In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month (existing since 1949!!), I sit down with Ava to talk about how to talk to friends and relatives about mental illness.

Ava has had her own mental health journey, particularly with her father who witnessed a genocide at age six. With signs of a soul in agony, she has yet to engage him in a conversation about his mental health and deep pain.

When it comes to finding therapy and support--yes, the times are actually changing--but most people living with illness must navigate the complicated decision to disclose one's diagnosis, with whom, and how much detail to provide. 

As host of Bipolar She, there's no more hiding my diagnosis. Perhaps there will be judgement. But one place I've found support is through friends that have treated me on good days and bad with simple acts of kindness. Sharing an article they read as a way to connect to my experiences. Or being a steady support, taking life moment to moment, while my manic mind was not my own. Compassion is often the best medicine.

Whether you're living with mental health challenges or supporting someone who is, this episode offers practical insight into creating spaces where healing becomes possible through speaking our truths. Ready to break the silence around mental health? Join Ava and me for this chat.

Support the show

Help Bipolar She Today! Buy Me A Coffee is a platform for podcasters to receive support, even if just a micro-donation. It's finally time to grow! Let's amplify voices of mental illness in all their raw details.

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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