May 21, 2025 • 41 mins
Gina Economopoulos didn't plan to become an author or an end-of-life doula—these callings found her through a lifetime of struggle, surrender, and eventual transformation. Born into a large Italian-Greek family on Long Island as one of eight children, Gina's early years were marked by physical limitations that left her comparing herself unfavorably to siblings and feeling like "the black cloud" of an otherwise loving home. Despite growing up surrounded by unconditional love and the warmth of New York hospitality (contrary to popular stereotypes), young Gina struggled with self-acceptance.
Everything changed when her mother died from cancer when Gina was just 23. Having no personal spiritual foundation—she describes her parents as having been "her God"—this loss sent her spiraling into a decades-long search for meaning. Her journey took remarkable turns: becoming a Catholic nun seeking peace within convent walls, returning to civilian life as a bartender, falling in love with an alcoholic who later died from the disease, and finally confronting her own alcoholism after hitting what she calls her "dark pit" of complete surrender.
The most powerful revelation in Gina's story isn't just her ten years of sobriety, but how her personal healing transformed naturally into a calling to help others. Now working as an end-of-life doula, she brings presence and peace to those transitioning from life—offering what she herself lacked when watching her mother die: faith, hope, and spiritual support. Her understanding of forgiveness as a choice that frees the forgiver rather than the forgiven demonstrates the depth of her spiritual evolution, including her process of forgiving God himself for what she once perceived as abandonment.
Through her memoir "Shake the Dust Off Your Feet," Gina offers hope to anyone walking through addiction, grief, or spiritual disillusionment. Her message is clear: sometimes our deepest pain becomes our most profound purpose, and the very experiences that break us can ultimately become the foundation for helping others heal. Download the first chapter free at ginaecon.com and discover how surrendering to what seems like darkness can sometimes be the first step toward an unexpected light.
Visit www.ginaecon.com to download the free first chapter of Gina's memoir "Shake the Dust Off Your Feet and Walk: Faith, Sobriety, Self-Discovery and Healing."
Have a question for Mista Yu? Text the show and he’ll answer it personally.
Buzzsprout - Launch Your Podcast Now!
I trust this host. You will too! Start for FREE
We love hearing from all of you about how you're enjoying our content! A really cool way you can do that is Fan Mail. Check out the promo and starting sending messages right away! It's easy and it's fun too! Trust me! Thank you for reaching out and allowing us the privilege of hearing from our faithful listeners and viewers! I can't wait to get your next message!
Buzzsprout - Launch Your Podcast Now!
I trust this host. You will too! Start for FREE
Thank you for listening to the They Call Me Mista Yu brand of podcasts! We love hearing from you!
Apple Podcasts: Https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/they-call-me-mista-yu/id1535535535
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Theycallmemistayu
Here’s how you can help us financially if you’d like---> www.buzzsprout.com/1222796/supporters/new
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
welcome back to one-on-one with mr you.
Of course I'm your host.
Mr you in studio with us today.
On one with Mr you, of courseI'm your host.
Mr you In studio with us today.
Jeannie Conlamopoulos, authorand end-of-life doula.
Such a great story.
I'm so glad to have you on.
How are you today?
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Doing very well.
How are you?
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Fantastic, Fantastic.
You hear that accent y'all.
She's from my neck of the woods, so I love this conversation
already because we kind of hadsome great connections regarding
my time back home and she'sstill up there.
So I'm getting a littlevicarious through her a little
bit.
But, Gina, we had an awesomediscussion in our pre-interview
chat.
I'd love to hear well, there'sso many questions I want to ask.
(00:56):
Hopefully we have enough timeto do so but let's kind of start
from who you are, who was young.
Gina, Tell me about yourchildhood, your upbringing.
Let's kind of enlighten ourlisteners and viewers about that
.
Go ahead.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
That sounds good.
I'll start from the beginning.
Yes, my name is GinaCanemopoulos and you're right, I
was born and raised up in thenortheast Long Islands.
I also live in New York.
I'm one of eight kids and I ama New York Met fan.
I grew up Okay, I mean becauseLong.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
Island.
My mom would love that, butthat's not for me.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
I know.
Later on, when I lived in theBronx, I was a Yankee fan.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
Long Island folks always loved the Mets.
It's not new, I get it.
I grew up around them.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
Because many of the players back then, like Lee
Mazzilli and all them, theywould be at our school.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
Oh, I loved him, I loved him.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
They would be in our town.
So yeah, I get it.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
It's okay, it's all New York, I get it.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
And my parents, coming from Italian and Greek,
very loving, very unconditionallove for all eight kids.
I was born with many physicalproblems so out of all the eight
kids I was the accident prone,the one with surgeries was
physically limited, playingsports.
(02:17):
So as a child I grew up justcomparing myself to my oldest
siblings.
Wow just comparing myself to myoldest siblings, wow, and.
And as I, looking back inhindsight, I was insecure with
myself.
I didn't like myself.
I wanted to be like my sisters.
How come this is, how come Ican't do this?
Why can't I play basketball?
(02:37):
But I couldn't because, like Isaid I've I born with all these
conditions and my mom would saythank God, you could walk, thank
God, which I can.
I mean, I was always able towalk, but thank God.
And I also felt like the blackcloud, you know, the black sheep
of the family, or the blackcloud.
If somebody was going to happen, it would be Gina.
(03:02):
You know it would be me, I'lltake it.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
So yeah, no, it would be Gina.
You know, it would be me, I'lltake it so yeah, no, I totally
get that.
I want to ask you somethingabout that, gina, because I
think there's an assumption Ithink that you have a great
insight on this there's anassumption that if you have a
big family it helps you, it'sgreat for your self-esteem.
And the more conversations thatI do, the more people I have
(03:30):
conversations with, I see thatthat is not necessarily true.
Sometimes the smaller familieskind of foster stronger
self-esteem in the children.
But you have a big family, youcome from a big family.
Did you see that as a benefitfor you to have a big family?
Did that help your self-esteem?
Did that kind of was it achallenge to your self esteem?
Talk about that a little bit ifyou can.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
Yes, I can.
Well, they just loved me.
Like you know, I have nocomplaints about my family.
Growing up, I was just a personwho kept everything inside.
I was yes, it does hurt me.
Yes, I don't like myself, Iwouldn't say, because everybody
loved me.
I was known as Gina LolaBrigida.
You know I was.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
Oh, I haven't heard that name in years.
I know.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
That's who I was named after.
So I was like, yeah, I was likethis cute person, cute little
girl with a smile, I alwayssmile and I think, by nature,
you know, with my parents beingso loving and kind, you know, by
nature I just had thatcompassion of their service,
kind, you know, by nature I justhad that compassion of their
service, of you know, of lovingothers and just enduring it, you
(04:31):
know, and not complaining.
Not complaining, you know, Ididn't know what complaining was
about.
You know my mom would say, youknow, thank God, you go walk,
thank God you're alive, you know, thank God, thank God.
But yet I, you know, things justhappen.
So, you know, growing up and Ilove growing up in a large
family, because when I wasgrowing up in my teens, I wanted
to have a large family, Iwanted to get married and have
(04:52):
eight kids.
I wanted to be married by thetime I turned 18 and have kids,
have like at least six kids by25.
Because of my parents, I had aplan I Go to college, go away,
find my future husband and havekids and live a simple,
housewife life, you know, and amother.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
No, no, I get it, I get it.
And there's something I want toask you about.
I want to come back to yourparents, because you made a
comment that kind of blew mymind in our pre-interview chat,
so I want to come back to that.
But you're in, you're in myslash, your hometown, and we
know that it's a melting pot forcoaches, but it's also a
(05:34):
melting pot for all differentkinds of awesome foods and stuff
.
So tell me, what's the one mealI mean now you got.
Now you probably have a greatanswer because you come from an
Italian and Greek background andI grew up, grew up, in New York
.
I Great answer because you comefrom an Italian and Greek
background and I grew up in NewYork.
I've tasted everything, for themost part because I had.
All my friends were fromdifferent parts of the world, so
it was a melting pot in thetruest sense.
But what's the one meal thatyou grew up with that elicits
(05:59):
the best memories for you?
I mean that one meal, like whenyou have that, you kind of just
go back into a really beautifulheadspace if I can say that.
What's that one meal thatbrings that back for you?
Speaker 2 (06:07):
Macaroni with my mom's homemade sauce.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
Come on, what's the side of the sauce?
Gina, talk to me.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
It was just love.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
No, no, the ingredients I know love's in
there A little bit of garlic, alittle bit of olive oil and just
tomatoes.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
It was just love, because Even as a kid, with my
birthday Parties, you know you'dgo to a birthday Party and they
will have pizza, but my momwould make macaroni for the kids
.
You know, yeah, because that'show I was and I'm like, oh my
god, they don't know whatmacaroni is.
You know, I mean Italian foodmacaroni and then, of course,
(06:50):
the Greek food.
My mom was a great cook, so shewas able to cook pasticcio and
other lamb, so she was able todo that.
So there was no starving in ourhouse and there was always a
delicious homemade meal everynight about five o'clock, no
matter what, and I could recallgoing into the kitchen around
(07:13):
four and saying Mom, what are wehaving for dinner?
There's nothing on the stove,nothing.
Oh, don't worry, I don't knowand she'll come up with
something delicious.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
In less than an hour.
That's what I'm talking about.
That's beautiful.
I bet y'all had a lot offriends.
Open that window up and youhave friends coming from
everywhere and that's anotherthing.
Speaker 2 (07:32):
I give my parents a lot of credit and my mother.
We always had an open home,open house.
So if you did come home withsomebody you didn't have to
really ask.
Mom's like, okay, we'll justput an extra pound of pasta or
spaghetti, you're always welcomeHolidays people.
We wake up and it's like, oh,who are you?
(07:53):
Oh, okay, you're so-and-so'sfriend, sister's friend.
Okay, come and join my mother.
I speak so highly of herbecause one Christmas Eve my
sister's friend stayed over amale friend and he had nowhere
to go but he's on our couchChristmas morning.
So my mom took a gift fromevery other male in the family,
(08:14):
their gifts to give to him.
So he had something to openbecause it was last minute.
Everyone loved our house.
We were the Econ's house andeverybody enjoyed coming over
our house because we were justso loving and fun.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
I love this.
I want to get into a moreserious question.
I want to ask you somethingelse before that, but I got to
say this because this is abattle that I seem to be
fighting all the time, for yearsnow, about the perception of
what New York is like and whatNew Yorkers are like.
The perception of what New Yorkis like and what New Yorkers
are like Now, when we had someof the most tragic times in our
(08:51):
country's history, we've seenthe resilience of New Yorkers
and resilience is a theme inyour story that we're going to
get into a little bit.
But I love what you said,because that's emblematic of
what New Yorkers are really like.
Now we just read about inmagazines what you see on TV
shows and reality TV, what youjust described with your family,
and how you treat people, howyou love folks.
That's the New York that Iremember.
(09:13):
That's the New York that I grewup in People who are Jewish,
scandinavian, italian, greek,german.
I grew up around that kind ofvibe where people were just
loving to each other and theyweren't suspicious, they weren't
cold and standoffish, they were.
You know, they were like that.
So thank you for sharing that.
(09:35):
That's a fight that I think Ihave to fight.
I have to defend all the time,but you proved that it really is
true and all my fighting wasworth it, because it's a real
thing.
You laid it out.
That was your life.
That's what New York is reallylike.
I hope that viewers andlisteners kind of catch that,
because it's not what they seeon TV.
That's TV and drama.
It TV and drama.
It's not what New York is allabout.
There's other parts that arejust so beautiful, like your
(09:57):
story there.
But if everybody here's aquestion for you, gina when you
Everybody up north most timesnot everybody, but most people
they decide to leave the northand move to the west.
Or they move south because ofthe weather, they're tired of
shoveling, snow and theblizzards, etc.
Or you used to hustle andbustle of living in a
(10:18):
metropolitan city.
What made you stay up north andnot move to the?
Speaker 2 (10:26):
west or to the south, like a lot of other folks did
like me.
Well, you know, once again, theonly time I moved out was when
I went to college.
I went to Connecticut.
I wanted to be close to home,but yet far away.
That's not moving from New York, that's the same, I know, to
Connecticut.
Speaker 1 (10:36):
I wanted to be close to home, but yet far away.
That's not moving from New York.
That's the same.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
I did have dreams, you know, later on to travel,
because once again, my fathertook us.
We always traveled wherever orsomewhere.
You know, we're always in thecar, traveling, visiting other
siblings or visiting places, andI love to travel.
So part of me, okay, I wantedto get married, I wanted to have
(11:01):
kids and I wanted to travel.
I did want to go out West, butthat was later on.
That wasn't right then andthere my next step was to go to
college.
My dad, being so generous, putall eight of us through college.
Oh, wow.
Yes, so that's amazing.
It was two things.
(11:21):
My father, I mean, heaccomplished many things, but
two things he wanted to do forus is to pay for our education,
and he did.
He was a hardworking man andthis is going back in the late
70s, early 80s, and my brotherwas the last in the early 90s.
He paid for all of our collegeeducation and he also wanted us
(11:42):
to go away so we couldexperience life.
So, once again, gratitude.
I was just so thankful.
I always said I'm thankful thatmy mother married a Greek and
my dad married an Italian,because back then it was unheard
of two Greek and Italiangetting together, plus all my
(12:06):
relatives on the Greek side andon the Italian side.
I love them, but they came froma more stricter background.
Speaker 1 (12:15):
I want to get into that soon too, yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:20):
I always said that was my prayer.
Back then I was like, thank God, my mom married a Greek and dad
married an Italian.
Because we had the opportunitythat's why everyone loved our
house to come over.
There was food in therefrigerator and it was always
welcome.
I mean, yeah, we yelled, butthat's the Italian, that's
(12:44):
natural but it wasn't likeanything.
Speaker 1 (12:44):
It was more loving, more loving and a lot of laughs.
Yeah, I used to hear it many aday and many a night in my own
neighborhood, so I totally getthat.
One final question about justabout geography kind of helped
me out with.
I asked you this questionbecause I'm just curious about
your perspective, especiallynowadays, in 2025, a lot longer
than a lot farther away than itwas when I was living there.
But what's the best and worstthing about living in New York
(13:07):
slash New Jersey?
What's the best thing andwhat's the worst thing in your
opinion?
Speaker 2 (13:11):
I mean, the best thing where I live today is by
the beach.
That's the best thing.
Speaker 1 (13:15):
I love living by the beach.
Speaker 2 (13:16):
That's the best thing .
Speaker 1 (13:17):
I love living by the beach.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
I mean, the worst thing is that I believe like
today is so different than itwas years ago.
I mean like today, like today,it's so like back then.
It was so like you were morefree to trust people, to welcome
people here.
You have to put your arms, youknow, guards up, you have to be
(13:39):
careful.
Back then we were like, yeah,you know, and we felt safe.
I'm not, you know, today Istill feel safe, but I do other
extra precautions to make mefeel safe where living.
You know, as a child, you know,years ago we didn't, you know,
we didn't think of anything.
And then you know, as a child,you know, years ago we didn't,
you know, we didn't think ofanything.
And then you know, with thetechnology and all that, that's
(14:00):
a different story in itself, soit makes a lot of difference.
But today, I have to say, youknow, being by the beach, which
I love, where heaven and earthmeets that's the most great part
is positive place that I'mliving today.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
That's amazing.
I get that.
I used to run around as a kidman.
I used to run around for blocksway away from home, didn't have
a care that I would get lost oranything would happen, just
having fun.
I'm just now try that in 2025.
I don't think that's going tobe exactly the same.
I want to get into your book forsure.
But I want to get into yourbook for sure.
(14:41):
But I want to ask you aquestion about your the strong
ties of tradition in your family.
That was very important thatyou kind of shared that in our
pre-interview chat.
You had a lot of uh, yourfamily has strong adherence to
religious standards and I thinkthat's really strong, especially
in italian, probably more onthe catholic side there and on
greek side I think.
I don't know if it's Protestantor if it's Catholic there too,
but you felt like the mindsetyou had kind of hindered your
(15:02):
faith at all because you hadthis strong tradition and it
wasn't a lot of room formovement in faith and stuff.
Do you feel like that was a bigpart?
You even said something that Ithought was incredible.
You said that your parents wereyour God.
That blew my mind once.
So I want to hear about thatcomment you made and, of course,
(15:23):
your challenges and experienceswith the strong tradition in
your family.
Go ahead.
Speaker 2 (15:29):
Yes, we were raised Catholic, my father being raised
Greek.
When he married mom, he cameinto the Catholic Church.
So, all eight of us.
You know, we received all oursacraments and I was, and the
time I was born and receiving mysacraments, I didn't like
church.
You know what I mean.
I wasn't the cool person.
So we went to mass.
(15:49):
My parents were devout, theywere always devout.
It received all my sacramentsand of course, my mom wanted me,
wanted me, to do that extraprayer group, you know, at the
church and I'm like no, becauseas a kid I had my family's love
and support and I did believe myparents were God, because I did
(16:12):
the best I could to follow whatthey told me to do.
You know, living a good life.
I did the best I could tofollow what they told me to do.
You know, living a good life.
But yet, at the same time, I'min, I'm in the 80s, with other
friends and there's whether it'speer pressure or, once again, I
don't feel like I have to provemyself to other ones.
You know, be a people pleaserand all this.
Like I and I wanted to be thecenter of attention among my
(16:33):
friends, like a group, I waskind of looking for myself
because here, you know, I'm withmy parents, my mother, you know
, very devout, I mean, my fatherprovided for us.
We never, you know, gone hungryor anything like that.
But yet I compared myself tothe students or the classmates.
I go look what they have andlook what you know we don't have
(16:55):
.
But we had it.
But it was just something morethan a grandioso, you know, like
I mean they would come indriving their Camaros and Trans
Ams and I've come in driving mylittle Cheveque, you know, and
so it was sort of like a peer.
I don't want to say peerpressure, but it was my own way
of searching to be accepted, tofind a group to belong, and it
(17:20):
was just quite for me.
I felt it was kind of difficultbecause I had a family who was.
My parents were verytraditional morals.
I'm so glad you know like whatwas.
You know sports was moreimportant than buying.
You know whatever you know likeback then.
And so, yes, I always, andthat's why I think that saved me
in my life, that I thought myparents were.
(17:41):
You know God and their lovesurrounding us.
You know their unconditionallove just build, building
ourselves up, building ourselvesup.
But it was the outside of myfamily.
I was looking for thatacceptance and that love, the
world, whatever you want to callit, the schooling, the friends,
which I mean.
(18:01):
I had many friends, everybodyloved me, I knew everyone, but I
just did not feel like Iconnected, really connected,
because I didn't like myself.
But you know, at that time as akid and, plus, god wasn't really
in my life.
You know, like I said, myparents were God.
I didn't have like arelationship with some families
that have grown up with aChristian relationship, whatever
(18:23):
faith Like.
I didn't know what the wordfaith was either.
Probably at the time Same here.
Speaker 1 (18:30):
No, I get that.
That makes a lot of sense.
I mean, that's powerful though.
Your perspective on yourparents.
That's deep.
A lot of people I mean that'spowerful though your perspective
on your parents that's deep.
A lot of people probablywouldn't admit that, but it's
really true in a lot of cases.
I think.
I have to admit that was kindof my situation with my mom too.
I saw her and my grandmother asreligious examples, you know,
and I tried to live up to thatand try to please them.
(18:51):
It's powerful.
No relationship with God at all, like you said.
So I get that.
You talked about losing yourmom and how that was a defining
moment for you.
Can you talk about that alittle bit, how that kind of
affected your life?
Speaker 2 (19:01):
Yes, it did.
I went to college, graduatedand then my parents at the time
moved from New York toPennsylvania, semi-retired
because of my.
They had my brother.
My mother was 49 years old whenshe had my younger brother.
Yes, so when they retiredStephen was probably like 10
(19:21):
years old, 11, 12.
And they went to PA halfway togo to Florida because my sister
and her husband was inPennsylvania.
So they thought there would be,you know, a great place for
Stephen to grow up, to go inhigh school and et cetera.
So at this time I graduatedcollege in 89.
They were already inPennsylvania.
I go to Pennsylvania and here Igot a social work degree.
(19:45):
I don't know how, but I did.
And I mean.
Speaker 1 (19:49):
I graduated.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
It makes sense.
Okay, it makes sense Because myreason to go to college was to
have fun and drink, and that'swhat I did.
And I did social work becauseit was the easiest subject, one
would say, and I partied a lot.
So here I come home, livingwith my parents.
I have a social work degree aswell, as I became a pool shark
(20:14):
because that was like myfavorite hobby, being a pool
shark, I'm going to talk aboutthat.
Well, but in that I became abartender.
So here I'm bartending, 23years old, and that's when my
mom was diagnosed with cancerafter a couple of years living
with her, and at this time Iestablished a friendship
relationship with my mom.
You know we would go out forlunch, you know, and everything.
(20:36):
She didn't like me bartendingbut she never said don't bartend
, she goes.
Oh, you're never gonna find anice guy, because here I didn't
have, I didn't find a guy incollege, I wonder why, but
anyhow.
So, uh, yeah, my mom wasdiagnosed, uh, with cancer back
in 1991, four to six months tolive bone cancer.
(20:59):
And I happened, like I alwayssay, it was me that was home
with her, with my dad, and wetook care of her.
And my younger brother, steven,went off to college like the
day after diagnosis and she did.
She died in January of 1992,five months later, of her
original diagnose and it wasbone cancer.
(21:20):
So it was the first time ofgrief.
It's the first time of watchingsomeone you love die.
Once again, I didn't have anyfaith.
I'm 23 years old.
I want my mom.
So, yes, I did go back to theCatholic church in a way of
praying, bargaining God.
If I pray this Hail Mary, therosaries came out of my mom.
(21:41):
She was always devout.
And saints different saints,padre Pio, I don't know who they
are, but I'm like, okay, if Isay this mom will be healed, if
I do, this mom will be healed.
And I felt like nothing workedbecause my mom wasn't healed and
so when she died, I just Iwitnessed, you know, my mother
(22:05):
passing away with pain, but Ididn't have any faith, I didn't
have hope, I didn't have life, Ididn't have God in my life.
So it was like hell to me.
Now, in hindsight, it was likebeing in hell seeing someone
like that with nothing, likewith nothing in your heart, mind
(22:25):
or soul.
So, it was painful.
So that was a defining, one ofmy defining situations in my
life.
Speaker 1 (22:33):
I'd imagine it has to be different.
I want to get into a little bitof your book.
I know that you had multiplesituations where you dealt with
some tragedy and lost.
I want to try to come back tothat after some questions about
your book and everything.
But for all those that areviewing and watching this and
listening to us, if you have anyquestions for Gina in regards
to just challenges in your faithor maybe you can connect with
(22:55):
having a family that has strongtraditional values, or you also
live up in the North and youhave a different perspective of
that area and what you're seeing, by all means, you know we'd
love to answer your questions.
Jump into the comment section,drop those there.
We'll answer those as soon aswe can, but continue to watch,
continue to keep listening andwe just thank you for that.
(23:16):
So, gina, you have a bookcalled Shake the Dust Off your
Feet and Walk Faith, sobriety,self-discovery and Healing.
Can you talk about this memoir,kind of talk about what you
were trying to accomplish?
What was the inspiration forthis book?
Get into that for us.
Speaker 2 (23:31):
Yes, First of all, I never wanted to be an author.
I never wanted to write a book.
It's just through my lifeexperience.
After my mom died I continued,went through a lot of other pain
and tragedy.
In my book it'll say that I wasa former Catholic nun.
I became a nun after my momdied, searching I was a searcher
, searching for that peace andthat serenity within.
(23:54):
Couldn't find it.
I didn't find it after reallymom's death.
I didn't find it in the convent.
In the convent I experienced alot of pain and suffering.
There I got rejected, kickedout.
It's all in the book.
And then, as my journeycontinued, that's not easy to do
.
No, no, especially everybodyloved me.
(24:14):
I don't know why the sistersdidn't like me.
I mean, the sisters were verydysfunctional and once again
trying to fit in, trying toplease, and you know what God
did for me, what I couldn't dofor myself, and I just kept
moving forward.
And so then I started my othernew life of the age of 42.
(24:35):
I don't know what it was, but Iwent back to bartending and so
you asked me about my book.
My book is about my life, myjourney, step by step, path,
chapter by chapter, one, traumaafter another trauma, a little
bit of joy and then a littletrauma, and then, finally,
sobriety.
(24:55):
And because during that time,when I went back to bartending,
I did meet a gentleman his namewas Danny.
So I said, oh yes, my, my lifeis being fulfilled.
I met someone who loved me,loved him, but he was an
alcoholic.
So I'm like, oh, my god, notagain.
You know what I mean likesomething more, more, more and
(25:16):
um.
But then, yet you know,tragically, he died.
He died from the disease two anda half years later, once again
I'm searching.
I guess that's my key thing isI was just searching for the
meaning of life, for the purposeof life, but most of all I was
searching for Gina inside andthrough.
After Dandy's death, that wasmy down dark pit, you name it.
(25:40):
I surrendered, I gave up tolife, I wanted to die, I didn't
want to live and I thought mypurpose was to suffer Really.
I really had such an estate ofgrace mind saying OK, I'll just
endure all pain, bring it on,bring it on to me, whatever it
may be.
But then, yet yet, I ended upfinding myself in the rooms of a
(26:01):
really wide Danny, an alcoholic, died and these people are
living.
And then I'll make a real longstory short because it's all in
my book.
One day at a time, I came tofind out that I am an alcoholic
and that I have 10 years ofsobriety today and in the last
10 years, Congratulations.
Thank you.
(26:21):
I come to find out who Gina is.
She's lovable, she's loving,and there's freedom inside and I
could hug her today.
And I continue to grow in myfaith.
And one thing I share with youis when, after Danny died, I was
so angry with God Because bythis time, when I left the
(26:45):
convent, I had married God.
So when I left the convent, Ifelt like I divorced him.
Like you know, I was like you,stay on your side.
Speaker 1 (26:53):
That's a kind of book .
Right there I divorced God.
Speaker 2 (26:56):
I divorced and then when Danny died, I was like,
forget it, you're on the couch,I don't want nothing to do with
you.
How could you do this to me?
And yet, coming into the roomsand realizing who I was, I I a
new relationship, renewed mylove for God and have a new
faith, new hope, new love, youknow, new life, uh, as a sober
(27:17):
woman of faith today.
So then that's all in my bookand that's why I had written it.
I wrote it.
I wrote all the pain out whenDanny died about 11 years ago,
and when I was writing about thepain of with him, the pain of
the sisters came up.
Because I held it, as I toldyou earlier, I kept everything
(27:41):
inside.
I kept everything inside and itjust ate me away and it
paralyzed me.
I kept everything inside and itjust ate me away and it
paralyzed me.
And so I put I put like 180pages away of full of pain, and
then, when I came into recovery,I'm full of life and recovery
that I continue to write, andsomebody encouraged me, say you
need to publish it.
You need to publish a memoirjust to spread that message of
(28:04):
hope and strength that you'renot alone.
Do not be discouraged If I cando it anybody, you know it's
miracles.
Speaker 1 (28:12):
Those are the best.
If I can do it, you can do ittoo.
Those are the best ones,definitely, that's an incredible
story, gina, I'll talk aboutthat at the end of the show
again.
Would you offered to allow ourlisteners to download a free
chapter of your book?
Is that still available?
Speaker 2 (28:30):
That is still available.
Speaker 1 (28:32):
Gina Econ dot com Right.
Speaker 2 (28:35):
Yes, you can read the first chapter.
It's free there.
And if anyone wants to contactme it's not even regards to the
book or anything I am there.
You can contact me through thatand I'd be more than happy to
reply it or to help or to listenor to share.
Speaker 1 (28:52):
Awesome.
Okay, I want to ask a few morequestions.
Hopefully we can try to get it.
We're doing good.
Your stories are incredible.
Thank you for being transparentand sharing this stuff.
This is amazing.
This is incredible stuff to me.
When you were in your programyou're involved in with
alcoholics and non-alcoholics,there's always been a stigma
about them and whether it reallyworks in the step program and
(29:16):
everything.
What did you learn from thisprogram that you felt like
worked for you, with so manyquestions, the long term value
of being an AA.
What did you?
What were the benefits for you?
What did you gain from thattime in that program?
Speaker 2 (29:36):
Oh, I gained myself happy, joyous and free within,
because I come to realize that Iwas.
That's what I was looking for.
I was stuck, I was stuck, I wasparalyzed by fear, I was
paralyzed by anger.
And this 12-step program, whichit does work.
It does work every day, I haveto say.
I'm an alcoholic.
I go to meetings, I havesponsors, talk to another
(29:56):
alcoholic, do what the programdoes and it has brought me such
freedom and such joy to livethis life and, like I said, it
brought God back into my life, ahigher power.
Live this life and, like I said, it brought God back into my
life, a higher power.
Just to remind all of yourlisteners is that AA is a
spiritual program.
It's not a religion program.
So it's a real deep spiritualprogram.
(30:20):
Explain that?
Because people think when theyhear about God they think it's
religious church and people haveall gotten trauma from church
in some form or fashion.
But yet AA brings you aspiritual program, brings you a
higher power.
So your higher power could beGod.
Your higher power could be achair.
Your higher power, I hope notbut it's something that's not
(30:42):
you that will help you not pickup the drink that day and when
you're in that state of mind,that is the most important.
If I don't drink today becauseof that chair, oh my God, I have
a great day Because, as we know, the disease is cunning,
baffling, insidious and it doeskill.
It killed my fiance, so I knowwhere it can go.
(31:03):
So anything, that is not you,that is not me a higher power
you could call God, you couldcall Buddha, you could call the
group, you could call the naturewhatever is holding is not
allowing you to pick up thatdrink out.
(31:27):
One day at a time, you getfilled with more like god or
light, and and, and you do whenyou work the program and when
you talk to another alcoholic,you're not alone.
You know we all have the same.
You know disease and we allwant that same recovery because
we know what it's like to be inhell.
We know what hell is like andwe don't want, we wouldn't wish
that on our worst enemy.
But this is a program thathelps us to stay out of hell and
to grow in our sobriety.
Speaker 1 (31:49):
I totally understand that.
I understand that I wasn't inthe program and it always felt
to me like you were also doingit for the people who were in
the program, because they werein the same place of weakness
and struggle, and every day thatyou came back and you kept
holding on to the rope, that hadto do something for them too.
Right, so that came back andyou kept holding on to the rope.
That had to do something forthem too right.
Speaker 2 (32:10):
So that's one of the things I love about your story.
I love that, yes.
And one last thing is becausethat's why, when you go into
these rooms, you'll see, you'llhear people with 30 years of
sobriety, but they need thatmeeting for that day to keep
them sober.
30 years will keep them soberbecause they know how important
it is and to hear the newcomerscome in and to let the newcomers
know, yes, it does work.
It ain't easy in the beginning,you know, because we either
(32:31):
want to drink or we want to get.
You know what it is.
Last thing I'll say is becausepain comes up.
And what is alcohol?
It's what anyone does with pain.
They run to an alcohol.
They'll, you know, run to adrink.
They don't want to feel pain.
They don't want to feel fear orworry and anxiety.
They have something else tomedicate them and that's what
(32:53):
the program does.
Any 12 step programs helps younot to medicate and to live life
on life's terms in a healthyway.
Speaker 1 (33:02):
I love it.
Are you going to be up againstit?
I have three more questions.
I love it.
All right, gina, we up againstit.
I have three more questions.
I had actually had way morethan that, but these three
questions, I think, will be afitting way to end our episode.
So let's see if we try to getthrough these three questions.
So tell me briefly what is anend-of-life doula and why did
you decide to become one?
Go ahead okay.
Speaker 2 (33:23):
End-of-life doula is a uh, a non-medical approach to
those who are dying.
As a transitional, as beingpresent, my service entails of
helping a family when they callme to assess.
What do you need?
You know, is to help thatperson who is dying to
transition from this life to thenext, and whatever I could do
(33:44):
for the family.
Everyone is different.
Everyone has their differentways, different beliefs, it's
you know.
Everyone has their differentvalues or anything.
So I try to go in and bring apeaceful presence to them to say
, hey, it's okay, or what wouldyou like?
You know, like I said, everyoneis different and the reason why
I do this is because of my ownpersonal faith, like I shared
(34:08):
with you I was when I different.
And the reason why I do this isbecause of my own personal faith
, like I shared with you, when Iwas with my mom.
I had no faith, no hope, nolove, no God, and it was hell.
It was hell.
I know where my mom is.
My mom is in heaven, my mom iswith her God, she's at peace,
and so it's like, wow, I want togo there and I want to bring
everyone there that I can, to gothere, to transition to
(34:29):
wherever their God is, wherevertheir peace is, wherever their
home is.
You know, and that's what mybelief in things and also I love
Mother Teresa, and this iswhere it grew when I was a nun
is to give the dying the dignityto die.
No matter what you are, who youare, on the streets, on this,
(34:49):
whatever, whatever, whatever youdid or didn't do, know that God
loves you and that you have aplace to go in his mercy.
Speaker 1 (34:56):
So I love it.
Now, I heard so much of yourstory.
I heard things that we didn'tget a chance to even talk about
live here, but you mentionedforgiveness as being very, very
important for you personally.
Now, through all that we heardin this live interview, I didn't
hear any areas where you wereholding anything against anybody
.
They may have done it againstyou, but share really briefly
(35:18):
why forgiveness is so valuableto you, based on what you
experienced well, the personI've truly blamed in my heart
was God.
Speaker 2 (35:28):
I was angry, I blamed him for everything.
How could you?
Why?
Why, why I had to forgive God,believe it or not, you know, yes
, god forgives me, but as aperson, as a relationship, it's
like a heart to heart and withme, forgiveness.
And now I do practice it everyday.
If I get angry, I try to learnto forgive.
I ask for that grace.
(35:49):
It's not a feeling, it's achoice.
And forgiveness is so importantbecause, to be honest, when you
have a resentment or angertowards somebody, you're feeding
yourself poison and they don'teven know it.
They don't even know it.
So, if you forgiveness and I'mnot saying to go out to the
person and say, hey, let's havecoffee and tea with you, you
(36:10):
know what I mean you don't haveto do that Like, oh yeah, I
forgive you, come on, come onover.
No, you don't have to.
It's all because in your heart,and forgiveness totally frees
and heals your heart, as youforgive, as you let go,
especially the past, we hold ongrudges.
Today, life goes on.
(36:32):
Yes, I could get angry.
Aha, I could get angry.
What do I do with it?
It doesn't have to control me.
Do I need to forgive?
Did I make okay?
Do I need to go apologize tosomeone I'm sorry, or to
apologize to God?
Okay, god, you know my heart.
Tell me what to do.
Speaker 1 (36:49):
No, I love that.
That's fantastic.
Last question for you, gina,and this is a great conversation
.
Sorry, we couldn't keep ongoing longer, but this is where
we are.
But if you were not anend-of-life doula and you
weren't an author, what wouldGina be doing with her life?
Speaker 2 (37:31):
do you think?
Oh, today I would just continueto be, god willing, a sober
woman, working my program oneday at a time and reaching out
to other, know someone, andespecially the families that um
have lost someone to the disease, like overdose, because it is a
stigma, uh, it's, it's.
It is difficult and but yet youknow, they're just beautiful
people that die.
So I would do a lot of hands-onwork in that area it is a name
fest.
Speaker 1 (37:45):
is it called sponsor?
What's the what's the what forthis?
Is it called a sponsor?
What's the task?
Speaker 2 (37:48):
It could be a sponsor .
It could be a sponsor or itcould just go.
I mean, I have done.
Speaker 1 (37:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (37:57):
Or just going to different events.
You know that host addictionawareness.
You know just to be present,just to be present to people, to
families, because I've beenthere.
I've been there I mean I'm onthe both sides of the fence and
and and, but now I could see youknow more things differently,
(38:18):
and the key thing for me is justto be present to people.
I don't need to say anything ifthey ask me okay, just to be
present, just to be.
I can't.
There's nothing more I couldsay about that.
It's just to be present andlisten.
Speaker 1 (38:32):
That's what we all need.
That's a lesson that we couldall learn from, because that's
not.
Some of us are not even presentin our own lives.
So no, I totally get that.
You are my favorite member ofthe Econ family, that's for sure
.
Thank you for joining us andthanks for being a part of this
show.
You made it.
You made the show better than I.
Thank you For all those thatare listening and watching.
Today, gina offered to allow youto download a free chapter, a
(38:56):
free first chapter of her book.
Shake off, shake the dust offyour feet, excuse me, and walk
face to variety, self-discoveryand healing a memoir by gina
econ.
Uh, you can go there,wwwginaeconcom.
You can go there and downloadthe free copy.
I mean free first chapter.
Excuse me, I'm so sorry I'mgonna give away your whole book.
Sorry, gina econcom, you canget a first chapter free of her
(39:20):
book.
Thank you, gina again forjoining us.
It was fantastic.
I'm sure we'll stay in touchand hear more of your great
endeavors and all the greatthings you're going to be doing
and all the books you're goingto continue to write, probably,
but we'll see.
But excited to have you on andthanks again for doing this.
Speaker 2 (39:34):
Thank you, and thank you to all your listeners, and
if nobody told you that theylove you, today, I do.
Speaker 1 (39:40):
They did not, but Thank you.
welcome back to one-on-one with mr you.
Of course I'm your host.
Mr you in studio with us today.
On one with Mr you, of courseI'm your host.
Mr you In studio with us today.
Jeannie Conlamopoulos, authorand end-of-life doula.
Such a great story.
I'm so glad to have you on.
How are you today?
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Doing very well.
How are you?
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Fantastic, Fantastic.
You hear that accent y'all.
She's from my neck of the woods, so I love this conversation
already because we kind of hadsome great connections regarding
my time back home and she'sstill up there.
So I'm getting a littlevicarious through her a little
bit.
But, Gina, we had an awesomediscussion in our pre-interview
chat.
I'd love to hear well, there'sso many questions I want to ask.
(00:56):
Hopefully we have enough timeto do so but let's kind of start
from who you are, who was young.
Gina, Tell me about yourchildhood, your upbringing.
Let's kind of enlighten ourlisteners and viewers about that
.
Go ahead.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
That sounds good.
I'll start from the beginning.
Yes, my name is GinaCanemopoulos and you're right, I
was born and raised up in thenortheast Long Islands.
I also live in New York.
I'm one of eight kids and I ama New York Met fan.
I grew up Okay, I mean becauseLong.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
Island.
My mom would love that, butthat's not for me.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
I know.
Later on, when I lived in theBronx, I was a Yankee fan.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
Long Island folks always loved the Mets.
It's not new, I get it.
I grew up around them.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
Because many of the players back then, like Lee
Mazzilli and all them, theywould be at our school.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
Oh, I loved him, I loved him.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
They would be in our town.
So yeah, I get it.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
It's okay, it's all New York, I get it.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
And my parents, coming from Italian and Greek,
very loving, very unconditionallove for all eight kids.
I was born with many physicalproblems so out of all the eight
kids I was the accident prone,the one with surgeries was
physically limited, playingsports.
(02:17):
So as a child I grew up justcomparing myself to my oldest
siblings.
Wow just comparing myself to myoldest siblings, wow, and.
And as I, looking back inhindsight, I was insecure with
myself.
I didn't like myself.
I wanted to be like my sisters.
How come this is, how come Ican't do this?
Why can't I play basketball?
(02:37):
But I couldn't because, like Isaid I've I born with all these
conditions and my mom would saythank God, you could walk, thank
God, which I can.
I mean, I was always able towalk, but thank God.
And I also felt like the blackcloud, you know, the black sheep
of the family, or the blackcloud.
If somebody was going to happen, it would be Gina.
(03:02):
You know it would be me, I'lltake it.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
So yeah, no, it would be Gina.
You know, it would be me, I'lltake it so yeah, no, I totally
get that.
I want to ask you somethingabout that, gina, because I
think there's an assumption Ithink that you have a great
insight on this there's anassumption that if you have a
big family it helps you, it'sgreat for your self-esteem.
And the more conversations thatI do, the more people I have
(03:30):
conversations with, I see thatthat is not necessarily true.
Sometimes the smaller familieskind of foster stronger
self-esteem in the children.
But you have a big family, youcome from a big family.
Did you see that as a benefitfor you to have a big family?
Did that help your self-esteem?
Did that kind of was it achallenge to your self esteem?
Talk about that a little bit ifyou can.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
Yes, I can.
Well, they just loved me.
Like you know, I have nocomplaints about my family.
Growing up, I was just a personwho kept everything inside.
I was yes, it does hurt me.
Yes, I don't like myself, Iwouldn't say, because everybody
loved me.
I was known as Gina LolaBrigida.
You know I was.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
Oh, I haven't heard that name in years.
I know.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
That's who I was named after.
So I was like, yeah, I was likethis cute person, cute little
girl with a smile, I alwayssmile and I think, by nature,
you know, with my parents beingso loving and kind, you know, by
nature I just had thatcompassion of their service,
kind, you know, by nature I justhad that compassion of their
service, of you know, of lovingothers and just enduring it, you
(04:31):
know, and not complaining.
Not complaining, you know, Ididn't know what complaining was
about.
You know my mom would say, youknow, thank God, you go walk,
thank God you're alive, you know, thank God, thank God.
But yet I, you know, things justhappen.
So, you know, growing up and Ilove growing up in a large
family, because when I wasgrowing up in my teens, I wanted
to have a large family, Iwanted to get married and have
(04:52):
eight kids.
I wanted to be married by thetime I turned 18 and have kids,
have like at least six kids by25.
Because of my parents, I had aplan I Go to college, go away,
find my future husband and havekids and live a simple,
housewife life, you know, and amother.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
No, no, I get it, I get it.
And there's something I want toask you about.
I want to come back to yourparents, because you made a
comment that kind of blew mymind in our pre-interview chat,
so I want to come back to that.
But you're in, you're in myslash, your hometown, and we
know that it's a melting pot forcoaches, but it's also a
(05:34):
melting pot for all differentkinds of awesome foods and stuff
.
So tell me, what's the one mealI mean now you got.
Now you probably have a greatanswer because you come from an
Italian and Greek background andI grew up, grew up, in New York
.
I Great answer because you comefrom an Italian and Greek
background and I grew up in NewYork.
I've tasted everything, for themost part because I had.
All my friends were fromdifferent parts of the world, so
it was a melting pot in thetruest sense.
But what's the one meal thatyou grew up with that elicits
(05:59):
the best memories for you?
I mean that one meal, like whenyou have that, you kind of just
go back into a really beautifulheadspace if I can say that.
What's that one meal thatbrings that back for you?
Speaker 2 (06:07):
Macaroni with my mom's homemade sauce.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
Come on, what's the side of the sauce?
Gina, talk to me.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
It was just love.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
No, no, the ingredients I know love's in
there A little bit of garlic, alittle bit of olive oil and just
tomatoes.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
It was just love, because Even as a kid, with my
birthday Parties, you know you'dgo to a birthday Party and they
will have pizza, but my momwould make macaroni for the kids
.
You know, yeah, because that'show I was and I'm like, oh my
god, they don't know whatmacaroni is.
You know, I mean Italian foodmacaroni and then, of course,
(06:50):
the Greek food.
My mom was a great cook, so shewas able to cook pasticcio and
other lamb, so she was able todo that.
So there was no starving in ourhouse and there was always a
delicious homemade meal everynight about five o'clock, no
matter what, and I could recallgoing into the kitchen around
(07:13):
four and saying Mom, what are wehaving for dinner?
There's nothing on the stove,nothing.
Oh, don't worry, I don't knowand she'll come up with
something delicious.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
In less than an hour.
That's what I'm talking about.
That's beautiful.
I bet y'all had a lot offriends.
Open that window up and youhave friends coming from
everywhere and that's anotherthing.
Speaker 2 (07:32):
I give my parents a lot of credit and my mother.
We always had an open home,open house.
So if you did come home withsomebody you didn't have to
really ask.
Mom's like, okay, we'll justput an extra pound of pasta or
spaghetti, you're always welcomeHolidays people.
We wake up and it's like, oh,who are you?
(07:53):
Oh, okay, you're so-and-so'sfriend, sister's friend.
Okay, come and join my mother.
I speak so highly of herbecause one Christmas Eve my
sister's friend stayed over amale friend and he had nowhere
to go but he's on our couchChristmas morning.
So my mom took a gift fromevery other male in the family,
(08:14):
their gifts to give to him.
So he had something to openbecause it was last minute.
Everyone loved our house.
We were the Econ's house andeverybody enjoyed coming over
our house because we were justso loving and fun.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
I love this.
I want to get into a moreserious question.
I want to ask you somethingelse before that, but I got to
say this because this is abattle that I seem to be
fighting all the time, for yearsnow, about the perception of
what New York is like and whatNew Yorkers are like.
The perception of what New Yorkis like and what New Yorkers
are like Now, when we had someof the most tragic times in our
(08:51):
country's history, we've seenthe resilience of New Yorkers
and resilience is a theme inyour story that we're going to
get into a little bit.
But I love what you said,because that's emblematic of
what New Yorkers are really like.
Now we just read about inmagazines what you see on TV
shows and reality TV, what youjust described with your family,
and how you treat people, howyou love folks.
That's the New York that Iremember.
(09:13):
That's the New York that I grewup in People who are Jewish,
scandinavian, italian, greek,german.
I grew up around that kind ofvibe where people were just
loving to each other and theyweren't suspicious, they weren't
cold and standoffish, they were.
You know, they were like that.
So thank you for sharing that.
(09:35):
That's a fight that I think Ihave to fight.
I have to defend all the time,but you proved that it really is
true and all my fighting wasworth it, because it's a real
thing.
You laid it out.
That was your life.
That's what New York is reallylike.
I hope that viewers andlisteners kind of catch that,
because it's not what they seeon TV.
That's TV and drama.
It TV and drama.
It's not what New York is allabout.
There's other parts that arejust so beautiful, like your
(09:57):
story there.
But if everybody here's aquestion for you, gina when you
Everybody up north most timesnot everybody, but most people
they decide to leave the northand move to the west.
Or they move south because ofthe weather, they're tired of
shoveling, snow and theblizzards, etc.
Or you used to hustle andbustle of living in a
(10:18):
metropolitan city.
What made you stay up north andnot move to the?
Speaker 2 (10:26):
west or to the south, like a lot of other folks did
like me.
Well, you know, once again, theonly time I moved out was when
I went to college.
I went to Connecticut.
I wanted to be close to home,but yet far away.
That's not moving from New York, that's the same, I know, to
Connecticut.
Speaker 1 (10:36):
I wanted to be close to home, but yet far away.
That's not moving from New York.
That's the same.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
I did have dreams, you know, later on to travel,
because once again, my fathertook us.
We always traveled wherever orsomewhere.
You know, we're always in thecar, traveling, visiting other
siblings or visiting places, andI love to travel.
So part of me, okay, I wantedto get married, I wanted to have
(11:01):
kids and I wanted to travel.
I did want to go out West, butthat was later on.
That wasn't right then andthere my next step was to go to
college.
My dad, being so generous, putall eight of us through college.
Oh, wow.
Yes, so that's amazing.
It was two things.
(11:21):
My father, I mean, heaccomplished many things, but
two things he wanted to do forus is to pay for our education,
and he did.
He was a hardworking man andthis is going back in the late
70s, early 80s, and my brotherwas the last in the early 90s.
He paid for all of our collegeeducation and he also wanted us
(11:42):
to go away so we couldexperience life.
So, once again, gratitude.
I was just so thankful.
I always said I'm thankful thatmy mother married a Greek and
my dad married an Italian,because back then it was unheard
of two Greek and Italiangetting together, plus all my
(12:06):
relatives on the Greek side andon the Italian side.
I love them, but they came froma more stricter background.
Speaker 1 (12:15):
I want to get into that soon too, yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:20):
I always said that was my prayer.
Back then I was like, thank God, my mom married a Greek and dad
married an Italian.
Because we had the opportunitythat's why everyone loved our
house to come over.
There was food in therefrigerator and it was always
welcome.
I mean, yeah, we yelled, butthat's the Italian, that's
(12:44):
natural but it wasn't likeanything.
Speaker 1 (12:44):
It was more loving, more loving and a lot of laughs.
Yeah, I used to hear it many aday and many a night in my own
neighborhood, so I totally getthat.
One final question about justabout geography kind of helped
me out with.
I asked you this questionbecause I'm just curious about
your perspective, especiallynowadays, in 2025, a lot longer
than a lot farther away than itwas when I was living there.
But what's the best and worstthing about living in New York
(13:07):
slash New Jersey?
What's the best thing andwhat's the worst thing in your
opinion?
Speaker 2 (13:11):
I mean, the best thing where I live today is by
the beach.
That's the best thing.
Speaker 1 (13:15):
I love living by the beach.
Speaker 2 (13:16):
That's the best thing .
Speaker 1 (13:17):
I love living by the beach.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
I mean, the worst thing is that I believe like
today is so different than itwas years ago.
I mean like today, like today,it's so like back then.
It was so like you were morefree to trust people, to welcome
people here.
You have to put your arms, youknow, guards up, you have to be
(13:39):
careful.
Back then we were like, yeah,you know, and we felt safe.
I'm not, you know, today Istill feel safe, but I do other
extra precautions to make mefeel safe where living.
You know, as a child, you know,years ago we didn't, you know,
we didn't think of anything.
And then you know, as a child,you know, years ago we didn't,
you know, we didn't think ofanything.
And then you know, with thetechnology and all that, that's
(14:00):
a different story in itself, soit makes a lot of difference.
But today, I have to say, youknow, being by the beach, which
I love, where heaven and earthmeets that's the most great part
is positive place that I'mliving today.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
That's amazing.
I get that.
I used to run around as a kidman.
I used to run around for blocksway away from home, didn't have
a care that I would get lost oranything would happen, just
having fun.
I'm just now try that in 2025.
I don't think that's going tobe exactly the same.
I want to get into your book forsure.
But I want to get into yourbook for sure.
(14:41):
But I want to ask you aquestion about your the strong
ties of tradition in your family.
That was very important thatyou kind of shared that in our
pre-interview chat.
You had a lot of uh, yourfamily has strong adherence to
religious standards and I thinkthat's really strong, especially
in italian, probably more onthe catholic side there and on
greek side I think.
I don't know if it's Protestantor if it's Catholic there too,
but you felt like the mindsetyou had kind of hindered your
(15:02):
faith at all because you hadthis strong tradition and it
wasn't a lot of room formovement in faith and stuff.
Do you feel like that was a bigpart?
You even said something that Ithought was incredible.
You said that your parents wereyour God.
That blew my mind once.
So I want to hear about thatcomment you made and, of course,
(15:23):
your challenges and experienceswith the strong tradition in
your family.
Go ahead.
Speaker 2 (15:29):
Yes, we were raised Catholic, my father being raised
Greek.
When he married mom, he cameinto the Catholic Church.
So, all eight of us.
You know, we received all oursacraments and I was, and the
time I was born and receiving mysacraments, I didn't like
church.
You know what I mean.
I wasn't the cool person.
So we went to mass.
(15:49):
My parents were devout, theywere always devout.
It received all my sacramentsand of course, my mom wanted me,
wanted me, to do that extraprayer group, you know, at the
church and I'm like no, becauseas a kid I had my family's love
and support and I did believe myparents were God, because I did
(16:12):
the best I could to follow whatthey told me to do.
You know, living a good life.
I did the best I could tofollow what they told me to do.
You know, living a good life.
But yet, at the same time, I'min, I'm in the 80s, with other
friends and there's whether it'speer pressure or, once again, I
don't feel like I have to provemyself to other ones.
You know, be a people pleaserand all this.
Like I and I wanted to be thecenter of attention among my
(16:33):
friends, like a group, I waskind of looking for myself
because here, you know, I'm withmy parents, my mother, you know
, very devout, I mean, my fatherprovided for us.
We never, you know, gone hungryor anything like that.
But yet I compared myself tothe students or the classmates.
I go look what they have andlook what you know we don't have
(16:55):
.
But we had it.
But it was just something morethan a grandioso, you know, like
I mean they would come indriving their Camaros and Trans
Ams and I've come in driving mylittle Cheveque, you know, and
so it was sort of like a peer.
I don't want to say peerpressure, but it was my own way
of searching to be accepted, tofind a group to belong, and it
(17:20):
was just quite for me.
I felt it was kind of difficultbecause I had a family who was.
My parents were verytraditional morals.
I'm so glad you know like whatwas.
You know sports was moreimportant than buying.
You know whatever you know likeback then.
And so, yes, I always, andthat's why I think that saved me
in my life, that I thought myparents were.
(17:41):
You know God and their lovesurrounding us.
You know their unconditionallove just build, building
ourselves up, building ourselvesup.
But it was the outside of myfamily.
I was looking for thatacceptance and that love, the
world, whatever you want to callit, the schooling, the friends,
which I mean.
(18:01):
I had many friends, everybodyloved me, I knew everyone, but I
just did not feel like Iconnected, really connected,
because I didn't like myself.
But you know, at that time as akid and, plus, god wasn't really
in my life.
You know, like I said, myparents were God.
I didn't have like arelationship with some families
that have grown up with aChristian relationship, whatever
(18:23):
faith Like.
I didn't know what the wordfaith was either.
Probably at the time Same here.
Speaker 1 (18:30):
No, I get that.
That makes a lot of sense.
I mean, that's powerful though.
Your perspective on yourparents.
That's deep.
A lot of people I mean that'spowerful though your perspective
on your parents that's deep.
A lot of people probablywouldn't admit that, but it's
really true in a lot of cases.
I think.
I have to admit that was kindof my situation with my mom too.
I saw her and my grandmother asreligious examples, you know,
and I tried to live up to thatand try to please them.
(18:51):
It's powerful.
No relationship with God at all, like you said.
So I get that.
You talked about losing yourmom and how that was a defining
moment for you.
Can you talk about that alittle bit, how that kind of
affected your life?
Speaker 2 (19:01):
Yes, it did.
I went to college, graduatedand then my parents at the time
moved from New York toPennsylvania, semi-retired
because of my.
They had my brother.
My mother was 49 years old whenshe had my younger brother.
Yes, so when they retiredStephen was probably like 10
(19:21):
years old, 11, 12.
And they went to PA halfway togo to Florida because my sister
and her husband was inPennsylvania.
So they thought there would be,you know, a great place for
Stephen to grow up, to go inhigh school and et cetera.
So at this time I graduatedcollege in 89.
They were already inPennsylvania.
I go to Pennsylvania and here Igot a social work degree.
(19:45):
I don't know how, but I did.
And I mean.
Speaker 1 (19:49):
I graduated.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
It makes sense.
Okay, it makes sense Because myreason to go to college was to
have fun and drink, and that'swhat I did.
And I did social work becauseit was the easiest subject, one
would say, and I partied a lot.
So here I come home, livingwith my parents.
I have a social work degree aswell, as I became a pool shark
(20:14):
because that was like myfavorite hobby, being a pool
shark, I'm going to talk aboutthat.
Well, but in that I became abartender.
So here I'm bartending, 23years old, and that's when my
mom was diagnosed with cancerafter a couple of years living
with her, and at this time Iestablished a friendship
relationship with my mom.
You know we would go out forlunch, you know, and everything.
(20:36):
She didn't like me bartendingbut she never said don't bartend
, she goes.
Oh, you're never gonna find anice guy, because here I didn't
have, I didn't find a guy incollege, I wonder why, but
anyhow.
So, uh, yeah, my mom wasdiagnosed, uh, with cancer back
in 1991, four to six months tolive bone cancer.
(20:59):
And I happened, like I alwayssay, it was me that was home
with her, with my dad, and wetook care of her.
And my younger brother, steven,went off to college like the
day after diagnosis and she did.
She died in January of 1992,five months later, of her
original diagnose and it wasbone cancer.
(21:20):
So it was the first time ofgrief.
It's the first time of watchingsomeone you love die.
Once again, I didn't have anyfaith.
I'm 23 years old.
I want my mom.
So, yes, I did go back to theCatholic church in a way of
praying, bargaining God.
If I pray this Hail Mary, therosaries came out of my mom.
(21:41):
She was always devout.
And saints different saints,padre Pio, I don't know who they
are, but I'm like, okay, if Isay this mom will be healed, if
I do, this mom will be healed.
And I felt like nothing workedbecause my mom wasn't healed and
so when she died, I just Iwitnessed, you know, my mother
(22:05):
passing away with pain, but Ididn't have any faith, I didn't
have hope, I didn't have life, Ididn't have God in my life.
So it was like hell to me.
Now, in hindsight, it was likebeing in hell seeing someone
like that with nothing, likewith nothing in your heart, mind
(22:25):
or soul.
So, it was painful.
So that was a defining, one ofmy defining situations in my
life.
Speaker 1 (22:33):
I'd imagine it has to be different.
I want to get into a little bitof your book.
I know that you had multiplesituations where you dealt with
some tragedy and lost.
I want to try to come back tothat after some questions about
your book and everything.
But for all those that areviewing and watching this and
listening to us, if you have anyquestions for Gina in regards
to just challenges in your faithor maybe you can connect with
(22:55):
having a family that has strongtraditional values, or you also
live up in the North and youhave a different perspective of
that area and what you're seeing, by all means, you know we'd
love to answer your questions.
Jump into the comment section,drop those there.
We'll answer those as soon aswe can, but continue to watch,
continue to keep listening andwe just thank you for that.
(23:16):
So, gina, you have a bookcalled Shake the Dust Off your
Feet and Walk Faith, sobriety,self-discovery and Healing.
Can you talk about this memoir,kind of talk about what you
were trying to accomplish?
What was the inspiration forthis book?
Get into that for us.
Speaker 2 (23:31):
Yes, First of all, I never wanted to be an author.
I never wanted to write a book.
It's just through my lifeexperience.
After my mom died I continued,went through a lot of other pain
and tragedy.
In my book it'll say that I wasa former Catholic nun.
I became a nun after my momdied, searching I was a searcher
, searching for that peace andthat serenity within.
(23:54):
Couldn't find it.
I didn't find it after reallymom's death.
I didn't find it in the convent.
In the convent I experienced alot of pain and suffering.
There I got rejected, kickedout.
It's all in the book.
And then, as my journeycontinued, that's not easy to do
.
No, no, especially everybodyloved me.
(24:14):
I don't know why the sistersdidn't like me.
I mean, the sisters were verydysfunctional and once again
trying to fit in, trying toplease, and you know what God
did for me, what I couldn't dofor myself, and I just kept
moving forward.
And so then I started my othernew life of the age of 42.
(24:35):
I don't know what it was, but Iwent back to bartending and so
you asked me about my book.
My book is about my life, myjourney, step by step, path,
chapter by chapter, one, traumaafter another trauma, a little
bit of joy and then a littletrauma, and then, finally,
sobriety.
(24:55):
And because during that time,when I went back to bartending,
I did meet a gentleman his namewas Danny.
So I said, oh yes, my, my lifeis being fulfilled.
I met someone who loved me,loved him, but he was an
alcoholic.
So I'm like, oh, my god, notagain.
You know what I mean likesomething more, more, more and
(25:16):
um.
But then, yet you know,tragically, he died.
He died from the disease two anda half years later, once again
I'm searching.
I guess that's my key thing isI was just searching for the
meaning of life, for the purposeof life, but most of all I was
searching for Gina inside andthrough.
After Dandy's death, that wasmy down dark pit, you name it.
(25:40):
I surrendered, I gave up tolife, I wanted to die, I didn't
want to live and I thought mypurpose was to suffer Really.
I really had such an estate ofgrace mind saying OK, I'll just
endure all pain, bring it on,bring it on to me, whatever it
may be.
But then, yet yet, I ended upfinding myself in the rooms of a
(26:01):
really wide Danny, an alcoholic, died and these people are
living.
And then I'll make a real longstory short because it's all in
my book.
One day at a time, I came tofind out that I am an alcoholic
and that I have 10 years ofsobriety today and in the last
10 years, Congratulations.
Thank you.
(26:21):
I come to find out who Gina is.
She's lovable, she's loving,and there's freedom inside and I
could hug her today.
And I continue to grow in myfaith.
And one thing I share with youis when, after Danny died, I was
so angry with God Because bythis time, when I left the
(26:45):
convent, I had married God.
So when I left the convent, Ifelt like I divorced him.
Like you know, I was like you,stay on your side.
Speaker 1 (26:53):
That's a kind of book .
Right there I divorced God.
Speaker 2 (26:56):
I divorced and then when Danny died, I was like,
forget it, you're on the couch,I don't want nothing to do with
you.
How could you do this to me?
And yet, coming into the roomsand realizing who I was, I I a
new relationship, renewed mylove for God and have a new
faith, new hope, new love, youknow, new life, uh, as a sober
(27:17):
woman of faith today.
So then that's all in my bookand that's why I had written it.
I wrote it.
I wrote all the pain out whenDanny died about 11 years ago,
and when I was writing about thepain of with him, the pain of
the sisters came up.
Because I held it, as I toldyou earlier, I kept everything
(27:41):
inside.
I kept everything inside and itjust ate me away and it
paralyzed me.
I kept everything inside and itjust ate me away and it
paralyzed me.
And so I put I put like 180pages away of full of pain, and
then, when I came into recovery,I'm full of life and recovery
that I continue to write, andsomebody encouraged me, say you
need to publish it.
You need to publish a memoirjust to spread that message of
(28:04):
hope and strength that you'renot alone.
Do not be discouraged If I cando it anybody, you know it's
miracles.
Speaker 1 (28:12):
Those are the best.
If I can do it, you can do ittoo.
Those are the best ones,definitely, that's an incredible
story, gina, I'll talk aboutthat at the end of the show
again.
Would you offered to allow ourlisteners to download a free
chapter of your book?
Is that still available?
Speaker 2 (28:30):
That is still available.
Speaker 1 (28:32):
Gina Econ dot com Right.
Speaker 2 (28:35):
Yes, you can read the first chapter.
It's free there.
And if anyone wants to contactme it's not even regards to the
book or anything I am there.
You can contact me through thatand I'd be more than happy to
reply it or to help or to listenor to share.
Speaker 1 (28:52):
Awesome.
Okay, I want to ask a few morequestions.
Hopefully we can try to get it.
We're doing good.
Your stories are incredible.
Thank you for being transparentand sharing this stuff.
This is amazing.
This is incredible stuff to me.
When you were in your programyou're involved in with
alcoholics and non-alcoholics,there's always been a stigma
about them and whether it reallyworks in the step program and
(29:16):
everything.
What did you learn from thisprogram that you felt like
worked for you, with so manyquestions, the long term value
of being an AA.
What did you?
What were the benefits for you?
What did you gain from thattime in that program?
Speaker 2 (29:36):
Oh, I gained myself happy, joyous and free within,
because I come to realize that Iwas.
That's what I was looking for.
I was stuck, I was stuck, I wasparalyzed by fear, I was
paralyzed by anger.
And this 12-step program, whichit does work.
It does work every day, I haveto say.
I'm an alcoholic.
I go to meetings, I havesponsors, talk to another
(29:56):
alcoholic, do what the programdoes and it has brought me such
freedom and such joy to livethis life and, like I said, it
brought God back into my life, ahigher power.
Live this life and, like I said, it brought God back into my
life, a higher power.
Just to remind all of yourlisteners is that AA is a
spiritual program.
It's not a religion program.
So it's a real deep spiritualprogram.
(30:20):
Explain that?
Because people think when theyhear about God they think it's
religious church and people haveall gotten trauma from church
in some form or fashion.
But yet AA brings you aspiritual program, brings you a
higher power.
So your higher power could beGod.
Your higher power could be achair.
Your higher power, I hope notbut it's something that's not
(30:42):
you that will help you not pickup the drink that day and when
you're in that state of mind,that is the most important.
If I don't drink today becauseof that chair, oh my God, I have
a great day Because, as we know, the disease is cunning,
baffling, insidious and it doeskill.
It killed my fiance, so I knowwhere it can go.
(31:03):
So anything, that is not you,that is not me a higher power
you could call God, you couldcall Buddha, you could call the
group, you could call the naturewhatever is holding is not
allowing you to pick up thatdrink out.
(31:27):
One day at a time, you getfilled with more like god or
light, and and, and you do whenyou work the program and when
you talk to another alcoholic,you're not alone.
You know we all have the same.
You know disease and we allwant that same recovery because
we know what it's like to be inhell.
We know what hell is like andwe don't want, we wouldn't wish
that on our worst enemy.
But this is a program thathelps us to stay out of hell and
to grow in our sobriety.
Speaker 1 (31:49):
I totally understand that.
I understand that I wasn't inthe program and it always felt
to me like you were also doingit for the people who were in
the program, because they werein the same place of weakness
and struggle, and every day thatyou came back and you kept
holding on to the rope, that hadto do something for them too.
Right, so that came back andyou kept holding on to the rope.
That had to do something forthem too right.
Speaker 2 (32:10):
So that's one of the things I love about your story.
I love that, yes.
And one last thing is becausethat's why, when you go into
these rooms, you'll see, you'llhear people with 30 years of
sobriety, but they need thatmeeting for that day to keep
them sober.
30 years will keep them soberbecause they know how important
it is and to hear the newcomerscome in and to let the newcomers
know, yes, it does work.
It ain't easy in the beginning,you know, because we either
(32:31):
want to drink or we want to get.
You know what it is.
Last thing I'll say is becausepain comes up.
And what is alcohol?
It's what anyone does with pain.
They run to an alcohol.
They'll, you know, run to adrink.
They don't want to feel pain.
They don't want to feel fear orworry and anxiety.
They have something else tomedicate them and that's what
(32:53):
the program does.
Any 12 step programs helps younot to medicate and to live life
on life's terms in a healthyway.
Speaker 1 (33:02):
I love it.
Are you going to be up againstit?
I have three more questions.
I love it.
All right, gina, we up againstit.
I have three more questions.
I had actually had way morethan that, but these three
questions, I think, will be afitting way to end our episode.
So let's see if we try to getthrough these three questions.
So tell me briefly what is anend-of-life doula and why did
you decide to become one?
Go ahead okay.
Speaker 2 (33:23):
End-of-life doula is a uh, a non-medical approach to
those who are dying.
As a transitional, as beingpresent, my service entails of
helping a family when they callme to assess.
What do you need?
You know, is to help thatperson who is dying to
transition from this life to thenext, and whatever I could do
(33:44):
for the family.
Everyone is different.
Everyone has their differentways, different beliefs, it's
you know.
Everyone has their differentvalues or anything.
So I try to go in and bring apeaceful presence to them to say
, hey, it's okay, or what wouldyou like?
You know, like I said, everyoneis different and the reason why
I do this is because of my ownpersonal faith, like I shared
(34:08):
with you I was when I different.
And the reason why I do this isbecause of my own personal faith
, like I shared with you, when Iwas with my mom.
I had no faith, no hope, nolove, no God, and it was hell.
It was hell.
I know where my mom is.
My mom is in heaven, my mom iswith her God, she's at peace,
and so it's like, wow, I want togo there and I want to bring
everyone there that I can, to gothere, to transition to
(34:29):
wherever their God is, wherevertheir peace is, wherever their
home is.
You know, and that's what mybelief in things and also I love
Mother Teresa, and this iswhere it grew when I was a nun
is to give the dying the dignityto die.
No matter what you are, who youare, on the streets, on this,
(34:49):
whatever, whatever, whatever youdid or didn't do, know that God
loves you and that you have aplace to go in his mercy.
Speaker 1 (34:56):
So I love it.
Now, I heard so much of yourstory.
I heard things that we didn'tget a chance to even talk about
live here, but you mentionedforgiveness as being very, very
important for you personally.
Now, through all that we heardin this live interview, I didn't
hear any areas where you wereholding anything against anybody
.
They may have done it againstyou, but share really briefly
(35:18):
why forgiveness is so valuableto you, based on what you
experienced well, the personI've truly blamed in my heart
was God.
Speaker 2 (35:28):
I was angry, I blamed him for everything.
How could you?
Why?
Why, why I had to forgive God,believe it or not, you know, yes
, god forgives me, but as aperson, as a relationship, it's
like a heart to heart and withme, forgiveness.
And now I do practice it everyday.
If I get angry, I try to learnto forgive.
I ask for that grace.
(35:49):
It's not a feeling, it's achoice.
And forgiveness is so importantbecause, to be honest, when you
have a resentment or angertowards somebody, you're feeding
yourself poison and they don'teven know it.
They don't even know it.
So, if you forgiveness and I'mnot saying to go out to the
person and say, hey, let's havecoffee and tea with you, you
(36:10):
know what I mean you don't haveto do that Like, oh yeah, I
forgive you, come on, come onover.
No, you don't have to.
It's all because in your heart,and forgiveness totally frees
and heals your heart, as youforgive, as you let go,
especially the past, we hold ongrudges.
Today, life goes on.
(36:32):
Yes, I could get angry.
Aha, I could get angry.
What do I do with it?
It doesn't have to control me.
Do I need to forgive?
Did I make okay?
Do I need to go apologize tosomeone I'm sorry, or to
apologize to God?
Okay, god, you know my heart.
Tell me what to do.
Speaker 1 (36:49):
No, I love that.
That's fantastic.
Last question for you, gina,and this is a great conversation
.
Sorry, we couldn't keep ongoing longer, but this is where
we are.
But if you were not anend-of-life doula and you
weren't an author, what wouldGina be doing with her life?
Speaker 2 (37:31):
do you think?
Oh, today I would just continueto be, god willing, a sober
woman, working my program oneday at a time and reaching out
to other, know someone, andespecially the families that um
have lost someone to the disease, like overdose, because it is a
stigma, uh, it's, it's.
It is difficult and but yet youknow, they're just beautiful
people that die.
So I would do a lot of hands-onwork in that area it is a name
fest.
Speaker 1 (37:45):
is it called sponsor?
What's the what's the what forthis?
Is it called a sponsor?
What's the task?
Speaker 2 (37:48):
It could be a sponsor .
It could be a sponsor or itcould just go.
I mean, I have done.
Speaker 1 (37:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (37:57):
Or just going to different events.
You know that host addictionawareness.
You know just to be present,just to be present to people, to
families, because I've beenthere.
I've been there I mean I'm onthe both sides of the fence and
and and, but now I could see youknow more things differently,
(38:18):
and the key thing for me is justto be present to people.
I don't need to say anything ifthey ask me okay, just to be
present, just to be.
I can't.
There's nothing more I couldsay about that.
It's just to be present andlisten.
Speaker 1 (38:32):
That's what we all need.
That's a lesson that we couldall learn from, because that's
not.
Some of us are not even presentin our own lives.
So no, I totally get that.
You are my favorite member ofthe Econ family, that's for sure
.
Thank you for joining us andthanks for being a part of this
show.
You made it.
You made the show better than I.
Thank you For all those thatare listening and watching.
Today, gina offered to allow youto download a free chapter, a
(38:56):
free first chapter of her book.
Shake off, shake the dust offyour feet, excuse me, and walk
face to variety, self-discoveryand healing a memoir by gina
econ.
Uh, you can go there,wwwginaeconcom.
You can go there and downloadthe free copy.
I mean free first chapter.
Excuse me, I'm so sorry I'mgonna give away your whole book.
Sorry, gina econcom, you canget a first chapter free of her
(39:20):
book.
Thank you, gina again forjoining us.
It was fantastic.
I'm sure we'll stay in touchand hear more of your great
endeavors and all the greatthings you're going to be doing
and all the books you're goingto continue to write, probably,
but we'll see.
But excited to have you on andthanks again for doing this.
Speaker 2 (39:34):
Thank you, and thank you to all your listeners, and
if nobody told you that theylove you, today, I do.
Speaker 1 (39:40):
They did not, but Thank you.
Popular Podcasts
Bookmarked by Reese's Book Club
Welcome to Bookmarked by Reese’s Book Club — the podcast where great stories, bold women, and irresistible conversations collide! Hosted by award-winning journalist Danielle Robay, each week new episodes balance thoughtful literary insight with the fervor of buzzy book trends, pop culture and more. Bookmarked brings together celebrities, tastemakers, influencers and authors from Reese's Book Club and beyond to share stories that transcend the page. Pull up a chair. You’re not just listening — you’re part of the conversation.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!