The good times included success in school, athletics and the working world, while the train wreck occurs after a difficult divorce and subsequent abusive relationship where the author survives a few unhappy moves to the wrong places and a hostile workplace.
After several years of playing the victim, and learning how that path would play out, the author turns her entire life around to instead take charge of her healing and provide support to those suffering from mental health problems by speaking out about her life and how she changed it.
A lot of mental-health memoirs only focus on the juicy, negative and tabloid-esque aspects of the disease. Bipolar Phoenix focuses on the healing solutions as well, so those who suffer also may rise from the ashes.
About
Andrea writes about mental health and expat issues, as well as lifestyle articles, for several expat publications, including The Finder Singapore, Living in Singapore magazine, and the Bamboo Telegraph.
On October 10th, 2020--World Mental Health Day--she self-published her book about her life with bipolar disorder. She continues to share her story in a Facebook LIVE web show, called Bipolar Phoenix Andrea. She also hosts the web talk show, Sceptrhood Talk, for Sceptrhood Group, a women’s empowerment group founded by Sceptr Cosemtics founder, Samina Malik.
Andrea was an active mental health advocate in the United states, volunteering in the speaker’s bureau with the National Alliance on Mental Illness from 2007 to 2011. She has appeared as a guest speaker on bipolar disorder on NBC News Channel 5 in Chicago and in various Chicago-area university classrooms, including De Paul University, Loyola University and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Andrea also worked with NAMI to provide Crisis Intervention Team training for the Chicago Police Department.
In Singapore, Andrea is a volunteer at the DaySpring Residential Treatment Centre for abused teen girls and teaches conceptual writing as a facilitator for Writing Through, a charity that works with women, children and special needs people. She also runs a mental health support group for the American Women’s Association, called The Listen Ladies, which supports the expat women’s community.
A former rugby player and boxing competitor, Andrea also is a Yoga Alliance-certified yoga instructor, specializing in prenatal yoga, kids yoga and meditation. She currently coaches her daughter’s kids team for the Titans Rugby Club and also is a coach and mentor for the Titans teen ladies’ teams.
Andrea is married to Christopher, a financial services executive, and has a daughter, Georgia Grace, born in 2012.
Andrea graduated from Boston University’s School of Journalism in the College of Communication in 1993. She has worked in broadcast, print and web media in Singapore, Chicago, New York City, London, Boston and Norwich, CT.
Contact
Get in touch with Andrea at:
BPPandrea@gmail.com
Visit the Bipolar Phoenix Andrea page on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/bipolarphoenixandrea
Testimonials
— Mariani M.
— Chris B.
Now her book is going to show others how to do the same.
--Carol G.
Subscribe
Subscribe to Bipolar Phoenix Andrea's newsletter to hear more about the forthcoming book, coaching program and keep up with the latest Bipolar Phoenix Andrea LIVE videos.
