Andrea McKenna Brankin's remarkable journey from a suicide attempt to becoming a powerful mental health advocate offers hope to anyone struggling with mental illness. Following her bipolar disorder diagnosis in her early thirties, Andrea chose a path of resilience rather than victimhood, transforming her eight-year recovery process into a roadmap for others.
The moment of diagnosis proved surprisingly liberating for Andrea. After years of extreme mood swings, reckless behavior, and deep depressions, she finally had an explanation for her experiences. "It was an absolute relief," she shares, "because I realized there's hope for change, treatment, normalcy, happiness, and joy." This perspective shift—viewing her diagnosis as the beginning of recovery rather than the end of normalcy—became the foundation for her healing journey.
As a seasoned journalist who worked across Boston, New York, London, and now Singapore, Andrea applied her professional drive to her mental health recovery. Her book "Bipolar Phoenix" outlines ten essential strategies that rebuilt her life, including establishing a treatment plan with medication as her cornerstone, finding supportive communities (her "rugby family"), seeking professional help, maintaining accountability through volunteering, practicing meditation as a yoga teacher, and learning self-love through daily practices.
Beyond her personal journey, Andrea addresses the cultural dimensions of mental health stigma through her volunteer work with Writing Through in Singapore and Vietnam and at Day Spring Treatment Center for traumatized teen girls. She speaks candidly about once-taboo topics like suicidal ideation, describing it not as a character flaw but as a symptom of illness that can be overcome with proper treatment. "I never thought I'd make it to 50," she reveals, explaining why each birthday now represents a tremendous victory over her former reality of constant suicidal thoughts.
Discover how acceptance becomes the first step toward healing in Andrea's powerful story of transformation from patient to advocate.
Reach out...
Website: https://www.bipolarphoenix.com/
Email: Bppandrea@gmail.com
Suicide Crisis Helpline (Canada & US) 988
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Who is Julie Fairhurst?
Julie Fairhurst – Speaker, Author, and Founder of Women Like Me
Julie Fairhurst is a champion for women’s empowerment and the founder of the Women Like Me Book Program. Since 2019, she has published 30 books and 300+ true-life stories—at no cost to the writers—giving women a platform to heal, inspire, and reclaim their power. Dedicated to breaking generational trauma one story at a time, Julie’s mission is to uplift women emotionally and financially, helping them create better lives for themselves and their families.
