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.