We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Grace OConnor a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Grace, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
I grew up in an Irish-Catholic working class home. My father worked long hours as a computer programmer and my mother worked as a manger at the local JC Penney. My siblings and I were expected to work while in high school. I was lucky in that I played sports through high school and was able to defer employment until I graduated. There was a belief in my family that hard work paid off. My mother kept an immaculate home. My grandfather worked the assembly line at Ford Motor Plant for 40 years. The need to work was inculcated in me from the beginning. The thing I needed to learn was to work smarter rather than harder. For me that took the form of acquiring an education. I went back for my Bachelor’s Degree at the age of 33 and received my Masters Degree at the age of 50. Continuing my education was really the thing that opened up the doors of financial success. As a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist I have a full caseload and am always seeking to expand the ways I can be of service to the population I serve.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
My name is Grace O’Connor. I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist as well as a woman of Transgender experience. I work with an amazing organization, Gender Wellness of Los Angeles, where we provide services to the Transgender and Nonbinary populations. GWLA offers individual therapy as well as groups, workshops, trainings and a bevy of resources that help our community to flourish and thrive. We are so passionate about the work we do. There has been a historic marginalization of gender diverse folks that has manifested in increased incidents of homelessness, joblessness and substance use for our community. At GWLA our mission is to address these issues, to provide resources and to uplift anyone struggling on the margins due to their gender diversity.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
1. I would say that no experience has to be wasted. There were times I struggled and wondered whether what I was experiencing would ever count for anything and there will be times I won’t be able to see the forest through the trees, but if I keep putting one foot in front of the other I will eventually see how those challenging times made we wiser and informed my decision making later one. I need to be careful about labeling something as good or bad. There is no good or bad. There is only what is.
2. Adversity builds resilience. I used to believe there were things that would absolutely crush me. What I learned is I am so much stronger than I ever gave myself credit for. There is nothing in this world too big for me to handle.
3. Kindness goes a long way. I don’t want to live in a world where kindness doesn’t exist. I try to be kind to people in my daily life. And I do believe when I am kind to others they pass that kindness along.
How would you spend the next decade if you somehow knew that it was your last?
I think the biggest challenge I face is trusting that no matter what I will be ok. Life has it’s challenges and so often when I am up to my eyeballs in the challenge I think, “I have no idea if or how this is going to work out”. But, I have learned it always works out. It’s very rarely going to look the way I had envisioned. It’s usually better. Letting go of the results and focusing on my actions. Trusting my intuition. Surrounding myself with love and support. These are the things that have allowed me to get to the other side!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://genwell.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/genderwellnessla/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/genderwellnessoflosangeles
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@genderwellnessoflosangeles
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/gender-wellness-of-los-angeles-sherman-oaks?osq=gender+wellness+of
- Other: Tik Tok: @genderwellnesslosangeles
