How blockchain changed Jillian’s life
As promised, we’re publishing Jillian Godsil’s story. Read on for a very frank discussion about her life, EOS philosophy and some advice for those who want to get more involved.
Let’s start out with your story. How did you get involved with cryptocurrency and blockchain?
A long time ago, in country far away, I had a very normal life. I graduated from Trinity College in Dublin and was hired in the milkround by JP Morgan in London. I spent three great years there before I went to Sydney with my fiancé. We spent three fab years in Sydney before heading over to Singapore for a further two years (and the birth of our first child). We then came to Dublin where my husband joined the International Financial Services Centre and I worked for Iona Technologies (Ireland’s first software company to float on Nasdaq). We had our second child and lived very happily in Dublin.
My husband had a life rethink and wanted to leave banking. So we found a ruin in county Wicklow south of Dublin, bought it and did it up as a guest house. All well and good. And where is blockchain? I hear you ask. Be patient — I am getting there.
I had my busy PR business and my husband was a stay-at-home dad. But in 2008, the marriage began to crumble and soon divorce was on the cards. We had our separation and a hefty solicitors’ bill. My ex went back to the UK. I stayed in Ireland with our two children. We could not afford to live in the big house and so we rented a cottage with stables and paddocks nearby. The recession was vicious here, and soon everything went belly up.
I know… the blockchain will arrive soon.
We had a big house and a mortgage half the value of the house. My ex then went bankrupt in the UK and gave all the debt to me. The market crashed hard in property prices. I tried to sell the house and made a video that went viral. I got a cash offer of €500,000, but the bank refused consent for me to sell as the mortgage was more. They preferred to repossess the home and sell it for €165,000 the following year. (It is now back on the market three years later at €550,000).
In the interim, I became a politicised. I lost my business and it collapsed, bailiffs called to the door and I lost everything. But I also became aware of the false narrative that began to take shape: ‘people were gaming the system and messing with moral hazard.’ There were also a rising number of financially inspired suicides. I got angry. I got very angry.
So I started ranting and raving at every opportunity, and I had a lot. This was around 2012 and most people were still ‘shamed’ at failing financially. I went loud and proud and said that while it hurt a lot to lose everything, I said I had done nothing wrong and was not ashamed.
In the end, I was the first female bankrupt under the new insolvency laws in 2014. I was not allowed to run for public office under archaic Victorian law. I then took the Irish government to the High Court and all the way to the Supreme Court claiming that my constitutional rights were being infringed. I won.
Then, I had to run; after all, I had won the right.
So, I ran in the European Parliamentary elections in 2014, and while I did not win, I earned 11,500 votes.
This is where blockchain came in. I’d been through the ringer and was hung out to dry. I thought that life could offer me no more. I was at a standstill, or worse a personal recession.
THEN I MET BLOCKCHAIN in September 2017 and I said to myself: Mama, I’ve come home. Now is my time to shine.
And so it has been. I’ve had an amazing year travelling the world, speaking and chairing at blockchain conferences, and I have hope again. Not just for me, but for humanity. Go blockchain!
What do you think of the EOS philosophy and blockchain? How is it different from other chains you know about?
Oh my goodness. This question is interesting. I am so joyful to be in the blockchain industry that I adore all blockchains. I know that is a bit agnostic but I am happy to be in this world. I was really happy to join EOS Dublin cos Sharif, Sam and Benny are fab — and I know SVK Crypto in London (Shane Kehoe) but when you asked me just now about the philosophy I started googling and got this article about the black swan effect, unknown stuff that in hindsight is clear, such as the housing / banking collapse.
And in this article, it is argued that EOS can solve this black swan problem. Again, at the risk of repeating myself, I have come home.
Any advice for people who want to get more involved, particularly women?
Just say yes! (I know that is counterintuitive for advice for females when dealing with life situations) but seriously just say yes and grab it with both hands.(sorry for the innuendos there btw lol).
