Title:
Gigi Robinson: Chronic Illness and Host of Influence

Subtitle:
A Bold Journey in Breaking Walls and Building Bridges

Transcript:

Alycia Anderson: Welcome to Pushing Forward with Alycia, a podcast that gives disability a voice. Each week we will explore topics like confidence, ambition, resilience, and finding success against all odds. We are creating a collective community that believes that all things are possible for all people. Open hearts, clear paths.

Let’s go.

Welcome back to Pushing Forward with Alycia. I am Alycia. Today’s guest is so much. She’s a creator. She’s a speaker, she’s a strategist. She’s a chronic illness warrior. She’s an author. She’s a total powerhouse who is redefining what it means to be seen and heard in our world.

She’s building brands with heart. She’s helping creators rise with purpose. She just relaunched her book through Penguin Random House. It’s titled a kids book about chronic illness. She’s a major influencer. I’m so excited to welcome Gigi Robinson to our show. Welcome.

Gigi Robinson: Hi, and thank you for having me. That was such a kind intro.

Alycia Anderson: I am really excited to dive into your story. It’s got so many layers. It’s so beautiful.To start who is Gigi? Before the brand, before the strategy, what was it like growing up?

Share whatever you’re comfortable with about your disability. Jump in there?

Gigi Robinson: Absolutely. So again, thanks for having me. For those that don’t know my story, I have most famously been known to advocate for chronic illness and other things that relate to it, such as mental health or eating disorder awareness. Grew up with a very early diagnosis of Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, the way I like to think about it is if you have a rubber band and you stretch it out, but it doesn’t stretch back and it loses its elasticity and just stays loose. That’s how my ligaments work and my body people dealing with hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome struggle with loose ligaments causing instability in joints, sublux easy breaks being double jointed or being able to do party tricks that other people can’t do. It’s like a telltale sign of hypermobile EDS and I got diagnosed when I was about 10 years old because I kept getting injured and I grew up in New York City and I fortunately was able to go to the emergency room a couple times at Cornell and the amazing doctors there were like, we really think you could have this. My mom’s Ehlers what? And so then we go over to the hospital for special surgery, which is right across the street. And I went to pediatric orthopedist and a rheumatologist there where they then confirmed and then sent me to a geneticist to triple confirm. And after that it was really a journey of pain management throughout my early teenager years, my adolescence, and then even being an early a young adult and it just led to so many different issues along the way from stomach issues, to horrible migraines, to horrible periods, which I would then find out is endometriosis only a few years ago. But I have made struggling with a chronic illness into hopefully something that is an inspiring story. I think sometimes there can be a lot of shame when you live with a chronic illness and also a lot of grief and sadness because it’s usually something you can’t change. And I just want to be a reminder to people that you can achieve literally anything and everything that you want despite the illness and it is also possible to learn how to thrive, find cures as modern medicine goes on and develops further. I didn’t think that there would ever be a time in my life where I would be pain-free a majority of the time, and had I not said yes to the endometriosis surgery or had I not said yes to doing treatments for pain management.

My doctor wouldn’t have even recommended I get the endometriosis diagnostic laparoscopic and the excision surgery. And had I not done that, it wouldn’t have cured my chronic migraines or limited them to give me function of life again. And also with my chronic back pain, it’s now mostly gone and relieved thanks to modern medicine.

So I believe in hope. I believe in resilience. I believe that there are answers. It’s also just about being open to them because I think a lot of times with chronic illness, it can feel like there’s no way out and it can feel like you’re just stuck and this is life and you just have to accept it. But also there are things you can change in your life that work around your chronic illness that can help you achieve your wildest dreams.

Alycia Anderson: I love that word that you just used. Hope. It’s one of my favorite words because I think it allows us to dream for the better, the good, the possible in our lives. So I love that you’re tying that word into your journey of trying to eliminate as much pain that you can and navigate your disability the best that you can.

Gigi Robinson: And one thing I wanted to mention, is the idea of a dynamic disability, especially for people with chronic illnesses. So for example, with my chronic migraines. Yes, it’s technically just a chronic illness and it would disable me for hours from actually being able to do the work I needed to do as a student or for my job. And same with the endometriosis and the Ehlers Danlos and the pain that was going on with all of that. There were days where I had to stay in bed all day or just lie down and I had to cancel plans. And I think living with a dynamic illness that gives you both days where maybe you’re totally fine, but also days where you literally can’t do anything, not even talk to people, is important to acknowledge because really is a journey to live with a chronic illness or a disability that can shape shift and change over time.

Alycia Anderson: And may I add one more layer to that?

Gigi Robinson: Yeah.

Alycia Anderson: It allows you to navigate life. It also forces you to sometimes rest like you’re saying, or completely take you out of life. But being the dynamic disability journey also allows you to shine really bright sometimes as well, and look at what you’re doing right now.

And that’s incredible.

Gigi Robinson: Yeah.

Alycia Anderson: What was the first push for you to start to share your journey? Like publicly vulnerably, without fear, and, I don’t know, do you still have fear sometimes in sharing your story and the things that you’re going through?

Gigi Robinson: I’ll answer the second question first, which

is not really. A bunch of stories just came out about my breast reduction and how I was sharing my story and how I made the decision to move forward with the breast reduction because of how much it was holding me back and still causing me chronic pain and fatigue.

And I felt like I couldn’t get to be the healthiest version of myself as well as simply being in pain. And I actually had a moment when I was at Tony Robbins, UPW in November and everyone, there’s, if you’ve never been to a Tony Robbins thing, there’s a lot of changing of your physical and your emotional state.

So there’s moments of grounding and gratitude and then there’s moments of hype up, party time. Everybody hands up, woo. We’re jumping around and I remember. My friends are all jumping around and dancing around me, and I am holding my boobs because it hurts so much, literally just to dance with my friends. And while I was there, and it is a thing, Tony says i’s you gotta take massive action. And I’m joking around with my friends. I’m like, you guys. The boobs are the massive action. It is time and they gotta go. So I basically ended up getting my insurancedenial, while I was there in that moment, and I just remember that moment being like. This is a defining moment and I wanted to share the story the way that I shared it, not because, oh, I got a breast reduction to get a boob job or like I got it to look sexier or skinnier.

No, like I literally got it to help my chronic pain and to improve my quality of life and sometimes things just are like that. And sharing a story with the New York Post and People and US Weekly and the Daily Mail and like all of these big media outlets is like crazy. And then you look at the comments from the social media when they share it and everyone’s best decision of my life, so happy for you, oh my God, I’m waiting for approval now, this gives me hope, this makes me feel less alone. And I’m like, that is why I did it. That is why I don’t care. And that’s also why I submitted to SI Swim Search in 2022 and was in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit in that 2022 edition.

That’s why I applied. I was like, I want to show people that, like I’m a five four woman. I remember this reporter at the US Sun was like, Gigi, so what did you do to prepare for the shoot, and I was like, nothing. I was like, I didn’t change a thing. And the reason is because I would never go and get cool sculpting to make an illusion that like I have abs when I’m struggling with chronic illness and I can’t get out of bed. There’s just no in between. Did I get my hair blown out? Did I get my nails done? And a spray tan? Yes, but did I do anything to alter me showing up as me living with a chronic illness just with myself? No. And that was very intentional and that’s why I shared it that way with the outlets.

To answer the second question, I don’t get scared anymore.

Alycia Anderson: Gosh.

Gigi Robinson: Yeah.

Alycia Anderson: I have a question in front of me right now that says, share a story with me that storytelling and sharing on social media has really helped your truth and what you just said to me is helping me, like I am sitting right here in a pair of shorts, and that might seem so basic to everybody, but I am practicing saying it out loud right now, but I’m turning 50 next week and I’m going on this big trip in Cancun with my twin sister and we have 40 people coming and it’s like this big thing.

I’ve never, in my entire life worn a pair of shorts and shown my legs in public in my entire it’s gonna make me cry. and I’m prepping right now. Like I’m laying by my pool and I’m like, I wanna be set free so bad. And I’m so afraid of doing, I feel so weak saying that now to you because you’re so powerful in it.

And like I went so bad on my 50th birthday to be like a bikini and not hiding myself anymore, and I don’t, so thank you for just like giving that to me. This interview is not about me. But you have no idea how much you just help me in what you just said.

Gigi Robinson: That first of all is amazing and happy birthday.

Alycia Anderson: Thank you.

Gigi Robinson: I truly believe that we are the only people holding us back from ourselves. So if whatever reason, whatever fear or judgments that you’re feeling about wearing shorts or wearing a bikini, and a lot of people have this, with the whole SI Swim search process, people were like, I can’t believe you were a triangle bikini in your shoot.

And I’m like, you know what? When I was there in my fitting, I remember trying on a triangle bikini, and I looked to MJ and I was like, does this look good? Like I just, I don’t know, like I have really big boobs, like I’m just like scared of that. And she’s girl, you have the boobs. Rock them.

She’s you have a rocking bod. And you know what? The whole message of SI Swim and hopefully most of the swim industry in today’s world is that everybody’s a bikini body. Everybody’s a bathing suit body that everybody deserves to have fun in the sun with the people that they love, and the only person looking at the rolls on her stomach, or in my case, the incisions for my surgeries. Is me. Nobody’s gonna see that. They’re just gonna see a girl having fun with her friends, her family, boyfriend, the dogs, and that’s the most important piece of everything. How much are you gonna laugh? How many times have I been with my friends in bathing suits and criticize myself more than I’ve laughed with them? What makes you feel better? And when you can get to that moment where you’re like, I value being present and having fun. And you know what, maybe that means wearing a sun shirt.

Means wearing a swim skirt. Like I have friends that wear all different kinds of things in the sun so that they can show up and have the best time with the entire group. And that’s what’s important.

Alycia Anderson: Yeah,

Gigi Robinson: it’s just the shorts. Maybe it’s. Next time, like a sun shirt or maybe it’s like what, whatever version that is for you is what you can decide. And yes, you’re doing the exposure, but at the same time you are the only one holding you back.

And you said what you wanted to say is you just wanna be confident and have fun. So, do it like have fun.

Alycia Anderson: And be free in, my disabled body fully. And it’s so crazy how you could get hung up on something. I’m sure a lot of us do this, and I know people look at me from afar and they’re like, you’re so strong, and I hold myself, but I’m so insecure too.

So that was powerful. Thank you for being you and sharing.

Gigi Robinson: You’re saying it out loud and the best thing about saying something out loud is now you have an action step.

And now you are the one who’s made the challenge and the promise to yourself to make the growth that you need to get in those places.

Alycia Anderson: I haven’t said this out loud to anybody ’cause I’m like, I don’t know if I’ll be able to do it. And I was texting a picture to my bestie. I’m like, all right, and she’s your legs are so pretty. Nobody’s ever said that to me in my life.

Anyway that was really motivating to me. Thank you for sharing all that, honestly.

Gigi Robinson: Thanks for your vulnerability. I’m sure that will affect many listeners regardless of what struggle they’re dealing with.

Alycia Anderson: Yeah, I feel like sometimes I need to be stronger than that, in the position that I’m in and I’m just not either all the time, I need to be putting that out there more for sure. So you balance health and hustle and healing, like what are some of your habits or your mindset that helps you stay grounded in this, you’ve got, what, 500,000 followers across all of your platform?

It’s crazy. Like how do you balanced in your life?

Gigi Robinson: As I mentioned at the beginning of the call, I have two dogs. They’re so cute and they bring me so much joy. And actually before our call at about. Two 30, I looked at my calendar and I, okay, this is shame on me, because I had a leftover bowl from last night for lunch. And then I was like, Ooh, I want a sweet treat.

Let me have this vegan carrot cake cupcake that I bought at the farmer’s market. So I had it at one 30, and then by two 30 I’m having a sugar crash. And I’m like, I literally had a moment where I looked at my calendar was like, should I just reschedule the podcast? And then I was like, no. So then I went to my bed and I just laid down and I scrolled for 20 minutes, and then my dogs were being adorable, and so I just. Was in love with them and just hanging out and just petting them and letting them lick my face. And then I was like, okay, I’m thirsty. I’m gonna get some water. I’m gonna eat something sour, like a briny pickle or something to get my energy up and out. and then I came in here.

I’m like, okay, I’m getting on. I’m doing this podcast. It’s gonna be great. And that story that I shared is a story of resilience. That story is also dynamic. I could have chosen. If I wanted to reschedule, and that’s life, and sometimes you have to do that, but I was like, I don’t physically feel bad.

My, I’m just having a sugar crash because I ate something sugary after a big lunch. Why did I do that, Gigi? So I think some of it is really auditing my decisions throughout my day. And I know for me, in order to bounce back what I needed was to just take that little time of rest. To not be working, to not be answering phone calls, to not be texting, just scrolling on my phone, mindless me time with the dogs. Then I’m like, okay, it is go time. What can I do? People say, eat something sour. Sour grapes, sour candy, sour, whatever. For me, I’m like, give me a pickle, give me some olives. That works for me. I did that and then I felt my energy bounce back. I had some water and is what it is. This happens to me quite a bit though throughout my day because I tend to overextend myself and overcommit. There were times in my schedule earlier in the year where I simply did not make note in my calendar that I needed a buffer between meetings, so I would leave my calendar open for people to book, and then they would book me basically an entire day, and I’d send the dogs to daycare and it would be seven o’clock. And I realized I hadn’t gone outside and maybe all I ate or drank was like two cups of coffee and I didn’t even have time for lunch. And I got to a point where I was like, this is not okay, and this is not taking care of me in the way that I need to take care of me to show up as Gigi as a hundred percent Gigi. And so really genuinely, like I said, auditing my habits is important. Now, do I do everything consistently a hundred percent of the time? No. Something I do is not snooze the alarm. I always get up when the alarm like goes up. And it was something that Tony Robbins talks about, but Mel Robbins also talks about it, and they’re not related for anybody that’s confused.

They’re both very amazing motivational public speakers and they both happen to talk about similar things sometimes. But, Tony talks about every time you click snooze, you’re betraying a commitment to yourself. When you betray a commitment to yourself, I’m not good enough. I didn’t achieve what I needed to achieve. When you don’t. Do something as simple as rolling out of bed in the morning, and I’m not saying don’t stay in bed all day because I’ve been there, or don’t stay in bed 10 minutes longer, but it’s don’t go back to sleep after the alarm goes off and make sure that you’re committed to getting up and getting out of bed. First thing in the morning, what else are you gonna do? Hopefully it’s not, check your phone right away. And I am working on that habit. But something I did to avoid that early morning scroll, which automatically also betrays yourself because you’re going straight into information and really you should be like a slow rise for your stress hormones. I leave my phone plugged in the kitchen. I don’t bring my phone into the bedroom, and I also don’t talk on the phone or do anything late at night past 8:00 PM. That is like my time with my boyfriend, my dogs, my parents, my family. It’s not emotionally healthy for me because social media is my job. So, the line can be really blurry, but again, I’ve just found that what works for me is leaving the phone in the kitchen away, and that way in the morning I wake up, brush my teeth, go to the bathroom wash my face, put something on my face, brush my hair. Take the dogs out for a walk and then come back and make my coffee and check my phone. And, that has been really helpful.

Some other things I’ve been working on as well is movement, and this is new to me because as I mentioned, I did just get the breast reduction, and in 2022 I had the endometriosis surgery. Prior to the endometriosis surgery, exercise was not even an option. Non-negotiable, like Gigi and exercise are on different continents, they don’t work together at all. Post endometriosis surgery. I went to a yoga class or a Pilates class for the first time, and I vividly remember feeling like I was high after, and I was like, what is going on? I feel weightless, what is this? And I think I like messaged my doctors. They’re like, Gigi, that’s just endorphins. My body has been living in inflammation mode, in stress mode, in hustle mode for so long trying to figure out what’s going on that I have never been able to feel endorphins. Back in November at the UPW, I was feeling the same way. I am like, you know what?

I can feel endorphins, but I’m still having some pain. I’m just gonna move forward with this. Now, I try to go to three to five classes a week and move my body in ways that I need to. Sometimes they have advanced things that you can do, and I just do the basic ones. Sometimes they have modified classes.

Sometimes I don’t blame myself if I go to a gentle class or a senior class because they really don’t care what age you are when you show up. I just do what I need. Like last night I was gonna try to go to a yoga class, not feeling it. I walked five miles and I was like, I’m exhausted. There’s no way.

So I just canceled it and I don’t blame myself or judge myself for that. And again, that’s the dynamic piece. But it was a choice I could have chosen to push myself, which could have set me back further, I could have chosen to rest and what I needed checking in and auditing myself and my day and my habits, said, you know what?

I feel like I moved that filled my cup today just by hanging out with a friend and walking around the city together. I don’t need to do a class today, so I’m not gonna.

Alycia Anderson: I love those habits and the theme in there was creating boundaries, recognizing when you need to go, when you need to stop, and I think movement for me too has been really like huge my whole life. But this last year I’ve been on this mission to be like more fit than I’ve been in all of my forties and I feel really good right now.

But I have people that follow me asking me like, how are you? Doing that. And it’s the same thing. Like some days I feel like I could go so hard and then other days I’m like, I wanna go to a sit yoga where it is all seniors and we are just like doing really it’s more like mindset stuff and stretching that is like huge, so I think that’s a really good lesson, honestly, for the community that’s listening here.

Gigi Robinson: Also like you said, Yoga is all about connecting the mind and the body and the mind to the breath and simply being present. And I had a conversation with a business coach of mine, and it’s interesting because this specific consulting company is started by former yoga teachers. And I said, okay, can I just tell you something? She says, yeah. I said, I have the hardest time with Shavasana. I never wanna do it. I want to get up and go. And she said Gigi. The whole point of Shavasana is to let the energy settle, and so instead of letting the energy settle, your mind is too focused on getting onto the next thing, rather than asking the question. Why am I so focused on getting to the next thing that I can’t be present?

Like, wow, you really hit me with that one. So every time I’m in Shavasana now I’m like fighting this urge. It’s this urge to get up and to go, and I’m like, okay, this is a sign, Gigi, to just let the energy settle. And even if there is that like restless push to just keep going, I deserve the three minutes, the two minutes, the one minute, the five minutes, the 10 minutes, however long the teacher lets me to just sit there and to just breathe. And I love breath work, so I should really love this, but it’s been extremely challenging now notice that and have an awareness about it, and still make the choice to get up and leave when Shavasana starts or to have the choice to stay and to try to stay still when I want to move out of it.

Alycia Anderson: Dynamic choices. Okay, I’m holding up your beautiful book.

I read my favorite quote first and then we can talk about it. Okay. So my favorite quote from the addition that I have is, you’ll grow so much when you learn how to speak up for yourself.

And I’m sure a lot of people tell you this. That line hits me hard because the more I’ve chosen in the last five years, specifically in my own platform to speak up and share about myself. I’ve literally been set free and so many aspects of my lifewith just within my own space.

Let’s talk about the book the Why and I want you to take this where you want.

Gigi Robinson: So the whole process of writing this specific book was actually before my endometriosis diagnosis and before my breast reduction. So this journey and this book is specifically detailing my life living with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and what that was like growing up, and the reason I wrote it is to make people feel less alone in their journey.

People ask me what’s my favorite part of the book? And I almost always actually say the back because it talks about the themes in the book, which is bodies, illness, courage, and Resilience.

These are all topics that I think are applicable to anybody in the disability, mental health, or chronic illness community. And that was what I wanted to come across. I wanted anybody to hear the story and hear the words and think, oh, that actually was pretty similar to how I grew up. Or maybe it wasn’t similar, but I know my sister has a chronic illness or my mom, I grew up taking care of my mom. And that’s something like the way that she, like I wrote this is really codified down in just such simple words that allows adults to understand because most adults don’t even understand what a chronic illness is, let’s be honest. And almost 70% of the US population lives with at least one chronic disease or illness, at least one. So that means that the other remaining 30% of people that doesn’t live with one, likely knows somebody that does.

Can we sit with that statistic for a minute? 70%. That’s like when you were reading these words on the back of this book. Bodies, courage, illness, resilience, like those are also words that translates to everybody because at some point they’re sick with something or they’re dealing with something that translates it’s so inclusive literally to, I think a hundred percent of our population.

Yeah that’s the idea. Another line on the back that I love is, learn from an author with a chronic illness how to reshape your mindset, find new passions, and pour your energy into things that empower you and fill your life with joy.

Through my story that I’ve shared with you guys here, it’s simplified into this book, but in this book. As I’m talking about how you’ll feel, you might feel left out. You might feel like the other, you might not feel seen, you might not understand, but at the end of the day, you are the person writing the script of your life, and if you don’t speak up. If you don’t change something in how people are treating you or how you let them treat you in how you show up at school, in how you show up at work and how you show up in your personal relationships, nothing’s going to change.

And earlier you did ask me a question that I didn’t answer, which is about when did I decide to start sharing. And actually behind me here, you’ll see this other book. This was my senior thesis called Discourse Between Myself and The Waiting Room. And the reason I curated this photo book, this photo essay, it’s a personal photo essay about my experience living with chronic illness. While I was dealing with it in college because teachers didn’t believe and friends didn’t believe how sick I was, and they didn’t believe that I was waking up at 5:45 to get to physical therapy at 6:30 so I could be there for an hour before my 8:00 AM and that I needed to commute 35 to 45 minutes on each side of the commute because the 1 0 1 in Los Angeles is a really crazy highway. And people didn’t understand that. And I just used basic storytelling that they teach you in art school, which is show don’t tell. Nobody was believing what I was saying. They weren’t they were just weren’t, they weren’t believing my 504 disability form.

They weren’t believing my accommodations were real. They would accuse me of Photoshopping things. So I decided, let me bring my camera and let me show you. And when I did that, I then realized, oh, I should probably talk to people in support groups. I ended up going to local support groups in LA in, the San Fernando Valley, Ehlers Danlos support group. I went there, made friends with some people there, and included some of them in other projects that I did for school just to prove, guys. I’m struggling with this and I’m literally bringing you into my experience. I did color studies, I did all these different things, and from there, from the support groups, I posted, Hey guys, just wanna let you know this thing is live. Everyone’s oh my God, this made me feel less alone. So then I’m like, oh, okay, something’s going on here. And I think I had probably like a thousand followers on Instagram at the time. So I started just posting the same thing I was posting on the Facebook group. To my Instagram, and as I did that and a short form video came out with TikTok in 2018, 2019, I started posting short videos of this, everything I’m seeing when my eyes are fully dilated, when I’m at the eye doctor checking for uveitis because that’s a comorbidity of Ehlers Danlos.

So this is everything I’m seeing when my eyes are super dilated and like these videos would just do really well. And people all over the world started messaging me like in France and in Australia and like everywhere. And I was like, wait, what? So then 2020, lucky me, I graduated college and I told my parents I was gonna work full-time as an influencer in content creator and build something. Here we are five years later, and now I have a book, a real children’s book that’s actually published with Penguin Random House, DK and a kid’s book. I’m just really excited and it’s a full circle moment because originally I published the book with a kids Co in 2023

That was the first version of the book. It was awesome. I had book launches, I brought it all around. It was fantastic. And at the Tony Robbins event in November, my friends and I were making goals and I’m like. I will have a book deal at the big publishing houses this year, like within a year it will happen. I think in about January or February, I got an email from the founder being like, Hey, Gigi, just wanna let you know we’re republishing your book. Here’s the new contract for you. And I was like, what? And then March came around and he’s Hey, by the way, we’re gonna send you some advanced copies for your launch.

And I’m like, wait, what are you talking about? He’s oh, your book’s launching with Penguin. And I was like,

Alycia Anderson: Oh my God.

Gigi Robinson: What do you mean? So now every time open this book, I think to like the third page of the book it’s like my name right under here.

Alycia Anderson: That’s amazing.

Gigi Robinson: Yeah,

Alycia Anderson: And it all started with show

Gigi Robinson: don’t tell.

Alycia Anderson: Show, don’t tell. And you started way back in school and then you put it out on social media and you grew, and now you put it into a book that’s been launched twice. That’s incredible. Congratulations there’s so much more for us to talk about.

What did we miss?

Gigi Robinson: I think my biggest message is just of like hope and inspiration. When I talk to people, it’s hopefully making everything I’ve done seem doable. I genuinely believe that when all my friends say to me, how did you get published here? How did you get invited here? How did you do this partnership? I will tell you how to do it. That’s my business where I help turn anybody who maybe has a thriving business but doesn’t have a confidence on social media or in front of the camera or in speaking to people or doesn’t have a vision of how to expand their business into other avenues like public speaking or writing a book or creating a private membership. That’s what I teach you how to do, and it’s under my company called Host of Influence, where. I run all sorts of programs. I’m going to be at VidCon in a couple of weeks in Los Angeles giving a private workshop on creator etiquette as well as small business big impact.

And in terms of speaking in all my individual Gigi related content, you can just go to gigirobinson.com or email me. I’m always in the dms, always responding to people, so I’m happy to talk and would love to inspire people and chat with people and help them on their journey.

Alycia Anderson: That’s amazing. So anyone that’s out there call Gigi. She’s waiting.

Gigi Robinson: Let’s do something and book us together for a new dynamic duo friendship here.

Alycia Anderson: I like it. Manifest that us together. So we end the show with a pushing forward moment. I warned you about this. Do you have a little like mantra that you live by that you could gift away to our community?

A little inspiration.

Gigi Robinson: Yeah. I was recently at the Jay Shetty live tour at his New York show and he did a meditation it was about feeling two very polar opposite feelings and it moved me so much I turned to my mentor, who I went with, I remember saying the two emotions that came up were the feeling of being bulldozed and growth and inspiration. And she gave me my birthday present, which is right here, and it says break walls and build bridges.

And so, that’s my mantra for now.

I really just love that because I think normal ideas of success, normal ideas of how to show up. They’re all normal, but they’re all rules that can be broken and rewritten over and over again.

Alycia Anderson: Break walls and build bridges. I love it. That’s beautiful. Thank you for all the work you’re doing for our community and for everybody out there. I am leaving here like ready to break down some more walls in my own life, frankly, and build some bridges there.

So thank you for that. I really appreciate your time.

Gigi Robinson: I’m so glad we can make it happen, and thanks for inviting me on and just being such a great host.

Alycia Anderson: Yeah. Thank you. And thank you to our community. This has been Pushing Forward with Alycia and Gigi, and that is how we roll on this podcast. We will see you next time.