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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.

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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.