I never thought I would share with the world that I live with bipolar because I thought it wouldn't make a difference. I was crippled with shame that kept stigma strong and my voice silent. After spending over a decade struggling with my mental health, I decided to share my story and it's allowed me to change lives.
In December of 2014 I found myself struggling tremendously from inside the walls of a psychiatric hospital after receiving a diagnosis of bipolar I disorder. Little did I know that I would go from patient to provider as I returned to work at this same place years later. I thought this was my "full circle moment" but it was the move from provider to advocate that changed everything.
I always say that holding the title of "advocate" is my favorite. Why? It's what allowed me to rid myself of the shame, fear and isolation I felt for over a decade. Taking that leap came with launching my podcast, Live Well Bipolar, in 2020 and publishing my story into the book, Crooked Illness, in 2021. But could you guess the best part of being an advocate for me? Being a speaker to empower audiences around the world.
Since speaking openly, I have been able to impact tens of thousands of lives to help others overcome the shame, fear and isolation that can so often accompany living with mental illness. The greatest gift is hearing from my audiences the parts of my story they are going to take action on. I am a proud participant in the business of dismantling the roots of what keeps stigma flourishing.
My best friend & college roommate Pareena
Want more insight into where you stand living with bipolar?
For years I struggled to understand how bipolar manifested for me. Something I learned and wanted to share with you is that we all have different triggers we can identify. Once we get clear on what these are and how they present for us, we can start to understand what moving forward looks like for us. This is the actual guide I used myself to craft out my triggers, goals, tools, support network and how to celebrate my progress. Download your copy here!
We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.