Grace Bonney started the blog Design*Sponge many years ago, and today it’s one of the most trusted places online to go for creative inspiration. Her journey has had several points of big changes, like when she decided to pursue her blog full-time, when she came out as gay, and when she was diagnosed with diabetes. She’s an excellent example of how we sometimes must cycle through the heroine’s journey more than once.

Grace is also the author of the recently released book, In the Company of Women: Inspiration and Advice from over 100 Makers, Artists, and Entrepreneurs, and shares Heroine’s mission to support and empower creative women from all walks of life.

In this episode, you’ll learn the mistakes Grace has made in order to grow, and the lessons she’s learned as her business has evolved.

Show Notes:
-Grace growing up: A quiet and shy girl who struggled to feel like her natural self was accepted. [4:17]
-Transferring to a small liberal arts college after feeling like NYU was too big for her, and how that shifted her path for the better. [10:22]
-Dealing with pushback and criticism, coming out at thirty, and the importance of transparency. [14:30]
-On her early career, the evolution of Design*Sponge, and some deeply-seated patriarchal beliefs that she had to unlearn in order to lead. [21:08]
-Majo and Grace discuss misconceptions about women, like the false sense of competition, and Grace shares how a lot of her growth has come from making mistakes. [27:24]
-On setting boundaries and letting go of guilt, redefining herself and her business, and the aftermath of being diagnosed with diabetes. [34:11]
-Defining success in your own way: Grace shares what a successful day looks like for her. [40:12]
-Digging into her book, In The Company of Women. Grace reveals the huge myth that almost every women she interviewed had learned to let go of. [44:19]
-Discussing some of the most important messages to women in Grace’s book, including the encouragement to take up more space. [50:17]

References:
http://www.designsponge.com/
http://www.designsponge.com/book
http://www.thehivery.com

Episode Sponsors:
InVision – https://www.invisionapp.com/company
Adobe Creative Residency – http://adobe.com/go/creativeresidency

Music by Lucia Lilikoi – lucia.bandcamp.com