Burn Rate

"Is it possible to achieve great success while battling a condition that often makes you doubt your very sanity?" Burn Rate takes you on Andy Dunn's journey through the highs and lows of building a business while living with bipolar disorder.

1. The mask of invincibility

Andy Dunn spent much of his life hiding his struggles, presenting a polished, successful image to the world.

Raised in a high-achieving family of medical professionals, Andy learned to value intellect and discipline. These traits helped him excel academically and professionally but also contributed to his tendency to suppress vulnerability. Early experiences taught him to "pretend the hurt wasn’t there," a habit that became a defense mechanism as he pushed himself to new heights.

At college and during the early days of his career, Andy lived a life anyone would envy—elite education, lavish lifestyle, and entrepreneurial ambition. Yet beneath the surface, his mind was juggling unmanageable highs and devastating lows. Confronting his diagnosis of bipolar disorder, a condition he feared and didn’t fully understand, was too uncomfortable, so he ignored it for 16 years.

That denial left him unprepared for the moments when his condition surfaced in ways he couldn’t hide. The more successful and admired he became in life, the more pressure he felt to maintain the illusion of invincibility.

Examples

• Growing up, Andy skipped a grade and was seen as gifted, reinforcing the idea he had to perform perfectly.
• During college, he masked his growing struggles with frequent partying and intense romantic relationships.
• As the CEO of Bonobos, he presented a confident leadership image, hiding his private battles with mental illness.

2. Hypomania: A hidden driver of success

Andy’s hypomanic episodes often fueled his creativity, productivity, and boundless optimism, traits that propelled him to entrepreneurial success.

Hypomania, a key phase of bipolar disorder, gave Andy heightened energy and an almost magnetic charisma. During his best periods, he could work tirelessly without feeling drained, aggressively seeking opportunities and managing intense challenges. This state made him seem visionary, leading to his identification as a natural leader with great business instincts.

But hypomania doesn’t last. It can spiral out of control into full mania, where detachment from reality and reckless decisions take over. While Andy thrived during hypomanic phases, these episodes eventually gave way to devastating crashes, preventing sustained progress and creating chaos in his professional and personal life.

This dual nature of hypomania is both alluring and destructive, making it enticing to avoid treatment because it feels "good" while it lasts—but it comes at a cost.

Examples

• Andy’s hypomanic periods helped him establish Bonobos in New York, giving him the confidence to overcome massive financial obstacles.
• He raised $300,000 for Bonobos when the company was close to bankruptcy, fueled by sheer determination and energy.
• His ability to navigate early venture capital negotiations often hinged on his relentless enthusiasm and charm, hallmarks of hypomania.

3. Mania: A dangerous tipping point

Mania goes beyond hypomania—it's disorienting, uncontrollable, and dangerous, both for the individual and those around them.

Unlike hypomania, which is grounded in an exaggerated sense of reality, mania detaches the individual from that reality altogether. Andy describes his 20-year-old self believing he was destined to be the president, holding conversations with birds, and neglecting sleep, food, and water for days. These delusions felt logical to him at the time, which made them even more unsettling later.

Mania’s destructive potential isn’t limited to the individual experiencing it. Relationships, reputations, and self-image often fall apart in its wake. This happened repeatedly in Andy’s life, though he worked hard to keep others from noticing the severity of his episodes.

Andy’s relapses, despite years of avoidance, forced him to confront how untreated mania affected him and those closest to him. It was only after monumental consequences that he began working toward recovery and accountability.

Examples

• During his first manic episode in college, Andy interrupted his life to act on delusions of grandeur, later quietly returning without discussing the episode.
• In Las Vegas, 15 years later, he sent messianic tweets and believed he was telepathically engaged to his girlfriend.
• His most severe manic episode ended in violence, causing harm to his fiancée and her mother—a turning point in facing his mental health.

4. Depression: Living like the living dead

Bipolar disorder also brings crushing lows, leaving Andy feeling paralyzed and disconnected from life.

Depression, the other side of Andy’s bipolar experience, created immense challenges. It immobilized him, sapping his energy and ability to function in even basic ways. He describes days when he couldn’t muster the effort to get out of bed or eat, times when he even longed for an escape via death—not out of a wish to die, but out of desperation to stop the relentless pain.

While his hypomanic phases gave him the confidence to push forward in business, depression left him feeling unworthy and incapable. These swings made it almost impossible for Andy to sustain relationships, careers, and even his sense of self.

Recognizing that these low points weren’t due to external factors—but were instead a symptom of his mental health—led Andy to seek help. Depression forced him to confront the reality of his illness and begin the process of acceptance.

Examples

• During a depressive episode in China, Andy reached his lowest point, opening up to his fiancée after being unable to function.
• His depression often masked itself behind compensation behaviors, like manic partying or substance use, creating a complex web of self-denial.
• Simply leaving bed to use the bathroom became an insurmountable task on Andy’s darkest days.

5. Family: The overlooked support system

Family remained a safety net for Andy, even when his episodes strained relationships.

Although Andy and his family avoided discussing his bipolar disorder openly, they were usually present when he needed help. His sister Monica played a key role in recognizing the early symptoms of mania and encouraging him to take precautionary measures. His parents helped him manage his health during some of his most severe episodes, even if it meant navigating anger and confusion.

Having family members who were also doctors added both help and challenges. They provided immediate interventions during medical emergencies but also leaned into the idea that his first episode might have been a "one-off," a theory the whole family wished to believe for over 15 years.

Andy’s family showed that love and understanding played a huge role in his eventual recovery. Even as he leaned on them, he also had to learn to take responsibility for managing his condition and not overly depend on those around him.

Examples

• Monica stopped a possible manic episode in New York by intervening in Andy's sleep schedule and mood swings.
• His parents took him to the hospital during his first manic outbreak and again during later episodes.
• Manuela, his future wife, stood by him during his lowest points, offering acceptance and support even when it hurt her.

6. Denial’s heavy toll

For years, Andy refused to acknowledge his condition, creating long-term damage that required deep healing.

Living in constant denial allowed Andy to temporarily avoid dealing with stigma and shame, but it didn’t protect him from his condition. In fact, by ignoring it, he exacerbated its effects. Denial meant delaying treatment, failing to recognize patterns, and allowing his situation to spiral out of control more often than it had to.

By the time Andy began to address his bipolar disorder seriously, he had damaged relationships, faced legal troubles, and experienced repeated failures to truly care for himself. While his professional life soared in public, his private life was often in shambles.

Owning his diagnosis marked a turning point. Accepting that bipolar disorder would always be a part of him allowed him to focus on managing it instead of hiding it. It was no easy journey, but it gave him a fighting chance at stability.

Examples

• At college, Andy refused therapy after his manic episode, quickly returning to "normal" life while suppressing what had happened.
• His continued hypomania during the Bonobos years led to erratic decisions, like alienating cofounders and mismanaging relationships.
• A violent, manic episode became the final straw that forced Andy to look his disorder in the face.

7. Mental illness in the workplace

Being transparent about his bipolar disorder improved Andy’s relationships and leadership.

Andy’s decision to finally disclose his mental illness to his team marked a turning point. The weight of keeping it secret had been immense, contributing to his stress and alienating him from meaningful connections. Until this point, Andy had feared stigma, but he underestimated how much support and understanding people would actually offer.

After making his diagnosis known, Andy found allies in his board, colleagues, and even the venture capitalists who once pressured him for results. Transparent communication helped the team pull together, ultimately setting Bonobos on the path to its $310 million sale.

This experience demonstrated the importance of treating mental illness at work with compassion and openness. It also showed Andy how much his illness had been unfairly stigmatized, keeping him from seeking help for too long.

Examples

• Andy shared his diagnosis in a team meeting, which strengthened the workplace bond and normalized support for mental health.
• Despite initial fears, board members stood by Andy and strategized ways to stabilize the business while addressing his needs.
• Walmart’s interest in purchasing Bonobos came after Andy’s period of open management, showing vulnerability didn’t hinder success.

8. Love as a lifeline

Andy’s relationship with Manuela proved key to his recovery and ongoing health.

Manuela came into Andy’s life during a precarious phase, witnessing both his best and worst moments. Despite the turbulence, she remained his anchor, helping him find stability through deep empathy and active support. Her decision to stand by him after she and her mother suffered during a manic episode helped Andy see mental illness as something to face together.

Their relationship became a catalyst for Andy’s healing process. With her encouragement, he sought proper treatment, tried new therapies, and committed to staying on medication. Their openness about the struggles they experienced together further empowered him to address his condition publicly and without shame.

Andy’s connection with Manuela eventually blossomed into a marriage built on honesty and resilience. Through her support, he understood the scope of his illness and the discipline needed to manage it for both their sake and the sake of their family.

Examples

• During one of his lowest points in China, Manuela stayed by Andy's side, inspiring him to confront his struggles.
• Forgiving Andy after a manic episode, Manuela and her mother compared his bipolar disorder to a chronic medical condition like diabetes.
• She attended couple’s therapy with Andy, helping them rebuild trust and communication after difficult episodes.

9. Finding balance with treatment

Getting the right combination of therapy, medication, and transparency transformed Andy’s life.

Accepting his diagnosis was just the first step—balancing the highs and lows of bipolar disorder required Andy to form new habits, seek expert help, and adhere to medication. Working with Dr. Z, an experienced psychiatrist, Andy experimented until they found a prescription that effectively addressed his symptoms without diminishing his personality.

Combining treatment with regular therapy also allowed Andy to navigate relationships more healthily. In addition, prioritizing sleep became a cornerstone of maintaining stability. Even with periodic setbacks, these strategies significantly reduced the intensity and frequency of his episodes, giving him the ability to focus on family and work.

Andy’s story illustrates the importance of tackling mental illness with commitment and courage. Under the right care, he came to appreciate that bipolar disorder didn’t have to define his life—it just had to be managed.

Examples

• Dr. Z prescribed medicine that tempered both Andy’s manic highs and depressive lows without leaving him dulled or disconnected.
• Regular couple’s therapy with Manuela helped Andy navigate the challenges of managing his condition as part of their relationship.
• Andy learned how missing a single night of sleep could drastically worsen his condition, giving sleep the same priority as medication.

Takeaways

1. Treat mental health like any other form of health: Use clear, respectful language and normalize discussion around diagnoses and treatment.
2. Recognize the signs of untreated conditions: Encourage open conversations within families, workplaces, and social circles so people feel empowered to seek help.
3. Encourage small, regular habits: Proper sleep, consistent therapy, and sticking to medication plans can create stability for managing long-term mental health.