Meet Gregg Martin | the BIPOLAR GENERAL – bipolar survivor, thriver, and warrior

We had the good fortune of connecting with Gregg Martin and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Gregg, what habits do you feel helped you succeed?
The habits that have most helped me to succeed are: -Relentless focus on the Mission of the organization., while passionately caring for and supporting my work force.
-Always do my very best – every day, on every task.
-Always do the right thing, with utmost integrity and character.
-Live by the Golden Rule – treat people as you would like to be treated.
-Take good care of myself – mind, body, spirit, and put programs in place that do same for work force.
-Balance faith, family, fitness, friends, and fun, and whatever else is important.
-Encourage and demand that people COMMUNICATE – up, down, laterally – and that they work in a cooperative, collaborative manner.
-Enjoy life and have fun.
-Maintain an “Attitude of Gratitude” in ALL circumstances.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I graduated from West Point in 1979, and served 36 years as an active duty Army officer, around the globe and in combat.

I am proud that we served in tough assignments while keeping the family together most of the time.

I was highly successful, commanding and leading at all levels from second lieutenant to major general, and being promoted eight times and excelling in all of the Army’s key schools.

It was not easy, but I was blessed with unusual levels of energy, drive, enthusiasm, creativity, problem-solving skills, positivity, and the like; which elevated my performance and contributed to my success. Much of this was due to having a bipolar brain and living on the bipolar spectrum, which helped me enormously until it went too high and then nearly destroyed me.. When I went into full-blown mania in 2014 – insanity, a state of madness – I was fired, forced to retire, and later hospitalized.

I’m most proud of successfully commanding a brigade of 10K soldiers during the Iraq War in 2003-04., which is when my onset of bipolar disorder occurred.

Since getting my brain chemistry stabilized with the right medications in 2016, I have launched a journey of recovery. My new life Mission is “sharing my bipolar story to help stop the stigma, promote recovery, and save lives.” I do this by speaking, writing and conferring.

Unknowingly, I had lived on the bipolar spectrum my whole life, and it advantaged me enormously with extra energy, drive, enthusiasm and the like. In 2003 during the Iraq War, the stress, thrill, trauma and euphoria of leading thousands of troops in combat triggered my genetic predisposition for bipolar disorder, and sent me into a high performing mania, where I felt like superman and bullet proof. My bipolar condition went unknown, undetected and undiagnosed for the next 12 years, until 2014 when I went into full blown mania. After being fired and forced to retire, I was finally diagnosed properly in November 2014, with bipolar type 1 with psychosis. I made a decision right there in the doctors office that I would NOT be stigmatized, ashamed or embarrassed, for what is in fact a physiologically real brain disease. I said, “I am going to OWN this condition. No one is stigmatized for having cancer, diabetes or heart disease, so neither will I be stigmatized for having bipolar disease.

Today I am doing the most important and satisfying work of my life – bipolar and mental health advocacy. God has taken a crisis and tragedy, lifted me up, focussed me, and given me a whole new ministry upon which to focus my life. I am immensely grateful!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would ask my best friend what she was interested in seeing and doing, and then base some alternative option lists from her preferences. After a two-way dialogue, we would probably come up with something like:

-early breakfast, coffee, meditation and sun rise.
-a brisk walk with the dog.
-a morning beach walk.
-bike ride to the local gym for dance class, yoga and weights.
-bike to Coconuts for a delicious seafood lunch right on the ocean… then relax with the view.
-bike home and take a brief fitness nap to recharge.
-bike to the beach for an open ocean swim, and then watch the rocket launch from Kennedy Space Center, for which there is great viewing from Cocoa Beach. Watch the launch with some great friends.
-Walk to our friends’ house for drinks, snacks and relaxation.
-Bike home where we take showers, have drinks and appetizers, and prepare for dinner.
After a delicious Italian dinner, we talk for hours, and then think about watching a movie, which we all decide we’re too tired to do.
-a GREAT day, we all go to bed and sleep soundly.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My shoutout involves several.

**READ MY BOOK** “BIPOLAR GENERAL: My Forever War with Mental Illness” – this book candidly tells my entire story.

-First, my wife Maggie of 40+ years, who was an Army brat, then Army wife, then Army mom. She stuck with me during my bipolar crisis and my descent into madness and bipolar hell. She is the Rock!
-Second, my three sons – two of whom live with bipolar disorder – for sticking with and supporting me during my crisis.
-Third, Colonel (Ret.) Bill Barko, my battle buddy who stuck with me, encouraged me, and walked alongside of me throughout my crisis
-Fourth, the God of the universe, whose love for me rescued me and brought me back to health.
-There are many more family and friends, but these are the main shoutouts.

Website: www.bipolargeneral.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greggmartin79/?hl=en

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregg-f-martin-222735aa/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GenGreggMartin

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gregg.martino.75

Other: My new book, “BIPOLAR GENERAL: My Forever War with Mental Illness”