Full Circle: Finding Your Way Home

The saying ‘I’m losing my mind’ couldn’t be truer for my next guest. This week I am speaking with Barbara K. Lipska, a Neuroscientist who was diagnosed in 2015 with metastatic melanoma in her brain’s frontal lobe. As the cancer progressed and was treated, she experienced behavioural and cognitive symptoms connected to a range of mental disorders, including dementia and her professional specialty, schizophrenia. Gradually, after a course of immunotherapy, Barbara returned to normal functioning and amazingly recalled her experience – even writing a memoir entitled ‘The Neuroscientist who Lost her Mind: My Tale of Madness And Recovery’. A tale like no other— I am honoured to speak with Barbara about returning home to her true self after her brush with insanity.

Show Notes

The saying ‘I’m losing my mind’ couldn’t be truer for my next guest. This week I am speaking with Barbara K. Lipska, a Neuroscientist who was diagnosed in 2015 with metastatic melanoma in her brain’s frontal lobe. As the cancer progressed and was treated, she experienced behavioural and cognitive symptoms connected to a range of mental disorders, including dementia and her professional specialty, schizophrenia. Gradually, after a course of immunotherapy, Barbara returned to normal functioning and amazingly recalled her experience – even writing a memoir entitled ‘The Neuroscientist who Lost her Mind: My Tale of Madness And Recovery’.
 
A tale like no other— I am honoured to speak with Barbara about returning home to her true self after her brush with insanity.
 
 
Quotes
 
“100% of people die with this illness when this spreads to the brain— so it’s tragic as you can imagine.” [4:41]
 
“I’m alive and that’s the most important thing.” [18:34]
 
“Live in the moment because you don’t know what will happen to you.” [26:12]
 
 
Notes

  • Barbara’s background [2:15]
  • Barbara’s illness [3:50] 
  • The impact of her illness [10:05]
  • The journey of healing [15:48]
  • How to approach mental illness and its effects [20:45]
  • Key lessons learnt [23:47]
  • The future and moving on [28:15]
  • Closing thoughts [34:40]
 
Gillian Socials
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Barbara Socials
https://www.barbaralipska.com
Read “The Neuroscientist who Lost her Mind”: https://www.amazon.com/Neuroscientist-Who-Lost-Her-Mind/dp/1328787303 

What is Full Circle: Finding Your Way Home?

Hosted by Soul Healer, ICF Master Coach, and best-selling Author Gillian McMichael, “Full Circle: Finding Your Way Home” is a sacred space for reflection, healing, and transformation.

Each episode invites you to pause, breathe, and journey inward - exploring themes such as trust, forgiveness, confidence, self-love, and alignment with your true self. Through soulful guidance and heartfelt storytelling, Gillian shares wisdom and practices that help you release what no longer serves you, reconnect with your inner strength, and remember who you truly are.

This is your invitation to awaken, realign, and flourish as you find your way home - back to your soul, back to your essence, back to you.