapt care plans in real time. A mindful message, maintain a large, culturally and linguistically diverse practitioner network (100+ professionals speaking 35+ languages). That means we can match clients not just by expertise, but by identity, culture, and language, which often makes all the difference. I chose to structure our core programmes for depth and continuity thus, a minimum of 12 sessions ensures meaningful change, not quick fixes.

The outcomes of the 12 sessions are intended for clients to see themselves improving, growing, and feeling empowered, their mental wellness is adapted to their current life situation (“we meet you where you’re at and then work toward who you want to be”). When people choose AMM, they know they’re getting contemporary, culturally responsive care.

How do your data protection practices build client trust?

In a world where data breaches are common, we don’t just talk about trust, we earn it. We’re ICO registered, GDPR compliant, and we take data privacy incredibly seriously. Every client’s data is securely stored and never shared unless explicitly stated.

“I know that the deepest barrier people face isn’t just their worries, it’s fear, fear that their pain, their personal history, their vulnerabilities will be exposed or misused. Trust hinges on security. I designed AMM to remove fear and help clients feel safe, protected, respected.”

Our platform, my-amma, uses encryption and is built to the highest data protection standards to ensure clients feel safe and confident. Transparency is key here. We make sure clients know exactly how their data is being used, and that builds the trust that’s necessary for mental health services to be effective. In our line of work, the client’s peace of mind is paramount.

When universities partner with AMM, and outsource their mental health services, they’re also getting a partner who prioritizes data security, ensuring complete confidentiality and trust from the get-go. Importantly, we value our tech network, like Stickee, a company with over 20 years’ experience building secure, transformational systems. Stickee built major SaaS data tools, comparison platforms, and has worked with high-profile clients like NatWest, Coca-Cola, ASDA, and GoCompare.

“We don't store intimate details of the session. It's no different from the real world. The relationship is between the therapist and the service user. We just provide the connection through the service,” – Terry Purser-Bariff (CTO of AMM)

How do you adapt your services to meet evolving mental health needs?

Mental health needs are constantly evolving, and as a startup, we’re built to adapt quickly. We’re always listening, using real-time feedback and psychometric data to continuously refine our approach. Our my-amma platform is what makes this all possible. We collect actionable insights that allow us to pivot and adapt our services based on actual client progress, not just generic surveys. If an organisation needs something different, we can scale up or adjust our offering instantly, as we only exclusively work with five organisations at a time. We can have virtual sessions, group therapy, or any other specialised support.

I certainly won't forget the NHS 5-year plan for inclusivity, AMM is already aligned with that vision, so as the system becomes more focused on diversity and inclusion, we’re ahead of the curve. With AMM, you’re partnering with a startup that’s agile, data-driven, and always ready to evolve to meet the changing needs and wants.

We use frequent psychometric assessments (including WHO-5) - so clients and commissioners can see progress, emerging issues, and adapt care plans in real time. We maintain a large, culturally and linguistically diverse practitioner network (100+ professionals speaking 35+ languages). That means we can match clients not just by expertise, but by identity, culture, and language, which often makes all the difference. We structure our core programmes for depth and continuity, the minimum 12 sessions ensures meaningful change, not quick fixes. We stay ahead technologically use, remote therapy, digital tools, client and therapy management. We lean on our network, Midlands Online, and Stickee. Their expertise in handling large, complex tech and data challenges means our infrastructure can evolve fast, new modules, secure updates, scalable services, all built on solid foundations.

Follow me on LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info!

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