December 16, 2025 • 33 mins
What if your thirties are less about having it all figured out and more about finally choosing what fits?
We sit down with Grecia Ruiz; author, speaker and founder of Italy Brides. We trace the real path from living on autopilot to building a life and business shaped by values, purpose, and time freedom. No hustle theater. No perfect timing. Just a series of honest check-ins, small brave steps, and a bubble bath that changed everything.
Grecia shares how a simple values exercise became her North Star to steer big decisions.
- listing single words in silence
- grouping themes
- using one daily question; does this take me closer to what I value?
That clarity revealed what wasn’t working in a stable project management role and why previous baking ventures drained more energy than they returned. Grecia's breakthrough was designing work for alignment first. Italy Brides was born from that clarity and she now helps modern brides plan destination weddings in Italy with a grounded plan and calm execution.
We also dig into the power of community and coaching to turn fear into motion. Grecia and I met in a room full of women building purpose-led businesses. Her single decision led to mentorship, momentum, and a new definition of what’s possible. Grecia’s recent chapter in This Time It’s Personal shows the vulnerable side of change and why self-worth must come before strategy. Her book recommendation, Worthy by Jamie Kern Lima, frames the difference between external confidence and internal worth—and how believing you’re worthy now unlocks action you can sustain.
If you’re craving impact, time freedom, and a life that matches your values, this conversation offers a practical map and real encouragement. Listen, take one small step today, and tell us the value you’re choosing to live by this week.
Connect with Grecia on Instagram @itsgreciaruiz and @italybrides
Thank you so much for listening in! If this episode spoke to you, it would mean the world to me if you left a review or shared it with a friend. And don’t forget to tag me so I can personally thank you for helping me spread the word.
Follow and chat with me on Instagram:
Podcast account - @thrivelikeamother.podcast
Personal account - @thrive.empowered
Sending you light and love always!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_01 (00:00):
I spent all of my 29th year really prepping for
(00:04):
this new decade.
And what that looked like for mewas really taking a hard look at
my career, my aspirations, andmy values and finding a way to
match all of that.
So, what that looks like now isI've created a business called
Italy Brides, where I, you know,help brides plan their
(00:24):
destination wedding in Italy.
And that really launched thisexpansion that you talked about,
both into, from a careerstandpoint, into a business.
And then also from a personalstandpoint, we just saw each
other, you know, at our the SheIs Made for More live event.
And I got to be a speaker atthat event.
And you've got to be a sponsor.
That's really what this, what Imean when I say expansion.
(00:44):
It has been a lot of expansion,career-wise, business-wise, and
stepping into really who I am,who I truly am, into my values,
and not being afraid to show upas who I am authentically in all
areas of my life.
SPEAKER_00 (01:00):
Hey, love.
I'm Ebony and welcome to ThriveLike a Mother.
On this podcast, we're scaredfor our truth, but that fear is
what feels us to truly live.
You're in the right place if youfeel like you're stuck in
survival mode and you're readyto step into who you were truly
(01:20):
meant to be.
I'll share resources and tools Iuse daily to help you in your
journey with healthier mindsetand to break the wheel of
survival.
The journey may not be easy, butyou won't have to face it alone.
I'm a mama of three, healing dayby day from past trauma, and I'm
on a mission to build a lifeI've always dreamed of, but
(01:43):
never thought was possible.
So, love, if you're ready tobelieve in what's possible,
let's link arms and thrivetogether.
Okay, welcome to another episodeof the Thrive Like a Mother
(02:04):
podcast.
And as you guys see, I have aguest with me today.
Um, Drescia, I wanna I wannajump straight in because when
you just answered your questionabout like what season of life
you're in, you described it asexpansion.
So many big things, right?
Turning 30, celebrating threeyears of marriage, and stepping
(02:26):
into what you call your 30,flirty, and thriving era.
I love it.
I love it.
But tell me, tell me what thatmeans to you right now, the
expansion and what that means tomatch it with thriving.
SPEAKER_01 (02:40):
Yeah.
Thanks, Ebony.
I am so excited to be here.
Thank you for inviting me.
And like you said, I thinkbecause your, you know,
community and your podcast isstarts with the word thrive, you
know, I really related to thatbecause, like you said, I just
turned 30 just last month.
And my entire birthday theme wasaround 13 going on 30, where the
(03:04):
tagline is 30, flirty, andthriving.
And it's funny because I, youknow, when I first watched this
movie when I was younger, Inever understood why she wanted
to be 30 so bad.
And I didn't understand thiswhole, you know, thriving in
your 30s.
And I genuinely do now.
You know, I've stepped into my30s for just shy of one month
(03:26):
now.
And I definitely feel this.
So I spent all of my 29th yearreally prepping for this new
decade.
And what that looked like for mewas really taking a hard look at
my career, my aspirations, andmy values and finding a way to
match all of that.
So, what that looks like now isI've created a business called
(03:50):
Italy Brides, where I, you know,help brides plan their
destination wedding in Italy.
And that really launched thisexpansion that you talked about,
both into from a careerstandpoint into a business.
And then also from a personalstandpoint, we just saw each
other, you know, at our the SheIs Made for More live event.
(04:10):
And I got to be a speaker atthat event, right?
And you've got to be a sponsor.
That's really what this, what Imean when I say expansion.
It has been a lot of expansioncareer-wise, business-wise, and
stepping into really who I am,who I truly am, into my values
and not being afraid to show upas who I am authentically in all
(04:32):
areas of my life.
SPEAKER_00 (04:34):
Yes, I love that, especially being we're super a
little bit close in age.
I'm 33, so three years in.
And I, gosh, when I tell you thesame thing, I watched that same
movie so many years ago, and Iwas like, what's the big deal
about 30?
I thought, oh, I turned 25.
This is it.
This gotta be it, right?
This is adulting.
(04:54):
I quickly realized it was not.
There is such another level thathappens.
I feel like when you get to 30,it's almost like I always call
it like my unlocking because Istart to unlock these different
parts of myself that I didn'trealize were there quite yet,
where I hadn't, you know, beenopening, open to accepting those
(05:16):
parts of myself just yet.
So I want to introduce you tothe audience here for the first
time that y'all are meeting herhere today.
Gracia Rui Ruiz, Ruiz, goodness,is an author, recent author.
We're gonna get into that later.
She's a speaker and the founderof Italy Brides, which you guys
(05:36):
heard an Italy-based weddingplanning experience for the
modern bride.
She's also a change manager bytrade.
So she works remotely while atthe same time building her dream
business in sunny California,which I love California, y'all.
It has seriously created justlike another home for my heart
(05:57):
that I didn't realize.
I think before even thebeginning of this year, I had
never been to the West Coast atall.
So I love that I got to bethere.
And that's where we metoriginally.
And I love that you're here onthe show today because we're
gonna get to really dig intolike what thriving actually
looks like.
Like you said, not just on theoutside, but in your spirit and
(06:19):
your relationships and livingand your purpose.
So you mentioned that you spenta lot of time this past year,
you know, moving from likeliving on kind of autopilot to
really feeling like you wereliving again.
Can you talk about like whatsparked that shift for you?
SPEAKER_01 (06:38):
Yeah.
So I definitely felt there werea lot of words.
Autopilot is definitely one ofthose words that I use because
that's exactly what my life wasfeeling like.
I also have used the analogy offeeling like I'm on the wrong
train, going the wrongdestination, but not knowing how
to get off.
What stop do I get off at?
(06:58):
What other train do I even wantto get on?
You know, prior to Black Friday2024, I had already had, you
know, since the pandemic, sowe're talking five years now of
gut feeling, knowing that I wasin a career and at that point it
was a project management rolethat did not feel aligned for
(07:21):
me, even though the company wasgreat, even though, you know,
the benefits, the pay, you know,they were, you know,
compensating fairly.
They were uh, again, goodculture, but just the actual
role itself felt like it waskilling me from the inside out.
And I did feel where I'm justliving life every day kind of
(07:42):
looks the same.
And I'm not really in control ordriving if it's on autopilot.
Life is lifing for you.
You know, you're not in thedriver's seat.
So I remember writing on my rawwall, actually, right here, that
I wanted to be in control.
I wanted to be in the driver'sseat of my life again and no
longer in the passenger seat.
And so basically, Black Friday,what that meant for me was just
(08:04):
it was this day of reflectionand this like really big
emotional catharsis of no longerignoring how I was feeling and
truly doing the work of figuringout what I wanted next.
And so, how what I started to dowas first of all identify what
my fears even were of switchingcareers or starting a business.
(08:27):
I actually did values-based workin mental health coaching.
Through a mental health coachingprogram, we started talking
about what are those?
What do I even value, right?
So, what is it?
Right.
And so by understanding what Iwanted my life to look like,
well, then now I can build abusiness or, you know, a new
career that points to the kindof lifestyle I want to live
(08:48):
instead of being completelystuck, lost.
I don't, you know, having anydirection.
And so, yeah.
So since that, met you at theGalantine's event in February,
which that was like the start ofthe expansion year, right?
And then I got businesscoaching.
And now I get to be where I amtoday, completely renewed and
(09:09):
definitely in the driver's seatagain.
SPEAKER_00 (09:12):
Yes, I love it.
I love it.
And I love how you speak aboutfiguring out what alignment
meant for you in this season,now that you feel like you
really are matching with whatyour alignment is, how how do
you kind of maybe even on aday-to-day basis, how do you
(09:35):
make sure that you are stillgrowing in alignment versus
maybe falling back to just doingthe things, doing more, staying
in that cycle.
SPEAKER_01 (09:45):
So, like, um, how do I ensure that I remain in
alignment?
Yes, yes.
Yeah, that's great.
Again, I think it really doestie back to the values piece
because before, to your point,it's like, how do I even know
I'm in alignment with what?
What am I aligning with?
And also I think it's important,I say values because I think
with I when it comes to ouridentities, they're ever
(10:06):
evolving, they're ever changing.
You are meant to keep changing,you were meant to keep evolving.
So that might not necessarily,if you just like keep it to what
do I like in this moment or myidentity, it will keep shifting.
And so I think the alignmentpiece comes, okay, going back to
asking yourselves the questionis this taking me closer to what
(10:28):
I value?
So in my case, as an example,not just talking about values.
So in my case, what I waslooking for was a bigger impact,
purpose, and fulfillment from mycareer, which I was not feeling.
So I definitely feel that more,much more with my business, but
(10:50):
also with these kinds ofengagements of podcasting and
community building and thesewomen's empowerment events.
Those fill my purpose,fulfillment, and impact that I
was looking for.
And then when it comes to whatI'm also looking for from a
(11:10):
lifestyle from any career orbusiness, I'm also looking for
time freedom, which you know, Idid have some of that,
especially with the remote,there's some flexibility there,
of course.
But I was looking for uh freedomto be able to choose my own
schedule.
And also, again, when I amactually working, doing things
(11:33):
that feel more fulfilling, morepurpose-driven, more impactful.
And so that's how I know it'sagain, it, I guess whatever
actions I'm taking, are theytaking me closer or further away
from what I just mentioned Ivalued?
And by the way, values, justlike identity, yes, they are
also evolving.
Like I'm not saying, you know,but and that's okay.
(11:54):
You rediscover what those newvalues are, and then you keep
pointing your life to is itgetting me closer or further
away from?
SPEAKER_00 (12:02):
Yes, I love that.
And I love that you brought inthe ever-evolving thing, right?
Because we're gonna keep gettingolder.
What I value now as a 30-year30-year-old, I may not have
valued when I was in my 20s orlooking towards the future when
I'm in my 40s.
They may completely changeagain.
And you always have to keepchecking in with self and being
(12:25):
like, okay, does this still feellike it is aligned with my
values?
What, what are ask yourself thequestion, what are my values
right now?
I think just continuing to dothat often, you know, as often
as you can, like you said,Garcia, just keeps you aligned,
keeps you on the right track, inthe right train.
SPEAKER_01 (12:46):
Yes.
SPEAKER_00 (12:47):
Okay, yes, on the right train.
SPEAKER_01 (12:50):
At the train platform.
SPEAKER_00 (12:52):
Okay, so you uh we're talking we're talking
about discovering your values,right?
And building your life aroundthat.
I want to dig more into becauseyou talked briefly about it,
about how you started to learnwhat your values are.
Can you talk about how youstarted to really truly dig into
(13:15):
what those are and maybe sharewith some of our listeners how
they can start figuring out whattheirs are?
SPEAKER_01 (13:21):
Yeah, that's a great question.
It's just funny.
In this case, it's just a funnystory, like to kind of put you
into the actual moment that thishappened.
And I'm not saying this maybe istrue for everybody, but it was
true for me.
And I do think there's somethingmagical about a bubble bath.
So where this happened for mewas I was, again, I had plugged
myself into a mental healthcoaching program.
(13:46):
And basically, it's through mywork, I, you know, was received
10 free sessions of mentalhealth coaching.
So I took that opportunity and Iknew I needed some additional
support.
And so this program was prettystructured.
Like I said, it was like veryclearly 10 sessions.
And so I think it was session,you know, five, four or five, I
can't remember.
But it was very specific tovalues.
(14:08):
And so, I mean, in that case,they did send me a video just
kind of explaining what doesthis even look like?
What do you mean, you know, yourvalues, right?
And so once I looked throughthat video, and and the the
bubble bath is important herebecause I had I was supposed to
be doing quote unquote homeworkto identify my values.
And I had been likeprocrastinating, putting it off
(14:28):
because it takes somereflection.
You have to take some time toreflect.
You have to listen to yourself.
And you can't listen to yourselfuntil there's some silence
involved.
So that's where the bubble bathcomes in.
I finally had a self-caremoment.
I gave myself some time to do abubble bath, to watch that video
(14:49):
on my phone as I'm in the bubblebath, and then I'm reflecting.
And then in that silence, inthat moment, it's funny, it was
two for one.
Not only did I start writingdown, just very simply, it
really doesn't have to be this,like what I said, like, oh, I'm
valuing, you know, forfulfillment purpose, this, it
would just start with words,like one word.
(15:11):
Yeah.
So I just started going, oh, Ivalue authenticity, I value
simplicity, I value clarity, Ivalue, and just start
brainstorming, literally, justdump it all in a note.
And as I started going, thatmoment also sparked the idea of
Italy Brides, which I think iscrazy.
That was not the intention.
(15:31):
I was over here just simplydoing a value exercise, and that
idea sparked this crazy idea ofwhat if I turn my own wedding
planning experience in Italyfrom my own wedding and help
other brides do this becausethis sounds like it hits all of
these values that I'm talkingabout.
SPEAKER_00 (15:54):
That is so cool.
SPEAKER_01 (15:55):
The takeaway really is reflection, right?
Take some time to reflect,brainstorm.
Don't be afraid to just dump itall in.
Hey, we've got AI nowadays.
AI is super helpful to put youronce you do the brainstorming on
your own, go, hey, here's allthe words I chose.
Like, what do some values maybelook like?
Put that into Chat GPT.
SPEAKER_00 (16:14):
Yes, yeah.
Goodness.
AI is so helpful with withhelping you pull out the themes
so you can literally just dumpit all out, get it all out of
your head, and say, okay, helpme now organize these thoughts.
What does this all really startto mean?
Um, I love that.
I love it.
Goodness.
Okay, so I want to talk moreabout Italy Brides because my
(16:39):
goodness, I just love this brandthat you've built.
I loved if y'all are notfollowing her yet.
We're gonna get into socialslater, but I loved watching just
your like behind the scenes, youknow, and your stories and then
recaps after of just how youwere building this beautiful
moment for like the bride andgroomsmen, but then also keeping
(17:03):
yourself in the equation, y'all.
And y'all, she did this.
What was it?
It was like over a full week,right?
Oh my goodness.
Yes.
Okay, well, what what has thatjourney with Italy Brides, what
has that taught you now aboutreally building a life that fits
for you?
SPEAKER_01 (17:23):
Ooh, ooh, yeah, so this is great.
So I think, first of all, ItalyBrides is not the first
disclaimer, it's not the firstbusiness that I've started.
And so, to your point about, youknow, how does this business
align with the kind of life I'mtrying to build?
Before I understood that if Iunderstand my values, then I can
(17:46):
point my life and my businessand really anything I do towards
those values.
And all of a sudden, everythingstarts feeling very aligned.
And it makes sense becauseyou've got a North Star, you've
got somewhere to point to.
Before that, I hadn't done thatkind of a work.
And I just I had never beenexposed to that before.
And so instead, I was buildingbusinesses, and in those cases,
(18:08):
they were they were both bakingbusinesses.
One was called Bakery by Gigi.
It was custom cakes and cakes.
Gigi is my name.
And then the other one wasCherie, which was macarons.
Point is, in both of thoseinstances, I was building the
business out of something that Iloved to do, but not necessarily
how I wanted to spend my time.
(18:30):
And again, and that's totallyfine.
I experimented, I invested mytime, energy, and realized what
I do like and what I don't like.
So, based on that experience,the biggest takeaway was the
time freedom part was not there.
If anything, it was actuallytaking, I'm not the fastest
baker.
Some people are really good atthis.
(18:50):
That is not a natural skill ofmine.
I make goodies taste good, but Idon't do them fast.
And if you're trying to operatea business and scale it, you
need to operate faster or youneed to outsource this, right?
So I just wasn't there and Irealized that I was actually
spending the majority of my timedoing manual labor that I
(19:10):
personally wasn't reallyenjoying.
And I actually enjoyed marketingthe goodies at the end of the
day.
I enjoyed going out to farmersmarkets and meeting other
vendors.
So I was actually spending like10% of my time doing the things
I liked and like 90% doingthings I didn't like.
So with Italy Brides and withthe bubble bath moment, I
(19:30):
decided to take another try atthis.
And so I started with one brideand groom, to your point, the
one that I just got to do theirwedding.
And it was very much like, youknow what?
I'm not going to force myself tosay this is it and this is the
last business I'll ever try.
No, it's let me just try it outand see if this is a better fit.
And this truly is a better fit.
(19:51):
Why?
I get to work remotely, right?
So I get to work with couplesall over the world from my home,
you know, in California.
And at the end of the day, It'svery international, right?
Where you're going to Italy.
I studied internationalbusiness.
So it relates clearly to some ofmy educational background, but
also interests.
And I'm very passionate aboutthe Italian culture, very
(20:13):
passionate about the culture,the food, the people, the energy
you feel there.
And so everything just startedfeeling like it was aligning to
those values.
I felt a greater impact, greaterpurpose, greater fulfillment.
But also I get to work primarilydoing what I love most during
(20:34):
that time, which is again thatmarketing side.
I get to do content creation.
I get to really inspire bridesto find out what's possible for
them.
So really that piece, theinspiration piece is big for me,
realizing that I get to spendthe most of my time inspiring
people, whatever that lookslike.
From a personal standpoint, Iwant to inspire you to follow
(20:56):
your dreams.
From a bridal standpoint, I wantto inspire you that if you want
to get married in Italy, it ispossible.
You just need a plan.
You need a strategy and a plan,but you can do it.
SPEAKER_00 (21:09):
I love that.
Goodness.
The the just you can do itmindset.
And I feel like just the energyI'm feeling just throughout just
knowing you this entire time isjust stop waiting for the
perfect time.
Is there anything?
I know the bubble bath moment,right?
But is there anything thathelped you stop waiting for the
(21:30):
perfect time to chase that dreamto say, okay, I'm gonna pivot,
right?
Why not?
SPEAKER_01 (21:36):
Yeah, that's a great question.
I think that this is where itleads to how we met too,
actually.
And I'm so, so grateful with howwe met.
Like I said, I I mean, I justwanted to talk about that for a
second because both of us met ina moment of really, I think just
leaping, like taking a leap offaith.
Right.
And so, at least for me forsure, the event in February was
(22:00):
my very first time puttingmyself in a room, basically in a
room with people in person withother women who were, you know,
a few steps down like up theladder than I was, or a few
steps, you know, further than Iwas, building businesses that
were giving them exactly what Imentioned is they were building
businesses that were providingthem with more time freedom that
(22:21):
also were purpose-driven, moreimpact, more fulfilling.
And I knew, and I could see iton the online space, I knew this
was real.
There's real people out there.
I had never met any of them.
And I needed to make it real formyself.
I'm like, okay, I see thisonline, but I want in-person
(22:42):
connection.
I want to actually meet thesepeople.
I want to meet these women and Iwant to get inspired.
So that's where you and I met.
And I don't know, I think thatwas your first event as well.
SPEAKER_00 (22:52):
I well, I had been to events previously, but I
think that was my first eventafter just having Henry.
That was my first kind of comingout of postpartum event, coming
out of this like huge motherhoodtransformation, going from two
to three babies and being inthat space of just like, okay,
(23:12):
who am I now?
What do I want to do?
I was in that phase of justlike, okay, what I've been doing
has been great, but there's morein there, right?
There's a deeper level.
And I just could not get to itat that point until I think I
got to that event.
It was a very spur of themoment, too.
Very spur of the moment.
SPEAKER_01 (23:32):
Yeah.
And it was, and it's you said itwas the first time on the West
Coast.
So maybe it wasn't your firstevent ever.
But I mean, you got in a plane,you know, like it's yeah.
That's what I mean by the leapof faith.
Like you're looking you know, Ifor me it was it was not a
plane, but it was still a drive,you know, six-hour drive.
I grabbed my mom.
I didn't want to go alone yet.
I wasn't ready.
And so that event is really whatyou know that moment was my
(23:57):
first practice to your point oflike, how do I practice actually
taking action, right?
And so they say action leads toclarity.
So the you know, in order to notwait for the perfect time, I
just had to start somewhere,anywhere.
And for me, I knew that I neededto start what I needed most was
(24:17):
validation.
In that moment, I really didneed the external validation.
The goal is to, of course, notneed that, right?
But in that moment, I knewthat's what I needed.
So I went and found it so that Icould find that an external
validation in the sense thatthere, this is like um a proven,
you know, business model or it'sa proven lifestyle.
(24:38):
It's a proof, like I neededproof in person and in.
And thanks to that, I also mademy next intuition-based
decision.
I'm very logic-based.
So for me to be makingintuition-based decisions, it
took some practice.
It was new for me, which thatnext step was I invested in a
group coaching program with oneof the speakers I met at that
(24:58):
event.
She happened to be closer towhere I am locally.
And so I got to invest in thatprogram.
And that really continued thatexpansion.
And by having a support systemfinally and taking small actions
stacked on each other, then Istopped waiting for the perfect
time because those opportunitiesstarted presenting themselves.
(25:22):
And I started saying yes tothese opportunities that I
didn't know of before andwouldn't have been plugged into
before.
SPEAKER_00 (25:30):
Yeah.
Beautiful, beautiful.
I think it was probably in thatroom that both of us decided to
lock into a community that wasgonna support us on this
journey.
Cause like you can't, you can'tdo it alone, guys.
It's about getting in the rightrooms around the right people,
and also seeing I need support.
I need support.
(25:50):
Sure, I can go back home andlike figure this out by myself.
I've done that previously in thepast with events, just gone to
events, taken a lot of notes,and gone back home and reflected
and still been like, okay, nowwhat do I do with all of this
great information?
I don't know what the next stepis and like really getting you
locked into community, whateverthat looks like for you, can
(26:13):
help you figure out like whatthose steps should be.
So I want to spend a little bitof time here on the book because
you are an author.
My goodness, what what abeautiful way to just step into
your 30s, being a publishedauthor.
Can you talk about just what itwas like writing, writing in a
book, writing for, you know, fora book, what it felt like to,
(26:36):
what it feels like to just haveyour story just out there.
SPEAKER_01 (26:40):
Yeah.
It's so surreal and it's alsobeautiful.
It's so, yes, I am a recentpublished author.
Now I only wrote one chapter inin a larger collection book.
So my goal is to eventuallywrite a full book.
That would be amazing.
SPEAKER_02 (26:58):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (26:58):
This is such a great step in the right direction.
And it was, you know, it takes alot of vulnerability because in
this, this book specifically iscalled This Time It's Personal.
And so the title tells you it'sgoing to be personal.
My chapter, the chapter of allthe other women in the book, are
(27:19):
very, very personal stories ofour transformation and how we
are all actively building livesthat fit what we are looking
for.
And so it was very beautiful toactually be able to sit down.
And I mean, it took me, youknow, quite quite a few hours,
right?
Of over multiple days, ofcourse, of sitting down and
(27:40):
really thinking and reflecting,getting my own big bubble bath
moment to reflect and thinkabout what really led me here,
right?
Like where, so what have Ialready learned and gained?
What am I still learning?
And so it was a really, reallybeautiful experience.
It's really awesome to get toreflect on your own life and
(28:02):
realize first of all, look ateverything you've accomplished.
Second of all, yeah, this iswhere you currently are, and
here's where you're going.
And so that it's funny.
And in the chapter, there is asection about the bubble bath
revelation.
And so that's how I can talkabout it now, is because thanks
to that chapter helping meorganize my thoughts and be, you
(28:25):
know, write out my story.
I now have this story that I canshare.
Uh that's organized.
My thoughts are all organized inthe sense of, oh wow, like this
is what led me here.
And so it's a great feeling.
And I am always, I have alwaysbeen an open book for the most
part, but I hadn't necessarilyput my story into words like
(28:46):
that.
And it is really cool that I Ireally hope that women feel
inspired by my story and byother women's stories.
Like that is the entire point ofthe book.
And I think it's really coolbecause I know I've read books
and I've never met the author,and I'm super inspired by them.
So that's the goal.
I hope that I get to inspiresomeone out there, even if
(29:06):
you've never met me, even if wenever meet, regardless, like go
out and do the thing.
SPEAKER_00 (29:13):
Yes.
Oh gosh.
You know, you bring up a greatpoint.
My husband and I, we werewatching a show yesterday.
We literally were like, we'venever met an author of a book.
And I was like, wait a minute.
Now you reminded me.
Yes, I did.
I totally have.
Gosh.
Okay.
So, Gracia, while we're movingto the end of our episode here,
is there a book, a quote, or amantra that has been guiding you
(29:37):
this year?
We're winding down to the end of2025, which is absolutely wild
to me.
But can you leave the listenerswith anything that can help
propel them in this next year?
SPEAKER_01 (29:48):
Yes.
So for me, the book Worthy byJamie Kern Lima has been
extremely helpful because wetalked about doing values, you
know, understanding your values,we talked about, you know, not
waiting for the perfect time,putting yourself in the right
rooms, we talked about a lot ofthese things.
(30:10):
But if you don't feel worthy ofreceiving this, of a change, of
living a better life and a lifethat better fits you, if you do
not feel worthy of those things,that is the very first thing you
need to learn because you arealready worthy right now.
(30:32):
But I can't make you believethat.
You have to believe it yourself.
And so just that book that hasbeen really helpful in my own
journey of worthiness.
Because honestly, that really isstep one.
Once you finally believe you'reworthy, then you start taking
all these steps, steps and outsbecause you're coming from uh a
place.
And it's not justself-confidence, it really,
(30:53):
really is self-worth.
Self-confidence is externallybased and facing, but self-worth
is internal, and nobody can takethat away from you.
So that is uh a bigrecommendation for me.
So powerful.
SPEAKER_00 (31:07):
Goodness.
Okay, so I uh first of all, justthank you.
Thank you for coming on today.
Thank you for sharing yourenergy with me, with the
listeners, your story with us,y'all.
Please go grab the book and readGracia's chapter.
I I promise you, is going to beimpactful for you.
(31:29):
Her story is just, like I said,it's it's personal, it's
vulnerable.
And I feel like just you connectwith so many women who maybe
like are in their 20s, about togo into their 30s, or women who
are in their 30s now and stilltrying to figure it out and
being like, okay, what do I donext?
I'm in my 30s, what what isnext?
(31:51):
Um, so you've just you'vereminded us all today just that
thriving is not about having itall together.
It's literally choosing everyday to wake up to your life
again and truly live it, right?
And not just live it in thatmonotonous way of just I'm doing
the things, I'm checking theboxes, but living it fully
aligned.
(32:11):
So can you let the listenersknow where they can connect with
you and just continue to hearyour story, stay supported, um,
and just watch your journey.
SPEAKER_01 (32:24):
Thank you so much.
Yes.
So for my personal account andany, you know, following my
personal journey is at it'sGrecia Ruiz.
And on for, you know, any bridesout there, or frankly, anybody
that just wants some really funItaly content, you can go ahead
and follow at Italy Brides.
(32:44):
And then as for the book, youcan find a link to that in my
bio in my at It's Grecia Ruizprofile.
SPEAKER_00 (32:53):
I love it.
Goodness.
Thank you, Gracia, and y'all,until next time.
Keep expanding, keep evolving,and keep thriving.
Thanks, Ebony.
Thank you so much for listening,love.
If anything in today's episoderesonated with you, share it
with your bestie or share it onsocial media and tag me so we
(33:17):
can chat about it.
As always, sending you light andlove.
And remember, you are worthy,you are enough, and you deserve
to thrive.
I spent all of my 29th year really prepping for
(00:04):
this new decade.
And what that looked like for mewas really taking a hard look at
my career, my aspirations, andmy values and finding a way to
match all of that.
So, what that looks like now isI've created a business called
Italy Brides, where I, you know,help brides plan their
(00:24):
destination wedding in Italy.
And that really launched thisexpansion that you talked about,
both into, from a careerstandpoint, into a business.
And then also from a personalstandpoint, we just saw each
other, you know, at our the SheIs Made for More live event.
And I got to be a speaker atthat event.
And you've got to be a sponsor.
That's really what this, what Imean when I say expansion.
(00:44):
It has been a lot of expansion,career-wise, business-wise, and
stepping into really who I am,who I truly am, into my values,
and not being afraid to show upas who I am authentically in all
areas of my life.
SPEAKER_00 (01:00):
Hey, love.
I'm Ebony and welcome to ThriveLike a Mother.
On this podcast, we're scaredfor our truth, but that fear is
what feels us to truly live.
You're in the right place if youfeel like you're stuck in
survival mode and you're readyto step into who you were truly
(01:20):
meant to be.
I'll share resources and tools Iuse daily to help you in your
journey with healthier mindsetand to break the wheel of
survival.
The journey may not be easy, butyou won't have to face it alone.
I'm a mama of three, healing dayby day from past trauma, and I'm
on a mission to build a lifeI've always dreamed of, but
(01:43):
never thought was possible.
So, love, if you're ready tobelieve in what's possible,
let's link arms and thrivetogether.
Okay, welcome to another episodeof the Thrive Like a Mother
(02:04):
podcast.
And as you guys see, I have aguest with me today.
Um, Drescia, I wanna I wannajump straight in because when
you just answered your questionabout like what season of life
you're in, you described it asexpansion.
So many big things, right?
Turning 30, celebrating threeyears of marriage, and stepping
(02:26):
into what you call your 30,flirty, and thriving era.
I love it.
I love it.
But tell me, tell me what thatmeans to you right now, the
expansion and what that means tomatch it with thriving.
SPEAKER_01 (02:40):
Yeah.
Thanks, Ebony.
I am so excited to be here.
Thank you for inviting me.
And like you said, I thinkbecause your, you know,
community and your podcast isstarts with the word thrive, you
know, I really related to thatbecause, like you said, I just
turned 30 just last month.
And my entire birthday theme wasaround 13 going on 30, where the
(03:04):
tagline is 30, flirty, andthriving.
And it's funny because I, youknow, when I first watched this
movie when I was younger, Inever understood why she wanted
to be 30 so bad.
And I didn't understand thiswhole, you know, thriving in
your 30s.
And I genuinely do now.
You know, I've stepped into my30s for just shy of one month
(03:26):
now.
And I definitely feel this.
So I spent all of my 29th yearreally prepping for this new
decade.
And what that looked like for mewas really taking a hard look at
my career, my aspirations, andmy values and finding a way to
match all of that.
So, what that looks like now isI've created a business called
(03:50):
Italy Brides, where I, you know,help brides plan their
destination wedding in Italy.
And that really launched thisexpansion that you talked about,
both into from a careerstandpoint into a business.
And then also from a personalstandpoint, we just saw each
other, you know, at our the SheIs Made for More live event.
(04:10):
And I got to be a speaker atthat event, right?
And you've got to be a sponsor.
That's really what this, what Imean when I say expansion.
It has been a lot of expansioncareer-wise, business-wise, and
stepping into really who I am,who I truly am, into my values
and not being afraid to show upas who I am authentically in all
(04:32):
areas of my life.
SPEAKER_00 (04:34):
Yes, I love that, especially being we're super a
little bit close in age.
I'm 33, so three years in.
And I, gosh, when I tell you thesame thing, I watched that same
movie so many years ago, and Iwas like, what's the big deal
about 30?
I thought, oh, I turned 25.
This is it.
This gotta be it, right?
This is adulting.
(04:54):
I quickly realized it was not.
There is such another level thathappens.
I feel like when you get to 30,it's almost like I always call
it like my unlocking because Istart to unlock these different
parts of myself that I didn'trealize were there quite yet,
where I hadn't, you know, beenopening, open to accepting those
(05:16):
parts of myself just yet.
So I want to introduce you tothe audience here for the first
time that y'all are meeting herhere today.
Gracia Rui Ruiz, Ruiz, goodness,is an author, recent author.
We're gonna get into that later.
She's a speaker and the founderof Italy Brides, which you guys
(05:36):
heard an Italy-based weddingplanning experience for the
modern bride.
She's also a change manager bytrade.
So she works remotely while atthe same time building her dream
business in sunny California,which I love California, y'all.
It has seriously created justlike another home for my heart
(05:57):
that I didn't realize.
I think before even thebeginning of this year, I had
never been to the West Coast atall.
So I love that I got to bethere.
And that's where we metoriginally.
And I love that you're here onthe show today because we're
gonna get to really dig intolike what thriving actually
looks like.
Like you said, not just on theoutside, but in your spirit and
(06:19):
your relationships and livingand your purpose.
So you mentioned that you spenta lot of time this past year,
you know, moving from likeliving on kind of autopilot to
really feeling like you wereliving again.
Can you talk about like whatsparked that shift for you?
SPEAKER_01 (06:38):
Yeah.
So I definitely felt there werea lot of words.
Autopilot is definitely one ofthose words that I use because
that's exactly what my life wasfeeling like.
I also have used the analogy offeeling like I'm on the wrong
train, going the wrongdestination, but not knowing how
to get off.
What stop do I get off at?
(06:58):
What other train do I even wantto get on?
You know, prior to Black Friday2024, I had already had, you
know, since the pandemic, sowe're talking five years now of
gut feeling, knowing that I wasin a career and at that point it
was a project management rolethat did not feel aligned for
(07:21):
me, even though the company wasgreat, even though, you know,
the benefits, the pay, you know,they were, you know,
compensating fairly.
They were uh, again, goodculture, but just the actual
role itself felt like it waskilling me from the inside out.
And I did feel where I'm justliving life every day kind of
(07:42):
looks the same.
And I'm not really in control ordriving if it's on autopilot.
Life is lifing for you.
You know, you're not in thedriver's seat.
So I remember writing on my rawwall, actually, right here, that
I wanted to be in control.
I wanted to be in the driver'sseat of my life again and no
longer in the passenger seat.
And so basically, Black Friday,what that meant for me was just
(08:04):
it was this day of reflectionand this like really big
emotional catharsis of no longerignoring how I was feeling and
truly doing the work of figuringout what I wanted next.
And so, how what I started to dowas first of all identify what
my fears even were of switchingcareers or starting a business.
(08:27):
I actually did values-based workin mental health coaching.
Through a mental health coachingprogram, we started talking
about what are those?
What do I even value, right?
So, what is it?
Right.
And so by understanding what Iwanted my life to look like,
well, then now I can build abusiness or, you know, a new
career that points to the kindof lifestyle I want to live
(08:48):
instead of being completelystuck, lost.
I don't, you know, having anydirection.
And so, yeah.
So since that, met you at theGalantine's event in February,
which that was like the start ofthe expansion year, right?
And then I got businesscoaching.
And now I get to be where I amtoday, completely renewed and
(09:09):
definitely in the driver's seatagain.
SPEAKER_00 (09:12):
Yes, I love it.
I love it.
And I love how you speak aboutfiguring out what alignment
meant for you in this season,now that you feel like you
really are matching with whatyour alignment is, how how do
you kind of maybe even on aday-to-day basis, how do you
(09:35):
make sure that you are stillgrowing in alignment versus
maybe falling back to just doingthe things, doing more, staying
in that cycle.
SPEAKER_01 (09:45):
So, like, um, how do I ensure that I remain in
alignment?
Yes, yes.
Yeah, that's great.
Again, I think it really doestie back to the values piece
because before, to your point,it's like, how do I even know
I'm in alignment with what?
What am I aligning with?
And also I think it's important,I say values because I think
with I when it comes to ouridentities, they're ever
(10:06):
evolving, they're ever changing.
You are meant to keep changing,you were meant to keep evolving.
So that might not necessarily,if you just like keep it to what
do I like in this moment or myidentity, it will keep shifting.
And so I think the alignmentpiece comes, okay, going back to
asking yourselves the questionis this taking me closer to what
(10:28):
I value?
So in my case, as an example,not just talking about values.
So in my case, what I waslooking for was a bigger impact,
purpose, and fulfillment from mycareer, which I was not feeling.
So I definitely feel that more,much more with my business, but
(10:50):
also with these kinds ofengagements of podcasting and
community building and thesewomen's empowerment events.
Those fill my purpose,fulfillment, and impact that I
was looking for.
And then when it comes to whatI'm also looking for from a
(11:10):
lifestyle from any career orbusiness, I'm also looking for
time freedom, which you know, Idid have some of that,
especially with the remote,there's some flexibility there,
of course.
But I was looking for uh freedomto be able to choose my own
schedule.
And also, again, when I amactually working, doing things
(11:33):
that feel more fulfilling, morepurpose-driven, more impactful.
And so that's how I know it'sagain, it, I guess whatever
actions I'm taking, are theytaking me closer or further away
from what I just mentioned Ivalued?
And by the way, values, justlike identity, yes, they are
also evolving.
Like I'm not saying, you know,but and that's okay.
(11:54):
You rediscover what those newvalues are, and then you keep
pointing your life to is itgetting me closer or further
away from?
SPEAKER_00 (12:02):
Yes, I love that.
And I love that you brought inthe ever-evolving thing, right?
Because we're gonna keep gettingolder.
What I value now as a 30-year30-year-old, I may not have
valued when I was in my 20s orlooking towards the future when
I'm in my 40s.
They may completely changeagain.
And you always have to keepchecking in with self and being
(12:25):
like, okay, does this still feellike it is aligned with my
values?
What, what are ask yourself thequestion, what are my values
right now?
I think just continuing to dothat often, you know, as often
as you can, like you said,Garcia, just keeps you aligned,
keeps you on the right track, inthe right train.
SPEAKER_01 (12:46):
Yes.
SPEAKER_00 (12:47):
Okay, yes, on the right train.
SPEAKER_01 (12:50):
At the train platform.
SPEAKER_00 (12:52):
Okay, so you uh we're talking we're talking
about discovering your values,right?
And building your life aroundthat.
I want to dig more into becauseyou talked briefly about it,
about how you started to learnwhat your values are.
Can you talk about how youstarted to really truly dig into
(13:15):
what those are and maybe sharewith some of our listeners how
they can start figuring out whattheirs are?
SPEAKER_01 (13:21):
Yeah, that's a great question.
It's just funny.
In this case, it's just a funnystory, like to kind of put you
into the actual moment that thishappened.
And I'm not saying this maybe istrue for everybody, but it was
true for me.
And I do think there's somethingmagical about a bubble bath.
So where this happened for mewas I was, again, I had plugged
myself into a mental healthcoaching program.
(13:46):
And basically, it's through mywork, I, you know, was received
10 free sessions of mentalhealth coaching.
So I took that opportunity and Iknew I needed some additional
support.
And so this program was prettystructured.
Like I said, it was like veryclearly 10 sessions.
And so I think it was session,you know, five, four or five, I
can't remember.
But it was very specific tovalues.
(14:08):
And so, I mean, in that case,they did send me a video just
kind of explaining what doesthis even look like?
What do you mean, you know, yourvalues, right?
And so once I looked throughthat video, and and the the
bubble bath is important herebecause I had I was supposed to
be doing quote unquote homeworkto identify my values.
And I had been likeprocrastinating, putting it off
(14:28):
because it takes somereflection.
You have to take some time toreflect.
You have to listen to yourself.
And you can't listen to yourselfuntil there's some silence
involved.
So that's where the bubble bathcomes in.
I finally had a self-caremoment.
I gave myself some time to do abubble bath, to watch that video
(14:49):
on my phone as I'm in the bubblebath, and then I'm reflecting.
And then in that silence, inthat moment, it's funny, it was
two for one.
Not only did I start writingdown, just very simply, it
really doesn't have to be this,like what I said, like, oh, I'm
valuing, you know, forfulfillment purpose, this, it
would just start with words,like one word.
(15:11):
Yeah.
So I just started going, oh, Ivalue authenticity, I value
simplicity, I value clarity, Ivalue, and just start
brainstorming, literally, justdump it all in a note.
And as I started going, thatmoment also sparked the idea of
Italy Brides, which I think iscrazy.
That was not the intention.
(15:31):
I was over here just simplydoing a value exercise, and that
idea sparked this crazy idea ofwhat if I turn my own wedding
planning experience in Italyfrom my own wedding and help
other brides do this becausethis sounds like it hits all of
these values that I'm talkingabout.
SPEAKER_00 (15:54):
That is so cool.
SPEAKER_01 (15:55):
The takeaway really is reflection, right?
Take some time to reflect,brainstorm.
Don't be afraid to just dump itall in.
Hey, we've got AI nowadays.
AI is super helpful to put youronce you do the brainstorming on
your own, go, hey, here's allthe words I chose.
Like, what do some values maybelook like?
Put that into Chat GPT.
SPEAKER_00 (16:14):
Yes, yeah.
Goodness.
AI is so helpful with withhelping you pull out the themes
so you can literally just dumpit all out, get it all out of
your head, and say, okay, helpme now organize these thoughts.
What does this all really startto mean?
Um, I love that.
I love it.
Goodness.
Okay, so I want to talk moreabout Italy Brides because my
(16:39):
goodness, I just love this brandthat you've built.
I loved if y'all are notfollowing her yet.
We're gonna get into socialslater, but I loved watching just
your like behind the scenes, youknow, and your stories and then
recaps after of just how youwere building this beautiful
moment for like the bride andgroomsmen, but then also keeping
(17:03):
yourself in the equation, y'all.
And y'all, she did this.
What was it?
It was like over a full week,right?
Oh my goodness.
Yes.
Okay, well, what what has thatjourney with Italy Brides, what
has that taught you now aboutreally building a life that fits
for you?
SPEAKER_01 (17:23):
Ooh, ooh, yeah, so this is great.
So I think, first of all, ItalyBrides is not the first
disclaimer, it's not the firstbusiness that I've started.
And so, to your point about, youknow, how does this business
align with the kind of life I'mtrying to build?
Before I understood that if Iunderstand my values, then I can
(17:46):
point my life and my businessand really anything I do towards
those values.
And all of a sudden, everythingstarts feeling very aligned.
And it makes sense becauseyou've got a North Star, you've
got somewhere to point to.
Before that, I hadn't done thatkind of a work.
And I just I had never beenexposed to that before.
And so instead, I was buildingbusinesses, and in those cases,
(18:08):
they were they were both bakingbusinesses.
One was called Bakery by Gigi.
It was custom cakes and cakes.
Gigi is my name.
And then the other one wasCherie, which was macarons.
Point is, in both of thoseinstances, I was building the
business out of something that Iloved to do, but not necessarily
how I wanted to spend my time.
(18:30):
And again, and that's totallyfine.
I experimented, I invested mytime, energy, and realized what
I do like and what I don't like.
So, based on that experience,the biggest takeaway was the
time freedom part was not there.
If anything, it was actuallytaking, I'm not the fastest
baker.
Some people are really good atthis.
(18:50):
That is not a natural skill ofmine.
I make goodies taste good, but Idon't do them fast.
And if you're trying to operatea business and scale it, you
need to operate faster or youneed to outsource this, right?
So I just wasn't there and Irealized that I was actually
spending the majority of my timedoing manual labor that I
(19:10):
personally wasn't reallyenjoying.
And I actually enjoyed marketingthe goodies at the end of the
day.
I enjoyed going out to farmersmarkets and meeting other
vendors.
So I was actually spending like10% of my time doing the things
I liked and like 90% doingthings I didn't like.
So with Italy Brides and withthe bubble bath moment, I
(19:30):
decided to take another try atthis.
And so I started with one brideand groom, to your point, the
one that I just got to do theirwedding.
And it was very much like, youknow what?
I'm not going to force myself tosay this is it and this is the
last business I'll ever try.
No, it's let me just try it outand see if this is a better fit.
And this truly is a better fit.
(19:51):
Why?
I get to work remotely, right?
So I get to work with couplesall over the world from my home,
you know, in California.
And at the end of the day, It'svery international, right?
Where you're going to Italy.
I studied internationalbusiness.
So it relates clearly to some ofmy educational background, but
also interests.
And I'm very passionate aboutthe Italian culture, very
(20:13):
passionate about the culture,the food, the people, the energy
you feel there.
And so everything just startedfeeling like it was aligning to
those values.
I felt a greater impact, greaterpurpose, greater fulfillment.
But also I get to work primarilydoing what I love most during
(20:34):
that time, which is again thatmarketing side.
I get to do content creation.
I get to really inspire bridesto find out what's possible for
them.
So really that piece, theinspiration piece is big for me,
realizing that I get to spendthe most of my time inspiring
people, whatever that lookslike.
From a personal standpoint, Iwant to inspire you to follow
(20:56):
your dreams.
From a bridal standpoint, I wantto inspire you that if you want
to get married in Italy, it ispossible.
You just need a plan.
You need a strategy and a plan,but you can do it.
SPEAKER_00 (21:09):
I love that.
Goodness.
The the just you can do itmindset.
And I feel like just the energyI'm feeling just throughout just
knowing you this entire time isjust stop waiting for the
perfect time.
Is there anything?
I know the bubble bath moment,right?
But is there anything thathelped you stop waiting for the
(21:30):
perfect time to chase that dreamto say, okay, I'm gonna pivot,
right?
Why not?
SPEAKER_01 (21:36):
Yeah, that's a great question.
I think that this is where itleads to how we met too,
actually.
And I'm so, so grateful with howwe met.
Like I said, I I mean, I justwanted to talk about that for a
second because both of us met ina moment of really, I think just
leaping, like taking a leap offaith.
Right.
And so, at least for me forsure, the event in February was
(22:00):
my very first time puttingmyself in a room, basically in a
room with people in person withother women who were, you know,
a few steps down like up theladder than I was, or a few
steps, you know, further than Iwas, building businesses that
were giving them exactly what Imentioned is they were building
businesses that were providingthem with more time freedom that
(22:21):
also were purpose-driven, moreimpact, more fulfilling.
And I knew, and I could see iton the online space, I knew this
was real.
There's real people out there.
I had never met any of them.
And I needed to make it real formyself.
I'm like, okay, I see thisonline, but I want in-person
(22:42):
connection.
I want to actually meet thesepeople.
I want to meet these women and Iwant to get inspired.
So that's where you and I met.
And I don't know, I think thatwas your first event as well.
SPEAKER_00 (22:52):
I well, I had been to events previously, but I
think that was my first eventafter just having Henry.
That was my first kind of comingout of postpartum event, coming
out of this like huge motherhoodtransformation, going from two
to three babies and being inthat space of just like, okay,
(23:12):
who am I now?
What do I want to do?
I was in that phase of justlike, okay, what I've been doing
has been great, but there's morein there, right?
There's a deeper level.
And I just could not get to itat that point until I think I
got to that event.
It was a very spur of themoment, too.
Very spur of the moment.
SPEAKER_01 (23:32):
Yeah.
And it was, and it's you said itwas the first time on the West
Coast.
So maybe it wasn't your firstevent ever.
But I mean, you got in a plane,you know, like it's yeah.
That's what I mean by the leapof faith.
Like you're looking you know, Ifor me it was it was not a
plane, but it was still a drive,you know, six-hour drive.
I grabbed my mom.
I didn't want to go alone yet.
I wasn't ready.
And so that event is really whatyou know that moment was my
(23:57):
first practice to your point oflike, how do I practice actually
taking action, right?
And so they say action leads toclarity.
So the you know, in order to notwait for the perfect time, I
just had to start somewhere,anywhere.
And for me, I knew that I neededto start what I needed most was
(24:17):
validation.
In that moment, I really didneed the external validation.
The goal is to, of course, notneed that, right?
But in that moment, I knewthat's what I needed.
So I went and found it so that Icould find that an external
validation in the sense thatthere, this is like um a proven,
you know, business model or it'sa proven lifestyle.
(24:38):
It's a proof, like I neededproof in person and in.
And thanks to that, I also mademy next intuition-based
decision.
I'm very logic-based.
So for me to be makingintuition-based decisions, it
took some practice.
It was new for me, which thatnext step was I invested in a
group coaching program with oneof the speakers I met at that
(24:58):
event.
She happened to be closer towhere I am locally.
And so I got to invest in thatprogram.
And that really continued thatexpansion.
And by having a support systemfinally and taking small actions
stacked on each other, then Istopped waiting for the perfect
time because those opportunitiesstarted presenting themselves.
(25:22):
And I started saying yes tothese opportunities that I
didn't know of before andwouldn't have been plugged into
before.
SPEAKER_00 (25:30):
Yeah.
Beautiful, beautiful.
I think it was probably in thatroom that both of us decided to
lock into a community that wasgonna support us on this
journey.
Cause like you can't, you can'tdo it alone, guys.
It's about getting in the rightrooms around the right people,
and also seeing I need support.
I need support.
(25:50):
Sure, I can go back home andlike figure this out by myself.
I've done that previously in thepast with events, just gone to
events, taken a lot of notes,and gone back home and reflected
and still been like, okay, nowwhat do I do with all of this
great information?
I don't know what the next stepis and like really getting you
locked into community, whateverthat looks like for you, can
(26:13):
help you figure out like whatthose steps should be.
So I want to spend a little bitof time here on the book because
you are an author.
My goodness, what what abeautiful way to just step into
your 30s, being a publishedauthor.
Can you talk about just what itwas like writing, writing in a
book, writing for, you know, fora book, what it felt like to,
(26:36):
what it feels like to just haveyour story just out there.
SPEAKER_01 (26:40):
Yeah.
It's so surreal and it's alsobeautiful.
It's so, yes, I am a recentpublished author.
Now I only wrote one chapter inin a larger collection book.
So my goal is to eventuallywrite a full book.
That would be amazing.
SPEAKER_02 (26:58):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (26:58):
This is such a great step in the right direction.
And it was, you know, it takes alot of vulnerability because in
this, this book specifically iscalled This Time It's Personal.
And so the title tells you it'sgoing to be personal.
My chapter, the chapter of allthe other women in the book, are
(27:19):
very, very personal stories ofour transformation and how we
are all actively building livesthat fit what we are looking
for.
And so it was very beautiful toactually be able to sit down.
And I mean, it took me, youknow, quite quite a few hours,
right?
Of over multiple days, ofcourse, of sitting down and
(27:40):
really thinking and reflecting,getting my own big bubble bath
moment to reflect and thinkabout what really led me here,
right?
Like where, so what have Ialready learned and gained?
What am I still learning?
And so it was a really, reallybeautiful experience.
It's really awesome to get toreflect on your own life and
(28:02):
realize first of all, look ateverything you've accomplished.
Second of all, yeah, this iswhere you currently are, and
here's where you're going.
And so that it's funny.
And in the chapter, there is asection about the bubble bath
revelation.
And so that's how I can talkabout it now, is because thanks
to that chapter helping meorganize my thoughts and be, you
(28:25):
know, write out my story.
I now have this story that I canshare.
Uh that's organized.
My thoughts are all organized inthe sense of, oh wow, like this
is what led me here.
And so it's a great feeling.
And I am always, I have alwaysbeen an open book for the most
part, but I hadn't necessarilyput my story into words like
(28:46):
that.
And it is really cool that I Ireally hope that women feel
inspired by my story and byother women's stories.
Like that is the entire point ofthe book.
And I think it's really coolbecause I know I've read books
and I've never met the author,and I'm super inspired by them.
So that's the goal.
I hope that I get to inspiresomeone out there, even if
(29:06):
you've never met me, even if wenever meet, regardless, like go
out and do the thing.
SPEAKER_00 (29:13):
Yes.
Oh gosh.
You know, you bring up a greatpoint.
My husband and I, we werewatching a show yesterday.
We literally were like, we'venever met an author of a book.
And I was like, wait a minute.
Now you reminded me.
Yes, I did.
I totally have.
Gosh.
Okay.
So, Gracia, while we're movingto the end of our episode here,
is there a book, a quote, or amantra that has been guiding you
(29:37):
this year?
We're winding down to the end of2025, which is absolutely wild
to me.
But can you leave the listenerswith anything that can help
propel them in this next year?
SPEAKER_01 (29:48):
Yes.
So for me, the book Worthy byJamie Kern Lima has been
extremely helpful because wetalked about doing values, you
know, understanding your values,we talked about, you know, not
waiting for the perfect time,putting yourself in the right
rooms, we talked about a lot ofthese things.
(30:10):
But if you don't feel worthy ofreceiving this, of a change, of
living a better life and a lifethat better fits you, if you do
not feel worthy of those things,that is the very first thing you
need to learn because you arealready worthy right now.
(30:32):
But I can't make you believethat.
You have to believe it yourself.
And so just that book that hasbeen really helpful in my own
journey of worthiness.
Because honestly, that really isstep one.
Once you finally believe you'reworthy, then you start taking
all these steps, steps and outsbecause you're coming from uh a
place.
And it's not justself-confidence, it really,
(30:53):
really is self-worth.
Self-confidence is externallybased and facing, but self-worth
is internal, and nobody can takethat away from you.
So that is uh a bigrecommendation for me.
So powerful.
SPEAKER_00 (31:07):
Goodness.
Okay, so I uh first of all, justthank you.
Thank you for coming on today.
Thank you for sharing yourenergy with me, with the
listeners, your story with us,y'all.
Please go grab the book and readGracia's chapter.
I I promise you, is going to beimpactful for you.
(31:29):
Her story is just, like I said,it's it's personal, it's
vulnerable.
And I feel like just you connectwith so many women who maybe
like are in their 20s, about togo into their 30s, or women who
are in their 30s now and stilltrying to figure it out and
being like, okay, what do I donext?
I'm in my 30s, what what isnext?
(31:51):
Um, so you've just you'vereminded us all today just that
thriving is not about having itall together.
It's literally choosing everyday to wake up to your life
again and truly live it, right?
And not just live it in thatmonotonous way of just I'm doing
the things, I'm checking theboxes, but living it fully
aligned.
(32:11):
So can you let the listenersknow where they can connect with
you and just continue to hearyour story, stay supported, um,
and just watch your journey.
SPEAKER_01 (32:24):
Thank you so much.
Yes.
So for my personal account andany, you know, following my
personal journey is at it'sGrecia Ruiz.
And on for, you know, any bridesout there, or frankly, anybody
that just wants some really funItaly content, you can go ahead
and follow at Italy Brides.
(32:44):
And then as for the book, youcan find a link to that in my
bio in my at It's Grecia Ruizprofile.
SPEAKER_00 (32:53):
I love it.
Goodness.
Thank you, Gracia, and y'all,until next time.
Keep expanding, keep evolving,and keep thriving.
Thanks, Ebony.
Thank you so much for listening,love.
If anything in today's episoderesonated with you, share it
with your bestie or share it onsocial media and tag me so we
(33:17):
can chat about it.
As always, sending you light andlove.
And remember, you are worthy,you are enough, and you deserve
to thrive.
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