Fighting Inner Battles: Julio Rivera on Bipolar Disorder & Jiu-Jitsu

Rivera opens up about his journey with bipolar disorder and how martial arts became both his sanctuary and a way to help others. 

From discussing the enforcer culture of jiu-jitsu academies to exploring the intersection of mental health and physical discipline, this conversation offers profound insights into healing trauma and finding purpose.

🌳 Mentioned in this Episode: 

– Affiliate links to support the show: 

— Smart But Stuck – Emotions in Teens and Adults with ADHD: https://amzn.to/3EznXLS

— The Inner Bonding Workbook: https://amzn.to/4lH3Yvt

— Brokedown Sensei – How I Fought Trauma and Bipolar Disorder From the Outside In: https://amzn.to/4jj6SVv

🥋 More from Julio Rivera: 

– Julio’s writing on medication dulling creativity: https://medium.com/invisible-illness/trading-creativity-for-mental-stability-0be24e33979e

– Internal jiu jitsu: https://internaljiujitsu.com/

– Julio’s Medium: https://julioangelrivera1.medium.com/

– Julio’s substack: https://julioangelrivera.substack.com/

– Julio on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/internaljiujitsu/

– Julio on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/internaljiujitsu

– Julio on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julioar/

– Julio on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@internaljiujitsu5601

– Julio on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/internaljiujitsu.bsky.social

🎃 Check out this episode’s sponsor, Salem’s Ghosts 🎃

– Salem’s Ghosts Season One on YouTube: https://youtu.be/LkG7aCdXL9s?si=2kVIUti603B02sIi

– Salem’s Ghosts Season Two on YouTube: https://youtu.be/p05vQFXDz7Q?si=Q-pf2mcZ0kZ8QBDz

– Salem’s Ghosts on Podcast Platforms: https://salemsghosts.podbean.com/

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🎭 Joel Austin is an actor, writer, filmmaker, and podcaster living in Los Angeles, CA. He teaches at UCLA Ext. and produces Beyond the Walled Garden with Joel Austin. He releases multiple videos and shorts every week. Find more about him below. 🎭

⭐ More about Joel Austin:
– YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@joel_austin?sub_confirmation=1
– Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/joelaustin.bsky.social
– IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1792430/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_3_tt_0_nm_8_in_0_q_joel%2520austin
– Site: https://joel-austin.com

⭐ More about Beyond the Walled Garden: https://joel-austin.com/beyond-walled-garden-podcast/

– All Other Links: https://linktr.ee/beyondthewalledgarden

0:00 Intro
1:33 The rise of martial arts in American culture
8:52 Intersection of mental health and martial arts training
15:40 Julio’s journey with bipolar disorder and therapy
21:18 Books that helped Julio along the way
22:05 How Julio counsels young people
23:55 The crisis of masculinity and martial arts
29:35 Spirituality, awareness, and finding meaning
42:36 This episode’s sponsor: Salem’s Ghosts
45:15 Julio’s transition to becoming a writer
48:16 Spiritual connection through martial arts
01:00:50 Closing thoughts and where to find Julio online