Episode #97: Felicia Stingone
Felicia Stingone is a marketing and brand strategist with the company she co-founded, Chief Marketing Partners. She is also the co-founder and one of the leaders of Fly Female Founders, the not-for-profit community organization supporting female-founded and lead small businesses. Felicia, who goes by "Fly", believes in the power of brands to connect people to ideas, causes, and products. She helps organizations drive growth by aligning brand strategy and financial goals. Her approach to her work is informed by her 30 years of broad experience as a chief marketing officer, not-for-profit board member, advertising executive, brand strategy consultant, communications leader, and fundraiser.
When Felicia Stingone talks about her brother, who has bipolar disorder, it’s clear how important this relationship is to her. She sees her brother as a person, not as his illness. As she starts to write a book about her experience as a “caring sibling” to her brother, she embraces the fact that her story is both of their stories, and that she needs him as a collaborator on this project. On today’s episode, we talk about how Felicia is navigating the writing process, and who she hopes this book will ultimately help. We also talk about what Felicia means when she says “caring sibling,” and how her role may shift into caregiving (and what changes that will bring). Finally, we talk about how conversations around mental illness are changing among young people especially, and Felicia’s advice to people who have loved ones managing mental illness.
“Don’t have a relationship with your brother or sister’s illness or your child’s illness. Have a relationship with them and learn about their illness.”
Here are some of the things Felicia and I chatted about:
What is was like, through her eyes, for her brother to receive his diagnosis of bipolar disorder
The stigma of mental illness that persists today--and in some ways, is as stigmatized as ever
Her reaction to her brother’s diagnosis: the overwhelming sadness she felt, along with the guilt
Appreciating how young people are more willing to share their stories around mental health
Why she characterizes her role in her brother’s life as a “caring sibling” rather than a caregiver
The way she supports her brother as he manages his condition, and who he is as a person
How the main character from Silver Linings Playbook reminds her of her brother, in some ways
The strong relationship her brother has with their parents--the three of them are in it together
What it means to be ready to take the baton from her parents, who have served as caregivers
Why, after she had her daughter, the pattern of how she showed up for her brother shifted
How her own experiences with anxiety and depression have helped her brother open up to her
What a “circular conversation” might look like with her brother, and how she navigates them
Her reaction, years earlier, when her boss said to hang up on his brother with bipolar disorder
Why she needs her brother as a collaborator as she tells their story through writing a book
Her goal in writing the book, and how it will explore different topics in connection to her brother
Her advice to people with family members who have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder
Communities (like The Mighty) where you can be open about what you’re going through
How she’s encouraged seeing how young people express their experience with mental illness
“I can’t tell my story without him. That’s why so many people wait ‘til their sibling or their parent passes to tell the story. But I don’t want my brother to pass to tell the story. I want my brother to be alive for a really long time.”
Books Felicia referenced:
Moody Bitches, Julie Holland
Good Chemistry, Julie Holland
Hidden Valley Road, Robert Kolker
Follow Felicia: Website
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