Advertise on podcast: Bipolar She with Janine Noel

TEXT US: Have a Story? Feedback for the Show? You're waking up at 4 AM, your body craves donuts, your anger is deep, and the midlife health industry insists you buy supplements, protocols, and magic smoothies. Fortunately, Nancy Fisher, a women’s health educator, yoga teacher, and the founder of Zevah, takes us on a deep dive into thriving during perimenopause and beyond. We have a few more disordered eating topics to go over, including low hunger signals and anorexia; orthorexia, disguised as “clean eating;” and why "intuitive eating" is more nuanced than just “listen to your body.” Nancy shares why vilifying carbs and sugar backfires, and how recent nutrition trends can turn life into an exhausting set of restrictions. With the bottom line being that there are few nutrition studies to date that have strong data correlating specific foods to good health. From there, Nancy builds her practical framework around five pillars: sleep, mindful movement, healthy eating, getting outside/nature, and connection. We dig into sleep hygiene that supports the nervous system, how poor sleep changes appetite hormones and what sustainable movement looks like for longevity and health span. We also talk sunlight and vitamin D, and the risks of an under-regulated supplement industry. As part of connection, Nancy speaks about being in community and one's connection to self. And when women begin to feel "invisible," are they grieving a sudden change, or the possibility that they have never been known? Finally, we get real about midlife symptoms, HRT and hormone therapy myths, and the belief that women have suffered enough--so let's get through this as peacefully as possible. Nancy Fisher's Substack: HERE Books mentioned in the episode: Anti-Diet by Christy Harrison: Challenges diet culture and explores intuitive eating and food freedom. View on Bookshop.org  Intuitive Eating, 4th Edition by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch: A practical approach to making peace with food and rebuilding trust in your body's signals. View on Bookshop.org  Estrogen Matters by Avrum Bluming and Carol Tavris: Reexamines the research and controversies surrounding menopausal hormone therapy. View on Bookshop.org  Our conversations are meant to inform and inspire, not to replace medical advice. Guests share their own knowledge, experiences and perspectives, which, at times, may differ from those of the host. Support the show Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns. Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain.  Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music. Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter. Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping.

TEXT US: Have a Story? Feedback for the Show? We were taught that thinness meant beauty, discipline, and good health. But what if some of those lessons were lies? Women's health educator Nancy Fisher joins me for a talk about eating disorders, body image, and the beliefs about food and weight that have followed us for decades. Nancy and I attended the same college, where academic excellence coexisted with rampant disordered eating. We revisit those years—the restrictive eating, the pressure to stay thin, and the painful contradiction of looking our best while feeling our worst. Nancy shares how her eating disorder began in high school and went largely unnoticed by her parents. She also introduces the fascinating research of Cynthia Bulik on the genetic underpinnings of anorexia nervosa, challenging the assumption that eating disorders are simply about diet culture or even family dynamics. We explore the relationship between undernourishment and mental health, including my own questions about restrictive eating, depression, and bipolar disorder. For Nancy, becoming a mother brought new urgency to learning how to eat healthfully. She wanted to nourish herself not just physically, but emotionally—to have a greater buffer against stress and more patience and stability for her children. Decades later, we're still confronting old habits, from scrutinizing our bodies in gym mirrors to refusing to step on a scale. Nancy also shares surprising research on weight and mortality, including findings that people classified as overweight have, in some large population studies, experienced lower mortality rates than those classified as normal weight. It's a provocative challenge to the assumption that thinner always means healthier. And it's a reminder that disordered eating can affect women at any point in their lives. This is Part 1 of our conversation about eating disorders, the lies we learned about our bodies, and the hard work of unlearning them. In Part 2, Nancy returns to discuss five pillars of women's midlife health. Nancy Fisher's Substack: HERE Research Mentioned Cynthia Bulik and colleagues — Genetics of Anorexia Nervosa Nature Genetics (2019) https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6779477/ Katherine Flegal and colleagues — BMI and All-Cause Mortality JAMA (2013) https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4855514/ Please note: Guests on Bipolar She share their personal experiences, knowledge, and perspectives, which may differ from those of the host, Janine Noel. Our conversations are intended to inform and inspire, not to replace professional medical advice. If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, for free, confidential support 24/7 in the United States. Support the show Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns. Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain.  Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music. Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter. Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping.

TEXT US: Have a Story? Feedback for the Show? Introducing the Nutty & Slutty Podcast. Hosts Janine & Isadora have candid conversations on sex, mental health and everything in between. Links: Listen to N&S on Apple podcasts. Or wherever you get your podcasts. In this episode of Nutty & Slutty, Janine and Isadora explore obsessive-compulsive disorder — and why it is far more complex than the familiar stereotypes of spotless houses, rigid organization, and repeatedly checking whether the stove is off. Isadora reflects on growing up with parents whose need for order once felt like criticism, while Janine shares how OCD became entangled with her experience of bipolar disorder. Janine describes the relentless cycle of intrusive thoughts: unwanted ideas about sexuality, identity, violence, and other frightening subjects that can feel impossible to resolve.  The two discuss an essential distinction — the thoughts that accompany OCD may be deeply upsetting precisely because they do not reflect the person’s character, desires, or intentions. The conversation also examines treatment, including working with an OCD specialist and using exposure therapy to reduce the power of an obsession.  Janine explains the counterintuitive process of allowing a distressing thought to exist without fighting it, analyzing it, or performing a compulsion — until what once felt like a hard ball ricocheting through the mind becomes something softer and easier to let pass. With warmth, humor, and their characteristic honesty, Janine and Isadora reveal the exhausting private terrain that may be hidden behind an ordinary exterior.  It is a conversation about stigma, empathy, and the courage required to speak aloud the thoughts that cause shame — and to discover that having a thought is not the same as wanting it or acting upon it. Send us Fan Mail Welcome to NUTTY & SLUTTY. Where Mental Health, Sexuality and Unfiltered Truth Take Center Stage. NUTTY & SLUTTY is a bold, sex-positive podcast exploring the messy, complicated and often hilarious intersections of mental health, sexuality and real life — without shame, filters or pretense. Hosted by Janine Noel (living with bipolar disorder) and Isadora O’Boto (ex-escort), this show brings together two radically honest perspectives for conversations that are as raw as they are insightful.  From navigating mood swings and medication to unpacking the realities of sex work and desire, nothing is off-limits. _________________________________________________ Isadora O’Boto (co-host) is a Juilliard Drama grad.  Under the pen name Sephe Haven, she is the author of two award-winning memoirs: My Whorizontal Life and A Someday Courtesan, and playwright/performer of the solo show: “My Whorizontal Life: The Show!”  Isadora co-hosted the podcast My Index to Sex with Lynn Ferguson.  Find her at: isadoraoboto.com Janine Noel (co-host) is creator and host of Bipolar She podcast, where guests sh... Support the show Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns. Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain.  Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music. Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter. Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping.

TEXT US: Have a Story? Feedback for the Show? What happens when the joyful arrival of a baby triggers postpartum bipolar disorder with psychosis? When Susan returned home with her newborn, she was in a manic state on the edge of psychosis. Fueled by little sleep with an infant to care for, her behavior became erratic--rushing around the house, even handling her baby carelessly. Her husband, David, told Susan that it felt like he was suddenly living with two strangers--a wife he didn't recognize and a child he didn't yet know. It would take their doula's observation and advice that Susan was not just a fatigued new mother, but that she needed immediate psychiatric help. However, without effective treatment for postpartum bipolar disorder and psychosis, Susan went back to work while experiencing bipolar mania. She would then alternate between a depressive fog and a manic state, ultimately landing her at McLean psychiatric hospital for a harrowing three week stay. Rebuilding her life would include Electroconvulsant Shock Therapy (ECT), years on disability, and finally getting care from expert providers. Susan's mothering instinct now shines through in her most current work as a career navigator for neurodivergent clients with mental health disorders to help them meet their full potential, through increasing productivity, and designing a new life that reflects their Best Productive Self (BPS). More on Susan Munter's TruNeuro Here. Susan's also a dedicated volunteer and facilitator with Bipolar Social Club, an online support group with weekly meetings, special programming and an online discussion board. As a member, I am grateful for the support BSC offers! Perhaps most movingly, Susan developed a profound bond with her child, now eighteen years old despite such rough early years. Support the show Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns. Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain.  Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music. Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter. Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping.

TEXT US: Have a Story? Feedback for the Show? What do babies learn before they can even explain what they feel? And how much of our adult mental health is shaped by those first relationships? Jungian psychoanalyst Katherine Olivetti joins Bipolar She to talk about infant attachment theory, early childhood development, the parent-child relationship, and the invisible rules and family dynamics we grow up with. We explore what children do when a parent can’t tolerate their anger, sadness, neediness, intensity, or independence—and how those early adaptations can shape adult mental health, relationships, identity, depression, anxiety, and emotional regulation. We also talk about repression, the Jungian shadow, parent-child rupture and repair, and the selves we create in order to stay loved. What happens to the feelings we bury? What happens when the parts of ourselves we learned to hide keep showing up in adulthood? And can healing those early patterns change our mental health decades later? This is a conversation about infant attachment, psychotherapy, and the childhood lessons that may still be shaping our mental health long after we grow up. More on Katherine Olivetti HERE. Books Dream Work: 10 Lessons for Understanding DreamsThe Guided Dream Journal: Record, Reflect, and Interpret the Hidden Meanings in Your Dreams Support the show Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns. Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain.  Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music. Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter. Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping.

TEXT US: Have a Story? Feedback for the Show? Today I sit down with Deirdre, my first guest whose parent had mental illness. Her mom, Minnie, managed bipolar disorder and Deirdre grew up fast. By age 6, she experienced the childhood trauma of her mother’s suicide attempt. Later, when Deirdre asked her mom why she would want to leave her daughter, Minnie would describe her deep depression as being "in a deep, dark hole with no visible way out." Life with a bipolar parent became chaotic for Deirdre as she was stuck in the middle of a custody battle, suffered the loss of a brother, and now went on visits to her see her mom at a psychiatric facility. Living with her dad gave Deirdre some stability, but no one consistently showed in her daily life and asked young Deirdre, How can I help you? Fast-forward years of school hopping, active duty in the military, a career in crisis communications and experience in community mediation--Deirdre had to make a critical decision. If your mom and grandmother have bipolar disorder, is having a child the right thing to do? Is the genetic likelihood of having a bipolar child simply too risky? Deirdre is now in grad school fulfilling her lifelong dream to be a psychotherapist. With the gift of listening and letting her patients know they are always prioritized, Deirdre is driven to provide support that was not always available to her.  This episode includes the following topics: having a  bipolar parent, children of bipolar parents, parental mental illness, psychiatric hospitalization, family mental health, resilience, suicide attempt, intergenerational mental illness. Support the show Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns. Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain.  Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music. Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter. Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping.

TEXT US: Have a Story? Feedback for the Show? Check Out BipolarShe.com to Register For Janine's Writing class. Starts September 13. Enjoy this Summer Remix of Kathleen Adams' Episode "Journaling for Your Bipolar Brain." Can journaling help your mental health—or sometimes make things worse? Journal therapy pioneer Kathleen Adams explains why unstructured free writing can become overwhelming for people dealing with trauma, dissociative disorders, depression, anxiety, mood disorders, or other intense emotional states. She shares how structure, pacing, and containment can make journaling safer and more useful, including techniques like sentence stems, brief sensory-based “captured moments,” reflection writing, and knowing when to stop.  We also talk about what writing can look like during mania and depression, why “rage on the page” may help in some moments but deepen distress in others, and how to recognize when journaling is helping you process an experience versus pushing you further into it. Adams explains why writing does not have to be positive, polished, or even kept—and why tearing up a page can sometimes be part of the process.  The episode also explores journal therapy, expressive writing, trauma recovery, dissociative identity disorder, bipolar disorder, depression, mania, emotional regulation, and neuroplasticity—with practical ideas for using writing as a mental health tool without simply writing yourself deeper into the pain. Support the show Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns. Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain.  Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music. Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter. Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping.

TEXT US: Have a Story? Feedback for the Show? You don’t have to be a good poet to write something authentic. Therapist and author Margaret Bryden explains why poetry can cut through the facts, explanations, and self-editing that often keep us at a safe distance from our feelings. A poem asks us to condense an experience, use metaphor, and pay attention to what is happening inside rather than recount every detail of what happened. That shorter, less literal form can bring us to the emotional center of a story surprisingly quickly. Margaret calls this “bad poetry” because the goal is not to impress anyone. There are no rules, no pressure to sound polished, and no need to identify as a writer. By lowering the stakes, people can write more honestly and sometimes discover feelings they did not realize were there. Margaret also opens up about the vulnerability of sharing personal work as a clinician. She reads poems about trauma, shame, grief, and miscarriage and describes how writing can turn an overwhelming experience into something we can see, name, and begin to understand. Poetry may not solve the pain, but it can give the pain a shape—and help us feel less alone inside it. Pre Order at Amazon Here Pre Order at Barnes & Noble Here Get Margaret's Free Poetry Guide Here Support the show Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns. Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain.  Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music. Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter. Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping.

TEXT US: Have a Story? Feedback for the Show? WRITING HARD STORIES CLASS BEGINS SEPTEMBER 13 ENROLL HERE (Early Bird Discount through Aug. 1) During my MFA program in creative writing, my life changed. I felt comfortable writing about crisis times and less secretive about having bipolar illness. Just writing the bare bones of what happened felt like a relief. Today, there's so much evolving research on how your brain changes (for the better) when you write expressively. You don't even have to write that much. I can't wait to continue this conversation in a fast-paced 4-week creative writing class! Overview Week 1 : I provide prompts that may take you in surprising directions as you discover the story/stories you are waiting to tell. You will leave confident and energized to explore at least one potential story for the next 3 weeks. Week 2 is all about your narrator, which is you. What happened to you? Is it a secret? You will tap into the facts of your story as you recount them. You will leave understanding narration, interior thoughts “interiority,” and dialogue. Week 3 Backdrop: Place, setting, scene and supporting characters that were critical to your story. You will recall vibrant details that deepen mood and add emotional weight. You will leave with a rich, cinematic story revision. Week 4 Perspective. Time to to process what your story meant then and what it means to you now. This “processing” may not make it into the actual story, but it will help you understand what your story is about—reaching beyond the events of what happened. You will leave with a story, essay, chapter, podcast guest story—the sky’s the limit. ENROLL HERE (Early Bird Discount through Aug. 1) CLASS MEETS 4 Sundays on Zoom:  September 13, 20, 27 & October 4) 3-4:15 PST / 6-7:15 ET  Support the show Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns. Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain.  Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music. Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter. Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping.

TEXT US: Have a Story? Feedback for the Show? This June, I went to Kauai hoping my brain would finally get a break. Instead, I woke up and could barely walk straight. My balance was gone. The room seemed to move under me. I fell, got hurt, and had moments where my spatial awareness felt so off that it scared me. This episode is about the interaction between estrogen and Lamictal, also known as lamotrigine. Over 2 million people currently take Lamictal in the US. But for some providers, they are not aware how changes in estrogen — from birth control, perimenopause, hormone replacement therapy, patches, pills, gels, or dose changes — can affect lamotrigine levels. Lamotrigine toxicity can look like dizziness, clumsiness, confusion, drowsiness, headaches, poor coordination, balance problems, and unsteady walking. It can be easy to dismiss those symptoms as stress, anxiety, brain fog and menopause symptoms in general. My Lamictal level had risen from 8.9 to 13.8. Still technically within the lab’s reference range, but much higher for my body. This is not medical advice. It is a story about what can happen when hormones and psychiatric medication intersect — and why women on Lamictal deserve clearer warnings, better monitoring, and doctors who know what to ask. Please take the first step by talking to both your OBGYN and your Psychiatrist/Med provider.  Thank you for listening. Support the show Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns. Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain.  Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music. Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter. Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping.

TEXT US: Have a Story? Feedback for the Show? In this episode of Bipolar She, Janine talks with Betsi Werling about becoming a mom with bipolar I disorder. The general thinking fifteen years ago, was that pregnancy was too risky for women with mood disorders. Although Betsi and her husband decided they would not have children, a surprise pregnancy turned into quite a harrowing tale. What followed was one challenge after another: a manic episode during pregnancy with a 14-day psychiatric hospitalization, medication changes including lithium, preeclampsia, undiagnosed gestational diabetes, an emergency C-section six weeks early, and weeks of watching her newborn daughter struggle in the NICU.  Betsi’s story is not a simple “everything turned out fine” story. It is a story of fear, trauma, faith, marriage, community support, and extraordinary courage. She talks honestly about PTSD from the birth experience, the toll pregnancy took on her and her husband, and the arrival of her daughter that made every terrifying moment worth it. This is a powerful episode for women with bipolar disorder, mothers with mood disorders, and anyone who has wondered whether mental illness, pregnancy, stability, and motherhood can coexist. Topics include: bipolar I, pregnancy, mania, lithium, psychiatric hospitalization, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, premature birth, NICU, PTSD, motherhood, marriage, faith, and support. Content note: mania, psychiatric hospitalization, pregnancy complications, emergency birth, NICU, and birth trauma Betsi's Talk For Her Faith Community  Support the show Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns. Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain.  Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music. Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter. Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping.

TEXT US: Have a Story? Feedback for the Show? Today on Bipolar She, Janine looks at how mental illness shows up on screen from the neurotic, quirky TV musical Crazy Ex-Girlfriend to the critically acclaimed Silver Linings Playbook with Bradly Cooper’s pitch perfect bipolar performance, to Taylor Tomlinson’s bold comedy special Look at You that dives right into being a bipolar millennial, and the deep psychological trauma revealed by creator Richard Gadd in the haunting Netflix original Baby Reindeer. This episode moves from the psychologically light content to psychologically dark and asks: What screen stories get mental illness right? What can we see differently now about the public’s perception of mental illness on screen? Has anything changed? Bipolar She is an independent mental health storytelling podcast. To support the show and help keep Janine and her editor afloat, help with a micro-donation at Buy Me A Coffee Have a mental health story you want to tell? Whether it becomes a journal entry, essay, memoir, podcast episode, or something you say out loud for the first time, it starts with story. Janine is preparing a storytelling class for people ready to write and speak about the hard stuff. Visit BipolarShe.com and sign up for updates. Support the show Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns. Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain.  Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music. Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter. Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping.

TEXT US: Have a Story? Feedback for the Show? What Happened to You? The Neurosequential Model With Diane Vines In this powerful conversation, Janine sits down with Diane Vines, a seasoned clinician and Neurosequential Model practitioner whose work bridges trauma, brain development, family systems, and real-world healing. Diane has worked with childhood abuse victims and subsequent developmental trauma since 1988. Her approach is far from prescriptive, and she is an innovator when it comes to creative and specific therapeutic treatment. At the center of this episode is the Neurosequential Model, developed by psychiatrist and neuroscientist Dr. Bruce Perry. Perry’s groundbreaking work helped bring a crucial question into the mainstream: not “What’s wrong with you?” but “What happened to you?” His research and clinical model connect early experience, brain development, stress response, relationships, and healing. Diane explains why the Neurosequential Model is not a treatment by itself. It is a framework. It helps clinicians understand what parts of the brain and nervous system were shaped by early life, what remains disorganized or underdeveloped, and what kind of support may help create new pathways. For Diane, a once-a-week approach with talk therapy seems like too little time to change your life. So she deeply questions how to keep her patients learning the other 167 hours in a week. Diane talks about the brainstem, limbic system, cortex, and the importance of working from the bottom up in therapy contexts. She brings new tools to therapy to prevent dysregulation. She also describes how a person’s survival tools may look like symptoms later in life, even though those tools once made perfect sense.  Janine and Diane also discuss dissociation, psychosis, bipolar disorder, shame, developmental trauma, and the hope of neuroplasticity. Inside the conversation: Why the brain is a survival organ  How early stress shapes later functioning Why “regulate, relate, reason” matters Why talking may not work until the body feels safe How trauma can affect trust, empathy, connection, and isolation Why relationships are central to healing How therapeutic support can include rocking, rhythm, animals, movement, weighted blankets, occupational therapy, family mapping, and community care Why understanding your history can bring grace instead of blame Diane’s work makes the Neurosequential Model feel practical, alive, and compassionate. She shows that treatment does not have to be one-size-fits-all, but it can include the whole person. This is an episode for anyone who has ever wondered whether their symptoms make sense. Diane’s answer is clear: yes, they may. The brain adapts. The body remembers. And with the right support, new patterns can form. Support the show Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns. Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain.  Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music. Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter. Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping.

TEXT US: Have a Story? Feedback for the Show? Janine shares how writing about her own mental health crises in an MFA program helped her see that illness can be written, shared, and received (mostly) without shame. She currently teaches classes on writing the hard stuff—but to do so, you’ve got to start reading some nonfiction. In this episode she highlights four standout memoirs on mental illness. For more on Janine’s upcoming class, visit BipolarShe.com and sign up to be notified when enrollment opens.  Sure, I’ll Join Your Cult by Maria Bamford  Wry humor, short chapters, and visual elements temper the intensity of Maria Bamford’s memoir. It’s no surprise an actor and comedian has brilliantly pulled this off.  Burn Rate: Launching a Startup and Losing My Mind by Andy Dunn  Andy Dunn writes directly about bipolar I disorder, masterfully letting us into mania, psychosis, and the damage a mental health crisis can cause. My Lovely Wife in the Psych Ward by Mark Lukach  Mark Lukach tells the story of his wife’s sudden onset of severe mental illness, how he navigated the overwhelm, revealing what it’s like for family to confront bipolar disorder I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy Jennette McCurdy’s memoir is a strong example of scene-based writing and a good read for a new writer—dialogue and behavior can do heavy lifting. Support the show Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns. Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain.  Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music. Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter. Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping.

TEXT US: Have a Story? Feedback for the Show? In this solo episode of Bipolar She, I talk about how a lithium dose reduction triggered a bipolar crisis and led to brain fog, confusion, sleep disruption, exhaustion, and intrusive suicidal thoughts--thoughts about suicide that were clearly not my own--but still deeply disturbing. What began as a small psychiatric medication change turned into nearly a month of instability, pulling me away from life and even away from the podcast. Ugh! I had started this adjustment in my lithium dose because of my tremor (see episode Lithium: Why I Shake) A med adjustment can often have so much hope attached to it. Will I feel more like myself? Will life be richer and fuller? Will my senses work better and will I even excel more athletically?  But for my bipolar disorder 1 disorder, even a small lithium taper (a form of medication change), sent me on a roller coaster of a month this March--and potentially a life threatening ride. Ultimately, I was met with defeat. I rarely have any luck during a change, but I still take the risk, with the hope of having a better life. This episode is about bipolar disorder, lithium, suicidal thoughts, psychiatric medication tapering, and how destabilizing even a small med change can be. Support the show Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns. Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain.  Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music. Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter. Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping.