Meet Angela | Content Creator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Angela and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Angela, maybe we can start at the very start – the idea – how did you come up with the idea for your business?
I got the idea for Grad Girl Wellness about halfway through my PhD program. I was struggling with balancing the demands of graduate school and my personal life simultaneously, and the more I sought out help, the more I realized that there weren’t many resources that spoke directly to what I was experiencing. There is currently more research about the mental health experiences of undergraduate students, but at the graduate school level, there are far fewer studies and even less about people of color. I was comforted somewhat when I found wellness experts and instructors online who had professional degrees or PhDs, but they were working solely in the health and wellness space. I was curious about what happened during their graduate school experience that made them make that shift. I noticed a profound absence and wanted to document my own experiences pursuing health and wellness while in graduate school. Grad Girl Wellness was a way for me to be intentional about my own wellness journey, to expand the conversation about health and wellness in graduate school and to hopefully be a resource for other graduate students who were seeking resources but realized that they simply didn’t exist for us.

The more that Grad Girl Wellness grew I wanted to make it less about me and my journey and create a greater sense of community with other students. Graduate studies can be time consuming, but when I did make time for exercise, I often found that it was difficult to find a workout partner, so I thought it’d be fun to do virtual fitness challenges with other students. One of our most popular ways of doing this is through our annual “30 miles in 30 days” challenge which is a virtual walk/run event that happens every June. Also, graduate school was extremely isolating, so I wanted a way to meet other graduate students and talk about the non-academic aspects of our academic journey. So, the podcast and social media platforms are a way to interact with other students and have them share their perspectives on topics related to grief, romantic break ups and even entrepreneurship while in graduate school. All of these initiatives are geared toward improving the graduate school experience and not necessarily focusing on the academic aspects but focusing on the all socio-emotional-physical concerns that shape how we approach our academic work.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
The most important thing that Grad Girl Wellness has taught me is not to despise small beginnings. Instead, it is more useful to make the most of whatever resources one currently has at their disposal and then build momentum from there. Small beginnings may seem insignificant, but they are foundational to all future success. Trying to create content as a graduate student when you don’t have a lot of time or money is difficult; however, you can do a lot with just an iPhone and creativity.

Irrespective of the resources available, Grad Girl Wellness remains committed to encouraging womxn of color to prioritize their overall health and wellness while pursuing higher education.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’m inspired by other grad student content creators like Becoming Doctora and Blk + in Grad School who are creating a space for student support online. Everyone makes a unique contribution through their respective platforms whether that’s by designing merchandise, podcasting, sharing food tips, creating accountability groups, hosting conferences, etc. I appreciate that we are creating the type of support that we needed and are ensuring that future students have a more well-rounded graduate school experience.

Website: https://gradgirlwellness.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gradgirlwellness/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/gradgirlwell

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Grad-Girl-Wellness-107237231446955/