1007. The Intersection of Mental Health and Entrepreneurship

“All of a sudden the girl who couldn’t function or hold responsibilities or find fulfillment in what other people did, was over functioning. There were things I was starting to realize, and one was that my bi-polar disorder has high highs and low lows; entrepreneurship has high highs and low lows. So, in many ways it worked beautifully within my mind. Another thing was, for me to really show up, it has to be all on my shoulders. I can have no out: I can’t have the psychologist’s note, I can’t have the ‘Hey, can you cover my shift.’ I have to be the one to show up. By adding to my shoulders more burden and responsibility that only I could bear, it allowed me to show up significantly. I found a dance and a power and a grove within me that was untapped. That’s really when I started my entrepreneurial journey. It became very clear to me that the only way I’m going to succeed is if I create my own thing. I suddenly found the path forward that works with my bipolar disorder, that helps my bipolar actually calm down within the confines of entrepreneurship.”

Scout Sobel is the founder of Scout’s Agency, co-host of the popular Okay Sis Podcast, and the host of SCOUT Podcast. She is a trailblazer in the media industry for utilizing podcasts as a powerful form of PR. After starting Okay Sis, which focuses on female guests, Scout fell in love with spreading women’s stories and identified the rising popularity and influence of podcasting. She started Scout’s Agency with an emphasis in podcast PR for women entrepreneurs, podcasters, and brands. Scout has also lived with bipolar disorder for the last 15 years. She was once unable to function in society but after finding entrepreneurship and taking radical responsibility over her emotions, she is now able to live a life of purpose. Her debut book, The Emotional Entrepreneur, provides the mindset and emotional tools she learned from managing her mental illness and that have helped her succeed in business.