Today we’d like to introduce you to Adriana McKinney.
Hi Adriana, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
A rare unicorn, I was born and raised here in Austin, Texas. After high school, I left home to attend college in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, where I lived for ten years. I went into college with the intension of being a medical doctor, but when I found out I was pregnant, my perspective of Western Medicine changed significantly. I not only changed my major but also began to research health and wellness from a wholistic perspective.
After birthing my kid, almost being married, confronting am entire life of internalized trauma, and an entire decade of homesickness, I was presented with the (too perfect) opportunity to move back here to the Hill Country. In working to readjust to be back in the city and navigate my place within community, I decided that I wanted to bring my passions, ideologies, and research-obsession to life in a podcast! I currently host ‘Organic, with OG Adriana,’ a podcast that explores the intersection of authenticity, mindful consumption, and radical healing, and have hopes of reaching communities of color and inspiring them to prioritize healing and take charge of their personal well-being.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Of course, it’s been…everything but a smooth road. One of my main struggles has been navigating my mental health.
As someone who grew up being a know-it-all (which I now understand as a trauma response), I’ve always thought I could educate myself out of my problems. I’d always assumed that the more I researched and gained educated insights on things, I’d be okay. I quickly found out that was NOT the case and that I had to do real work to reconcile with certain traumas that I was projecting and to be able to thrive outside of anxiety and depression.
I am proud of where I’ve come and the progress I’ve made in terms of my mental health, however, if I’ve learned anything, it’s that healing isn’t an uphill battle. It’s something I intentionally work on daily.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
While I do currently work a 9-5 job in a corporate space to sustain my livelihood, I understand that my purpose is much greater.
Above all, I am a creative. I enjoy creating art in many forms and integrating media with personal healing. I am a deep-diver who likes to understand nuances, and in many ways I’ve used my podcast as a tool to educate and to create community-based on said nuances.
While I am just recently stepping into an entrepreneurial space and figuring out how to ethically navigate it, I am most proud of the fact that I’ve been able to bring my passions to life. I am a passionate plant-foodie, a mental health advocate, and above all, I am on a mission to decolonize the way my community perceives health and wellness.
I am a writer, a (micro) blogger, a podcaster, and a lover of all things (black) wellness.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Growing up, I was a lot of things. I remember being called ‘sensitive’ a lot because I was always feeling…something.
I grew up being very curious about everything. I’d spend long nights using dial-up internet to research random topics instead of hanging out with friends and doing pre-teen things. I was a loner – Someone who didn’t understand why people didn’t naturally gravitate to my interests/hobbies. I loved reading, and writing, and designing MySpace content. I loved spending hours watching Jeopardy and random musicals.
My personality as a kid was many things. Because I developed an ambivalent attachment style, I found myself morphing or shutting off pieces of my personality to satiate those I was around. At the core, though, I was passionate. About people, about art, and about life.
Contact Info:
- Email: organicwithog@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ogadriana/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ogadriana_
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj4eoePuWRa_MZKpdJaEcBw
- Other: https://linktr.ee/Ogadriana
