Speaking Up and Smashing Stigmas with Sophie from Got You Girl
By Sophie Stewart
Sophie Stewart
Endometriosis, domestic violence, periods, boobs, vaginas, pregnancy, health and well-being and mental health. I have a question for you. why are these topics so taboo and why do we often find these topics uncomfortable or embarrassing to talk about?
You might ask well who is helping start these conversations plus helping to break the stigmas on a wide range of topics?! I’m here to tell you who. IT’s GOT YOU GIRL! An organisation that start conversations on topics that we don’t like to talk about. Their aim is to educate, empower, inspire and support women globally to live a life in the know while they live their best life. Got You Girl wants to help start conversations on taboo and stigmatise topics so that they can help ‘normalise’ conversations to help people not feel so alone and seen. Got You Girl helps women globally share their stories and life experiences. Did you know that through sharing your story and starting conversations on taboo topics, you can make a positive impact on someone else’s life. (There is just something so magical about that.)
As the founder of Got You Girl I recently got asked to speak at the Telstra women’s in Ag luncheon Lardner Park’s event called Farm world. Farm world was the first large event in Victoria since Covid hit in 2020. I spoke about lots of different things, but the most important thing that I spoke about was the power of sharing your story and personal experiences. I touched on a few different scenarios, I shared my own personal story that I’ve been through with my injury my chronic pain and my mental health. I know through sharing that it helped people see and realise that people can look ‘okay’ and ‘well’ and people can look like they have no worries at all like the thriving in life but they can be so so so many things not going right for them.
I found the whole experience very interesting because at the end of my talk I had so many people coming up to me thanking me for talking about all the different things I had spoken about. Things like melanoma and skin cancer awareness, importance of getting your cervical screening talking about mental health, adoption, feeling isolated and alone, you know, all the stuff that we don’t like to talk about. They told me that from what I has said they felt seen, heard and felt not alone. (I don’t know about you but I see so much magic in that)
As a community we need to ensure that the information we are gaining the life lessons we are having and experiencing are shared with those all over. In both cities and those in rural and regional communities. If we look at our regional and rural communities in Australia there is very limited resources and community groups available to them. This is why platforms like Qendo and Got You Girl are so important to share and create noise about. We help women in regional and rural communities connect to information that may have not been accessible previously. We help share services and community groups that may be of help to them in their areas.
In life we all will have setbacks and things that might knock us down. But each and every day we have to keep getting up and pushing forward. By sharing our experiences of our hard , challenging and rewarding times we can help inspire someone to keep going even when they think giving up could be easier. I personally believe that you know you only get thrown the things in life that you can get through and that you can handle. As much as you may not think so you have so much knowledge and life experience to share with the world. You are an inspiration to so many people you just don’t know it yet. In everything that you do remember that everyday we get presented with an opportunity to start a conversation - don’t let that opportunity slip by.
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