Live Well Bipolar ™

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...

Mel Howard joins me to discuss parenting while living with bipolar, warning signs and how to keep your family healthy and safe. Mel is a stay at home mom, part-time dog walker and advocate for mental illness. She works to silence the stigma through sharing her lived experiences, fundraising and volunteering with initiatives that support mental health awareness. Tune in to hear Mel's story on her l...

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, 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, a...

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....

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 t...

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 d...

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...

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...

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 ch...

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...

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 h...

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...

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...

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. Jennifer is a therapist, founder of The Eating Disorder Center, co-author of "the Inside Scoop to Eating Disorder recovery" who specializes in treating cli...

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 fam...

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.  Courtne...

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...

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 buil...

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 transit...

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 sa...

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.  Dr. Tara Peyman is a naturopathic doctor and the clinic...

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 ps...

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...

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.  Lauren is 32 now and in the middle of trying to figure out her diagnosis while being a sign of hope for others online here . Tune in to hear Lauren's surprising...

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 h...