Do you ever wonder who I am? Many of you are brand new to the All Things Bipolar Newsletter, the Positivity Club, and the Speaking Bipolar blog. A few have been with me for a while. My longest subscriber goes all the way back to March 5, 2019. (Thanks for sticking around, Juan!)

Even if you have been hanging around a while, you probably have questions. So, once a year, I like to do an about-me post. One I wrote in fairy-tale format, and the longest one is the continuing Surviving Bipolar Series about the early days of my bipolar journey.

This time, I’m trying a new format: an interview.

Who is Scott Ninneman?

If you’re a newbie, here are a few facts to know:

• Age: early 50s
• Location: The mountains of Southeast, Tennessee, USA
• Diagnoses: Bipolar 1 Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Familial Mediterranean Fever
• Day job: Bookkeeper and tax preparer
• Passions: Writing, reading, hiking, gardening, and volunteering (and too much TV!)
• Family Life: Primary caregiver for my mom

Now let's jump to the fun questions.

What's a fun fact most people don't know about you?

If we're talking about the real world, most people don't know I'm a writer. When I started handing out copies of my book to my favorite tax clients this year, I surprised every one of them. For all my online community, you know I love to write about bipolar, positivity, poetry, and science fiction. What you might not know is I enjoy origami. Here’s one of my interesting pieces, though it’s faded a bit.

What's the story behind Speaking Bipolar?

Speaking Bipolar started as a joke many years ago now. I was sitting in a van one frosty winter morning with a couple I knew well. The husband has bipolar disorder, so when we were together, we knew we could take without filters.

We were waiting for another couple to come out of their house, and they were taking their sweet time, so we had plenty of time for a chat.

The couple with me recently dealt with a misunderstanding that caused more than a little household stress. Their experience led to a conversation about how people with bipolar often hear something different from what’s said. Sometimes what we say isn't what we mean.

My friend's wife laughed as we talked.

“Half the time,” she said, “I can't keep up. I need a dictionary or something.

I joked I was going to create a mental illness translator and call it Speaking Bipolar. With my tool in place, there would never be misunderstandings.

While I have always wanted to write a book, the Speaking Bipolar joke went no further than our conversation. Still, the idea stuck with me.

“Someday,” I told myself, and pushed it to the back of my mind.

Life took a sad turn a few years later when one of my friends lost his battle with mental illness. I knew he had mental health struggles, but he was one of those guys afraid of conversations about feelings. Rather than push him, I gave him his space.

I wish now I told him more of my story. Maybe he would have opened up more or at least looked for the help he needed.

After my friend's passing, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had failed him. So I vowed to be the voice my friend needed for someone else. The Speaking Bipolar blog was born at that moment, with my goal of helping at least one person. In the nearly 10 years since, dozens of readers have reached out to say I was the voice they needed.

You can read more about the blog’s history here.

Where do you find inspiration?

I'm always looking for inspiration, and so it comes from many areas. Most commonly, stories spring from things happening in my life, from comments from readers, from things I see in nature, or from an inspirational quote I read. As a writer, any experience can turn into a story. All of my friends are willing victims, knowing that at some point I will write about them, even if I hide their real names.

What's one thing you're learning right now?

I love to learn and often get stuck in learning mode. The problem is, if all you do is learn, nothing gets done. The real wisdom comes from putting what you've learned into action. Right now, I'm taking a course on how to grow my newsletter. The internet is an ever-changing landscape, so I’m trying to keep up. I’m also learning Spanish, how to better care for my yard, and am always exploring new recipes.

What's the best advice you've ever received?

That's a tough one. There have been so many good tidbits tossed my way over the years. Probably the most helpful was when my therapist told me that sometimes you can't take life one day at a time. Sometimes you have to take it just one hour at a time, or maybe even one minute.

Learning that it's okay to focus on only this moment removed a lot of stress. I didn’t have to face everything at once, no matter what storm was brewing in my bipolar mind, telling me otherwise. Now, I try to be mindful every day, though I don’t always succeed. We’re all works-in-progress, right?

What's your favorite post on the blog, and why?

My favorite blog post is Speaking Bipolar–a Mental Illness Translator. That post was supposed to be the start of my first book. Looking at the blog now, it's funny because I broke all the rules about writing online. Those words spilled from my head from the dizzying thoughts I was having then. I wrote without thinking or editing too much.

That post has been my most popular post ever since, even though I published it in July 2019. About half of my new readers first visit the site to read that story.

What’s the story behind all the pandas on the site?

You could say pandas are my spirit animal. They have been a favorite since I was a toddler, but now they also represent the two extremes of bipolar: the black and white, or mania and depression. Pandas are also laid back and don’t seem to mind if they fall or trip or spill their food everywhere. That’s how I want to be. You can read more about my love of pandas here.

What's been the most challenging aspect of blogging?

Consistency is by far the toughest part of being an online writer. Writing a newsletter every week–or five like in the Positivity Club–is hard work. I try to write contact ahead of time, but I’m also a terrible procrastinator. Too often, the night before a newsletter has to go out, and all I have is an outline in my mind. Then I have to find the time to sit down and write, edit, and format the post, which usually takes 1-3 hours.

Consistency is especially tough when bipolar depression sets in and my motivation drops to zero. I'm thankful my readers are understanding and overlook my occasional need to take a week off without notice.

What's one thing you hope readers take away from your writing?

The most important thing I want readers to understand is a bipolar disorder diagnosis is not the end. You may have to alter some of your goals, but you can still have a full life. Every person’s journey with bipolar is unique, but over and over, I hear stories from readers who are living the life they want and maintaining their stability.

Many are working full-time jobs, caring for their families, and pursuing their dreams. My dream was to publish a book, and I succeeded even while taking medication and facing a whirlwind of emotions and thoughts in my head. You never know what you can do until you try.

What future plans do you have for Speaking Bipolar?

I'm putting more emphasis now on my Positivity Club. I want the club to be both a place where people with bipolar can come together as a community and also learn to thrive with the disorder. I believe when you reach a healthy level of stability, you can then see more good (positivity) in your world.

I’m also working on four books and a course to help people better understand bipolar disorder. The books will be (1) Book 2 of the Positivity Club, (2) Surviving Bipolar and Sharing My Story, (3) Mental Illness Poetry and Why I Write It, and (4) a science fiction story where the main characters have bipolar.

There are so many terrible things on the news, and it's so easy to get stuck doom scrolling on your phone. I want to remind people that there's beauty all around them. We just have to keep our eyes open to it.

How do you decide what topics to write about?

I keep a running list of topic ideas. There are 100s of items on the list. Most weeks, I start by scrolling through the list and then write about the one that stirs the deepest emotional reaction in me.

Sometimes it's a post I really want to write, because I know it will be fun, like the pity party story. Other times, it's a post I’ve been avoiding but know I should write. The latter are always interesting because I never understand why I’m resisting them until I’m halfway through writing them. Usually, those are the newsletters readers like the most.

What's your go-to coffee order?

So, against all writer stereotypes, I don’t like coffee. I’ve tried at least 50 unique blends and roasts and hated them all. I think I was born without the coffee gene.

My go-to beverage changes depending on the time of year and the time of day. I have to have some sort of caffeine in the morning, so I usually turn to soda, either a Barq's root beer, a Coke, or a Dr. Pepper. As the day goes on, I mostly drink water with fresh lemon.

If you could travel anywhere, where would it be?

I have a dream of spending 3 months in New Zealand. I know very little about the country other than it has a vast variety of ecosystems all in one tiny country. So my hope is to go there and explore all of it in one trip. One day, I'll get there.

What's your current favorite song/band?

So, before I answer this one, you must understand music feeds my soul. If I'm sitting at my desk, whether at home or at my day job, there is music playing. If I'm exercising, reading, or cleaning the house, there is music playing. I play music when I get ready in the morning and often before I go to bed at night.

I love music, even though I can only play a few notes on the piano and can't sing to save my life. Because of bipolar, my taste in music changes from day to day. So it’s tough to choose just one artist. My main go-to's are OneRepublic, David Archuleta, HAEVN, Sarah McLachlan, Sheppard, Calum Scott, Annie Lennox, and P!nk (and about 50 others.)

To see which songs I listened to most last year, YouTube Music created this playlist for me.

What's a book you've recently enjoyed?

I'm an incredibly slow reader, like it takes weeks to read a book. It's not that I don't enjoy reading, but I struggle to sit still, and when I do, I often fall asleep a page or two in.

The last book I read was The Genesis Machine Collection (ad) (technically 3 books in 1), written by KJ Gillenwater. So, to avoid, accidental spoilers, I won't say much. The book revolves around a military woman named Charlie Cutter and a branch of the NCIS that deals with alien activity. It’s sci-fi, but not so much that a non-sci-fi reader wouldn’t like it. Much of it is about relationships and the power of secrets. I can't say it's my favorite book ever, but I enjoyed reading it.

What's a hobby you enjoy outside of writing?

My favorite thing to do is to work outside in the yard. It doesn't matter if I'm pulling weeds out of the flower garden, putting new plants in the soil, or trimming trees. I love being outside. If I could go back and start any business in my 20s, I would have been a landscaper. My brain was made to be outside, which doesn't work so well as a tax preparer. I don't think most of my clients would want to meet with me under a tree. But I might ask them.

I hope you enjoyed this interview about me. If you have any other questions, come visit me in the Speaking Bipolar Positivity Club Chat (open to all subscribers, both free and paid) or reply to any email newsletter. I’m sometimes a little slow, but I always respond.

Do you want more? Then check out my two newsletters.

The All Things Bipolar Newsletter (free for all) comes out on Sundays. It includes an update about my life and is where I post new content about bipolar life, including facts, statistics, and ramblings from my bipolar mind.

On Substack, I run the Speaking Bipolar Positivity Club (posts on Mondays for free subscribers and every weekday for paid subscribers). The Club helps readers come to terms with bipolar while learning to see more good in the world. Every week focuses on a theme which I dive deeper into throughout the week. You can read a sample week here.

Reader, I'm so happy to have you here. Thank you for supporting Speaking Bipolar and reading this newsletter.

Until next time, keep fighting.

Scott Ninneman

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Additional Reading:

• ​21 Smart Ways To Reduce the Effects of Bipolar Disorder on Everyday Life​
• ​Bipolar Disorder and the Stages of Grief: A Helpful Guide​
• ​Bipolar Disorder Life: The Struggles With Your Mind Are Unique to You​
• ​Remixing Your Life with Bipolar in the Mix​​
• ​Archive Newsletters​