Thriving at Work, Not Just Surviving: An Interview with Gia Peppers
Print Jumpsuit by JEAN PAUL GAULTIER
Broadcast Journalist, Gia Peppers has hustled her way from day one to today. But, when paving a new way or pursuing a career goal, energy is required for the long haul. When our calling demands so much from us and disappointments tire us, how can we continue to get back up and thrive in our work long-term?
FACT FINDER:
1. Gia is an award-winning broadcast journalist and content creator
2. She has worked for some of the biggest media names including NBC, Today, Amazon and Essence
3. Her mission is to show that the greatness which inspires us in others also lives in us
4. She is based between Los Angeles and New York
THE HUSTLE
Where did your passion for broadcast journalism and content begin?
I grew up in DC, and my schools were mostly white, so I was always looking for opportunities to feel closer to my blackness. I watched anything that reminded me of how I was supposed to show up in the world as a black child. When I went to college, I went to school for Broadcast Journalism and also did a degree in Theater Arts. My first internships were with Donnie Simpson and Big Tigger in DC. Then with The Wendy Williams Show and Live! With Kelly and Michael. I was very focused in college, but I graduated in a recession so I didn't have a job until I went to The National Association of Black Journalists conference and connected with someone who got me my first job in the industry.
What was your first foot in the door?
My first gig in the industry was night shifts in the newsroom at CBS News Radio. There were three quiet hours where I would envision what I wanted my career to be. I would watch late-night talk shows and be like, ‘I can do this’. During that time, the James Holmes shooting and the Jerry Sandusky trials happened, which confirmed I didn’t want to do hard news. I only lasted there six months but kept my ID. I used it to go into different music venues and pitch that I was a writer for CBS Entertainment (there was no such thing at the time). My friends and I would bring our cameras and cover shows, which is how I got enough clips for my reel.
To prove ourselves, we can feel we have to give our everything. What was your experience of this?
After CBS I hustled! I worked in New York at two of the most iconic media brands, and also hosted the Washing Wizards home games in DC. I prayed and said, ‘God, I can't let go of any of these opportunities, but please help me balance it’. I would wake up in New York and work until noon. Then get the train down to DC to host games. My Mum picked me up, and my Dad woke me up at 3:45 am so I could get the 4:25 am train back to New York. I did that for three years. It taught me how relentless I am when it comes to this journey. It affirmed that it's not easy but that I'm here for a reason. Now I have a show called More Than That, and a show with Amazon Music called R&B Rotation. I also contribute to the Today Show, and I'm getting my YouTube series together.
THE INEVITABLE CHALLENGES
No matter how hard we hustle, we can’t protect ourselves from disappointments. What has your experience of this been?
I used to say ‘yes’ to everything because I needed to put my name out there. But at some point people take advantage of you, so you have to learn to say ‘no’. I had a situation when I was working with a major streaming brand (not Amazon). My friend and I auditioned and got signed to a six-figure contract, but a loophole in the contract said if they didn’t approve the fifth pilot, they didn't have to pay us. And they didn’t approve the fifth pilot. We worked on that show for three months and I was so heartbroken. I still have to actively say ‘that experience is not going to define the rest of my path’.
Practically, how did you ensure you learnt from that experience?
The biggest thing I tell creatives is, don't do the work until the contract is signed. You can do some work in good faith, but until the contract is signed, be careful. Protecting yourself as a creative professional looks like getting a great lawyer. It looks like being honest with what you need upfront. Also, you can have a goal, but don't look at it as a dream job. Look at it as an added opportunity to grow, so you can continue to align with your purpose. If you define yourself by any job, you will be knocked down when that opportunity is taken away.
Knit Dress by AJE
When things get hard, it can be tempting to disregard our values for quick wins. How have you benefited from keeping integrity?
I could have been in a different space if I decided to take easier routes but I don’t want to make people's experience harder intentionally. We all do it whether we want to or not. But my intention is clear. It is always to add to someone's life instead of taking away from it. Integrity keeps me from moving too fast and stepping on people. I'm the girl who, if I can't do something, I'll suggest a friend. People want to work with kind people.
Facing challenges can make us believe a dream is not meant for us. How has your faith helped you trust your timeline?
The biggest challenge for me has been not comparing my dream to others. I’ve had to understand the divine timing in my life and give it the same honour I give somebody more experienced or doing things I want to do. I cling to the fact that God literally created all of us with our own missions in mind. So I'm taking away from my purpose if I'm always comparing myself to someone else and belittling myself in response to that comparison. My verse of the year has been Romans, 8:28. [And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.]
SAVING GRACES
As a creative, you have to give so much. How have you been able to re-centre yourself when feeling drained?
My saving graces have been my family, friends, my journal and of course, prayer. When you have big goals, it takes all of you to get to where you want to go. So when I go home to DC, I love it because my childhood friends do not care who I interviewed. I need that. Have people that love you whether you are cleaning up the studio or hosting in the studio. Have people that care about your well-being. Ask, where do you feel most yourself? Get to those places and pinpoint them, because you're going to need to be able to find your way back to them.
‘When you have big goals, it takes all of you to get to where you want to go.’
When work gets hard, how have you been able to keep perspective?
It gets lonely. You miss family and you miss yourself. You get so caught up moving to the next thing that you miss your own thoughts. What 2020 gave me was the space to address the traumas that I was allowing my work to disconnect me from. When the whole industry shut down, it taught me how much none of this really matters. We are not curing brain cancer. This year, my biggest focus is executing the things I know God wants me to execute. I know He has plans to prosper me so I'm like, ‘if you know that, now be that and do that’.
Through the lows and highs, how do you trust that God is with you on this journey?
I always say God's hand is over all of our lives when we look back. I love watching a certain video of me when I was a baby. My Dad was telling my Mum about bringing me into his work in the newsroom and he said, ‘Gia went into the newsroom today and told everybody she wants to be a broadcast journalist’. When I found the video, I was in one of those moments where I was questioning everything. I was really frustrated with where I was, and I immediately broke into tears and I was like ‘I'm so sorry for every time I doubted you, God’.
CREATING A BETTER INDUSTRY
We can use our challenges to make a positive change for others. What impact do you hope to have on other creatives?
I'm big on creatives not feeling alone in this journey. The two suicides that really hit my heart recently are Cheslie Kryst and Twitch. People are not okay, and a lot of times, the creative journey is so lonely. I've dealt with bouts of depression in my own life and questioned why I’m here. Usually, I can get out of that, but what breaks my heart is that Cheslie and Twitch did not. There are a lot of people who do not. I want people to know that their work matters, but most importantly, who they are as a person matters. But I also understand being tired. So I want to create spaces where creatives feel seen, connected and prayed over.
‘A lot of times the creative journey is so lonely.’
On a wider scale, what change does your industry need to see?
The pay gap between men and women. I remember working a joint hosting job and the male was being paid double what I was. I’m like, ‘well, where in the world does it say that rent has a 50% discount for women? Because I didn't get that memo, and I'm pretty sure my bill is the same’. I don't understand where the 50% off sign came from but it needs to be deleted. So that's really important to me, that women can advocate for themselves. I say ‘no’ to jobs a lot more now. I'm like, ‘that's not my rate, I'm sorry. I just won't do it’.
Speaking out is scary. How have you found the courage to use your voice?
I'm still learning because you have to have the position to rewrite rules. So I rewrite the rules in how I show up in the positions that I have. That looks like not being afraid of really tough conversations and telling the girl behind me what I made for that gig so she knows what to ask for. It's having open conversations with friends about how they made ‘that’ move when I need help with making moves. I'm still gaining the footing to use my voice in those tough moments. I'm learning not to over-edit myself because I will edit myself into silence and I don't want to. I have something to say, and I believe in what I do.
A PEACEFUL WORK
As you progress in your career, how do you continue to have conviction in your evolving purpose?
For so long, I've allowed life to lead me instead of getting in the driver's seat. Every opportunity is a way for you to show up with your gifts, and it’s utilising our gifts that’s the great thing. God doesn't give us any gifts by accident. It's all for a purpose, even if it's just a hobby to keep you sane. A woman on TikTok wrote a caption thanking God for the goals she hoped would happen and posted it as if it had already happened, and by the end of the year, it did. So I wrote to God saying ‘thank you God that I'm a multi-show creator and that the things I make help people feel less alone’. I read it every day to tap into my purpose.
What role does your faith play in ensuring you’re thriving in your career, not just surviving?
Everybody's journey is tough. Everybody has something that keeps them on their knees in prayer. You can avoid it, or you can activate your space. The reality of your present moment is going to pass you if you aren't stepping into it. So now my challenge is to step into it. When God calls us, it's never going to be easy. It's going to be the thing that scares us the most, and the thing that we know we’ll be judged for. Even if you're scared, even if your feet are shaking, take one step. That's all. Do something that will make you know you're not wasting the time that God has given you.
‘When God calls us, it's never going to be easy. It's going to be the thing that scares us the most.’
Having been through industry heartbreak and years of hustling, what does it now look like to work from a place of peace and not strife?
I've been praying for God to put that fire back in me that I had when I first started before I had my heart broken. I don't want any part of my future journey to be determined by my past hurt. I'm not afraid of deals falling apart if they're not for me because I know what God has for me, is for me. That looks like just one step in front of the other. That looks like morning meditation and prayer. That looks like me not side-stepping my own journey just because it's tough.
AS TOLD TO Ellie Dalton
CREATIVE DIRECTION BY Ruth Yimika Afolabi
PHOTOGRAPHY BY Obidi Constantine Nzeribe
STYLING BY Katie Peare
MAKEUP BY Manuel Espinoza
HAIR BY Jenn Lagron
PRODUCTION ASSISTING BY Miguel Velasquez
Stay up to date with Gia here.
Voice of the Month is a monthly digital series where Magnify spotlights a woman of faith excelling in their industry. We share their journey, practical advice and how their faith anchors them through the highs and lows of life.
