So often we wrestle with deep-seated questions of “Why me? What’s wrong with me? What am I being punished for? What did I do wrong?” The answer is nothing.

Millions of Canadians—one in five, in fact—experience a mental health issue in their lifetime. And it’s not their fault. It’s just another part of existence that brings both suffering and insight; challenge and care, depending on the day.

I absolutely loved this conversation with mental health advocate, mother, podcaster, and writer, Shaley Hoogendoorn, who continues to share her story of living with bipolar 2 in as many ways as she can, to as many audiences as are out there. And she took me through her process of diagnosis, wrestling, and acceptance. She is a witty, powerful, fiercely intelligent woman of faith and action, with firsthand experience of what life can be like once you learn to accept all of who you are, in all its wild and wonderful complexity.

You can also find Shaley’s blog post about stigmatizing language, “Words Matter”, on The Sanctuary Blog.