Cutting Through Chaos

Stephanie Marie sits down for a candid discussion with her brother Shea, @sheakewin and @qsaintz on Instagram, who talks openly for the first time about having bipolar disorder. He dives deep into details around hospitalization for his mania and psychosis, documenting his delusions, how real his psychosis felt, and how parts of it still linger with him to this day. Among many other things, he also discusses his treatment plan and the strength he's found in his family support system. Stephanie and Shea talk about his creative outlet of songwriting and rapping, and how that's been a therapeutic exercise for him.

Season 2, Episode 3 has Stephanie Marie and her guest, musician Pete Wilde (@_petewilde on Instagram), diving deep into everything from his diagnosis with bipolar disorder, to putting on a brave face and masking emotions, how his musical art reflects his experiences, disparities around Black boys' and men's mental health, small acts of kindness, and so much more.  Episode title "I've been through hell, but I've seen heaven too," is a lyric from Pete's song "Savior," used with his permission.  

Season 2, Episode 2, "Critical Distinctions" has Stephanie Marie sitting down with renowned writer and avid mental health/mental illness advocate Michelle Yang. Together, they discuss everything from Michelle's bipolar diagnosis while studying abroad, to how her immigration may have acted as a trauma trigger for her mental illness, to the critical distinction between treated and untreated bipolar disorder and how NOT making that distinction can cause stereotyping and discrimination, as well as how she harnesses her advocacy, specifically for other Asian Americans, to promote both individual and collective change and growth.

Welcome to Episode 1, Season 2 of Cutting Through Chaos. Stephanie Marie hosts Brian, @iambrianoneil. Brian is a comedy writer, stand up comedian, and podcast host himself of @viciouspineapple1. Brian lives in Charlotte, NC, and he has bipolar disorder type 1. Brian very candidly dives into what his diagnosis was like, how difficult it was to get help during his first full-blown mania and psychosis, how tough it was to come to terms with his bipolar 1 diagnosis, his uphill battle with taking medication, how comedy and levity helps him through his struggles, the societal pressure around alcohol and why that is, and so much more.

Episode 12 has Stephanie Marie sitting down with New York Times Best Selling author Bassey Ikpi. Last year she wrote her incredible, best-selling memoir about living with bipolar, I'm Telling the Truth But I'm Lying. She lives with bipolar disorder type 2 and during the podcast she shares intricacies of her story, her roots in emotional memory, and so much more. 

Episode 11 has Stephanie Marie sitting down with Tanner, a creator of one of Instagram's largest mental health advocacy accounts @asafeplaceinsideyourhead. Tanner and Stephanie discuss his mental health journey, from a bipolar diagnosis at the age of 11 to the passing of his brother and how both propelled him into lifelong mental health and mental illness advocacy. 

Episode 10 has Stephanie Marie getting curious with one of the world's premier authors and speakers on bipolar disorder, Julie Fast, @juliefast on Instagram.  Julie has written books and published countless articles on bipolar disorder. Simply Google her name for a wealth of information. Thanks to her years of work being, as she puts it, a 'bipolar detective' for the benefit of herself and others, Julie has contributed immensely to shining a light on bipolar and how to treat it. Do not miss this episode!

In Episode 9, Stephanie Marie chats with musician and mother Sarah about coming to terms with having bipolar disorder and then living with the illness through university, young adulthood, and motherhood. We discuss hyperfixation, labels, and coping through music.    

In Episode 8, Stephanie Marie sits down with Kimberly Whitmon (@kimberly_whitmon on Instagram). Kimberly has bipolar type 2 and has channeled her years of experiences with bipolar into mental health coaching.  Kimberly talks about her personal journey with bipolar 2, her social support system, the distinction between mental health and mental illness, and how vastly self awareness elevates our personal understanding.  

In Episode 7, Stephanie Marie takes a detour from bipolar-specific content to explore the importance of story telling - how it impacts the story teller, the audience, and society as a whole. To do this, Stephanie sits down with Jose, co-founder of We Are All One Story, an organization that gives people a platform to tell their unique stories. Together, we explore Jose's personal story, and it is one of redemption. From being an LA gang member to serving prison time to realizing his true self, Jose delivers a critical message: we are ALL deserving of living a joyful life.

In Episode 6, Stephanie Marie sits down with mental health advocate Mehri, who has bipolar disorder type 2. Mehri and Stephanie discuss the recent tragic losses of two people she loves to suicide during COVID-19, fighting for her marriage and actually thriving through bipolar, educating her kids on mental illness, and so much more. 

In Episode 5, Stephanie Marie sits down with Gabrielle, mental health advocate, to discuss her journey through bipolar disorder, from diagnosis until now. They address how she came to terms with having bipolar, what it was like living with it pre-diagnosis, overcoming guilt and remorse, practicing self-love and compassion, and the many epiphanies she had along the way.

In episode 4, Stephanie Marie gets the opportunity to sit down with her therapist of 4 years, Holly Harry. Holly is a social worker and therapist with nearly 30 years experience who specializes in mood disorders. Stephanie asks Holly everything she's ever wanted to know about bipolar disorder. If you or a loved one has bipolar disorder and you want to learn more, or if you just want to educate yourself, this episode cannot be missed!

In episode 3, Stephanie Marie sits down with Dean (dad, ex-military, and fitness trainer out of London, England) to discuss PTSD and bipolar disorder type 2 as he's experienced it.  They discuss Dean's journey through the depths of depression to the heights of hypomania and even psychosis. They dive into self-awareness and checking in, understanding stigma, using fitness to cope with mood swings, navigating relationships, and so much more.  Dean's Instagram: @nu_element_conditioning  Stephanie Marie's Instagram: @sincerelystephiemarie    

Recovery Coach Joy Dorsey (@joydorsey) sits down with host Stephanie Marie to discuss alcohol abuse recovery and mental health. Joy interviews Stephanie Marie about her experiences through alcohol abuse and bipolar disorder 2. They discuss self-medication with undiagnosed bipolar disorder, when and why Stephanie stopped drinking, her support system, and much more.

In this first episode of Stephanie Marie's podcast exploring bipolar disorder, 'Cutting Through Chaos,' Stephanie sits down with her husband Darren to discuss what it's like to battle bipolar, together. Listen in as they dive into this topic in-depth.