Happy Tuesday, friends!!

I am so excited to share today’s interview with you all!  I have been following Grace and her beautiful work for years now and truly admire what she is doing!  She has such a beautiful heart for our faith and for our worth as women.  So, again, please read this interview with an open heart and learn all the things from this beautiful girlboss!!

+ For those who aren’t familiar with you , please introduce yourself.

Hey there! I am so excited to be virtually with you today and share a little bit about some of my life passions and mission. My name is Grace Hincapie and I am from the beautiful Pacific NW. I am an entrepreneur, ladyboss blogger, and most importantly a Catholic woman.

+ When did your relationship with Christ first take root in your life?  What encouraged you in striving for a deeper relationship with God?

From the earliest I can remember, even before I received my First Communion, I took my faith as my own. I had many strong religious figures constantly in my life that nurtured my love of the faith and made it so attractive. When I received the sacrament of Confirmation, my commitment and desire for a relationship with Christ deepened and the reality that I am now a Catholic “adult” hit me. In a sense I felt like Confirmation gave me “permission” to now take this love I’ve had growing inside me all these years and now make my mark on the world with it. I can look back and see my relationship with Christ taking on different dimensions during each stage in my life. As I grew physically and matured, my desire for a spiritual life grew as well. So, I would say my relationship with Christ has always been apart of my life, of course there’s times of trials and dry patches but my love of the the faith and my understanding the beauty that is the Church, has always drawn me back to continue striving for a daily relationship that permeates all my actions.

+ I have been following your blog, Miss Graciela, for many years and have always found it so inspiring and uplifting.  What brought you to start a blog like this?

Right before high school, I started a faith based blog where I shared about the Catholic faith in my life as a teen. It was such a fruitful experience and the Lord definitely used it to reach so many people literally all over the world (I had readers from Vatican City!!).

As I got closer to my senior year of high school I felt stuck on where the blog was headed. During the same time I was also discerning what I was suppose to do with my life (yeah big questions) and how I was suppose to use my talents and passions for the glory of God. So long story short, I decided to incorporate my passion for empowering young women, entrepreneurship and social media into a new blog venture that is today, Graciela blog!

I wanted a place where I could encourage young women to know their innate worth and dignity so they can find their feminine confidence in this world. My goal with every post is to inspire women to find the ladyboss within herself and win in all areas of her life. 

+ What does the term “girlboss” mean to you in the big picture of life?

Simply put, to me being a “girlboss” means that you are striving to become the best version of yourself in all areas of your life, thus inspiring others to do the same.

+ A lot o people think that success in life is solely based on age or experience.  How would you encourage young women to reach for their dreams, no matter what others might think?

Every women is powerful and unique because no one can be YOU or possess the gifts that YOU do. It’s easy for us as women to compare our lives, bank statements, side hustle, shoe closet, Instagram boyfriend, ect but the truth is no matter if your life seems to “look” just like the girl in your feed, your journey and destination are going to be radically different because each of you were put on this earth for a different mission and purpose and you both were created to leave a different mark. Look to others as inspiration and motivation but NOT your competition. How can you compete with someone running a different race.

Focus on your dreams and how you want to impact lives. Do these two things and the opinions of others will only motivate you to do and become better. If you are breathing then you have a purpose, no matter age, education or resume.

+ Following our passions can be scary at times!  How have you conquered fear as you stay true to yourself?  How would you encourage other women to do the same?

I love this question, partly because I still struggle with it, so when I answer this question I am also telling myself this. I think even the most successful person has these thoughts because we are all human and who wants to leave there comfort zone! The easiest way I have conquered fear whether it be in little situations or big life decisions, is to surround myself with people smarter than me and to constantly search out those who have more experience. For example: growing up, I was always around priests and religious who obviously knew way more than I did about the faith and at times it was uncomfortable because they were way smarter than me. But hey you know what, it payed off because I learned to love and appreciate my faith SO much because I surrounded myself with spiritual giants, I learned to never stop learning about my faith, and today I have the confidence to hang out and talk about my faith with anyone, whether a bishop or teen going through confirmation. The same goes in my entrepreneurial ventures. I am always looking to surround myself with people who have proven success. My motto is “if you are the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room.” If you are striving to become the best version of yourself then everything you pursue should fall in line with your morals and ethics. Anytime something I was pursuing, all though may be a good, wasn’t inline with my belief system, I had to look into another way to pursue it. Always know your moral compass.

+ What are some ways that one can embrace their femininity in a world that no longer values such authenticity?

Ladies, know the gift you have of being a woman. As women we posses an innate dignity that cannot be earned in relationships, friendships or any other status. It’s so easy in today’s world to put our identity in how the world see’s us rather then how we look in the eye’s of the One who gave us this gift. If people or position aren’t helping you to become the best women you can be, especially in the eyes of Christ, than you aren’t fully living out your call of authentic femininity.

Authentic femininity is showing the world that you can be fully woman, without compromising your relationships, professional life, faith, and morals. Women haven’t gotten their voice taken away, they’ve chosen not to use it. Today more than ever, women have the opportunity to make a positive impact.

+ As a fellow morning lover, I have always loved seeing you talk about your early morning routine.  What are some aspects of your morning that set you up for a successful day? 

Mornings are my favorite times!! Having a balanced routine really sets me up for a day of balance. I make sure that my mornings encompass time for God, mind growth, and goal focus. God and business to me go hand in hand so as I set new goals for my day and professional goals to achieve, I also have spiritual goals and it’s my time to give all those dreams and gifts back to Him who ultimately gave them to me.

+ As a busy woman, how do you prioritize time with God?

A balanced morning routine as previously stated is a must! Also coming back to God at the end of the day, again giving everything back to Him keeps everything I do into perspective. I honestly think how we conduct business, how we enter relationships, all our actions should have God as the focus. If our current vocation is to be a women on the go right now, then this is how I think Christ asks us to take Him with us in our days. If we can come back at night and give everything we did back to Him in thanksgiving, then it’s a successful day. Everyone’s call to holiness is going to look different depending on your state in life.

+ What are some girlboss/faith-based resources you would suggest for all young women?  (websites, magazines, people, books.  Whatever inspires you!)

I would highly recommend to always be reading a spiritual book, something that will help you to grow in your spiritual life. Here are some great ones that have helped me in understanding my vocation as a modern women:

Books…

Embracing Edith Stein: Wisdom for Women from St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross by Anne Costa | God Is All Joy by Jennifer Moorcroft | The Privilege of Being A Woman by Alice von Hildebrand | My Badass Book of Saints: Courageous Women Who Showed Me How to Live | Breaking Through: Catholic Women Speak for Themselves by Helen Alvare | Extreme Makeover: Women Transformed by Christ, Not Conformed to the Culture by Teresa Tomeo

Also, here are a couple of my go-to sites for faith-based girlboss inspo: gritandvirtue.com | www.propelwomen.org

• I’m sure a lot of you have heard if this podcast, but if you haven’t then go download The Catholic Feminist podcast!!

Favorite Saint Role Models: Teresa of Andes is one of my fav modern day saints, but honestly any modern day saint is inspiring: Elizabeth of the Trinity, Therese of Lisieux, Edith Stein, Chiara Badano, Chiara Corbella Petrillo, JPII, Pier Georgio Frassati, Gianna Molla

 

Lastly, I just wanted to end the interview with of course some words from St. Pope John Paull II in his encyclical, Redemptoris Mater:

“It can thus be said that women, by looking to Mary, find in her the secret of living their femininity with dignity and of achieving their own true advancement. In the light of Mary, the Church sees in the face of women the reflection of a beauty which mirrors the loftiest sentiments of which the human heart is capable: the self-offering totality of love; the strength that is capable of bearing the greatest sorrows; limitless fidelity and tireless devotion to work; the ability to combine penetrating intuition with words of support and encouragement.“

Thank you guys so much for checking out today’s interview!!  Be sure to give Grace some love over on Instagram (@gracehincapie) and on her blog (www.miss-graciela.blogspot.com)

Have a great day!!

Maddy