The Upside of Being Down
How Mental Health Struggles Led to My Greatest Successes in Work and Life
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4.3 • 33 Ratings
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
An entertaining, humorous, and inspirational memoir by the founder and chief creative officer of the multimillion-dollar lifestyle brand ban.do, who “has become a hero among women (and likely some men too) who struggle with mental health” (Forbes).
After graduating from college, Jen Gotch was living with her parents, heartbroken and lost, when she became convinced that her skin had turned green. Hallucinating that she looked like Shrek was terrifying, but it led to her first diagnosis and the start of a journey towards self-awareness, acceptance, success, and ultimately, joy.
With humor and candor, Gotch shares the empowering story of her unlikely path to becoming the creator and CCO of a multimillion-dollar brand. From her childhood in Florida where her early struggles with bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety, and ADD were misdiagnosed, to her winding career path as a waitress, photographer, food stylist, and finally, accidental entrepreneur, she illuminates how embracing her flaws and understanding the influence of mental illness on her creativity actually led to her greatest successes in business and life.
Hilarious, hyper-relatable, and filled with fascinating insights and hard-won wisdom on everything from why it’s okay to cry at work to the myth of busyness and perfection to the emotional rating system she uses every day, Gotch’s inspirational memoir dares readers to live each day with hope, optimism, kindness, and humor.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Gotch, the founder of clothing and accessory lifestyle website Ban.do, chronicles a lifetime of mental health challenges in her self-deprecating and witty debut. After bouncing from job to job, Gotch writes of finding her niche in commercial photography and styling in her early 20s, then diving into therapy in an effort to face her demons. After being diagnosed with bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety, and attention deficit disorder and being properly medicated Gotch realizes that her challenges have fueled her creative endeavors (though not always in a healthy way, she admits, noting her tendencies toward workaholism). Gotch unflinchingly explores her past, recounting her suicidal thoughts and a time she hallucinated that her skin had turned green, and sharing stories from her failed marriage. "Here's the thing about writing a memoir," she writes. "The person you are when you start and the person you are when you finish are practically strangers." Throughout, Gotch is unequivocal in delivering her message that mental health is every bit as important as physical health (and that the two are interrelated), and her often humorous delivery underscores her belief that sometimes a laugh truly is the best medicine. Anyone who's ever dealt with mental illness will appreciate this forthcoming and empathetic volume.
Customer Reviews
Wow, this book changed my view of myself for the better!
What can I say about Jen Gotch! She is truly a pioneer and shows that no matter how hard it was for you in your past you can still achieve greatnesses. Her story is so uplifting and moving and makes me want to give her a hug. She is so real and honest with her stories and proves to be a hell of a Girl Boss. She is unapologetically herself and is okay with herself no matter what comes at her. She has become one of my heroes and I hope to grow up to be just as wise as she is! I recommend this to anyone who feels lost or unsure about where they are in life. She is the therapist we all dreamed of having and what’s amazing is she provides the service all in this beautiful book!
Couldn’t even finish it.
In the middle of reading this book when not so good things came out about the author. Lost interest after that.