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,
Janine

Send your mental health story to Janine via the Contact form at the website: bipolarshe.com
You 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 Cullum
Recorded 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.

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.com
You 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 Cullum
Recorded 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.

Send your mental health story to Janine via the Contact form at the website: bipolarshe.com
You 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 Cullum
Recorded 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.

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.

Send your mental health story to Janine via the Contact form at the website: bipolarshe.com
You 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 Cullum
Recorded 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.

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.

Send your mental health story to Janine via the Contact form at the website: bipolarshe.com
You 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 Cullum
Recorded 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.

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.org
Graham 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.

Send your mental health story to Janine via the Contact form at the website: bipolarshe.com
You 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 Cullum
Recorded 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.

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.

Send your mental health story to Janine via the Contact form at the website: bipolarshe.com
You 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 Cullum
Recorded 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.

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.

Send your mental health story to Janine via the Contact form at the website: bipolarshe.com
You 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 Cullum
Recorded 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.

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?

Send your mental health story to Janine via the Contact form at the website: bipolarshe.com
You 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 Cullum
Recorded 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.