Our Work

From lived
experience to

knowledge to agency.

We begin where most mental health resources do not — with what people are actually living through. We document it, identify what it means, and translate it into tools that others can use.

“We do not stop at visibility.
We work towards real-world application.”
WHAT WE WORK IN

Two spaces,

rarely held together.

Most mental health systems are built for experiences that are easier to define, name, and standardize.

Speaking Grey works in the spaces that often remain fragmented, misunderstood, or unsupported.

These aren’t edge cases.
They are real lives.
01

Rare & Complex Conditions

Experiences shaped by chronic illness, fibromyalgia, schizophrenia, DID, bipolar disorder, progressive conditions, and invisible disability.

Not only medically complex — but emotionally and socially layered.

02

Identity & Circumstance

Migration grief, caregiver fatigue, identity fragmentation, economic constraints, queerness, displacement, and realities shaped by cultural context.

Experiences that are often felt deeply but poorly translated by existing systems.

“This is not a visibility gap. It is a translation gap.”

HOW WE WORK

Translation

is the work.

We stay with lived experiences long enough to identify what matters underneath them — then translate those insights into language, tools, and support systems others can actually use.

We do not extract stories.
We build meaning with them, in context, with care, and for impact.
01

DOCUMENT

Reflection notes
Interviews & conversations
Lived experiences in context

02

IDENTIFY

Emotional patterns
Language gaps
Systemic & structural realities
Recurring themes

03

TRANSLATE

Tools & guides
Fellowships & programs
Resources & frameworks
Conversations that drive change

Our work sits at the intersection of empathy and analysis, where lived experience is the most honest map we have to build mental health agency.

WHAT THIS PRODUCES

Tools built from

lived experience.

Each resource begins with a specific lived experience — not abstraction. The goal is not visibility alone, but language, reflection, and agency people can actually use in real life.

01

Reflection Tools

Language tools

Short-form reflections that give shape to what is often hard to say.

02

Guides & Toolkits

Support tools

Practical resources for everyday realities that are rarely understood or supported well.

03

Stories & Conversations

Lived Archive

Long-form essays, personal stories, and conversations that create shared understanding.

04

The Fellowship

Infrastructure of Agency

A platform for lived-experience writers and researchers to deepen, develop, and lead.

Our work sits at the intersection of empathy and analysis, where lived experience is the most honest map we have to build mental health agency.

Built from

the grey

Speaking Grey is shaped by lived experience, interdisciplinary thinking, and the belief that the people closest to complexity often carry the clearest insight into it. Our work brings together founders, caregivers, researchers, creatives, strategists, and people navigating realities that systems often fail to fully hold.

The Founder

Aditi Joshi

Each resource begins with a specific lived experience — not abstraction. The goal is not visibility alone, but language, reflection, and agency people can actually use in real life. Each resource begins with a specific lived experience — not abstraction. The goal is not visibility alone, but language, reflection, and agency people can actually use in real life. Each resource begins with a specific lived experience — not abstraction. The goal is not visibility alone, but language, reflection, and agency people can actually use in real life. Each resource begins with a specific lived experience — not abstraction. The goal is not visibility alone, but language, reflection, and agency people can actually use in real life. Each resource begins with a specific lived experience — not abstraction. The goal is not visibility alone, but language, reflection, and agency people can actually use in real life. Each resource begins with a specific lived experience — not abstraction. The goal is not visibility alone, but language, reflection, and agency people can actually use in real life.

“The absence of language around mental health is a structural gap — not a personal failing. Speaking Grey exists to close it.”

Our Journey

Six years.

From lived experience to knowledge to agency.

2020
Building in a Crisis

Launched during COVID-19. Built an affordable therapist directory, facilitated community mental health spaces, and began translating lived experiences into condition-specific resources.

2021
Expanding Community & Identity

Created Speaking in Colors, a Pride initiative centering LGBTQ+ mental health. Expanded the condition library and hosted global community wellness spaces.

2022
Going Deeper — Immigrant Mental Health

Through a Watson Fellowship in Boulder, Colorado, conducted 100+ conversations exploring how language, migration, and culture shape mental health access.

2023
Building Systems & Global Partnerships

Joined the Experiential Advisory Board of Mental Health Colorado and partnered with Mental Health Action Day alongside a global coalition of organisations.

2024-25
Agency, Student Voices & Scholarships

Launched Balance & Joy with IIT Delhi’s Satat Samadhan Foundation — supporting young people through storytelling, reflection, and creative mental health expression.

2026
The Speaking Grey Fellowship

Launched the flagship Fellowship and Writer-in-Residence model — supporting long-form lived experience work through mentorship, platform, and funding.

Want to know more or get involved?

Write to us, share your story, or learn more about fellowship.