Ep 113 Ripley Cusinato - A Unicorn's Childhood Girl Scout Gold Award Project

Full transcription available at http://heartsofgoldpodcast.com/

Ripley shared her experience of creating her Girl Scout Gold Award project—a book discussing the difficulties of being disabled in a world that largely ignores invisible illnesses. Ripley herself has multiple chronic illnesses and was misdiagnosed with psychological ailments before being able to name what she was facing. She wrote the book to redefine the idea of disability and to discuss the ableism found in our community and how we can help those suffering from health issues. Her motivation stemmed from her journaling and a writing project she completed in college which her professor commended her for.

More about Ripley:

Ripley finished her Girl Scout Gold Award Project, A Unicorn's Childhood, to bring awareness to invisible disabilities, ableism, and the failures of the American Healthcare system for women. Ripley was a Girl Scout for 13 years, starting when she was a Daisy in kindergarten and finishing at 18 years old as a freshman in college. Ripley is an avid reader, writer, and equestrian; her partner in crime Radar (an OTTB), is mentioned often in her project. She is pursuing a degree in Psychology with the intent of focusing on changing how pain psychology is approached in the medical industry.

Links:

Facebook: (https://www.facebook.com/laura.cusinato.716)

Instagram: (https://www.instagram.com/rip_chazire/)

Goodreads: (https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22956923.Ripp_N_Chazire)

My Project: (https://www.amazon.com/Unicorns-Childhood-Ripp-N-Chazire/dp/B0BQ9LLRCV/ref=sr_1_1?crid=ZMRX1LXXKBI4&keywords=ripp+chazire&qid=1682439468&s=books&sprefix=ripp+chazire%2Cstripbooks%2C110&sr=1-1)

My Website: (https://ripleyatlas.wixsite.com/chazire-s-updates)

Key points from the episode:

The world needs your story.

Ripley is an example of someone who has used her story to make a difference in the world. Through her Girl Scout Gold Award project, she wrote a book about her journey with multiple chronic illnesses. Ripley was misdiagnosed many times and it took her five times longer to get the correct diagnosis. Her book discusses the idea of being disabled in a community that only needs you as disabled if you have a visible disability. It also talks about the failures of the public health care system and the public school system, particularly around women and mental health.

Ripley found the confidence to share her experiences and create her book through her love of writing. She had kept a journal and was a writer from a young age. She also had the support of her professor and classmates who encouraged her to write a book. They saw the power in her story and knew that it needed to be shared with the world.

Fighting illness with creativity.

Ripley was diagnosed with a chronic illness at a young age. Despite the challenges she faced, she was determined to make a difference in the world. She used her creative talents to write a book about her experiences with her illness.

Ripley had to balance the creative process of writing a book with meeting the expectations of her Gold Award project. Writing the book was the easy part, but she had to figure out how to publish it without spending any money. She reached out to many people, but no one was willing to sponsor her project. She then took graphic design courses and taught herself how to design her own book cover.

Ripley also had to edit her book, which was the most time-consuming part of the process. She had to go back through and edit her own work, which was difficult since she had to maintain her creative process and not change too much. She also had to make sure the book was sustainable, so she chose to publish it on Amazon, which ships internationally.

Write for your audience.

When it comes to writing, it is important to remember that you are writing for your audience. Whether you are writing a book, a blog post, or a script, you need to consider who your audience is and what they want to read. If you are writing a book, you should consider the age group of your readers and the type of content they are looking for. If you are writing a blog post, you should consider the topics that your readers are interested in. If you are writing a script, you should consider the type of story that will resonate with your audience.

Take time, be creative.

When it comes to creative writing, it is especially important to take your time and be creative. You don't want to rush through your work and end up with something that is not up to your standards. It is important to give yourself enough time to explore different ideas and develop your story. It is also important to take breaks and come back to your project with fresh eyes.

One way to ensure you are taking your time and being creative is to use the Pomodoro method. This method involves setting a timer for a set amount of time and then rewarding yourself after that time is up.

Don't make assumptions.

However, it is also important to remember that not all people have the same abilities. Many people suffer from invisible disabilities, such as chronic illnesses and mental health issues, that can make it difficult for them to do things that the average person can do with ease. It is important to recognize that these people may need more support than others, and to not make assumptions about them.

The first step in not making assumptions is to educate yourself. If you know someone with an invisible disability, ask them questions and find out what they need. This will help you to understand their situation better and to be more supportive.

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Editing by https://www.offthewalter.com/ Walter's YouTube channel is https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt0wFZRVaOpUd_nXc_8-4yQ