It's time to make JC the face of May. 

This is the fifteenth edition of my weekly newsletter, The B-Roll. Thank you for coming along for the ride. If you think someone in your life might also enjoy these letters, please share this with them.

Hey sunshine,I'm writing the book on failure. Literally. I've been talking about this for years and I'm finally doing it. Well, I'm starting the process to schedule interviews and begin the research but it's happening. Embracing failure is one of the best decisions I've made in my life because it means I don't have any regrets, just lessons and good stories.Is it a little scary to lean into writing the book on failure? Of course. I have no grand ambitions about this book except to write it and get it out in the world. At times, this letter might be my sandbox for working out ideas to see what resonates, and I will definitely be sharing snippets from my interviews once those get going.The first time I wrote about failure was 6 years ago, when I wrote about being a failure as a freelancer. At the time, I was a failure but I was learning from my mistakes. 6 years later, I've taken the stage at my favorite conferences multiple times and have some pretty good accomplishments under my belt. I do still make mistakes and have false starts all the time.I know we've all heard the term "fail up" and it's frustrating when it's someone who's clearly not qualified moving up in the corporate ladder because of certain characteristics.Which is why I've embraced failing forward. I hope you don't mind coming along for the ride.***I want to give you a small glimpse into living with bipolar 2. Wednesday night, I was looking for something specific and it wasn't in the place I expected. I checked all over the apartment and couldn't find it. I felt myself inching toward a hypomanic state. I had a similar item that I could use but I started to get hyper-focused on the specific thing I wanted. I needed to talk myself down from the hyper state.When this happens, I talk to myself out loud because it's literally a negotiation with my brain. It took a few minutes and a couple more times pacing through the entire apartment before I could effectively calm my brain down, focus on the next task, and get out of the cycle. This is a common occurrence but happens on a smaller scale most days. To someone on the outside, this may have just looked like an overreaction or just me being dramatic. When I talk out loud to myself, it's because I can't just rely on "inside thoughts" since it's those thoughts that are triggering & lying to me. 

Triggers and episodes and coping mechanisms are different for every single person and I've found that this is effective in dealing with my triggers.It's pretty much a daily battle in my brain. When I’ve talked about anxiety or depression, it’s been easy to get across my mood and struggles. It feels like people have a frame of reference for what it’s like to experience those feelings. But not when it comes to bipolar disorder.

I found this graphic on Instagram, which helps me express the bipolar spectrum a little better. My experiences range from hypomania to severe depression. 

***To end this section on a positive note, I got to watch the Marcel the Shell movie last Sunday and it was perfection.

LANGUAGE CORNER: It's my life

Today's expression is one that I should use more often. "Keyfimin kâhyası mısın?" translates to" are you the butler of my pleasure?" which is how you respond to people who can't mind their own business.

SHARING CORNER:

• Obsessed with this Michelle Pfeiffer interview. I know she's got a great body of work as an actress but my favorite will always be One Fine Day.

• Everyone needs to read this column by Damon Young.

• This article on AdWeek articulates the frustration around the fact that advertising ignores Ramadan.

• What are you watching these days? I just finished the second season of Russian Doll (Natasha Lyonne is incredible) and this weekend is all about the final episodes of both Ozark and Grace & Frankie.

• Are we connected on social media? 

  • Twitter

  • Personal Insta

  • LinkedIn

What have you been reading, watching, listening to lately? 

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Thanks for reading this far, friend. As with everything in life, this is a continuous work-in-progress and you can always hit "Reply" to give me feedback, commentary, or your thoughts on the topic of the letter.Until next time, I wish you a sane and healthy week.With love,