“It Felt like a Hug”
How the On My Mind Podcast supported Lautaro through Grief and Growth
When Lautaro, a 22-year-old astronomy and geophysics student from Argentina, first listened to the On My Mind podcast, he didn’t expect it would become a powerful companion during one of the most difficult times in his life. “I came to the podcast just out of curiosity,” he recalls, “I didn’t know I’d end up coming back to it when I needed support the most.”
Lautaro is passionate about science, climate advocacy and youth leadership. He has represented Argentina in climate diplomacy and is active in his community. He describes himself as neuro-divergent and was diagnosed with autism, ADHD, and dyslexia at the age of 18. But getting to that diagnosis wasn’t straight-forward. Growing up, Lautaro always had a sense that he was different, but he didn’t know why. He found it hard to concentrate, struggled to read cursive writing and often felt overwhelmed in ways that others didn’t seem to understand. At school, he was labeled as energetic or distracted, and he internalised the idea that something was wrong with him.
I always felt like I had to apologise for how I was. I’d try to mask it, to act ‘normal,’ but it was exhausting.
In his mid-teens, things began to shift when he started connecting with neuro-divergent peers online. Through these conversations, he realized that what he was experiencing had a name, and that he wasn’t alone. At 18, after months of self-advocacy and pushing past the stigma in his family, Lautaro was formally diagnosed with autism and ADHD. It was a turning point for him. “I finally had words for what I was feeling. It was a relief. I wasn’t broken. I was just wired differently.” That diagnosis opened the door to therapy, where he discovered cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), which helped him begin to make sense of his experiences.
Lautaro has also faced personal struggles, including burnout, isolation and profound grief. “I lost my mum in March of this year, and it was incredibly hard. I found myself listening to one of the episodes from On My Mind again, and it helped me to feel less alone.”
Lautaro was initially invited to join a youth co-creator group to review the first season of the On My Mind podcast, created by UNICEF in partnership with Spotify, to support the mental health of youth. While he appreciated its practical tools, he initially felt the first season was “a bit too methodical, like a manual.”
“I liked the tools shared in Season 1 but it was Season 2 that had a deep impact on me. It helped me to feel more connected to my emotions. It was like having someone sitting next to you. It felt like a hug, or like having a friend by your side, reminding you that you’re not alone.”
The episodes helped him reconnect with coping tools he had learned in therapy but had forgotten and offered gentle guidance in navigating his emotions.
Lautaro felt that as someone who often processes the world differently, he found particular comfort in exercises that encouraged self-compassion and clarity. “There was this one metaphor about being at the top of a tree in a storm. That helped me a lot when I felt overwhelmed. It helped me visualize and ground myself.”
After his mother passed away, Lautaro turned to On My Mind again, revisiting an episode about grief. “It was one of the few things that made me feel grounded during that time. I even recommended it to friends going through similar losses. It’s something you can come back to whenever you need to, not just listen once and forget.”
Lautaro says that mental health is still a taboo topic among older generations in Argentina, but youth are beginning to open up more. He credits therapy, especially cognitive behavioural therapy, with helping him to make sense of his own challenges. For him, the On My Mind podcast complements that journey. "The tools in the podcast echo what I learned in CBT in an accessible, friendly way."
He believes On My Mind has the potential to reach many more young people, especially if promoted through youth ambassadors and peer to peer sharing. “The best way to spread the word is by youth talking to youth. When someone you trust says, ‘Hey, I listened to this, and it helped me,’ it makes all the difference.”
Lautaro hopes that more young people can access resources like On My Mind and feel seen and supported.
This podcast won’t fix everything, but sometimes, just hearing someone say, ‘You’re not weird, you’re not broken,’ can be the first step toward healing.
