Bipolar She with Janine Noel

What Happened to You? The Neurosequential Model With Diane VinesIn this powerful conversation, Janine sits down with Diane Vines, a seasoned clinician and Neurosequential Model practitioner whose work bridges trauma, brain development, family systems, and real-world healing.Diane has worked with childhood abuse victims and subsequent developmental trauma since 1988. Her approach is far from prescriptive, and she is an innovator when it comes to creative and specific therapeutic treatment.At the center of this episode is the Neurosequential Model, developed by psychiatrist and neuroscientist Dr. Bruce Perry. Perry’s groundbreaking work helped bring a crucial question into the mainstream: not “What’s wrong with you?” but “What happened to you?” His research and clinical model connect early experience, brain development, stress response, relationships, and healing.Diane explains why the Neurosequential Model is not a treatment by itself. It is a framework. It helps clinicians understand what parts of the brain and nervous system were shaped by early life, what remains disorganized or underdeveloped, and what kind of support may help create new pathways. For Diane, a once-a-week approach with talk therapy seems like too little time to change your life. So she deeply questions how to keep her patients learning the other 167 hours in a week.Diane talks about the brainstem, limbic system, cortex, and the importance of working from the bottom up in therapy contexts. She brings new tools to therapy to prevent dysregulation. She also describes how a person’s survival tools may look like symptoms later in life, even though those tools once made perfect sense. Janine and Diane also discuss dissociation, psychosis, bipolar disorder, shame, developmental trauma, and the hope of neuroplasticity.Inside the conversation:Why the brain is a survival organ How early stress shapes later functioning Why “regulate, relate, reason” matters Why talking may not work until the body feels safe How trauma can affect trust, empathy, connection, and isolation Why relationships are central to healing How therapeutic support can include rocking, rhythm, animals, movement, weighted blankets, occupational therapy, family mappingSupport the showHelp Bipolar She Today! Buy Me A Coffee is a platform for podcasters to receive support, even if just a micro-donation. It's finally time to grow! Let's amplify voices of mental illness in all their raw details.Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns.Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain. Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music.Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter.Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping....

Janine shares how writing about her own mental health crises in an MFA program helped her see that illness can be written, shared, and received (mostly) without shame. She currently teaches classes on writing the hard stuff—but to do so, you’ve got to start reading some nonfiction. In this episode she highlights four standout memoirs on mental illness. For more on Janine’s upcoming class, visit BipolarShe.com and sign up to be notified when enrollment opens. Sure, I’ll Join Your Cult by Maria Bamford  Wry humor, short chapters, and visual elements temper the intensity of Maria Bamford’s memoir. It’s no surprise an actor and comedian has brilliantly pulled this off. Burn Rate: Launching a Startup and Losing My Mind by Andy Dunn  Andy Dunn writes directly about bipolar I disorder, masterfully letting us into mania, psychosis, and the damage a mental health crisis can cause.My Lovely Wife in the Psych Ward by Mark Lukach  Mark Lukach tells the story of his wife’s sudden onset of severe mental illness, how he navigated the overwhelm, revealing what it’s like for family to confront bipolar disorderI’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy Jennette McCurdy’s memoir is a strong example of scene-based writing and a good read for a new writer—dialogue and behavior can do heavy lifting.Support the showHelp Bipolar She Today! Buy Me A Coffee is a platform for podcasters to receive support, even if just a micro-donation. It's finally time to grow! Let's amplify voices of mental illness in all their raw details.Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns.Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain. Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music.Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter.Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping....

In this solo episode of Bipolar She, I talk about how a lithium dose reduction triggered a bipolar crisis and led to brain fog, confusion, sleep disruption, exhaustion, and intrusive suicidal thoughts--thoughts about suicide that were clearly not my own--but still deeply disturbing. What began as a small psychiatric medication change turned into nearly a month of instability, pulling me away from life and even away from the podcast. Ugh!I had started this adjustment in my lithium dose because of my tremor (see episode Lithium: Why I Shake) A med adjustment can often have so much hope attached to it. Will I feel more like myself? Will life be richer and fuller? Will my senses work better and will I even excel more athletically? But for my bipolar disorder 1 disorder, even a small lithium taper (a form of medication change), sent me on a roller coaster of a month this March--and potentially a life threatening ride. Ultimately, I was met with defeat. I rarely have any luck during a change, but I still take the risk, with the hope of having a better life. This episode is about bipolar disorder, lithium, suicidal thoughts, psychiatric medication tapering, and how destabilizing even a small med change can be.Support the showHelp Bipolar She Today! Buy Me A Coffee is a platform for podcasters to receive support, even if just a micro-donation. It's finally time to grow! Let's amplify voices of mental illness in all their raw details.Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns.Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain. Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music.Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter.Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping....

In honor of International Women’s Day, I’m joined by executive coach Rachel Wexler for a real conversation about what happens when you look “fine” on the outside—but inside you’re pushing, overthinking, and quietly unraveling. Rachel shares how early pressure to appear successful can create perfectionism and people-pleasing, and how a personal turning point helped her finally get support and shift the way she cared for herself.We connect the dots between imposter syndrome (that “I’m a fraud” feeling), anxiety, and the slow slide into burnout—especially when your workload grows faster than your sense of stability or support. Rachel explains how imposter thoughts can pull you out of the “productive stress” zone and into chronic self-doubt, and why that uncertainty can spiral into exhaustion over time. Rachel also breaks burnout down into three clear parts:Exhaustion (emotional, physical, or both)Cynicism / depersonalization (withdrawing, losing connection and meaning)Reduced efficacy (losing your edge and feeling less effective than you used to) I also share how imposter syndrome can feel compounded when you’re already “passing as normal” with a mood disorder—how the pressure to perform can stack on top of what you’re already managing internally. And we get practical about what helps: why remote work can strip away the small moments that build reassurance and belonging, and how to intentionally recreate those feedback loops by asking directly for feedback, scheduling connection, and choosing psychologically safe environments with authentic leadership and a solid job-fit dynamic. Rachel offers so many actionable words of wisdom. Start taking notes!Work with Rachel: Rachel Wexler Leadership: Next Level Executive Coaching for Modern Leaders and OrganizationsFollow Rachel: Rachel regularly shares reflections, learnings, and perspectives on leadership on LinkedIn and InstagramJEWEL: Joining and Empowering Women in the Exploration of Lived Experience celebrates professional women leaders' journeys, with the intention of using their storiSupport the showHelp Bipolar She Today! Buy Me A Coffee is a platform for podcasters to receive support, even if just a micro-donation. It's finally time to grow! Let's amplify voices of mental illness in all their raw details.Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns.Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain. Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music.Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter.Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping....

Spring doesn’t just bring longer days—it often puts people with bipolar disorder at higher risk for manic symptoms and hospitalizations. Changes in sunlight at the edges of the day, circadian rhythm shifts, increased dopamine, and a faster social pace--tempts us to sleep less and do more.With earlier wake-ups, I start to see and feel vibrant colors, have chills that arrive with a thought, telling me my nervous system is a little wound up. So I keep on top of my sleep and have a provider that makes sure I do.Luckily, I can catch mania early on because of sleep deprivation. Even if the world feels electric, I soon carry a heavy tiredness behind my eyes. It's hard to admit, but I then know mania has arrived.Firm up your spring routines before the lift becomes a launch. If you or someone you love navigates bipolar disorder, this conversation offers a mix of lived experience and actionable tools to keep spring and summer steady.If this resonates, subscribe, share the episode with a friend who needs it, and leave a quick review—it helps more listeners find strong, practical support.Support the showHelp Bipolar She Today! Buy Me A Coffee is a platform for podcasters to receive support, even if just a micro-donation. It's finally time to grow! Let's amplify voices of mental illness in all their raw details.Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns.Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain. Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music.Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter.Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping....

Today I sit down with EFT practitioner and creator of the Soar With Tapping app, Amy Vincze. When I heard Amy is leading a class: The Wisdom of Feminine Rage beginning February 24 (Details Here), I immediately wanted to have a conversation on rage and how it develops in women and how essential it is to us having better lives.We share childhood memories of when we suppressed our anger for survival, which led to shame and taking on the “agreeable woman” script and its toxic byproducts: anxiety, depression, perfectionism, and quiet resentment that erodes relationships and self-worth.Amy breaks down her approach to her upcoming tapping class.1) Dismantle fear—fear of punishment, labels, and ruptured roles.2) Honor collective rage—personal heartbreaks and the global injustices women carry.3) Find balance—use anger as a truth teller that flags unfairness, set boundaries with clarity, and move forward without living in the burn.Most importantly, Amy reminds us that connecting with rage leads to ambition, creativity, and leadership—the energy that propels us to ask for more, protect what matters, and model healthy anger for our kids. If you’ve ever felt your hackles rise and doubted your right to speak, this conversation offers language, tools, and community to reclaim your voice.Join Amy on Feb. 24 for The Wisdom of Feminine Rage (Details Here)Discover Amy's EFT Work: Soar With TappingSoar With Tapping App on Google Play or AppleSupport the showHelp Bipolar She Today! Buy Me A Coffee is a platform for podcasters to receive support, even if just a micro-donation. It's finally time to grow! Let's amplify voices of mental illness in all their raw details.Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns.Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain. Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music.Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter.Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping....

Grief doesn’t follow a script, and it certainly doesn’t end on a schedule. Psychiatrist Dr. Lisa Benton-Hardy joins us to unpack loss—why you may be met with a flood of feeling years later, how relief and laughter can coexist with tears, and what it really takes to support someone beyond the first year when the casseroles stop coming and month 13 begins.We dig into the crucial difference between grieving as a process and grief as the lasting state we learn to carry. Lisa shares how deeper the attachment, the greater the loss. And what about deaths like suicide and homicide? Whether a stigmatized death or the loss of a loving spouse, Lisa guides us to reach out and ask someone grieving simply where they are. Practical short check-ins, honest questions, and letting the bereaved lead the pace.We also explore how kids understand death at different ages, why direct language matters, and the surprising ways children often sense loss before adults say it aloud. Pet loss gets real attention too: the 2 a.m. comfort of a dog can be a lifeline, which is why losing that bond can intensify anxiety, OCD, and depression. Lisa offers a compassionate micro-step strategy from a bereaved mother—on the hardest days, the job is simple and brave: just get up. The path forward isn’t closure; it’s continued connection, honest language, and care that adapts long past the first year.If this conversation resonates, share it with someone who might need it, then subscribe, rate, and leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help more people find the show. Your support keeps these stories going.Support the showHelp Bipolar She Today! Buy Me A Coffee is a platform for podcasters to receive support, even if just a micro-donation. It's finally time to grow! Let's amplify voices of mental illness in all their raw details.Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns.Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain. Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music.Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter.Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping....

I’ve been on lithium for 16 years. For the past two years my hands quiver and my body noticeably shakes. My tremor was subtle at first, but now it can be impossible to hide. This episode is about how a drug that is helping my mood stay stable also makes my body feel out of control.Lithium is now believed to be the best—even the gold standard of medication—for bipolar disorder, and it has been a good drug for me, keeping depression and mania at bay. Tremor is a known side effect, and my hands shake fast like hummingbirds.Today, public interactions can make my entire body shake, which is unlike my younger self. This episode is about identity and grief, and how a body can quietly announce mental illness to the world. Sometimes the dark side of a medication isn’t headline-worthy. Sometimes it’s private, daily, and challenges who we believe ourselves to be.Support the showHelp Bipolar She Today! Buy Me A Coffee is a platform for podcasters to receive support, even if just a micro-donation. It's finally time to grow! Let's amplify voices of mental illness in all their raw details.Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns.Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain. Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music.Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter.Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping....

In Part 2, Tracy Otsuka digs into ADHD with candor and science, pulling apart the “disorder” narrative and replacing it with a focus on strengths, interests and purpose.  We also walk the tightrope between ADHD and bipolar disorder where misdiagnoses often happen in college. Racing thoughts, impulsivity, and sleepless nights can mimic hypomania, but context matters: dorm food, lost structure, no movement, and constant stress create a similar picture of poor mental health. Tracy asks why isn’t a full biopsychosocial lens—sleep, exercise, nutrition, social connection, purpose—considered when diagnosing young women struggling with their mental health?  If your mornings start with negative self-talk like “Who doesn’t like me?” or “Who did I upset?” you’re not alone—and you’re not stuck—you may be experiencing rejection sensitive dysphoria. We talk through neuroplasticity, and the questions and old stories we tell ourselves and the power of “slow dopamine.” Tracy shares how mindfulness and a healthy daily routine solves 75% of the ADHD equation and how removing friction turns workouts into medication-grade focus without side effects and, again, neuroplasticity is the key.The final takeaway is a compass you can use for the new year: follow your internal rudder. Positive emotion signals alignment; negative emotion signals a course correction. You’re the best expert on you. If this conversation resonated, tap follow, share it with a friend who needs a lift, and leave a review so others can find us. Your story might be the evidence someone else needs to hear.Support the showHelp Bipolar She Today! Buy Me A Coffee is a platform for podcasters to receive support, even if just a micro-donation. It's finally time to grow! Let's amplify voices of mental illness in all their raw details.Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns.Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain. Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music.Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter.Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping....

What if your productivity no longer defines you? That question anchors a candid conversation with Tracy Otsuka—host of the ADHD for Smart Ass Women podcast and author of the best-selling book ADHD for Smart Ass Women: How to Fall in Love with Your Neurodivergent Brain.We talk about how midlife hormones collide with ADHD traits and force us to reshape identity. As estrogen fluctuates through perimenopause and menopause, dopamine signaling gets shakier, and the classic ADHD pain points—working memory, sequencing, and emotional regulation—can suddenly intensify. Tracy explains why even high-achieving women can feel their confidence slip, how a “brain of interest” thrives only in the right environment, and why she reframes ADHD as an identity issue rather than a productivity flaw.  Tracy also shares the personal story that changed everything: her son’s diagnosis, the schools that missed his brilliance, and the decision to build spaces where curiosity is an asset, not a problem. From bold career pivots to building an approach that maps values, strengths, and passions into a clear purpose “sweet spot,” she shows how alignment restores executive function and self-trust. Along the way, we challenge disorder-first narratives, hold space for the seriousness of suicide risk and depression, and return to hope as a skill—tested through small actions, anchored by purpose, and protected by boundaries.  If you’re navigating midlife, exploring ADHD traits, or simply craving a more truthful way to measure your days, this conversation offers both science and strategy. If it resonates, share it with someone who needs to hear it, and subscribe to support more honest, hopeful stories.Support the showHelp Bipolar She Today! Buy Me A Coffee is a platform for podcasters to receive support, even if just a micro-donation. It's finally time to grow! Let's amplify voices of mental illness in all their raw details.Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns.Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain. Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music.Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter.Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping....

Do you find yourself stressed and anxious when it comes to giving holiday gifts? Have you lost the joy of the experience?We sit down with financial wellness expert Crystal Flores to learn ways to stop the anxiety and disconnection of gift giving. Cyrstal explains how she gives gifts based on her values: thrift, creativity, connection, and environmental stewardship. When your values lead, the pressure fades and gifts start to feel like gestures of care rather than tests you can fail.We start where stress often spikes: the workplace. Crystal shares how leaders can normalize no-gift policies. Crystal also offers a clear script for holiday bonuses or tips when money is tight, separating appreciation from price and protecting your financial health with honest, kind language. When giving obligatory hostess gifts, she offers respectful, low-friction choices like homemade granola and ethical treats, including fair-labor chocolate that tastes amazing (Tony's Chocolonely).Crystal gets specific and suggests that for single parents and families, acts of service beat stuff: car detailing swaps, dinner drop-offs, laundry runs, and babysitting hours. For kids and tweens, she emphasizes how kids love volume when it comes to gifts.We also tackle the emotional side—anxiety, perfectionism, and rejection-sensitive dysphoria. If someone expects expensive items, Crystal shows you how to set boundaries early with a loving family note.Leave the pressure, keep the joy, and make gift giving personal again. Discover your own core values and keep this process fun!Gift of GranolaThe original recipe came from Mark Bittman's cookbook "How to Cook Everything," but I've been making this for so long I've made it my own, and I don't remember his original instructions.You'll need 2 big baking dishes. I use a Pyrex glass baking dishes. If you want to do one smaller batch, then halve everything.Fill the dishes with:4 cups rolled oats (not instant...too small)2 handfuls shredded coconut (optional, but we love it)2 handfuls of 3 kinds of chopped nuts (whatever you have on hand..so 6 handfuls total)lots of cinnamona little saltdrizzle the whole thing lightly with honey or agave syrup (optional)Stir everything togetherPreheat oven to 350Bake Support the showHelp Bipolar She Today! Buy Me A Coffee is a platform for podcasters to receive support, even if just a micro-donation. It's finally time to grow! Let's amplify voices of mental illness in all their raw details.Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns.Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain. Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music.Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter.Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping....

Join me for a behind the scenes look at my private bedtime medication routine, in which I fight through intrusive thoughts and fears before falling asleep. For me it's a battle with Seroquel and the strange paradox where it stirs up my mind before putting me to sleep.I talk through what insomnia means for mania risk, why psychosis feels closer in the dark, and how intrusive, even spiritual, panic can crash in before sedation takes hold. We get practical about my 9:15 wind-down, how to read early signs that a backup will be needed, and what the morning after costs in focus, mood, and energy. You’ll hear the honest math of “best available” choices: antihistamines that fog the next day, benzodiazepines that demand caution, and Seroquel, an antipsychotic that delivers sleep but can open the door to racing, violent thoughts on the way there.If you’ve ever faced the 3 AM question of how long you can keep doing this, you’ll find language and tools for that hour, and a reminder that morning usually brings a different view.If this resonates, share the episode with someone who needs it, subscribe for more real talk on living with bipolar disorder, and leave a review with your own sleep strategies so others can learn from you.Support the showHelp Bipolar She Today! Buy Me A Coffee is a platform for podcasters to receive support, even if just a micro-donation. It's finally time to grow! Let's amplify voices of mental illness in all their raw details.Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns.Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain. Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music.Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter.Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping....

What if you stopped measuring your worth by output and started honoring your reality? Today I sit down with Dr. Portia Preston, public health scholar and professor on the front lines of inclusive wellness, and the author of Hustle, Flow, or Let It Go—to explore a humane, shame-free approach to mental health and daily life. After a sudden kidney disease diagnosis and late ADHD/autism diagnoses, Portia rebuilt her framework for thriving. She learned to look at her energy as fluctuating capacity, centering a simple truth: you are worthy because you exist.What are the costs of tying identity to productivity, especially for those navigating invisible illness and disability? How does race and gender shape mental health experiences for Black women? From masking and misread depression to stigma that delays diagnosis.Portia breaks down her three-part model: Hustle when survival or your season demands it, Flow to restore joy and resilience, and Let It Go to revise plans, change environments, or release expectations that no longer serve--all why confronting shame. Portia shares practical tools: five to ten-minute mini-retreats that fit real schedules, and a weekly blueprint that checks in on mind, body, and spirit while setting clear yes's and protective no's. If wellness has felt like another chore, this conversation offers a gentler way to build support, create margins, and live with intention.If this resonates, share the episode, subscribe for more, and leave a review to help others find the show. Tell us: which lever do you need today—Hustle, Flow, or Let It Go?How to reach Dr. Portia Jackson Preston: portiapreston.com  @drportiaprestonEmpowered to Exhale: www.empoweredtoexhale.com [email protected] Support the showHelp Bipolar She Today! Buy Me A Coffee is a platform for podcasters to receive support, even if just a micro-donation. It's finally time to grow! Let's amplify voices of mental illness in all their raw details.Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns.Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain. Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music.Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter.Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping....

Today I sit down with Crystal Flores to trace the line from her father's suicide to her early marriage that led to depression and codependency. Crystal broke free from her picture-perfect, yet miserable marriage, to carve out a new life built on values, clarity, and fiercely practical money care. The reset wasn’t flashy. She moved to a quaint country home, complete with a flock of chickens, and chased non-negotiables like connection, thrift, resourcefulness, creativity, and environmental stewardship, Crystal defines wealth as more than dollars—emotional, physical, and financial systems working together so you can live your best life. She shares why “enough” must be personal before culture sells you “more,” and how a simple three-wheel model—earn, spend, save—reveals where your ride is wobbling. We keep it tangible: tracking spending as an act of self-compassion, quarterly balance sheets to reduce fear, and friction tactics for impulse buying--particularly important for the bipolar brain.You’ll walk away from this episode with tools that put money back in its place: a resource that serves your life. Subscribe for more real, raw mental health conversations, share this episode with someone who needs it, and leave a review to help others find these stories and skills.Support the showHelp Bipolar She Today! Buy Me A Coffee is a platform for podcasters to receive support, even if just a micro-donation. It's finally time to grow! Let's amplify voices of mental illness in all their raw details.Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns.Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain. Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music.Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter.Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping....

For Bianca, the catalyst of her Borderline Personality Disorder was the cultural pressure of living in a Middle Eastern family that provided the basics in life, but no emotional connection or support. With eldest-daughter expectations, and the heavy silence that comes when a family outsources its pain to one child, Bianca became the out-of-control truth bearer in her family system.After her tumultuous upbringing that included self-harm, suicidal thinking, and an abusive relationship, Bianca finally found mentors in her life that taught her how to break free from her trauma through intensive therapy. As a therapist, Bianca now brings practitioner-level clarity to the therapies that helped her, including dialectical behavior therapy and a move towards dignity, respect, and choice.Is BPD destiny or environment? How do cultural narratives around “keeping up appearances” entrench shame? Why do personality disorders draw harsher judgment than mood disorders, and what happens when we reframe symptoms as human experiences with the dial turned up? For Bianca, identity instability isn’t a life sentence; it’s a signal that can be understood, soothed, and redesigned. If this conversation helps you rethink stigma, see yourself with more softness, or pick up one new skill to use when the storm hits, pass it on. Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with someone who needs proof that intensity can become intention. Your story might be the mirror someone else is missing.For more on Bianca, please visit:https://evolveventurestech.com/evolve-ventures-coaching/therapy-2/https://www.instagram.com/evolvewithbianca/https://www.facebook.com/groups/evolveventuressocietyhttps://www.youtube.com/@EvolvewithBianca/videoshttps://www.tiktok.com/@evolvewithbiancaSupport the showHelp Bipolar She Today! Buy Me A Coffee is a platform for podcasters to receive support, even if just a micro-donation. It's finally time to grow! Let's amplify voices of mental illness in all their raw details.Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns.Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain. Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music.Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter.Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping....

Picking up from Part 1, Gregg is now stuck in what he calls “two years of bipolar hell.” But when he is finally prescribed lithium, within a week his depression lifts. Coming out of depression, he still had work to do—repairing familial and professional relationships. Greg had also been angry with God for abandoning him and forcing him to live in misery. Lithium not only put Gregg’s depression at bay, but it also allowed him to repair his relationship with God. As treatment begins working, his faith gradually returned, becoming instrumental to his recovery strategy. Most inspiring is how Gregg transformed his diagnosis into purpose. After losing his military identity, he discovered a new mission in mental health advocacy – work he now considers more important than his distinguished military career. His recovery philosophy centers on medication management, therapy, healthy lifestyle choices, and maintaining an "attitude of gratitude" even during difficult periods. And Gregg makes a stunning admission: if given the choice between never having bipolar disorder or his current life as an advocate, he would choose the latter.  Share an episode of Bipolar She during Suicide Prevention Month to help normalize these crucial conversations about mental health. Together, we can reduce stigma and potentially save lives.Support the showHelp Bipolar She Today! Buy Me A Coffee is a platform for podcasters to receive support, even if just a micro-donation. It's finally time to grow! Let's amplify voices of mental illness in all their raw details.Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns.Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain. Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music.Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter.Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping....

Major General Gregg F. Martin had, for the most part of his life, lived with hyperthymia, a continuous low-level mania that ultimately helped his military performance because he was energetic, creative, and driven. But after commanding a 10,000-soldier combat brigade in Iraq, Gregg’s descent into mania and depression would span a decade.With a late diagnosis at age 58, Gregg challenges our understanding of bipolar disorder, revealing his belief that mental illness can progress along a spectrum rather than appearing suddenly. For Gregg, the Iraq War became the tipping point, transforming his beneficial hyperthymic traits into dangerous mania, and ultimately life-threatening depression. As his condition worsened, colleagues reported his erratic behavior, leading to forced retirement and   removal as president of the National Defense University.The most haunting aspects of Gregg's story involve his descent into psychosis and passive suicidal ideation –  such as experiencing fear from an "invisible force" that could take hold of him and thrust him into oncoming traffic.  His journey from battlefield commander to psychiatric patient illuminates the complex relationship between trauma, high-stress environments, and mental health. Now an author and advocate, Gregg's experiences offer profound insights for anyone struggling with mental illness or supporting someone who is. This episode contains detailed discussions of suicide and suicidal ideation.Gregg's book:Bipolar General: My Forever War with Mental Illness (Association of the United States Army)Support the showHelp Bipolar She Today! Buy Me A Coffee is a platform for podcasters to receive support, even if just a micro-donation. It's finally time to grow! Let's amplify voices of mental illness in all their raw details.Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns.Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain. Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music.Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter.Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping....

The first time I lost my mind was at Dartmouth College. By my junior year I was walking through campus with psychosis. A movie camera followed me wherever I went. I imagined myself dying in beautiful and surreal ways. And ultimately I wanted my life to end.In this episode with fellow writer, JD, I share my first experiences with bipolar disorder. When I welcome guests on the show, I want them to know I've had hard times as well.Memory is imperfect. Old delusions and imagination swirl together. You may notice a swift change in seasons, when my memory of a summer hospitalization is told as if it were a freezing winter day. Because that’s what memory can do...combine feelings and images in a way that captures an experience, even if imprecise.Join me and write your difficult memories down. Let stories emerge. Contact me to tell your stories. We need fearless voices to fight stigma and shame. Is it too much to demand new treatments and cures? Let's get there one story at a time.Support the showHelp Bipolar She Today! Buy Me A Coffee is a platform for podcasters to receive support, even if just a micro-donation. It's finally time to grow! Let's amplify voices of mental illness in all their raw details.Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns.Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain. Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music.Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter.Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping....

In the original episode "Raw My Doctor Violated Me," Madelynn revealed how her psychiatrist of three years gradually started to make sexual advances. Her marriage was falling apart and she was vulnerable. How could this doctor who had provided counsel and care become inappropriate?With humor and even wondering if his words and physical contact were some form of cutting edge therapy, her confusion and shame ran deep. Wanting to find solace with a physician after her dad died, she pushed the abuse she was suffering out of her mind. With time and therapy, she learned that this was not her fault and that psychiatric professionals have boundaries to hold. In this follow-up episode, I have another conversation with Madelynn. We didn't know she was going to share this story in the first episode, so I wanted to check in with her and see how it felt to hear her voice while talking about trauma. And Madelynn is tough--she learned how she was using humor during the podcast and having incomplete thoughts. And her storytelling--when it comes to trauma--is right on. We revisit ideas and learn about changes within Madelynn, in nonlinear story, which is how we work through trauma. And in this episode Madelynn finds her footing, accepting she was a victim and that this abuse should never have happened to her.This story is ideal for anyone starting to voice their story of trauma. Or for friends and relatives that can make a space to safely talk about hard stories. We feel better and are enlightened when we repeatedly examine our trauma. Victimhood can be converted into ownership of an extremely hard time. Thank you, Madelynn, for being a rockstar and helping others learn we have to speak up.Part 1: RAW My Doctor Violated Me on Apple PodcastsPart 1: RAW My Doctor Violated Me on SpotifySupport the showHelp Bipolar She Today! Buy Me A Coffee is a platform for podcasters to receive support, even if just a micro-donation. It's finally time to grow! Let's amplify voices of mental illness in all their raw details.Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns.Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain. Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music.Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter.Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping....

When I rescued a dog, I never imagined the impact she would have on my mental health. Sure, her presence and warmth was calming and healing, but my dog Amber taught me a crucial lesson about how to handle my bipolar disorder.Happy to have a rescue dog in my life, things went downhill when a doctor put me on an antidepressant (which is a risky medication move if you have bipolar illness). And for me, it sent me into mania and then psychosis. In order to get care, I had to leave Amber home alone. And while trapped in a psych hospital, I had no way to get any care for her. As the clocked ticked by, my dog was home alone. She finally did get care, but when I returned, she showed signs of distress and this made me feel awful. She taught me that my illness impacts those around us--especially loved ones.In this mini-remix I talk to JD about how this experience changed my life and has helped me prevent hospitalizations. Sometimes our greatest teachers have fur and four legs. Recorded & Edited at ModernTone Studios.Support the showHelp Bipolar She Today! Buy Me A Coffee is a platform for podcasters to receive support, even if just a micro-donation. It's finally time to grow! Let's amplify voices of mental illness in all their raw details.Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns.Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain. Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music.Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter.Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping....

What happens when bipolar disorder collides with unexpected pregnancy? For Betsi it was a frightening time knowing a bipolar episode can be triggered by pregnancy and that bipolar illness has a genetic component that may be passed down to your child.And Betsi had already endured several hospitalizations in her early adulthood. She also was under the care of a doctor who misdiagnosed her and took her off all psychiatric medications, only to result in an episode that could have been prevented. After finding stability with the right psychiatrist and medication, she and her husband had made peace with not having children. But when she unexpectedly became pregnant after nine years of marriage, Betsi soon found herself in the psychiatric ward, experiencing a break from reality while carrying her child. The recovery process during pregnancy and her daughter's first year was exhausting, but Betsi discovered unexpected reservoirs of strength. Her small-town Ohio community, supportive husband, and Mennonite church provided crucial stability. Most powerfully, she reveals how confronting her own childhood trauma, growing up with an alcoholic father, has been essential to her healing journey – and her determination to break that cycle for her daughter. Now stable for thirteen years, Betsi's story challenges simplistic notions about bipolar disorder being purely biological, highlighting how childhood environments can influence brain chemistry and mental health outcomes. Her journey offers hope that with proper treatment, support, and courage to face the past, living well with bipolar disorder – even through unexpected challenges – is absolutely possible.Support the showHelp Bipolar She Today! Buy Me A Coffee is a platform for podcasters to receive support, even if just a micro-donation. It's finally time to grow! Let's amplify voices of mental illness in all their raw details.Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns.Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain. Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music.Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter.Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping....

What happens when the joyful arrival of a baby triggers an unexpected mental health crisis? When Susan returned home with her newborn, she was in a manic state. Fueled by little sleep with an infant to care for, her behavior became erratic--rushing around the house, even handling her baby carelessly. Her husband David told Susan that it felt like he was suddenly living with two strangers--a wife he didn't recognize and a child he didn't yet know.It would take their doula's observation and advice that Susan was not just a fatigued new mother, but that she needed immediate help.However, without effective treatment, Susan went back to work completely manic, losing her job. She would then alternate between a depressive fog and a manic state, ultimately landing her at McLean hospital for a harrowing three week stay. Rebuilding her life would include ECT, years on disability, and finally getting care from expert providers.Susan's mothering instinct now shines through by coaching those living with bipolar disorder and helping them design lives and careers. Perhaps most movingly, Susan developed a profound bond with her child, now eighteen years old despite such rough early years.At the top of the show I mention Susan's dedication to Bipolar Social Club, and online support group with weekly meetings, special programming and an online discussion board. As a member, I am grateful for the support BSC offers!Support the showHelp Bipolar She Today! Buy Me A Coffee is a platform for podcasters to receive support, even if just a micro-donation. It's finally time to grow! Let's amplify voices of mental illness in all their raw details.Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns.Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain. Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music.Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter.Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping....

At age thirty-two, Tara Cousineau, PhD, had it all. But when a mysterious illness disrupted her life, her doctors blamed it on stress. Knowing something else was at play she searched until she discovered a pinched nerve that was indeed a physical ailment, but also exacerbated by stress.Looking inward and discovering her own perfectionistic tendencies, Tara knew she wanted to help high achievers prevent burnout and illness. As a therapist, she set out on a path to improve the mental health of others and to educate those striving for excellence at all costs.In this episode we learn Tara's working definition of perfectionism and how it can have a severe impact on one's quality of life.Today, Tara works with students at Harvard University and she leads groups on Befriending the Inner Critic and Overcoming Perfectionism through Self-Compassion. She breaks down the parts of ourselves--that self-talk that includes the inner judge, inner bully, inner detective, and the inner joy thief.She offers insight on how procrastination is linked to perfectionism, how perfectionism has a 40% genetic cause, and how internal family systems can be a breakthrough treatment for many--and how recovery begins by simply learning to sit in one's body, take inventory, and begin to feel. Tara's The Perfectionist Dilemma, shares research and practical tools for striving for excellence with room for discovery, curiosity, and healthy mistakes along the way.Listeners can find Dr. Tara’s book, The Perfectionist's Dilemma: Learn the Art of Self-Compassion and Become a Happy Achiever, at online book retailers and access to free Happy Achiever tools at https://perfectionistsdilemma.com.They can also find more in "The Peaceful Perfectionist" Substack, https://taracousphd.substack.comSupport the showHelp Bipolar She Today! Buy Me A Coffee is a platform for podcasters to receive support, even if just a micro-donation. It's finally time to grow! Let's amplify voices of mental illness in all their raw details.Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns.Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain. Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music.Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter.Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping....

Kris Rice, founder of The ChillPod, joins me to share her transformative journey with deliberate cold exposure. Growing up with a grandmother who battled bipolar disorder and later supporting her daughter through mental health challenges, Kris developed a deep appreciation for wellness practices. While meditation and yoga provided benefits, they demanded significant time commitments she couldn't sustain as a busy parent.When a persistent friend suggested cold plunging, Kris initially resisted, but eventually filled a horse trough with cold water, took the plunge, and experienced immediate mental clarity, focus, energy, and mood lift.This episode is primarily Kris's lived life experience, with science sprinkled throughout. I also share my first-hand experience trying cold plunging at different temperatures, and we discuss common myths surrounding cold therapy, particularly for women. Kris explains how her passion for cold plunging led her to design the ChillPod—a cold plunge specifically created with women's bodies and aesthetics in mind, though suitable for everyone.This conversation breaks down cold plunging, and makes it feel accessible to anyone in good physical shape (always consult with a doctor before deliberate cold exposure). Are you ready to take the plunge?Check out The ChillPod HERESupport the showHelp Bipolar She Today! Buy Me A Coffee is a platform for podcasters to receive support, even if just a micro-donation. It's finally time to grow! Let's amplify voices of mental illness in all their raw details.Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns.Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain. Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music.Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter.Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping....

What happens when you receive a life-changing mental health diagnosis at 50 years old? For Matty Staudt--broadcast veteran, podcast pioneer, and current co-host of Alice Radio’s Sarah & Vinnie Show--it explained a lifetime of highs and lows.  Matty was an anxious kid, but he assumed everyone experienced anxiety to the same extent. As an adult, he was treated for ADHD and also for depression by primary care doctors. To manage, Matty self-medicated with alcohol until a major crash and relapse at age 50 forced him to see a psychiatrist who finally stepped in and said, this is clearly bipolar 2 disorder.Matty had been able to live the entrepreneurial lifestyle--which is very common among those with bipolar 2 (where your manic highs never flip into psychosis). He was ultra productive, getting weeks’ worth of work done in a day. Before he considered his rapid cycling between depressed and manic states as just how he operated and a personality flaw as his outbursts made him difficult to deal with at times, in both work and his personal life. This moment began a transformation and with therapy and medication and support from the bipolar community, Matty has found some calm—even contentment. But he works hard to keep his life balanced, especially when mania still feels alluring. And it’s tough. Stigma is real. For those 50 and up, mental illness was not talked about in our culture and sometimes they are the group needing the most help to push past stigma and shame.It's never too late to see a mental health professional. It’s never too late to support and encourage a friend or loved one to see a psychiatrist. If you’re seeking a community, please visit BipolarSocialClub.org.Support the showHelp Bipolar She Today! Buy Me A Coffee is a platform for podcasters to receive support, even if just a micro-donation. It's finally time to grow! Let's amplify voices of mental illness in all their raw details.Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns.Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain. Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music.Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter.Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping....

In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month (existing since 1949!!), I sit down with Ava to talk about how to talk to friends and relatives about mental illness.Ava has had her own mental health journey, particularly with her father who witnessed a genocide at age six. With signs of a soul in agony, she has yet to engage him in a conversation about his mental health and deep pain.When it comes to finding therapy and support--yes, the times are actually changing--but most people living with illness must navigate the complicated decision to disclose one's diagnosis, with whom, and how much detail to provide. As host of Bipolar She, there's no more hiding my diagnosis. Perhaps there will be judgement. But one place I've found support is through friends that have treated me on good days and bad with simple acts of kindness. Sharing an article they read as a way to connect to my experiences. Or being a steady support, taking life moment to moment, while my manic mind was not my own. Compassion is often the best medicine.Whether you're living with mental health challenges or supporting someone who is, this episode offers practical insight into creating spaces where healing becomes possible through speaking our truths. Ready to break the silence around mental health? Join Ava and me for this chat.Support the showHelp Bipolar She Today! Buy Me A Coffee is a platform for podcasters to receive support, even if just a micro-donation. It's finally time to grow! Let's amplify voices of mental illness in all their raw details.Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns.Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain. Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music.Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter.Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping....

Today I sat down with Amy Vincze of Soar With Tapping and had an enlightening and somewhat controversial conversation. Amy, a certified Emotional Freedom Release (EFT) practitioner or "tapping coach," holds a strong belief that depression doesn't just appear out of nowhere—it's often the result of our earliest experiences and the vital emotions we've pushed away to survive.She believes that if we connect to deep feelings, such as anger, through tapping we can let go of those thoughts and emotions in away that brings us better mental and physical health. Amy shares a personal story of being abandoned by her father and falling into performative and perfectionistic behaviors. By adulthood Amy had completely lost touch with her authentic self and suffered from bulimia and was diagnosed with breast cancer.And Amy's idea about how breast cancer emerged in her life is a little controversial for those who adhere strictly to Western Medicine. Amy believes that negative stored up emotions since childhood manifested as breast cancer. And she believes that tapping work will prevent illness, both mental and physical.Throughout our conversation, Amy demonstrates how tapping works through a powerful combination of meridian stimulation, cognitive processing, and somatic experience. She explains how tapping counterintuitively leans into difficult emotions like anger, creating a safe container for their expression and release. Our real-time tapping session on embracing anger shows how acknowledging these shadow emotions frees us from their grip rather than making them worse. And please visit Amy's app, Soar with Tapping, or her website here for a generous discount on a year subscription of this fantastic resource: Soar With Tapping Podcast Discount.Follow us at bipolarshepod.com or @bipolarshepod on Instagram to continue the conversation.Support the showHelp Bipolar She Today! Buy Me A Coffee is a platform for podcasters to receive support, even if just a micro-donation. It's finally time to grow! Let's amplify voices of mental illness in all their raw details.Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns.Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain. Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music.Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter.Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping....

Today I continue my conversation with Dr. Susan Swick. Dr. Swick explains the dialogic method of therapy, developed in Finland for schizophrenia patients, which brings family and community into treatment sessions to improve outcomes through enhanced connection and understanding. Finland's application of this approach led to lower hospitalization rates and better medication compliance.Now the Ohana Center is using this method for various mental health issues in children and teens. Coupling the dialogic model with the belief that mental fitness can be built, Ohana's model sets up our youth to lead more emotionally resilient lives. Dr. Swick believes mental fitness includes being able to clearly perceive your inner world, others' feelings, and your external reality.Family-centered care accelerates recovery by also teaching parents the skills their children are learning. And insurance companies are supporting this new form of treatment. Ohana also has extensive prevention programs and workshops for parents, grandparents, and anyone close to a young person in need. Ohana also provides free virtual workshops accessible to parents anywhere.And check out their Instagram page, which offers content for adolescents to share with parents about mental health topics. Dr. Swick hopes to soon see that mental wellness strategies in youth are as simple and accessible as daily brushing/flossing your teeth.Ohana Montage HealthOhana Parent EducationOhana Crisis ResourcesSupport the showHelp Bipolar She Today! Buy Me A Coffee is a platform for podcasters to receive support, even if just a micro-donation. It's finally time to grow! Let's amplify voices of mental illness in all their raw details.Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns.Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain. Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music.Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter.Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping....

Today I sit down for a two-part episode with Dr. Susan Swick. Dr. Swick, a psychiatrist specializing in child and adolescent health, first shares her personal connection to mental illness through her mother's late-onset psychotic illness. For Dr. Swick, getting her mother good care shaped her approach to youth mental health and her development of programs at the Ohana Center in Monterey, California. Dr. Swick highlights how mental illnesses are very common in children, and they are always treatable, and most often preventable. Psychiatric illnesses affect 20-25% of children before age 18, and are twice as common as asthma. Unfortunately, anxiety and mood disorders have increased by 50% among 12-24 year-olds in recent decades and Ohana’s mission is to bend the curve and decrease mental illness in youth.Mental illnesses are diseases of youth, with 50% of lifetime mental illnesses emerging by age 15, and 75% by age 25. Ohana's innovative approach includes family-centered therapy and building mental fitness--which works like a psychological immune system--helping youth manage adversity. Interestingly, 50% of children with pre-pubertal depression may develop bipolar disorder. Structured sleep, regular biorhythms can even protect against manic episodes.Stay tuned for Part 2.Ohana Montage HealthOhana Parent EducationOhana Crisis ResourcesPlease like us and rate us and leave us a review wherever you find your podcasts, especially on Apple Podcasts. Find us online at BipolarShe.com or at BipolarShePod on Instagram.Support the showHelp Bipolar She Today! Buy Me A Coffee is a platform for podcasters to receive support, even if just a micro-donation. It's finally time to grow! Let's amplify voices of mental illness in all their raw details.Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns.Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain. Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music.Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter.Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping....

Today I sit down with Kathleen Adams, a pioneer in therapeutic writing since 1985, who has transformed our understanding of how putting pen to paper can change our brains and improve our mental and physical health. As founder of both the Therapeutic Writing Institute and the Center for Journal Therapy, Kay shares her expertise and innovative journaling techniques.Kay provides an alternate to what we think of as "journaling" or "free writing," which can be intimidating to many. "Structure, pacing, and containment" are at the core of Kay's method--critical elements that emerged from her work with psychiatric patients who found that free-writing or "rage on the page" worsened their symptoms.For those managing bipolar disorder, Kay offers guidance, specifically on  ways to build in reflection time to create emotional balance, greater self-awareness, and genuine healing. Your journal is flexible and forgiving. You are in charge - discover what works for you.Therapeutic Writing InstituteCenter for Journal TherapyYour Brain on Ink: A Workbook on Neuroplasticity and the Journal Ladder (It's Easy to W.R.I.T.E. Expressive Writing) by Deborah Ross and Kathleen AdamsJournal Therapy for Overcoming Burnout: 366 Prompts for Renewal and Stress Management by Kathleen AdamsSupport the showHelp Bipolar She Today! Buy Me A Coffee is a platform for podcasters to receive support, even if just a micro-donation. It's finally time to grow! Let's amplify voices of mental illness in all their raw details.Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns.Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain. Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music.Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter.Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping....

Have you ever thought about your mental health journey and wondered if it needed to get as bad as it did? As Bipolar She celebrates its 1-year anniversary, I sit down with writer/actor JD to reflect on the podcast. We chat about how I am often reminded I have bipolar illness because I get little glimmers of mania and psychosis and how the world can just feel “off.” Even a strict regimen of medication and sleep doesn’t make me feel totally normal. And even though I am thirteen years post-hospital for a psychiatric event, I still live in terror that it could happen again and that another hospitalization would be soul-crushing.The conversation heats up when I suggest that my bipolar illness didn’t need to get as severe as it did. This revelation is based on looking at my childhood and young adulthood where I became the “identified patient” or black sheep in my family. This is primarily an unconscious dynamic in a family, so family members may not even be aware that this role has been assigned to someone—someone they may love very much. As the “sick kid” for much of my life, I learned that being sick was actually “safe” in my household and these unconscious lessons paved the way for me to continue to find safety with illness as I got increasingly sicker with bipolar and Crohn’s disease in my adulthood.We talk about the therapeutic effect of writing and how science backs up how writing about big traumas in your life can improve mental health. And we also talk about how anyone can be an advocate for mental health at any time. You never have to be fully “healed” from mental illness to make an impact by telling your stories with the hope they reach others.Thanks to JD for a great conversation!How to Become a Mental Health AdvocateHow Journal Writing is Proven to Improve Your Mental Health (Huberman Labs)Support the showHelp Bipolar She Today! Buy Me A Coffee is a platform for podcasters to receive support, even if just a micro-donation. It's finally time to grow! Let's amplify voices of mental illness in all their raw details.Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns.Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain. Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music.Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter.Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping....

Have you tried meditation, and it really wasn’t your thing? Are you ever overwhelmed with negative or depressing thoughts? Or maybe you can’t see your life changing for the better because you have old perceptions of yourself stuck in your head? With story as your superpower, you can learn to positively project new futures, and perhaps this future even includes less medication for those with depression.Today we get answers and insight into how we can reclaim our lives as we struggle with low moods or even just the blues. I talk with Dr. Norman Farb, a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto, where he studies the neuroscience of human identity and emotion. He is co-author, with Zindel Segal, of the new book, Better in Every Sense: How the New Science of Sensation Can Help You Reclaim Your Life.This research is illuminating and potentially a game changer, particularly for those with treatment-resistant depression. At the crux of Dr. Farb’s research is how the act of sense foraging improves our mental health. And it’s not traditional mindfulness via meditation. From exercise to gardening, you can find the right access point for you.With a toaster analogy, we learn about what’s going on in the brain of someone under stress or with depression and how we all operate primarily with a neural network in the brain, called the Default Mode Network or House of Habit--the epicenter of our idea of self, judgement, and what habituates us for survival. And it gets ramped up with sadness and anxiety.Dr. Farb discusses research done with functional MRI’s which show how sadness inhibits a region in the brain that takes in sensory information. fMRI’s have proven that by tuning into sensation, the brain can change over time, which can then be a predictor of someone staying out of depressive episodes.We learn how you can listen closely to your inner monologues and crack down on the negative loops. And how to strengthen connections with others.There’s an amazing study we discuss that proves through practices like sense foraging, some patients were able to discontinue their medication for depression.Support the showHelp Bipolar She Today! Buy Me A Coffee is a platform for podcasters to receive support, even if just a micro-donation. It's finally time to grow! Let's amplify voices of mental illness in all their raw details.Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns.Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain. Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music.Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter.Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping....

As an actor who started out on Broadway and now calls LA home, JD has survived the sting of rejection. But it was real life that recently delivered the sharpest of blows when his infatuation for a woman in a Zoom class led to unrequited love. When she wanted to "just be friends," JD's heart was broken, he was wounded, and even his neighbors would hear him in the throws of despair.But underneath his obsession was an even darker part of his life. Every waking moment was centered around cannabis and getting high. For JD, marijuana was an addiction that he tried to break free from a half-dozen times. But it was the single substance in his life that proved to be more powerful than him.JD joins me for a candid conversation about how his drug dependency and Zoom obsession spiraled out of control. Most relevantly, hitting this low-point started with the pit of depression: a history of dysthymia, treatment-resistant depression, and ultimately the merry-go-round of medications and prescribers of varying efficacy.From confronting suicide (we hear JD's intense thoughts on ending his life) to the transformative power of therapy, JD is now walking a path of acceptance and balance in his second act.Support the showHelp Bipolar She Today! Buy Me A Coffee is a platform for podcasters to receive support, even if just a micro-donation. It's finally time to grow! Let's amplify voices of mental illness in all their raw details.Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns.Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain. Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music.Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter.Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping....

Dan wasn’t just a grumpy teenager who refused to get out of bed—by his early teens (and even younger) he was severely depressed with suicidal ideation at times. Today, at age forty, he can sum up his chronic depression as a constant battle in his life. The other constant has been his music. A singer-songwriter, now with the artist-persona, Conner Eko, he was accepted to Berklee College of Music at age twenty. Inspired to attend John Mayer’s alma mater, Dan was dissuaded by his family's belief in being practical. Dan let go of his music dream.Twenty years later, Dan and I discuss the many paths he walked down, making some music in between but never committing to it fully. After a freak accident left him with concussion syndrome in 2021, Dan could barely get off the couch. The only thing that didn’t intensify his severe headaches was playing the piano. Music was a life source again.When a friend casually suggested magic mushrooms to help his concussion, Dan (now an astrophysicist) discovered that psychedelics were being used to treat both head trauma and chronic depression. Under the care of an accredited therapist, Dan did high-dose psilocybin treatments. But the most amazing outcome was far from trippy visuals, but a purposeful integration period of intensive therapy, journaling, and returning fully to his art.Join me as we talk good trips, bad trips, (while I’ll never trip), and the exciting launch of a new live in-studio single, “Standing Up,” that was written to share his story and advocate for change.Conner Eko releases his single “Standing Up” on January 24th.Listen here on distrokidWebsite: connereko.com@connerekoSpotifyApple Music YouTubeBandcampFacebookSupport the showHelp Bipolar She Today! Buy Me A Coffee is a platform for podcasters to receive support, even if just a micro-donation. It's finally time to grow! Let's amplify voices of mental illness in all their raw details.Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns.Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain. Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music.Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter.Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping....

Ava and I continue our conversation on the now infamous healer, John of God. In 2008, in a small Brazilian town, I stood before him waiting to know if I would have surgery. He did not perform his crude practices on me (eyeball scraping--with a butter knife, forceps up the nose, slicing open bodies to remove tumors), but he did grant me the title of "medium," suggesting I had the gift of spirits moving through me, just as they did through him. I was skeptical, but I was desperate to escape a disfiguring surgery, so why not believe I had spiritual gifts?After intense "invisible" surgery where I felt "entities" or surrounding spirits working on my bowels, I headed home to San Francisco to wait and see if John of God's powers cured me of Crohn's...and, hopefully, of bipolar disorder as well.There's some good healing news in this episode, while at the same time, trying to work with my medium or "psychic" abilities began to unravel me. Enjoy my chat with Ava, the kindest physician, and the ultimate skeptic.Support the showHelp Bipolar She Today! Buy Me A Coffee is a platform for podcasters to receive support, even if just a micro-donation. It's finally time to grow! Let's amplify voices of mental illness in all their raw details.Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns.Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain. Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music.Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter.Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping....

Today we take a detour from our examination of mental illness, and instead look at the impact of chronic physical illness on our lives. I've had Crohn's disease for more than twenty years. Physical illness is so often intertwined with one's mental health. And my severe case of Crohn's left me running scared and desperate to avoid a disfiguring surgery.Dr. Ava, a physician and friend, explains Crohn's disease and autoimmune diseases, that ignite inflammation and often exacerbate mental health issues. My life became a dance of managing bipolar illness and Crohn's disease and resulted in back-to-back hospitalizations for both.I felt forced to seek out unconventional healers, like the notorious John of God, who has drawn people from around the world with his unorthodox methods. In this episode, I answer the question as to why I would put myself in a risky situation to achieve healing.Support the showHelp Bipolar She Today! Buy Me A Coffee is a platform for podcasters to receive support, even if just a micro-donation. It's finally time to grow! Let's amplify voices of mental illness in all their raw details.Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns.Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain. Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music.Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter.Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping....

Her first binge felt like a trance. Normally uninterested in her family’s boring snack drawer, Dr. Regina Lazarovich had been restricting her food and her body took over while she ate everything in sight. Then Regina’s shame set in. Although she was desperate and sought help for her eating disorder during her twenties, she white-knuckled her way through more restriction and binging for a decade.Regina's turning point and the beginning of her true healing and eating disorder recovery was stumbling onto the book Intuitive Eating. This book changed her life and helped her understand that her relationship with food was not sustainable. She found a new lens on society--that we live in a "diet culture." It clicked that it is not our fault we want to control our food and bodies, but that bodies are not supposed to be controlled. This learned philosophy ultimately shaped Regina’s path to becoming a clinical psychologist specializing in OCD, eating disorders—and, in particular, binge eating disorder, as well as the critical role of Intuitive Eating as a pathway to healing.I learned so much from Regina and I am fascinated by her counter-culture views that would make the world a better place for our bodies and minds. She even helped me take a look at my own past with disordered eating from a warm, compassionate perspective.Enjoy Regina’s heartfelt approach to recovery and encouragement for everyone to find peace with food.Resources:Dr. Regina Lazarovich The Binge-Restrict Cycle ExplainedFind Food Freedom by Divesting From Diet CultureSupport the showHelp Bipolar She Today! Buy Me A Coffee is a platform for podcasters to receive support, even if just a micro-donation. It's finally time to grow! Let's amplify voices of mental illness in all their raw details.Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns.Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain. Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music.Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter.Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping....

After enduring a childhood overshadowed by emotional absence and the need to constantly please others, Amy Vincze felt like she no longer knew who she was. From panic attacks to perceived failures in her life, Amy needed to do something fast. Already using tapping for therapy, Amy discovered if she looked at the root cause of her emotions, she made transformative progress, and, in just a few weeks, she found emotional balance and a newfound sense of identity.During our conversation, Amy shares how tapping integrates both cognitive and somatic elements to reach the root of emotional issues and traumas, simply by  taking the tips of your fingers and tapping on meridian points (like those in Traditional Chinese Medicine).For those of us practicing Western medicine and talk therapy, this may sound a little far out there, but after stumbling upon Amy's tapping therapy six months ago, I have been wowed by its healing effects. Tapping therapy helps me deal with chronic pain from Crohn’s disease, insomnia, anxiety from being a person in this difficult world, and so much more.  We also introduce Amy's "Soar with Tapping" app, featuring over 160 scripts designed to tackle issues ranging from pain management to procrastination.Soar With Tapping [email protected] the showHelp Bipolar She Today! Buy Me A Coffee is a platform for podcasters to receive support, even if just a micro-donation. It's finally time to grow! Let's amplify voices of mental illness in all their raw details.Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns.Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain. Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music.Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter.Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping....

In our first episode of Bipolar She Raw, we hear Madelynn's story about her psychiatrist who made sexual advances towards her. She was confused because she knew he cared for her, and perhaps he was just getting old, with a few screws coming loose. But as his behavior became increasingly predatory, she found help through her therapist to remove herself from harm's way.But Madelynn's fear of the psychiatrist-patient dynamic persists. She has yet to seek one out--possibly preventing her from getting better healthcare.We also talk about Janine's experience in a "partial hospitalization" program, as Madelynn contemplates doing a "partial" or outpatient program to help her self-esteem, and her brain's executive functioning. They talk about taking life day to day to escape dark thoughts, knowing help is always an option, and that heavy times do pass--one frozen blueberry at a [email protected] the showHelp Bipolar She Today! Buy Me A Coffee is a platform for podcasters to receive support, even if just a micro-donation. It's finally time to grow! Let's amplify voices of mental illness in all their raw details.Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns.Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain. Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music.Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter.Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping....

Today I sit down with Deirdre, my first guest whose parent had mental illness. Her mom, Minnie, managed bipolar disorder and Deirdre grew up fast. By age 6 she had been exposed to her mother’s suicide attempt. Later, when Deirdre asked her mom why she would want to leave her daughter, Minnie told her she was in a deep, dark hole with no visible way out.Life became chaotic for Deirdre as she was stuck in the middle of a custody battle, suffered the loss of a brother, and now went on visits to her see her mom at a psychiatric facility. Living with her dad gave Deirdre some stability, but no one consistently showed in her daily life and asked young Deirdre, How can I help you?Fast-forward years of school hopping, active duty in the military, a career in crisis communications and experience in community mediation--Deirdre had to make a critical decision. If your mom and grandmother have bipolar disorder, is having a child the right thing to do?Deirdre is now in grad school fulfilling her lifelong dream to be a psychotherapist. With the gift of listening and letting her patients know they are always prioritized, Deirdre is driven to provide support that was not always available to her. Support the showHelp Bipolar She Today! Buy Me A Coffee is a platform for podcasters to receive support, even if just a micro-donation. It's finally time to grow! Let's amplify voices of mental illness in all their raw details.Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns.Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain. Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music.Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter.Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping....

Today, I sit down with Susan. After a near-death experience at age thirteen, Susan had a new view on life and death. Death was no longer something to fear, and Susan wasn't afraid to push life to its limits. In her teenage years, she learned the ritual of binging and purging and by college she was stuck in a pattern of bulimia and indulgent sexual encounters. The more food and sex, the more alive Susan felt. Susan shares the complexities of healing from an eating disorder and destructive behaviors. To make it to the next chapter in her life, Susan gives up restrictive dieting and discovers meditation, and ultimately, the healing properties of Ayurveda. Following the concept of seva, being of service, and of Tikkun olam--to fix the world--Susan's evolving life perspective removes her from harm's way and and gives her deep purpose.More on Susan's books HereMore on Susan Here.Support the showHelp Bipolar She Today! Buy Me A Coffee is a platform for podcasters to receive support, even if just a micro-donation. It's finally time to grow! Let's amplify voices of mental illness in all their raw details.Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns.Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain. Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music.Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter.Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping....

It's 2004. An election year. Republican incumbent George W. Bush vs. John Kerry, Democratic nominee. I'm in a psych ward on November 2, with the right to vote. But when all I can think about is good vs. evil, casting a ballot turns into despair.     In this episode, I chat with guest host, Sephe, about delusion and cognitive distortion, as well as the redemptive power of human connection and empathy. We speak about the sadness of lost years, reclaiming one's past, and discovering one's gifts.     As Janine expresses her gratitude to listeners of Bipolar She, she also asks for support in keeping the podcast alive--with all those good social media clicks, likes, and follows. More on guest host Sephe Haven:MITS podcast: HEREBooks available: www.isadoraoboto.com Support the showHelp Bipolar She Today! Buy Me A Coffee is a platform for podcasters to receive support, even if just a micro-donation. It's finally time to grow! Let's amplify voices of mental illness in all their raw details.Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns.Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain. Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music.Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter.Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping....

Today, I sit down with Madelynn to talk about major depression, which she's battled since high school--nearly 40 years. Madelynn doesn't hold back when discussing suicidal ideation during the pandemic and how difficult it is to live through ideation in an anxious body or to handle a body that just feels flat and void of any emotions.But Madelynn's now equipped with a plan to catch these early signs of depression by reaching out to friends, writing notes from a happier self, getting good support and a little bit of alchemy, bringing her a remedy along the way.I am in awe of Madelynn's honesty and her practice of finding hope. We get into a conversation about what it's like for our generation to handle mental illness and how it varies greatly with the current "out and proud" approach with our youth.We also discuss the emotional toll of contrasting the lives we dreamed of with the quieter, more introspective lives we now lead.PS The Kahlil Gibran poem Madelynn refers to is titled: "On Joy and Sorrow."Enjoy,JanineSupport the showHelp Bipolar She Today! Buy Me A Coffee is a platform for podcasters to receive support, even if just a micro-donation. It's finally time to grow! Let's amplify voices of mental illness in all their raw details.Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns.Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain. Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music.Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter.Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping....

Today I sit down with Tracy to learn about her struggle with anxiety and how it seemed to crop up at milestone birthdays. A self-described nervous child and lifelong "nervous wreck," Tracy didn't know what anxiety was until she turned thirty--a birthday that forced her to take a look at where her life was headed. Tracy made it through until age forty when her anxiety intensified. She could barely drive without having a panic attack and learned she hand agoraphobia.In this episode, Tracy shares this secret life that became a literal and figurative roadblock. With candor and vulnerability, we learn her harrowing story and how she made it through her darkest of days.Send your mental health story to Janine via the Contact form at the website: bipolarshe.comYou never know, it may be a good fit for the show. I will respond to all inquiries.Special Thanks...Music composed and performed by guitarist, JD CullumRecorded at Modern Tone Studios the highest ranked recording studio in the San Francisco East Bay.Inspired to write and looking for guidance? Diablo Writers' Workshop offers classes, workshops and editorial services.Support the showHelp Bipolar She Today! Buy Me A Coffee is a platform for podcasters to receive support, even if just a micro-donation. It's finally time to grow! Let's amplify voices of mental illness in all their raw details.Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns.Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain. Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music.Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter.Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping....

Today is an unexpected, full-circle, episode and I am thrilled. We didn't plan on this, but when Sarah learned her sister Ava had shared her journey as Sarah's caregiver, Sarah, decided to share her side  of the experience as a recipient of Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT). Sarah, now advocate of ECT, came on this week's podcast to let us know first-hand about ECT being a lifesaving treatment, how it is performed and why it's time to speak up against its formerly "barbaric" reputation. Sarah shares her story as a dedicated physician, during which her hypomania served her life and impressive career well, until age 46 when she hit her first depressive episode.In Part 1: Sisters Embark on ECT, Ava so bravely shares her story about caring for a loved one when Sarah was in the midst of her mid-life mental health crisis and treatment resistant episodes. At that time, Ava became Sarah's best advocate, working tirelessly with doctors to find a solution to Sarah's worsening symptoms and ultimately being courageous enough to support Sarah through the often stigmatized (ECT), which  healed Sarah's mind. In two episodes, both sisters now share their story of hope, empathy, and resilience with mental illness. Enjoy Part 1 and Part 2.Support the showHelp Bipolar She Today! Buy Me A Coffee is a platform for podcasters to receive support, even if just a micro-donation. It's finally time to grow! Let's amplify voices of mental illness in all their raw details.Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns.Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain. Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music.Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter.Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping....

Today I speak with Ava about her sister, Sarah, and her struggle to find the right treatment for Sarah's bipolar disorder. Ava and Sarah are both successful physicians, and Sarah's behavior did not present with any symptoms of illness her entire life. But when Sarah is diagnosed in her mid-forties, her impressive life and career is disrupted by treatment resistant bipolar illness and she is in dire need of good care.Although Ava lives 500 miles away from Sarah, she becomes Sarah's best advocate, working with doctors to find a solution to Sarah's worsening symptoms and the collapse of her high achieving life. Ultimately, with the support of Ava and her family, and the often stigmatized Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT), Sarah's life is finally restored.Support the showHelp Bipolar She Today! Buy Me A Coffee is a platform for podcasters to receive support, even if just a micro-donation. It's finally time to grow! Let's amplify voices of mental illness in all their raw details.Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns.Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain. Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music.Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter.Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping....

Today I talk with Graham Wiseman, as he shares the story of his son Colin, who lost his battle with anxiety, ADHD, and depression at age fifteen when he died by suicide. Graham speaks about grief and the different ways he and his wife have moved through the grieving process. Together, they have focused on a singular purpose--to advocate for change in youth mental health in schools and beyond. Through the nonprofit BeingwellCA, Colin's legacy has propelled state-wide integration of wellness centers in schools.We discuss the essential role of caring adults--beyond a child's parent--and how their time and mentorship proves an invaluable part of helping students struggling with mental health issues. This is where you can get involved in your community. Perhaps you're a coach or an artist or a writer or a lawyer--the only requisite is the desire to listen and offer support to a single student. And this is where the most hopeful statistics on preventing youth suicide live--in this student & compassionate adult equation. To fund more student wellness centers and offer critical mental health resources to school districts across the state, BeingwellCA has teamed up with California Department of Education to create a Mental Health Awareness License Plate. The unique license plate has one goal: To bring mental illness into the light--even if just a traffic light. Visit BeingwellCA.org to show your support of this urgent campaign. Click Here for information on BeingwellCA.orgGraham speaks about Dr. Cheryl King's work that offers a potential strategy for success at keeping kids' mental health strong and the power of having a caring adult in their life. Click Here for Dr. King's Ted Talk.Support the showHelp Bipolar She Today! Buy Me A Coffee is a platform for podcasters to receive support, even if just a micro-donation. It's finally time to grow! Let's amplify voices of mental illness in all their raw details.Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns.Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain. Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music.Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter.Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping....

After a decade of pounding the pavement, Janine abandons the acting dream and heads to the desert to be a writer. Can this new identity save her from another psychotic break? Will it allow her to get a step ahead of bipolar illness? What if the key to her stability isn't a prescription, but a creature who teaches her the true value of sanity? Janine also gets real about her structured life today and how it's her best chance at staying healthy for tomorrow.Support the showHelp Bipolar She Today! Buy Me A Coffee is a platform for podcasters to receive support, even if just a micro-donation. It's finally time to grow! Let's amplify voices of mental illness in all their raw details.Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns.Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain. Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music.Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter.Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping....

After leaving her New York acting dreams behind, Janine still has a plan for success. The instant she feels physically and mentally fit, she takes on Hollywood. Suddenly, she's cast in an LA play that's headed back to New York and may bring an Off-Broadway credit her way.  At the mercy of a radical psychiatrist, Janine must keep her thrilled head on straight while the celebrity stars align and her ability to stay out of danger is put to the test.Support the showHelp Bipolar She Today! Buy Me A Coffee is a platform for podcasters to receive support, even if just a micro-donation. It's finally time to grow! Let's amplify voices of mental illness in all their raw details.Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns.Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain. Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music.Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter.Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping....

It's 2000, summer in New York City, exactly five years after Dartmouth. For Janine, depression and psychosis in college was a one-time deal. For three years, she's been chasing her dream of being an actor, and with a big performance coming up, she's as close to success as she's ever been. Thrilled with life and buzzing through the city, Janine's world shifts...but can you blame her? Why would dreaming be dangerous?Support the showHelp Bipolar She Today! Buy Me A Coffee is a platform for podcasters to receive support, even if just a micro-donation. It's finally time to grow! Let's amplify voices of mental illness in all their raw details.Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns.Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain. Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music.Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter.Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping....