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Why Your Favorite CEO Might Be Crying in the Shower (and Crushing Goals Anyway)



Male in shower with clothes on.

Let’s just cut the BS and get honest:


You can hit every goal, build the business, lead the team, run the marathon...…and still spend the next morning crying on the bathroom floor wondering what the hell is wrong with you.


Spoiler: nothing is wrong with you.


You’re not broken.


You’re just living life with bipolar disorder and a high-achiever wiring that doesn’t know how to sit the hell down.


Welcome to the club. We don’t have jackets, but we do have overachievers who’ve cried in Whole Foods parking lots while taking business calls. (Just me?)


🌪️ The Double Life No One Sees


Here’s the thing about being a high-achiever with bipolar disorder:You’re often rewarded for your hypomania.


You get praised for your 3 a.m. emails, your 12-hour hustle days, your “boundless energy.”


But when the crash hits? Suddenly, you’re “unstable,” “too emotional,” or “not consistent enough.”


It’s like the world loves your productivity but doesn’t know what to do with your humanity.


🧠 It’s Not a Flaw—It’s a Different Operating System


Your brain doesn’t run on Windows or Mac.


You’re running some wild custom-coded program with the occasional glitter explosion and unexpected system shutdown.


And yet—you get stuff DONE.


You see visions others can’t.


You feel deeply.


You lead with intensity.


You pour your whole damn soul into your work.


And sometimes...you disappear.


🤐 The Shame Game


Let’s be real:There’s a ton of shame in high-achieving spaces about “not keeping it together.”


We’ve been fed this narrative that mental health struggles are personal problems, not things leaders, entrepreneurs, or top-performers deal with.


But the truth?


So many high-performers are secretly navigating bipolar disorder (without even knowing it) while leading the charge.


They’re parenting. Building empires. Giving TED Talks.


Then crying themselves to sleep because their brain chemistry is playing hopscotch with their serotonin.


💬 So, What Do We Actually Need?


Let’s flip the script:


We don’t need more “resilience” tips. We’re already some of the most resilient people on the planet.


We need permission to be human.


  • Permission to say “I need help.”

  • Permission to step away from the grind without losing our worth.

  • Permission to build sustainable success that doesn’t cost our sanity.


And maybe a therapist on speed dial. (Shoutout to all the real ones who answer emails mid-crisis.)


😂 Some Days Are Like...


  • “I’m the chosen one!” ➡️ “Why did I just cry during a coffee commercial?”

  • “Let’s build a 7-figure brand in 3 months!” ➡️ “I haven’t showered in 3 days.”

  • “I’m so full of love and light!” ➡️ “If one more person tells me to ‘just breathe,’ I’m gonna scream.”


Yeah. Bipolar disorder is messy. But so is genius.


🛠️ How to Start Showing Up Without Burning Out


Here’s what I’ve learned (the hard way):


  1. Your baseline matters. Track your energy and mood like you track your goals. Pattern awareness is power.

  2. Create routines for your low days, not just your best days. Make your floor soft, not nonexistent.

  3. Tell someone. Not everyone, but someone. Secrecy feeds shame.

  4. Redefine productivity. Healing is productive. Rest is radical. And sometimes, surviving the day is a damn victory.

  5. Stop chasing the highs as your only sign of success. Consistency doesn’t mean boring—it means sustainable.


🧡 You’re Not Alone (Even When It Feels Like It)


To every high-achiever with bipolar disorder who feels like they’re “too much,” “not enough,” or secretly falling apart behind their success…


I see you.


You’re not a fraud.


You’re not weak.


You’re not disqualified from greatness because your brain needs a little extra care.


You’re actually proof that resilience and vulnerability can co-exist.


You can be both powerful and tender. Messy and magnetic. Healing and high-impact.


And guess what? The world needs leaders like that more than ever.


📣 Let’s Break the Silence


If this hit home, share it. Talk about it. Start the conversation no one else is having in your space.


You don’t have to wear a mask to be a leader.


You can lead with your whole self—diagnosis and all—and still change the damn world.


And maybe even have fun doing it.


Want more real talk like this?


Follow me on Instagram for stories, strategies, and unfiltered truth around mental health, success, and the beautiful chaos of being human.


🤍


Sarah

 
 
 

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