Today I'm chatting with Hayley Musgreave, who I first crossed paths with back in high school in Fort Saskatchewan and then reconnected with years later through a coaching program. She's a farmer in northern Alberta now, with cattle, mini donkeys, and a grain and hay operation, and she's been a steady light every time we connect. We share some similar threads in our mental health journeys, and that's a lot of what we get into here.

Hayley opens up about growing up feeling like the black sheep, the shame she carried as a kid, and the ADHD she only understood later. She shares about being diagnosed with bipolar in her 20s after a breakdown, the two episodes she went through, and what it was like to be handed a heavy load of medication and a sense that this was just how life was going to be, with no real light to look toward. We compare notes on what mania actually felt like from the inside, including the grandiose thinking and the racing mind, and we sit with how strangely real it all feels in the moment.

From there she talks about her Graves' disease diagnosis, how its symptoms mirrored mania, and the path she took to heal it through changing her diet, prayer, and a refusal to accept the outcome she'd been told to expect. We get into her faith and gratitude practice, the tools she leans on now like grounding, sleep, and music, and where she's landed today: not identifying as bipolar, but as someone who came through two breakdowns and kept going.

At the heart of this one is the reminder that you can walk through the fire and come out the other side. We share our stories so that the younger versions of ourselves, and anyone in the thick of it now, can see that there's hope to be had.

Connect with Hayley:

Instagram: @thehayleydawn

Connect with Darrel-Lynne:

Instagram: @dee_ogsoul

Website: ogsoul.ca

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Nerves

02:53 Journey into Farming and Mental Health

06:00 Childhood and Early Mental Health Struggles

12:00 Bipolar Diagnosis and Its Impact

18:00 Navigating Mania and Breakdown Experiences

24:05 Healing Journey and Personal Growth

29:56 Graves' Disease and Its Effects

30:30 Healing Through Diet and Faith

32:15 Managing Mental Health and Medication

33:45 Current Well-being and Self-Identification

34:51 The Role of Faith in Healing

35:10 Prayer and Gratitude Practices

39:41 The Power of Sleep and Mental Health

42:56 Marriage and Support Systems

45:43 Navigating Relationships and Personal Growth

50:48 Resilience and Grit in Life

52:06 Finding Peace in the Journey

55:30 Tools for Mental and Emotional Well-being

57:11 Mutual Admiration and Future Aspirations