Jen Gotch is OK...Sometimes

I get asked a fair bit about my experience with my meds, a.k.a. psychiatric medication, so i wanted to share more about it with you. Hopefully, my story can help some of you figure out if this is something you want to pursue—or even help you if you've already started to pursue it, but are wondering if you're “doing it right.” Going on medication for a mental health issue is a big step and a huge responsibility. I want to use this episode to give you insight and know-how to help get to the right medication faster (with your doc). Plus, for anyone who wants to understand what being on meds—and figuring that out—is really like, this should help. So, whether you're curious for you or just trying to understand a loved one better, there's something important here. Oh, and the after-show is a compilation of some of my favorite voicemails my dad has left me over the past year. Too good to miss!

In this episode I’m going to tell you how my team and I built ban.do from the ground up—with no prior business knowledge. Maybe that’s not something to brag about, but I actually think it is. Because I want you to understand that it can be done—and is done, more often than you think. What we used, and still use every day, to build this thing: passion, creativity, optimism and a touch of anxiety. That’s right. You, too, can start a business even if you feel challenged by a lack of experience or struggles with mental health. Listen up and then go become a millionaire. Disclaimer: I cannot guarantee that; I just said so you would listen. Bye. 

As kids, we are given food to soothe us, to reward us and to celebrate happy occasions. So it makes sense that as we get older and control our own food intake, we might start to use food as a crutch, or even as a drug. It’s emotional eating - The perfect mix of self soothing and self sabotage and food, unlike many other drugs, is legal and easy to get your hands on.  If you are struggling with some bad eating habits and consider McDonald's french fries to be a stronger, more satisfying drug than cocaine, i encourage you to give it a listen.

PSA: You can suffer from mental illness and still maintain good mental health. (I mean, look at me!) That’s not to say that every day is going to be amazing; after all, we need bad days to recognize the good ones. But it does mean that your illness and even the circumstances that might be getting you down don’t have to limit on how good you can feel. You are in control here. And there are a ton of things you can do right now—like right now, starting today—to help you begin to feel better. Let's do this. 

So, this is an “in the moment” episode that i recorded at the beginning of April after having several bouts of severe travel anxiety (the very same type of anxiety that i naively thought i had previously overcome). Knowing that so many of us travel over the summer and also struggle with this kind of anxiety, I thought this would be the perfect time to put it out into the world. If the thought of travel excites you, but also simultaneously paralyzes you with fear, this one's for you.

So this is an episode about perfection . . . and imperfection. The pressure and anxiety we all feel to be perfect and the idea in our head that perfection is actually a real thing, that can be achieved.  It’s not.  I’ll be honest, I’m gonna cry a little during the episode. But that’s me.  That’s all of us. And if you struggle with feelings of imperfection and not being enough this episode will have value for you.

My first job was as a waitress at an old-age home serving primarily, you guessed it, buttermilk. In this episode I’m taking you on the journey through my twisting, turning career path so you can see how you don’t have to figure out what you want to do for the rest of your life at 18, 28—or really, ever. Career paths don’t have to be linear, and horrible jobs sometimes lead to really amazing ones. Oh, and I wrote a song about the whole thing, which promises to be the song of the summer. Dance remix forthcoming. 

Hi! Hi!  As it turns out, creating and subsequently launching a podcast is hard, especially when you have tendencies towards self doubt.  I spend this episode exploring the origins of my own self doubt (hi mom, hi dad), discussing my self doubt triggers, and offering up some potential solutions for those who suffer from it as well (maybe 95% of all of us?).  Here's hoping that by hearing me talk about it you will see that you are not alone—and that self doubt does not mean that you can't face fears and ultimately find success.

Welcome to my Emotional Rating System. It’s an adaptable, numerical rating system my mom and i created to help me identify and easily communicate my mood. It also helped me and my doctors accurately diagnose my bipolar. This system is an easy way to get in touch with and convey how you are feeling at any given moment—and it's easily adaptable to other mental health issues as well. Plus, Dr. Jamie and The Amazing Saerina are back this week rating their own moods and talking about why this tool was important for them—but absolutely zero sex talk, I promise. 

Hi. I’m back! In this episode, I chronicle my struggles with mental illness from a young age up through my early thirties when I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. This episode will be especially valuable to you if you are dealing with depression, bipolar, or anxiety—or if you suspect you might be, but haven’t received a diagnosis, or if you know someone else who is struggling with it. And as always, the hope is that in sharing my personal experiences I can help you build emotional intelligence and become more self aware.