The Project
A Story That Hasn’t Been Told to the End.
I’m Nikolas Migut, a journalist, social entrepreneur, and founder of StrassenBLUES. And I live with bipolar disorder.
The idea for StrassenBLUES came to me in 2012, right in the middle of a manic episode. Since then, I’ve carried two truths with me: This illness repeatedly throws my life off course, and yet that’s precisely where I find strength, clarity, and meaning.
“A Roller Coaster Life” is where I continue to share this story in real time, not in retrospect as a summary. From October 3, 2026 - my 49th birthday - I’ll speak publicly about my diagnosis for the first time. My goal: to show that living with bipolar disorder isn’t some exceptional state, but something we can shape if we stop keeping it a secret.
Who we want to reach.
About 9.5 million people in Germany live with depression. More than two million people have bipolar disorder. But a mental illness never affects just one person. Partners, children, parents, friends, and coworkers are all affected as well. Often invisibly, often alone.
When you include these loved ones, many millions of people in Germany are affected directly or indirectly. A rough estimate suggests it could be as many as one in two or one in three people.
Achterbahnleben is here for all of them.
What makes it different. A voice that speaks from personal experience rather than just talking about those affected. Connection rather than mere knowledge transfer. An initiative that considers both those affected and their loved ones equally.
To ensure its success, Achterbahnleben rests on three pillars: public awareness campaigns and outreach in schools, stories to read, listen to, and apply, and a free platform for loved ones.
1. Raising Awareness Together
In the future, "A Roller Coaster Life" will be run as a non-profit entrepreneurial company (gUG), sustained by people who believe in this cause: through donations from individuals and businesses, grants from foundations and lotteries, and institutional support from Hamburg and the federal government. Hopefully, each of these forms of support will ensure that, in the long term, efforts to raise awareness about bipolar disorder do not fail due to a lack of funding.
In addition, future revenue will come from our own offerings: the Steady subscription for in-depth newsletter editions, sales of the workbook “Stay Optimistic” and the accompanying online course, corporate sponsorship for individual event formats, and fees from schools and government agencies for educational programs we conduct. This means that part of our work is funded directly through the offerings we create anyway, not just through donations.
This commitment is evident in participatory engagement formats: art, music, and dialogue in public spaces, where those directly affected and random passersby strike up conversations without any barriers. And in schools, where we try out exactly the same formats with students - free of charge for them, funded by a fee from the school or the city, or through grants. In both cases, the principle is the same: connection instead of distance, curiosity instead of fear of interaction. Stigmatization loses its power as soon as people talk with one another instead of about one another.
2. Stories That Make a Difference
My own story has inspired formats designed to engage you and others. To read, listen to, and put into practice:
- Newsletter (Steady): regular, personal insights - teasers available on social media and this website.
- Book: set to be published by a publisher, it tells my story with a consistent focus on solutions. It’s supplemented by the perspective of my wife, Milena, as a family member, who shares what it’s like to live alongside someone with bipolar disorder.
- Digital products: the workbook “Stay Optimistic” and an accompanying online course, featuring profiles of people living with the condition, family members, and public figures who are open about their diagnosis.
- Podcast: a three-way conversation - a person living with the condition or a family member, an expert, and me as the facilitator. Always with the goal of not just identifying problems, but also pointing out solutions. Complemented by conversations with public figures who are bipolar themselves, because visibility helps destigmatize the condition.
3. A Network for Family Members
People who live with someone who has bipolar disorder are rarely taken into account. Yet this illness always affects those closest to the person with the disorder as well. That’s why we’re creating a free platform for family members and close friends: a digital space offering guidance, honest insights, and first points of contact for anyone supporting someone with bipolar disorder. Access to the platform itself is free.- from here, paths lead to resources that go deeper: the newsletter on Steady, the book, and the workbook with an online course.
Join us: Let’s bridge the gap
When it comes to mental illness, our society often recognizes only two states: functioning or failing. There’s a lack of language and spaces in between. This isn’t a personal failure - it’s a systemic problem. "Roller Coaster Life" bridges this gap, together with self-help groups, experts, businesses, and the cultural sector.
That’s why we need you. "Roller Coaster Life" thrives on people reading along, empathizing, and getting involved. On social media, we continuously share our stories through text, images and video; in the Events, you can learn more about our participatory events in Hamburg; and in the Community, you’ll find resources and ways to stay connected.
Stay hopeful. Join us, speak up, and help shape the future.
