Navigating Healthcare with Self-Care and Advocacy: Insights from Joy Giblin

This empowering episode, features the remarkable Joy Giblin, a devoted wife and mother of two, who is a seasoned employee benefits consultant, and passionate advocate for self-care.

Joy's focus on holistic well-being of the mind, body, and soul shines through as she shares her inspiring journey and dedication to empowering others through the complexities of the healthcare system. Get ready to receive actionable advice and be inspired by Joy's mission-driven work and commitment to making a difference in the lives of others.

Joy's Contact Info

Email: joy.giblin@usi.com
Phone: 619-322-3176

Transcript

Theresa Cesare: 0:06

Hey guys. Welcome to Heart to Talk the podcast. I am the host and creator Theresa Cesare My intention for this podcast is to deliver to you wisdom, inspiration, and consciousness. Through solo episodes and conversations amongst insightful people. It is my greatest honor to bring to you talks that come from the. Welcome back to another empowering episode I am thrilled to introduce our special guest, Joy Giblin, a devoted wife and mother of two who wears many hats from being an employee benefits consultant to a true advocate of self care when focusing on the holistic wellbeing of the mind, body, and soul. Whether you're seeking guidance for your personal wellbeing or looking for insights to applying your business or company, this episode promises to deliver valuable insights. Without further ado, I welcome this episode's amazing guest and friend, Joy Giblin. Welcome to Heart to Talk.

Joy Giblin: 1:11

And thank you so much, Teresa. I appreciate you having me. Okay. So joy, what is your mission? My mission is to, transform the way employers and employees think about the healthcare system. So really transforming the way that they think about it and how they bring it to the forefront for their employees and communicate it. And educate employees on how to navigate it and bring different solutions to them to really provide back to their employees on how to navigate that system in a different way. So really just education, advocacy and innovative solutions back to employees and players to really create a different, outlook on their health care.

Theresa Cesare: 1:51

Love it. Such a powerful mission and so impactful on so many levels. Tell us what it means to be an employee benefits consultant and your beliefs and approach that you have in the industry that truly sets you apart.

Joy Giblin: 2:05

Yeah, so, as an employee benefits consultant, for me, it means that I have the privilege and truly the responsibility to really guide our clients and creating and managing, benefit programs that not only, meet the needs of clients, but, their strategic goals and, budget goals, all those things, right? Those are really important things. But at the end of the day, really support the wellbeing of their employees, which is really what drives the cost of their plan at the end of the day, If their employees aren't healthy, that's really going to drive the utilization of their programs. And what really sets me apart is not just my 20 years of industry experience, but my own health journey, which drives my passion for what I do. So a little backstory there, like in 2013, I presented with some unexplained or undiagnosed neurologic issues and. It really started that health journey for me. And by 2017, I couldn't work. I couldn't drive. I really, it debilitated me, right? Like I felt like I couldn't take care of my family and it was frustrating. I felt helpless. And, through that experience, I really realized the importance of not just offering benefits, like I was always passionate about what I did, but. That really drove home the passion behind what I do, right. And really teaching people how to become their own health advocates. Because our system's broken and, you know, really driving home for employers, how to teach their employees, how to become their own health advocates really drives behind what I do each and every day and ensuring employees. are taught how to be the advocates for themselves and their families, which is so important. And my approach is very holistic. I strive to find solutions that align with like my client's objectives while also providing resources and communications to help employees really take charge of their own health. And to me, that's just really what makes me different. Because, you can, you can focus on the medical plan and the dental plan all day long and the cost of that, but it won't drive change and, and change is what's needed to really drive the change of cost and all of the different things that are important to the employer.

Theresa Cesare: 4:30

I love that. And I love that you're giving people just the power to advocate for themselves, because it's kind of one of those things like people hear about it and they tune it out

Joy Giblin: 4:39

don't know how to do it, right? It's like, it's so daunting almost of a task that it's like, well, I don't know how to be my own health advocate because the system's so challenging to work within that it's like, I might as well just give up on it. And if you're taught how to do it, it's different because it's like, oh, I can do that. That's pretty simple. Or, you know, but. If you don't know how it's hard to be your own advocate. I truly feel that a lot of times we talk about things only at open enrollment, right? I believe your school district enrollment, right? You know, it's a July one deal and we talk about it and it's so hyped up. But what are we focused on during open enrollment, the cost of what's coming out of my paycheck and all the things, we're not focused on all the different programs that are built in that your employer spends so much time creating for their employees, but the employee in those moments is focused on how much is my medical cost to me? How much is my dental cost to me? And what is it? Creating that's going to come out of my paycheck and we, we talk about the other things, maybe the wellness program or the advocacy programs that are built in, but that gets lost on the employee because the medical, dental and vision and all the other life disability, all those things are so daunting because they're complex and they can be very hard to digest for someone that doesn't do it every day. And so from my standpoint. Communicating those advocacy programs as well as programs and all those things that you need in the time of kind of dire straits when something has happened or you really need it. You don't know where to go. You don't know what questions to ask. You don't know when to be curious all those things. And those things need to be communicated more throughout the year, but they typically do not. Right? They typically get done at open enrollment. You don't talk about it for another year and people don't ask about it until something happens and so it really needs to be more of a communication strategy than a one and done.

Theresa Cesare: 6:42

Explain how healthcare starts with each individual focusing on self care. Mind, body and soul.

Joy Giblin: 6:49

This really came to light for me during my own advocacy, my own situation, my own journey. But it really does start with each individual taking responsibility for their own healthcare. It's a complex system. It's a broken system and people really do get lost. And a lot of people give up like they maybe they have like for me, but I'll just use my own situation, they have something like I had neurological issues. It wasn't something that I felt was going to kill me, right? It wasn't something I was going to die from, but. And it was something I could probably live with, but it was causing depression. I couldn't drive. I couldn't have this normal life that I was living, but it was almost like no one could give me answers, right? I was going to at 1. 6 specialists and no one could give me a diagnosis, but I was at the point of like, this is just my life. And this is just who I'm going to be for the rest of my life, not a great place to be and I stopped being curious, and it was like, okay, I'm going to stop asking questions. Nobody can give me answers anyways. So I'm just going to stop going to the doctor and all the things. But then it's like, well, I don't want to live like that forever. So you have to be curious and you have to be your own advocate. And. You have to really start diving in. And there's so much information at our fingertips these days, right? Through YouTube, through the internet, all the things. And you really do have to really start taking charge and. My own personal journey showed that self care encompassing both mind, body, spirit, all the things, is so fundamental. Despite seeing all those specialists taking multiple medications, I was on 12 medications at one point, on significant dosage even, they kept increasing the dosage. Every time I went and saw another doctor, I was given another prescription. No doctors were talking to each other, until I asked them. them to, right? It's like, well, have you talked to my cardiologist? Have you talked to my neurologist? Like, why aren't we linking up here? And until I started doing research on what they kept saying, they thought I had, or, you know, kind of ideas in their head and deciding like, okay, maybe it's my diet. Nobody mentioned diet to me. Nobody mentioned, should I change my exercise routine, any of those things, but after doing research through the internet and all these things, I changed my diet and within 30 days I cut my medication to six medications from 12, and then within six months, I cut that to three medications and a quarter dose of what I was taking. Previously and noticing that now I have clarity, I could now drive again, cause I wasn't dizzy and falling down and I could do all the things that I was doing before. And so really taking that belief on that my own self care was my responsibility and being my own advocate and asking questions of my doctors, asking them to talk to each other and really come to some conclusions together as a team of doctors, instead of individual little silos, really. Made all the difference in my care, they never came to a conclusion on what was going on with my body, But at the same time, they were able to help me in my journey to come to some conclusions. And so those self care practices, getting sleep, Making sure where you are mentally is in a good place. All of that makes such a big impact. Now, there are conditions, that definitely need more care and need more guidance from providers and definitely need, it's not just going to be a diet change that makes all the change in the world, but for me, it did, and it really made that impact on how that more holistic view on your care. Mind body rate is really going to have that, impact on your body's ability to actually heal itself.

Theresa Cesare: 10:46

Oh my gosh. I am so inspired by your story it sounds like for you, you were just sick and tired of being sick and tired. I mean, who knows where you would be right now if you didn't take responsibility?

Joy Giblin: 10:54

Like it's crazy, right? Well, I had someone tell me something the other day and it kind of like made me laugh a little bit. It's like our health is the one thing that will say, Oh, like diet, for example, right? Like. I screwed up today. I'm going to wait till next month to make a change, or I'm going to wait till Monday. Like, we push it off, but like, if we forgot to brush our teeth this morning, would we wait a month to change and re brush our teeth? Like, forget to brush our teeth, but we're going to wait a month to brush our teeth again. Like, how silly does that sound? But yet, we do that with our diet and with our health. Why, why is our health our last priority when it actually should be our number one priority because our health is going to be an indicator of our success day in and day out, right? Because if we're not taking care of ourselves, we're not going to be taking care of things that we need to do with our job, with our family, all the things like it trickles down all the way. In life. Right. But we're really likely to say, well, screwed up on the diet. So I'm just going to wait till next month to, to make that change. Or I'm going to wait till Monday or I'm going to wait till, you know, whenever, right. Or I'll wait till next year. We'll wait till January 1st to get back in the gym. Like we're so willing to make that, that sacrifice wait till later. But. Why are we willing to let ourselves feel horrible for that much longer just because we screwed up one day? Why wouldn't we just pick up tomorrow and make that change tomorrow?

Theresa Cesare: 12:25

So if that's you, start now, start tomorrow. Don't wait a whole month for the next, you know, Monday, right? Oh, shocks. Oh my gosh, that is so powerful. I'm really curious tell us like, what was the game changer? For your personal journey to optimal health and healing that like change.

Joy Giblin: 12:41

When you said diet, what specifically worked for you? I know everyone's different, but I'm sure people are listening will have yacht for sure. However, I decided to go vegan gluten free, so a hundred percent vegan gluten free. I'm not that way today. I will caveat that. I, I typically stay away from animal products, so I don't eat any dairy. Today, but I'll cheat, have bacon, all those things. But for the most part, I stay away a hundred percent from dairy today. but I was being for vegan, gluten free for almost six years. It was like, what do I need to eliminate? And it was like, let's just eliminate all the bad, right? Like let's eliminate everything that I know is not working for me and add things in and love my mom, adore her to death. And she was a junk food junkie. I grew up with like, Hey, there's. Brownies on the counter and Coke in the fridge for breakfast, or there's, horrible cereal and, those kinds of things admit today that she's still a junk food junkie and she's got health conditions of her own. And I struggle. Cause I know that she'd probably feel a lot better if she would change those habits, but you know, it is what it is. And. You have to be in control of those changes. So I knew in my heart of hearts, I just knew if I made that change, it would dramatically. If I didn't know it would heal me as much as it did, but I knew that it would dramatically change things for me. And it did. And I didn't realize how quickly either 30 days. I mean, who knew 30 days would be all it would take and anyone can do anything for 30 days. It's not that big of a commitment. That's so powerful. And then how it affected how you're showing up probably in the business you're in, right.

Theresa Cesare: 14:29

As a consultant, how you deliver, which I love. So I want to pivot to the next question. What are the challenges you see? Overall, how do you help? I think the biggest, I don't think one of the biggest challenges I see is the disconnect between the healthcare system today,

Joy Giblin: 14:50

and the individual needs, right. Cause doctors are. Word that comes to mind is programmed, to do what they are trained to do. They're doing what the best that they can with the resources they have. And everyone's needs are so different, right? Everyone presents differently and all the things.

15:10

And so it's very hard for them to treat differently, each person in a different way, it's, I think of it as being a mom, right? You have two different children and sometimes it's very hard for us to as a mom, right? I'm a mom of two and my children are extremely different and one of my children used to get so frustrated with this But I disciplined them different. They're different children, and if I disciplined one one way They wouldn't have responded the way that I needed them to respond and it's the same thing with health care, right? like each person needs A different solution to get maybe even a similar outcome. And so that's a challenge, and so many employees feel super overwhelmed with trying to navigate. The care and they feel unsupported in managing their healthcare rate. And so my own journey and navigating that, we've talked about that a lot. It was complex. My situation was complex. It was like none other that they had seen. And every time I'd go into the doctor's office, they'd say, I've never seen anything like this. I don't know how to treat this. And here you are an individual who's not been trained. I've been trained in healthcare in one form, but not as a physician or a provider. Right. And they're telling you, I don't know how to treat you. You're like, well, why did I come right? Like, that's where I used to go. Well, why did I come and see you? I need answers and you're not getting answers and you're getting poked and prodded and you know, all these tests are being thrown at you and all the results are coming back normal. And you're like, well. Okay. That's a challenge, right? Because how do you overcome that? And how do you, how do you make a change if you don't know what you're actually changing? And I know that's not the answer for everyone, but there's still complexities within the healthcare system. Even if you are getting an answer, right? You've gotten a cancer diagnosis, or you've gotten an MS diagnosis or whatever the diagnosis may be. You still have to go through a healthcare system that is challenging.

Theresa Cesare: 17:11

What are two tips that you have for our listeners? Mainly like the 1st 1, 1st and foremost, right? Is really be your own advocate. Don't be afraid to ask those questions. Don't be afraid to get 2nd opinions, doctors are are in the world of science.

17:26

It's not perfect. And so they're not always going to have the right answer. So Be, an advocate for yourself, ask those questions, really get those second opinions and, uh, explore lifestyle changes that could improve your health, right? And those are really big. And then really prioritize your preventive care. Get those checkups, get your annual exams that are required, but also really take into account like diet exercise, like people don't talk about that as your preventive care, but that that really is like your first step for preventive care and those steps can really significantly reduce the likelihood of chronic health and really improve your overall quality of life. Couldn't agree more. Thank you so much for those. All right. How can we find you so that listeners can connect with you and your incredible services? Yeah. The best way to get in touch with me is my email. So joy. giblin at usi. com or you can always contact me on my cell phone, which is 619 322 3176. Nice. And I'll also put those in the show notes. So thank you so much for that. And we're going to pivot for the ending questions and joy, I want to start with asking you, what is your favorite affirmation or statement? To help you stay empowered and maintain a strong mindset through all you do, all the hats you wear. Yeah, I'm the creator of my life and so really that my destiny I get to create or write my own story. I've heard it a couple different ways. Like, you're the painter of your life. You've got the canvas or you're the writer of your life. But remembering that every day is a new day too. And you get to write a new chapter every day. Oh, I love it. All right. Next question. What is your favorite quote? My favorite quote is whether you think you can or you can't you're right by the great Henry Ford it just means that like you're you create the mindset, right? If you think you can't, you really can't, right? You choose whether you can or you can't. also surrounding yourself with the right people that encourage you that once you set your mind to something that you can do it. But if you have the wrong people around, you tell you, you can't, you're. You're obviously not going to be able to do it, right? So it's really just setting that mindset and the tone for your life of like, I can do anything that I put my mind to, or I can tell myself I can't and those thoughts, right? Those intrusive thoughts can really be our worst enemy. So it's all about how you set your frame of your life. Ooh, love it. And next question.

Joy Giblin: 19:55

what is your favorite book? Hands down green lights by Matthew McConaughey. He's got so many great, affirmations in that book and the great stories about, life in general and how you choose the trajectory of your life. And I just love that you know, it goes back to almost everything I just spoke about, right. In regards to you choose and you get to set that mindset for yourself.

20:20

And it just great storyline. And of course he, he narrates it if you listen to it. So it's just a great read all around. I love it. I think he's cute too. He was always like, he was my celeb crush for like a long time. Oh my God. I love it. I'm adding that book to the list. And the final question. Joy, how do you stay inspired every day to do the work that you do and just to keep showing up in life? It's about inspiring people. I actually have a quote by my bedside. Like you never know who you're inspiring, right? And for me, it's like if I can change one life. Just by doing what I do each and every day, it'll inspire me to get out of bed every morning because if I can change my own life through my own health journey and, and making the small adjustments, if I can encourage someone else to do the same, that's all makes it all worth it for me in the end.

Theresa Cesare: 21:13

Thank you so much for tuning into this episode. Please download, rate, subscribe, and share this podcast. Also, be sure to visit my theresacesare.com to check out my inspirational merch, connect to my social accounts, and much more may you continue to be filled with wisdom, inspiration, and consciousness. Otherwise, friends, I will be back in two weeks for another episode of Heart 2 Talk