Ally Petitti is Simply ‘Trying to Figure It Out’

As a mental health advocate and strong voice for Gen Z and beyond, digital content creator Ally Petitti is hoping to create change and make an impact with her brand-new podcast, Trying to Figure It Out.

Touching on subjects from sexuality and abuse to addiction and body culture, Petitti is an open book and isn’t afraid to speak her truth. She creates a safe and open space where she and her guests organically grapple with myriad daily tribulations and annoyances, which in turn will hopefully provide help and support for her devoted listeners.

Created in January 2022, Petitti’s inspiration to start Trying to Figure It Out transpired after experiencing multiple mental and physical health struggles in her life and strongly feeling the need to create social awareness on real-life, meaningful issues and topics. With new episodes dropping each Tuesday, Petitti is excited to introduce this new chapter of her flourishing career.

She took some time to talk more about the podcast with OFM.

Can you begin by telling us more about your podcast, Trying to Figure It Out? What can listeners expect, and why should they tune in?

I started the podcast because, honestly, I’ve been through a lot in the last year or two. But also, just in general, I’ve been through a lot in my life. I grew up with divorced parents; I’ve had a very tumultuous mental health journey since I was 6, and I’ve experienced so many different things. I think it’s very easy to be the type of person that’s like, “Oh, I’ve been through so much, so much happens to me, bad things happen to me,” but I started to realize that this is literally just life, and we’re all trying to figure it out. Just because I’ve had a million bad or good experiences, that doesn’t mean that other people haven’t.

So, I kind of wanted to create this space where we talk about things—not in a therapy setting, not in any other setting than just a free space to really dive into every subject matter. It doesn’t have to be specific to my own experiences only. It’s about everything. The podcast focuses on mental health, toxic friendships, toxic relationships, abuse, sexuality, sex, and it’s just a free space for me and my guests to talk about all the things we are truly still trying to figure out every single day.

How has the podcast been received by listeners so far?

So far, it’s been very rewarding. I’ve even gotten responses from people that I haven’t heard from in years, like my third grade teacher. I don’t know how she found it or saw it, but she DMed me and was like, “I got emotional listening to your podcast because I taught you in one of the years that you refer to, and it means something to me to hear how you now perceive what you’re going through at that time because I saw it as your teacher. Now, hearing you grow up and learn that about yourself is so fascinating.”

The responses have been amazing, and I have such a large support group. Even just the fact alone, as a woman and as a human being, saying you’re going to do something and actually doing it, not many people even get that far. So, I’ve gotten so much support and I’m proud of myself.  I know that people are proud of me for actually saying I was going to do something and doing it. I think I’ve helped a lot of people so far, and I can’t wait to hopefully help more people moving forward.

By not holding back and putting everything out there, is it safe to assume that this has also been a very therapeutic process for you?

For sure! I’ve been in therapy for so long, so I don’t even notice how it helps me anymore. Therapy’s not as impactful because I’ve done it my whole life, but I’ve noticed that I will walk out of an interview on such a high because I couldn’t believe how special and cathartic it was. Like with Haley Jakobson, she ended up creating a safe space for me to talk about my experiences, and it was very rewarding to say how you feel unfiltered. There’s no one telling you no or that’s wrong.

Like you mentioned, the podcast touches on anything and everything. Has there been a topic you were slightly nervous to discuss?

Definitely. I’ve been more private about stuff that’s happened in the last year, for reasons that I know I will touch on in the podcast, but I just haven’t gotten there yet. I want to do it in the most meaningful way. I don’t want to do it to gain listeners or followers, and that’s very important to me. The things I’m sharing are not for attention or to grow my audience.

In a way, I almost want to wait and get to where I want to be before sharing certain things, and there are things that I’m apprehensive about because they’re still super fresh to me. A lot of the stuff I’ve been talking about is stuff that I’ve had time to process. So, I am navigating how and when I’ll want to share the things that I’ve been apprehensive about. There is more to come. There are some crazy surprises that I will be sharing.

No matter the issue, what is the number one piece of advice you can offer?

The best advice I can offer regarding any of the topics that are touched on in this podcast is, don’t be too hard on yourself. No matter what you’re going through, what you’re experiencing, what’s happening to you, what’s happening in your life, don’t be too hard on yourself for how you’re reacting to it. If you’re having a day where you can’t get out of bed and you feel guilty or bad about it, don’t. If you’re having a day where you need to be impulsive and go shopping because you feel bad, do it.

Listen to your body and don’t be too hard on yourself because life is a long journey and things are going to keep happening. If we don’t take care of ourselves and believe that the way we’re processing is OK, in my opinion, that’s when things start to crumble.

Can you talk more about how you create that safe and open space between you and your guest?

It’s interesting. I’ve been asked a lot about who my dream guests would be on the podcast, and I don’t have one. Obviously, there are people that I look up to and there are people that I’m fans of that I would love to have on the podcast, but there’s no criteria of people I want other than I want them to be comfortable getting deep with me and sharing something that can help others, possibly themselves. Everyone that’s been on so far, I’ve specifically chosen them because I know they have a story.

When asking them to come on, they tell me that they’re comfortable getting into it. I think that already creates the safe space because I talked to them in advance. They know what the podcast is doing, and they know what the point of it is. So, that already creates a level of comfort between me and the guests, and it’s always me doing outreach. I reach out personally and share exactly why I’m asking them, what I want to talk about with them, and I create that safe space before we even get there.

Then on top of that, my studio is in my apartment. It’s very cozy; it’s warm; it’s created to be a space that makes you feel comfortable. You don’t feel like you’re in some rental studio on Sunset, where you’re crammed and sweating because they can’t have the air on. It’s not the same. So, I just look for people who I know I’ll have good chemistry with, and I’ve been very lucky so far. I’m still super close and stay in touch with every single person I’ve interviewed.

I love that you serve as a positive voice in creating change in the stigma around mental health. Why do you think mental health is still looked at in a negative light?

People don’t like to label themselves as something, and obviously, people don’t want certain things attached to their identity. They don’t want to say that they’re this or that. Also, I think that in certain places in America, and honestly everywhere, there’s a negative connotation around mental health. Having anxiety, being depressed, going through OCD, all of that is looked at in a negative way, but I think we literally all have it.

We all have anxiety, and we all have mental health journeys. It’s something everyone experiences at some point. So, I think it’s just people not wanting to label themselves as something that they don’t want to be, and people don’t want to go to therapy. People don’t want to take medication. It’s all so taboo. I don’t know why because I am out here surviving off of talking about what I’m going through, but I know it’s really hard for a lot of people to open up about that kind of stuff.

What do you do to keep your own mental health in check?

I take medication, and I’m proud to say it because it’s saved my life, and I implement a lot of routine to my life. When I have structure and a schedule, I’m able to power through my days much more. If I have an open day, I will stay in bed and not do anything. So, having a busy schedule and putting a lot on my plate helps me personally. I know that doesn’t help everyone, but it works for me. I also journal, go to therapy, and I have a service dog, who is the best. Those are the main things that I do.

Outside of the podcast, you have a passion for music and modeling. Are you still pursuing these areas?

Yes! I worked at a record label, and I’ve worked in the music industry for six years. I’m not sure where that journey will take me right now because my podcast is my baby, and that’s really all I think about (laughs). Then with modeling, I honestly never pursued it until I created this podcast and started this space because I never thought I fit the mold.

I’m short; I’m not stick thin; I have curves; I have a butt and boobs, and a lot of people don’t have that when they’re models. So, I never thought I could fit the mold, but through this process, I’ve learned that there’s so many types of models, and the world has changed so much from when modeling was really a one type of person only. Ever since then, I’ve been like, “Let me see what I can do with this.” I’m putting myself out there, and I’m proud of what I look like and who I am.

Have you always had a desire to work in the entertainment industry in some way?

For sure. I grew up with my dad working in entertainment. He worked in sports and TV, and I was always around it, but I just didn’t know what my niche was. I didn’t know what I would do in the industry or how to do it. So, I bounced around. I worked in sports for two years at Major League Baseball, the network, and then I went to college and pursued music. This is what I’m passionate about. I wanted to work in music, so I studied music at USC.

I always knew entertainment was for me. Then once I talked to my mentor, she was like, “You need to start a podcast and tell your stories.” Once she said that, I was like, “Maybe this is what I’ve been looking for. Maybe this is the thing in entertainment that I really wanted,” and I didn’t even know I wanted it.

What are some future goals you hope to achieve with your career and platform?

I hope to reach a wider audience of people, help more people, have more guests, do more modeling, and make an impact on the world in a way that hasn’t been done before. I hope I can be a place of support for women. Women go through so much in this country, and I want to create that space where it’s OK to talk about it. I don’t really care how many followers or listeners I have. It’s more of knowing that I’m making an impact.

Stay up-to-date and connect with Petitti by following her on Instagram and TikTok @allypetitti. Trying to Figure It Out is available on all podcast platforms, and videos of the interviews can be found on Petitti’s YouTube channel, Trying to Figure It Out with Ally Petitti.

Photos courtesy of Lindsey Ruth