What happens when living with bipolar disorder becomes a full-time job?
Janine opens up about the deep exhaustion that can come with bipolar disorder — not just the hospitalizations or crises, but the cumulative weight of managing mental illness year after year. She talks honestly about suicidal thoughts, emotional fatigue, and what it means to wonder whether the voice in your head (that wants to die) is really you or just the illness talking.
This conversation also explores the things that keep us here when life feels unbearable: faith, prayer, dogs, dancing, friendship and the dream of disappearing into a place where no one knows your pain. For Janine, that place is Hawaii — especially Kauai — where the water, art, beauty and freedom feel like relief from psychosis, worry and mental strain. For Isadora, her spiritual home will always be Greece–extending stay after say for peace, mental clarity and invigoration.
It’s a vulnerable conversation about bipolar fatigue, surviving dark nights, finding purpose through a beloved dog and chasing the “jelly in the donut” moments that still make life worth living. There’s humor here too — ballet class, stretching, travel, reinvention — and a reminder that joy can exist right alongside suffering.
If you’ve ever lived with bipolar disorder, depression, suicidal ideation, spiritual conflict, or the quiet daily labor of staying alive, this episode will stay with you.
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Isadora O’Boto (co-host) is a Juilliard Drama grad. Under the pen name Sephe Haven, she is the author of two award-winning memoirs: My Whorizontal Life and A Someday Courtesan, and playwright/performer of the solo show: “My Whorizontal Life: The Show!” Isadora co-hosted the podcast My Index to Sex with Lynn Ferguson. Find her at: isadoraoboto.com
Janine Noel (co-host) is creator and host of Bipolar She podcast, where guests share mental health stories to normalize illness. With an MFA in creative writing, she is a story consultant, helping others write down and speak up about the hard stuff. Between bumpy bipolar years, Janine has found time to act and produce. Have a Story? Tell it with Janine.
Michael David (producer) is a playwright with 17 full-length plays, more than 300 stage productions, and an unusually broad résumé that includes writing, directing, acting, designing, and producing. He is an original company member of Paul Stein’s THE CAR PLAYS and has written nine 10-minute plays for the project. MichaelDavidPlays.com...