From breakdown to breakthrough. When Shak took the stage at The ONE National Conference, it wasn’t to perform—it was to be real. In front of fellow CPAs, he spoke openly about living with bipolar disorder while chasing partnership, what broke him down, and what helped him rebuild. This is a story about pressure, stigma, and the power of sharing it out loud.

Men’s mental health deserves more than a hashtag. As someone living with bipolar disorder, I’ve seen what silence can do—and what vulnerability can heal. Let’s talk about it, for real.

In this reflection from a Courage Circle conversation, I open up about the realities of being diagnosed with bipolar disorder in the middle of a high-stakes career. What followed wasn’t just recovery—it was reckoning with shame, workplace stigma, and learning to advocate for myself and others.

I thought I was getting better. I thought I no longer needed my medication. But one year after my first episode, I found myself in a full-blown state of psychosis—culminating in an unforgettable incident at work. This was my wake-up call. It was time to truly accept my diagnosis and put in the work to heal.