Live Well Bipolar ™

After living almost 10 years diagnosed with bipolar disorder, I wanted to share a resource that has helped me gain so much awareness.

Can I tell you a secret?

I put my FREE Bipolar Wellness Workbook together first… for myself. But, after continuously going back to it …I realized how helpful it has been in navigating the many highs and lows we all face living with bipolar.

There were so many years I had no insight into what my triggers looked like or even what wellness could look like for me.

Using this workbook has given me clarity into these core 5 areas:

1. What are my triggers?

2. What does wellness look like for me?

3. What tools can help?

4. How far have I come?

5. How can I get started?

I have never met anyone who also lives with bipolar that I have had this much in common with.

Kate Simonet is an inspirational speaker and best selling author of her memior, Out of the Darkness. She is a mental health and suicide prevention advocate for teens and young adults.

Kate joins me this week to share her story and a few things we have in common....

We are both ....28, got married this year after meeting both of our husbands 5 years, runners, authors/speakers, worked in corporate America and were hospitalized in the same month and year (December of 2014).

With so much in common, Kate was able to break down her earliest experiences with severe depression along with the tools that have helped her the most in silencing our inner critics.

Kate describes the role of therapy, sleep, medication and her support system in her stability and how she was able to begin telling her story 7 years after her diagnosis.

This is the episode for you if you are a man living with bipolar or you love/care for a man who is.

I am joined by Lee Formella, host of Benefits of Bipolar on YouTube, writer for the International Bipolar Foundation + NAMI newsletter & speaker for NAMI.

Lee opens up about his experience going about asking for help and the challenges he has faced in this area from a male perspective. He describes the moment that moved him to prioritize this with his struggles with drinking and gambling.

If you can relate to feeling like you need to have all the answers and feeling overwhelmed with thinking you need do this alone then Lee's story will give you hope.

Lee went from living in survival mode from 15-35 and talks about the process of stepping out of this with the support of his family and girlfriend.

Tune in to learn from a male perspective on what has worked for Lee when it comes down to learning how to Live Well Bipolar.

The 3 biggest lies that I told myself both prior to and after my bipolar diagnosis were these:

1. You will never find a partner who will truly love and accept you

2. You will never be successful in any type of job or career

3. You must keep this a secret and never tell people you live with bipolar

There are many other things I held onto both due to self-stigma and discrimination I experienced early on in my journey living with bipolar.

Tune in to hear me break down how I came to see these as lies and how I was able to prove them all to be false.

I am so happy to bring back a wonderful guest, Bonnie Mosby, who I brought to the podcast for you guys over a year ago.

Bonnie is the CEO of The Imperfect Human, LLC, a mental health and performance coach at The Imperfect Human, LLC, a Brazilian jiujitsu blue belt, and a master social worker in training.

Bonnie is back to expand on the lesson she shared on self-acceptance with how we can cultivate this thing called radical belief in oneself.

This conversation will equip you with the skills to tackle internalized ableism that so many of us struggle with when living with bipolar disorder.

Not only will Bonnie lay out how to tackle this internalized ableism but how to go about curating your support network and leaning into available resources.

There is a story Bonnie shares of the power of the people you keep around you and what we can do to continue to foster this belief in ourselves that some in our lives help us see.

This week we are joined by a psychiatrist who took the time to create a story on bipolar for us.

Elizabeth Nguyen, MD is a multidimensional psychiatrist, writer, and author of the recently published novel, Aloha Vietnam. She was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. Her parents were refugees from Vietnam who arrived in Honolulu in 1975 at the end of the Vietnam War. She received her BA from Stanford University in Human Biology, her MD from Northwestern University, and her Psychiatry Residency and Child Psychiatry Fellowship training at UC Davis.

She started her career in community mental health, with specific interests in cross-cultural psychiatry, the intersection of spirituality and mental health, and the healing power of water and the natural world. She currently lives and works in private practice in Davis, CA.

Dr. Nguyen speaks openly about her early experience with mental illness in her family growing up. She describes the ways in which this influenced her to pursue her career in psychiatry. This career is also what put her on the path to write and publish Aloha Vietnam.

Aloha Vietnam describes the journey of Anh Nguyen, a 17 year old senior in high school, who experiences her first manic episode. She is diagnosed with bipolar disorder, put on medications, and she and her Vietnamese-American family are suddenly thrown into the world of mental health treatment and recovery.

Tune into this episode to hear Dr. Nguyen's take on therapy, living well with bipolar and the ways in which her clients have helped her grow as both a practitioner and person.

Jonathan Szarko was diagnosed with bipolar 1 disorder, spent 9 months in jail and was dead set on not becoming "another statistic in the criminal justice system."

Standing in handcuffs in front of a judge at 30 years old, Jonathan was given a choice. He could either spend 5 years in jail or 5 years on probation. After living through past struggles with drugs and alcohol, Jonathan made the commitment to get sober and prioritize one of his oldest passions: fitness.

Growing up with a grandfather who was a bodybuilder, Jonathan shares his history with athletics and how he set out to manage his bipolar diagnosis through returning to the world of fitness.

He shares a huge struggle of weight gain with bipolar medications and how he was able to combat this and love his own body to teach others this.

Getting back on track came with earning his B.S. degree in Community Health Sciences and his NSCA-Certified Personal Trainers (NSCA-CPT®) license. From there, Jonathan launched his "Lifting with Bipolar" podcast to inspire others on their fitness journeys who live with bipolar.

Today, Jonathan is an Online Personal Trainer specializing in helping people with bipolar disorder love the skin their in and also manage any unwanted weight gain associated with medications.

This week we are joined by Mequell Buck- Author, Public Speaker, Mother of 3 and Suicide Survivor. She founded the organization Mental Illness Warrior and co-hosts the podcast "Thriving With Mental Illness" with her husband Adam.

Mequell dives into what it was like to be misdiagnosed early on in her life, survive a suicide attempt and discover a tool to help her move forward. She speaks about the importance of prioritizing relationships with yourself, family and your habits.

Navigating personal life, marriage, motherhood and a bipolar diagnosis is never easy no matter who you ask but successfully fighting the stigma is a priority for Mequell.

Have you ever felt crippled by the stigma of bipolar disorder? Living with bipolar is not always easy but it gets really challenging when stigma enters the picture.

Andrea Vassilev is a fifth-year doctoral candidate in clinical psychology, a therapist in California specializing in bipolar disorder, and a person with 25 years of experience with the condition. She speaks and writes for outlets such as Slate Magazine, NAMI, and the International Bipolar Foundation. Andrea is the creator of the world's first self-stigma program for bipolar disorder and hopes that telling her own story of life with bipolar through the lenses of clinical causes, treatments, and outcomes will provide education, hope, and comfort to others.

Andrea joins me on the podcast to detail her experience being diagnosed with bipolar disorder at 14 all the way to developing the world's first program designed to help reduce self-stigma in individuals living with bipolar disorder. Tune in to learn what it means to truly get to know how bipolar lives in you and the ways to understand how it shows up in your life using psychotherapy.

Many myths about therapy for bipolar will be busted along with key insights into how you can get the most out of therapy. Andrea shares how she has taken her lived experience with bipolar and turned it into wisdom to help others overcome common obstacles.

Tune in to this week's solo episode where I uncover the top 5 things that I have given up on in order to be able to Live Well Bipolar.

Along with this... I share more on why I am currently in the process of giving up on my relationship with alcohol.

I dive into how I have been able to give up on past relationships, jobs and environments that were toxic to my efforts to live well with bipolar.

My hope is if you also live with bipolar like I do or love someone who does.... that these lived experiences will resonate and offer support.

Can you imagine being diagnosed with bipolar disorder during a global pandemic while trying to run your own business?

This week, I am joined by Megan, mental health advocate and aspiring author living with bipolar type 1, PTSD, and anxiety. Megan uses her experiences living with bipolar to spread positivity and hope surrounding mental health.

This episode shows how Megan started writing not only to share her experiences to resonate with others but to track her moods. She describes the process of capturing all these things and how it helped her accept her diagnosis.

She touches on the power of using her voice and leveraging the support from her husband and family to prioritize her mental health. Tune in to learn more about Megan's journey along with starting the process of writing her first book.

If you have ever struggled with drinking or alcohol when living with bipolar and wanting to learn to overcome these struggles then this episode is for you.

I sit down with my guest, Andrew Ramirez, Certified High School Counselor living with Bipolar 1, PTSD, & OCD. He is a graduate of the University of Miami and Rutgers University, a proud Puerto Rican, Husband, and Daddy of 2!

Andrew breaks down the acronym "RAG" (Routine, Awareness & Gratitude) that made a difference in managing his life after receiving his bipolar diagnosis and starting his sobriety journey.

He shares what it was like going from 3 hospitalizations to gaining insight into triggers and noticing trends in recovery.

There is nothing better than being able to talk to someone who has turned their life experiences into fuel to help others.

This week I am joined by Niki Castle, a mental health coach for parents who have a child struggling with their mental health. As a former PAC 12 basketball player, Niki specializes in working with young athletes facing mental health challenges. She is a speaker with NAMI's "Ending the Silence" program to help eliminate stigma by creating awareness to mental health challenges through sharing her own bipolar disorder journey. She is also an Ambassador at Large with "Morgan's Message" an organization that educates college athletes about mental health along with being a regular contributor to the International Bipolar Foundation blog.

Niki shares what her upbringing was like with a long history of mental illness in her family. She describes being raised coming from a mixed family where she felt a lot of stigma because rather than talking about your struggles you would go to church and pray.

We get into the breakthrough that helped Niki discover what works for her when it comes to being able to Live Well Bipolar. Niki shares the role structuring her life plays in her stability and how doing this work is what allowed her to become a coach to help others.

Tune in to hear how you can take your own lived experience and use it as a guide to Live Well Bipolar.

What role does peer support play when it comes to learning how to live well bipolar?

Tune in as Paris brings on this week's guest, Avantika, the host of the podcast Beautiful You. She has been an active mental health advocate since 2020, creating videos, blogs & podcast for mental health advocacy. Avantika was diagnosed with bipolar II at 17 and featured in the magazine called The Week and an Indian national newspaper, The Times of India, for sharing her story with bipolar disorder.

We talk about the importance of creating your support network through relationships along with leveraging others who understand what it looks like to live with bipolar.

Avantika shares her story as it relates to moving from denial to taking action to make her mental health her top priority. She describes the importance of acknowledging our limitations and not letting them keep us in a box.

Tune in to hear Paris speak with this week's guest, Dr. Aruna Tummala, a pioneer in holistic psychiatry who works to help her patients struggling with bipolar disorder reclaim their lives.

Dr. Aruna shares the struggles she faced herself and how all the treatments that failed her lead her to discovering a solution. She shares how she was able to leave her problems in the past tense with the changes she made to her life.

From attending her first holistic psychiatry conference in October of 2013 to becoming board certified in Integrative and Holistic Medicine, Dr. Aruna shares how she was able to identify the root of her suffering.

She dives into the 3 root causes she sees in all her patients...diet, trauma and toxins. Along with this, she details how she has been able to transform many of the issues she saw working as a young doctor to help so many.

Have you ever tried tracking your habits ...or ones you want to start or do more often?

I wanted to make this short, solo episode to share with you all why I started tracking mine almost a month ago.

Habit tracking has helped me get more clear on how I am processing so much change in my life and allowing me to see what I am doing well with (journaling/daily gratitude) and where I need more support (daily meditation).

You can easily track any habits you want more insight into like I do in a journal or on your phone too! Doing this have given me better insight into how to live a more balanced and productive life.

What habits do you track or want to start tracking?

This was an unexpected episode I wanted to share this week because I realized something.

Healing does not mean the same thing that it used to. Back when I was first diagnosed with bipolar disorder at 19... I did not start to do the work of healing until I was around 23.

Why did it take me that long? How did I get started? What do I do differently today compared to almost 10 years ago?

I get into how my healing journey is never and will never be complete. Tune in to better understand 3 things you can do to take better care of your mental health and how to know you are doing it right.

3 months later.... and we are back!!! I have missed you guys so much and I wanted to share this episode all about triggers and what I experienced on my honeymoon.

Tune in to understand the way in which triggers can be both good and bad. I break down what the good triggers look like for myself that I have experienced these past few months.

As many of you know, I got married in March, moved into my first home with my husband in April and then left in May and June on our honeymoon to Europe.

I get real on the triggers that arose on the trip, what they meant, how I managed them and how you can manage both the good and bad triggers you experience with bipolar disorder!

I missed you guys so so much!!! I took 2 months away to be present for my wedding that took place on 3/4/23!!

I wanted to make this episode to share a few big updates with you guys along with how I am taking care of my mental health before, after and during this time.

I have a lot of big changes coming very soon that I share in this episode. Some of them make me very happy and being away from all of you makes me sad but I open up about what is to come following all of these changes.

A topic not explored enough is one I want to bring you all today. What is the relationship between bipolar, body image and eating disorders? How can they impact one another? My special guest this week, Jennifer rollin, gets to the bottom of it.

What has it been like to manage living with bipolar with my wedding coming up? I want to share what has helped me the most throughout this entire process and time in my life and a change I am making...

As you guys know, every single Monday I have new episodes and 2/6-3/6 I will be taking a break from the podcast and releasing episodes in order to enjoy my bachelorette, bridal shower, time with family/friends and the wedding day!

Setting boundaries has helped me tremendously in this process, along with staying consistent with my routine (sleep schedule, meditation, medication, exercise, diet, journaling). I wanted to share things I have been struggling with and how I am prioritizing my mental health during this time.

I am so excited to share this solo episode with you guys with my wedding date coming very fast on 3/4/23!

Excited to share a story with you all this week about both the consequences and blessings that arise as a result of neglecting mental, physical and emotional health. 

My guest this week, Courtney Noelle, details what it was like to start and lose a business she poured her heart into during COVID... and how she found her calling to serve women in a way she never thought possible. 

Courtney is a 2x Entrepreneur, Podcast Host, Certified Functional Nutrition Counselor and Advanced Functional Nutrition Practitioner in training. She teaches health-conscious women how to feel in control of their body by identifying and healing the root-cause of their mental, physical, and emotional symptoms.

My guest this week breaks down the light and dark sides surrounding recovery from drug addiction and the role of bipolar. 

Going from #1 rated television host, 17 years in radio and secretly struggling with an opioid addiction and bipolar diagnosis.... to successfully receiving treatment and reaching sobriety....

Matthew Tompkins joins me to share the unexpected lessons he took away from his experiences with bipolar amidst his busy lifestyle.

Matt is the co-owner of Two Brothers Creative, a podcast video production company, host of 'The Omaha Podcast' featuring Omaha's most successful entrepreneurs and host of 'It's the Fix,' his first podcast about addiction and mental health that has been on hiatus for a year. Matt describes the pressure of hiding his diagnosis and the gift that vulnerability brought to him upon sharing his experiences. 

What is it like to go from working at a suicide hotline, traveling the world as a freelance tour guide, hosting a podcast and trying to heal your own self?

My amazing guest this week, Allison Toth, gets into the impactful lessons she learned so far living with bipolar 1 and borderline personality disorder. Allison shares the moments that broke her down and the beautifully unexpected ones that built her up.  

Allison gets into the role of self-discovery in breaking the bipolar stigma and the steps you can take to start to build the life you have always dreamed of yourself. 

Have you ever kept a secret related to struggles you faced with your mental health or bipolar?

I know I have and so has my special gust this week who shares how she was able to overcome that damaging cycle. 

I am joined by Kitt O'Malley, author of "Balancing Act: Writing Through a Bipolar Life," mental health advocate, speaker for NAMI, and former psychotherapist.

Kitt details how she transitioned multiple paths in life from drastic changes in career to discovering a purpose she never thought would belong to her. 

Kitt shares how she met her future husband at her lowest moment, committed to publishing her memoir and started down the road to advocacy and how you can too!

How has the power of building and being part of different communities helped my guest?

This week I sit down with Shaley Hoogendoorn as she shares the power in the community she has been part of to play a role in the creation of "this is bipolar" podcast! 

Shaley is a speaker, vlogger and co-host of "This is Bipolar" podcast who aims to dismantle the stigma around mental health and create a safe community for those that struggle. She lives with bipolar ll, and is passionate about educating and empowering others about mental health disorders. She has contributed to publications for Sanctuary Ministries, Psych Central and BP Hope magazine. Shaley is also an elementary school teacher and event planner.

Have you ever struggled to find anything to help after receiving a diagnosis of bipolar? Or have your tried a number of different treatments or medications to reach no answers?

My guest this week shares how one of her favorite doctors who helped her discover a treatment that works.... later became her favorite teacher in medical school. 

Join me as we chat with Shannon Vought, a 31 year old IT Project Manager living in Charlotte, NC trying to figure how to live her best life with Bipolar II.

Shannon gets into how to find a treatment plan that works for you, how she discovered hers and how to identify when you need help. 

We will learn what coping skills have worked for Shannon along with what her experience was like in the psych ward and how she manages thought spirals.

Diagnosed with bipolar 2 disorder 12 years ago is never something my guest this week thought would ever be her reality. 

Not only was the diagnosis a surprise, but something Amelia Zachry thought she already understood. 

Amelia is the author of "Enough: A Memoir of Mistakes, Mania, and Motherhood." She is a wife and mother of two girls who shares her story of why she is speaking up.

Tune in to hear what has helped Amelia balance a stable marriage, motherhood, seeking professional treatment for her diagnosis and how you can overcome your greatest obstacle. 

Lauren Contey is a Licensed Associate Counselor, wife and mother of 2 who never experienced a day of depression in her life....

Until she was 31 when she was hit with crippling depression, debilitating anxiety and unclear diagnoses. 

Do you ever feel like you put your needs on the back burner? Like you have tried to open up before about your diagnosis or mental health with no success?

This is the episode for you to learn from my guest, Charise Jewell, all about how she learned to navigate the many challenges thrown her way by bipolar disorder. 

Charise is the author of, "Crazy: Memoir of a Mom Gone Mad," her story about her bipolar 1 diagnosis and recovery and "Normal," a soon-to-be released novel about mental illness for tweens. 

Tune in to uncover ways that Charise has been able to improve stability, advocate for herself and overcome the pattern of thinking that used to plague all of her days. 

For the past 11 years, I have been on various medications and want to share my experience and thoughts on meds with you guys! 

Whether you are newly diagnosed with bipolar disorder or not...  medication is always a big topic and something so many struggle with. 

We struggle to find one that works, feeling dependent on them, shame of having to take them or the fear of judgement from others tied to bipolar. 

Tune in to hear my journey with meds, my story of going off a certain medication and how I overcame the stigma with meds and where I am at today vs. where I was years ago with meds. 

Thank you for being here and listening and feel free to connect with me down below!

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For some people, sports and physical activity can be a healthy outlet for coping with the difficulties around mental illness. For others, it can become a way of repressing emotions and can create a toxic cycle of ignoring the difficulties of life.

What if you shifted that mindset from constantly pushing your physical limits to ignore what’s brewing inside, to instead, putting your mental health first?

On today’s episode, mental health advocate and high performance coach, Bonnie Mosby, shares her experiences of transforming her own disordered relationship with sport from being unhealthy, toxic and hyper focused on perfectionism, into one that’s a lot healthier, and one where having fun plays an important role.

Bonnie was diagnosed with bipolar type 2 disorder and social anxiety following a traumatic brain injury that abruptly ended her decade-long professional rugby career. After years of hard work and being dedicated to truly understanding herself, she now uses those experiences to support and encourage others committed to forging their own paths.

She wants nothing more than to bring sustainable strategies to the table, as she rocks the world with how she approaches high performance training, whether that be in a sport, at work, or within oneself.

Tune in to hear more about how radical acceptance and new hobbies—like owning dozens of houseplants— can help your mental health.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Learning to trust your own feelings is key to understanding your diagnosis
• Create boundaries in relationships (and with yourself)
• Healing is not a destination, it’s an ongoing process
• Let go of relationships that you’ve outgrown
• How collecting house plants helped shift Bonnie’s perception
• Advice for how to talk about your diagnosis
• Where to find support groups and build a community
• Learn to have compassion, especially with yourself

This podcast was created to provide as many options as possible to help treat bipolar disorder and mental illnesses in a way that works for you. One facet of that is your diet. What you eat changes the way your body functions. Particularly with a ketogenic diet.

A keto diet drastically changes the way your brain and body functions. It has the capacity to help stabilize bipolar disorder and has been proven to be most effective for depressive episodes.

Since this is a promising treatment for bipolar disorder, we wanted to talk to someone who is highly qualified in mental health and nutrition. So today we welcome, licensed mental health counselor, who is trained in functional nutrition and the use of a ketogenic diet as a treatment for mental illness and neurological disorders, Nicole Laurent.

On today’s episode, Nicole schools us on how effective a keto diet can be to help stabilize bipolar disorder, and where to start. She presents us with advice and tools to help you get started.

Tune in to hear an information packed episode that will get you thinking about how your diet affects your mental health.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• How ketogenic diets have been used historically
• How keto changes brain chemistry
• Important information to consider before starting a keto diet
• Helpful tools for people starting a keto diet
• The most successful approach to keto diet
• Common low carb foods
• Advice for vegans wanting to do a keto diet
• Results for people with bipolar disorder after starting a keto diet
• Helpful advice for people struggling with starting a keto diet
• Who Nicole looks to for advice when it comes to keto

Just as nuanced as each bipolar diagnosis is, so are the treatments. Different treatments work better for different people. Medications that would help one diagnosis may not have the same effect on another.

This is why we have to explore the different areas of treatments that could be beneficial to stabilize bipolar. Sometimes the most unconventional methods have the greatest effect. Such as scream therapy. Sound intense? Well, intensity may be what it takes to release and move the pent up energy when it has nowhere else to go.

This is something our guest on today’s episode experienced when dealing with unstabilized bipolar disorder. Pent up energy caused by dysregulation, releasing in harmful ways. He learned tools that worked for him to release and help manage bipolar disorder in unique ways.

Jason Schreurs, mental health advocate, podcast host of ‘Scream Therapy’, and author of the book ‘Scream Therapy: A Punk Journey Through Mental Health’, joins us on today’s podcast to teach us about how scream therapy changed his life and tools he has learned along the way to help keep his bipolar disorder in check.

Tune in to hear more about how scream therapy may be beneficial for you!

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Jason’s journey with bipolar disorder
• How Jason was diagnosed later in life
• How Jason found music as a healing method for bipolar disorder
• A powerful lesson that bipolar has taught Jason
• Changes Jason has made from the way he used to live to now
• The importance of routine to keep the nervous system regulated
• The support groups that have helped Jason
• The biggest thing music therapy has helped Jason with so far
• The overarching message Jason wants to convey in his book
• Nuances in bipolar disorder in different people