160. Gigi Robinson on Chronic Illness, Social Media Influencers, & Sharing Your Story

Sep 17

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Today's guest is Gigi Robinson— a chronic illness and body positivity advocate, Sports Illustrated Swim Search finalist, speaker, and podcast host. We discuss her advice on navigating chronic illness as a student and how to advocate for your health, when it’s time to ask for help and set personal boundaries as a student dealing with stress and burnout, what it’s like being a social media creator and how to create an authentic platform, her experience as a Sports Illustrated model, and her tips on how to share your story via social media in a successful way.

Gigis Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsgigirobinson/

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About She Persisted

After a year and a half of intensive treatment for severe depression and anxiety, 20-year-old Sadie recounts her journey by interviewing family members, professionals, and fellow teens to offer self-improvement tips, DBT education, and personal experiences. She Persisted is the reminder that someone else has been there too and your inspiration to live your life worth living.

a note: this is an automated transcription so please ignore any accidental misspellings!

Sadie: [00:00:00] Welcome to She Persisted. I'm your host, Sadie Sutton, a 19 year old from the Bay Area studying psychology at the University of Penn. She Persisted is the Teen Mental Health Podcast made for teenagers by a teen. In each episode, I'll bring you authentic, accessible, and relatable conversations about every aspect of mental wellness.

You can expect evidence-based, teen approved resources, coping skills, including lots of D B T insights and education in. Each piece of content you consume, she persisted, Offers you a safe space to feel validated and understood in your struggle, while encouraging you to take ownership of your journey and build your life worth living.

So let's dive in this week on She persisted.

Gigi: I personally was there to advocate for women with chronic health issues and with body image issues to show that you don't need to lose weight to be a part of Sports Illustrated.

You don't need to look a certain way to, you know, be in a bikini that you can have stretch marks and eczema [00:01:00] and dry skin and you know, eye bags even and enjoy like being sexy and in a photo shoot

Hello, hello and welcome to She Persisted. I'm so excited you're here today. If you are new, my name is Sadie. I am a 20 year old and a junior at the University of Pennsylvania. If you listened to last week's episode, we talked a lot about back to school advice, my goals for junior year, all of that. And this week's episode is kind of jumping off of that because we have Gigi Robinson on the podcast and we talk a lot about advocating for yourself in school, navigating mental health challenges or chronic illness while in college.

Thank Getting accommodations as well as a lot of other topics. I'm really excited to have her on the show today. If you are not familiar with Gigi Robinson, she's a chronic illness and mental health advocate. She was a finalist in the Sports Illustrated Swim Search.

She is also the host of Everything You Need Is Within, which is another podcast, and an author. She is very multifaceted, and this conversation truly reflects that. We talk not only about [00:02:00] accommodations, navigating challenges in school, avoiding burnout, but we also touch on being a social media creator versus a consumer, kind of.

breaking the third wall there. And we also talked about telling your story in a really intentional and impactful way. So if you've been through a mental health challenge or a challenging season of life and you want to tell your story to help others, how to do that in a way that's really effective and lands well and is able to inspire and empower others.

So all of that to come in this conversation. As always, make sure to share with a friend or family member if you enjoy, post about it on social media, and let's dive in!

Sadie: Well, thank you so much for being here today on She Persisted, Gigi. I am so excited to have you here. It's been a long time in the making, and I can't wait to get into your story and talk all about social media and mental health and everything that comes with that.

Gigi: Yeah, thanks for having me.

I'm happy to be here and to answer any and all questions about, you know, health advocacy, the greater economy, and chronic illness, and being a college and master's student. You know, there's... A lot with my [00:03:00] story that I think people can

Sadie: benefit from. Yeah, I'd love to start with your background and giving listeners context to how you got to the point where you are today doing a lot of advocacy work on a lot of different fronts.

So take me back to when you were in it both with mental health and you mentioned chronic illness as well. So I'd love to hear your story there and the context that led you to all the work you're doing today to advocate for

Gigi: others. Yeah, again, thanks for having me. So if you don't know, my name is Gigi Robinson.

I have been an artist and a storyteller for, you know, as long as I can remember. I've always loved the arts and finding a way to use mediums like photography and videography and writing even to tell a story. And so when I was diagnosed with EDS a connective tissue disorder at like age 10 or 11, I had To figure out a way to, you know, [00:04:00] express myself, I had to quit competitive swimming and all physical kind of activity that normal teenagers go through.

And I then went on to. fall in love with art and use that as my outlet, which led me down the path of going to the fashion institute of technology for a year. And then on to USC for both my BFA and my master's of science, where I unfortunately experienced a lot of medical ableism as well as ableism at school from both.

People in my personal life as friends and from professors and faculty, which happens all too many, times unfortunately, and I. Wanted to do something about it. So I started using my art skills and documented a lot of my experience on camera. And during COVID, I [00:05:00] started talking about it on the internet, and the rest is kind of history.

Sadie: For listeners who have also dealt with a chronic illness, or they struggle with health issues, it's something that they're balancing on top of an education can you walk me through what that was like as a college student and any pieces of advice you have there for listeners who are like, that's what I'm going through and I'm navigating that.

Now being on the other side and having those years under your belt.

Gigi: I would say don't be afraid to ask for help. I think a lot of times it's like, oh, I have to go get this form signed and register with the disability office that I need these accommodations and I have to have this conversation with my teachers and I have to potentially ask for help from my students.

And the reality is like, if people aren't going to help you and you need accommodations, they're the asshole. Excuse my language, but like, they're the people that are like, you know, the, the kind of people that we don't like in the world, the kind of people that judge us [00:06:00] for needing extra help. And unfortunately, that happens too much.

Unfortunately, another thing that happens is when you are the student who has accommodations or has to ask for them. Sometimes you'll be dealing with a teacher or a faculty member or a student that doesn't understand, and other students won't stand up for you. I think part of that is because they don't want to do anything to jeopardize their academics or their career and it's the same reason why like I think a lot of people don't speak up at work too is like they're afraid of who might see or hear that they're helping somebody out who needs more than what they're getting on a personal level and so I would say don't be afraid to ask for help number one and number two, I think Use your accommodations to the fullest.

I remember I had to have a conversation with one of my teachers and say, look, I'm so burnt out right now. [00:07:00] I'm struggling so much. I can't, I can't get this project done. And my teacher said, well, what can you get done? Like, and all it takes is one professor to, or, you know, teacher or friend to be there with you and be like, I see you, I hear you, let's make it work, you're still gonna pass, I'm not gonna let you fail, like, this is just what you need to do or what you can come up with in the meantime.

So be flexible and also think outside the box, like. Bring solutions to the table, right? I told my teacher I said, I I can't do this, you know, 20 page paper I just don't have the time or mental capacity with my health but what I can do is a photo essay with you know, 40 pages of photos and descriptions on each page with research on on the topic and teacher said that works and That's a very unique case that, that happened.

I know not all students in all majors are going to be as lucky but when you can't rely on friends or other [00:08:00] people, even in the disability office, I think it's important to always be honest and authentic and have those conversations with people. People that you know that you can trust again, whether that's like a professor or a friend

Sadie: It's a really interesting shift going from high school where accommodations, in my experience at least, were relatively easy to get. It was like one appointment with your guidance counselor and then you had accommodations across all your classes. Versus in college, and this is different at every school, But every year, you're renewing your accommodations.

You get a new doctor's note describing what it is that you need accommodations for. And every semester, you have to renew those accommodations for each class you're taking. And every exam, you have to register for each test, for each accommodation. So it's not straightforward. And it can be... It is. It's a lot of work.

You have to plan to advocate for these accommodations on a really recurring basis. And so it makes sense why people are like, I'm not going to do it this time. [00:09:00] I don't, maybe I'll be okay without it. And then you're in a position where you haven't gotten those accommodations and you're struggling even more.

Gigi: Yeah. It is really challenging. And to be honest, like I am not. involved in academic accommodations as it stands anymore. You know, maybe a couple of years ago, if I was in this position, I would be more outspoken and interested in changing the rules. But yeah, it is a process that you have to go through to get letters from your doctors, to register with the disability office, to then register with each professor, each class during finals week.

Like it's, it's very, Also excruciating, I think, for the, the patient who has to constantly relive explaining over and over again. I mean, four times I guess two times a year for four years would be eight times you have to tell a new patient Set of professors each semester over four years about your [00:10:00] problems, and that's not always easy.

A lot of people also who are recently diagnosed or have new accommodations also have to come to terms with their. illness, ailments, or health issue in the first place. And that can be really challenging to do, especially if you haven't done the work with either your therapist or your psychologist, psychiatrist, like whoever is helping you through the period of time as you need these accommodations.

Yeah, it's just it's it can be a lot. I had been asking for accommodations since I was like 11 years old So it wasn't really like hard for me But I can definitely see how it's hard for people Especially if they get diagnosed with something during school or like just at the end of high school going into college also having to explain it to friends.

It's like oh, well, what's wrong with you? Why can't you come out tonight? Why aren't you interested, you know explaining that shouldn't really be something you have to do. I think people also just need to have a lot more empathy.

Sadie: [00:11:00] You mentioned dealing with burnout and stress and having that line of when you need to ask for help and make adjustments.

And I think this is something that a lot of college students struggle with. You don't necessarily have a complete understanding of what the line is, of okay, I'm just pushing through, it's final season, I'm stressed, but it'll be okay, and I'm really overworking myself. What was helpful for you to be aware internally, whether it was physically, mentally, energetically, of where that line was, where that boundary was, and when you asked for help versus being like, okay, I got this.

It's not comfortable, but it's going to be okay.

Gigi: I think I always knew it was going to be okay, even in my worst moments. I think that's something to, to remember is like, even when you are burnt out and it's really, really challenging, you're okay to feel that you're supposed to feel that like we're supposed to feel large amounts of stress at points in our life.

I'm not saying oftentimes it's good. And I just think it does really count as like a learning moment regardless. So for [00:12:00] me, when I was really burnt out, you know, I was taking 20 credits, which is full load. Normally it's like 16 to 18 tops and I was, you know, over that. I had also just been so involved with a couple of different student orgs and my sorority and I think Doing all of those things was just an overload and being social on top of that and being, you know 3, 000 miles away from home was really challenging and I think the Overload of stress is what ultimately caused the burnout and I'm not a medical professional so or neuroscientist So I don't You know, really know the science behind what stress does to our body, but I do know that it does cause inflammation, that it does cause migraines, that it does cause, you know, more digestive health issues.

And I think that in, like, looking back, it's like, I put myself through such a crazy [00:13:00] amount of stress and it made myself the sickest I'd ever been. And the only thing that helped was taking a reduced course load and graduating a semester later than I had anticipated. And I didn't want to do that. But I think in humbling myself, being like, you literally cannot move on like this.

Was my personal boundary and I'm not saying, you know, if you're burning out, like everyone has to take a reduced course load. I think recognizing your, your patterns of like, Are my days that are good better than my days that are bad? Am I able to have a conversation or eat a meal without multitasking?

I would always be eating a meal and typing something for school or like getting a post up for my social media jobs after instead of Enjoying my meal mindfully. You know, on every commute, I was on a zoom call and this was before zoom calls even [00:14:00] were a thing like before 2020. So I just think really paying attention to your.

Mindfulness and what you're doing day to day is extremely important. And I know I kind of went on a little rant here. I would say that just finding things that aren't score related to enjoy, like really lean into your hobbies during college is important because people say like, Oh, it's the best years of your life.

I don't really believe that. I had a really challenging time. I didn't. really love college that much. Honestly, I found it to be really one of the most challenging times of my life. And the only thing that, like, kept me going was volunteering at local places around Los Angeles and doing photography and going hiking with the camping club.

Those were things that I was able to do that I could kind of like escape from the academic world in and you're not going to be in the [00:15:00] academic world forever. I think that's another important thing to, to realize in terms of managing , your burnout , unless you're going into like a super, super competitive technical field, like med school, law school you know, one of those fields, I would say like.

Do things that you want to do. Being in school is about learning about yourself. It's not about learning and preparing for your future career, really. It's about figuring out how you want to navigate life after school. And I think one pivotal moment for me, where I realized burnout was more of a problem than I had thought is when I had asked three to four of my friends how they were doing right before finals week.

They said, I'm so burnt out. I'm gonna die. I'm so overwhelmed. It's too much. I'm so stressed out. I don't have a life, you know, hearing that over and over [00:16:00] made me realize like hustle culture and like this, , super academically rigorous school, which I know you're at a really rigorous school as well. It can be really hard mentally and you.

It's not just these rigorous schools. It's any college. This can happen anywhere, anytime. So, I kind of rambled, but I just wanted to make that, that point as well.

Sadie: No, I think that's really important, and I think you outlined a lot of universal experiences that listeners can definitely relate to if they've been in college, whether it's being really burnt out, struggling to be mindful, and continuously being on that hamster wheel of classes, and socializing, and all these other commitments that you have.

And making sure you don't get to the point of letting it lead to complete burnout or breaking down because I think, like you mentioned, a lot of students are experiencing it and they're not always honest about it, so you kind of are going through this world where it's like, well, everyone's It's navigating this course load.

Everyone is handling the stress, so why can't [00:17:00] I? And a lot of the times, people are also struggling with stress and burnout and overwhelm and exhaustion, but they're not being vulnerable and saying, this is a lot, and I don't know how I'm going to continue to do this, and so that can even add to the mental stress of being like, I'm the only one that's ever been in this position.

Gigi: Yeah, totally. It's definitely universal unfortunately. Yeah,

Sadie: exactly. Switching gears to social media, I want to talk about your experience as a creator, because I think it gives a lot of interesting insight into what it's like to Curate a profile and have that be your business because I think especially as we're on TikTok more, short form content is taking over the internet or has taken over the internet at this point, we see a lot of individuals curating these online spaces.

And like, I'm sure you'll touch on, it's not always reality. It's not always what they're going through 24 hours a day. And so it almost. Causes more [00:18:00] comparison and like we talked about, whether it's at college, comparing yourself to your peers and who's burned out and who's stressed out. The same thing can also happen online.

So what has your experience been going from more of a consumer to then stepping into the creator role?

Gigi: Yeah, so I've actually been a creator for over eight years. I've been doing it for a long time, but you know, Like many things, it takes a long time to build a successful business as it does a successful social media kind of world and platform.

And I think the biggest thing for me was staying true to my purpose driven work and my storytelling and also just kind of. Staying true to what I wanted to do. A lot of my content is like professional photography. It's not iPhone photography and that's because of my roots as an artist and photographer and I made it very clear to brands from the beginning that that's what they would get when they worked with me and obviously look at what it's built.

A lot of people told me You know, there's no [00:19:00] need for that. People love iPhone content. They want to make it more natural. And I'm like, but my audience knows that I shoot camera stuff. And so when I post iPhone content, it doesn't perform as well. Like literally it's in the analytics. And so I think staying true to, you know, what you want to do is important.

I also would say over time, like I think they say, like Rome wasn't built in a day. And I would definitely have to agree. I mean, I just had posted today and last week about my trip to the White House where I was recognized and invited to a briefing about lowering health care costs for American families and as a health advocate, a patient leader, I was invited and that took eight years of press You know, telling my story, creating art about it, posting about it, connecting with people, networking people to even get to that point.

And I think a lot of people just see, Oh my God, you're invited to the white [00:20:00] house. Like, how did that happen? And it's like. Oh, well, like I've been working for it for like eight years and it's not, that was never a goal of mine. I actually did put it on my vision board this year. So maybe it was, but you know, ideally it was, it was never something that I was like, I've dreamt of, you know, going to the white house and changing policies and, you know, being a patient advocate there, it was always just about helping patients.

So I think also dreaming big is so important because like you have to break your own glass ceiling. A lot of the time, you are the only person that can. Motivate yourself to outdo yourself like you should be the only person you're in competition with ever and so Every time I do something and I cross it off my bucket list, like going to the United Nations for the first ever World Eating Disorder Action Day, going to the White House, like reporting as an ambassador for Facebook at VidCon.

When I do all of these things, I have a list of other things that I want to achieve and accomplish because [00:21:00] I feel like my work is never done, and I think that is also partly a problem with the creator world, where it's like, there's that mindset of like, I want to do better, I want to do more, because as I do more, I'm going to be able to, you know, become a bigger creator, become more notable , fuel my business, and then there's the mental toll of it, which is, how much more can I push myself, and what is an attainable goal?

You know, like, what, where's the line here? And then there's other things that are more like vanity driven, like the lists that you can get on, the press articles that you could be in, the fashion shows and other, you know, events you can be invited into that you see all over the internet. And I think that those can really mess with your head.

I've talked about this. Before in the past as well as this year on my stories actually today, which was about the fact that I think fashion week is really [00:22:00] become this like vanity thing. It's like, oh, we're going to, you know, go to these shows and post about these things because I want to be in the same room as this legendary like moment.

And maybe that's what it's designed to do. Like, I think maybe that's what a lot of these, yeah. influencer kind of pop ups are meant to do it's to create a social moment about it. But what does it do for you as a creator? Is there any ROI on it? Are you going to make money from it? Are you going to make industry connections?

Because I can tell you, if the only thing you're getting is photos on like Getty Images, or you're sitting front row at a show, it's not really going to get you anything other than people thinking you're cool for like, a couple of minutes, maybe in the grand scheme of your social media career. So As a longtime lover of fashion, I say that because It frustrates me to just see the way the industry is adopting and capitalizing off of like hype culture and creator culture is just like being in the room where it happens and [00:23:00] then moving on and posting about it.

So I don't know if that fully answered the question, but it is. definitely very, very like cyclical. It's very repetitive. You know, it's not just fashion week. It's can, it's VidCon, it's you know, NFT week, it's Art Basel. It's all of these big world cultural moments that include fashion, art, technology, wellness, and they want creators to be a part of the conversation.

But what creators see is an opportunity to market themselves. And I don't know if the industry always is out for the creators in the good way. And I don't think the creators are always in it to actually help their career other than maybe like, Just good social press.

Sadie: Speaking of the fashion world, you also are a Sports Illustrated model what was that experience like?

Obviously, I think when most people think of body image [00:24:00] and that whole experience, it's very much tied to, especially I think in our age demographic, it's tied to modeling and fashion because that's those two of Very much been synonymous for a long time. What was that experience like getting to Almost be on the other side of things and navigate that process Was it tough mentally were you going into it and you're really confident.

It was an amazing experience What was that process like?

Gigi: Yeah, I think the experience was definitely good. I mean I you know my submission tape through their portal, but also on LinkedIn and on Instagram. And you know, the editor in chief MJ had told me that I was the first person who ever posted on LinkedIn and kind of validated the SI platform for the work that they were doing to kind of change the industry and help all different kinds of women to, you know, really, Feel seen and that was why they ended up like choosing me to be a part of the swim search Which was really cool.

I think you know, there was an article I [00:25:00] did with the US Sun and the reporter was literally fishing and Fishing for well, what did you do to prepare like did you get any like body sculpting and what did you do? And I'm like, no She's like, what do you mean? And I'm like, I mean, I got like a facial and I got like a haircut and my nails painted, and a spray tan, but I didn't do any body shaping or any intense diet or workout, which I do know some of my other fellow.

You know, swim search finalists in my class did and that's totally up to them. If that's how they want to feel their most confident, then like power to them. But I personally was there to advocate for women with chronic health issues and with body image issues to show that you don't need to lose weight to be a part of Sports Illustrated.

You don't need to look a certain way to, you know, be in a bikini that you can have stretch marks and eczema and dry skin and you know, eye bags even and [00:26:00] enjoy like being sexy and in a photo shoot. So that was Honestly, my experience, it was definitely kind of like felt like a fever dream also because I had dreamt of and followed Yusai, who's like a famous, famous world photographer.

He shoots so many magazine covers and shot so many celebrities. And I dreamt of actually as a kid, like wanting to assist him in photo shoots as a photographer for years. And so to be actually on the other side of his lens modeling because of my advocacy work was so full circle. Like I never in my wildest dreams did I think that would happen.

And so I also would say it's, It's a part of manifesting too. I know that's like a little bit crazy, but I wanted to do it because I wanted to help people. And I got to meet one of my idols in, in the process. And even though I didn't end up getting chosen to be the rookie, which [00:27:00] obviously is what you want when you're in the swim search, I was still in the magazine.

I still was able to be SI adjacent and associated with the work that the platform is doing and to help so many women feel more confident and like seen. So. I'm not, I'm not upset about it because I know how many people it helped, regardless of if I model with them again in the future.

Sadie: For listeners like me who don't know what the Riki is, what is

Gigi: that?

It basically means, so there's the swim search, which is basically an open casting call where they narrow it down from, let's say, a group However many, I think like 4, 000 people applied they narrow it down to 13 and then of the 13 they choose one or two women of that, that group to appear in the magazine in the future.

So being a part of the Swim Search doesn't necessarily guarantee that you're, you know, going to be in the magazine forever. In the future however, there's opportunities like attending the launches and you know, speaking on panels and having [00:28:00] articles in collaboration with them that definitely do come with I guess being a part of the SI network, but yeah, it, it's just another like level that you have to cross, but at the end of the day, I'm just grateful to have been a part of the process in the first place.

Sadie: Okay, gotcha. I, you said that and I was like, I don't know what that is. I want to make sure all the listeners do as well. The last thing that I wanted to touch on is telling your story and being able to curate your, your journey in a really inspiring way. Because I think a lot of people go through mental health challenges, physical health challenges, any rough patch in life and Feel compelled to share what they've gone through and I know from my own experience that not all mental health stories Not all physical health stories are created equal There's definitely an art to being able to share in a way that will help others and it's inspiring and it also motivates other people to want to do the work themselves and apply these principles to their own life and Not necessarily just have like a pity [00:29:00] party like there's different ways to be able to curate your story to have an impact and also build a community and so For listeners who have gone through a rough patch and they want to help others with their story, what is your advice there from just very simply curating that story and crafting it, and then also using social media to be able to amplify that, that vision and that

Gigi: story?

Yeah, great question. I mean, I think Simon Sinek has talked about this in recent interviews about the way that younger people, and anyone really, are sharing, oversharing on the internet, thinking that they're being vulnerable, when in reality what they're doing is they're, you know, sharing a video or photo of them crying, and it gets them more likes and comments and attention, and so it tricks your brain into thinking that it's like a feedback loop of, if I'm vulnerable and show myself struggling, that other people are going to sympathize, and then [00:30:00] follow me, and.

Want more of that and they might not be invested in my long term, you know journey They're just invested in maybe helping me feel better for a second and then you as the person receiving and posting kind of goes through that and you're like Not thinking fully of like if I post this video of me struggling right now I don't know what other people are going to you know, think and how it's affecting me.

I think of the same thing With social media managers, actually people who work in corporate, right? Their entire performance as a social media manager is based off of numbers saying like, if you post something or you did a collaboration that failed your direct, like work. In the company is correlated to that.

It's very easy for someone to use that against you and say you screwed up when in the end of the day, we know it's not something we can predict. You can't predict. Oh, this post can do really well. This post might not do well. And so what happens is the person who posts [00:31:00] that and clicks that post button.

They can get two outcomes. They can get a really bad outcome, and then themselves feel that negativity. Not only from the post not doing well because they see it, but from their managers, from more senior people saying, this isn't doing well, or they have something go viral. It's a total win. Their dopamine goes up.

They're super, super excited. They feel like they're good. Maybe they get a promotion. But then something bad happens and all of that goes away. And so as a creator, I think this happens so, so much. And so I personally like to be very mindful of what I'm posting. I think about my words. I think about my word choice.

I think about my photo choice. I think about the ultimate goal. Why am I posting this in the first place? Am I posting to share my story? Am I posting to, you know, have other people emulate what I'm doing? Am I posting to help people? Am I posting to, you know, just post? Because I, I wanna share an exciting thing that I did [00:32:00] and really finding out what your, you know, purpose is and why you're posting every single thing you post is important.

And I'm not saying like, I haven't in the past just like gone on and ranted because I, you know, wanted to or I saw funny memes and I just wanted to like share them on the internet. Like I've done that before. But I think in terms of being an advocate and really getting my story out there has always been about like, what's the greater purpose?

And how can I help as many people as possible? And how can I do it in a way that also is productive to me? So like. Me sharing my story about chronic illness and what I dealt with in school, hopefully inspires other students to not make the mistakes that I made. It's not to get pity and say, Oh, GG, I'm so sorry that you went through that.

Right? Like if I wanted to do that, I could have written it in a different way. I could have showed darker photos. I could have exposed the [00:33:00] exact people that wronged me, but I didn't. And the reason I didn't want to do that is because. I didn't want that negative kind of energy to infiltrate what the overall mission was.

And so, I hope that that made some kind of sense and maybe resonates, but overall definitely just think things through, read over your post before you post it. I draft all my posts on Google Docs or Notes before I post. I, I usually will run it through like a Grammarly or a ChatGPT. Maybe that's because I went to a research university and I just am like a little bit nutty about things, but I highly recommend doing that if you are posting publicly.

Sadie: I definitely agree. It's something that I am very grateful that I started sharing my mental health journey after I was fully in recovery. I think even in tough moments, it's again the impulse to share and it's the impulse to offer whatever insight you're having. But these things are really emotional and that can lead us to be less logical whether we intend to [00:34:00] or not.

And hindsight is 20 20 and... Having distance from what you've gone through allows you to have a lot of clarity and also be really intentional about what you're sharing. And it's definitely not the easy path to like sit on it and be like, okay, I'm going to think about this post or I'm going to think about starting this podcast page or whatever it is.

But especially if you want to do it in a long term way, it can be really effective and truly worth it. I would agree. If listeners want to follow along with you, continue consuming your content, all of that, where can they find you? Yeah,

Gigi: so everyone can find me by Googling my name. My platform is the at symbol, the word it's, and G.

G. Robinson everywhere. It's G. G. Robinson. My website is ggrobinson. com, and you can contact me via email via my phone. form there. If you want me to speak at your university or club or high school, even to be on your podcast, be interviewed for, you know, [00:35:00] publication or research project, even I love, you know, giving back to students just because I know how challenging it can be to also get credible sources.

And so I'm happy to take my time to help students. And hopefully, yeah, I'll hear from a lot of you and thanks so much Sadie for

Sadie: the interview. Of course, all of that will be in the show notes. Thank you.

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