Namita Nayyar:
You were born and raised in Manhattan. You attended LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts and later enrolled in the Fashion Institute of Technology, and later went to USC to graduate Cum Laude with a BFA. After graduation, you are currently pursuing an M.S. in Innovation Design, Business & Technology from USC’s Iovine and Young Academy. You are a seasoned photographer with ten-plus years of experience creating assets for leading brands. You have been doing speaking tours, creative production for brands, advising brands, and modeling. Tell us more about your professional journey of exceptional hard work, tenacity, and endurance.
GIGI Robinson:
Hi! Thank you for having me here today! I think my strong work ethic is rooted in the fact that I like being in competition with myself and I always want to be doing the next best thing. I feel like I got to a certain level of doing that with crafts like photography and design, and then I was able to move on to other things like social media and public speaking. And as I’ve continued that route, I’ve been able to make myself a pretty wide portfolio. I’m looking forward to seeing where this journey will take me!
Namita Nayyar:
It is a dream for a model to work with Sports Illustrated. You have been a finalist in the Sports Illustrated Swim Search. Tell us more about this spectacular achievement of yours.
GIGI Robinson:
I am famously known for entering the Sports Illustrated Swim Search on LinkedIn. I entered because I wanted to represent people with chronic illnesses in the magazine and wanted to show people that you don’t need to be retouched in your photos to be featured in an amazing publication; you’re fine just as you are. For my application I tagged MJ, the editor in chief, in a LinkedIn post where I submitted my video, and it got her attention because it was the first time anybody had ever recognized Sports Illustrated professionally, outside of their internal network. It was also a full circle moment for me to celebrate all my achievements in advocacy and shoot with one of my favorite photographers in the world, Yu Tsai, who I’ve looked up to for years.
Namita Nayyar:
You are the leading social media personality, photographer, model, speaker, author, advocate in the chronic illness and body positivity spheres, and brand ambassador. How do you manage such a remarkable multi-dimensional lifestyle?
GIGI Robinson:
I think that it’s really just a matter of time management and delegation of skills. Two years ago, when I first started this journey, I was completely on my own, and now I have about 10 people by my side helping me. All of this couldn’t have happened if I wasn’t really persistent and passionate about actually going out into the field and making sure that I was having one on one human interactions that I think we really need to continue to build community. As I continue to build out in different areas, it makes my community stronger, which in turn makes my job easier because people are more engaged in all aspects of my life. It is challenging though, because people so badly want to fit you into one box or one bucket. I am proof that that doesn’t have to be the case; that you can model that you can do a podcast, that you can be a public speaker, that you can be an author, you can be a student, you can be chronically ill, you can love fashion, you can love sports, you can love comedy, all at the same time. We should just stop being so hard on people to stick into one lane!
Namita Nayyar:
What exercises comprise your fitness regime or workout routine you may wish to share?
GIGI Robinson:
I do physical therapy for my chronic pain, and I just started acupuncture with a holistic wellness doctor. In terms of workouts, I prefer low-impact exercises, so things like water aerobics are great for me.
Disclaimer
The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
