From Bipolar And Suicidal to Living a Good Life: Ross Szabo
Good Life Project
Jonathan Fields / Acast
4.5 • 3.4K Ratings
🗓️ 4 March 2015
⏱️ 62 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
"Someone who is stressed out needs mental health as much as someone who has bipolar disorder."
There are few subjects as delicate as mental disorders and the best way to treat them.
I'm guessing most of us tend to avoid the topic in general, we're pretty ignorant about what is involved.
Until it affects us or someone we're close to it.
That's why I was so interested in learning from today's guest.
Ross Szabo is living proof that living with a mental disorder, in his case bipolar, does not have to define or isolate you.
Through extreme mood swings, substance-abuse, denial, secrecy and erratic, sometimes harmful behavior and thoughts (as well as see his brother go through the same), Ross eventually found his way back to a dynamic peace with bipolar, and devoted his life to becoming a national advocate for better mental health education.
His story is powerful and raw and he shares an honest look into what it's like to "feel the tentacles" of your disorder creeping up on you.
We discuss his process of working through self-hatred as an adult after years of coping through alcohol abuse. He shares his viewpoint on the terminology we use around mental illness and we talk about the alarming trend in schools to cut programs like physical education and art (which are key in supporting mental health for kids).
Fundamentally, Ross is about hope and education, building and sharing his curriculum with thousands of schools through his Human Power Project and speaking on the topic globally.
Some questions I ask:
- Do you remember your first manic episode?
- What's the connection between anxiety and bipolar disorder?
- How did you get into the Peace Corps since you were exposing yourself to change, loss, and lack of sleep?
- What is it like to feel the tentacles of the disorder coming at you?
- How do you publicize a brand about mental disorders?
Links we mention:
Follow Ross:
Check out our offerings & partners:
- My New Book Sparked
- My New Podcast SPARKED
- Visit Our Sponsor Page For a Complete List of Vanity URLs & Discount Codes.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | When I started developing these symptoms of psychosis, I just started hiding everything. |
| 0:09.6 | I didn't want to talk about any of it, but I just wanted it to go away. |
| 0:14.1 | And so I started to think of death in suicide, and I didn't even tell the psychologist I was |
| 0:19.2 | seeing every two weeks because I was really embarrassed and I was really ashamed. |
| 0:24.5 | And I really just felt like one day I could wake up and it would all go away. |
| 0:29.0 | But it doesn't work that way. |
| 0:36.5 | So can you imagine what it would be like to stay awake for three to four days in a row? |
| 0:42.5 | Not because you were trying to, but because you literally were so massively filled with |
| 0:47.2 | energy in a deeply manic state that you could not shut your eyes. |
| 0:53.3 | And then swinging from there into a violent crash into a deep, deep depression. |
| 0:58.3 | Well this is one of the things that was experienced on a pretty regular basis by today's guest, |
| 1:03.4 | Ross Sabo, who is diagnosed at a pretty young age with bipolar disorder. |
| 1:09.6 | And today's conversation gets into not just his dance, his struggle and the way that |
| 1:16.0 | he's moved into his diagnosis and then his life, but also the general conversation around |
| 1:22.0 | mental disorder, around all sorts of stress, the way that our brains work and the way |
| 1:27.4 | that society and those closest to us often either move into us and help us or completely abandon |
| 1:33.3 | us. |
| 1:34.3 | And it had to live in the world when you're different. |
| 1:38.0 | So powerful episode, powerful and very real conversation. |
| 1:43.2 | Jonathan Fields, this is Good Life Project. |
| 1:51.8 | Freedom is a spontaneous day at the beach. |
| 1:56.4 | A weekend away with friends. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Jonathan Fields / Acast, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Jonathan Fields / Acast and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.