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.
Furthermore, after having graduated from the New York University in
Modern Art and Philosophy course, she managed to secure her very first occupation
as a writer and a DJ at nightclub. One day, when she went to her first ever
therapy sessions in years as she claimed in the episode, her female therapist confessed
that she never had anyone in her office with such a chronic OCD before.
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)