About Dr. Victoria Ranade

a letter to you

Hi there,

Thank you for joining me here!

I’m Dr. Victoria Ranade, a board certified licensed clinical psychologist with a passion for exploring questions related to existence and what it truly means to be human.

I started this podcast because I wanted you to know that whatever you're going through, you are not alone. I was motivated by a simple but powerful desire: that whatever you are facing, you would know that there is light at the end of the tunnel in whatever darkness you are facing. That there are possibilities in every moment. Here, you will find a space where we explore how to make sense of darkness to connect to the greater light, strength, and resilience within you.

As a clinical psychologist, I've spent thousands of hours talking with people about life. Life is incredibly difficult, filled with times of great beauty but also darkness and moments of sorrow. There are things we experience that are so beautiful they are indescribable—and moments that feel impossible to overcome. There are times when we experience depression and darkness that feels enormous, never-ending, where you are filled with doubt for the road ahead. Times when you wonder how the heck you can keep going.

So if you are currently feeling like this or have been through a time like this, welcome. I’ve been there too. This is a podcast, but it’s also a community of listeners who believe in the power of the human voice and spirit. In something within is that is also beyond us. It is something that no darkness can overcome. Magnificent in it’s beauty, it is more beautiful than any sun rise or sunset, and transcendent beyond words.

Sometimes we just forget. This podcast is about remembering. It's about walking together and helping each other reconnect to the light within—the light that is calling us home. It's about kind encouragement from people who have been there—who are further up the road, reaching back with the wisdom they've gained to help us find the courage to keep going. And inspired by my passion for existential psychology, it's about our human struggle for purpose, existence, and meaning.

Welcome to innercalling.

Credentials

I'm a licensed clinical psychologist, board certified in behavioral and cognitive therapies. I trained at Johns Hopkins, where I also earned my MBA, and I'm currently attending Harvard Business School's Program for Leadership Development.

My expertise as a clinical psychologist lies in providing evidence-based treatment of depression, anxiety, mood, and existential concerns in kids, teens, and adults of the highest quality. My approach is based in existential, humanistic, and transpersonal psychology; these are traditions that honor the whole person, including the search for meaning, authentic self-expression, and connection to something greater than ourselves.

Philosophy & Approach

innercalling is where I host conversations about what it means to trust the truths you know deep inside yourself, despite all the challenges that modern society brings.

I'm Taiwanese American and neurodivergent. This show is informed by these identities and experiences. I know what it's like to struggle against your own limitations, and to try to put into words what is beyond language. I know what it's like to feel weird, to live within systems not designed for you, systems that feel as if they keep you down, and all the energy it takes to rise to the best of yourself. This show is a space where these struggles are recognized, and where you are safe to be yourself, simply as you are.

The guests I invite are ecclectic — they may be experts or community members, leaders or spiritual teachers — but above all they are also everyday people. As a clinical psychologist, I'm fascinated by people. Ordinary people that you come across in your every day life. I find that they often have overcome very difficult things just to stand before you, and yet much of it may be unsaid or unknown, these hidden connections.

I’ve been feeling overwhelmed by all the content out there—information and data on how to optimize your life, advice you should follow. Here, you are invited to slow down and to connect to your deeper presence — to just Be. There is no advice. There is nothing you need to do. Here you are just invited to listen and see what comes up for you in your own inner wisdom.

I also don't optimize conversations for virality or the algorithm. In a world that has less time and space for being human, this is a place where we explore what it means to be human—and where that humanity is honored and held.

Show Topics

I have many ecclectic interests.

• Existential Psychology and The Human Spirit

  • Inner Wisdom, Intuition

  • Spirituality

  • Our Connection to Nature

  • Life, Death, Mortality

  • Meaning and Purpose

• Mental Health & Integrative Medicine

  • Depression

  • Suicide Prevention

  • Trauma

  • Neurodivergence, particularly in women

  • Asian American Mental Health

  • Psychedelic Medicine

  • Evidence Based Treatments

  • Natural, holistic medicine that treats the whole person (mind, body, spirit)

• Technology & Humanity

  • Mental Health in the Age of Technology

  • How to Live Well Alongside Technology

  • Artificial Intelligence and What it Existentially Means for Humans

• Authentic Voice & Leadership

  • Leadership

  • Finding Your Voice

  • The Power and Beauty of the Human Voice and Spirit

• Womanhood & the Feminine

  • Healing from Trauma

  • Reclaiming Femininity

  • Embodiment

  • Mother Wounds

Values & Intentions

My values with the show are to share science and human stories in a relatable way, have fun, be authentic, and connect. Every episode is an invitation to blend evidence-based insight with real human experience. I love exploring what research can teach us, but I also believe in the wisdom that lives within stories, intuition, and our connection to something greater. My goal is to bring these together with honesty, curiosity, and joy.

My values are also to create space for nuance so that truth can be shared. I also aim to create a space of diverse voices and perspectives.

A slower, more honest space where beauty lives in our imperfections

At its core, innercalling is a space to explore the heart of what it means to be human. This is a slower, more honest space, where human connection still matters, and where you can remember yourself beneath all the noise. It’s a place where you can simply be.

FAQ: Why is there a dog on your podcast art?

That is my dog Mei Mei. She represents how I followed an inner calling to discover my deep love of dogs.

A few years back, I met a shaggy old Welsh Terrier with one eye whose name was Iris. Even though I had no interest in dogs at that time, I fell in love with Iris. This led me to get two Welsh Terriers of my own, Mei Mei and Kai Kai. Thus, Mei Mei symbolizes what happens when we each follow the inner callings that arise within ourselves, no matter how spontaneous. We discover parts of ourselves and of life that we never could have imagined.

Thanks for joining me here. I know there are so many other things you could be doing so am very grateful for your support in creating a community where we hold and remember to the beauty of what it is to be deeply human.

With gratitude,