Meet Gena Bushnell | Flight Attendant & Social Justice Advocate

We had the good fortune of connecting with Gena Bushnell and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Gena, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
I have always been extremely passionate about community service, wellness, and sisterhood, so Give Girls Flowers has been the perfect outlet to channel all of those things. Each GGF event has collected donations, and we have been able to provide care packages containing feminine hygiene products and canned foods for the homeless communities both in Los Angeles and Philadelphia. I am grateful to be able to give back to the communities that have given so much to me and hopefully inspire my peers to do the same in the meantime. Unfortunately, I wasn’t blessed with sisters of my own, so Give Girls Flowers has allowed me to cultivate a community of women all around the country, dedicated to uplifting and empowering the woman next to them. It’s like I created my own dream job!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
For the past two years, I have been working for a mainline air carrier as a Flight Attendant. It has been an amazing career choice, and I encourage anyone who has considered it even briefly, and has a generally flexible schedule, (ie: few obligations tying them to a specific city for the time being) to look into applying.

Being a flight attendant isn’t just a job, it’s a lifestyle, so it definitely has it’s challenges. Switching time zones frequently and dealing with delays isn’t always easy, but the best thing about this career is that every single day looks different.

I worked a 9-5 job for six months, and I just knew that it wasn’t for me. I didn’t have a new job lined up yet, but I took a leap of faith and quit my role as a Sales Coordinator in hopes of finding something more aligned with my personal interests. Life is too short to stay anywhere that doesn’t serve you! I apply that to many areas of my life, and always encourage others to do so as well.

Since air travel has declined in the recent months, I have had a lot more free time to develop my own passion project, Give Girls Flowers. As women, we are often deprived of our well-deserved accolades. So, I wanted to create a platform to let women everywhere know that “I see you, I am proud of you, and even if no one else told you, you should be proud of yourself!”

There is often a stigma around supporting and empowering other women, as they are seen as competition, but I am striving to change that narrative. I love to see other women win!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Since moving to the west coast, I have lived in at least eight different neighborhoods in LA. My favorite part of the city is Mid-City, because it is just about twenty minutes away from everything, and there are so many local businesses in the area to check out and support.

I love working out, so whenever someone visits I always take them to Runyon Canyon or Griffith Park to hike and see the Hollywood Sign. There’s a ton of hiking spots in LA, I would be happy to hit a trail every day if I could. When friends visit, I always include a beach trip, a few happy hours, a stop at the taco truck, a cute rooftop bar for drinks, and always always always, a bottomless brunch on the weekends!

One of the most attractive things about Los Angeles is the diversity. There are so many people from so many different cultures around the city. I love that no matter which one of my friends comes to visit, there is something to appease everyone’s interests and hopefully I can show them something they had never seen before.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
In December 2014, my life turned upside down — my mother suffered a heart attack and passed away suddenly. Like most people who’ve experienced loss, I was reminded that we are just living on borrowed time. My mom’s death empowered me to give people their flowers while they can still smell them.

Although I felt my heart breaking inside of my chest that day, I felt a discerning amount of peace, knowing that this heartbreak was intended to make me stronger and push me to live on purpose moving forward. I still feel guided by her maternal love regularly; it’s surreal.

Website: http://givegirlsflowers.bigcartel.com/

Instagram: @givegirlsflowers @ingeanwetrust

Facebook: facebook.com/givegirlsflowers

Image Credits
Travis Covington Christopher Sport