Thriving with bipolar

A Personal and Practical Guide to Living Well

Living with bipolar can feel confusing, overwhelming, and at times completely isolating.

When TV presenter and mental health advocate Leah Charles-King was diagnosed with bipolar type 1 in 2012, she searched for guidance that went beyond medical explanations and vague advice.

What she needed was something honest, practical, and grounded in real experience.

That book didn’t exist.

So she wrote it.

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Leah Charles-King is a TV Presenter, Black mental health advocate, author, speaker, female activist, and Bipolar UK ambassador

Meet Leah Charles-King

Leah Charles-King is a television presenter, speaker, and mental health advocate with almost four decades in the entertainment industry.

She first stepped into the spotlight as a child performer, later joining the 1990s UK girl group Kléshay, before building a 25 year career in television.

Today she is a presenter on Channel 4’s ‘A Place in the Sun’ and an ambassador for Bipolar UK, using her voice to challenge stigma and encourage open conversations about mental health. 

Her book ‘Thriving with bipolar: A Personal & Practical Guide to Living Well’ was written to be the resource she wishes she had been given when she was first diagnosed.

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A yellow book titled 'Thriving with Bipolar' by Leah Charles-King. Leah Charles-King is a TV Presenter, Black mental health advocate, author, speaker, female activist, and Bipolar UK ambassador

A Practical Guide for Living Well

‘Thriving with bipolar: A Personal & Practical Guide to Living Well’  is not a clinical textbook and it is not a memoir.

It is a straight talking, practical guide for anyone who wants tools that actually hold up in everyday life.

Drawing on more than a decade of personal lived experience, Leah shares the insights, strategies and lessons that helped her rebuild stability, regain confidence and protect her wellbeing.

This book explores the real challenges of living with bipolar and the habits that help create a life that feels balanced, meaningful and sustainable.

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What You Will Learn

A woman with long dreadlocks sitting on a gray sofa, reading a yellow book titled "Thriving with Bipolar" in a cozy living room.
A man sitting in an office chair reading a book titled "Thriving with Bipolar" with a smile on his face. On the desk, there is a black mug with the same title and a smiley face logo, a notebook, and a pen. The office has large windows showing a cityscape outside.
A young man with brown hair sitting in a library, reading a yellow book titled 'Thriving with bipolar' by Leah Charles-King who is a TV Presenter, Black mental health advocate, author, speaker, female activist, and Bipolar UK ambassador
A young woman with glasses and a beige sweater sitting at a wooden desk, reading a yellow book titled 'Thriving with bipolar'. There is a notebook with writing, a pen, a laptop, a cup, headphones, and a container with pens on the desk, with a window showing a brick building outside.

Practical habits that support mental wellbeing including sleep, routine and boundaries.

Understanding your patterns

Learn how to recognise the early warning signs that your mood may be shifting and what to do about it.

Protecting your stability

Strengthening confidence and learning how to move forward after difficult periods.

Advocating for yourself

How to use your voice when navigating healthcare, relationships and work.

Rebuilding trust with yourself

Chapter Themes

A book titled "Thriving with Bipolar" by Leah Charles-King who is a TV Presenter, Black mental health advocate, author, speaker, female activist, and Bipolar UK ambassador

  • Understanding bipolar: What They Don’t Teach You

  • Sleep First: The Fastest Route to Stability

These insights are drawn from lived experience and designed to help readers build a stable, fulfilling life.

  • Support Network: Who deserves a seat in your theatre

  • Setting Boundaries Without Guilt

  • Managing Triggers Before They Manage You

  • Repairing Your Relationship With Yourself

  • Protecting the Life You’re Building

  • Routine: The Power of Boring

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What People Are Saying

  • "I've been waiting (impatiently) for this book"

    — Jane Doh

  • "I totally recommend Leah"s compassionate work"

    — Joe Blogg

  • "This is the ultimate book for bipolar management"

    — Mary Jane

Thriving Club Merch

Support the movement and explore the official Thriving Club merchandise including apparel, mugs and exclusive items inspired by the book.

Black sweatshirt with a small yellow logo on the front that features a smiling face inside a hand shape. Below the logo, the text reads "Thriving with bipolar" in yellow.
White mug with yellow interior and yellow logo featuring a smiling face inside hands, and the text 'Thriving with bipolar'.
Black T-shirt with a small gold logo on the left chest area that features a stylized smiling face with arms raised and the words "Thriving" and "with hope" underneath.
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Leah Charles-King is a TV Presenter, Black mental health advocate, author, speaker, female activist, and Bipolar UK ambassador

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