Dr. Pooja Lakshmin

Perinatal Psychiatrist
Best-Selling Author
Founder of Real Self-Care

Dr. Pooja Lakshmin MD is a board-certified psychiatrist specializing in women's mental health and a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at the George Washington University. Her debut book, REAL SELF-CARE: Crystals, Cleanses, and Bubble-Baths Not Included was named an NPR Best Book of 2023 and is a national best-seller. Dr. Lakshmin’s essays for The New York Times, including her 2021 essay "This Isn't Burnout, It's Betrayal," have gone viral, and she was recently in conversation with Tressie McMillan Cottom on The Ezra Klein Show, discussing her philosophy for pursuing real self-care in a society where commodified wellness fails us personally and collectively.

Dr. Lakshmin holds a summa cum laude BA in women’s studies and the biological basis of behavior from the University of Pennsylvania, and an MD from Jefferson Medical College. Dr. Lakshmin completed her internship and first year of psychiatry residency training at Stanford University and went on to finish her adult psychiatry residency at George Washington University, where she focused on global mental health and perinatal psychiatry. She serves as a co-founder and board member of the Chamber of Mothers, and has been on the clinical faculty at George Washington University School of Medicine since 2016. 

Dr. Lakshmin maintains a private psychiatry practice through which she takes care of women dealing with burnout and perfectionism, as well as clinical conditions like depression, anxiety, and ADHD. She is regularly invited to give her signature keynote "Real Self-Care is An Inside Job" to corporate audiences, in which she teaches the four evidence-based principles of Real Self-Care. 

She lives in Austin, Texas, with her partner Justin, their toddler, and their two cats.