And Then She Came...(Hetro to Queer, Part 2)

I am Annie McKinnon a transition coach and podcaster. I have recently re-evaluated my life and decided to take some workload off. I am now offering coaching sessions and releasing this podcast once every 2 weeks. This will enable me to enjoy life more fully. I have also rebranded and have a new email address.  If you would like to get in touch or even feature on the show then send me over an email to info@anniemckinnon.org In this episode, I talk to Jillian Abby. We discuss Jillian’s book and the huge reception it has received, as well as the strange assumption that reading a book about queerness automatically means the reader is gay. We touch on Jillian's experience of studying abroad in Bolivia at the age of 15 and working in an orphanage.   Jillian opens up about her life experiences and challenges, including her time as a rotary exchange student in Bolivia. She discusses the difficulties she faced after graduating from college and entering the working world, feeling like she was following the expectations of others rather than her own desires. We also discuss the importance of recognizing when a relationship is not working and the tendency to idealize a partner. Jillian talks about her struggle with self-acceptance and coming out, including her own internalized homophobia and how she saw queerness as an obstacle to her perfect life. She talks about how watching queer content on Netflix helped her understand her sexual attraction in a safer way and how it was an interesting experience of moving out of living so much of her life in her head and now living it in her body. Finally, she discusses her engagement and long-distance relationship, as well as her upcoming book on sex and intimacy, which will focus on the experiences of those who have been in heterosexual relationships and may have struggled with dissociation or disconnection during intimate moments.   Jillian was on the show last year and I am delighted to welcome her back to hear about her newly launched book, Perfectly Queer and to find out where she is now….You can find her full bio and links below:  About Jillian Abby Jillian has mastered reinvention throughout her life to create the most whole and satisfying journey. She left the comfort of her hometown of Buffalo, NY, to study abroad in Cochabamba, Bolivia, at age 15. As an adult, her resume includes Certified Public Accountant, Licensed Massage Therapist, craft beer bar owner, home-schooling parent, black belt martial artist, and CEO of her corporate storytelling business, Storyteller Soul, LLC. Her most recent role as a newly out lesbian and advocate for the LGBTQ+ community was by far her riskiest and most rewarding change. Her memoir, Perfectly Queer, was selected as a global contest winner by Hay House Publishing and has been published in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia. Perfectly Queer hit #1 on Amazon’s list of New Releases for LGBTQ Biographies and Memoirs and was featured by Good Morning America on their list of “15 delightful books perfect for spring reading.”   Jillian serves on the board of the 501(c)3 organization, Tampa Home-school Inclusive Events (TBHIvE), and is a member of Tampa’s LGBT Chamber of Commerce. She offers virtual LGBTQ+ support sessions for people in their coming out journey and those who wish to understand the LGBTQ+ better and need a space where they can ask open and honest questions. She loves to open hearts and minds through her podcast, Life and Love in the Q, her blog site QueerAbby.com, and via TikTok at @AskQueerAbby. jillianabby | Linktree