I retired young at age 53, following an award winning 35-year run in sales and marketing. The longest and most notable tenure of my career was in the security business which, post 9/11, evolved into a nationwide role in private professional law enforcement for corporations, hospitals, universities, school districts, municipal, state, and federal the government agencies, professional sports and entertainment venues, as well as private individuals and families.
My bipolar depression was eventually expressed in almost all professional situations. The unfortunate juxtaposition of my sales skills being so highly effective that the mountain of work I created often would spiral out of control. This often resulted in becoming professionally displaced, and unfortunately with frequency. I was no doubt about it, full blown mentally ill through the first 25 years of my career. For the majority of that time, I was completely unaware that I was sick. Over the years I was fired nine times from good positions. Two times from great companies that hired me, fired me, later rehired me, and subsequently fired me again! Almost every firing included a boss unhappy to have to let me go. As for me, each termination felt like a death. And yet, friends would give me flack about my ability to land on my feet, almost every door that closed led to something more interesting, perhaps a little more lucrative, better yet, even more impactful.
Those in my voluminous sphere of clients, business associates, and wide circle of cross generational social relationships never had a clue that I struggled. I appeared in public quite engaged & happy, the polar opposite of what was happening alone at home. I was Mr. Congeniality on the job, effective, and lots of fun to work with- a great relationship builder. An important lesson for readers when it comes to my career is fortitude through obstacles such as frequent firings, and the desire and ability to, the best you can, put your best foot forward no matter what. Although, I must admit a bipolar corporate journey like the one I experienced, is akin to running a marathon backwards and forwards. I’m sure the years I put in until age 53 were more like dog years.
For the last eight years, and by the time I was ready to take a break, God put me on an unexpected path, quite possibly the most important role to date. That of longtime primary caregiver to my beloved aging and slowly failing parents, the two who unfailingly supported me through madness and into the light. An unexpected time in our lives nearing a decade of caregiving was perhaps the greatest learning experience of my life.
Our bosses back in the 1990’s encouraged young professionals to become involved in civic and community affairs as a means of networking and promoting our company and individual profiles. My role as a longtime chamber of commerce volunteer evolved in the same way professional endeavors, and I eventually became what is described as a public diplomat and a recognizable member of the Balkan Diplomatic Corps. In particular, Sarajevo is my adopted hometown. Since the war in Bosnia ended at our local Wright Patterson Airforce Base with the signing of the Dayton Peace Accords in 1995, I’ve represented our community locally, nationally, and internationally promoting the peace process and continued humanitarian efforts in Bosnia. Most recently I have had the opportunity of promoting landmine detection dog programs which have after 25 years finally completed clearing the minefields surrounding Sarajevo. This gratifying work has provided me the opportunity to meet, even dine with the President of the United States, cabinet secretaries, foreign heads of state, generals, ambassadors, senators, astronauts, Nobel laureates and Oscar winners. There have been many times in my life that I cannot believe the rooms in which I am sitting and the people that I am laying my eyes on. I am occasionally shocked when I nervously approach one of these individuals, and I am greeted with genuine unprompted familiarity and warmth. More often, I enjoy that look on luminaries’ faces when they come across me, and know they know who I am, but just can’t place me or where we met. I get a real kick out of these encounters.
My last professional foray, and a great beach job, was also an international position. Here again, I worked as a public diplomat, this time as a US State Department approved Alternate Responsible Officer and a J-1 Visa Sponsor recruiting overseas hospitality students to train at mainly luxury resorts in the USA. Fortunately for me, many of the most famous, beautiful, and historic hotel and resort properties were my stateside clients. Often my job at these amazing locations required complimentary visits. Otherwise for four years, I traveled in my international alter ego known as “Mr. Bob” in 25 cities in 15 countries, and virtually in dozens of other counties where I presented in front of crowds as intimate as 30 up to 300 participants and conducted individual interviews with thousands of students from all over the world. Favorite cities visited include Istanbul, Sophia, Bulgaria, Kyiv, Belgrade, Skopje, Macedonia, Pristina, Kosovo, Bangkok, Manilla, Cebu City, and Boracay in the Philippines.

My education was supplanted by bipolar disorder in the same way my career has been. I was the third generation in our family to attend Allegheny College in Pennsylvania, and the first and only one to flunk out. Education is a cross-generational family value for all of us. In fact, our first Allegheny Alligator, my great grandfather became a college president himself. Unfortunately, what they used to call my textbook male early bipolar onset at 18-20 years old coincided with my college years. For the next 20 years I tried multiple times to go back to school and finish. Looking back, I realize my bandwidth of being pulled together in a career and social life has never been enough both during illness and recovery to complete my degree.
I have attended Allegheny, Wright State University, The University of Dayton, and the University of South Carolina, and still a diploma eludes me. Although I have attended more than 264 credit hours which at most institutions is enough time to complete a doctorate. and have probably sat for at least a hundred thousand dollars’ worth of education at excellent institutions of higher learning. As a result, I am confident in describing myself as one of the most highly educated guys you will ever come across that has never earned a degree.
Some of my favorite alternate sources of knowledge of people and life skills came on the golf course as a caddy, managing a paper route as a teen, and coaching high school football during my seasons as a college drop out.

I have written this book to share my story and provide hope for other’s suffering with bipolar disorder and their loved ones, friends, and caregivers. Over the years, my therapists and physicians share that I have a very keen sense of my particular brand of mental illness, and that I have been savvy on my journey. They concur I have been in longtime recovery as a happily contributing member of my family and community, and I believe others can do it too.
There is no doubt in my mind, that those with mood disorder often present with enhanced reactions relative to the human condition. We experience truth and beauty in our hearts including in relationships, art, nature, history, sport, philosophy, in any endeavor, even faith, that others with normal brains fail to notice and miss out on. Indeed, this is both a blessing and a curse. Almost without fail, the bipolar brain is and can be brilliant. If we could tame manic notions, I believe we might find the cure to the common cold, perhaps even cancer, or answers to mankind’s great mysteries born out of bipolar madness.
My story is one of redemption that I hope will encourage other families who feel helpless like many of us do, that they too can learn to cope and live happily with someone who has become a stranger in the fold. For those who suffer and wonder if their life will ever turn around, I want them to know that it is possible to make a sustainable comeback and make left behind dreams new realities.

I have been inspired by Kay Redfield Jamison’s An Unquiet Mind, her genius retelling of her sad descent into madness and her subsequent rise to become one of the deans of psychiatry at the hallowed John’s Hopkins University. I have also been motivated by America’s sweetheart of the 1960’s, Patty Duke’s memoir of her generation of unchecked bipolar disorder entitled Call Me Anna. Patty Duke and I experienced our eventual diagnosis in very much the same way. The minute the words “You have bipolar disorder” were uttered to us. It felt as if a light switch had gone off and a lightbulb illuminated. Suddenly everything we had been through made sense. From that moment on, we both made a pledge to ourselves not to not have our entire lives taken away from us by mental illness. I learned this innate impulse of a personal afront to mental illness, and owning your bipolarity at the outset of treatment are wonderful keys to living your best life with mood disorder.
It seems however that most influencers in bipolar recovery are women. Perhaps men feel that they should tough it out on their own, or maybe guys are embarrassed to admit it or feel stigmatized by their illness. So, I am pleased to fill a void in being a rare male media champion for mental health and recovery.

More than anything else my hobby is PEOPLE. I enjoy my wife, stepsons, extended family and friends as my greatest joy, as well as our recue black lab, “Blackie.”
Together my wife and I enjoy traveling and seeing new places locally and globally.
I enjoy genealogy as my family has an old and interesting history.
In recent years of have had the pleasure of participating in philanthropy believing that with privilege comes with great responsibility.
Fun Facts:
For many years, I donned the Scottish themed costume of red plaid knickers, knee sox, a bright red blazer, gold tie, and straw hat, as an announcer for the PGA at the famous RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing at Hilton Head Island’s renowned Harbourtown Golf Links.
I am a two-time member of my high school athletic hall of fame.
I have commissioned two public art installations that grace continue the neighborhood in which I grew up.