Nandini Maharaj is a Vancouver-based writer covering mental health, career, identity, and relationships. Her essays and opinion pieces have appeared in HuffPost Canada, Animal Wellness, Introvert, Dear, and Medium. She also writes poetry and short stories. Nandini trained as a mental health counsellor before specializing in public health for her PhD. Her research focused on cancer survivorship and the human-pet relationship.

For inspiration, she turns to her dogs, Dally, Rusty, and Frankie. Two of her pups are named after S.E. Hinton characters, played by Matt Dillon in the film adaptations.

A knack for turning complex ideas into impactful stories led to Nandini’s work in research and grant development. She provides strategic advice and editorial support to faculty members applying for competitive research grants.

As a storyteller and lifelong fan of The Golden Girls, she aspires to be “Picture it, Sicily, 1920-something”…but really she’s more “Back in St. Olaf.”