[ BLANK_AUDIO ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ APPLAUSE ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ APPLAUSE ] [ APPLAUSE ] [ BLANK_AUDIO ] So Erica, we are sitting down, that piece, that Bach piece, I listen to it all the time. It has brought so much calm and composure to me, and to my daughter, who didn't stick with Suzuki violin, but Goes to bed to that almost every night. Yeah, amazing. That's such a powerful piece, and I listen to it, played by Yo- Yo Ma. And I love the story in your book where you were, I think, just three years old listening to Yo- Yo Ma and how it infused your body, your psyche, your whole being and set you on a A journey to be a musician. Yeah, absolutely. And so we have just a short time. I wanted to just talk to you. This book is about, I've read it, it's very powerful. It's about your journey as kinda discovering that you were bipolar, and then treating it, and moving on, and gives a lot of wellness tips. But I also wanted to talk to you about what you and I discussed earlier, the never- enough syndrome. You were just a star student, everything went well. This is something that resonates with everybody, regardless of whether you have a mental illness, the never- enough syndrome. What would you say to the women in this room? I I think a big part of it, it was just growing up as a little girl, and I've been thinking a lot lately of how we raise our daughters and how we talk to our daughters. And I mean, I grew up Presenting as really outgoing, bubbly on the outside, you would look at this girl and think that she was a confident- Perfect little girl, perfect tell a player. Perfect, yup. Yes. And I Behind closed doors my self worth was felt like zero. I just, and it didn't matter how well I did in school, how well I did playing, whether I got into a university or grad school. I always had the sense that I was never doing enough, I was never practicing enough. And it was so toxic and prevalent And then, and this all sort of tied together with when I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and I began to take care of myself, my whole self, my mental health, my physical health. I stopped from being that kind of frazzled insanely busy- ness. I'm so over that, I You guys listening? [ LAUGH ] I was always running from one gig to the next and fitting everything in, and what else can I pack my schedule with? And it was making me sick, not just with my mental health, but I developed gastric reflux. And I was no longer my best self for the communities that I serve. left and I had to with my diagnosis, I had to start putting my self care first. So what's your piece of wellness advice to the high acheivers in this room. Well, I can speak to what really worked for me. I know this might be impossible for so many of you in this room but I had to schedule one day off per week. And I started scheduling sort of a 1015 minute buffer between every single appointment and activity. I know and a lot of you're probably thinking not with my schedule. I don't think I could that could ever work but it's that little bit of breathing room Has given me the recharge moments and the energy to approach my next task. And so I've learned how to be a very busy person but walking from each event as supposed to spring time. And it's made a huge difference in my sleep and I Overall way. And now you're a mental health advocate and promoting your book, right? Yes. This is what you're doing. Yes. And because why? When I was first diagnosed, I was afraid, I was ashamed, I felt alone and isolated. And that was only six years ago and there weren't very many memoirs or there wasn't a lot of literature at their about bipolar disorder other than K. Jameson's memoir from 1996. And when I finally found some stories of people I could relate to, one was a cartoonist from Seattle with bipolar disorder. And all of a sudden, I had a community. And the same with the support groups. That I joined. And what I took from reading those stories is I learned about the power of our stories and what they can do for someone else in their struggle. And so I wanted to share my own In hope that it would bring hope, healing, and comfort to other people who've been diagnosed not just with bipolar disorder, any health condition, any mental health, physical health condition and I think the more we talk about it the better. Well, Erica, you're an incredible musical talent and an incredible visionary and you're so eloquent. Thank you so much. Thank you [ BLANK_AUDIO ]

A Special Performance by Cellist Erika Nielsen

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At Fortune’s MPW International Summit.
