I'm with Crazy: A Love Story

Paolina Milana

Madness To Magic is a podcast about finding the magic no matter what madness may surround us.

  1. 04/20/2025

    (Ep 24) Finding Peace and Joy with Diane Bell

    Madness To Magic⁠⁠ brings to listeners stories of real world encounters with what we all experience and yet feel shamed to keep silent. Embracing ALL of us is key to tapping into our own power to make all things possible. This episode of my podcast is with Diane Bell who is probably best known for her work in film as a Sundance award-winning screenwriter + director as well as the author of the bestselling guide to making an indie film, Shoot From the Heart. Diane started out living in Barcelona as a Yoga teacher cultivating practices of her mentor Vietnamese Zen monk Thich Nhat Hanh. Her path has taken her to where she is today -- an entrepreneur mentoring others on breaking free from their own conditioning to create the life of their dreams. You can learn more about Diane here. Here are a few golden nuggets from this episode with Diane Bell. “We are surrounded by madness at the moment. It really does seem like these times have challenges that are quite unprecedented, I think, for a lot of us, really. And, you know, to me, this question of how we navigate through that? It always comes back to we've got to reclaim our power. We've got to come home to ourselves.""You can't create peace in the world or in your society until you have peace in yourself.""What seeds do I wanna water in me. The greatest resistance you can give to the madness is by focusing on the joy and focusing on the peace, focusing on what is working.""If we wanna create change to the madness, it can't be from a place of just resistance and anger.""It sounds so like, corny. I'm like, 'yoga changed my life', but it changed my life because until I started practicing yoga, I had no real personal power. I had no sense of integrity. If we go back to that thing that peace within in order to create peace around you, you have to have peace inside yourself.”“You never control the outcomes, you only control the intentions." "Most of life is in the liminal, is in the transition, and in the middle, in between one place and another. It's obviously where we live a lot of the time, but it's how we handle this that determines where we end up arriving. And in a way there's no arriving, it's just we're always in the liminal in a certain sense, right? I feel like our ability to just to decide what stories we want to tell about what is going on in that space is really important.""Have your North Star. It's really important to have a sense of where you want to go if you want to go anywhere, right? Like, what do I really desire for my life? Where do I desire to be? That is important. That's a good thing to have. But then to know that the journey, you know, the journey, it is really all about the journey. And the journey is going to be messy. And the journey is gonna feel like at times you're not moving at all. And the journey is going to be hard at times, and the journey is gonna drop you to your knees at certain points. You know, that's, that's the human journey, but that's the journey you're here for.""When we can make peace with our journey and start to view it from the place of like, no setback on your journey is the end of the journey. Unless you decide, it's like it's all there for your growth. It's all there as part of your adventure.""We're all here to lift each other up and help each other transform and heal and live better lives. And your capacity to do that is largely contingent in your capacity to alchemize and transform those difficult things in your own life...meaning once you can do that in your own life, you're able to help other people to do it.""It transformed me to realize like, the things that are the greatest challenges are the greatest gifts...I'm so grateful for every challenge because that's what's giving you that real opportunity to grow."

    51 min
  2. 03/29/2025

    (Ep. 23) The Secret to Getting Your Life Humming with Sheri Salata

    Madness To Magic⁠ brings to listeners stories of real world encounters with what we all experience and yet feel shamed to keep silent. Embracing ALL of us is key to tapping into our own power to make all things possible.This episode of my podcast is with transformational entrepreneur of The Support System and The Prosper Network Sheri Salata. As the last Executive Producer of The Oprah Show, Sheri’s been on her own journey learning to evolve in mind, body, spirit, business, and more, alongside other like-hearted and like-minded women. You can learn more and join in at SheriSalata.com. Here are just a few of the gems from this episode with Sheri Salata. "I think it’s big and could be a big epiphany for people. ‘You’re living the life of your desires.’ Yes. I’m gonna tell you, a lot of people listen to that and they say, no, I’m not. No I’m not. But you are, you are. Because this is what you’ve created.  This is what you’ve created so far. You’re living your limiting beliefs. You’re living the way you practice your energy. You’re living what you believe is possible. Maybe you don’t take the time to do any dreaming or any real thinking about how my life could really grow and be better. You’re living your desires. And so, the good and the not so great… You’re in charge. When you hear that, you might say, number one, yes. There’s so many things in my life that I desired, that I’m living now, that I manifested. Yay. And there’s so much more for me to dream up and get to work on. Because at any given moment, we are living our desires.” “If you are of a certain age in this human life, you have to remember we weren’t trained by people who had access to what we have access to, to any all kinds of spiritual work and all kinds of growth work and therapy up the wazoo and cold plunge and sound baths. And we weren’t raised by people who had access to any of that. We were raised by people of the patriarchy who grew up very fear-based. And you got, you know, that you’re not the center of the universe. Money doesn’t grow on trees, like all that scarcity. So part of our work being of a certain age is we have to re-pattern. We have to retell those stories. We have to really work on that until it becomes automatic. Because that’s how we were trained. And we were trained like that for a long time. And we’ve been practicing those limiting beliefs for a long time. So that’s why…to consciously work on your money story…" “We have a capacity for happiness or joy. And I think most of us would be stunned at how low ours is. That we can just only take so much. Because things get flipped. Like, you know, when’s the other shoe gonna drop? When’s the bad stuff gonna happen? When you were a little girl, it was not good to have people jealous of you. It was not good to be a tall poppy, as they say in Australia where all the prettiest or the smartest or the most successful or the luckiest…it was not a good thing. You couldn’t affiliate with a group…that’s what we were raised in. So to be gentle with ourselves and understand that we are re-patterning some things…” --------------------------- A storyteller at heart who built a career in writing, media & marketing, Paolina Milana is grateful for the magic AND the madness she's experienced. Her roots are entangled with mental illness and taking on caregiving roles -- something she has come to realize is not unique to her; rather, it seems to be common on several levels among others, especially the high-functioning women who from the outside looking in seem to have it all together. Special thanks to the creators of the beautiful instrumental you hear during this podcast - Philippa Dowding & Allister Thompson - Original song “Sarah Tiptoes” from their album BIRCHES. Also love to the guy who's the master behind this podcast's production and audio engineering -- Joseph Dean Edwards.

    45 min
  3. (Ep 22) Mental Illness in The Family: Author Marin Sardy Shares Insights

    10/03/2022

    (Ep 22) Mental Illness in The Family: Author Marin Sardy Shares Insights

    World Mental Health Day on October 10 with its theme of "Make mental health for all a global priority" couldn't be more appropriate during these times when mental health in the family and mental health as a society is suffering more than ever. Having been raised by a mom diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and then having a younger sister also diagnosed with the same mental illness gave me first-hand knowledge early on in my life of the challenges that come with caring for loved ones who have a mental illness. To be able to talk about the experience with someone else -- a fellow writer -- who also had a mother and a sibling with schizophrenia has been incredible. This episode of my podcast features award-winning published author and essayist Marin Sardy whose work has appeared in numerous journals and publications including Tin House, The Rumpus, and the New Yorker, wherein an excerpt from her memoir, THE EDGE OF EVERY DAY: SKETCHES OF SCHIZOPHRENIA, was published.  Marin shares her history with mental illness in the family, telling of her own experiences with schizophrenia claiming both her mother and brother. You can read Marin's book and learn more about her at MarinSardy.com. --------------------------- A storyteller at heart who built a career in writing, media & marketing, Paolina Milana is grateful for the magic AND the madness she's experienced. Her roots are entangled with mental illness and taking on caregiving roles -- something she has come to realize is not unique to her; rather, it seems to be common on several levels among others, especially the high-functioning women who from the outside looking in seem to have it all together. Madness To Magic brings to listeners stories of real world encounters with what we all experience and yet feel shamed to keep silent. Embracing ALL of us is key to tapping into our own power to make all things possible. Special thanks to the creators of the beautiful instrumental you hear during this podcast - Philippa Dowding & Allister Thompson - Original song “Sarah Tiptoes” from their album BIRCHES. Also love to the guy who's the master behind this podcast's production and audio engineering -- Joseph Dean Edwards.

    55 min
  4. (Ep 21) Self-love and Being Unapologetically Ourselves: Uga Carlini "Angeliena" Film Inspires

    10/03/2021

    (Ep 21) Self-love and Being Unapologetically Ourselves: Uga Carlini "Angeliena" Film Inspires

    On Friday, October 8, 2021, multi-award winning filmmaker Uga Carlini's fiction feature "Angeliena" premieres on Netflix. It's a story about self-love and being 'good enough' and having dreams and caring for one another. It has characters you'll hiss at and the ones you'll cheer on. THIS is the kind of story - the madness to magic - that I love. It was an honor and such great fun to chat with Uga who, for me, has been such an inspirational storyteller and one of those creative souls that makes this world better by being who she is and doing what she does. Uga is the founder of Towerkop Creations a boutique production company situated in Cape Town, South Africa where she lives and makes it her mission to tell female-driven heroine stories. Watch "Angeliena" and be sure to share it with #Angelienamovie, and visit Uga and her brilliant team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @Angelienamovie.  --------------------------- A storyteller at heart who built a career in writing, media & marketing, Paolina Milana is grateful for the magic AND the madness she's experienced. Her roots are entangled with mental illness and taking on caregiving roles -- something she has come to realize is not unique to her; rather, it seems to be common on several levels among others, especially the high-functioning women who from the outside looking in seem to have it all together. Madness To Magic brings to listeners stories of real world encounters with what we all experience and yet feel shamed to keep silent. Embracing ALL of us is key to tapping into our own power to make all things possible. Special thanks to the creators of the beautiful instrumental you hear during this podcast - Philippa Dowding & Allister Thompson - Original song “Sarah Tiptoes” from their album BIRCHES. Also love to the guy who's the master behind this podcast's production and audio engineering -- Joseph Dean Edwards.

    1h 4m
  5. (Ep 20) From the Inside Out: Mental Health & Writing Therapy with Jennie Nash

    08/25/2021

    (Ep 20) From the Inside Out: Mental Health & Writing Therapy with Jennie Nash

    On Thursday, September 1, 2021, the book, "Blueprint for a Book: Build Your Novel from the Inside Out" by Jennie Nash publishes. What a treat it was to chat with Jennie who has been my book coach and mentor for years and who has been instrumental in my own books getting written and published. Jennie Nash is the founder and CEO of Author Accelerator, a company that's "on a mission to raise the bar on book coaching." She's the author of several books, and her latest is a "how-to" that emphasizes the inner work that needs to be done when one embarks on a book writing journey. Her "inside out" blueprint to writing a book concept is so aligned with how I view writing therapy, self-care, and the core of what is mental health. I hope you enjoy and learn lots from what Jennie had to share. And be sure to buy her book and grab her free blueprint download at https://jennienash.com/blueprint --------------------------- A storyteller at heart, Paolina Milana is the author of several books, all of which tell stories to inspire, enlighten, and heal. For those who don’t know her personal story, she grew up surrounded by madness, raised by a mom who was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, and then becoming primary caregiver not only to her, but to her little sister, also diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. Keeping it secret and being ashamed of the insanity that had taken root in her family tree is what nearly did her in. Spoiler alert: It didn’t. She journeyed on, and what an incredible ride it’s been. For anyone listening who is struggling with their own mental health or that of a loved one, this podcast is for you. Know that you aren’t alone. Your life isn’t “just” about the cray-cray. And your story isn’t finished. “I’m with Crazy: A Love Story” is a place to come together to share our stories and to realize that there’s magic to be found in whatever madness we may be experiencing. ------------------- Madness To Magic brings to listeners stories of real world encounters with what we all experience and yet feel shamed to keep silent. Embracing ALL of us is key to tapping into our own power to make all things possible. Special thanks to the creators of the beautiful instrumental you hear during this podcast - Philippa Dowding & Allister Thompson - Original song “Sarah Tiptoes” from their album BIRCHES. Also love to the guy who's the master behind this podcast's production and audio engineering -- Joseph Dean Edwards.

    59 min
  6. (Ep 19) Caregiving for Mental Illness - SiriusXM DOCTOR RADIO SHOW

    04/11/2021

    (Ep 19) Caregiving for Mental Illness - SiriusXM DOCTOR RADIO SHOW

    On Tuesday, April 6, 2021, I joined in as a guest on one of SiriusXM’s radio programs. DOCTOR RADIO included a segment on caregiving for mental illness, and its host Dr. Michael Aronoff interviewed me. Dr. Aronoff MD is Attending Psychiatrist on the Senior Staff of Lenox Hill Hospital and Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at NYU Medical Center. He's served the American Psychiatric Association for over 20 years and has been on New York Magazine and Castle Connolly Guide's “Best Doctors” list. Dr. Aronoff’s Psychiatry Show on SiriusXM’s DOCTOR RADIO is live on Tuesdays at noon ET. --------------------------- A storyteller at heart who built a career in writing, media & marketing, Paolina Milana is grateful for the magic AND the madness she's experienced. Her roots are entangled with mental illness and taking on caregiving roles -- something she has come to realize is not unique to her; rather, it seems to be common on several levels among others, especially the high-functioning women who from the outside looking in seem to have it all together. Madness To Magic brings to listeners stories of real world encounters with what we all experience and yet feel shamed to keep silent. Embracing ALL of us is key to tapping into our own power to make all things possible. Special thanks to the creators of the beautiful instrumental you hear during this podcast - Philippa Dowding & Allister Thompson - Original song “Sarah Tiptoes” from their album BIRCHES. Also love to the guy who's the master behind this podcast's production and audio engineering -- Joseph Dean Edwards.

    22 min
  7. (Ep 18)Mental Health Awareness Month: The Madness That's Making Us Not Who We Are Meant To Be

    05/18/2020

    (Ep 18)Mental Health Awareness Month: The Madness That's Making Us Not Who We Are Meant To Be

    Warning: This episode is a bit of a RANT. It’s my own melting pot of everything from feeling enraged, sadness, disgust, hysterical: So many feelings swirling within me – Madness within due to the madness of our circumstances. . We’ve always been a screwed up society. Humans are flawed. But we seem to have come to a point that we’ve embraced a notion that we can only change ourselves – which I believe – but we’ve taken it to a misunderstood level of “I’m only going to do what’s good for me,” with no regard to consequences or our impact to anyone else around. THAT is not self-care. It’s being selfish to a level that may cause harm to ourselves and to others. . Yes! Put your oxygen mask on first, take care of you, BUT not to the detriment of everyone and everything else outside of you. . Hoping we learn some lessons during this challenging time, and that we can be the best of who we can be, especially during the rest of this Mental Health Awareness Month. --------------------------- A storyteller at heart who built a career in writing, media & marketing, Paolina Milana is grateful for the magic AND the madness she's experienced. Her roots are entangled with mental illness and taking on caregiving roles -- something she has come to realize is not unique to her; rather, it seems to be common on several levels among others, especially the high-functioning women who from the outside looking in seem to have it all together. Madness To Magic brings to listeners stories of real world encounters with what we all experience and yet feel shamed to keep silent. Embracing ALL of us is key to tapping into our own power to make all things possible. Special thanks to the creators of the beautiful instrumental you hear during this podcast - Philippa Dowding & Allister Thompson - Original song “Sarah Tiptoes” from their album BIRCHES. Also love to the guy who's the master behind this podcast's production and audio engineering -- Joseph Dean Edwards.

    35 min
  8. (Ep 17) When the strongest fall apart: Learning to find yourself again

    02/29/2020

    (Ep 17) When the strongest fall apart: Learning to find yourself again

    This podcast is with someone I'm blessed to call my friend: Thom Brodeur. He's a self-made man, he's a caregiver, he's an entrepreneur who has risen to the ranks of corporate CEO and now is head of his own beauty and fashion empire. He is both "Beauty Boss" and "Mister Congeniality" and he is a prime example of someone who has always gotten it done and taken care of everyone else in the process, except himself. In this episode, you'll hear from Thom about his trials and triumphs and how one person who is and always has been "the strongest among us" finally reached his breaking point of madness and how he's learning to find the magic within. As Thom shared his biggest lesson: "While you are loving through your life -- the work that you do, the people that you're with, the experiences that you're privileged to have -- don't forget yourself in the process. I spent a lifetime of loving and caring for other people, places and things to my own detriment. I'm finally awake and recognize that there is a reason why on an airplane they ask you to secure your own oxygen mask first, 'cause you're really a worthless pile to the little kid next to you, the old lady next to you or the able-bodied person next to you, if you're not breathing oxygen yourself. So don't forget yourself. Don't lose yourself in the will to achieve. Don't lose yourself in the want to be the best husband, wife, brothers, sisters, son, daughter, father, mother. Don't forget who you are. And don't forget to take some time to appreciate that. Don't forget to take time to ask other people to help you do better when you need it. You'll be more worthwhile and more valuable to anybody else or anything else that you apply yourself to. And that's been a huge lesson. I know it sounds so cliche and we always say it, but I'm living it now." This is such a powerful episode, full of wisdom about failure and resiliency and selfcare. I hope it speaks to you and helps you find the magic within whatever madness you're in at the moment. --------------------------- A storyteller at heart who built a career in writing, media & marketing, Paolina Milana is grateful for the magic AND the madness she's experienced. Her roots are entangled with mental illness and taking on caregiving roles -- something she has come to realize is not unique to her; rather, it seems to be common on several levels among others, especially the high-functioning women who from the outside looking in seem to have it all together. Madness To Magic brings to listeners stories of real world encounters with what we all experience and yet feel shamed to keep silent. Embracing ALL of us is key to tapping into our own power to make all things possible. Special thanks to the creators of the beautiful instrumental you hear during this podcast - Philippa Dowding & Allister Thompson - Original song “Sarah Tiptoes” from their album BIRCHES. Also love to the guy who's the master behind this podcast's production and audio engineering -- Joseph Dean Edwards.

    1h 22m

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

Madness To Magic is a podcast about finding the magic no matter what madness may surround us.