The Bipolar Battle with John Poehler, Blogger and Book Author was automatically transcribed by Sonix with the latest audio-to-text algorithms. This transcript may contain errors. Sonix is the best audio automated transcription service in 2020. Our automated transcription algorithms works with many of the popular audio file formats.
Saul Marquez:
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Saul Marquez:
Welcome back to the Outcomes Rocket, Saul Marquez is here and thank you for tuning in again today. I have the privilege of hosting John Poehler. He is an outstanding individual, a Wego Health Advisory board member, published author, award winning mental health advocate and an award winning blogger. You could find his work at the bipolarbattle.com. He is an experienced founder with a demonstrated history of working in health, wellness and fitness. He’s skilled in writing, customer service coaching, product design and many other things. But his mission in life and in the health care space is to really be a guide, a shepherd to those struggling with mental health challenges. We all know that mental health is more common than maybe we initially thought. One out of every five of us is working with some sort of mental health challenge, and John has made it his mission to address it. And so today we’re going to be talking about how he’s doing that with his book, his podcast, his blog. And it’s such a privilege to have him here today. John, such a pleasure to have you here.
John Poehler:
Thanks Saul, for having me. That was an awesome introduction. Thanks, man. I appreciate it.
Saul Marquez:
Absolutely. Now, you do a lot of really neat things. And really during these times, obviously, mental health is one of those things that is a challenge for all of us. Was one out of five. I’d say it’s four out of five now.
John Poehler:
Yeah, I know. It’s impacting us all more than people I think can see.
Saul Marquez:
So what inspires your work in mental health?
John Poehler:
Well, so I originally I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder type one back in nineteen ninety nine, and since then I’ve been doing everything in my power to manage it because at the very beginning all the doctors said there’s no cure, but it can be managed successfully with the right treatment. And so over the years I was very persistent in following the doctor’s recommendations, trying different medications, therapies, procedures, ECT, stuff like that. And finally, a few years ago, probably about five years ago, I decided that I needed to do something with my life to help people more so than I was, because I’ve always been drawn to helping people in one way or another. I was a personal trainer for a while. I worked as a seeing a lot of my past jobs have been in helping people. So anyways, what inspired me to get into helping people with bipolar disorder was using my own story and what’s helped me. I wanted to be able to give that information to people in my shoes that may not have had the support that I had or that are newly diagnosed. I felt like I was in a good position to be a voice and a supportive voice to those that need it. And so Saul it was pretty crazy because I for so many years, I felt the stigma against those of us with mental illness, with bipolar disorder. I felt pretty ashamed that I had this thing. And so I never talked about it with anybody really outside of my close knit circle of friends and my family. And so once I got over that, then I thought, man, I’m helping people. I’ll tell people or whoever it is that wants to listen. I’m not ashamed anymore. So now I can help those that I can. And I’ve saved lives and all these awesome things. It’s so awesome to be able to help people in the way that I am because I am changing lives and I love that.
Saul Marquez:
That’s so great, John. And you’re calling out something so important. And, you know, the stigma associated with mental health, I think is starting to go away. It’s still there, but it’s less and I think you’re one of those kind of pioneers have a game where you kind of said, hey, I care. I don’t care. Yeah. Because I’m going to help others. And you’re doing just that. So talk a little bit about how you’re helping people. And maybe it’s your book you want to tell us about. Maybe it’s the podcast or the blog. But tell us a little bit more about how you’re helping those looking for help with mental health challenges, OK?
Saul Marquez:
Yeah, definitely, Saul. I mean, originally I set up my blog just to get my thoughts out there. And over the past two years, that was I think twenty seventeen APR of twenty seventeen. And I’ve consistently posted articles on a weekly basis for that blog, for my blog, thebipolarbattle.com and during that time, I’m able to direct people towards my blog to help them out, and towards the beginning I had somebody approached me about writing a book and they told me, they said, man, if you could get this information into a book, I think this would be very helpful for people as well. So basically, they were telling me, get the most important information that you feel is appropriate to help somebody newly diagnosed or even a veteran who needs some more ideas about what to do, who has been in my position, but maybe doesn’t have the information, get it into this book. And so the past few years I have been writing my book. It’s this war within my mind and it’s based on my blog. So I kind of integrated those two together and I actually launched that or I published it. March twenty seventh of this year, I believe it was. I’m not sure the exact date, but it was in March. And then on top of that, in April, I had some other people, I kind of got kind of the fire lit under me because people have been talking to me for ages now since I started this whole process about getting a podcast going and helping people that way. And this is right during the main part of the covid pandemic.
John Poehler:
And people were staying at home with their kids and their family and they just don’t have a lot of extra time like you do if you’re driving to work to listen to a podcast for an extended period. And those are all I’m not saying those the podcast. It’s not bad. I’m just saying I was taking the information from those around me and potential listeners, and I took that into account that maybe it would be better for me to start something with small kind of clips of episodes like five or 10 minute episodes where I talk about a topic and give something actionable to do for somebody that has bipolar disorder or that has some sort of mental health issue. Because the other thing too Saul is that, like you said, I mean, you were talking about mental health and everybody has a degree of mental health, whether it’s bad or good in between, healthy, unhealthy. So even if you don’t have a mental illness, you can have good mental health still. But not everybody has a mental illness. But mental health, the person with mental illness generally has bad mental health starting out. But like for me, now that I have mine under control, my bipolar disorder under control, it’s I’m in a spot where I have good mental health, if that makes sense. I think I just think words are real important, whether you’re talking about this or anything else, any sort of issue, social issue or whatnot. It’s important to choose the words wisely because I just know how much it can impact people specifically in my audience.
Saul Marquez:
It does, John. And the good distinction that you bring up here is the difference between mental illness and mental health. They’re not mutually exclusive. You can have a mental illness and have mental health. Yeah, and I think that’s great. I mean, like, I never even thought about it that way. And it’s something to certainly think about it further. And there are habits, rituals, things that you do, the people you surround yourself with that could contribute to your mental health. And so tell us a little bit about the approach. So what does this book about? And if you have to sum it up to like maybe a hook, I could get people interested in it. But what’s the top one or two takeaways and reasons people should read it?
John Poehler:
Ok, well, Saul the main kind of Take-Home message of the book is it’s basically a map or a game plan, how to manage bipolar disorder in terms of getting it under control. It’s more managing it on a daily basis. And my book gives you kind of a, like I said, a game plan. It kind of gives you steps on what to do so you can manage bipolar disorder, because I think starting out when people are first diagnosed, there’s not a lot of information that they are given. And I wanted this book to be when you’re first diagnosed, read this book, it’ll touch on a bunch of topics that are going to impact you. And not only that, take step A, B, C all the way up to Z and it’ll help you manage it. And so there’s not a cookie cutter approach to it, but I lay it out. So, you know, it’s something anybody that is diagnosed can follow in. If it’s a loved one, too, they can read it as well to get an idea of what we’re going through.
Saul Marquez:
That’s great. And even if it’s a mental health care provider, it’s looking to maybe understand maybe firsthand right from somebody, it’s also an opportunity for them to read the account of that you went through what you do that’s helped you. Maybe you can help one of their patients.
John Poehler:
Yeah, exactly. I mean, real quick, Saul, just the book. I wrote it as well, because there are so many clinical books out there by doctors, psychologists, PhDs, and they’re awesome. They’re great references. They can help out so much. But I’ve noticed there’s not a lot of books that are written by those with bipolar disorder that show how we manage it. There’s a lot of memoirs and what it’s like to actually have it and to go through an episode or whatnot. But coming from a patient perspective as a patient advocate, I think has a lot of value because those doctors or clinicians or whatnot, they’re not at home each day with us. We see them once a month for maybe 15 minutes or a half an hour to get our meds checked. Some people, it’s two or three months and the rest of those hours it’s us. It’s up to us. And so if you have information from a patient saying, well, when you’re in this when you’re feeling like this, try this. If you’re this will help you function when you’re feeling like that. I think it’s more helpful for me, in my opinion.
Saul Marquez:
Yeah, no, I mean, I think it’s great. So if you’re listening to this and you have bipolar or maybe somebody that you know, has bipolar or somebody that you love has bipolar, then this is something to recommend to them or check out so that you could think about offering it to them as a resource. And so, John, tell me about maybe, I don’t know, one of the biggest setbacks you’ve had in either getting through the book or your experience with putting all of the great resources that you have out there for bipolar folks. What’s been a setback for you and putting those together? And what did you get out of that setback that’s made it even better?
John Poehler:
I think Saul I would have to say, you know, I don’t I don’t have a lot of assets like liquid financial help anywhere. So I have been doing this all by myself and with very minimal investment. And it’s kind of impeded me quite a bit in terms of what I want to do and how quickly I would like to help people. And it’s forced me to be very inventive about how, like produce my podcast, how I got my book together, how I did my blog. I just it’s made me think out of the box and be I’ve been very creative with how I’ve promoted things and have found support that way. So I think in the end, it’s kind of made me more resourceful with what I have than I did before, if that makes sense. I mean, if I had the financial resources where I am now, I probably would have been a few years ago. But I’ve just had it just a slower process. But I’m still able to get to my goals. It’s just slower, that’s all.
Saul Marquez:
Well, look, and your you’ve published over one hundred seventy blogs. You just started your podcast and you got six fight. or so there. That’s admirable. And you wrote this book. And the reality is there’s a lot of people that don’t even start, John. And you made a decision that it was more than just about you. You made a decision that you were going to give, that you were going to contribute. You’re going to try at least to help other people that were living with bipolar. And so I think it’s great, you know, and you’ve worked through that and now you’re able to reach the people you’re able to reach. And it’s OK. It takes time. But in the end, if you get up and get out of bed each morning and you have that mission that pulls you, you know, you have this mission that pulls your job, you’re doing this for people. And I think it’s great and that’s what counts.
John Poehler:
Thanks Saul. Thanks for your awesome words, man.
Saul Marquez:
Yeah, for sure, man. I mean I mean it. You know, for people listening today, I hope you get some inspiration. Right. Cause John’s been bootstrapping this thing. And I mean, hey, look, I’ve been bootstrapping my thing, too, for the last four years and we’ve gotten some big success here in the last year. It took three years to build the podcast. But here we are. And my encouragement to everybody listening is if you have a thought about how you can improve the world or somebody health, take example in John and myself and know that you two can do your part. So what would you say you’re most excited about John?
John Poehler:
Well, gosh, there’s a lot of things it’s hard to say the most excited because there’s a lot of things that actually get me going through the day. Doing everything that I’m doing with my podcast, my blog, my book and online. I got that Wego health award for my advocacy on Twitter. And I love helping people through that platform. I absolutely adore my kids and my wife. They just get me excited about life. I love seeing my little son grow and learn how to ride a bike and like we did yesterday. And it just it pumps me up. I think there is a lot to be grateful for.
Saul Marquez:
I agree John. And and so as we wrap things up here now, folks, I want to remind you, you could find John’s work or you could send people to John’s work at thebipolarbattle.com. You’ll see his one hundred and seventy plus posts there. His podcast. Links to his book. Just a great resource for anybody working with bipolar. John, what would you leave the listeners with as we conclude here? And what would be the best place that they could reach out to you personally if they have any questions or just looking to connect?
John Poehler:
The best way to connect would be on Twitter@bipolarbattle or through my email. My email is John@thebipolarbattle.com. That’s a good way to get in touch with me as well. And I think the last thing I’d like to leave with your listeners, Saul, is just when it comes to bipolar disorder or any sort of mental illness, whether it’s schizophrenia, OCD, anxiety, depression, whatever it is, there is no cure for mental illness. But it’s not that dreary. It’s not the end of the world because it can be successfully managed with the right treatment. It just takes time. It takes this journey. It took me 10 years to find suitable treatment. And I think, like you were saying all about, it’s slowly like you’ve been building up your podcasts for three to four years. And I’ve been kind of building up my blog and so forth for the past three to four years. It’s not overnight. It takes daily consistent action to get anything done and just don’t give up. If something happens that’s just work on it the next day or whatever, you can just don’t stop because then once you stop, that’s it. You’re just you are giving up.
Saul Marquez:
Yeah, that’s a great message. And, you know, you said there’s no cure and there’s no cure for diabetes and people still manage it. There’s no cure for the chronic diseases right. COPD. There’s no cure. But there’s a way to manage it. And I think we’re getting somewhere here, John, where people are starting to liken mental health to some of these chronic diseases. And that’s OK. And so I appreciate you bringing your perspective around this to help the globe understand bipolar and also mental health in a way that is more mainstream and with the times. So thanks again for what you do and thanks for sharing it with us here.
Saul Marquez:
Thanks for having me, Saul. So it’s been a pleasure chatting with you, man. It’s been great.
Saul Marquez:
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