Opening letter by Gillian Anderson

As you may or may not know, we launched in beta in 2023, with a clear mission of creating a platform, a space, a community, a notebook – all of those things, where we use the power of story, in all its forms, to understand ourselves and each other better. We were driven by the stubborn belief that creativity can untangle those deep-seated knots within us. We wanted G Ode to feel like a living, breathing notebook for all of us to scribble in the margins of our lives. Issue one, the Freedom of Fantasy, was a helluva (n) adventure and we are so grateful and motivated by all the feedback and positive engagement we received. All of which has powered our continued belief in what we’ve built together.

It is perhaps then ironic, fortuitous and dare I say kismet, that we teased you with a pre-launch conversation back in August about fantasy, truth and worth with the inimitable Jane Schoenbrun and Hannah Einbinder tying all these related but often sequestered topics together. And now here we are, back with a bang and the first of our next three issues.

We’re armed with insights and learnings from what you enjoyed most, and are raring to go with the support of a dream partner: L’Oreal. All three issues will be centred on a different theme, the first of which is, you guessed it, self-worth. Self-worth is, of course, something that we all assume to understand as a concept but when it comes to ourselves, is something that so many of us overlook or neglect. Yes, we may all be obsessed with self-care and wellness but we rarely interrogate the more complex, psychological architecture of actual self-worth. What does it take to actually tell yourself and truly believe that you are, in fact, worth it?

I have had the pleasure of working with L’Oreal for a number of years now, so it was a no-brainer and an obvious alignment to work with them to create something built on our shared values around empowerment, storytelling and valuing yourself. Thank you to my L’Oreal family for powering this issue and the issues to come.

In this first issue we want to frame self-worth as a radical, fundamental, and rebellious act of self-ownership rather than a superficial pursuit. We will delve into the challenges we all face to our own self-worth and the meaningful steps we can take to (re)build not just our own self-worth but help those in our orbit to do the same. Through thoughtful reflection, and sometimes expert guidance with G Ode’s network of friends, we aim to inform, inspire, uplift, and invite bold new dialogue.

I’ve been thinking of my own sense of self-worth, and as I may have spoken about a few times recently, I can’t help but reflect on the help I've had tapping into it over the years through the characters I have played. Scully, Stella, Jean, and now Billy – thereʼs one common denominator: confidence. All these women fundamentally believe in themselves; they're complicated and they're messy, but they are all driven by an inherent self-belief and in the process of playing them I truly believe that they helped me with my own internal confidence and sense of self-worth. They each changed me, for the better.

It is unsurprisingly part of the bigger conversation of what we believe we’re worthy of. Bloomsbury has just published the follow-up to my bestselling book Want. More invites everyone to leave shame and fear at the door and encourages us all to ask for more. More of ourselves, more for ourselves. It’s hard to do if our self-worth is on the floor. So here, within the G Ode community we will practice cultivating one in order to facilitate the other. Ambitious goals I know. But if not now, when? We can at least agree to try our best to not be complicit in not getting what we say we want out of our lives. And we can start here.

All this to say that I wholeheartedly believe that self-worth is something we can learn how to build and improve within ourselves particularly if we have good teachers/role models/communities/friends that help guide us towards that end no matter our age. It has a power we all owe to ourselves to understand and unlock. And that's what I hope this first issue does for all of you who care to be a part of that conversation and exploration. For those of you who don't, I hope you enjoy the content of this and ongoing issues regardless.

So, please let us know what you would like to see more of, whether that’s via the Reflection Pad or on our Instagram. Each issue will exist on the G Ode site and we'll build on them as you engage and respond to whichever parts move you. I’m so looking forward to seeing what we can create together here at G Ode. Thank you for being a part of our community.

Welcome to G Ode Issue Two: The Power of Worth