Featured #bloomgirl: Courtney Gabrus; Disability and Mental Awareness Advocate!
This month's featured #bloomgirl is Courtney Gabrus! Courtney is a total #girlboss and has a passion and heart for helping others! We are so inspired by Courtney and her story and we know you will be too! Read more about her below!
Tell us a little bit about yourself!
My name is Courtney Gabrus and besides being a 24-year old Girl Boss, I am also a Stroke Survivor with Muscular Dystrophy. After my stroke, the right side of my body was paralyzed and I've spent the last 2 years regaining my speech. Determined to help others, I hope to start the conversation around topics that are hard to talk about in an effort to pave the way for people to come. When I’m not plugged into the digital world, you can find me watching the sunset on the beach and enjoying food, Starbucks and laughs with my closest friends.
Tell us about MEEP and how it got its start!
meep stands for Mindful, Empathetic, Experiences, Please. A wellbeing movement to help people start the conversation by providing meep resources and events. While recovering from my stroke, I had to embrace the power I had within to heal. I was searching for resources online that would help me feel less alone in my struggle but there was nothing. We hope that with a fun and meaningful name like meep that we can talk about "me" and remove the stigma.
Our goal with our social media platforms is to provide a meep moment for people scrolling through their newsfeeds. On our podcast, we have real talk about inclusivity and share actionable advice for you to embrace your inner "me". Check out our podcast, here!
Who or what is your biggest inspiration?
My biggest inspiration is my mom and the universe. They both provide me with guidance and security.
What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced, personally or professionally? How have you overcome it?
One of the toughest challenges in my personal life is dealing with my Muscular Dystrophy and battling stigmas against mental health. I've overcome this with positivity, finding the strength within myself and surrounding myself with empowering people.
If you could talk to yourself 5 years ago, what advice would you give yourself?
If I could give advice to my 19-year-old self I would tell her to stick with your intuition and absolutely give no *@#$'s about what anyone else thinks.
What are some learning experiences that helped shape you?
Two key experiences that have shaped my life was my stroke and the passing of my father. Both have taught me to live in the present moment and hold the ones I love close.
What are your favorite bloom products, and why?
My must have and can't leave home without product from bloom is definitely my agenda! I've also found the colorful stickers to be helpful when labeling items for my staff, my medicine bottles have "bloomed" lol. bloom has been a great gift of getting my life on track! That is something you can't put a price on!
We hope you loved getting to know more about Courtney! Want to learn more about Courtney or how you can get involved with Meeps? Check out these links:
Do you have a #girlboss story to share? Email us at bloom@bloomplanners.com for a chance to be our next featured bloom girl!
xoxo,
the bloom team
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