Tell us a bit about who you are and what you do.
Outside of sports and advocacy work, over the last decade, I’ve worked as a business strategist, supporting brands, making their products more inclusive, and helping them connect with the clients and customers of the future. My life's work has really been built around business strategy and supporting Fortune 500 companies across the globe.
I am thinking not only about the shopping and spending behavior of people today, but also about which communities are being left out of that story, left out of those conversations, left out of seats around the table.
When you think about dressing authentically, what does that mean to you?
Dressing authentically, to me, means you don't have to be confined to one box. You're able to be creative and innovative. You're able to have that sense of freedom to not limit yourself to society's belief of how you should present yourself or how you should dress. And I absolutely love that.
I don't believe in limits. I love just being a disruptor. That's been a big part of my life, really pushing my limits and pushing through these boxes or structures that people, places, and institutions think that you should stay in.
And so, for me, style and being able to play with that style have helped me grow as an individual. And it’s helped showcase myself the way that I see myself inside.
How has your relationship with style evolved as you've moved through different versions of yourself?
My style has evolved tremendously since a young age. I moved to New York right out of college, looking to find my sense of freedom within my identity. I came out to my family when I was in college, and that was a really difficult time, especially around style. I felt that the way the world saw me didn't necessarily align with the way that I saw myself.
Moving to New York City gave me basically a blank canvas to splatter paint across, creating an image that aligned with what I was seeing inside myself. It's evolved so much. I moved to New York City with dresses and long hair, and I still came in with this big energy, but for some reason, it just didn't really align or tell the full story of what I felt inside. So I've been able to explore brands and go on this journey of becoming, and find my style and find something that really fits that bill.
Being an athlete is also core to your identity. What first drew you to fitness, and why do you think it stuck?
I have always, always been a super competitive person. As I said before, I believe in disruption. I believe in breaking boundaries. And I love wellness and fitness, and this effort to push your limits because it challenges me both mentally and physically. It also creates an opportunity to see how far your mind and body can go.
I found my lane through long-distance running, hybrid, and functional fitness. So I've done some Spartan races and HYROX, and it's so much fun not only to build community, but to see how far you can really go. It's important, I believe, to practice the hard things, whether that be on the court, on the field, or running.
So when you're outside of that lane, you're in the real world, and things don't feel as tough. So you get to practice it here. So then, when you go out into the world, you're able to embrace those challenges and find strength within your mind and body to push through.
At 35, you were diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Tell us about your journey from diagnosis to treatment. What should everyone know about ovarian cancer?
Last year, I was at my peak. I was going through competition season, and then I felt some pain in the left part of my abdomen. I was actually rushed to the hospital and into emergency surgery because they identified a cyst that was the size of a grapefruit. Going through competitions and racing, I had no idea that there was actually a tumor that was cancerous inside my body.
I was diagnosed unexpectedly with a rare ovarian cancer called mucinous ovarian carcinoma, and it shifted everything in my world: my perspective, my outlook on life, my outlook on time, my outlook on how important it is to be intentional with your community, to be thoughtful, to be grateful, to be able to wake up each morning and do even small things. I've found such gratitude in the smallest of moments.
Whenever you're going through cancer, it's never just you going through it. It's your family. It's your village, it's your friends. Everyone is also struggling in their own way to face the reality of what the person is going through. The reason I share my story is to reach people who are suffering in silence or fighting internal battles. I want them to know that they're believed, that they're held.
How were you able to advocate for yourself medically?
If you see something, say something. Continue to press your doctor. Continue to question the system. Continue to ask them to check their homework again and again and again, and continue to advocate for yourself.
Oftentimes, cancers like ovarian cancer are found too late. And so with that, every mile, every race, everything that I've done, it's never just for me. It's often for those that are quite literally in bed, like myself, who struggled going through chemotherapy for months on end, could not even get up off the couch, could not even call my family. Because you feel so depleted. You feel so sick.
I never wanted this cancer story to define who I am. That's why running the marathon was so important for me: to demonstrate to myself that I could physically and mentally continue doing hard things, continue challenging and pushing my limits, and keep pushing my body. So, with all of that, I hope this can inspire someone to either be curious about their personal health if they're in the fight, or to continue staying in the fight.
There is something to look forward to. There is something on the other side of this. And then for those who are in support of people who are fighting cancer, battling this right now, continue to be empathetic, good listeners, and be there for your people.
Gabby is passionate about Tell Every Amazing Lady, an organization dedicated to ovarian cancer education, support, and community programming. In 2026, Gabby ran the NYC Half Marathon with the TEAL team while undergoing cancer treatment, raising funds for their work.
You recently ran a 5K for Tell Every Amazing Lady, a non-profit that advocates for women’s health. What did running that race feel like? Why was it important to you?
I had the incredible opportunity to run for an organization near and dear to my heart, called Tell Every Amazing Lady about Ovarian Cancer (TEAL). TEAL is a nonprofit organization based in Brooklyn that advocates, educates, and raises awareness about ovarian cancer in the community, and provides resources, programs, and events that bring the community together.
Running a 5K for this organization was incredible. We had hundreds of runners from all walks of life, and we had an opportunity as survivors of ovarian cancer to not only tell our story, but also to connect with other survivors, and to honor and remember those who have lost their lives to this horrible disease.
I'm a marathon runner. Going through this cancer battle has been really, really tough as an athlete. So being back out there in Prospect Park, running a race, and just connecting with my mind and body was so healing.
It felt so freeing to run, cross the finish line, and see all of my sisters cheering. And, of course, we left with medals and lots of food and a great time, but mostly it was sort of the inner work that happened, that meditative process of running that happens when you're out there, and it's just an incredible feeling of empowerment and confidence when you cross that finish line.