Joanna Cheek
October 09th, 2025
Joanna Cheek, MD, is a board-certified psychiatrist, psychotherapist and clinical professor at the University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Medicine. Drawing on decades of clinical practice, research and meditation training, Cheek explores mental health beyond the individual, arguing that symptoms such as anxiety, depression and stress are often alarms signaling wider systemic imbalances rather than personal failings. In It’s Not You, It’s the World (Collins $34.99), she provides readers with practical guidance for understanding these signals, caring for themselves and advocating for healthier collective systems. With a foreword by Gabor Maté, the book serves as both a survival guide and a call to transform how society addresses mental health. Cheek is also the co-creator of the national-award-winning MindSpace Collective, which has provided mental health workshops to tens of thousands of community members and physicians. Her work emphasizes compassion, connection and empowerment in navigating a world increasingly fraught with stress and disorder. 9781443474412
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