In this episode, Shaley Hoogendoorn sits down and has a in depth conversation with New York Times best-selling author and mental wellness advocate, Bassey Ikpi. 

This episode shares Bassey's journey starting from her childhood in Nigeria and immigrating to the US with her family. Bassey tells of how she struggled and what her life looked like leading up to her diagnoses. The conversation covers things like how Bassey coped as a little girl by running, spinning and playing sports and how eating became a struggle. She also the full body experience of living with bipolar 2 disorder. Her descriptions of hypomania and depression in this conversation (as well as in her book) are relatable and powerful.

Shaley and Bassey talk about so much more... 

-  Bassey's experiences (good & bad) as mental wellness advocate online.

- Stigma and misjudgement of people struggling with mental illness in the public eye.

- Bassey's poem about bipolar disorder that she used to end her shows with. Youtube link : https://youtu.be/dGANPZr5deI

- How she uses Alexa for daily reminders but also as a tool to audibly remind her of her worth.

-Mindfulness, phone lockers, mini fridges, the STOP acronym and other strategies that help her manage the ups and downs of bipolar.

Be sure to listen to the entire conversation, this beautiful conversation ends with so many tips and tricks that help both Shaley and Bassey manage their bipolar disorder. Bassey's story is one of struggle but also one of resilience and acceptance. 

This is bipolar...

 Meet Bassey:

Bassey Ikpi is a versatile creative force known as a writer, author, ex-poet, performer, speaker, burpee abolitionist, and mental wellness advocate. She first made her mark on the classic 90s show BET’s Teen Summit and gained recognition as a renowned poet on HBO’s Def Poetry Jam. Her global tour with the Tony Award-winning Broadway show came to a pause with a bipolar II diagnosis, leading her to pivot towards mental wellness advocacy in her writing.

Bassey now openly shares her journey living with a chronic mental illness, inspiring others to navigate life beyond diagnosis. Her story is vividly captured in the Instant New York Times Bestselling debut book, “I’m Telling The Truth, but I’m Lying” (Harper Perennial, 2019). Despite embracing roles like an underachieving overachiever and semi-pro procrastinator, Bassey is diligently working on various creative projects, including her upcoming second book. About the book: In I’m Telling the Truth, but I’m Lying Bassey Ikpi explores her life—as a Nigerian-American immigrant, a black woman, a slam poet, a mother, a daughter, an artist—through the lens of her mental health and diagnosis of bipolar II and anxiety.

Her remarkable memoir in essays implodes our preconceptions of the mind and normalcy as Bassey bares her own truths and lies for us all to behold with radical honesty and brutal intimacy.

IG @basseyworld    X: @basseyworld

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