We recently connected with Magic Mike Schwally and have shared our conversation below.
Magic Mike , we are so appreciative of you taking the time to open up about the extremely important, albeit personal, topic of mental health. Can you talk to us about your journey and how you were able to overcome the challenges related to mental issues? For readers, please note this is not medical advice, we are not doctors, you should always consult professionals for advice and that this is merely one person sharing their story and experience.
Well, I am diagnosed with bipolar disorder and it has set me back more than a few times. I wouldn’t say I’ve “overcome” my diagnosis, but I have persisted..
As long as I’m taking my medicine, working with health care providers, attending support groups, etc., no one would ever know that I have a mental illness.
The word “Bipolar” gets thrown around a lot. Often it’s used as joke or an insult. Just as someone might refer to another person as a “psycho”. I don’t refer to myself as being bipolar. I say, “I’m diagnosed with bipolar disorder..” or “I have bipolar disorder, it doesn’t have me.”
Mental Illness still has a stigma attached to it and that may never change. Many famous, successful people who are diagnosed with bipolar disorder have reached the pinnacle of success in their field:
Winston Churchill, Vincent Van Gogh, Catherine-Zeta Jones, Buzz Aldrin, Ted Turner….just to name a few.
I have been open and forthcoming with almost everyone I know about my diagnosis. I’ve found it to be helpful for me to talk about it. Possibly by doing so it may help to chip away at that stigma just a little bit.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I grew up on Long Island, NY. I joined the United States Air Force and was stationed in Omaha, NE. After the Air Force I got into the car business, I worked in that industry for twenty years. I have two daughters and two grandchildren.
I have been practicing and performing magic since I was a teenager. My first show was for a boy’s 5th birthday party, I was only 13 myself.
So, for a long time I performed part-time, on the side, while working a full time job in sales.
I decided I wanted to try doing magic full time. I made this in 2020. The timing could have been better. No one wanted to pick a card, or touch anything during that time. I was doing more Uber driving than I was magic tricks during Covid.
Things are picking back up, I’m starting to get more calls and emails for potential shows. I’m going to persist. I’m also going to continue driving for Uber.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
1) Be an expert in your chosen field and offer a quality product. 2) Understand that you will fail sometimes. You’ll also have successes. Don’t give up. The dream is only dead when you stop trying.
3) Don’t listen to the haters. Most of the time the people doing the hating are jealous of your success, or possibly just your ambition to succeed.
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
To be completely honest, my ex-wife has been most helpful to me over the years.
Angie, my daughter’s mom. Had helped me more times and in more ways than anyone else in my life. In fact she was the one who convinced me to try and do this full time.
I wasn’t diagnosed with bipolar disorder until 2010. We got married in 2005. So for 5 years neither she nor myself knew or understood why I was doing some of the things I was doing. Please don’t get me wrong, I’m not blaming all of my problems or bad behavior on my mental illness. I’ve made plenty of bad choices and decisions since 2005 and they weren’t all related to my diagnosis.
Anyway, to get back to your question, there has been no one in my life who has been more helpful than Angie. No one..
Contact Info:
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MagicMikeSchwally?mibextid=ZbWKwL
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/magicmikeschwally
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@magicmikeschwally
