Andrea McKenna Brankin - Breaking the Mental Health Stigma

Send us Fan MailAndrea McKenna Brankin's remarkable journey from a suicide attempt to becoming a powerful mental health advocate offers hope to anyone struggling with mental illness. Following her bipolar disorder diagnosis in her early thirties, Andrea chose a path of resilience rather than victimhood, transforming her eight-year recovery process into a roadmap for others.The moment of diagnosis proved surprisingly liberating for Andrea. After years of extreme mood swings, reckless behavior, and deep depressions, she finally had an explanation for her experiences. "It was an absolute relief," she shares, "because I realized there's hope for change, treatment, normalcy, happiness, and joy." This perspective shift—viewing her diagnosis as the beginning of recovery rather than the end of normalcy—became the foundation for her healing journey.As a seasoned journalist who worked across Boston, New York, London, and now Singapore, Andrea applied her professional drive to her mental health recovery. Her book "Bipolar Phoenix" outlines ten essential strategies that rebuilt her life, including establishing a treatment plan with medication as her cornerstone, finding supportive communities (her "rugby family"), seeking professional help, maintaining accountability through volunteering, practicing meditation as a yoga teacher, and learning self-love through daily practices.Beyond her personal journey, Andrea addresses the cultural dimensions of mental health stigma through her volunteer work with Writing Through in Singapore and Vietnam and at Day Spring Treatment Center for traumatized teen girls. She speaks candidly about once-taboo topics like suicidal ideation, describing it not as a character flaw but as a symptom of illness that can be overcome with proper treatment. "I never thought I'd make it to 50," she reveals, explaining why each birthday now represents a tremendous victory over her former reality of constant suicidal thoughts.Discover how acceptance becomes the first step toward healing in Andrea's powerful story of transformation from patient to advocate.Reach out... Website: https://www.bipolarphoenix.com/Email: [email protected] Crisis Helpline (Canada & US)  988If this conversation stirred something in you… good. That’s where change begins.Make sure you’re subscribed, share this with someone who needs it, and if you’re ready to tell your story, step into your voice, or build a life that actually feels like yours… You’re in the right place.I’m Julie Fairhurst, and this is where stories turn into power.Go to my website if you would like to be a guest on the Women Like Me Stories & Business in the toolbar click Let's PodcastJulie's Website