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BPD Diaries: Stories and Science with Steff

BPD Diaries: Stories and Science with Steff

By: BPD Support
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I'm Steff, psychologist & BPD Warrior. Join me for unfiltered stories, the latest research, & practical strategies that actually work. It’s real, raw, & honest talk about BPD, with just enough humor to make the hard stuff easier to hear. Whether you're navigating your own diagnosis, supporting someone who is, or just trying to understand, you're welcome here. Brought to you with love by Stephanie Schildknecht Note: Earlier episodes feature my wonderful co-host, Kerry Fisher. Her warmth & laughter remain part of this podcast's story, & I'm so grateful for the foundation we built together.BPD Support Personal Development Personal Success
Episodes
  • Stoicism for the BPD Brain | 10 Principles That Actually Work

    Stoicism for the BPD Brain | 10 Principles That Actually Work
    Jul 10 2026

    What if the most effective framework for BPD recovery was written by a former slave and a Roman emperor over 2,000 years ago?

    This episode is about Stoicism. Not the pop culture version that means suppressing your feelings and pretending nothing hurts, but the real thing. A practical, rigorous system of thought that maps onto what people with BPD struggle with most.

    The impulsivity. The fear of abandonment. The catastrophic interpretations. The feeling of being a slave to your emotions.

    I go through ten Stoic principles, each one mapped directly to the BPD experience, grounded in neuroscience. Because this isn't just philosophy. CBT was directly influenced by Stoic thought. DBT was built on CBT. Which means there's a direct line from Epictetus in the first century AD to the skills your therapist may have walked you through last week.


    🌱 Have questions, stories, or something you’d like us to cover? We’d love to hear from you. Email us at bpddiariespodcast@gmail.com and let’s keep the conversation going.

    🎧 Looking for meditations made for emotional regulation, BPD, and more? Check out Empowered Heroes Meditations on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify.

    If you’d like more support in your journey toward BPD recovery, Steff offers 1:1 sessions using evidence-based tools from DBT, Schema Therapy, and Mindfulness to help you heal. Email for a free 30-Minute Consultation:

    📩 steff@bpdsupport.org or check out the website: www.bpdsupport.org


    📚 Referenced Research Includes:

    Aziz, A. (2025). The Application of Stoic Philosophy to Modern Emotional Regulation.

    Denny, B. T., Lopez, R. B., Wu-Chung, E. L., Dicker, E. E., Goodson, P. N., Fan, J., ... & Koenigsberg, H. W. (2024). Training in cognitive reappraisal normalizes whole-brain indices of emotion regulation in borderline personality disorder. Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, 9(8), 819-826. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpsc.2024.03.007

    Zetsche, U., Bürkner, P. C., Bohländer, J., Renneberg, B., Roepke, S., & Schulze, L. (2024). Daily emotion regulation in major depression and borderline personality disorder. Clinical Psychological Science, 12(1), 161-170. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167702623116070


    Stoic Primary Texts (all public domain)

    Epictetus. The Enchiridion.

    Marcus Aurelius. Meditations.

    Seneca. Letters from a Stoic.

    Further Reading

    Robertson, D. How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius.

    Robertson, D. Stoicism and the Art of Happiness.

    Holiday, R. The Obstacle is the Way.

    Waltman, S. The Stoicism Workbook.
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    27 mins
  • Psych Wards: A Lifeline or a Trap? | The Brutal Truth Nobody Tells You Before You Go In

    Psych Wards: A Lifeline or a Trap? | The Brutal Truth Nobody Tells You Before You Go In
    Jun 26 2026
    If you have BPD, there's a good chance you've either been to a psychiatric hospital, or been told you should go.Maybe it helped. Maybe it made things worse. Maybe you left feeling more broken than when you arrived.In this episode, I want to give the full picture:• When is hospitalization genuinely helpful?• When is it actively harmful?• What does the research say?• What are your rights on the ward?• What are the alternatives?And I offer practical guidance: how to make the most of a hospital stay, what to ask for, and what to do when you're discharged.If you're in crisis, links to crisis resources are below.🌱 Have questions, stories, or something you’d like us to cover? We’d love to hear from you. Email us at bpddiariespodcast@gmail.com and let’s keep the conversation going.🎧 Looking for meditations made for emotional regulation, BPD, and more? Check out Empowered Heroes Meditations on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify.If you’d like more support in your journey toward BPD recovery, Steff offers 1:1 sessions using evidence-based tools from DBT, Schema Therapy, and Mindfulness to help you heal. Email for a free 30-Minute Consultation: 📩 steff@bpdsupport.org or check out the website: www.bpdsupport.orgCrisis Resources:UK: Samaritans - 116 123 | Crisis text line: text SHOUT to 85258Ireland: Samaritans - 116 123 | Pieta House - 116 123Australia: Lifeline - 13 11 14 | Beyond Blue - 1300 22 4636US: 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline - call or text 988International: findahelpline.com📚 Referenced Research Includes:Bateman, A., & Fonagy, P. (1999). Effectiveness of partial hospitalization in the treatment of borderline personality disorder: a randomized controlled trial. American journal of Psychiatry, 156(10), 1563-1569. ⁠https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.156.10.1563⁠ Bloom, J. M., Woodward, E. N., Susmaras, T., & Pantalone, D. W. (2012). Use of dialectical behavior therapy in inpatient treatment of borderline personality disorder: a systematic review. Psychiatric Services, 63(9), 881-888. ⁠https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.201100311⁠ Bodner, E., Cohen-Fridel, S., Mashiah, M., Segal, M., Grinshpoon, A., Fischel, T., & Iancu, I. (2015). The attitudes of psychiatric hospital staff toward hospitalization and treatment of patients with borderline personality disorder. BMC psychiatry, 15(1), 2. ⁠https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.156.10.1563⁠ Broadbear, J. H., Dwyer, J., Bugeja, L., & Rao, S. (2020). Coroners’ investigations of suicide in Australia: The hidden toll of borderline personality disorder. Journal of psychiatric research, 129, 241-249. ⁠10.1016/j.jpsychires.2020.07.007⁠ Katsakou, C., Marougka, S., Barnicot, K., Savill, M., White, H., Lockwood, K., & Priebe, S. (2012). Recovery in borderline personality disorder (BPD): a qualitative study of service users' perspectives. PloS one, 7(5), e36517. ⁠https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0036517⁠ Knaak, S., Szeto, A. C., Fitch, K., Modgill, G., & Patten, S. (2015). Stigma towards borderline personality disorder: effectiveness and generalizability of an anti-stigma program for healthcare providers using a pre-post randomized design. Borderline personality disorder and emotion dysregulation, 2(1), 9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40479-015-0030-0Paris, J. (2004). Is hospitalization useful for suicidal patients with borderline personality disorder?. Journal of personality disorders, 18(3: Special issue), 240-247. ⁠https://doi.org/10.1521/pedi.18.3.240.35443⁠Stanley, B., & Brown, G. K. (2012). Safety planning intervention: a brief intervention to mitigate suicide risk. Cognitive and behavioral practice, 19(2), 256-264. ⁠10.1016/j.cbpra.2011.01.001⁠ Zanarini, M. C., Frankenburg, F. R., Hennen, J., Reich, D. B., & Silk, K. R. (2006). Prediction of the 10-year course of borderline personality disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry, 163(5), 827-832. ⁠https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.2006.163.5.827⁠
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    35 mins
  • 99% Sought Help. Most Didn't Get It In Time | BPD Expert Dr Jillian Broadbear on Men with BPD, Suicide & What Needs to Change

    99% Sought Help. Most Didn't Get It In Time | BPD Expert Dr Jillian Broadbear on Men with BPD, Suicide & What Needs to Change
    Jun 12 2026

    99% of people with BPD who die by suicide sought help in the year before their death. 88% in the last six weeks.

    They were going to the right places - emergency departments, GPs, crisis services. The system failed them.

    In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Jillian Broadbear, researcher at Spectrum, Australia's leading personality disorder service, to ask the hard questions.

    She talks about why men are being left behind, what the suicide data actually says, and why self-compassion might be the unexpected key to recovery.

    Plus, Dr. Broadbear shares an exclusive: Spectrum's new trial using MDMA-assisted therapy for people with BPD and complex trauma - a world-first that could change everything.

    For anyone who's ever felt invisible, misunderstood, or like giving up. This one's for you.

    "There are a lot of people who care. Don't give up. You are worth it." - Dr. Jillian Broadbear

    🌱 Have questions, stories, or something you’d like us to cover? We’d love to hear from you. Email us at bpddiariespodcast@gmail.com and let’s keep the conversation going.

    🎧 Looking for meditations made for emotional regulation, BPD, and more? Check out Empowered Heroes Meditations on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify.

    If you’d like more support in your journey toward BPD recovery, Steff offers 1:1 sessions using evidence-based tools from DBT, Schema Therapy, and Mindfulness to help you heal. Email for a free 30-Minute Consultation:

    📩 steff@bpdsupport.org or check out the website: www.bpdsupport.org


    📚 Referenced Research Includes:

    Broadbear, J. H., Bhagwandas, M. G., Crowley, S., Cheney, L., & Rao, S. (2025). Exploring the pathways to diagnosis for men with borderline personality disorder: A qualitative study. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 34(1), e13413. ⁠https://doi.org/10.1111/inm.13413Digital Object Identifier (DOI)⁠

    Broadbear, J. H., Dwyer, J., Bugeja, L., & Rao, S. (2020). Coroners’ investigations of suicide in Australia: The hidden toll of borderline personality disorder. Journal of psychiatric research, 129, 241-249.⁠10.1016/j.jpsychires.2020.07.007⁠

    Donald, F., Lawrence, K. A., Broadbear, J. H., & Rao, S. (2019). An exploration of self-compassion and self-criticism in the context of personal recovery from borderline personality disorder. Australasian Psychiatry, 27(1), 56-59.

    🔗 Links:

    Spectrum Personality Disorder Service: ⁠⁠spectrumbpd.com.au⁠⁠

    Spectrum Annual Research Forum - November 6th, free and virtual
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    48 mins
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