"A life of health and happiness is an intentional choice we all have the power to create."
Gigi Gibbs, MPH is a CHES-certified coach, speaker and public health professor. For over twenty years she has empowered people to live healthier and happier lives. Gigi has worked with entrepreneurs, fortune 500 companies, artists/entertainers, business executives, moms, and individuals who want to live and feel better. Her work now focuses on helping high-achieving professional women transform their relationship with work and life demands so they can be the best version of themselves. Mrs. Gibbs is also an adjunct professor at West LA College where she teaches Social Justice & Public Health.
As a Black woman, Gigi is proud to have her business working to mitigate police brutality. In 2018, her firm was selected to implement the nation’s largest and California’s first-ever Mindfulness & Law Enforcement Training Program.
She earned her Masters of Public Health with a concentration in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention from UCLA and her Business degree in Finance with a minor in Kinesiology & Nutrition from USC with honors. Gigi holds credentials as a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES), a Certified Financial Educator (CFEI), and a certificate in Culinary Arts. Additional areas of specialization include optimal pregnancy preparation, mindfulness, and corporate wellness.
A lifelong athlete and decorated veteran, Gigi got started in professional wellness when she served as a nutritionist and culinarian. She was responsible for planning and preparing meals that optimized performance for service members in the U.S. Army.
When she is not helping clients, Gigi loves being in nature, practicing yin yoga, and spending time with her husband and two children.
My Story
Once upon a time, I was working for a major film studio in Hollywood, I had perks like movie premieres, rubbing shoulders with celebrities, private parties and more. Most people would look at my life and say “Wow, so cool. Aren’t you lucky?!” It certainly was cool, no doubt!
But in truth, none of that stuff mattered much to me. Instead of watching the next blockbuster, I spent my free time consuming and living sports. Yet something felt…off. After a bit of soul searching, I had an “A-ha!” and concluded, “I want to work in sports!”
I spent the next 12 months busting my butt to break into the highly coveted sports TV industry. To prepare, I enrolled in night classes at a community college to learn about the business of sports, sports production and journalism. I landed two (unpaid) internships: one with the sports department of a local Los Angeles news station and another with a national sports network. All while still working a full-time job.
By day I was running reports on box office numbers (boring) and by night I was going to school, interviewing Lakers and Clippers players and Olympians, and covering the Dodgers (exciting!). My weekends were consumed with writing copy for on-air talent and cutting game highlights.
My life was work, work, work to make a living. And strive, strive, strive to get where I wanted to be. I practically lived out of my car. Sleep was occasional, at best. And eating on the go became my new normal.
But it all finally paid off. I landed my dream job: A full-time paid role at a major sports network. Woo-hoo!
BUT THE REST OF MY LIFE WAS IN SHAMBLES
My relationships were suffering. My friends hadn’t seen me in months. I hadn’t visited my family in Ohio for nearly two years. And dating? Forget about it. That part of life was non-existent.
My diet was shot. I was subsisting on studio and stadium food: doughnuts, pizza, hot dogs, burgers, nachos—totally out of whack for someone who previously worked as a nutritionist!
My body hated me. I hadn’t gone on a run or a hike or seen the inside of a gym in ages. This was foreign to me since I’d been an athlete my whole life, and let’s not forget I was working in an industry lauded as the epitome of health and fitness.
My finances were out of control. I had debt for the first time in my life, which is a major deal for someone with a finance degree.
But I had my dream job!
But I was fried.
But I was finally getting paid to work in sports!
But I was so unfulfilled in every other aspect of my life.
But I grabbed the brass ring.
But why was I so unhappy?
CREATING A PARADIGM SHIFT
I recognized that on my way to professional fulfillment, I’d neglected my body and spirit. So, at the turn of the New Year, I vowed to never abandon my body and relationships like that again. Determined to find a happy equilibrium between a career I was excited about and everything else I valued, I themed my year “Balance & Consistency.”
I did what I do best: I went all in.
I got brutally honest about every aspect of my life: What it was, what it wasn’t, and what I wanted. What I needed to nourish myself mentally, spiritually and emotionally. What kind of friend and family member I wanted to be. How I wanted to live in my space. How I wanted to look and feel in my body. How I wanted to relate to my finances.
That year, I demystified the idea that work-life balance is some unattainable, mythical unicorn. I learned how crucial it is to stay connected with what I deeply value and what makes me truly happy. Most importantly, I proved to myself that I could indeed live a life I love.
In 12 months I managed to:
— Pay off all my credit card debt
— Win two fitness competitions
— Fly to Boston to attend my best friend’s law school graduation
— Send birthday cards to all my loved ones
— Start dating the man who would become my husband
— Visit my family back in the Buckeye State
— Volunteer as a Big Sister to a teenage girl living in South Los Angeles
— Spend weekends hiking in nature and getting unplugged
— Position myself to get my own place without roommates
…And I even earned a promotion at work!
How’d I do it all? I got clarity and gave myself permission to prioritize what mattered to me. Sure, I still had many obligations and commitments, but I learned how to do things that nourished each part of my core, practicing mindful, in-the-moment living. Most importantly, I developed systems and structures that supported my deep need to consistently live this way. And then a little miracle happened:
I STARTED TO TRUST MYSELF
I learned that I could do what was best for me and all would be fine. I learned sometimes it’s appropriate to let go, to delegate, to entrust responsibilities to others. With that trust came greater self-confidence and self-esteem, enabling me to decline invitations that didn’t truly resonate, and say “yes” to growth challenges I previously would have avoided for fear of not doing them well enough. It also enabled me to grow professionally as I became a stronger, less controlling leader.
Then I got to put it all to the test.
This new approach to life presented me with another vista of opportunities. One of the HR managers asked me to help launch the company’s first-ever wellness program. By that time, at work I’d developed a reputation as “that health-chick”. I brought my Vitamix and juicer to the office and convinced co-workers that wheat grass really does tastes yummy. (I even won over one pal who had called it “lawn mower clippings.”) As a regular at the onsite gym, I rallied people to join, and invited folks along for lunch-time outdoor walks and runs. So when I met with the director of the new wellness program, I was thrilled to discover this amazing role. “This is a JOB?! You’re actually paid to do this??”
And that triggered my next major paradigm shift.
REFINING MY KNOWLEDGE TO HELP OTHERS
Excited by the idea of working in a wellness program, I applied to earn a master’s degree in public health — with the full support of my boss. For two years I attended a full-time weekend program at UCLA. Ranked #10 in the nation, this was no “weekend warrior” cakewalk. The professors expected much more from us because we had experience working in the field.
Again the juggle! By day I focused on my job in the sports industry and served on the wellness team. By night I locked myself in a conference room and studied epidemiology, theory, ethics, global health and way more statistics than I like to think about. My classmates and I teamed up to debate food scarcity and affordability issues. It was an intense, rewarding period of growth and development.
Unlike my previous experience when I was striving toward a new career, this time I went about my responsibilities with an organized approach that bolstered what was important to me.
For me, being organized meant becoming an official bag lady! I left my house each morning with a bag filled with personal necessities, a gym bag for lunch-time workouts, a food bag with lunch, dinner and healthful snacks, a work bag with job stuff, and the ubiquitous school bag stuffed with books and materials. (It’s no wonder I hate carrying even a purse these days!)
While attending school, life didn’t stop. I also underwent major foot surgery and physical therapy, attended premarital counseling and therapy, planned a 100-person wedding, got married, and moved to a new place.
By the time I graduated with nearly all As, I’d managed to hold it all together at work and at home.
All my friendships and family relationships were intact and stronger. I had zero debt. In fact, my husband and I self-funded our L.A. wedding — that ain’t cheap — and even grad school was paid off. At work, I helped my team build two new cable networks that became the largest launch in cable television history, earning me yet another promotion. Best of all, my body was in optimal health, and my husband and I were ready to start a family.
My personal experience helped me prepare to help others.
When you have so much energy and enthusiasm, and when you’re getting so many things accomplished simultaneously, people take notice. I was attracting women who were very similar to the old me: women who were successful, but on the verge of burnout and wanted something different for themselves. “Gigi, can you help me get my life in order?” or “I need some peace. I can’t go on like this. Please help me!” People don’t want someone to tell them they just “need more self-discipline.” They need realistic, manageable techniques and non-judgmental guidance to help renovate their lives. I knew how to help them get from where they were to where they wanted to be.
This is why I am so passionate and purpose-filled about the work I do in helping high-achieving professional women transform their relationship with work life demands so they can be the best version of themselves. Nothing is more satisfying than to help a successful woman truly love her life again.
Creating a Paradigm Shift and totally transforming your life is not easy, but it’s absolutely possible. AND, it’s much more enjoyable with help.
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My Wonder Baby Story
I should have had difficulty getting pregnant. I have PCOS (a condition where cysts form on the ovaries and can lead to infertility), and I am genetically predisposed for obesity, diabetes, and hypertension for good measure. Add to that, in the world of obstetrics I was old. At 36 I would be described as “Elderly Primagravida” or “Advanced Maternal Age.” Getting pregnant at my age was a “geriatric pregnancy” and categorized as “high-risk.”
That wasn’t my reality.
I beat all those odds with my lifestyle choices. Despite having a hormonal disorder and being maternally “elderly,” I got pregnant with three months of trying and zero medical interventions. My endocrinologist credited my lifestyle and labeled my PCOS “atypical” all because of my health behaviors.
I had a beautiful, healthy pregnancy with no complications. Sure, I had fatigue and there were days I wanted to crawl under my desk, but I successfully managed all the cravings (CARBS!) and strange nuances without compromising my baby or my body. My son went to full-term and is thriving, healthy, and happy. After giving birth, I didn’t skip a beat. I was back to leading an active, healthy lifestyle only I was babywearing and breastfeeding.
Today I enjoy my ever-changing role as a mother and wife, while balancing my commitment to self-love and care.