Anand Mehta Of AMFM Healthcare On How Authenticity and Vulnerability Pay Off and Help You Win Personally and Professionally
It fosters deep connection. Authenticity builds trust. When you’re real, others feel safe to be real too, whether in therapy, friendships, or leadership.
Being vulnerable and authentic are some of today’s popular buzzwords. It may seem counterintuitive to be vulnerable, as many of us have been taught to project an air of confidence, be a boss, and act like we know everything. In Brene Brown’s words, “vulnerability takes courage.” So is vulnerability a strength or a weakness? Can someone be authentic without being vulnerable? How can being authentic and vulnerable help someone grow both personally and professionally? In this interview series, we are talking to business leaders, mental health professionals and business and life coaches who can share stories and examples of “How Authenticity and Vulnerability Pay Off and Help You Win Personally and Professionally.” As a part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Anand Mehta.
Anand Mehta, LMFT, is the Executive Director at AMFM Healthcare, San Diego Region, where he leads with a commitment to patient-centered, strength-based care. With over a decade of experience in clinical leadership and direct therapy, he is trained in evidence-based modalities including CBT, DBT, ACT, EMDR, and Cognitive Processing Therapy. Anand is recognized for his dedication to empowering clients and shaping compassionate, high-quality mental health services.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we start, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory?
Thank you so much for having me. It’s a pleasure to be here and share my journey and insights with your readers. My childhood was a lot of movement and at times inconsistent. For example, I was in 3 different schools and 2 countries at age 7. Most of my childhood has kind of meshed together. Born in London, spent some of my infant years in Africa, moved to the East Coast (Tennessee and North Carolina) when I was about 7. We returned to London and then eventually moved permanently to California when I was 9–10 years old. While in California, I have also moved around often from Orange County to Sacramento to San Jose. Now, my family and I are situated and happy to call both Orange County and Temecula home. As difficult as moving around during my formative years was, it helped instill gratitude in me. Seeing all the sacrifices my family made to make sure my brother and I had the best life possible with the most opportunities.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“You can’t pour from an empty cup.” Early in my career, I neglected self-care while helping others. Now, I teach my team that sustaining their well-being is the foundation for impactful work.
Is there a particular book, podcast, or film that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
For me, the most impactful influences haven’t been books or podcasts but my family and friends. Watching them navigate challenges with courage and grace has shaped me more than anything I’ve read. They remind me that mental health isn’t just professional, it’s personal, lived in the everyday, and woven into our closest relationships.
Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. Let’s begin with a definition of terms so that each of us and our readers are on the same page. What exactly does being authentic mean?
To me, authenticity is the courageous practice of showing up as your true self, in alignment with your values, beliefs, and emotions, rather than presenting a filtered or manufactured version of yourself that you believe others expect to see. It’s not about oversharing or being inflexible, it’s about being congruent. Your internal experience matches your external expression. It’s the difference between wearing a mask and showing your real face, with all its character and imperfections.
What does being vulnerable mean? Can you explain?
Vulnerability is the courage to open up about your struggles, fears, and imperfections without knowing how others will respond. It’s allowing people to see the parts of you that aren’t polished or figured out. In therapy, vulnerability is often the turning point for growth, it’s where real connection begins.
What are the positive aspects of being authentic and vulnerable? Can you give a story or example to explain what you mean?
For me, it’s connection. When clients sense that I’m being authentic and willing to meet them with openness, they’re more willing to share their own truths. I remember working with a young man who was hesitant to speak about his struggles. By acknowledging, in a professional but honest way, that I’ve also experienced moments of doubt, he began to trust the process. That shift deepened our work together and created the space for real progress.
Are there negative aspects to authenticity and vulnerability? Can you give a story or example to explain what you mean?
There can be. Authenticity and vulnerability require discernment. If you overshare in the wrong setting or with people who may not respect that openness, it can leave you feeling exposed or misunderstood. For example, I’ve seen clients become vulnerable in environments that weren’t supportive, like workplaces that weren’t psychologically safe, and it left them discouraged. Vulnerability needs to be met with compassion and understanding to be truly beneficial.
From your experience or perspective, what are some of the common barriers that hold someone back from being authentic and vulnerable?
I think the biggest barrier is fear of judgment. People worry about being misunderstood, not believed, or even ridiculed. There’s also the cultural and societal pressure to appear strong and composed at all times. In professional environments especially, people often see vulnerability as a risk to their credibility.
What are five ways that being authentic and vulnerable pay off, and help you win, both personally and professionally?
1 . It fosters deep connection. Authenticity builds trust. When you’re real, others feel safe to be real too, whether in therapy, friendships, or leadership.
2 . It unleashes creativity and innovation. When you stop wasting energy managing appearances, that energy goes toward problem-solving and growth. Teams that feel safe admitting mistakes or uncertainty can learn and innovate more quickly.
3 . It builds resilience. Acknowledging struggles allows you to seek support and see challenges as part of the human experience, not personal failures. That mindset makes you stronger over time.
4 . It enhances leadership. Leaders who are authentic and willing to admit mistakes earn loyalty and foster psychological safety, empowering their teams to thrive.
5 . It creates the pathway to healing. You can’t heal what you don’t acknowledge. Vulnerability is what allows people to name their pain, process it, and move forward.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
If I could inspire a movement, it would be called Mind Access for All. The mission would be to eliminate financial, cultural, and systemic barriers to mental health care. That means accessible services in every community, through both in-person clinics and virtual therapy, plus strong crisis support systems.
It would also emphasize mental health literacy, embedding resilience and emotional education in schools and workplaces. And to tackle stigma, it would amplify real stories from diverse voices, reminding people that struggles are universal, and healing is possible. Ultimately, the goal would be a world where seeking mental health care is seen as strength, and quality care is a human right, not a privilege.
Is there a person in the world whom you would love to have lunch with, and why? Maybe we can tag them and see what happens!
I’d love to sit down with Arianna Huffington. She’s reshaped the conversation around burnout and well-being in a way that blends business success with self-care. I’d love to explore how we can make emotional resilience as fundamental as physical health, and talk about scaling meaningful mental health initiatives worldwide.
How can our readers follow you online?
The best way to connect with me is through A Mission for Michael Healthcare’s website or on LinkedIn, where I share updates and insights about mental health, therapy, and leadership.
Thank you so much for sharing these important insights. We wish you continued success and good health!
The pleasure was all mine.
Anand Mehta Of AMFM Healthcare On How Authenticity and Vulnerability Pay Off and Help You Win… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.