Interview with Pippa Stacey: A Freelance Writer & Blogger - Pursuing Education and Employment with a Chronic Illness
Recently, I caught up with Pippa Stacey, who you may already know from her popular blog: Life of Pippa. For awhile now I have been watching the adventures and ventures of Pippa on her YouTube channel. What always strikes me is her warmth, fun personality and sheer determination to make the world a more inclusive and accessible place. Pippa is a self-confessed tea drinking connoisseur, whose enthusiasm for onesie's would make anyone smile! Pippa was diagnosed with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS) whilst at University and was able to continue her studies with the right adjustments.
What has recently been at the forefront of my mind, as a disabled person, is how do chronically ill people access fair employment? I mean just because we don't know what our health is going to be like day to day, our energy levels can be all over the place and we can sometimes struggle with mobility - it doesn't mean that we cannot contribute in some sort of fashion to the employment sector - does it?
Well here we have someone who has been fighting for inclusive employment, Pippa is a trail-blazer who has forged a career which accommodates for her chronic illness, by working from home! Through her work with the amazing charity Astriid, Pippa has made it possible for others to follow in her footsteps. Astriid is a service 'that matches talented chronically ill people with inclusive employment opportunities and supports them with their career development'.
Hi Pippa. Thanks for taking the time out to contribute to this interview. Can you tell us a little bit more about yourself?
My name is Pippa, and I’m a writer and a
blogger. I’m originally from Sheffield and now live in York, where I also work
in communications consultancy in the charity sector. You can find more from me
at Life
Of Pippa, and on Instagram at @lifeofpippa. You
can also shop
my books and eBooks here!
You have been diagnosed with ME for several years now - can you tell us what life was like for you, around the time you were diagnosed?
During my first year of university, I was your typical student: studying hard, partying harder, travelling the country with various sports teams and for dance competitions, volunteering, working towards an honours degree and generally living my best life. By the same time the following year, I was struggling to stand up on my own. I’d been battling for answers to my mystery symptoms since the age of 15, but it was only when my health significantly relapsed and I was struck down by an onslaught of debilitating pain and fatigue, that I was finally diagnosed with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS). Naturally, all this took place during my very first year of university, just as my young adult life was beginning.
Being diagnosed at such an important time in your life must have been hard. How did you feel and what life lessons did you learn from that time?
With plenty of support and adjustments, I managed to continue my studies and graduate, but heaven knows it wasn’t without its challenges. Adapting to life as a newly disabled student, especially one with an invisible illness, I often felt lonely, isolated, and like nobody else in the world could possibly understand what I was going through. I distinctly remember being shocked at what little support was available and how much I had to advocate for myself, how hard I had to fight for what I was entitled to, and how exhausting the whole situation seemed. Being a student can be a tough time for any young person, but dealing with a fluctuating health condition adds an entirely new dimension of difficulty. Despite all this, however, it’s safe to say that my time at university genuinely formed some of the best, most rewarding years of my life. Therefore, I decided to compile everything I’d learned into what went on to become my debut non-fiction book – University and Chronic Illness: A Survival Guide.
It was during my final years of being a student that my thoughts began to turn to what would happen after university life: how I would find employment opportunities that I could manage alongside my fluctuating health condition. I knew I was ‘well enough’ to work in some capacity, but far from able to pursue a typical 9am-5pm occupation that involved leaving the house and being around other people every day. Still adapting to the constraints that my health had imposed on my day-to-day life, back then I didn’t think I would have the luxury of choice over what job I went into; I thought I’d simply have to take whatever I could secure. By then, my self-worth had taken a serious battering. Everything had been overshadowed by my condition and the struggles of navigating an inaccessible society, and I was yet to fully realise that I still had all these valuable skills to offer.
Looking back over the last few year, at your journey since finishing University - What are your reflections from that time?
Entering the world of work, and my experiences over the last few years, have been varied… to say the least! You can read about my personal employment journey in more depth in this blog post, but four years on since graduating, we’ve almost come full circle. I’m proud to say that I work freelance as a writer and blogger, and that I work for Astriid.
What would you like other people to know about you?
I sacrifice so much in order to pursue my career, and there’s so much I’m yet to learn. I’m constantly paranoid that people look at my social media and think that I have it easy, that everything gets handed to me, when that’s far from the case. The simple fact is that I’m a hard worker who’s learned to get a little creative in finding and pursuing opportunities. When amazing things happen, I want to feel that I’ve earned them. All of that said, I really do love my work. I’m excited to check my emails and delve into new projects, and being able to do so in a way that works for me and my health is more than I ever could have hoped for. Given the current climate in particular, I’m not naïve to what a privilege that is. I only hope more chronically ill and marginalised people are able to pursue similar paths in the future, and rest assured, I’m doing what I can to help make that happen. If you’re currently seeking work, you may find my blog post on finding accessible work with a chronic illness a helpful starting point.
What is it you strive to do everyday?
Above all else, I want to have an impact. I want to help other
people get their foot in the door. I want to make sure that other chronically
ill individuals also have a fair shot at chasing their dreams. It’s about time
the world realises just how much we have to offer.
That's all folks - thanks for taking part Pippa!
