We all know that the phrase "Every
heart has a story to tell" signifies that people possess a unique
and personal narrative filled with their own experiences, joys, and struggles. Not
only that, but the quote also highlights the idea that each individual's life,
emotions, and journey contribute to a distinct and meaningful story. Owing to this, listening to stories on podcasts offers several great benefits, such as firstly;
it provides entertainment which can be a great way to learn and engage with new
topics and secondly; it can be a form of relaxation and stress relief. Whatever
it is, such an audio storytelling can enhance memory retention and create
emotional connections which may last for a lifetime.
DRIVEN MINDS PODCAST
By my recollections, the main reason and the sole purpose of why this podcast is established is to promote both the significance as well as the essence of mental health awareness like addressing why it is imperative to look after the current state or the underlying condition of a person’s mental health, why people should not be afraid of stigma when it comes to openly discussing their mental health disorders, why such psychological issues should not be perceived as something taboo, and so forth.
Well, there has been a plenty of exceptional guests who have by far been invited and featured in this podcast for your information, including the notable Malaysian-born actor and the world’s female martial arts icon "Michelle Yeoh" who successfully took home her Oscar for the Best Actress at the 95th Academy Awards for her outstanding performance in the year of 2022 in her American absurdist comedy-drama film called "Everything Everywhere All at Once". Thus, allow me to begin introducing you the mastermind and the lovely woman behind the program so-called Driven Minds Podcast.
(Link: https://linktr.ee/drivenmindspodcast)
HOST OF DRIVEN MINDS PODCAST: GILLIAN SAGANSKY
If you type her name on the global search engines (be it Google, Bing,
Yandex), you will absolutely discover at least a few details of information
pertaining to her track record of professionalism ranging from her previous written
publications on the US magazines, musical DJ activities, to social media
platforms. Similar to any other social media influencers out there, she has
actively been navigating both her website and other social media networks, such
as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram as a result of her career path in the realm
of entertainment aside from her keen enthusiasm of being a mental health
advocate.
Initially, I was not really into any showbiz vibes (the kind of industry she had been involving in). Neither was I interested in the luxurious fashion industry alike nor being fairly knowledgeable about psychological issues and stuff in the first place. Fast forward, I accidentally discovered her Instagram account in the midst of Russia’s on-going military invasion of Ukraine in 2022, precisely the time when she decided to take part in helping thousands of Ukrainian refugees by joining one of the humanitarian efforts which was organised by the Global Empowerment Mission somewhere in April 2022.
(Source: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cdbem7tN_NS/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=)
Anyway, to kick start with a preliminary introduction, Gillian Sagansky or popularly known by her nickname "Gigi" is a published writer, DJ, and host of the Driven Minds Podcast. If you come across visiting her website www.gilliansagansky.com, you will certainly read some pieces of descriptions relating to her past and current work activities. Inspired by her own "arduous" (extremely tough + incredibly exhausting) mental health journey which spanned nearly two decades, she ultimately launched her mental health podcast the so-called Driven Minds in December 2020 partnering with Porsche Type 7.
Perhaps, you may be wondering what exactly the particular type of mental health disorder that she had once been grappling with for almost twenty years. Believe it or not, it was none other than Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), which will soon be outlined in the next following paragraphs.
GILLIAN SAGANSKY: 20 YEARS OF STRUGGLE WITH OCD
Basically, it all started when she was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of
10 by a child psychiatrist, and was subsequently recommended to consume several
pills. Unfortunately, the unprecedented side effect of those pills she consumed
led her to suffer not only from insomnia, but also severe OCD. As a consequence,
she was struck with the compulsions to touch objects at a certain amount of
time – counting everything incessantly to the point where she could not deal
with anything related to the number 9 (if she saw a pair of shoes costs $9.49, for
instance, there was no way she would have the courage to purchase it).
Then, following her preliminary diagnosis with OCD, she was later prescribed to undergo countless medications by a doctor. Sadly, this rendered her being ended up to be admitted to a hospital when there was a major incident occurred with the way she consumed her drug prescriptions given by the said doctor. At this stage, she was dead ashamed to share with anyone around her social circle that she totally suffered both from ADHD and OCD.
Subsequently, right until she made up her mind to check in to a psychiatric hospital called McLean, she went straight quickly to the hospital’s counsellor whom she began to consult with and disclose the fact that she had been constantly misdiagnosed. Following with her private consultation with the McLean hospital’s counsellor, she then appealed eventually that she just needed to stay there only for a week.
(Source: https://www.instagram.com/p/CVDiy3aNG6V/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=)
Long story short, her decision to turn to her chosen McLean hospital for immediate request at the time was a plot twist. Within three months approximately, she ultimately cured herself from OCD and she no longer had to fear confronting anything associated with the number 9. Above all, you may go and check out the whole episode of her OCD story through the given link that I have attached below.
(Link: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3oVzyCBXtbJSiH6aVdJp2E?si=_mSQuTO-RGetFngIab2VpA)