Hey there, it’s Sarah Potter host of Social Media Therapy. I have some big news coming your way…I’m shutting down this podcast. But, don’t you worry because this content isn’t going away forever, it’s just moving. Some of these episodes will be grandfathered into my new podcast, Dopamine Deficient. 

What does that mean? Firstly, dopamine is feel-good neurotransmitter. And for those of us who’re dopamine deficient, it means our dopamine receptors are too few, or they might not be receiving the proper levels of dopamine. 

So, why am I getting rid of this podcast and starting a new one? Well, I initially started this podcast with a co-host and we were talking about social media and focused on validating social media manager emotions–that original messaging has changed A LOT. 

Since establishing Social Media Therapy my entire life has flipped upside down and changed a lot. In good ways and challenging ways. Through this change I’ve met and connected with so many people struggling with their own mental illness and dopamine deficiencies. One thing everyone seems to struggle with is understanding their mental health and how to live a life unmasked.  

Living a happy life with a dopamine deficiency is challenging but not impossible. So on Dopamine Deficient you’ll hear what mental illnesses and disorders are affected by dopamine deficiency, learn how to change the way we think about our own mental health, create an arsenal of tools to help you cope, and  break down the stigmas surrounding mental illness. 

Search for “Dopamine Deficient” on iTunes and Spotify now and subscribe today. Cheers to change and changing the world. 

My experience, as well as the four women interviewed throughout this episode, is personal and different from others. Personal bipolar experiences are not shared anywhere outside of private conversations–making bipolar a taboo topic and a sensitive one to discuss. In this bonus episode it's all about Moriah. 

Leave a five star review if this episode helped you and follow along on TikTok and Instagram (@sarahalpotter).  And, if you have some feedback find us at [email protected] .

Follow Moriah at @moriahchacemoney on Instagram and Twitter.

Person with a period is a segment on social media therapy, a podcast centered on explaining how our minds work on social media and destigmatizing mental health. With the recent overturning a Roe vs Wade, the implications for people with a period are far-reaching. The purpose of this segment on the podcast are to share the stories of those who have sought out an abortion or had an abortion and continuing to destigmatize abortions.

This segment on the podcast serves as a platform for others to share their abortion stories and to help further the goal of bringing back safe, affordable abortion care for people with a period everywhere.

A lack of abortion access directly affects our economical, mental, emotional, and physical lives. Eliminating safe, affordable abortion care disproportionately affects black women, people in poor regions, people in rural regions, and other minority groups like Latinx, Asian, and more.

If you have an abortion story that you would like to share, please go to the link in my bio and fill out the form for “People with a Period.” From there I’ll schedule a 30 minute conversation where you will have 30 minutes to share your abortion story. This is an open call to women, transgender persons, and young women Who have had to come face-to-face with choosing abortion. 

Sources: 

Gianna Melilla - The Hill

https://thehill.com/changing-america/respect/accessibility/3535794-five-facts-about-abortion-you-should-know/

Planned Parenthood

Jessica Ravitz - CNN 

https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/06/health/late-term-abortion-explainer/index.html

Submit your story: sarahapotter.com/personwithaperiod

Full disclosure. I misquoted Alicia in our official bipolar episode. I mentioned she developed bipolar after her second pregnancy, but she was actually bipolar since 10 and officially diagnosed after her second pregnancy. 

I'm all about making sure all the info I give you is honest and transparent–accurate, to boot. In this full interview, you'll hear how she came to realize she has been bipolar for a long time and how she could confront the disorder with the support of loved ones. 

Check Alicia out on Instagram at @bipolar.parenting and on our discord channel. 

For the full transcript of the audio, please visit, https://www.sarahapotter.com/alicia. 

Financial trauma is a real thing. Financial shame is real. And financial abuse is real. And these all influence our money habits, and the way we feel about money.

Quite often my parent’s desire to control my money, take over my finances, charge me rent to live in their house once I graduated high school, and their own endless financial struggles began to pile up. 

I started off learning really toxic financial habits. I also entered into a relationship after my first year of college where I was constantly financially shamed by my abuser and my financial moves were heavily controlled – so much so I had a high-balance secret credit card so I could buy coffee without my abuser knowing. 

Needless to say, I’ve got financial trauma. I feel a ton of shame around money. In this episode, we're going to break down where shame and financial trauma comes form and exactly how you can heal from it. 

I'm joined by Steven M. Hughes, a financial therapist, and Sarah Li Cain, CFP candidate and best known for her works in Fortune, CNBC Select, and Redbook.

Learn more about Steven:
@stevenmhughes; Facebook, Twitter: @knowmoneysteve;
Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/smhughes2
https://stevenmhughes.com

Steven M. Hughes is a Financial Therapist, Reiki Master Teacher, and professional speaker who helps private clients, corporate teams, and audiences achieve lasting financial wellness. He has served as a financial expert for ABC’s “Soul of A Nation,” Forbes, Business Insider, and more. Steven is also the founder of the non-profit Know Money®, which exists to help Black college students avoid financial pitfalls and build healthy money mindsets and behaviors.

Learn more about Sarah:
 @beyondthedollar on Instagram and Twitter
http://beyondthedollar.co

Sarah Li-Cain is a finance writer and an Accredited Financial Counselor candidate whose work has appeared in places like Bankrate, Business Insider, CNBC, Redbook, Yahoo! Finance, Financial Planning Association, and US News.

This episode is all about Mackenzie and her experience with Bipolar. 

Right before Mackenzie received her diagnosis, she was working at a doggy daycare, which “for a lot of people, they’re like “it’s a dream job.” It’s so amazing, and actually very stressful. I loved it.”

Then one day she was, “terrified to walk in the door and I would leave work and I would seriously like sit in my car in the parking lot.

No, like I would just sit there totally catatonic like I could just not have any stimulus. And eventually that started bleeding into home life.

Like it wasn't just at work. It was I was having panic attacks at home, I was having panic attacks when I was driving my like reactions to you know, plans changing and stuff was just escalating.

Eventually I impulsively quit that job over an email and just like didn't show up because I was like I can't I cannot handle this I can't do it. And and after that I was like this is not like me like that.

I don't know if it was the actual job that triggered it or if it just happened that that was the time that like those things were going to present themselves but it was definitely like a five to six month period where it just escalated and then I was like yeah, we're we're going to talk to somebody because I can't can't function like this.” 

In the bipolar episode released previously, we talk about functional impairment and the disabling effects of bipolar disorder. Listen to Mackenzie's story and don't forget to check out the bipolar episode for more details and stories from other women.

I am living with bipolar. It’s the lovable sludge monster living on my shoulder every day and as I’m getting to know it, it blooms into something new. My experience, as well as the four women interviewed throughout this episode, is personal and different from others. Personal bipolar experiences are not shared anywhere outside of private conversations–making bipolar a taboo topic and a sensitive one to discuss.

So, just like we're publicly talking about periods now (and the real truth about them), we are going to talk about bipolar.  Take care while listening to this episode as sensitive topics such as suicidal ideation, medication, and we will mention frequently triggering content throughout the episode. 

Leave a five star review if this episode helped you and follow along on TikTok and Instagram (@sarahalpotter).  And, if you have some feedback find us at [email protected] .

This episode is sponsored Sunsama. Sunsama is the go-to daily planner for busy and neurodivergent people needing to see all of their work, to-dos, family plans, and appointments in one place. Check it out here.

View show notes: https://www.sarahapotter.com/bipolarinfo

Sunsama: https://www.sunsama.grsm.io/sarahalpotter

Shout us out: Twitter, Instagram, TikTok

The next episode we’ll be releasing is all a bout financial shame and the way people shame others on social media. We’ll be talking with  Sarah Li Cain, former podcast host of Beyond the Dollar and Sarah Li Cain Writes, along with certified financial therapist Steven M. Hughes. 

Jon Ingram produced today’s episode 

Music and intro by LOAM

Research and writing by me,  Sarah Potter

Editing by  Sarah Potter and Jon Ingram

Creative Direction by  Sarah Potter

Interviews with Casey Triber, Moriah Chaze, Alicia Greensides, and Mackenzie Stewart

Sarah Lacy is the founder and CEO of Chairman Me. She also founded Pando.com on maternity leave in 2011 and built it into a profitable investigative journalism company. She's been a journalist for nearly 20 years, known for her fearless, outspoken reporting. 

Basically she’s a badass and has a brand new course coming out about fighting burnout taught by Nataly Kogan, another bad ass woman with features in the New York Times, TedX events, and more.

You can check out the course at https://learn.chairmanme.com/courses/burn-out-opt-out 

Follow ChairmanMe & Sarah Lacy Online

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/chairmanmehq/ 

Twitter - https://twitter.com/TheChairmanMe 

https://twitter.com/sarahcuda 

Website - www.Chairmanme.com   

Burning out bright is what women do best. We are the people in this world who carry everything on our shoulders and do everything for everyone all the time. Everyone except for ourselves. Self-care is some thing I’m terrible at and some thing that I know a lot of other women are terrible at. And one of the things I’ve resolved in the last two years to get better at. But it doesn’t stop me from burning out. I always take on too much. And trying to figure out how to rewire my brain in order to take on less is more of a challenge than I ever thought.

Challenging my burnout is especially difficult when I see other moms and other women online doing better than me and taking on more than me and not burning out. But that’s not the truth, is it? The truth is that women everywhere are burning out. It’s just a fact. Why is it that women are so burnt out? It’s not just because we’re doing too much, it’s because we’re doing too much and trying to fight that burn out at the same time.

We’re going about this Burnout thing totally wrong. That’s why this week I’m talking with Sarah Lacey. She’s the expert on Burnout.

Sarah Lacy is the founder and CEO of Chairman Me. She also founded Pando.com on maternity leave in 2011 and built it into a profitable investigative journalism company. She's been a journalist for nearly 20 years, known for her fearless, outspoken reporting. 

Basically she’s a badass and has a brand new course coming out about fighting burnout taught by Nataly Kogan, another bad ass woman with features in the New York Times, TedX events, and more. 

Nataly Kogan is the co-founder and CEO of Happier, a leading wellness company on a mission to make millions of people happier by helping them find, create, and celebrate more small awesome moments in their daily lives. More than 500,000 people have used Happier's mobile apps and courses to improve the quality of their lives.

Nataly has been featured in the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, New York Magazine, Time, and on Bloomberg TV and “One World” with Deepak Chopra.

She is a sought-out speaker and expert on happiness, appearing at TEDxBoston, Fortune's Tech Brainstorm, Blogher, SXSW, The 92nd St. Y, Harvard Women's Leadership Conference and many others.

You can check out the course at https://learn.chairmanme.com/courses/burn-out-opt-out 

Follow ChairmanMe & Sarah Lacy Online

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/chairmanmehq/ 

Twitter - https://twitter.com/TheChairmanMe 

https://twitter.com/sarahcuda 

Website - www.Chairmanme.com