When Life Swings - Swing Back! Resilience Podcast with Phylecia Kellar (formerly ballin and bipolar)

Recently, I had the opportunity to hear Manley Feinbergg II speak, and his message hit home. As a mountain climber, author, and speaker behind the concept of "Vertical Lessons," Manley uses the challenges of climbing to teach powerful lessons about life, leadership, and resilience.  Find Manley here: https://verticallessons.com/ One question stood out: What's your next summit? In th...

FYI - I was recording this podcast as a voice note on my phone, and it cut off at the end, but don't worry - we got through the nuts and bolts of the episode, so hurry and listen! ----------------------- I started looking back through years of notes, goals, ideas, and plans—and it felt like reading a diary written by a different version of myself. Some of the goals I wrote down years ago have...

Ever feel overwhelmed by how far you have left to go? Whether it's losing weight, paying off debt, growing a business, improving your mental health, or chasing a big goal, it's easy to get stuck staring at the mountain instead of taking the next step. In this episode, I share The Rule of 5 —a simple mindset shift that has helped me stay focused, consistent, and resilient. Instead of obse...

For a long time, I thought forgiveness meant reconciliation. That if you truly forgave someone, you had to welcome them back into your life, reopen the door, and pretend the hurt never happened. But I’ve learned something important: Forgiveness and access are not the same thing. This episode is about forgiving someone I genuinely cared about — without allowing them to re-enter my life. Because for...

This episode is about something we all experience but don’t talk about enough: The moments where life hits emotionally… and you want to completely shut down. After Memorial Day, I found myself sad.  Not dramatic, not spiraling — just deeply sad. A mix of disappointment, loneliness, guilt, frustration, comparison, and realizing some things in life still hurt more than I want them to. And for a mome...

I made up an entire story in my head about these guys at the gym. I assumed they were judging me.  Too cool for me.  Intimidating.  Probably thinking negative things about me. And the reality? They were kind. Encouraging. Human. And one simple interaction completely changed my day. This episode is really about assumption vs. reality — and how often our insecurities create stories that aren’t even...

Somewhere along the way, we started believing life only counts when something big is happening. The vacation.  The promotion.  The weekend.  The relationship.  The breakthrough. And in the process, we stopped noticing our actual lives. This episode is about learning how to fall in love with an ordinary Tuesday. Because if you can enjoy a regular day — with nothing exciting on the calendar, no huge...

There are some conversations that sit in your chest for days, weeks… sometimes years. The ones you replay in your head.  The ones you avoid because you’re scared of conflict, rejection, misunderstanding, or making things worse. This episode is about one of those conversations for me. The conversation I was terrified to have with my sister — and why I almost didn’t have it at all. Because the truth...

If 2026 has taught me anything, it’s this: Life is not a sprint — it’s a marathon. And I don’t just mean that in a motivational way… I mean it in the way life forces you to slow down, recalibrate, and realize you can’t rush your way through everything. In this episode, I’m sharing three things this year has really shown me — not just things I’ve heard before, but things I’ve felt differently this...

I was listening to a group of older women talking the other day, and one of them said something that stopped me in my tracks: “Shit… I’m just getting older and can’t move like I used to — but it’s better than the alternative.” And just like that, perspective shifted. In a world that constantly tells us to fight aging, fix ourselves, and chase what’s next, this was a reminder to slow down and be pr...

We talk a lot about confidence.  But almost no one is talking about self-worth — and they are not the same thing. This episode is just the beginning of a much bigger conversation I’ve been thinking about deeply — honestly, if I ever write a second book, it will be on this. Because the real questions are:  Where does self-esteem actually come from?  And how do we build real, lasting confidence? Thi...

You ever have one of those days where your brain just goes completely off the rails? The “what if” thoughts start stacking…  Worst-case scenarios take over…  And before you know it, you’ve mentally jumped off a cliff you were never even near. Yeah — me too. In this episode, I’m talking about what happens when your inner “chimp” takes over — a concept from The Chimp Paradox — and how quickly things...

I've tried to build a message around resilience.  “Swing back.”  “Be in love with being alive.” But what happens when you’re the one not doing either? This episode is about that gap —  the space between what you say and how you’re actually living. Because the truth is, even the strongest people fall out of alignment.  You get tired. You get hit. You stop fighting back.  And before you know it...

Ya'll - I have found it so helpful to cover the basics again! If you have listened to this episode, I challenge you even if you're not bipolar, listen to it as you may know someone who struggles!  It will help you understand them better.  Heal - Rebuild - Thrive! MY BOOK! www.ballinandbipolar.com/book Link for my FREE resources! 👇  www.ballinandbipolar.com/free-resources JOIN MY FREE FA...

MY FIRST EVER SPEAKING EVENT SHARED WITH YOU! WHEN LIFE SWINGS - ARE YOU GOING TO FALL VICTIM TO IT? OR SWING BACK? The reason I have been doing some replays from the "oldie but goodie" episodes is because I was super busy with my first ever in person speaking event. I tried to spend any free business time focused on that and now I have it for you! It's less than 5 minutes so listen...

Ya'll - I am replaying some of the "greatest hits" of this podcast because we have so many new listeners and I find it so helpful to go back to WHAT actually happened - what brought us here? Listen to this episode to hear about how I grew up mormon - which was amazing, I knew who I was because of this - but as I got older - I found my OWN belief system. Having your own belief system...

Ya'll - I am replaying some of the "greatest hits" of this podcast because we have so many new listeners and I find it so helpful to go back to WHAT actually happened - what brought us here? Listen to this episode to hear about the foundational pieces that helped me make my own comeback, the pivotal moments that changed it all and see if you can implement some of these practices! MY...

I LOVED doing this interview with Jack Pattie. This was when my book first launched, so if you missed it - DIVE IN!!! We cover things like Bipolar, what do we think causes it? My story on a manic episode and what that journey looked like. Tell me what you think on the Facebook group below! MY BOOK! www.ballinandbipolar.com/book Link for my FREE resources! 👇  www.ballinandbipolar.com/free-resource...

Hey Ya'll! I am loving sharing the oldie episodes with you if you're new to the community, if you've been here, you've heard these before - but SUCH good info and reminders. I will be recording new content and having guests on, but for now - let's have the reminders that are foundational to our growth! ------ Ever been diagnosed bipolar and want to know what to expect? Lis...

Life as I had known it for 21 years had ended. I was crippled but doubt, worry and feared never being "Phylecia" ever again. ENJOY! MY BOOK! www.ballinandbipolar.com/book Link for my FREE resources! 👇  www.ballinandbipolar.com/free-resources JOIN MY FREE FACEBOOK GROUP FOR CONTENT AND SUPPORT! https://www.facebook.com/share/g/15nYfoUynq/

We’ve all heard it: “Just think positive.”  And while it may sound supportive, it often does more harm than good. In this episode, I break down why positive thinking isn’t the solution — especially for people dealing with burnout, anxiety, depression, or emotional overwhelm. The real goal isn’t positivity.  The goal is regulation and something tactical you can execute.  Because when your nervous s...

In this quickie poddie today we're going to discuss my time in a mental health facility - it was necessary. It stabilized me. It kept me safe. It gave my nervous system a reset.  ---- But it wasn’t the full solution. In this episode, I talk about why inpatient treatment is more like rehab , not recovery — and why ongoing work matters just as much as the initial intervention. Healing doesn’t h...

We treat what we can see — and often ignore what we can’t. In this episode, I unpack why mental illness should be treated with the same urgency, care, and compassion as a cancer diagnosis. Both are real medical conditions. Both affect every area of life. And in both cases, early intervention saves lives. We’ll talk about why stigma — not severity — is the real difference, how phrases like “just be...

This podcast is really about this: Being Dismissed VS Validated! ---- I’ve been told this more times than I can count — “It’s all in your head.”  I heard it while struggling with depression and anxiety.  I heard it again when I was trying to make a financial plan and felt completely overwhelmed. On the surface, it sounds reassuring. Like validation.  But in reality, it’s dismissive — and damaging....

Recently, I had a conversation with my 10-year-old nephew that stopped me in my tracks — because it wasn’t just a lesson for him, it was a reminder for all of us. I told him there are two roads he can go down in life: One where he focuses on everything he can’t do — the problems, the trauma, the obstacles And another where he focuses on what he can do — the opportunities, the solutions, and the ch...