Janet Geddis: writer, speaker, bookshop owner, & consultant.

In fall 2011, I opened my first brick-and-mortar bookstore after four (yes, FOUR) solid years of planning, dreaming, scheming, and saving. For three of the last nine years, we had a two-store model for the business with two physical shops in Athens, Georgia. Beginning in 2020, we went back to a one-store model. Read more about that tough decision here in a letter I wrote to my community, which ended up getting shared and reposted hundreds of times. Now that Covid-19 is here, we’ve been operating as an online-only shop since mid-March 2020. I’m so thankful for the outpouring of support from readers worldwide as we do our best to keep our staff and customers safe and healthy.

Rather than tell you all about the bookshop here, I invite you to visit my shop’s website and social media pages (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter). These links reveal a lot about my business’s mission, our communication style, and the reason why I always describe our brand as “genuinely enthusiastic and authentic.”

Learn more about Avid Bookshop and how the business has made an impact in Athens, Georgia as well as worldwide. You can also see our event listings, browse our book and gift offerings, and learn about what books my coworkers and I love.

Since the early 2000s, I’ve been writing online as “The Migraine Girl.” My blog was anonymous until 2008, when I couldn’t keep the secret any longer: The New York Times had listed my site among the best online resources for migraine patients and their caregivers, and I simply had to tell my mom!

In my role as a health essayist, video star (ha!), patient advocate, consultant, panelist, and speaker, I have been able to compassionately educate people about migraine disease. It’s a common, complex neurological disorder that accounts for high levels of disability and work/school absences and delays, yet it’s devastatingly underfunded.

To my delight, I am the first of many health advocates working with Health Union, a Philadelphia-based company that aims to create supportive, educational communities for those living with chronic health conditions. In addition to being the first patient advocate at Health Union’s first site, Migraine.com, I also occasionally write for Psoriatic-Arthritis.com and Endometriosis.net (yep, I have those conditions, too!).

In mid-2020, I was featured in a WebMD video about migraine and its impact on my life–and the ways in which I refused to let it get in the way of my dream of opening my own bookstore. You can watch the video here.

If you’re seeking a guest blogger, interviewee, or speaker to talk about the impact migraine disease can have on one’s social life, career, family, and relationships, please reach out to me. I also love delivering keynote speeches (with Q&As to follow) to health groups and companies seeking better ways to welcome and accommodate those with invisible illnesses and chronic pain.

Keynote speeches, media appearances, patient expert interviews, retail/customer service consultations, freelance writing opportunities, guest blogging, and more!

Want to book me for an appearance or interview? Fill out my website contact form here. Not sure you’re ready to reach out? Check out a sampling of my experience below.

My particular set of skills and expertise is pretty hard to come by (in fact, I don’t know anyone with my background!), and I love any opportunity I have to share what I’ve learned in my personal life and career. My 15+ years as a patient advocate/health essayist paired with my decade-plus of firsthand knowledge of retail and customer service positions me as someone who can help both individuals and large organizations.

Thankfully, I have the ability to keep my wits about me and, when necessary, improvise at half a moment’s notice. (In another life, I was going to be an actor. While I no longer perform in plays, I retained the abilities to feel very comfortable in front of a crowd and to think on my feet. These are especially helpful traits in my speaking gigs, panel appearances, and live radio broadcasts!)

In addition to having proven my mettle as a business person and leader, I am grateful to have been able to earn a Master’s in Educational Psychology from UGA (focus on gifted & creative education and creativity theory). I also hold a Bachelor of Arts degree in English & American literature (plus a double-minor in general education and French language) from NYU. I’ve also completed myriad business and leadership classes and am a huge proponent of lifelong learning (seriously: I love conferences).

On my LinkedIn profile, you’ll find details on awards, career highlights, and more. But here on this page, I wanted to highlight a few things I’m especially proud of.

• In 2020, I was the “star” of a WebMD video focused on my story of living with migraine disease and my determination to live my best life despite my diagnosis. I’m so proud of the result–please check it out here.
• In 2020, I started working with iHeartMedia/iHeartPodcasts as a literary contributor for one of their new podcasts, The Passenger, with celebrity chef and traveler Hugh Acheson. (Note: the podcast is on hiatus due to Covid-19, but it will relaunch once the dust settles. For now there are a few episodes available; you can hear me on the Montreal episode!)
• This past holiday season, I was featured for the second time on NPR’s nationally syndicated show On Point.
• In 2019, I had a guest spot for a third time on the Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB) show On Second Thought, sharing reading recommendations during a live broadcast.
• In 2020, Avid Bookshop was voted by Flagpole Magazine readers as Athens’ Favorite Local Business for the seventh (!) year in a row.
• I delivered two commencement speeches in the space of less than two years: first, the keynote address at the University of Georgia’s English Department convocation in May 2018; second, the speech at UGA’s College of Education’s graduation ceremony in December 2019.
• In 2018, Georgia Trend Magazine chose me as one of their 40 Under 40! I even got the chance to grace the cover of the magazine along with three inspiring leaders (all in the prime of their youth, like me!).
• In March 2018, I was the last presenter to take the stage in front of 1500+ people at TEDxUGA. (I admit it: that time around, I was a little nervous!) You can watch here.