Entrepreneur of the soul
- Joëlle P
- Aug 1, 2025
- 2 min read
August 1st, 2021
14 years ago on this day, August 1st, 2011, I chose to transform my suffering into an asset. My alcoholism was destroying my soul and all I could see was a pain response on repeat: terrified by my undiagnosed bipolar episodes, self-medicating by picking up a drink to numb it away, and soothing the reactivity. But on that day I knew I had to stop or I would probably die. I wanted a change.
14 years later, I am alive, sober, thriving with bipolar disorder and making use of my adversity to offer my gift to the world. I would say I am “entrepreneur-ing”. An entrepreneur is simply someone who sees a need and takes on financial risk to fulfill it. I’ve never seen myself as this type of person but I’m discovering that it is indeed a part of me; I see a need for safer spaces to transform mental health lived-experiences into lasting strengths, and I am willing to invest my emotional and spiritual self to do that. As an educator and facilitator who openly taps into their struggles with bipolar as an asset, I offer a unique transformational experience for those seeking change. So I’m starting a consulting business to do just that.
Once upon a time, I lived a constant tornado of mood swings, not understanding how I could one day live a stable life with bipolar disorder. It seemed hopeless… I believed that if I could only change what was going on around me or even better, learn to control it, I would finally find some sort of peace. Luckily, I learned to dismantle this destructive illusion and was finally able to move forward in my recovery.
I am forever grateful that I transformed that false perspective into an internal shift that is much more profound. I now know that my sense of peace and joy are equally proportionate to my level of resilience to the world- the more accepting I am of my inner darkness and difficulties, the less I try to fight them off, and the more capable I am of navigating the difficulties of life. My resilience in the face of the things I cannot change gifts me internal peace of mind.
As I continue to live my life with a severe mental health condition, I forge ahead by “entrepreneur-ing” and building that which I seek: taking ownership to create transformational spaces for mental health experiences by way of an investment of the soul. Aren't we, all those who seek to recover and choose ourselves to become that which is needed, entrepreneurs of the soul somehow? That’s the magic of discovering who we really are inside, amongst all the pain and sorrow: everyone has a purpose, and anyone can build something that fills a need for another. We are creators waiting to expand beyond expectation.
“A man’s reach should exceed his grasp, or what’s a heaven for?”
-Robert Browning
✨STRUGGLES-2-STRENGTHS BLOG aims to connect with those experiencing Bipolar Disorder (BD) like myself, as well as those who support them, by sharing reflections on personal experiences rather than clinical perspectives. Please share with others and don’t hesitate to comment✨
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