Over 40 million Americans have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and many more go undiagnosed. This episode takes a deep dive into what we know (and don’t know) about bipolar I and II, why science has lagged behind, and what a groundbreaking new initiative—BD²: Breakthrough Discoveries for Thriving with Bipolar Disorder—is doing to change that.

Host Morra Aarons-Mele speaks with Dr. Mark Frye, psychiatrist and professor of psychiatry at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, Dr. Kate Burdick, Distinguished Chair in Psychiatry and the Vice Chair for Research in Psychiatry at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA, and neuroscientist and BD² initiative lead Dr. Cara Altimus about the genetics, biology, and lived experience of bipolar disorder, and what it means to truly thrive with a complex mental illness. We discuss promising research directions, including GLP-1s, cognitive trajectories, and precision psychiatry.

Key Quote: "

It’s not enough to reduce the bad. We’re aiming to increase the good—to help people with bipolar disorder live the full lives they want to live." — Dr. Cara Altimus

Breakthrough Discoveries for Thriving with Bipolar Disorder (BD²) is a collaborative initiative building the scientific foundation for better treatments and better lives for people with bipolar disorder. Learn more and get involved at https://www.bipolardiscoveries.org/.

Listeners who live with bipolar disorder can learn more about BD2' and their ongoing study described in this episode by visiting bipolardiscoveries.org or sending an email to [email protected]. 

The study is taking place in partnership with 11 medical institutions across 44 locations in the U.S. and Canada. The medical institutions are:

Listeners can also sign up for the BD2’ newsletter, Thrive Updates, at bipolardiscoveries.org and learn more by following on LinkedIn, BlueSky, and X at BD2Discoveries. 

Timestamps:

05:31 Understanding Bipolar Disorder: Definitions and Types

Managing your energy is key to regulating anxiety, stress, and overwhelm. In this episode, Morra sits down with energy healing practitioner Ellen Donaldson to explore how energy dysregulation shows up in high-achieving, anxious professionals, and what you can do about it. Ellen breaks down key concepts in mind-body energy medicine, including the chakra system, and offers practical tools to help you feel more grounded, present, and powerful.

Morra shares her own experience learning from Ellen, including how a simple shift in energetic awareness helped her cope with caregiving demands and daily overwhelm. You’ll also hear a short guided meditation to help you regulate your energy, even on the busiest days.

Takeaways from the episode:

Your energy body (composed of chakras and an aura) affects your emotional and physical well-being.

Dysregulated energy (like overly open or closed chakras) can manifest as anxiety, emotional flooding, or exhaustion.

The second chakra is particularly relevant to people-pleasers and caregivers. Learning to “close” it slightly can reduce overwhelm.

Grounding through the first chakra helps regulate the nervous system and bring you back to the present moment.

Simple practices—like visualizing veggie steamers as chakra regulators!—can be done in seconds, tied to everyday routines.

Ellen guides listeners through a quick grounding and chakra-regulation meditation you can repeat anytime—before a tough meeting, while caregiving, or simply when you're feeling frazzled.

Resources & Links

🌿 Download a free guided meditation from Ellen at: starleafwellness.com/morra-interview

🌿 Learn more about Ellen’s practice: starleafwellness.com

Timestamps:

03:40 Understanding Energy and Its Importance

06:21 Exploring Chakras and Their Functions

09:28 Grounding Techniques and Practices

12:22 Guided Meditation for Energy Regulation

17:25 Practical Applications of Energy Regulation

20:45 Resources

How does growing up in foster care shape you as a leader? Chéla Gage is the former Vice President Global Chief Inclusion & Diversity Officer, workforce mental health advocate, inclusion expert, and host of the 1 Million Fosters podcast. Gage joins Morra to share how her childhood in foster care shaped her strengths as a leader, her reflections on anxiety and hypervigilance as an asset, and how she’s transforming trauma into purpose.

Chéla’s journey from foster homes and group homes to senior leadership roles at Nissan, Raytheon, and Starbucks is a testament to the power of claiming your story. She shares how her upbringing honed her ability to read a room, anticipate challenges, and build belonging, skills that have made her invaluable in corporate spaces.

Learn more about Chéla Gage: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelagage/

Key Themes:

✅ Hypervigilance as Leadership Strength: Growing up navigating new homes and caregivers taught Chéla to read the room quickly, identify influencers, and trust her intuition—skills she now uses to drive business impact.

✅ Reframing Trauma into Purpose: Chéla discusses how she once felt shame about her foster care past but now sees it as her superpower, providing her with empathy and perspective leaders need.

✅ Parenting as Reparenting: Motherhood allowed Chéla to give the love she didn’t receive as a child back to herself.

✅ The Role of Anxiety: Anxiety kept Chéla alert and prepared, but she learned to manage in therapy, to reduce constant threat scanning and burnout while embracing her “hypervigilance” as a leadership tool.

✅ Creating Belonging in Corporate Spaces: Through her career in recruiting and DEIB leadership, Chéla discovered the importance of recognizing and honoring people’s whole stories, not just their resumes, to create true inclusion.

Timestamps:

07:09 Hypervigilance as a Superpower

12:59 Transforming Pain into Purpose

18:40 The Role of Anxiety: A Double-Edged Sword

24:14 Inclusion and Belonging

29:51 The Impact of Personal Stories

34:50 Empowering the Foster Community

What happens when a late ADHD diagnosis meets the powerful potential of AI? Writer, strategist, and sleep coach Lindsay Scola joins Morra to share how she uses AI as a personal productivity partner to manage ADHD challenges, perfectionism, and executive dysfunction—while preserving creativity and rest.

Diagnosed with ADHD at 41, Lindsay discovered that AI could act as an accountability buddy, thought partner, and creativity booster. From using AI to overcome the dread of the blank page to automating follow-up emails, Lindsay shares practical ways she leverages AI without losing her humanity.

Buy Lindsay’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/AI-ADHD-Practical-Starting-Finishing-ebook/dp/B0F5T9QKMH

Listen to our interview about the stimulant shortage, narcolepsy and ADHD: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-ritalin-and-adderall-shortage-and-how-it-impacts-work/id1480904163?i=1000611595946

Key Themes:

AI as an ADHD Copilot: Lindsay explains how AI helps her manage executive dysfunction, tackle writing tasks, and avoid the overwhelm of perfectionism while maintaining her unique voice.

Reducing Shame and Preserving Brain Space: Using AI for small but stressful tasks frees up cognitive space, letting her focus on big ideas and creative work without getting stuck in spirals of self-criticism.

Permission to Play: Lindsay urges people with ADHD to experiment with AI and other tools to find what actually works for their brains instead of following rigid systems that suppress creativity.

Scheduling for Neurodivergent Brains: From building “dopamine deadlines” to respecting personal circadian rhythms, Lindsay shares how she structures her week to maximize focus while honoring energy dips.

AI for Burnout and Loneliness: We discuss how AI can help solo workers feel less isolated and provide accountability without judgment, acting like a team member who says, “let’s keep going.”

Timestamps:

03:28 ADHD, Midlife, and AI Solutions

08:13 Balancing Perfection and Completion

11:07 Childhood Injustice and Self-Awareness

18:30 Optimize Productivity by Time Awareness

19:37 Embrace Napping for Productivity

25:40 AI-Assisted Writing for Quick Posts

29:06 Podcasting Inspiration for Writing Newsletter

32:32 Flexible Time Management Strategy

35:50 Improvised Charging Solution

Everyday Better with Leah Smart is a show that helps listeners level up - in their careers and their lives. In this episode, Leah speaks with Anxious Achiever host Morra Aarons-Mele about her research and work around having a understanding your own unique brain and embracing a big career, from introversion, mental health, and neurodivergence. Morra explains what she’s learned about leadership and organizations through the lens of studying these topics. 

Check out Everyday Better:

On Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3G8zjY1

On Spotify: https://bit.ly/3HRpNsQ

It might not be that easy to talk to your boss about mental health. But having close friends at work - on your team or elsewhere - where you can have open, honest dialogues can go a long way. In this episode, host Morra Aarons-Mele speaks with three work friends about how they started talking mental health, how it helped them in their jobs, and what they hope managers can better understand in the future.

We all have hang ups when it comes to money - but do you know where yours come from? In a time when many people feel economically insecure, Morra speaks with personal finance expert Shannah Game about the root of money issues and how we can recognize and grow from our trauma around money. Your money history doesn’t have to be your financial future! Shannah is the author of the book Unraveling Your Relationship with Money: Ditch Your Money Trauma So You Can Live an Abundant Life.

Check out her book here: https://www.amazon.com/Unraveling-Your-Relationship-Money-Abundant/dp/1394299850

Shannah’s podcast: https://everyonestalkinmoney.com/episodes/

Do you really live by your core values - or do you even need help defining what they are? Many of us might have a vague notion of what is important to us in life, but our daily decisions and actions don’t always align with those values. The more precision with which we define our values, the more resilience we have to thrive in tough times, and lead through anxiety. Suzy Welch is the author of a number of books including most recently Becoming You: The Proven Method for Crafting Your Authentic Life and Career. And she explains how she approaches values, why they are different than virtues, and how better understanding what really matters to you can guide a more focused and productive work life. 

Suzy’s book: https://www.amazon.com/Becoming-You-Proven-Crafting-Authentic/dp/0063418606Suzy’s podcast: https://www.suzywelch.com/podcasts/

Perfectionism can help us succeed, but it can also be a detriment to our mental health and our lives. Understanding it is the first step to better management. In this episode, psychologist Thomas Greenspon shares research about perfectionism, where it comes from, how it can impact us - and how we can try to cope with it to move forward.

Do you feel like a rubber band about to snap- low on capacity, time, and space to think? Are you constantly stuck in a mode of “doing” - trapped by your own productivity? Researcher and author Megan Reitz says that shifting into “spacious mode” could do wonders for your mental health, your relationships, and your work. She speaks with Morra about how our obsession with productivity might be crowding out creativity, insight, and connection. Plus, she’ll share practical ways to slow down, get present, and pay attention.