Today we’d like to introduce you to Christian Freeman.
Christian, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I was born and raised in Memphis, TN and decided I wanted to be a doctor when I was about four years old. I moved to Atlanta to start medical school in July 2017 and will finally graduate with my MD in May 2021. When the COVID-19 pandemic first started, I was entering my 4th year of medical school. Because medical students were not allowed to work at the outset of the pandemic, I was quarantined at home with lots of new-found free time. I was also newly single and felt like I had been robbed of the opportunity to mingle and meet new people. So many of my single friends were in similar situations and we all decided to try our hand at dating apps (LOL) to see if they were worth the hype.
Through our experiences, so many conversations arose about millennial dating, expectations, and gender roles. I reached out to my friend Michelle to see if she would be interested in doing an IG live about the millennial experience with dating, and she agreed! While planning, I was reminded of an idea I had back in 2019 – to create a platform for millennials to discuss our life experience, educate one another, and grow together. Around this time, I also sat on a virtual IG live panel hosted by my friend, Justin, to talk about the pandemic and my experiences from a medical student perspective. I realized that my influence could be far greater than just one conversation about dating, and thus, “Millennials Unpacked” was formed.
The name was influenced by the idea of unpacking one’s life experiences and the influence of those experiences on the development of all the parts of your current self – I discovered this concept through my journey with therapy. There are so many components of ourselves that are influenced by pop culture, our families, our beliefs, etc. that shape how we view and interact with the world around us. As a medical student and soon-to-be physician, wellness is incredibly important to me. I wanted to create a safe space for millennials to explore the nuance of our generation’s experience, to learn from one another, to tackle the tough conversations, and to give a platform for rising millennial leaders in our communities.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
A major challenge has been my schedule and maintaining consistency – as a medical student, it’s very difficult to balance my 70+ hour work weeks and also to run Millennials Unpacked. But I also think that’s the beauty of it. As millennials, we are often balancing several different commitments: school, careers, friends, family, side hustles, you name it! As the host of this community, I think transparency is of the utmost importance, and I hope my audience values that as well. None of us are perfect. We’re just doing the best we can.
Please tell us about Millennials Unpacked.
I am most proud of the Black millennial voices we are able to give power to. I am a firm believer that we cannot wait for anyone else to save us. We must do it ourselves. Millennials Unpacked is a space for millennials to feel comfortable expressing themselves, confronting their fears, and growing together. Though millennials are not a monolith, there are some commonalities in the shared experience. Millennials Unpacked aims to cover all aspects of that experience from dating and relationships to physical and mental health to financial wellness, and it is all completely free and done through an app that we already spend way too much time on (Instagram). Although we’re in the midst of a pandemic and are physically distanced from one another, this platform was created to let millennials know that we are not alone. There is a whole generation of us tackling life and breaking barriers together.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Right now, we are continuing to plan bi-monthly episodes and are always open to suggestions for guests and topics! We’re also looking forward to creating a podcast and merchandise as we continue to grow our community!
Contact Info:
- Email: millennials.unpacked@gmail.com
- Instagram: @millennials_unpacked
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