The Anxious Achiever The Gifts And Struggles of a Bipolar General with Gregg Martin
Apr 14, 2026
Major General (Ret) Gregg Martin, a West Point grad, MIT PhD, combat veteran and author, discusses leading at the highest levels while living with bipolar disorder. He explores how high energy and creativity can be both strengths and warning signs. Short, candid segments cover mixed mood states, how military structure shaped symptoms, missed diagnoses, and the challenges of speaking up about mental health.
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Use Gratitude To Stabilize High Stress Leadership
- Use an attitude of gratitude to transform morale and keep perspective during extreme stress.
- Gregg practiced daily gratitude and faith rituals in combat to lift spirits and produce positive energy for his team.
Hyperthymia As A Career Superpower
- Gregg describes his lifelong energy as both personality and a bipolar "superpower" amplified by hyperthymia.
- He learned his baseline mood temperament is hyperthymia, a near-continuous mild mania that helped his career.
Routine And Social Rhythm Therapy Protect Mood
- Structure and routine act as a protective stabilization for bipolar conditions through social rhythm therapy.
- Gregg credits military daily routines like fixed sleep, meals, PT and rituals with keeping his bipolar from spiraling earlier.
