EP. 24Mental Health
Why Pakistanis Joke Through Pain | Humour as a Coping Mechanism
We unpack why humour is one of the most powerful — and overlooked — coping mechanisms, and what it says about our collective emotional landscape.
New Episodes Every Fortnight
AB NEXTKYA?
Real, unfiltered conversations about social, global, daily life, and mental health — with your hosts Marriam Ahmed & Aly Balagamwala.
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24
Episodes
S2
Coming Soon
∞
Conversations
🎙️ Humour as a Coping Mechanism
💭 Living in Constant Uncertainty
💔 The Anxious-Avoidant Trap
🧠 Mind Ka Switch Off He Nahi Hota
🌱 Healing Isn't Linear
⚡ The Hustle Trap
👨👩👧 Toxic But Yours
💛 Small Joys That Keep Us Going
🚫 The Guilt of Saying No
🪞 The Comparison Trap
💫 Manifesting Dreams or Stress?
🏃 Why Is Adulting So Hard?
🌍 Loneliness in the Digital Age
❤️🩹 Heartbreak Never Expires
🎯 Confidence vs Arrogance
✨ Dreams We Paused
🎙️ Humour as a Coping Mechanism
💭 Living in Constant Uncertainty
💔 The Anxious-Avoidant Trap
🧠 Mind Ka Switch Off He Nahi Hota
🌱 Healing Isn't Linear
⚡ The Hustle Trap
👨👩👧 Toxic But Yours
💛 Small Joys That Keep Us Going
🚫 The Guilt of Saying No
🪞 The Comparison Trap
💫 Manifesting Dreams or Stress?
🏃 Why Is Adulting So Hard?
🌍 Loneliness in the Digital Age
❤️🩹 Heartbreak Never Expires
🎯 Confidence vs Arrogance
✨ Dreams We Paused
🔄 Why We Go Back to Toxic People
🌙 Ramadan & Mental Health
📉 Career Delays & Timeline Anxiety
🤝 Dealing with Betrayal
🎭 Healing Ka Drama Ya Sach?
🪄 Mistakes That Change Everything
📅 Naya Saal, Purana Mein
👶 Bachpan Ki Thappar
💭 Feeling Behind in Life?
🌟 Ab Next Kya?
🎙️ Season 2 Coming Soon
💡 Real Talk. No Filter.
🤍 Mental Health Matters
🔥 Bold Conversations
🌿 Growth. Healing. Life.
💬 Say What Others Won't
🔄 Why We Go Back to Toxic People
🌙 Ramadan & Mental Health
📉 Career Delays & Timeline Anxiety
🤝 Dealing with Betrayal
🎭 Healing Ka Drama Ya Sach?
🪄 Mistakes That Change Everything
📅 Naya Saal, Purana Mein
👶 Bachpan Ki Thappar
💭 Feeling Behind in Life?
🌟 Ab Next Kya?
🎙️ Season 2 Coming Soon
💡 Real Talk. No Filter.
🤍 Mental Health Matters
🔥 Bold Conversations
🌿 Growth. Healing. Life.
💬 Say What Others Won't
Most Watched
Start Here
New to Ab Next Kya? This is the episode everyone keeps sending to their friends.
🔥 Most Popular
Feeling Behind in Life? Career Delays, Timeline Anxiety & Allah's Perfect Timing
Why do we feel so behind when there's no finish line? A deeply relatable conversation about career delays, timeline anxiety, and trusting that things are unfolding exactly as they should.
👁️
245
Views
⏱️
25 min
Duration
🎙️
EP. 19
Episode
What We Talk About
Every Conversation You
Needed to Have
From mental health to relationships, hustle culture to healing — no topic is off limits.
Mental Health
Relationships
Anxiety
Healing
Identity
Life in Pakistan
Boundaries
Hustle Culture
Mindset
Grief
Toxic Patterns
Faith & Life
Self-Worth
Adulting
Growth
Real Talk
Loneliness
Career
Season 1 · 24 Episodes
All Episodes
Every week, Marriam and Aly sit down for an honest, unfiltered conversation. Filter by topic or dive in from the top.
EP. 23Mental Health
Why Pakistanis Feel Anxious All the Time | Living in Constant Uncertainty
Anxiety isn't just a personal problem — it's a cultural one. We dig into why living in uncertainty has become our new normal.
EP. 22Life
Naya Saal, Purana Mein | Why "New Year, New Me" Keeps Failing
Every January we reinvent ourselves. By February, we're back. Why does the "new year, new me" promise keep breaking — and what actually works?
EP. 21Life
Why Is Adulting So Hard? | Quarter-Life Crises, Burnout & Broken Expectations
Nobody warned us that adulting would feel like this. Quarter-life crises, burnout, and the gap between what we expected and what we got.
EP. 20Relationships
Love Me, Don't Leave Me: Inside the Anxious-Avoidant Trap
One person pulls closer, the other pulls away. The anxious-avoidant dynamic explained — and what it takes to break free from it.
EP. 19Mindset
Feeling Behind in Life? | Career Delays, Timeline Anxiety & Allah's Perfect Timing
Why do we feel so behind when there's no finish line? A conversation about career delays, timeline anxiety, and trusting the process.
Our Story
Why We Started
Ab Next Kya?
Ab Next Kya? — Urdu for “What's Next?” — was born from a simple frustration: the conversations that actually matter were happening in private. In DMs. In late-night calls. In hushed voices.
Marriam and Aly decided to bring those conversations to the open. No panels, no pretense — just two coaches asking the questions everyone else is thinking but not saying out loud.
From mental health and society to everyday life and global issues, Ab Next Kya? is a fortnightly reminder that you are not alone in what you're going through.
24
Episodes Released
Season 1 complete
S2
Coming Soon
bigger & bolder conversations
1 yr
Running Strong
since April 2025
3+
Platforms
YouTube, Spotify & Apple
What we stand for
🎙️
Real Conversations
No scripts, no filters. Just two people talking honestly about the things that shape our lives.
🧠
Mental Health First
We normalize the conversation around mental wellbeing, healing, and emotional intelligence.
🌍
Global Perspective
From local communities to global issues — we zoom out and zoom in, always with empathy.
🤝
Community Driven
You are part of this conversation. Your stories, questions, and DMs shape every episode.
The Voices Behind the Mic
Meet Your Hosts
Two hosts committed to having the conversations that actually matter.
NLP Master Practitioner · Leadership Coach · Speaker
Marriam is a Certified NLP Master Practitioner, mindset coach, and leadership expert with 18+ years in senior corporate roles and 8+ years of coaching experience. She has worked with 6,000+ clients globally, helping high-functioning professionals move from stuck to decisively aligned — through her signature SHIFT Framework™ that integrates NLP, Timeline Therapy, and leadership psychology.
Credentials & Background
🧠NLP Master Practitioner (ABNLP)
⏳Timeline Therapy Master Practitioner
🏆Marshall Goldsmith Leadership Coach
🌍Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Graduate
🧘Certified Mindfulness Coach
👩💼6,000+ Clients · 18+ Yrs Corporate
Thinker · Conversationalist · Community Builder
Thoughtful, curious, and never one to shy away from a real conversation. Aly's perspective on social dynamics, global issues, and everyday life gives the show its balance. He's the kind of person who makes you feel heard — and then asks the follow-up question that changes everything.
Credentials & Background
🌍Social Impact Advocate
🤝Community Builder
🎤Public Speaker
📣Change-Maker
What's Coming Up
Upcoming Events
Live recordings, workshops, seminars, talk shows, and more — we're just getting started.
🎙️Soon
Coming SoonNew Season
Season 2 of Ab Next Kya?
Season 2 is coming — bigger conversations, bolder guests, and even more of the real talk you've been asking for. Subscribe now so you're the first to know when it drops.
YouTube · Spotify · Apple Podcasts
📅
More Events Coming
Workshops, seminars, live recordings, and talk shows are in the works. Subscribe to the newsletter to be the first to hear about them.
Join the NewsletterPast Guests
Guest Spotlight
SS
Sarah Siddiqui
Clinical Psychologist
EP. 04 · Mental Health in the Workplace
ZH
Zara Hassan
Founder & Social Entrepreneur
EP. 07 · Building Something From Nothing
AM
Ahmed Mirza
Journalist & Author
EP. 11 · Truth in the Age of Misinformation
NQ
Nadia Qureshi
Nutritionist & Wellness Coach
EP. 15 · Food, Body & the Stories We Tell
BC
Bilal Chaudhry
Tech Entrepreneur
EP. 19 · The Pakistan Startup Story
FM
Fatima Malik
Activist & Policy Advocate
EP. 23 · Women's Rights: Where Are We?
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The Confessions Wall
Anonymous. Real. Yours. These are the thoughts listeners sent in — the ones they couldn't say out loud. If you see yourself here, you're not alone.
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“
I've been in therapy for a year and still haven't told my parents. They think I'm just 'going through a phase.'
Mental HealthEP. 07
“
I said yes to a job I hate because my family needed me to look successful. I cry on the way to work sometimes.
LifeEP. 21
“
I blocked my toxic ex 11 times. Still unblocked him on the 12th. No one knows.
RelationshipsEP. 13
“
I genuinely don't know if I'm confident or just really good at pretending. Some days I can't tell anymore.
MindsetEP. 14
“
I compare myself to everyone at every family dinner. Even my cousins I don't like.
MindsetEP. 11
“
I've been 'almost ready' to start my business for 3 years. The fear is louder than the dream.
LifeEP. 19
“
My parents were my first toxic relationship. It took me 28 years to say that out loud.
RelationshipsEP. 10
“
I smiled and said 'alhamdulillah' when inside I was completely falling apart. The performance of being okay is exhausting.
Mental HealthEP. 23
“
I romanticised hustle culture so hard that I burnt out twice and called it 'dedication' both times.
MindsetEP. 08
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What Listeners Are Saying
Real words from real people. This is why we show up every fortnight.
“This podcast made me feel so seen. I literally paused the episode and cried — in the best way. Marriam and Aly say the things I didn't even know I needed to hear.”
Aisha R.
Karachi
“I've listened to a lot of podcasts but nothing hits like this. It's like sitting with two really wise friends who are not afraid to go there.”
Hamza K.
Lahore
“The episode on boundaries changed my life — no exaggeration. I sent it to my entire family group and zero regrets.”
Sana M.
Dubai
“Finally a Pakistani podcast that talks about mental health without shame or stigma. Keep going, please. We need this.”
Zainab F.
Islamabad
“I started listening during my commute and now I look forward to traffic just to finish the episode. That says everything.”
Omar T.
London
“The way Marriam and Aly hold space for each other while also challenging each other — that's friendship goals AND podcast goals.”
Maryam S.
Toronto
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The Current
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Instep
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MP
Mashable Pakistan
"The mental health conversation Pakistan has been waiting for."
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