Third Thursday
Inspiration Series
Hosted by the community, for the community
Connection, learning, and hope can be powerful parts of our wellness journeys. DBSA California’s Third Thursday Inspiration Series brings our community together each month to hear from inspiring speakers, advocates, experts, and people with lived experience who have something meaningful to share.
Held on the third Thursday of each month, these conversations explore topics that matter to people living with depression and bipolar disorder — from mental health and wellness to creativity, identity, relationships, and finding purpose. Come as you are, learn something new, ask questions, and connect with a community that understands.
Previous Events
My Forever War With Mental Illness
with Major General Gregg F. Martin
Major General Gregg F. Martin, PhD, US Army (Retired), a 36-year combat veteran, author of Bipolar General: My Forever War with Mental Illness, and self-described Mental Wellness Warrior, shares his powerful personal story of living with bipolar disorder. After spending much of his life unknowingly on the bipolar spectrum, Martin experienced extreme highs and lows that nearly destroyed him and ultimately gave him a new mission: to share his lived experience, challenge stigma, promote recovery, and help others living with mental health conditions know they are not alone.
About the Speaker:
Martin is the author of “BIPOLAR GENERAL: My Forever War with Mental Illness.” A globally recognized leader in mental health and bipolar disorder, he is an “Expert by Lived Experience” and a leading character in BrainStormthefilm.com, a new documentary on bipolar disorder that will air on PBS. For more, see his website at BipolarGeneral.com . He is also grateful and proud to be an IBPF and NAMI Ambassador.
Beyond the Bipolar Label
with Dr. Andrea Vassilev, PsyD.
Dr. Andrea Vassilev, psychotherapist, veteran DBSA facilitator, and author of Beyond the Bipolar Label, hosted a conversation exploring self-stigma and shame surrounding bipolar disorder. Through evidence-based approaches and her own lived experience, Dr. Vassilev shared practical ways to challenge self-stigma, foster self-acceptance, and support greater wellness and recovery.
About the Speaker:
Dr. Andrea Vassilev is a California-based psychotherapist specializing in the treatment of bipolar. A clinician, academic, and advocate, she has has lived with bipolar herself for nearly 30 years. Dr. Vassilev is the creator of Overcoming Self-Stigma in Bipolar Disorder, the first program of its kind, which is now being implemented worldwide. She is the author of the recently published “Beyond the Bipolar Label,” which addresses shame and self-stigma head-on in an interactive workbook. An award-winning advocate, Dr. Vassilev collaborates with major outlets and organizations across the globe to speak and write on her unique mix of clinical and personal expertise in an effort to increase knowledge and combat stigma.
Dr. Vassilev serves on the Board of Directors for the International Society for Bipolar Disorders and was long-time co-chair for their Experts by Experience track. Dr. Vassilev also serves on the Scientific Advisory Board for the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance.
A Workshop in Therapeutic Filmmaking
with Dr. Mohammad Shahisaman
This experiential workshop led by Dr. Mohammad Shahisaman introduced therapeutic filmmaking as a creative tool for people living with bipolar disorder, depression, and related mood disorders. Drawing from narrative therapy, somatic healing principles, and expressive arts, participants explored how writing, filming, and editing their own stories can become powerful acts of self-expression, emotional processing, and identity reclamation — empowering them to become the authors of their own stories rather than simply their subjects.
About the Speaker:
Dr. Mohammad Shahisaman is a Marriage and Family Therapist and Clinical Director at Glendora Recovery Center. He specializes in working with individuals, couples, families, and minors who are navigating the complexities of trauma, anxiety, substance use, and relational dynamics. Dr. Shahisaman's work integrates trauma-informed care with evidence-based methods such as CBT and DBT, woven together with experiential, somatic, and systemic therapies. His research focuses on experiential filmmaking as a therapeutic intervention, exploring how the processes of writing, directing, filming, and editing can become pathways to healing for people whose experiences resist verbal expression alone.
Ask the Expert
with Dr. Tigran Makunts, PharmD RPh
DBSA California presents a virtual conversation with Executive Director Wendy McNeill and researcher Tigran Makunts, PharmD, RPh. This curated discussion will explore the pharmaceutical space, medications for mental health, and important questions around drug safety.
About the Speaker:
Dr. Makunts is pharmacist by training, specialized in drug safety for approved drugs and drugs still in clinical trials. His experience spans from working in community pharmacy to doing research at the FDA, researching psychiatric medications at UCSD, and currently working on clinical trials in endocrinology, neurology and oncology. Tigran enjoys playing tennis in his free time.
Bipolar to Balance
with Michael Schneider
Michael focuses on navigating mental health and the shared path toward healing, bringing lived experience, professional insight, and constructive conversations around bipolar disorder and recovery.
About the Speaker:
Following his commitment to ownership and wellness, Michael has not experienced a manic episode in 25 years. He is now a Stanford graduate, successful technology professional, author, and advocate supporting individuals and families impacted by mental health conditions.
From Surviving to Thriving
with Tiran Jackson
After surviving an unimaginable personal tragedy, Tiran began a profoundly transformational journey and discovered histrue purpose: inspiring others to find their own path. Tiran's authenticity and vulnerability now serve as guiding lights for those seeking resilience, courage, and strength.
About the Speaker:
Tiran Jackson is a nationally recognized speaker, author, and resilience expert whose life and work are centered on one truth:
Your response to adversity—not adversity itself—determines what happens next.
After surviving a catastrophic boating accident that took his wife’s life and resulted in the loss of his leg, Tiran chose not to be defined by tragedy—but to be driven by purpose.Today, he equips audiences and clients with the mindset, tools, and strategies needed to rise stronger, lead better, and move forward with clarity. Through powerful storytelling, practical resilience frameworks, and lived experience that moves people to action, Tiran works with organizations, leaders, and individuals to transform adversity into strength, purpose, and measurable progress.