Bipolar She with Janine Noel
Bipolar She with Janine Noel
Janine Noel
I kept my mental illness secret, then one day I pressed record. On Bipolar She we explore questions like: What does a mental health crisis feel like? How do you survive it? What could improve your health? My guests have lived life experience and tell difficult mental health stories in raw detail. What inspired this podcast? I heard an interview on the radio with a comedian who spoke vividly about her bipolar illness and her symptoms. Her symptoms matched up with mine. Everything changed. I was able to open up to my therapist and get better care. So, join me in welcoming storytellers (real people & experts) from various backgrounds to boldly share a part of their lives with the goal of better mental health for all. Please check out BipolarShe.com and let me know if you have a story. The content of this podcast does not include medical or professional advice. Do not disregard or delay seeking medical advice in response to this podcast. We are real people talking mental health. Welcome to Bipolar She.
Feminine Rage and How to Work With It. Class With Amy Vincze Begins Feb. 24th
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...
Feb 18
18 min
Why Grief Is Like A Chameleon and How to Live With It — Dr. Lisa Benton-Hardy
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 t...
Jan 30
30 min
Lithium—Why I Shake (My Secret Life #2)
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...
Jan 16
11 min
Is ADHD a Disorder? Tracy Otsuka Challenges Old Labels (Part 2)
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 as...
Dec 31, 2025
32 min
Anti-Anxiety Holiday Gift Guide with Crystal Flores
Do you find yourself stressed and anxious when it comes to giving holiday gifts? Have you lost the joy of the experience? We sit down with financial wellness expert Crystal Flores to learn ways to stop the anxiety and disconnection of gift giving. Cyrstal explains how she gives gifts based on her values: thrift, creativity, connection, and environmental stewardship. When your values lead, the pressure fades and gifts start to feel like gestures of care rather than tests you can fail. We start...
Nov 26, 2025
28 min
My Secret Life #1 Going Crazy for Sleep
Join me for a behind the scenes look at my private bedtime medication routine, in which I fight through intrusive thoughts and fears before falling asleep. For me it's a battle with Seroquel and the strange paradox where it stirs up my mind before putting me to sleep. I talk through what insomnia means for mania risk, why psychosis feels closer in the dark, and how intrusive, even spiritual, panic can crash in before sedation takes hold. We get practical about my 9:15 wind-down, how to read e...
Nov 14, 2025
10 min
Break Free From "Hustle Culture" & Improve Your Mental Health With Dr. Portia Preston
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Nov 5, 2025
29 min
How Strong Mental Health Improves Your Wealth with Crystal Flores
Today I sit down with Crystal Flores to trace the line from her father's suicide to her early marriage that led to depression and codependency. Crystal broke free from her picture-perfect, yet miserable marriage, to carve out a new life built on values, clarity, and fiercely practical money care. The reset wasn’t flashy. She moved to a quaint country home, complete with a flock of chickens, and chased non-negotiables like connection, thrift, resourcefulness, creativity, and environmental stew...
Oct 15, 2025
27 min
Borderline Personality Disorder: Stigma, Shame & Secrets
For Bianca, the catalyst of her Borderline Personality Disorder was the cultural pressure of living in a Middle Eastern family that provided the basics in life, but no emotional connection or support. With eldest-daughter expectations, and the heavy silence that comes when a family outsources its pain to one child, Bianca became the out-of-control truth bearer in her family system. After her tumultuous upbringing that included self-harm, suicidal thinking, and an abusive relationship, Bianca ...
Oct 3, 2025
28 min
Recovery Warfare with General Gregg F. Martin [Part 2]
Picking up from Part 1, Gregg is now stuck in what he calls “two years of bipolar hell.” But when he is finally prescribed lithium, within a week his depression lifts. Coming out of depression, he still had work to do—repairing familial and professional relationships. Greg had also been angry with God for abandoning him and forcing him to live in misery. Lithium not only put Gregg’s depression at bay, but it also allowed him to repair his relationship with God. As treatment begins worki...
Sep 18, 2025
24 min
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