Bipolar She with Janine Noel

Janine Noel
  • 5.0 (22)
  • Mental Health
  • Updated Biweekly

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.

  1. Sep 24

    New Mom Experiences Postpartum Bipolar Disorder and Psychosis (replay)

    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.

  2. Sep 9

    From Babies and Beyond: How Childhood Shapes Adult Mental Health With Katherine Olivetti

    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.

  3. Aug 27

    Bipolar Mom: A Daughter’s Story of Love, Chaos and Resilience (Replay)

    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.

  4. Aug 13

    Journaling Through Mental Illness: What Harms and What Heals (Remix)

    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.

  5. Jul 29

    Can Writing Bad Poems Build Resilience? The Healing Power of Poetry Without Rules

    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.

  6. Jul 17

    Can Writing About Hard Times Feel Good? Get Started on Your Story

    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.

  7. Jul 7

    Women on Lamictal (Lamotrigine) Warning: What Your Doctors May Not Know

    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.

  8. May 28

    Bipolar and Pregnant: How Betsi Fought to be a Mom

    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.

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About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    Janine Noel
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    61
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Bipolar She with Janine Noel
  • Show Website
    Bipolar She with Janine Noel

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