The Upside of Bipolar: Conversations on the Road to Wellness

Michelle Baughman Reittinger
  • 5.0 (7)
  • Mental Health
  • Updated Weekly

Living with bipolar disorder sucks! Each week Michelle Reittinger and her guests explore tools and resources that help you learn how to live well with your bipolar. If you are tired of suffering and want to live a healthy, balanced, productive life with your bipolar, this podcast was designed with you in mind.

  1. Jul 31

    EP 89: How Social Media Hijacks Your Brain: Dopamine, Mindfulness & Mental Health with Dr. Dan Lathan and Dan Peterson

    Send us a message! I sit down with Dr. Dan Lathan and Dan Peterson from Cortex Evolution to unpack how digital media quietly rewires attention, emotion, and motivation until our days no longer match our intentions. We connect the neuroscience of algorithms to real recovery skills like mindfulness, boundaries, and replacing screen habits with real-life stories and memories. We explore: • why we are not anti-tech and what digital mastery means  • how notifications, autoplay, infinite scroll, and curiosity traps hijack attention  • the dopamine reward pathway and why scrolling can feel compulsive  • emotional whiplash online and why it gets harder to sit with feelings  • why kids and teens are especially vulnerable due to brain development  • how mindfulness builds a pause between stimulus and response  • social validation, likes, and FOMO as modern “tribe” signals  • practical first steps like turning off notifications and designing healthier defaults  • the 100 Days, 100 Ways challenge to swap screens for real experiences  Links Website: www.cortexevolution.com Instagram: @dandanthepresenceman TikTok: @dandanthepresenceman LinkedIn: Dan Petersen | LinkedIn                  Dr. Dan Lathen 李明山 | LinkedIn Bios Dr. Dan Lathen is a professor and cognitive performance specialist with a Ph.D. in neuroscience and a background in addiction research and recovery. He’s spoken at professional conferences on brain health and digital overuse. Through his company Cortex Evolution, he's designed interactive programs that help people rebuild cognitive skills in today’s screen-saturated world, and coaches individuals to rewire their brains for stronger memory, motivation, and mental control. His work draws from research on neuroplasticity, habit change, and emotional resilience — and a personal passion for protecting what makes us human. Dan Petersen is a Utah-based Certified Neuro Change Practitioner™ and the Co-founder of Cortex Evolution, where he leverages neuroscience, neuroplasticity, and executive function to help individuals and organizations optimize cognitive performance. Building on a robust background in corporate digital wellness, Dan actively consults with mid-market businesses to establish healthy device boundaries, reduce employee app fatigue, and drive intentional technology use. Alongside his work at Cortex Evolution, he serves as a partner at FutraMed and a Master Licensee with the Neuro Change Institute™, utilizing his deep understanding of brain mechanics to develop practical, cognitive-focused meditation frameworks and lead community-driven initiatives like the #100Days100Ways digital freedom challenge.  FREE Mood Cycle Survival Guide: https://theupsideofbipolar.com/free/  The Upside of Bipolar: 7 Steps to Heal Your Disorder: @upsideofbipolar | Linktree website: https://theupsideofbipolar.com/ email: michelle@theupsideofbipolar.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theupsideofbipolar/ TikTok: theupsideofbipolar (@theupsideofbipolar) | TikTok Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theupsideofbipolar/

  2. Jun 22

    EP 88: The Promise to Live: Hope, Suicide Prevention, and Finding Connection When Life Hurts with Brandy Vega

    Send us a message! I talk with Brandy Vega, founder of Promise2Live, about turning a family suicide crisis into a practical, global approach to hope and connection. We share specific ways to interrupt suicidal thoughts, find help fast, and build a safety net that holds even when life still feels hard.  • Brandy’s story of her daughter’s suicide attempts and the shame that kept the first one hidden  • Why people often want pain to end, not life to end  • Making the Promise to Live as a commitment to pause and reach out  • Taking suicide off the table as a mindset shift and a safety step  • Simple check-ins that work, including “How are you really doing?”  • The ASK framework: acknowledge, support, keep in touch  • Pocket Hugs as a tangible reminder of worth and resources  • Building community connection so support is not a one-time moment  • Finding trusted crisis resources in one place, including 988 and online tools  • What recovery can look like afterward, including white-knuckling, DBT skills, and daily practices  We invite you to make the promise to live.  Links Website: Promise2Live.org Instagram: @Promise2LiveOfficial YouTube: @Promise2Live Bio Today's guest is Brandy Vega, founder of Promise2Live, a global movement dedicated to suicide prevention, mental health awareness, and meaningful human connection. After nearly losing her own daughter to suicide, Brandy turned her pain into purpose and has since helped reach millions worldwide with a simple but powerful message: Make the Promise to Live. Brandy is an Army veteran, former television journalist, entrepreneur, humanitarian, and a mother and wife. Through Promise2Live, she has helped distribute tens of thousands of Pocket Hugs, launched community mental health initiatives, hosted global livestreams, and inspired people in more than 100 countries to choose hope, connection, and purpose. Her mission is simple: to help people know they are not alone and to deliver hope, help, healing, and resources to those who need it most. FREE Mood Cycle Survival Guide: https://theupsideofbipolar.com/free/  The Upside of Bipolar: 7 Steps to Heal Your Disorder: @upsideofbipolar | Linktree website: https://theupsideofbipolar.com/ email: michelle@theupsideofbipolar.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theupsideofbipolar/ TikTok: theupsideofbipolar (@theupsideofbipolar) | TikTok Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theupsideofbipolar/

  3. Jun 4

    EP 87: The Hidden Dangers of Modern Marijuana: Psychosis, Bipolar Symptoms, and the THC Crisis with Aubrey Adams

    Send us a message! I sit down with marijuana harm advocate Aubrey Adams to trace how modern high-potency THC products can fuel psychosis, suicide risk, and life-altering psychiatric symptoms for users and their families. We also talk about what helps people stabilize, set boundaries, find support, and rebuild hope after cannabis-related harm.  • Aubrey’s story from Pueblo, Colorado and what marijuana commercialization changed in her community and home  • Dabbing, high-potency THC, and why today’s products are not comparable to “old school” marijuana  • Cannabis-induced psychosis and why it can be mistaken for bipolar disorder or schizophrenia  • The 2018 Farm Bill hemp loophole and how Delta-8 style THC products spread through vape shops and gummies  • Why “legal means safer” and “it ends the black market” arguments fail in practice  • Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome and the hidden physical toll of chronic THC exposure  • Family boundaries during addiction and psychosis, including “be clear, be kind, be gone”  • Recovery support options for users and families, including Every Brain Matters meetings and Marijuana Anonymous  • Practical self-care tools that support mental health, including sunlight, movement, and nutrition  Links Website: Every Brain Matters Instagram: @everybrainmatters TikTok: @aubreeadamsebm YouTube: @EveryBrainMatters Bio Aubree Adams is a national advocate focused on raising awareness about the public health impacts of the modern marijuana industry. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science and Health Promotion from Colorado State University Pueblo and is a licensed physical therapist assistant. Based in Pueblo, Colorado, Aubree witnessed firsthand the rapid expansion of the marijuana industry and its effects on individuals and families. This experience led her to direct Every Brain Matters, a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating communities through the real-life stories of families impacted by marijuana-related harm. These stories are shared through the organization’s Voices of Marijuana Harms platform, YouTube channel, and the podcast “It’s Just Pot: What’s the Problem?” Aubree has been featured on national media outlets including Dr. Phil Primetime, Fox News, and Newsmax. Her written work has appeared in USA Today and the Denver Gazette, where she addresses emerging concerns around cannabis. She has also presented her personal and professional insights before the FDA, the National Academy of Sciences, and in the documentary Chronic State, in addition to testifying in multiple state legislatures on drug policy and public health. Following her family’s recovery journey in Houston, Texas, Aubree founded Citizens for a Safe and Healthy Texas, an organization focused on community education and advocacy related to marijuana and THC products, including those legalized under the 2018 Farm Bill. Through her work, Aubree emphasizes the need for increased awareness, prevention resources, and support systems for families facing addiction, mental health challenges, and cannabis-related conditions. She is committed to promoting informed decision-making and protecting families from the risks associated with today’s more dangerous marijuana products. FREE Mood Cycle Survival Guide: https://theupsideofbipolar.com/free/  The Upside of Bipolar: 7 Steps to Heal Your Disorder: @upsideofbipolar | Linktree website: https://theupsideofbipolar.com/ email: michelle@theupsideofbipolar.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theupsideofbipolar/ TikTok: theupsideofbipolar (@theupsideofbipolar) | TikTok Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theupsideofbipolar/

  4. May 25

    EP 86: From Hospitalizations to Healing: Why I Became a Bipolar Recovery Coach

    Send us a message! I unpack what a bipolar recovery coach is and why a diagnosis can describe symptoms without explaining what causes them. I share my path from trusting the chemical imbalance story, through worsening outcomes and hospitalizations, to learning how to identify and treat the real sources behind my mood symptoms.  • My early mood swings, the search for answers, and why the diagnosis felt like relief  • How symptom-focused care and long-term medication left me feeling worse and more hopeless  • The mindset shift that changed everything: nobody is coming to save me  • Becoming a detective in my own life, including earlier recognition and healthier support plans  • Why diagnoses can function like labels, not true explanations, using fire alarm, smoke, and fever analogies  • The research and books that challenged the chemical imbalance theory and reshaped my approach  • Why I built my book and The Upsiders' Tribe to offer a shorter route with guidance and support  • Common sources to investigate: trauma, unhealthy thoughts and behaviors, medication effects and withdrawal, micronutrient insufficiency, substance use  • What I do as a coach: help you find sources, choose tools, and get steady support without judgment   If you’re ready to move beyond symptom management and begin pursuing real healing and recovery, I would love to talk with you. Schedule a Discovery Session to see if The Upsiders’ Tribe is the right fit for your journey.  To book your complimentary Success Session email me: michelle@theupsideofbipolar.com FREE Mood Cycle Survival Guide: https://theupsideofbipolar.com/free/  The Upside of Bipolar: 7 Steps to Heal Your Disorder: @upsideofbipolar | Linktree website: https://theupsideofbipolar.com/ email: michelle@theupsideofbipolar.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theupsideofbipolar/ TikTok: theupsideofbipolar (@theupsideofbipolar) | TikTok Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theupsideofbipolar/

  5. May 4

    EP 85: Gaslighting Teaches You to Distrust Your Mind—Here’s How to Take It Back with Lisa Sitze

    Send us a message! We talk with Lisa Sitze (#1 international bestselling author) about growing up with a mother later diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) and how gaslighting teaches a child to distrust their own mind. We break down what actually helps you heal: naming the pattern, setting real boundaries, and choosing responsibility without slipping into shame or victimhood.  • Lisa’s story of a late NPD diagnosis and how it reframes a lifetime of confusion  • Why narcissism is a buzzword and how NPD differs from everyday narcissistic tendencies  • How manipulation can fool authority figures and deepen self-doubt  • Golden child and scapegoat dynamics and how they affect feedback, trust, and identity  • Why healing requires holding both the negative and the positive  • Boundaries as actions we control and why an information diet can be necessary  • The risk of labels becoming excuses and how agency prevents codependency  • “Demons” as limiting beliefs built to protect us and how to let them go safely  • RAD tool: Recognize, Acknowledge, Decide  Links: Instagram: lisa_sitze Facebook: Alyssia Rhys LinkedIn: Lisa Sitze Email facingyourdemonsbook@gmail.com Website facingyourdemonsbook.com Bio: Lisa is a writer, mother of five grown children and granny to seven grandchildren. Her favorite hobbies are playing Enshrouded, exercising, sewing, and gardening. She homeschooled her five children for sixteen years and ran a successful homeschool group for three of those years. She has been life coaching since 2021, being certified through Dr. Sears Wellness Institute. Lisa’s individualized program, to help people do deep dives into themselves, teaches clients how it is possible to use their agency to create their life their way while still respectfully balancing the needs of others. FREE Mood Cycle Survival Guide: https://theupsideofbipolar.com/free/  The Upside of Bipolar: 7 Steps to Heal Your Disorder: @upsideofbipolar | Linktree website: https://theupsideofbipolar.com/ email: michelle@theupsideofbipolar.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theupsideofbipolar/ TikTok: theupsideofbipolar (@theupsideofbipolar) | TikTok Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theupsideofbipolar/

  6. Apr 27

    EP 84: Your Bipolar Diagnosis Is Hiding the Real Problem: Why the Chemical Imbalance Myth Blocks True Recovery

    Send us a message! A bipolar diagnosis can feel like an explanation, but we argue it often labels symptoms without identifying a root cause. We challenge the chemical imbalance narrative, question medication-first assumptions, and point toward curiosity-driven healing based on underlying sources of distress.  • bipolar as a symptom cluster rather than an etiology  • how the DSM is built and why that matters  • concerns about conflicts of interest and medication marketing  • trial-and-error prescribing plus polypharmacy risks  • why the chemical imbalance theory is disputed  • how treatment can reinforce the belief that bipolar is incurable  • validating that symptoms are real and disruptive  • why abrupt medication stopping is dangerous and why guided tapering matters  • potential root drivers: micronutrient insufficiency, ultra-processed food, iatrogenic medication effects  • other contributors: substances including high-THC marijuana, trauma, learned coping patterns  • recovery as resolving causes, not just suppressing symptoms  FREE Mood Cycle Survival Guide: https://theupsideofbipolar.com/free/  The Upside of Bipolar: 7 Steps to Heal Your Disorder: @upsideofbipolar | Linktree website: https://theupsideofbipolar.com/ email: michelle@theupsideofbipolar.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theupsideofbipolar/ TikTok: theupsideofbipolar (@theupsideofbipolar) | TikTok Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theupsideofbipolar/

  7. Apr 14

    EP 83: Symptoms Aren’t the Problem: Janey Nelson on Trauma, Triggers, and Real Healing

    Send us a message! We talk with trauma therapist Janey Nelson about why symptoms are not proof you’re broken and how healing can happen when we stop judging emotions and start getting curious about their roots. We dig into Accelerated Resolution Therapy and Critical Memory Integration as practical tools to reduce triggers, resolve trauma responses, and rebuild safety in the body and in relationships. • Janey’s path into therapy through foster parenting, cancer, and building Healthier U Counseling Center • What ART is and how bilateral stimulation can reduce sensations and emotions tied to trauma • Why ART can feel faster and less destabilizing than EMDR for some people • How CMI traces today’s triggers back to core childhood wounds and unmet needs • A firefighter example of anger dissolving after connecting with a younger self • Why diagnosis and symptom labels can kill curiosity and slow recovery • How CMI can work in groups and retreats to reduce isolation and increase hope • Why talk therapy alone can keep you stuck in the “logic brain” • The clinic philosophy of safety, peace, and trauma proficient care across modalities • How strong intake questions about trauma, sleep, diet, and story reveal the real problem • Boundaries explained as internal vs external and why boundaries are not rules • How we decide when individual work supports couples work and vice versa • Tips for finding best practice trauma treatment and researching modalities safely LINKS: INSTAGRAM: healthieryoucc FACEBOOK: Healthier You WEBSITE: www.healthieryouc.com BIO:  Janey is the owner and Clinical Director of Healthier You Counseling Center and has been a therapist for about 20 years. In 2024, she trained in Critical Memory Integration (CMI) and is on the CMI Training Leadership team. Janey was one of the first Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) practitioners in Utah, being trained in 2017 and master trained in 2019. One of her passions is helping others discover their best selves. She does this by creating healthy relationships with clients in individual, marriage, family, and group therapy. Janey helps facilitate empowerment retreats for women and couples. Due to marriage and family being so important to her, she runs Gottman and Layers of Love relationship groups. Additionally, Janey facilitates other groups as the need arises. One of the things she is working on for the CMI Team is to develop CMI for groups. Her greatest beliefs is that it is important to love everyone, no matter the circumstances. She shows love by practicing kindness, which she believes is honest, assertive, respectful, and loving. It is this belief that helps Janey connect with her clients and develop the bonds of trust that allow them to grow. FREE Mood Cycle Survival Guide: https://theupsideofbipolar.com/free/  The Upside of Bipolar: 7 Steps to Heal Your Disorder: @upsideofbipolar | Linktree website: https://theupsideofbipolar.com/ email: michelle@theupsideofbipolar.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theupsideofbipolar/ TikTok: theupsideofbipolar (@theupsideofbipolar) | TikTok Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theupsideofbipolar/

  8. Mar 31

    EP 82: Why You’re Still Struggling: Root Causes, Habits, and Bipolar Recovery

    Send us a message! I explore why real recovery from bipolar symptoms takes two kinds of work: treating the underlying causes and changing the coping patterns built to survive them. I share practical ways to rebuild emotional health so you can feel deeply, respond wisely, and create relationships with clearer boundaries. • pathologising human suffering and how labels can end curiosity • treating symptoms versus identifying root causes of bipolar symptoms • common drivers like micronutrient insufficiency, medication effects, THC-related psychosis, and trauma • why you can’t change habits without addressing causes and can’t heal causes without changing habits • dissociation habits like TV and doomscrolling and how they persist after stability • mindfulness meditation, breathwork, yoga, and therapy as habit-rewiring tools • changing negative self-talk with mirror talk and using AI to draft a daily script • relationship “dance” patterns, repair after reactivity, and the work of building new norms • boundaries as personal responsibility rather than control of others • choosing sustained effort over quick fixes and building a supportive environment If you have any questions about anything I've talked about, I hope you'll send me an email. I would love to hear from you. If you haven't read my book, I encourage you to get a copy of it, The Upside of Bipolar: 7 Steps to Heal Your Disorder.  FREE Mood Cycle Survival Guide: https://theupsideofbipolar.com/free/  The Upside of Bipolar: 7 Steps to Heal Your Disorder: @upsideofbipolar | Linktree website: https://theupsideofbipolar.com/ email: michelle@theupsideofbipolar.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theupsideofbipolar/ TikTok: theupsideofbipolar (@theupsideofbipolar) | TikTok Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theupsideofbipolar/

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Living with bipolar disorder sucks! Each week Michelle Reittinger and her guests explore tools and resources that help you learn how to live well with your bipolar. If you are tired of suffering and want to live a healthy, balanced, productive life with your bipolar, this podcast was designed with you in mind.

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