What a wonderful opportunity to speak to Gina aka @gina_saisquoi who is a Motivational Speaker, a Model, and an amazing chef in her own right. We find inspiration and motivation all around us. Follow her journey, her IGTV and get to know Gina a little better. You might be surprised what you can learn about her. Full interview below.
Gina tell us how did you develop an interest in cooking, beauty, modeling and traveling respectively?
GS: Believe it or not, I didn’t learn how to cook until I was 25. I moved out and realized I didn’t know how to make rice. LOL. Once I was living on my own I started to want to eat healthier and that’s what inspired me to get into the kitchen. Even though it took awhile, it felt very natural to me, it was so much fun to create delicious dishes and I loved being able to feed my friends and family.
Modeling is also that came later in life, I started modeling at 34. I always admired models as I was growing up. I remember my Dad had pinup posters in the garage and I grew up during the days of import models and Playboy – I’ve always admired the female body and the confidence and sexiness that models had was powerful to me. I secretly always wanted to be one of those girls but didn’t develop the confidence until later in life.
As for beauty and traveling, I haven’t dug too much into those areas, maybe that will come later, later on in life.
What are you most proud of?
GS: At this moment, I’d say that thing that I’m most proud of is my resilient spirit. Your girl has been through some sh*t! LOL. As we all have. But I think this stands out the most because I’ve realized that having a resilient spirit is SO important in life. There will always be ups and downs, but it’s the way in which we perceive and navigate through life that will ultimately determine the quality of our life, so I’m proud to have a resilient spirit, it allows me to enjoy life – rain or shine.
Where do you get your sense of style from?
GS: Instagram. LOL. JK. I have no idea where my sense of style came from, it’s always just kinda been innate to me. It’s inspired by both form and function. I love athleisure. I love how it forms to the body but is also comfortable and can easily be styled up and down with a simple shoe change. I love being able to rock sneakers to stilettos with the same fit.
How important are ethical standards for influencers?
GS: I believe ethical standards should be increasingly important to anyone that is influential. Influencers should be super mindful of this. Influencers are making an impact whether it is they I see it or not, they should take this into thoughtful consideration.
You are a model. What is the most annoying and most enticing aspect of this work?
GS: I’d say the most annoying thing about modeling is the lude approaches. I get that boudoir photography is stimulating certain senses, but for goodness sake, show some respect! Everyone wants to be respected, just because a woman is showing her body does not mean that she wants to see parts of yours. Keep it together.
The most enticing aspect of the work is being able to connect with so many different people. It’s cool to be able to share things like insights, encouragement and recipes to have to complete strangers vibe with you because they appreciate you and what you’re creating.
Your cooking looks absolutely divine. Can you give us more information on that part of your life?
GS: Thank you! I started cooking because I wanted to start eating healthier (and I felt like it’s a basic skill that’s critical to have). I began to love it. I loved making delicious meals – I took a lot of pride in preparing a nice meal. What I loved even more was to have the ability to feed my friends and family bringing them joy on a platter. That’s what got me hooked.
Who are your favorite musicians to jam out to when no one’s looking?
GS: Omg I have SO many! I’m big on “silky rap” – think Jeremih, Ty Dolla Sign, Chris Brown and Eric Bellinger but my favorites are definitely out of The Bay – Rexx Life Raj and Russ Coson – if you haven’t heard of them, you should check them out!
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be?
GS: Tahiti, Bali, Japan and Italy are on my hit list.
What’s your favorite thing to do in your down time?
GS: I enjoy creating content – photos and video for my channel. It’s one of my favorite creative outlets.
They say you are what you eat, what are you?
GS: Noods. LOL. I looove noods – hot noodle, cold noodle, fried noodle, soup noodle – I love them allllll.
If your best friend could tell us something embarrassing about you, what would it be?
GS: A best friend would never tell. LOL. I’m pretty transparent on my channels though, I talk about struggling through life and how I work on mindset mastery to stay positive, motivated and consistently taking action to be the best version of myself. I share my story in hopes to inspire and encourage others.
Lastly, tell us about your dream collab, who is it and why?
GS: I’d love to collab with Jay Shetty, he’s a motivational personality, he is known as the urban monk that is making wisdom go viral, his mission is to make entertainment educational and his perspective is mind blowingly inspiring and refreshing. He is truly living his purpose by serving others and I would be thrilled and delighted to make the same sort of impact alongside him.
