Can Bipolar Be Your Hidden Business Edge In Leadership And Turnarounds? With Todd Hagopian

On this episode of BizBlend with Sana, we get real about what happens when high performance and mental health collide. Todd Hagopian went from youngest bank manager in Michigan to leading massive P&L portfolios at American Express, Whirlpool and Illinois Tool Works. On paper. pure corporate win. Behind the scenes. bipolar disorder, addiction, arrests and years of sleeping two hours a night. Todd breaks down how getting diagnosed and medicated forced him to choose between the old "beast mode" version of success and actually staying alive, sober and present as a husband and dad. Instead of collapsing his career, he built the HOT System. Hypomanic Operational Turnaround. a bipolar inspired operating model that uses extreme focus, pattern recognition and big goal setting as a repeatable business playbook, not a self destructive coping mechanism. If you care about business transformation, profit per minute, neurodivergent thinking, burnout and building companies that actually match your nervous system, this conversation hits right at that intersection of ambition and mental health. About the Guest: Todd Hagopian is a turnaround executive, bipolar business leader and author of “The Unfair Advantage. Weaponizing the Hypomanic Toolbox.” After fifteen years of undiagnosed bipolar disorder, addiction and burnout, he got sober, got medicated and then engineered a system to turn his hypomanic wiring into a scalable playbook for business transformation. Todd has led multiple corporate turnarounds worth hundreds of millions in value and now teaches leaders how to declare war on stagnation, focus on profit per minute and harness neurodivergent thinking instead of medicating it out of existence. Key Takeaways: (Bipolar Inspired Business Strategy In Practice) Bipolar in this story is not a punchline or stereotype. It is a pattern of hypomanic highs and deep depressive lows that almost cost Todd his health and career before diagnosis. Medication removed the extreme highs and lows, which improved his stability but felt like losing the very “edge” his reputation was built on and forced a new way of working. The HOT System. Hypomanic Operational Turnaround translates hypomanic traits like intense focus, bold pattern recognition and outside the box thinking into structured systems anyone can learn. Todd shows how to 80/20 and then 80/20 again so that about 4 percent of activities drive most of the results while the rest is delegated, automated or eliminated. His profit per minute mindset rewires calendars around high value work instead of meetings about meetings, which reduces burnout and makes extra effort feel meaningful, not wasted. Grandiose goal setting still matters, but long term 3 to 5 year targets get broken into clear “nine box” priorities so teams can raise their hand any time their work does not map to the vision. Coming out publicly as a bipolar business leader was a deliberate choice to shift neurodivergence from “problem to fix” into a strategic asset leaders should understand, protect and learn from. Core message. your wiring is not a bug. It is a design constraint. You either ignore it and keep crashing, or build an operating model around it and turn it into a genuine unfair advantage. How To Connect With The Guest Pre order the book “The Unfair Advantage. Weaponizing the Hypomanic Toolbox” on major retailers including Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Visit Todd’s website to access free resources on business transformation and the HOT System and use the contact form to send questions or case studies. Todd does not sell consulting in this context and genuinely invites leaders to reach out for conversations about bipolar informed business transformation and neurodivergent leadership. Want to be a guest on Healthy Mind, Healthy Life Want to be a guest on Healthy Mind, Healthy Life. DM on PM. Send me a message on PodMatch DM Me Here. https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/avik Disclaimer This video is for educational and informational purposes only. The views expressed are the personal opinions of the guest and do not reflect the views of the host or Healthy Mind By Avik™️. We do not intend to harm, defame or discredit any person, organization, brand, product, country or profession mentioned. All third party media used remain the property of their respective owners and are used under fair use for informational purposes. By watching, you acknowledge and accept this disclaimer. About Healthy Mind By Avik™️ Healthy Mind By Avik™️ is a global platform redefining mental health as a necessity, not a luxury. Born during the pandemic, it has become a sanctuary for healing, growth and mindful living. Hosted by Avik Chakraborty. storyteller, survivor, wellness advocate. this channel shares powerful podcasts and soul nurturing conversations on. • Mental Health and Emotional Well being • Mindfulness and Spiritual Growth • Holistic Healing and Conscious Living • Trauma ...