Madison Jones is the Editor-in-Chief and founder of Girl Connect, a platform for females to share their stories with the whole world. Girl Connect covers a myriad of topics from mental illness to feminism to body shaming that need to be discussed in a more open manner. GC is not only available on the website itself but also through Apple News and its own app; it’s truly a means for girls everywhere to express themselves and speak out about importance issues today.
Q. Please tell me about your high school experience, and how it’s been for you.
High school has been nothing but ups and downs for me throughout the years. I can definitely say I’ve had more downs than ups. I ended up in the wrong crowd up until my senior year. I was constantly making bad decisions, struggling to get by in my classes, very bitter towards a lot of people (which caused me to become somewhat of a bully) indulged in toxic relationships that were not good for me etc. I had lost myself and accepted the fact I would probably be nothing in life. But all of that has changed and I no longer even recognize the person I used to be. I’ve learned a lot of lessons throughout high school, and even though it has been a hard journey I wouldn’t go back and change anything because it has motivated me to become the best person I can be in this lifetime. We as humans all have a story, and our past does not define who we are nor our future. Anything is possible if you work for it!
Q. How have you felt different than your peers?
I have felt different than my peers in many different ways but the main thing is I feel as though I have had to grow up a lot faster than most people my age, and take on grown-up behaviors due to my being an entrepreneur. It gets extremely overwhelming at times but I always remind myself that everything happens for a reason, you can never give up, and you must trust the process no matter what.
Q. What is Girl Connect? How did you come up with the idea for it, and when? Tell me the story (kind of like the one on your site) on how it really came together.
Girl Connect, an online platform and application that is an open book for every female from all walks of life to share a story. The whole idea of Girl Connect stemmed from a toxic relationship I had gone through. when I left my ex-boyfriend, I began to fall into a really dark place in my life; he consumed so much of my mind and I really didn’t know how to cope with what I was feeling so I began to write out my thoughts and emotions as a coping method to help subside the pain. The more I wrote and the more expressed my feelings I began to connect with a close friend who had been through a similar situation. And by me telling her my story and her telling me her story it made me feel as though I wasn’t alone… So one day I had the idea of creating some type of platform for females to share personal experiences and stories like I had expressed to my friend. I pondered on the idea for about a month not really knowing what to do or how to start but I knew nothing would happen if I didn’t try.
So on July 27, with the help of a close friend, the Girl Connect website launched. Since July Girl Connect has become an app and has its own channel on Apple News for millions of people to read on their mobile devices.
Q. What does GC represent and who is it for?
GC represents female empowerment, and it is for females who are not afraid to express their inner thoughts or personal experiences to the world.
Q. How will GC be growing in the future?
I have a lot in store for GC in the future so stay tuned! There’s always more to come!
Q. Who have you featured on the site so far?
GC has featured Super Model of 24 years Liskula Cohen, USA Olympic silver medalist Abby Johnston, best-selling author and relationship expert Susan Winter Who has been seen on Oprah, and many more influential women!
Q. What are you most proud of when it comes to this initiative?
The thing that makes me most proud of when it comes to this initiative is when females thank me for creating Girl Connect. I never knew that my heart ache over a dumb high school relationship could turn into something so beautiful and allow me to help others express themselves through personal writings.
Q.What personal advice would you give to females around the world?
My advice to all of you is to never give up, no matter what. Each and every one of us has a purpose in life, so strive to be the best that you can be.
As you can see, Girl Connect strives to connect and empower women everywhere. You can check out the site here.
