Gigi Robinson is born and raised in Manhattan, the 24-year-old is a New Yorker through and through! She attended LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts and would later enroll in the famed Fashion Institute of Technology, and later decided to take her talents out west to USC where she graduated Cum Laude with a BFA. After graduation, Gigi wasn’t quite done and is currently pursuing a M.S. in Innovation Design, Business & Technology from USC’s Iovine and Young Academy.
When she was just 11 years old, Gigi was diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, a connective tissue disorder that leaves her very susceptible to injury. She has used her chronic illness as fuel for her passion for advocacy. Along with chronic illness advocacy, Gigi is also extremely passionate about mental health and body image. Having suffered from both in her teenage years, she strives to be a role model for the next generation, speaking directly to them via social media, podcasts, as well as numerous panels at colleges, high schools, and multiple nonprofits organization seminars. Though Gigi is a very busy girl, she always makes time for her family, which includes her 15-year-old dog, Zoey. She also enjoys yoga, photography, swimming, and yummy Vegan food!
She creates, educate, and speak about what’s important to her— lifestyle, mental health, body image, and chronic illness. She is a seasoned photographer with 10+ years of experience creating assets for leading brands. She is passionate about collaborating and producing content for non-profits to expand my impact globally.
Hey Party People! In the past year, it is likely that you have stumbled upon the name, Gigi Robinson. Gigi is known for many things. From being a finalist in the Sports Illustrated Swim Search, to her advocacy in the chronic illness and body positivity spheres, all the way to NFT research and navigating life as a small business owner. She truly does it all. With features in Bustle, Business Insider, Forbes, and Vogue Business, Gigi combines beauty and brains as GenZ’s forefront thought leader in the content creation space.
Robinson is a natural inspiration to her viewers. Having been diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome at the age of 14, Gigi knows how hard it is to be different. However, her lively spirit, positive demeanor, and elevated work ethic have made her and her Spotify Live Podcast “Everything You Need Is Within” an instant hit. Listeners of her podcast have the opportunity to learn how to become their own advocates, challenge the status quo and dominate in professional settings. Gigi truly has everything you need to unlock your inner girl boss.
When she is not working on her podcast or posing for national campaigns, Gigi can be found working on her newsletter, “The Creator Chronicles.” Her latest project is aimed at documenting life as a young woman with a chronic illness and unlocking behind-the-scenes tips and tricks for rising content creators.
With so much more on the horizon including an upcoming speaking tour, creative production for brands, advising brands and a top-secret book project, Gigi, Robinson is just getting started. Get ready world, Gigi Robinson has arrived!
Women Fitness President Ms. Namita Nayyar catches up with Gigi Robinson exceptionally talented leading model, social media personality, photographer, speaker, author, advocate in the chronic illness and body positivity spheres, and brand ambassador, here she talks about her fitness routine, Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, beauty secrets and her success story.
Full Interview is Continued on Next Page
This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar President womenfitness.net and should not be reproduced, copied, or hosted in part or full anywhere without express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2022 Women Fitness
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.
Namita Nayyar:
You were diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome at the age of fourteen, you know how hard it is to be different. But your lively spirit, positive demeanor, and elevated work ethic have made you excel in everything you ventured in. Tell us more about your win over this medical condition and advice to others in a similar situation.
GIGI Robinson:
I think a lot of people forget that I was diagnosed with EDS when I was 10 years old, and I’ve been dealing with it now for almost 15 years. I spent the majority of this time not using medication to help me because I thought I was mentally tough enough to handle the condition by myself (which is not the case), so I really only started using medication last year.) I went through an intense burnout phase in college because I was doing too much, and my health was terrible and realized that I needed to give myself a break to focus more on maintaining a healthy body. In doing that I’ve been able to scale with my social media and delegate tasks to other people which helps me do the things that I’m best at.
It can be hard to reshare your medical trauma and your medical history with doctors, but you have to give them a shot. My advice to other people dealing with health issues would be to say, “You know what, let me just stick it out. Let me tell the doctor exactly what’s wrong and exactly how I’m feeling.” Because maybe they’ve had one patient that’s succeeded with some random medication and who has exactly the same symptoms as you. It’s always worth a shot.
Namita Nayyar:
You are a role model of body positivity, and a speaker on lifestyle, mental health, body image, and chronic illness. Kindly tell us more about this aspect of your enchanting personality.
GIGI Robinson:
I actually used to be a really shy person, but when I went to college, I decided that I simply didn’t want to be shy anymore. I quickly started realizing that people liked the things I was saying. My school of thought is just, why be negative when you can be positive? Why make things difficult when you can make them easy? Why be annoying when you can be helpful? And you’re going to piss some people off because a lot of people like to be angry all the time, but I just try to view every aspect of my life in a positive light, and I try to help others do the same.
Namita Nayyar:
Do you take a special diet or have a strict menu that you follow to remain healthy and physically fit?
GIGI Robinson:
Nope! I don’t stick to a diet; I just don’t eat what makes my stomach upset.
Namita Nayyar:
Five foods you absolutely love and five you keep to a minimum.
GIGI Robinson:
I absolutely love coffee, burritos, nachos, honeydew, and guacamole – not all at the same time, though! I listen to my body and eat whatever makes me feel good.
You have glowing skin and gorgeous hair. Share with us your hair care and skincare routine.
For my hair use Monat, an amazing hair care brand. I really enjoy it and it works really well for me and my hair. I also love Jaguar so much. And I love going to Dry Bar occasionally for a blowout! I’ve had some skin breakouts lately due to stress and environmental changes, but normally I use Monat as well on my skin. I also love trying new products from Kiehls and Peter Thomas Roth, but I try to stay consistent with one skincare brand at a time so that my skin doesn’t freak out.
Namita Nayyar:
Five athletic leisure brands you love to wear.
GIGI Robinson:
I love wearing Athleta, Lululemon, SET Active, Alo, and American Eagle!
Namita Nayyar:
Five travel destinations on your wish list.
GIGI Robinson:
I love this question! I would have to say the Maldives, Patagonia, Marrakech, Israel, and Dubai.
Namita Nayyar:
Your Podcast “Everything You Need Is Within” is an instant hit. Listeners to your podcast have the opportunity to learn how to become their own advocates, challenge the status quo and dominate in professional settings. Elaborate about this podcast for our viewers.
GIGI Robinson:
“Everything You Need is Within” was conceived in late 2020 but I didn’t start production until January 2021. I really just wanted to create a special place where people could come for a big sister type conversation where they could listen to me casually talking to somebody influential. There were no edits, and it was very audience oriented. I want to help listeners become better versions of themselves and give them tangible information which they can apply to their lives. The podcast has really grown over the past few years, and I have continued to enjoy interviewing and getting better at hosting the show.
Namita Nayyar:
You publish the newsletter “The Creator Chronicles.” Your latest project is aimed at documenting life as a young woman with a chronic illness and unlocking behind-the-scenes tips and tricks for rising content creators. Tell us about this endeavor of yours.
GIGI Robinson:
My newsletter, “The Creator Chronicles” was born from my hope of having a tangible collection of texts that would perform in certain ways so that I could see what my audience on LinkedIn and outside of LinkedIn was finding valuable. I’m really focusing on certain niches within the content creation world, including rates, favorite events I’ve gone to, creator communities, advocacy, and even diversity on the runway. Something cool is that the Creator economy is now a $104 billion industry, which is a little double what it was valued at last year. You can clearly see that this industry is growing exponentially, and I want to make it equitable and make sure there’s no gatekeeping going on in the industry. My newsletter is one step towards making this happen!
Namita Nayyar:
You have done bold photoshoots for Sports Illustrated Swim Search and on your Instagram handle @itsgigirobinson. How you are so body confident.
GIGI Robinson:
I have definitely had my fair share of body dysmorphia and body image issues over the years. I think when you’re on medication or when you have stomach issues, and a doctor tells you to go on a diet and not eat some of your favorite foods it can be hard not to slip up. I really just try to stay intentional with my eating and listen to my body. Like, am I actually hungry or do I just want to eat because I’m bored and want food to comfort me? And if so, maybe I can call a friend instead. Knowing those kinds of tools to help you out when you are having a bad body image day is incredibly important. Over the years, I’ve also had to learn how to pose my clients and as I do that, have learned how to make my own body look good. It’s truly all about confidence!
Namita Nayyar:
Your idea of a perfect date.
GIGI Robinson:
It’s not my thing to go see a show or a movie on a date because you can’t talk to each other, and I love to talk! I feel like a speakeasy jazz moment would be ideal for me because I love live music and good food and would still be able to have good conversations with my date.
Namita Nayyar:
What do you wish to say about the website Womenfitness.net and the message for its visitors?
GIGI Robinson:
I really enjoy the website because it’s incredibly empowering and it aims to make women feel their best. I love the colorful vibrant personalities that they also put on their covers and in their magazines.
Namita Nayyar:
Advice and motivational words to the inspiring and budding content creator girls, who all are your fans and shall like to know from you for their climb to the ladder of success in the field of content creation?
GIGI Robinson:
First of all, definitely check out my posts and my newsletter because they have a lot of informational content there on the topic of content creation. You’re going to have to do the work though. A lot of people think it’s an easy pass to get verified on platforms or to do public speaking gigs and get paid for them, but to be honest, it’s taken me over five years to get to this point. I think you just have to be patient in our world of instant gratification, but if you do that, I really do think you can achieve whatever you want. You also have to build out a roadmap. Write down a list of your manifestations for this year or this month and make them seem doable and achievable. You just really have to be strategic about everything. And I mean, serendipity does happen, but one of my favorite quotes is, “luck is where preparation meets opportunity.” I think if you’re well enough prepared, that when an opportunity comes, it could be the thing
that launches your career.
Namita Nayyar:
You have an Instagram following of 24.8k followers. A message for your ardent admirers.
GIGI Robinson:
I would just say thank you so much to everyone who has watched me, and my message grow across different platforms. I love all of you so much and your support really does mean the world to me!
Namita Nayyar:
Tell us about your future pursuits and upcoming projects?
GIGI Robinson:
There are a lot of moving parts and a lot of things up in the air right now. I’m currently finishing my Master of Science at USC so I’m really excited about being done with school. I’m also working on a book proposal which is really exciting! Other than that, I’m enjoying finding ways to make new friends and connections in New York. Make sure to follow me @itsgigirobinson and stay tuned!
This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar President womenfitness.net and should not be reproduced, copied, or hosted in part or full anywhere without express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2022 Women Fitness