Today we’d like to introduce you to Ginny Gay.
Hi Ginny, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I had a bit of a plot twist in my mid-thirties.
I spent the first 13 years of my career in the pharmaceutical industry, where I thought climbing the corporate ladder equated to success in life. The opposite turned out to be true for me; that approach ultimately led me to a place of severe burnout, addiction, anxiety, and depression.
Rethinking everything, I devoted myself to healing and discovering what deeply mattered to me. I realized that for me, success in all aspects of life comes from living in a place of authenticity and integration. The people I work with are equally important – people I respect, admire, find inspiring, and enjoy. And at the center of it all must be content that I find purposeful, fascinating, deeply fulfilling, and truly life-changing.
So here I am, a certified mindfulness teacher and podcaster in my mid-forties.
For the past eight years, I’ve studied and practiced mindfulness and meditation; I’ve worked with The One You Feed podcast as co-host and Director of Marketing and Communications. And most recently, I’ve launched a new podcast series with Brandi Lust called Something to Normalize.
I love creating content to help people live life more skillfully, content that helps them navigate the difficulties that come from the inherent challenges of being human and, as a result, realize more peace, purpose, and joy in their daily lives.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Life is anything but a smooth road!
As I graduated college, I thought that if I followed the rules as best as I possibly could, I’d be successful in life. The rules had been set by others in a religious context as well as a professional context.
I discovered that direction in life needs to come from the inside out, not the outside in. Following other people’s rules led me to a very low point in my mid-thirties. Divorce, burnout, substance abuse, anxiety, and depression were the “rewards” I got from living this way. I just couldn’t do it anymore. So, I began to write my own narrative – one guided by my own values and preferences and deep feelings of purpose.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
For the past 8 years, I have studied and practiced mindfulness and meditation, specifically in the realm of Buddhist Psychology. I am continually inspired by the freedom that comes from identifying and releasing limiting beliefs and stories that we tell ourselves. When we realize that we are not our thoughts, rather we are the thinker of our thoughts, we can choose to think and perceive life differently, and our experience of ourselves and others transforms to be radically different. There is so much liberation in this! I speak from experience. 🙂
At The One You Feed podcast, I work with Eric Zimmer to interview guests and create content and programming focused on helping people learn and apply practical wisdom for a better life. I am a Certified Mindfulness Teacher through the Mindfulness Training Institute led by Mark Coleman and Martin Aylward.
How do you define success?
This is a definition that has evolved and, I expect, will continue to evolve the longer I live. As I grow stronger and clearer in my sense of self, how I define success shifts and crystallizes. There’s a connection there, for sure. At this point in my life, for me, success in all aspects of life comes from living from a place of authenticity and integration where meaningful work and relationships are the fruit and contribution to the world. I love working with people that I respect, admire, find inspiring, and enjoy and with content that I find deeply fulfilling and truly life-changing.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.oneyoufeed.net/ & https://www.oneyoufeed.net/normalize
- Instagram: @one_you_feed & @ginny_gay
- Other: Listen to The One You Feed Podcast: https://pod.link/792555885
Image Credits
Sara Racheff Photography
Autumn Theodore Photography
