Bookedin CEO Talks Bipolar Disorder & Business on ‘Diary of a ADHD Strategist’
When entrepreneurs share their success story, they usually credit the obvious thing — like good timing, the right mentor, or a lucky break. But Bookedin’s founder and CEO, Mike Iwasiow, credits what he learned managing bipolar disorder.
This is primarily what he discusses on the “Diary of a ADHD Strategist,” a podcast hosted by Eli Dervonté. The show interviews entrepreneurs who’ve built successful businesses while living with mental health conditions like ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and trauma.
Every one of those conditions comes with the same underlying problem: You can’t count on being the same person from one week to the next. That’s where Mike’s story picks up.
He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at 21. He’s 53 now (as of writing), so that means he’s been managing his condition twice as long as he’s been running Bookedin, which started in 2010.
In the episode, Mike describes noticing something was off in his early 20s and going looking for answers on his own.
From there, he and Eli get into the cognitive behavioral therapy techniques he learned back then and still uses three decades later, plus why a short run most days does more for him than any productivity system.
All of that shows up in how he runs Bookedin: treating a bad stretch as a phase rather than the new normal, and matching his work to the energy he actually has that day. It’s also why team meetings start with everyone talking about their lives, not their projects.
So, if you’ve been handling your own struggles privately for years (or you’re only now starting to notice a pattern), this podcast is worth 50 minutes of your time.
Watch the full conversation below:
About the Author
The Bookedin Team is made up of writers, marketers, and people who genuinely understand the day-to-day of running a service business. Our articles cover everything from scheduling and client management to marketing and business growth — because running a service business is no small feat.
