163: The Path of Lived Experience

There is nothing better than being able to talk to someone who has turned their life experiences into fuel to help others.

This week I am joined by Niki Castle, a mental health coach for parents who have a child struggling with their mental health. As a former PAC 12 basketball player, Niki specializes in working with young athletes facing mental health challenges. She is a speaker with NAMI's "Ending the Silence" program to help eliminate stigma by creating awareness to mental health challenges through sharing her own bipolar disorder journey. She is also an Ambassador at Large with "Morgan's Message" an organization that educates college athletes about mental health along with being a regular contributor to the International Bipolar Foundation blog.

Niki shares what her upbringing was like with a long history of mental illness in her family. She describes being raised coming from a mixed family where she felt a lot of stigma because rather than talking about your struggles you would go to church and pray.

We get into the breakthrough that helped Niki discover what works for her when it comes to being able to Live Well Bipolar. Niki shares the role structuring her life plays in her stability and how doing this work is what allowed her to become a coach to help others.

Tune in to hear how you can take your own lived experience and use it as a guide to Live Well Bipolar.

Connect with Niki on social here and on her website here!