Bridget McGuinness of Venice, CA on Life, Lessons & Legacy

We recently had the chance to connect with Bridget McGuinness and have shared our conversation below.

Bridget, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
Lately, planning my wedding has been bringing me a lot of joy. It can be a bit stressful at times, but I love working through the details with my fiancé and knowing we’re getting ready to spend the rest of our lives together.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi! my name is Bridget and I am the casting coordinator for a YouTube channel. I assist in casting for our series and schedule pitches, coordinating travel, creating applications for talent and running our casting social media pages. What makes my work special is the amount of amazing people we get to interview for our videos and the stories they share with us and our audience.

I moved to Los Angeles almost 5 years ago for my job. I enjoy working with some many different creative people and how our videos showcase many different people, voices and backgrounds. I started off as an intern and almost 4 years later I have worked my way to casting coordinator, lots of fun but also a lot of work.

My other passion in life is acting. I have been acting since I was a teenager and last year I finally found the time to do my first play in almost 9 years! This play was so much fun and it reignited the fire in me to start pursuing acting again. So I am excited to get back to something I love!

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
As a child, I believed I had to handle everything on my own. Being the oldest, I felt responsible not only for myself but often for others too. I learned not to ask for help and became a people pleaser, always putting everyone else’s needs before my own.

Today, I no longer carry those beliefs. I’ve learned that it’s not only okay—but necessary—to put myself first sometimes. Asking for help doesn’t mean I’m failing; it means I’m human. Embracing that has allowed me to create healthier boundaries, take better care of myself, and let others show up for me too.

What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?
One of the defining wounds of my life came from an experience I had when I was just 15. I was taking acting classes in Boston and had auditioned for a commercial. When I didn’t get the part, I asked my teacher for feedback. She told me the casting team liked me, but that I needed to lose at least 60 pounds. Hearing something so harsh and personal at such a young age completely shook my self-esteem and distorted the way I saw my body for years.

A few years later, in college, I had another experience that cut just as deeply. I was interning at a casting office in Boston, and my boss asked each intern to create something for a vision board. She assigned one person to find photos of Kris Jenner because she liked her style. Then she turned to me and said, “Bridget, I want you to look up weight-loss motivational quotes because we both need it.” She said it in front of everyone in the office. I quit that day and cried on the phone to my family.

These moments stayed with me for a long time. They shaped how I viewed myself, my body, and my worth. The healing wasn’t quick or easy, but over time, I learned to untangle my identity from other people’s comments and expectations. Through self-reflection, support, and a lot of unlearning, I’ve finally reached a place where I feel loving, confident, and at peace with who I am and how I look.

Those wounds no longer define me—they taught me how to reclaim my voice, my confidence, and my self-worth.

So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What truths are so foundational in your life that you rarely articulate them?
Some truths in my life are so foundational that I almost never say them out loud—they simply guide the way I move through the world. One of them is that my worth isn’t determined by anyone else’s standards or expectations. It’s something I carry within me, regardless of what people think, say, or project.

Another quiet truth is that taking care of myself isn’t selfish—it’s necessary. I spent years believing I had to put others first or meet external ideals, but now I trust that honoring my own needs is an essential part of living honestly and fully.

And finally, I’ve learned that growth is rarely linear. Healing, confidence, and self-love aren’t destinations; they’re ongoing practices. I don’t always articulate that, but it’s a truth that grounds me every single day.

Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope people remember me as someone who led with heart—someone who showed up authentically, even when it wasn’t easy. I hope the story they tell is that I made others feel seen, valued, and comfortable being themselves, because that’s something I’ve spent a long time learning how to do for myself.

I want to be remembered as someone who grew through her wounds instead of shrinking from them, who turned painful experiences into empathy and connection. Someone who didn’t let the world’s expectations define her, but instead defined herself with confidence, kindness, and courage.

Most of all, I hope people say that being around me made them feel lighter, supported, and inspired to embrace who they are. If that’s the story I leave behind, then I think I lived well.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bridgetmarym