About

My Story

Hi, I'm Purvi Sonthalia. I hold a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Pennsylvania State University (2024), and have worked at Center for Discovery, a residential treatment centre for mood and eating disorders — an experience that deeply shaped how I understand mental health beyond textbooks.

It all started with my time at Center for Discovery. I was working as an Eating Disorder Technician, supporting individuals struggling with eating disorders and other mental health conditions. Very quickly, I was exposed to the depth of it all — the roots, the patterns, the emotional weight behind what we often only see on the surface.

And honestly, it challenged me. I remember being introduced to the concept of HAES (Health at Every Size). A part of me understood it… but another part of me resisted it. I could feel myself holding onto beliefs I had grown up with — ideas so deeply conditioned by society that I had never really questioned them before.

That's when something started to shift. While I was supporting others, I found myself turning inward. Looking at my own relationship with my body. Noticing the insecurities I carried. Questioning where they came from.

Growing up in an Indian household and society, so much of what we internalise about our bodies, our worth, and how we should be exists quietly in the background. You don't always realise it when you're younger — you don't yet have the emotional awareness to question it. But it stays with you. And over time, it shapes your confidence, your self-esteem… even the way you see yourself.

“Behind every individual struggling — with their body, with food, with their mental health — I saw so much more. I saw people with the biggest hearts.”

That year, I was learning while supporting my patients. I was healing while showing up for them. And somewhere in that process, things became clearer for me. I didn't want to stop this work.

So I made the decision to move back to India. Because I see the gap here — in how we understand emotions, in how we relate to our bodies, in how much we normalise disconnection from ourselves.

Through True & Unbound, my intention is to help bridge that gap. To create spaces where teenagers and young adults can begin to understand themselves — not judge themselves. To help people feel at home within themselves. Because when that shift happens… everything changes.