Meet Isabella Gómez Girón | Actress & Dancer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Isabella Gómez Girón and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Isabella, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
Work life balance is something I always have to be checking in on.

For a long time–and it still tends to happen– I have tied my self-worth to how successful I am in my career. While projects are active, I feel unstoppable, but when they’re not, it’s as if my value turns null. Having tied my self-worth to having achievements, and the idea of achievements to what society applauds as one, makes my feelings towards my worth more volatile. At the end of the day, with all the uncertainties of life and the uncontrollable aspects of one’s career, I’ve experienced how that is just not healthy.

Growing up I saw that high academic achievement led to the world congratulating me, hugging me, and those hugs made me feel loved. And who doesn’t want to feel constantly loved? So even though I adored learning, and wanted to excel in my projects, I unconsciously also felt that that was what proved my worth. When things went sideways my self-esteem would suffer.

Jumping forward, when you’re out of college, trying to build and find your own path, there is no “constant feedback”– like in school– and things seem to go sideways more often, so unless I decide how I am doing, the feedback relies solely on what society thinks, and there lies the issue. Under the eyes of our capitalistic society what do we think has value? Who do we think has value? Those who are “successful”? What is successful? Producing money, appearing in newspapers, increasing your instagram followers, working 8 to 6? Being exhausted at the end of the week? Why? So unless I am achieving that, is my value to society non existent?

That’s when I saw that work-life balance went beyond knowing how to take vacations. Before it was challenging for me to enjoy vacations, or to watch a movie on a weeknight. If I didn’t have rehearsal in the evening, how dare I go for a walk and an icecream on a Tuesday night? Being able to do those things with no guilt is a work in progress; it’s a challenge to the idea of thinking that non-stop work is the only thing that will make you live your dreams. What about the life that happens every single day?

For me, nowadays, work-life balance is also knowing that I have the same amount of value when I work and when I don’t, that I can be proud about things that have nothing to do with career achievements, that I am not a lovable and admirable human being because of my gigs, and that looking for the next job is not something to be ashamed of. Transition periods have value. Getting to know myself is as important as signing a contract. Yes, I love my profession and I feel more alive when I am in fact working; the thing is, at this point in my career I am still building my path, and that takes time. Time which should be enjoyed, and valued. There will be moments in life where things are more stable, but my value cannot be tied to that.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
In September I get to go and perform a play in Cuba, a country I’ve always wanted to visit, and I am beyond elated that this is due to an invitation to share my art there. Having theater, and the arts in general, take me around the world, has always been a dream of mine, and it’s been coming true; in October the Colombian Embassy in the Arab Emirates invited us to perform this same play in Abu Dhabi: another magical experience. The play is called: Yo, Meira Delmar: A Nadie Doy Mi Soledad (I, Meira Delmar: Give My Solitude to No One), and I play the leading role of Young Meira. The story highlights the life of the renowned Colombian poet Meira Delmar, who was not fully recognized in her time, nor allowed to participate in events with other literates in public, due to her “condition” of being a woman. The play touches on the themes of self-love, immigration, and loss, while challenging a patriarchal society.

On the other hand, 2023 started with a great surprise: I filmed my first professional movie in Colombia: El Rey de la Montaña, with one of the best production companies in our country, CMO Producciones. I got to play a key role in this very emotive coming of age story; it will premiere in Colombia’s major cinemas soon, and later on, on Netflix.

Perseverance has been key in my journey. It takes a lot of courage to have faith in one’s dreams because at points it can feel heartbreaking, but I am a firm believer that constant determination builds big paths. Moreover I have been very lucky to have the support of my family and friends, and very importantly the opportunity to work on my mental health: an ally throughout my journey.

Has it been easy? Well, I was watching a documentary about the distinguished psychiatrist Phil Stutz, and he talked about how in life we will always be facing three things: uncertainty, pain and constant work. It might sound as a negative perspective on life, but I have come to think it is not. Those things might not be in our control, but our attitude can be, and our growth can depend on the attitude with which we face those three constant things; they are part of life. So when asked, was it easy? No! But did I enjoy some of the hard parts and am I grateful for them today? Most of them, yes. This is a path, and more challenging moments will come. Moreover, in terms of an artistic career, I am discovering the importance of having other avenues to focus my energy on as well. When your biggest passion is also what you work on, it can be revitalizing to also do things that are distant from it: it can provide a sense of relief in the toughest moments.

An important lesson: everyone has their own timeline. Trying to excessively control your timeline in comparison to others, or to how you think things should work, will just leave you more exhausted.

Finally, more than what I want people to know about my story I want to say I am aiming at not masking the ups and downs of my journey, and more than a product, I am a work in progress, figuring things out, like we all are, even when social media says otherwise.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I have heard beautiful things about Atlanta and my grandma actually says some of her favorite years where the ones that she got to live there. I hope to one day visit and relive some of her experiences.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My family and friends have always been a vital part of my journey, and I am deeply grateful for their support and love. In this specific series though, I want to give a shoutout to yoga and therapy; both have given me and continue to give me essential tools to deal with the ups and downs in the path to my moments of success.

Even when one thinks everything is okay, I have felt therapy and yoga can open you to a deeper freedom.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/isabellagomezg/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isabellagomezgiron/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GomezGironIsabella/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCx67w2WfR7dxGaFnI8P_NCQ

Image Credits
Natalia Ochoa Calle Jaime Zúñiga