Gina Economopoulos’ life story is a testament to the power of resilience and faith. From her early struggles with physical disabilities to becoming a nun, and later facing the challenges of alcoholism and loss, Gina’s journey is both heart-wrenching and inspiring.
Born as the seventh of eight children, Gina faced physical challenges from birth. Despite a loving family, she struggled with low self-esteem and a sense of not belonging. This led her on a path of searching for acceptance and purpose, eventually leading her to become a Catholic nun.
However, Gina’s time as a nun was not without its challenges. After 12 years, she was asked to leave the convent, an experience that left her feeling rejected and abandoned. This period of her life was marked by intense anger and a feeling of being lost.
The turning point in Gina’s life came when she confronted her own relationship with alcohol. Through the support of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), she began a journey of self-discovery and healing. This process not only helped her overcome her addiction but also led her to reconnect with her faith in a more profound and personal way.
Today, Gina serves as an end-of-life doula, helping individuals transition from this life to the next. Her experiences with loss and her own spiritual journey have uniquely equipped her for this role. She approaches her work with compassion, understanding, and a deep sense of peace.
Gina’s story is a powerful reminder that even in our darkest moments, there is hope for transformation and renewal. Her journey from struggling with self-worth to finding purpose in helping others is truly inspiring. Through her work and her memoir, “Shake the Dust Off Your Feet and Walk,” Gina continues to spread a message of hope, resilience, and the enduring power of faith.
Transcript
CeeJay – Supernormalized (00:03)
Welcome to another episode of Super Normalized. Today we talk with Gina Economopoulos. She’s a person that’s been through a life of real tough struggle that led her Like a connection with herself. So she actually felt sort of destroyed in certain ways because of how much tragic loss
and ongoing drama in her life that led her cycle all the way back around to discover her faith and then become an end of life doula helping people to cross over to the spirit world. This story is great for everyone that needs to understand that you can get through struggle. And Gina has been through a lot. And this is a good story in that throughout all of that, she kept her faith, even though she…
at times hated God. So this is a good story in the inspirational aspect of it. It’s tough, but it still needs to be told. Okay, so on with the show.
Welcome to Super Normalized. Gina, I don’t know how to say your last name properly without getting it wrong. it Econopopoulos? Econopopoulos?
Gina Economopoulos (01:32)
economopolis
CeeJay – Supernormalized (01:34)
Economopolis, there we go. So you’ve said it many times, I haven’t. welcome to the show, Gina. Thank you so much for coming on. I’m interested today in hearing all your story about your life and then how that’s led you to a transformative role where you actually get to assist people in their end of life processes, end of life doula. So Gina, tell us about your story.
Gina Economopoulos (01:35)
Perfect.
wow, well first of all thank you CJ for having me on to all your listeners and and yes I do have a story like we all do and and and I just amazing today where my story led me being like you said as an end-of-life doula so I guess I’ll start from the beginning and feel free to interrupt because I could talk but now I was I was born
CeeJay – Supernormalized (02:04)
Yeah.
Yeah.
Okay, that’s fine.
Gina Economopoulos (02:16)
Born
in New York, one of eight kids, the seventh child. Great family. No complaints about mom and dad. They loved us unconditionally. Dad even sent us all to college, worked a hard worker, et cetera. But yet I was born, even though was born the seventh child, was born with a lot of problems. Hip dislocation, physical problems.
CeeJay – Supernormalized (02:18)
Yeah. Yep.
Gina Economopoulos (02:38)
There was a time, it got to a point in my life after surgery, after surgery, that I got used to it. It was normal for me. That was my normal. I was prone to, I was also, always something always bad happened, I would say, in my eyes. Like, why me, why me? So I developed myself, this poor, self-esteem, this insecurity, this false self throughout my childhood.
CeeJay – Supernormalized (02:54)
Hmm.
Gina Economopoulos (03:03)
knew. I experienced like a loneliness, a sadness and I would compare myself to my my siblings because they were beautiful, athletic and and I just couldn’t do it. I was this short, the youngest one and but I was cute. I was cute. That’s what I got. I was cute. I had a great smile. So my smile carried me and whenever anyone asked me, how are you doing? everything is fine. I’m great. I’m great. But yeah, you know as a kid I was searching for that love.
CeeJay – Supernormalized (03:24)
Mm.
Gina Economopoulos (03:31)
for that acceptance. Yes, I got it from my family, but from everyone else, you from the outside, from peer pressure. And that’s what I did. was looking in all the wrong places, got involved with the wrong groups, or I didn’t find myself. And so I continued this searching in my heart really throughout my life to find what’s my purpose, what’s the meaning.
CeeJay – Supernormalized (03:51)
Hmm.
Gina Economopoulos (03:57)
of
life. Where do I belong? Where do I belong? so as time was going on, I went to college, got a degree in social work. Also, I became a pool shooter, billiards, and I became a pool shark.
And so I, and then when I graduated, it was like, okay, now I’m 23 years old here. By now I thought I would have a boyfriend and a fiance, but that didn’t happen. So I went to go live with my parents and then I became a bartender. That’s the only thing I knew to do, that I knew what to do is bartending because I was familiar with that environment around the bar. That’s what I hung out in college.
So as my story continues, as it unfolds during that time as a bartender, I thought I was only going to be there for like six months, get a real job. But yet I stayed there for a few years and I didn’t want a real job because I was making money and I was doing social work. Yeah. Yeah. Happy on the outside. Yes. I was the center of the attention. Everybody loved me. And that’s what I wanted is to be the center of the attention, be popular.
CeeJay – Supernormalized (04:37)
Mm.
And you’re happy. Yeah.
Gina Economopoulos (05:05)
and I was a very good bartender so they all loved me but yet during that time my mom was diagnosed with cancer.
She had four to six months to live. And once again, it didn’t happen to me physically, but why me? Because I was home with my dad taking care of her. All my other siblings were out. My younger brother went off to college. say, okay, why me? You know, put my life on hold, which was a gift, taking care of my mom. And, but yet she died. you know, she suffered with bone cancer. So she died in those, in five months. And I would say that was my first,
experience of grief, my first experience of I was lost. It was my first experience of trauma, like a real deep pain. And yeah, and so I was searching. I would continue to search for the…
Now I’m searching for really the meaning of life because my mom is dead. Where is she? She’s with God. We were raised Catholic but yet at this point I didn’t have a relationship with God.
And then as I’m doing my research, you know, going to church, going to mass, praying the rosary, whatever it may be, I came back to my Catholic roots. And then I became a nun, a Catholic nun. I’m a runner. I’m a good runner, CJ. Like I ran from myself.
CeeJay – Supernormalized (06:15)
Mmm. Yeah.
okay.
So all these events were sort of like pushing you in a certain sort of direction to your spirituality and faith. I mean, how did they actually influence you towards that direction?
Gina Economopoulos (06:33)
Well,
all I know is that I went from one extreme as a bartender living this dark life or living this sarangamore, and then I go from this other extreme of being in the convent like everybody’s going to hell. Not to say that they are, but I went from one extreme to be a follower of Jesus. And my faith was very immature, I say now, but back then I said, yeah, I know God, God loves me and this is what I want to do. And I did.
join a convent in the South Bronx. I’m a people person. I’m a people pleaser too. And everybody loved me. Again, everybody loved me. They all wanted me. They all wanted me to join. And I’m like, okay, there was an empty, there was an emptiness within me. There was a soul searching within me. So I’m thinking, okay, this religious community loves me, wants me. Maybe this is where I belong.
CeeJay – Supernormalized (07:17)
Yeah.
Gina Economopoulos (07:23)
And I just got, yeah, and I got swooped into that. was, I, you know, it’s in hindsight.
CeeJay – Supernormalized (07:24)
Right.
Gina Economopoulos (07:29)
I can’t explain it, I just kept moving. Like you said, I just kept moving forward, just looking for that peace within, looking for that love within. And I thought, why not? A convent, sister, religious life. I mean, it’s a vocation. It’s a supernatural grace, you know, to be a sister or a priest because it’s something out of the ordinary. That’s not normal. It’s not normal. And it’s only from the grace
CeeJay – Supernormalized (07:51)
Yeah.
Gina Economopoulos (07:54)
of God to say, come, give your life to me, you know, and I give you that grace, that sufficient grace. And he did. He did for 12 years, but not a nun anymore. And because during that time, I mean, was just, I endured a lot of pain, suffering, rejection. It was just…
CeeJay – Supernormalized (07:59)
Yeah.
Gina Economopoulos (08:14)
I couldn’t understand because I’m a nice person by trade. have a loving heart. And I just felt I was being mistreated by the community, by the common, by the sisters. And at that same time, I was like shocked.
Why is these religious people hurting me? Because by the end of my religious life, the last two years, I was shunned by the community. They sent me away to get help. I was just… I… Even as a sister and a nun, I experienced a real dark time. Real dark. Because…
CeeJay – Supernormalized (08:40)
Wow.
It
sounds like you’ve got a lot of karmic debt that was coming through and you’re getting kicked around from all sorts of angles for all of your life. Yeah.
Gina Economopoulos (08:58)
Yeah, and my question
was like, why me? Why does this have to happen to me? Why the… Yeah, I know, I don’t know. gosh, I maybe don’t wanna know. Yes, exactly, ignorance is bliss, right? feel like, and yeah, so I had a…
CeeJay – Supernormalized (09:02)
Yeah. Yeah, what’d you do last lifetime? Yeah, exactly. It doesn’t matter because you’re working it out now, which is the good thing.
Yeah, yeah.
Gina Economopoulos (09:22)
So yes, and so they asked me to leave. They told me I didn’t belong there anymore. Like for 12 years they kept saying I belong here and then at the end of my religious life they said, you know, you don’t belong here anymore. And I’m like, what? Me? I’m Sister Regina. I was a famous nun.
I mean, everybody loved me. Everybody wanted me. you know, was, everybody couldn’t say no to me, you know? was like, whatever I asked, I wore full habit. I did love the life in a way because I was helping people. We worked with the poor. And yet at the same time, like I said, I was just kind of confused. And in the long run, you know what it is? was like our personalities crossed. We clashed. My personality, the sisters, what they wanted, the characters.
CeeJay – Supernormalized (09:55)
Yeah.
Gina Economopoulos (10:08)
I’m more of a free spirit person and they were more like gotta do this do this do this and And so by the time I left I was like, okay and I was crushed I was crushed it was it that was another Incident in my life that you know, it was trauma for me like, know God then I’m thinking God rejected me. I Married him. He rejected me. How could he? Yeah, how could they do this?
So, no. No. No,
CeeJay – Supernormalized (10:38)
Do you still believe that though? Good.
Gina Economopoulos (10:42)
no, no. But those were my feelings at the time. was confused. Abandoned me. You I felt abandoned. felt like I gave my blood, sweat, and tears to this community and to the people.
CeeJay – Supernormalized (10:46)
At the time, yeah. Yeah. Well, when we’re going through tough times, we feel like, you know, and we blame anyone we can.
Gina Economopoulos (11:01)
And what I experienced, especially the last two years, there was nobody by my side. Nobody stood up for me. Nobody stood up and said, hey, this is wrong. What you’re doing. And all I kept doing was crying and just I was writing and everything. So. So the day they they kicked me out or they asked me to leave, of course, in hindsight, you know, it was the best day of my life. But at the moment, it was like.
CeeJay – Supernormalized (11:11)
Yeah.
Yeah.
Gina Economopoulos (11:25)
No, this can’t happen. But yet, I continue. I continue to smile, I continue to search, I leave the convent with a broken heart. And then I’m thinking, what am I supposed to do in life? I’m 42 years old. Now, granted, I’m not married, I don’t have kids or anything like that. I don’t have a job. I gave up everything. They give me some money coming into the world. boy.
CeeJay – Supernormalized (11:41)
Hmm.
Gina Economopoulos (11:50)
That was like a culture shock for me. Yeah, I mean, I was sleeping on bedboards. I didn’t have anything. We lived a very austere life. So the best solution for me, which God had placed me, I went to live with men and women with disabilities as like a house mom to take care of them. was like, meanwhile, they were taking care of me because I was so broken. I didn’t know anything. I was in tears, but yet…
CeeJay – Supernormalized (11:52)
Yeah, culture shock, yeah, for sure.
Gina Economopoulos (12:16)
Once again, getting out of yourself when you help someone you get out of yourself. And so here I’m helping these men and women with Down syndrome and they’re so loving that it was like a time of rest for me as well as a healing time, a healing time. But still, I didn’t know what I was going to do. I mean, I do have a college education and I got a sister education, but at this point I did not want to.
be a sister because I didn’t want to get hurt again. was so hurt. So after two years of being with the men and women with the disabilities, I said, okay, now I’m like 42, 43, whatever, have 44. I’m like, okay, I want to do what Gina wants to do. Because all along I was doing what other people wanted me to do. I say now. I mean, I did what, I’m a people pleaser or.
CeeJay – Supernormalized (12:56)
Yeah.
Gina Economopoulos (13:04)
Like I said, I was looking for that love and the acceptance, but I never realized it was my insights that were missing it of who I am. So my journey continues. It continues. So I came to the Jersey shore, to the beach, learned how to rent an apartment, never knew how to do that. And my dad was alive at the time and God bless him. He helped me out in many ways to get myself going in this life.
CeeJay – Supernormalized (13:12)
Yeah, right.
Gina Economopoulos (13:28)
I didn’t want to serve anymore in the social work field because I was tired. I was tired of serving. So I did the next best thing that Gina knows to do that she went back to bartending. That’s it. So it was like, you know, my claim to fame is bartender done bartender. That’s my claim.
It’s gonna stay on my tombstone.
CeeJay – Supernormalized (13:49)
I think you’re diminishing that, but don’t diminish it because it’s actually a big lie of stories still because you’ve had so much stuff that has happened. you know, it does, listening to all that, I can hear over and over in your story, the inspiration for the name of your book would shake the dust off your feet and walk. What a title, right? Because that makes a lot of sense there, right? Because every time you get kicked down, you’re like,
Gina Economopoulos (14:05)
Yes, exactly.
CeeJay – Supernormalized (14:11)
Okay, okay, I can’t just sit here wallowing. I’ve got to get going again. And I can hear that in your stories. That’s powerful. Yeah.
Gina Economopoulos (14:14)
Get it, Google.
Well, thank you,
because I didn’t realize I was doing it at the time. I didn’t realize that I was going to write a book at the time. I was trying to survive. I was trying to survive and figure out. by this time, my sisters are all married, have kids, grandkids, like this and this. And I’m just like, what’s Gina’s purpose in life? Bartending? I mean, back to that purpose of who am I?
CeeJay – Supernormalized (14:22)
Yeah.
Mm.
Gina Economopoulos (14:45)
Who is Gina?
CeeJay – Supernormalized (14:47)
Yeah,
yeah. Because you compare yourself against all the people around you, your family and, you know, your old friends and everything. And you’re looking, you’re like, wait a minute, I haven’t done the house thing or the kid thing and, all that. you’re like, well, what is my life? You know, and. Right.
Gina Economopoulos (14:58)
Yeah.
Yeah.
And like I said, when I left the sisterhood, I was in my 40s. So not only I was broken, but I missed my mother being a mother, like they say in your 30s. I missed all this. And believe it or not, CJ, when I was 16, I wanted to be married by the time I was 18 and have at least five or six kids and live in a white picket fence. Yeah, the dream. Like the American dream.
CeeJay – Supernormalized (15:27)
Yeah, the dream.
Gina Economopoulos (15:29)
And with seeing my parents doing that, they were my role models. My like, I want to be like you, mom, be a house mother, housewife, find a nice good husband, et cetera. But that wasn’t in my cards. so now here, I’m back at the shore. I go back to bartending. And I’m like, OK, I’m going to do, you know, just rest, relax.
not relaxed, but just to see what my next step is. But yet, I’m bartending within a month and who walks in is a guy named Danny.
I meet a guy. Okay. Yes, yes, I met a guy. You know what CJ, he liked me. He loved me, you know, it was like, my God, what is this? And so, like the words that were coming out of his mouth, I mean, he was the first guy out of the convent two years later. Cause at this point I says, you know, it be nice to find a nice guy to live with or.
CeeJay – Supernormalized (16:05)
And you had a spark on your eye for Denny.
Gina Economopoulos (16:27)
to be with. So here Danny comes in and so but comes to find out I mean he finally found out I was a nun. I kind of did not tell him that because I learned my lesson because after I left the convent I would meet guys whether it’s in the bar or whether it’s here. I tell my whole story that I was a nun, I got kicked out, I was abused, all this.
CeeJay – Supernormalized (16:50)
Ugh.
Gina Economopoulos (16:51)
And then I give them my number, like real excited to go on a date, but nobody called me.
CeeJay – Supernormalized (16:56)
Yeah, yeah, too much information probably, so… But you didn’t realise, did you?
Gina Economopoulos (16:58)
But that’s… But… I didn’t realize
it, but that’s how I was in a sense. was such a like a…
CeeJay – Supernormalized (17:04)
Yeah, just,
yeah, because you’re so open, right? You want to just give them everything. Yeah.
Gina Economopoulos (17:07)
Open and I was I would say I was kind
of innocent, you know, like like I’m saying why why you know like why Why why when they want I mean I’m a good person and so but yet so when Danny came along somebody did tell me Yeah after so many guys that never called me says next guy you meet don’t tell me you were none. So I did it I Didn’t I was a social worker same thing
CeeJay – Supernormalized (17:12)
Yeah.
Gina Economopoulos (17:30)
And yet he came to find out that I was a sister and it didn’t scare him. He said, okay, let’s go out. Well, I mean, it didn’t scare him. And then I come to find out that he was an alcoholic. And so I’m like, oh my gosh. And he was drinking. He was active at the time. I once again did not know what an alcoholic really was. I thought.
Like a man and a woman with a paper bag under the bridge, know, that’s that’s an alcohol. It’s someone who drinks under the bridge so I never You know, I didn’t think but yet I asked him if he could stop I really that’s when the introduction of alcoholism really came into my life into my mind Because I was never around alcoholics except in the bar, you know, they drink is but that word never came up because I
CeeJay – Supernormalized (17:58)
Yeah, right.
Gina Economopoulos (18:18)
I just never said anything, I never thought of it. The only person I do remember is when I was a nun, it was a homeless guy who liked to drink. And he would say, he’d always come to me drunk as a sister, and I would say, Oscar, go to the church and pray and you’ll be healed. That was like my answer to someone who drank too much. Yeah, go to confession, go here, go there.
CeeJay – Supernormalized (18:20)
Mmm.
Gina Economopoulos (18:42)
So here, when Danny, when I met Danny, realizing he was an alcoholic, he encouraged me to go to Al-Anon, which is a 12-step program for people who are affected by the disease of alcoholism. So I did go to Al-Anon. He goes to AA, his program. He goes in and out of rehab. And of course I stay by him because he loves me and I love him. And I’m like…
Okay, but then I’m like, why again? Why couldn’t I get a normal guy? I don’t know what normal is, really, but someone that just, that I don’t have any problems. But yet he did, was a great man that was simply sick and he found his sobriety out west, out in Arizona area. And so that was our plan. Like, my God, he’s sober, he’s not drinking, we’re gonna live out in Arizona.
This is it. CJ, this is it. I got it. You my life, my life is coming. My life is coming. It’s falling into place. So, so back in July of 2012, when he was sober, he came back to Jersey area and he drove cross country to settle. He came back to get his belongings. His mom went for a ride. This is it. Goodbye. He said a prayer. I’ll see, I’ll be in Arizona about a month and
CeeJay – Supernormalized (19:34)
Mm. It’s falling into place.
Gina Economopoulos (19:55)
We’ll find a place, we’ll get married, plans. I had all these plans. But that night, or the next morning, I get that 360 degree phone call saying that Danny and mom was in a car accident. The mother, the mother burned up. The mother died, burned up. Danny burned up, and we don’t know if he’s gonna live. So, and this, yeah, this was in Indianapolis. And…
CeeJay – Supernormalized (20:09)
No.
What?
Gina Economopoulos (20:19)
kept pushing, was like, God, why, I can’t, why? Why? And so what do I do? Like I always do, know, Danny’s my love. I get up and I go to Indiana. He did, he got, survived this accident. It was like, oh my God, but he was burnt from the head down and he was sober. And I’m like, oh my God, Danny, God saved you for us. We could do this. We got involved in.
CeeJay – Supernormalized (20:23)
Yeah.
Gina Economopoulos (20:42)
Like the AA and the Alenon group out there of men and women, they were very kind, reaching out, helping us. It was like, my God, this is great. This is great, Danny. But what does a good alcoholic do when they’re in pain, trauma, because he experiences a lot of pain and trauma because he’s burnt on half of his body that he picks up. And so I’m like crazy, you know, I was crazy. I was like, I can’t believe you did this.
CeeJay – Supernormalized (20:59)
Yeah.
I know.
Gina Economopoulos (21:07)
still not aware what alcohol is, you know, I’m like, why can’t you? And I kicked him out. I kind of went downhill myself, you know, I was just like, I’m so tired of this. Why couldn’t you do this? And I’m giving you another chance, you know, manipulating, bribing, kicking him out, enabling, you name it. he, you know, he was trying. I didn’t have compassion.
CeeJay – Supernormalized (21:19)
Hmm.
Gina Economopoulos (21:29)
Because it was all about me. I would what are you doing to me and? And then within six months after I kicked him out I found him dead from the disease of alcoholism so I lost Danny and his mom within seven months of each other in Indiana place. did not know so At this point. I was wiped. I was wiped out in life At this point. I was like I didn’t have any strength
CeeJay – Supernormalized (21:43)
Magic.
Mm.
Hmm.
Gina Economopoulos (21:53)
any energy or anything to get up again. At this point my smile was wiped away. I just was like kaput. I’m done. Every time I get up I get knocked down. I can’t do it anymore. So I came back to the Jersey Shore, simply existing, wanted to die, felt like a zombie. I prayed to die, but God kept me alive every morning. I wasn’t going to kill myself.
CeeJay – Supernormalized (22:01)
you
Gina Economopoulos (22:16)
I wasn’t talking to God, I wasn’t talking to anyone. And then one day I happened to go into the rooms of AA to a meeting because I was wondering, once again, there was in me, in my mind saying, you know, why did Danny die and these people are sober? Like, why didn’t he get it, You know, because everyone says when you do the next right thing, God blesses you. And I’m like, what happened here?
So I did, I went in the rooms of A.A. just listening. I’m not an alcoholic, I do not identify myself. I was very angry. And the first meeting I went to was a speaker meeting, all I did was cry, cry, cry, you know, just listening. And I spoke to a gentleman and he knew Danny, because I’m back in my hometown where Danny grew up and everything. And by myself, me, myself and I, and…
I did get a job but was like I don’t really remember that time you know I just I was just I did yeah I lived I had an apartment but it was it was a shrine of Danny it was a shrine of nothing you know it was like and and I says you know and at that point I honestly felt CJ that nothing nothing’s good can happen to Gina that’s it I’m done
CeeJay – Supernormalized (23:12)
stress yeah
Gina Economopoulos (23:28)
I’ll just live this life in misery. Everyone else could find their way, find their peace, find their joy. You know, if somebody needs to suffer, give it to Jean, I’ll suffer. That’s me. I’ll suffer for everyone. And I really felt that way. I really did. But then yet, somebody at this meeting invited me to come to a closed meeting of AA.
you know, why don’t you just come and join us? I said, I’m not an alcoholic, Danny is, but I said, ah, let me find out, uh, in this realm, why are people, how do people get sober? Why, you know, why? Oh, my question was why? Geno why? Geno why? Why Geno why? And, um, and sure enough, I went in these rooms, I just identified myself as a, the desire not to pick up. I was very, very angry, extremely angry. And I was angry at the
At the people, at the rooms, I was angry at God, was angry at myself. I hated my life, I hated myself, and I hated God, and I hated people. But as I was going to these meetings, and I was going like every day for some reason, just at first sitting in the corner holding the wall up, crying, and I just kept going, kept going. People did reach out to me, and I’m like, yeah, whatever. Whatever.
and I was doing it for a good nine, 10 months every day, just going and listening in it. Now at this point, I was kind of sharing a little bit of Danny, not me, of Danny. Danny’s the problem, Danny was the drinker, Danny died. And then people would come up to me and say, know, Danny don’t, you know, they would try to console me.
they would say, because sometimes I did share that I hated God, no, you can’t hate God, God loves you. I would get, people would say that to me. And then my response in my mind would be like, no crap, God loves me. I divorced him, I married him, I know who he is. I’m just very angry with him. And he’s on the couch, I always said. So it wasn’t like I didn’t believe in him or anything, I just…
CeeJay – Supernormalized (25:15)
Hmm
Gina Economopoulos (25:30)
I was just angry, like any marriage, right? If you’re with a husband and wife, they hate each other. And that’s how I felt with God, because I married God. I saw what God could do in the South Bronx. I saw the miracles He had performed through others, but never for me. so as I continue going to these meetings…
CeeJay – Supernormalized (25:31)
Yeah.
Yeah.
Gina Economopoulos (25:50)
about somebody approached me, a friend of mine said to me, know, Gina, you come here every day. What is your relationship with alcohol? And that was like a light bulb. Like somebody had to tell me. Yeah, I was like, and I was like, what? And I did. I looked at my relationship with alcohol and in hindsight, I was a very good runner, denier, whatever you want to call it. My smile just masked everything. I was a big drinker.
I hid it well. I like to drink because it took me away from me. It covered my pain. I thought it would heal my pain, but once the next morning, pain would be there. Okay, let me get something to drink. So, I mean, we all have a different story, but we both all have like the cunning baffling insidious disease. So in April of 2015,
One day I just said my name is Gina, I am an alcoholic. That was the first time I identified myself and I was like, my God, what is this? This is not normal, not Gina Kahnemopoulos, this is not me. But yet, when I said that, I had an experience of all the pain, all the trauma, all the low self-esteem and security, everything that I was carrying, all the grief, all…
CeeJay – Supernormalized (26:48)
Mm-hmm.
Gina Economopoulos (27:02)
all the situations that happened to me and everything just opened up, just opened up and it was more painful than anything. And then a voice said to me, so what are you gonna do with this pain? Are you gonna go drink it away or are gonna go to your pity couch and be the victim? Because I was playing victim my whole life and I was like, my God, I don’t wanna, I really…
didn’t know what to do but I did what they suggested the rooms of AA got a sponsor, got a home group just don’t pick up a train listen you know listen to learn learn to listen all that you know all these slogans you know I just learned one day at a time and at first I was it took me a while to accept that I
Yes, I have a drinking problem and yes, I’m an alcoholic because it was all Danny. My focus was on him. as you hear my story, my focus was on everybody else. The sisters, this, this.
CeeJay – Supernormalized (27:52)
Yeah, right.
Yeah,
you weren’t looking within, you were looking without for the problem source. And it took a lot of events to bring it around to you.
Gina Economopoulos (28:03)
Yeah. Yeah.
Exactly,
I mean some people who know me today that know that I’m in the room says, you needed the rooms 30 years ago. I’m like, I wish I did because you know today fast forward I live a life of freedom in the light, I’m in the light. I want to live today CJ, I don’t have to suffer today.
CeeJay – Supernormalized (28:19)
Mm.
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
Gina Economopoulos (28:33)
I just want to have, happy within me. I know who Gina is. I love Gina. I mean, I could truly say I love Gina. I really do. And yet, you know, I have my feelings, I got my fear and all that, but that doesn’t define who I am. And it does not control me nor paralyze me today. I have a program, I have a God, he’s back in my life, and that’s where my…
CeeJay – Supernormalized (28:39)
That’s beautiful. Yeah, that’s beautiful.
Gina Economopoulos (28:58)
Faith took a different turn, one would say, because I realized who I was and was like, in hindsight, I’m like, aha! If only, if I only knew what I knew today back then, I wouldn’t put up with all the crap. I wouldn’t have done any of that. But yet, I did not know. No.
CeeJay – Supernormalized (29:12)
But you didn’t know because you weren’t meant to know at
the time. You had to go through that to get the resilience and strength of character to be who you are now.
Gina Economopoulos (29:18)
Yeah. Exactly.
And that’s where, and then today, like that’s when I wrote my memoir because I just felt it on my heart to share with people or to say, hey, if I could do it, you could do it. Like it’s a message of hope and strength. And it’s so true, like shake the dust off your feet and walk. God knew I was gonna, you know, was perfect. It’s a perfect title because even today,
CeeJay – Supernormalized (29:37)
Yeah.
Gina Economopoulos (29:48)
I continue to shake the dust off my feet and walk. know, things do irritate me in life. I’m not gonna drink over it. I’m not gonna be crazed over it. I’m like, okay, goodbye, or whatever, whatever I need to do in a healthy way, in a healthy way. And that’s what I love. And that’s what I love. And then in that, I became an end of life do-er, because I love being with the dying. That is a transformation. When I was with my mom, I didn’t…
CeeJay – Supernormalized (29:51)
Hmm.
Yeah, that’s a great thing. Yeah.
Yeah.
Gina Economopoulos (30:14)
When she died, I hated it. When Danny died, I hated it. know what mean? Grief, grief, grief. But now here, God had put in my heart the passion or just the joy, just to help someone else to transition from this life to whatever life they believe in.
CeeJay – Supernormalized (30:21)
Mm.
How did that come about for you? mean, did you have an experience and someone said, come over and can you help them? Or what happened?
Gina Economopoulos (30:41)
Well, I was a sister, okay, when I had that experience after my mom died, I tasted heaven. In my faith, I tasted heaven. I tasted peace, a great peace that I can’t explain. And I’m thinking, wow, mom, if this is what I think where you’re at in this peace, I can’t imagine. I really can’t imagine the other side. I really can’t imagine.
So that just kind of built up because when I was a sister, I was with so many people dying from all ages. I went to so many wakes from all ages. I don’t mind. People would call me and say, hey sister, could you go visit Johnny’s sister or whatever, whatever. Don’t know them. I would go, whether maybe with a statue or with myself or pray, and they will just die. They would just die. There would be a peace. I would experience a peace in their room.
or they would die the next day. So I was like, wow. And I felt like, yeah, I’m packing your bags. And what really inspired me was Mother Teresa. Mother Teresa was always with the dying. And she would always say, we need to the dignity to people who die and the dignity to die and the love. I could give that to someone, whether I know them or not. You are loved.
CeeJay – Supernormalized (31:32)
Wow, okay.
Gina Economopoulos (31:55)
You have dignity. Go home. Do what you need to do. Wherever you’re peace, wherever the place that you believe. I’m not there to change people’s faith or belief or spiritual realm, nothing. But I do know, we all, where it doesn’t matter what we believe in, that there’s something better than this place. There’s a spirit world. There’s whatever you want to call it. There’s someplace much better that brings such peace.
It stirred up to me as a nun, as a sister. For some reason, God put me in places, even when I was in my lowest place, would put me someone who was dying, be prayed with them and they would die, don’t even know them, whatever. And then, and then just recently in the last two years, I was told, I would, or somebody said, do you know you could be certified? You mean you could get paid for this to be with, you know, you could do your service and, and
CeeJay – Supernormalized (32:21)
Mm.
Gina Economopoulos (32:46)
I was like, oh my God, would have been rich by now. but so I, mean, I don’t do it for the money. I, you know, I, it’s sometimes it’s even hard for me to take, you know, to say this is what I cost. Cause I just want to be with them. I want to help you as well as help the family the best I can, whatever I can, however, yeah, to help them at this challenging time, this difficult time. Cause
CeeJay – Supernormalized (32:52)
Yeah.
Yes.
Hmm.
Gina Economopoulos (33:13)
Because everyone deals with death differently. People are afraid, losing a loved one themselves. But I’ve seen a lot of, I have what I say, a lot of transformation when they do die. I see a lot of, I experience peace and something that I’m like, wow. And then God always shows me they’re in good hands. They’re in good hands.
CeeJay – Supernormalized (33:29)
Hmm.
Do you
think that when they’re passing at that stage is that that’s the portal opening up to the other high dimensions taking them in and you’re just standing at the doorway, you’re getting the wash of like an aircon on a hot day when you open a store and that wash comes out and it’s just the spirit, the wash of Holy Spirit coming through and you get to feel that and that’s the piece.
Gina Economopoulos (33:46)
Yeah.
I… yeah.
That’s the piece. And even today, I may not be with someone present who is dying, but sometimes when I’m meditating or praying, to me, heaven is a veil away. So all my loved ones, mom and dad and Danny, everyone, they’re right here with us. Even at this moment, even as I share with you, I could feel their presence and I know their presence. And sometimes people come to me.
CeeJay – Supernormalized (34:03)
Okay.
Absolutely.
Gina Economopoulos (34:21)
you know, like I will forget and like, yeah, you know, mean, things, things happen. I can’t question it. I try to be as open to God’s grace as possible. So I do, I do believe, especially when you’re with someone who is taking their last breath or at that final stages, you know, you feel a sense of peace. But then, yeah, and I have to say, CJ, there are times I’ve been at someone’s bedside.
where I sense darkness, like I sense the evil, like the battle, the battle of the soul. yeah, couple, few times as a nun, it’s like, and it’s like, okay, let’s pray, throw the holy water or, you know, in the name of Jesus, I rebuke and protect you, Saint Michael, get the angels surround, angels, the light come in, come in, and everything I can. And ultimately God does.
CeeJay – Supernormalized (34:55)
Yes.
Gina Economopoulos (35:14)
when yeah ultimately but yet sometimes God puts that on my heart say okay keep praying that there’s something you know you could just sense it nope be gone be gone no no no no no you know God yeah exactly because you know I do believe that there are those spirits that want to you know just yeah they just they want to you know
CeeJay – Supernormalized (35:25)
Yeah, yeah, yeah, they’re nasty. You don’t need them around.
Gina Economopoulos (35:38)
hinder you and they want to make things and it’s our negativity, it’s everything, like they’re like behind it all at times and that’s where today I continue my faith, my prayers, practice, I stand strong in who I am because now I know I’m a sober woman of faith today, I know who I am and I’m an alcoholic but yet most of all I am a child of God, I’m a
CeeJay – Supernormalized (35:46)
Mmm. Yeah.
Hmm.
Gina Economopoulos (36:04)
child of the spirit, whatever the universe in the brightness. I’m a light today. I’m a light. And then hopefully be able to spread that light or God or the spirit to spread that light through me. Because I can’t do it on my own. Or it’s not me.
CeeJay – Supernormalized (36:18)
Yeah.
How would you describe your relationship with God now compared to before your spiritual journey began?
Gina Economopoulos (36:26)
my God. It has changed dramatically, even as a nun. I mean, I was married to him and believe it or not, CJ, he’s the same God that was with me throughout my life. know, throughout that pain, he was the same person, the same God. now I’m so open, I’m honest, open and willing with him. I’m like, it’s just…
CeeJay – Supernormalized (36:38)
Yes.
Gina Economopoulos (36:47)
I can’t explain it, but it’s just, it’s a hundred times better today. And each day it gets better. It’s like one day at a time. It gets better as long as I stay open, as long as I don’t pick up a drink, as long as I know what to do, you know, I just keep turning to him because, you know, ever since,
Okay, now I’m back in the rooms and because the rooms AA is a real spiritual program So they really gave me a big kick in the butt even though I was a nun thinking I knew it all At the time that’s what I knew and I’m not discrediting it. I’m not I’m you know, thanking God. That’s what I knew but today is totally different like my eyes heart and mind is open to To God to the universe to the energy everything
everything, everything that’s positive because it only makes me a better person today, a better version of myself today. So as long as I can listen and pray and be teachable, remain teachable, it gets better. It just gets better every day. Get rid of the old, bring on the new.
CeeJay – Supernormalized (37:36)
Mmm.
Yeah.
It sounds like your relationship with God is a very personal relationship with God. Do you believe that everyone can have that sort of relationship?
Gina Economopoulos (37:57)
Yes,
yeah, yeah, everybody has that personal relationship with God, whether they know it or not, and God will show it to them in due time or whatever time or in any way. I always say there’s God, there’s a higher power, there’s somebody that’s not CJ, not Gina, not Johnny, that’s greater, the Spirit that is greater than us. And yes, we all have that.
CeeJay – Supernormalized (38:04)
Okay.
Gina Economopoulos (38:22)
We do have that relationship because I always believe, and this is my own personal belief, is that we were born from light. We were born, there was such light within us, and that’s where we came from, this big beaming light. This is how I look at it. But throughout our life, know, throw dirt on it or things happen in our life, trauma, trauma, but that light’s still shining within us.
Like that light was always within me, even though I was insecure, even though I went through all that trauma, even though I hated God and everything. And then when I, for me, when I came to realize, wow, my problem was that I was an alcoholic, I was a runner, I ran away, I didn’t look at myself. And here I come into a program where not only helps me to stop drinking, but it also helps me to live life. It helps me to get rid of all that darkness and all that junk that I was carrying. And you know what I see?
There’s light. There’s still light. And that light always remains. And that’s how I look at it. That’s how I perceive it. And that’s what I feel. And the light keeps beaming. know, days things happen, challenges. Because life goes on, right? With me or without me. Death happens with me or without me. So when things happen, I may not like it. Okay. I may not like this God, you know. And it’s the source within. So I go into my…
CeeJay – Supernormalized (39:19)
Hmm.
Mm.
Gina Economopoulos (39:39)
source within and that relationship and that love and that peace and that light saying okay I need a breather what do want me to do yeah I’m not a good listener but just show me and then the last thing I will share is that because I have tasted the darkness of dark in my life I’ve tasted that I don’t want to go back there again I don’t want to go back there I taste light I taste peace and it’s it’s not perfect but yet
CeeJay – Supernormalized (39:59)
Hmm.
Gina Economopoulos (40:05)
it keeps me going. Now it’s like, yeah, I want more of this. I want more of this. Yeah. And I want to share with others because, you know, I do believe we each have a story to be told. God unfolds our story and, and he’s God, I say God, higher power, spiritual realm, someone that, keeps you going, that, you know, that’s giving you that breath in the morning. Cause we’re not doing it on our own. So, you know.
CeeJay – Supernormalized (40:09)
That’s awesome
Yeah.
What message would you like to impart to anyone listening who may be struggling with their own adversity, especially those facing loss or addiction?
Gina Economopoulos (40:36)
yes, I always like to say do not give up. Know that you’re not alone. Do not be discouraged that you are loved. That you are loved. And then I also like to add to them that it’s okay to feel. It’s okay to have those feelings, but just keep moving forward. Do not give up. Just one step. There’s so many resources out there. My website is GinaEcon.com, but yet the last thing I would always say
not only that you will love that if nobody told you that they love you right now, I do.
CeeJay – Supernormalized (41:05)
That’s a wonderful message. Thank you, Gina, for sharing all that of your life experience, the tough cycles you’ve been through, and then coming through with that resilience, which was gifted to you by the community of AA and also by your attachment and connection with God and faith. So that’s a beautiful story. Thank you so much for sharing all that with me and the listeners. I really appreciate your time.
Gina Economopoulos (41:29)
Well, thank you CJ and thank you for your service and to all your listeners.
CeeJay – Supernormalized (41:32)
Okay, alright, let’s say goodbye to listeners.
Gina’s been through a lot and that was a real hard story. It did sound like she’d been through some, I would even say, like karmic events where she’s basically been gifted a life of struggle and toughness to be able to give her resilience through other tough times and then to work with people that are on the edge of passing over.
is a really strong gift from spirit in the end there. So if you’ve enjoyed today’s show, remember to reach out to Gina if you can, GinaEcon.com and say hello and tell her that you’ve enjoyed the show. And if you are on YouTube, give me a like and subscribe. That would be really nice. Thank you so much. And if you’re on a podcast app, you’ve enjoyed today’s rate it five stars and share it to a friend. That’d be really appreciated. Until next episode, it’s bye for now.
