Daily Inspiration: Meet Francesca Grace

Today we’d like to introduce you to Francesca Grace.

Francesca, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’m a firm believer in creating your own reality. This story is one of planted seeds. I come from a loving family on the East Coast that has always nurtured and supported the reality I see for myself. As a young woman laying her own path in the world, tapping into my connection to spirituality, intuition, and environment have been pivotal to my journey from New Jersey to Los Angeles.

I grew up riding horses, writing, and exploring the world as much as I could. Since my childhood, I’ve described myself as “a fairy in the woods,” someone with imagination, playfulness, and depth. I developed a strong relationship with my senses and my connection to the world around me.

I’ve always loved being different. I’m fascinated by duality and the fabric of human consciousness. I’ve been fortunate to travel and embrace the magic of other cultures and experiences that continuously open up my mind. While studying at Tulane University I had the opportunity to go abroad, learn, and travel in Australia – a country I highly recommend experiencing if you’re looking for your next big trip!

In 2017, on my way back from Australia I visited friends in Thailand who were living as digital nomads. At the time, I didn’t know much about what it meant to be a digital nomad and seeing the way my friends lived with the freedom and autonomy to travel was super attractive to me.

From that point, the seed was planted and I knew I wanted to create a life unchained from the traditional 9-5, which seemed fitting for me, a person who wants to create molds rather than fit in them. I kept my mind open to receive opportunities that would make this dream come true. This required me to tap deeply into myself and be true to what was and is still meaningful for me.

I organically found myself in positions where the next stepping-stone would lead me to my next goal with the skills I would need to succeed down the line. While finishing up at Tulane, I worked at a biotech startup doing organic marketing. I left that position because I realized I didn’t want to work in a male-dominated organization. After leaving, I traveled to Bali for my 200-hour yoga teacher training and came back with a fresh perspective on designing my life.

I worked with my entrepreneurial father on establishing his brand in the vanilla extract industry, when I met my mentor, Dr. Shira Bush. I was also making and selling ritual candles, joined doTERRA, and taught yoga on the side for a year between college and LA. That’s when the pandemic hit and yoga studios closed, so I worked at the Farmer’s Market to keep me afloat knowing wholeheartedly I was destined for more.

I got the call to move to LA during the summer of 2020. I felt like there was an abundance of opportunity here that I wasn’t experiencing on the East Coast, and I wanted to pursue my dreams of working online. Within 2 months of living in LA, my mentor encouraged me to tap into the organic marketing field supporting women entrepreneurs building online businesses. I said, yes.

The journey I’ve had building my career to this point has been incredible. Each experience I’ve had in my life, that I walked into from a place of pure alignment, turned out to be a stepping-stone for a reality aligned with my soul.

Now, I’m at a place where I’m doing meaningful work and feel comfortable to continue sharing my creative pieces with the world. My next big project is publishing my first book of poetry. I believe we all have the power to create our realities, and I trust this encourages you to stand boldly in your life. It’s yours to create!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The journey from where I was in 2019 to where I am now took trial and error. I didn’t find “my thing,” necessarily all at once. I had to be open to trying different avenues and be strong enough to stop doing things that didn’t suit me. I said no to a lot of things in one year before I said, yes.

When you do work that breaks outside the mold, there’s not a lot of people around you that can say, “oh I know what you’re going through.” It’s important to branch out of your immediate circle and hear stories and realities from people doing what you want to do.

At one point, I was debating going back to academia instead of pursuing entrepreneurship because I was taught that education is a catalyst to success. There is so much to learn outside of school and in order to stick to my vision, I had to learn how to believe in myself.

Lastly, I struggled with being one of the only women in a male-dominated industry. I learned through that experience that I desired a reality with more women in it. I completely shifted my direction away from corporate America and into a women-centered niche online.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Creative expression is so important to me as a human being. I’ve written poetry as a creative outlet for over a decade. I am enamored with words and the power they have to connect and create an intimate experience for people.

This spring, I’ll be publishing my first book of poetry! I have been working on this project for years and I am so excited to share it with the world. The process of creating the book has been emotional, raw, and exhilarating. I trust the collection will speak to all types of people living the human experience. Keep in touch on my Instagram to see more in the coming months!

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
Oh, yes! I love this question. Seek learning. Every time I found a mentor, it was because I initially set out to learn something. Mentors gravitate toward active learners. Think about the position a mentor is in. It’s not always about what you can gain from them, but what can they gain from you, too?

I found my current mentor through an online company that I used to learn extra skills like coding and branding. We developed a relationship that grew into a beautiful mentorship opportunity for both of us. I asked for help and that created an opportunity for someone further in their career to invest in my growth, which expands my mentor’s growth in return. Dr Shira Bush and I are currently working together on my book publication and I am so thrilled to be continuing my journey with her.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sunmodel_moonchild/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/francesca-annunziato/

Image Credits
All photos taken by Carolyn Arredondo of Loose Beauty Photography