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.

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Give to Bipolar She & Support Podcast Production: buymeacoffee.com/bipolarshe

Music composed and performed by guitarist, JD Cullum

Edited by Brandon Moran

Sponsored by Soar With Tapping

In honor of International Women’s Day, I’m joined by executive coach Rachel Wexler for a real conversation about what happens when you look “fine” on the outside—but inside you’re pushing, overthinking, and quietly unraveling. Rachel shares how early pressure to appear successful can create perfectionism and people-pleasing, and how a personal turning point helped her finally get support and shift the way she cared for herself.

We connect the dots between imposter syndrome (that “I’m a fraud” feeling), anxiety, and the slow slide into burnout—especially when your workload grows faster than your sense of stability or support. Rachel explains how imposter thoughts can pull you out of the “productive stress” zone and into chronic self-doubt, and why that uncertainty can spiral into exhaustion over time.

Rachel also breaks burnout down into three clear parts:

Exhaustion (emotional, physical, or both)

Cynicism / depersonalization (withdrawing, losing connection and meaning)

Reduced efficacy (losing your edge and feeling less effective than you used to)

I also share how imposter syndrome can feel compounded when you’re already “passing as normal” with a mood disorder—how the pressure to perform can stack on top of what you’re already managing internally.

And we get practical about what helps: why remote work can strip away the small moments that build reassurance and belonging, and how to intentionally recreate those feedback loops by asking directly for feedback, scheduling connection, and choosing psychologically safe environments with authentic leadership and a solid job-fit dynamic. Rachel offers so many actionable words of wisdom. Start taking notes!

Work with Rachel: Rachel Wexler Leadership: Next Level Executive Coaching for Modern Leaders and Organizations

Follow Rachel: Rachel regularly shares reflections, learnings, and perspectives on leadership on LinkedIn and Instagram

JEWEL: Joining and Empowering Women in the Exploration of Lived Experience celebrates professional women leaders' journeys, with the intention of using their stories to provide career insights and navigation support to mid-career women on the rise.

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Give to Bipolar She & Support Podcast Production: buymeacoffee.com/bipolarshe

Music composed and performed by guitarist, JD Cullum

Edited by Brandon Moran

Sponsored by Soar With Tapping

Spring doesn’t just bring longer days—it often puts people with bipolar disorder at higher risk for manic symptoms and hospitalizations. Changes in sunlight at the edges of the day, circadian rhythm shifts, increased dopamine, and a faster social pace--tempts us to sleep less and do more.

With earlier wake-ups, I start to see and feel vibrant colors, have chills that arrive with a thought, telling me my nervous system is a little wound up. So I keep on top of my sleep and have a provider that makes sure I do.

Luckily, I can catch mania early on because of sleep deprivation. Even if the world feels electric, I soon carry a heavy tiredness behind my eyes. It's hard to admit, but I then know mania has arrived.

Firm up your spring routines before the lift becomes a launch. If you or someone you love navigates bipolar disorder, this conversation offers a mix of lived experience and actionable tools to keep spring and summer steady.

If this resonates, subscribe, share the episode with a friend who needs it, and leave a quick review—it helps more listeners find strong, practical support.

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Give to Bipolar She & Support Podcast Production: buymeacoffee.com/bipolarshe

Music composed and performed by guitarist, JD Cullum

Edited by Brandon Moran

Sponsored by Soar With Tapping

Today I sit down with EFT practitioner and creator of the Soar With Tapping app, Amy Vincze. When I heard Amy is leading a class: The Wisdom of Feminine Rage beginning February 24 (Details Here), I immediately wanted to have a conversation on rage and how it develops in women and how essential it is to us having better lives.

We share childhood memories of when we suppressed our anger for survival, which led to shame and taking on the “agreeable woman” script and its toxic byproducts: anxiety, depression, perfectionism, and quiet resentment that erodes relationships and self-worth.

Amy breaks down her approach to her upcoming tapping class.

1) Dismantle fear—fear of punishment, labels, and ruptured roles.

2) Honor collective rage—personal heartbreaks and the global injustices women carry.

3) Find balance—use anger as a truth teller that flags unfairness, set boundaries with clarity, and move forward without living in the burn.

Most importantly, Amy reminds us that connecting with rage leads to ambition, creativity, and leadership—the energy that propels us to ask for more, protect what matters, and model healthy anger for our kids.

If you’ve ever felt your hackles rise and doubted your right to speak, this conversation offers language, tools, and community to reclaim your voice.

Join Amy on Feb. 24 for The Wisdom of Feminine Rage (Details Here)

Discover Amy's EFT Work: Soar With Tapping

Soar With Tapping App on Google Play or Apple

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Give to Bipolar She: buymeacoffee.com/bipolarshe

Music composed and performed by guitarist, JD Cullum

Edited by Brandon Moran

Sponsored by Soar With Tapping

Grief doesn’t follow a script, and it certainly doesn’t end on a schedule. Psychiatrist Dr. Lisa Benton-Hardy joins us to unpack loss—why you may be met with a flood of feeling years later, how relief and laughter can coexist with tears, and what it really takes to support someone beyond the first year when the casseroles stop coming and month 13 begins.

We dig into the crucial difference between grieving as a process and grief as the lasting state we learn to carry. Lisa shares how deeper the attachment, the greater the loss. And what about deaths like suicide and homicide? Whether a stigmatized death or the loss of a loving spouse, Lisa guides us to reach out and ask someone grieving simply where they are. Practical short check-ins, honest questions, and letting the bereaved lead the pace.

We also explore how kids understand death at different ages, why direct language matters, and the surprising ways children often sense loss before adults say it aloud. Pet loss gets real attention too: the 2 a.m. comfort of a dog can be a lifeline, which is why losing that bond can intensify anxiety, OCD, and depression. Lisa offers a compassionate micro-step strategy from a bereaved mother—on the hardest days, the job is simple and brave: just get up. The path forward isn’t closure; it’s continued connection, honest language, and care that adapts long past the first year.

If this conversation resonates, share it with someone who might need it, then subscribe, rate, and leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help more people find the show. Your support keeps these stories going.

Support the show

Give to Bipolar She & Support Podcast Production: buymeacoffee.com/bipolarshe

Music composed and performed by guitarist, JD Cullum

Edited by Brandon Moran

Sponsored by Soar With Tapping

I’ve been on lithium for 16 years. For the past two years my hands quiver and my body noticeably shakes. My tremor was subtle at first, but now it can be impossible to hide. This episode is about how a drug that is helping my mood stay stable also makes my body feel out of control.

Lithium is now believed to be the best—even the gold standard of medication—for bipolar disorder, and it has been a good drug for me, keeping depression and mania at bay. Tremor is a known side effect, and my hands shake fast like hummingbirds.

Today, public interactions can make my entire body shake, which is unlike my younger self. This episode is about identity and grief, and how a body can quietly announce mental illness to the world. Sometimes the dark side of a medication isn’t headline-worthy. Sometimes it’s private, daily, and challenges who we believe ourselves to be.

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Give to Bipolar She & Support Podcast Production: buymeacoffee.com/bipolarshe

Music composed and performed by guitarist, JD Cullum

Edited by Brandon Moran

Sponsored by Soar With Tapping

In Part 2, Tracy Otsuka digs into ADHD with candor and science, pulling apart the “disorder” narrative and replacing it with a focus on strengths, interests and purpose.

We also walk the tightrope between ADHD and bipolar disorder where misdiagnoses often happen in college. Racing thoughts, impulsivity, and sleepless nights can mimic hypomania, but context matters: dorm food, lost structure, no movement, and constant stress create a similar picture of poor mental health. Tracy asks why isn’t a full biopsychosocial lens—sleep, exercise, nutrition, social connection, purpose—considered when diagnosing young women struggling with their mental health?

If your mornings start with negative self-talk like “Who doesn’t like me?” or “Who did I upset?” you’re not alone—and you’re not stuck—you may be experiencing rejection sensitive dysphoria. We talk through neuroplasticity, and the questions and old stories we tell ourselves and the power of “slow dopamine.” Tracy shares how mindfulness and a healthy daily routine solves 75% of the ADHD equation and how removing friction turns workouts into medication-grade focus without side effects and, again, neuroplasticity is the key.

The final takeaway is a compass you can use for the new year: follow your internal rudder. Positive emotion signals alignment; negative emotion signals a course correction. You’re the best expert on you. If this conversation resonated, tap follow, share it with a friend who needs a lift, and leave a review so others can find us. Your story might be the evidence someone else needs to hear.

Support the show

Give to Bipolar She & Support Podcast Production: buymeacoffee.com/bipolarshe

Music composed and performed by guitarist, JD Cullum

Edited by Brandon Moran

Sponsored by Soar With Tapping

What if your productivity no longer defines you? That question anchors a candid conversation with Tracy Otsuka—host of the ADHD for Smart Ass Women podcast and author of the best-selling book ADHD for Smart Ass Women: How to Fall in Love with Your Neurodivergent Brain.

We talk about how midlife hormones collide with ADHD traits and force us to reshape identity. As estrogen fluctuates through perimenopause and menopause, dopamine signaling gets shakier, and the classic ADHD pain points—working memory, sequencing, and emotional regulation—can suddenly intensify. Tracy explains why even high-achieving women can feel their confidence slip, how a “brain of interest” thrives only in the right environment, and why she reframes ADHD as an identity issue rather than a productivity flaw.

Tracy also shares the personal story that changed everything: her son’s diagnosis, the schools that missed his brilliance, and the decision to build spaces where curiosity is an asset, not a problem. From bold career pivots to building an approach that maps values, strengths, and passions into a clear purpose “sweet spot,” she shows how alignment restores executive function and self-trust. Along the way, we challenge disorder-first narratives, hold space for the seriousness of suicide risk and depression, and return to hope as a skill—tested through small actions, anchored by purpose, and protected by boundaries.

If you’re navigating midlife, exploring ADHD traits, or simply craving a more truthful way to measure your days, this conversation offers both science and strategy. If it resonates, share it with someone who needs to hear it, and subscribe to support more honest, hopeful stories.

Support the show

Give to Bipolar She & Support Podcast Production: buymeacoffee.com/bipolarshe

Music composed and performed by guitarist, JD Cullum

Edited by Brandon Moran

Sponsored by Soar With Tapping