 Andria joined us out at Blue Hole in Santa Rosa, New Mexico on a warm fall day. We sat under some shade trees and she opened up about her passions in creativity and fitness, how she lives an authentic life, and what motivates her to love herself. She initially came across as quite shy, but I soon realized that what she possesses is a quiet confidence and a zest for life and hard work,
What's your favorite thing to do when you're bored? "When I'm bored? There's not a whole lot of time for me to be bored these days!" She laughs, "but when I am I'll usually go swing mace or I'll paint. I like painting on wood and other fun textures like that.. I love to paint figures, mostly pinup girls and Dia de los Muertos style skulls." What are three traits that you admire in other women? "I appreciate loyalty...both in our relationships with others and with ourselves. There is a lot of stigma around how women should act around one another. There's this odd dynamic that we need to be catty and jealous with one another and belittle each other to make ourselves feel better and I often wonder why we do this. I think it's important to ignore the stigma and just treat each other like decent human beings. Acknowledge and enjoy the differences that make us truly unique human beings. All of my best girl friends are very different from one another and each of them add amazing things to my life that the others cannot. This is why I appreciate this project so much. It's important to appreciate one another and challenge each other in a constructive way to become better people. And due to my experiences and the experiences of those around me, loyalty is something that I really admire in other women. Confidence. No matter who you are, you should feel comfortable in your own skin. You shouldn't let anyone's assertions of who you should be or where you should be in life impact how you feel about yourself. I wholeheartedly applaud every woman because we are all on their journey to this. It took me a long time to get where I am now, and I don't think I've fully arrived, but I do believe that we need to support one another in our steps toward being fully ourselves. Being encouraging and genuine. There's enough negativity in the world and we don't need to add to it! Lift one another up in any way that you can. Applaud one another's successes. Support each other in failure. Be a positive influence in someone's life. Do what you can to add to happiness in someone else's life. We can all do something."  How do you practice self care? I think it's really important to find time, no matter how busy you are, to do things by yourself and for your own happiness. It should be something that JUST you enjoy and isn't for anyone else. For me it's been things like painting, or more recently I've gotten super into fitness. I'm actually kind of obsessed with this niche of fitness I've found. I don't like weight lifting or running, but I've found something I enjoy that keeps me busy and that I can do for myself. I go to kickboxing classes, and swing mace (#MaceMovement: A class specializing in the art of the steel mace. The mace is a weighted tool designed to constantly engage your core while you work every other part of your body. The slow, controlled movements combined with fast-paced rhythms and rotations are sure to provide a full body, mind and soul workout) and I just started taking jiu jitsu and I just really enjoy doing something for myself that serves a purpose. I see my commitment to go to the gym as an appointment that I make with myself and to better myself and I maintain my commitment. I don't cancel those appointments unless it's for something major" What's your favorite thing about yourself? "Recently, I have really just stopped caring what people think of me. Not necessarily in a bad way; and not in a way that's snobby or contemptuous. I still believe that I should take counsel from wise people and people who love me and consider their input. But I began thinking this way about two years ago when I started dressing in the rockabilly style and people would look at me like I was crazy because I had my hair in victory rolls with giant flowers. Even though I no longer dress like this, I realized then that it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks about what your style is or who you are, because if you are happy with yourself, that's what matters. This past year, this attitude has helped me cope with the negative comments about my fitness lifestyle. It's one of those things that not everyone supports or appreciates because of the nature of the sport. It makes me so sad because it's something that is very dear to my heart. But the disappointment has helped me really appreciate the passions and differences in others that I may not understand fully. So, I guess my favorite thing about myself right now is that I am fully committed to who I am and don't let anyone's opinion sway that."
What makes you feel beautiful? "I think being strong makes me feel beautiful, as well as being able to accomplish things with my body that I never thought were possible. Which is still strange to me, because when I'm at the gym, I don't feel beautiful in the traditional sense...not in the way you feel when you get ready to go out on a date or get a new haircut. I am sweaty and whatever is left of my makeup is running down my face in streaks, but it's my favorite part of my day! I never thought I would be the type of person to try things that are typically considered a man's sport or hobby, and being able to step outside of the typical "girl" box makes me feel strong which makes me feel beautiful." She pauses before adding, "I also think being 100% myself makes me feel beautiful. If you're pretending and not being yourself, it's a fake sense of beauty. I feel best when I'm being authentic with myself."  Andria is such a genuine person. She truly sticks to her guns and embraces her true self with a confidence that I admire. I really enjoyed hearing her perspective and seeing her eyes light up as she spoke about her passions. She was eager to adventure and take the leap off the cliff at Blue hole and the first one to ask to jump a second time. Keep adventuring, girl! Welcome to the Sisterhood, we are happy to have you!  {All photos are property of Simply Sisterhood and Gonzalez Guillen Photo.
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 Emmy is one of those people that is just bursting with energy. You can feel her excitement from a mile away and her joy is contagious. We spent our time sitting under some old trees and watching the excitement around Blue Hole from afar and I started our conversation with an ice breaker. If you were a fictional character, who would you be? “Oooh, Liz Lemon!” she blurts out immediately, “I love her and I feel like we have a lot in common. She is shameless in a way, and not afraid to be herself.”
What makes you feel beautiful? “I thought you were supposed to build up to the hard questions!” she quips before taking a moment to consider her answer. “I feel beautiful when I am finding my confidence in Christ, and when I am trying to be exactly who God made me to be. When i’m feeling like I am who I am and who I am meant to be, that’s when I feel most beautiful. It’s not really about clothes or makeup, it’s about my state of mind.” Can you tell me about an experience that has shaped who you are today? “I think I've been greatly shaped by all of the traveling that I’ve done. I’ve been to a lot of countries in the developing world and it has truly made me who I am. I went to Tanzania in 2006 for eight weeks and it was really eye opening to see how content people can be when they have so little to live on and they don’t see a need for anything else. I loved experiencing their culture. I also went to India around that time and seeing the complete poverty and rampant homelessness was really intense, eye opening, and sad.”  What is a cause that you are passionate about? “There are so many!” she gushes, “I am a very passionate person! I’m passionate about everything.” She laughs as I ask her to narrow it down just a little bit for our readers, “I would say that preventing Human Trafficking is something I am really passionate about. My family is working towards buying only fair trade products and just raising awareness about Human Trafficking and how modern day slavery takes many forms.” She asks if she can share another cause and of course I say yes! “I’ve also found a new community of families that have spent time in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). My daughter Olive was born at 31 weeks gestation, and we spent eighty days in the NICU here in Albuquerque. It gave me a heart for parents who were in there even longer than us and those who have a harder road ahead of them. It was definitely a life changing experience. My goal now is to graduate from seminary and be a hospital chaplain to help families like the ones we met during our hospital stay.”
Tell me about your mom. It is at this point that her excitement truly begins to bubble over. “My mom is THE MOST amazing woman on the planet! No matter what our circumstances, she always pushed for me to be the woman that God intended for me to be. She’s an awesome little Baptist feminist and is always looking out to see that everyone is treated fairly and has a voice. She is passionate about helping homeless youth; so much so that she went back to school in her forties to get her Masters degree in counseling and she works specifically with people that society often overlooks.” What legacy do you want to leave? “I just want people to remember that I was always authentic and truly cared about everyone. I want to make others aware of spiritual beauty all around us - I want to be remembered as a tour guide showing people where beauty and truth have been around them all along.”   And with that, I can say that I am truly honored to have gotten to know Emmy and that she is the real deal. She shows kindness and generosity to everyone she encounters and her beauty is so authentic. I am not a generally excitable person, but I felt like she transferred my some of that bubbly passion the longer we sat together. Welcome to The Sisterhood, Emmy. You are a gem and we are so thankful to know you!  {All photos are property of Simply Sisterhood and Gonzalez Guillen Photo.
Please refrain from cropping, editing or copying photos.}  Friends, today I get to share a really fun feature with you! Maggie is my one and only sister! Interviewing someone you have known your entire life, who you shared a bedroom with growing up, is a really challenging experience. I kept finding myself wanting to put words into her mouth. It will never stop surprising me how much I learn about people I already know when I interview them for this project. So, without further ado, let me introduce you to the lovely Maggie! If you were a fictional character, who would you be? “I guess that depends.” she laughs, “If you mean who I am most like, definitely Monica from friends. If you mean who I would like to be if I could choose, Elizabeth Bennett from Pride and Prejudice. I like her because she’s the independent one. All of her sisters are following along with the ways of the family, but she goes her own way.”
If happiness was currency, what job would make you rich? “Honestly, I do really love the job that I have now doing acupuncture.. I love building relationships with my patients and being able to help them. But my husband and I also have a dream to buy a farm and have a big animal rescue where we foster dogs and find them forever homes.” “Oh!” she adds, “If getting paid to travel was a job, I would take that in a heartbeat. If I could get someone to pay me to hike Machu Picchu, that would be great!’ she laughs. If you could go back in time and talk to yourself at any age, what age would you choose and what would you say? “This is the easiest question yet. I would go back to the eighteen year old me and tell myself not to be so fearful of what people think of me or scared of trying new things. I would tell myself to get out of that comfort zone - that’s still something I am telling myself and learning as I grow.” What makes a person beautiful? “I think confidence - NOT arrogance - but just having confidence in yourself while staying humble is beautiful. That and respecting others.”  What is a cause that you are passionate about? “I have two, is that allowed?” she jokes. “First is animal welfare, and dogs in particular. I feel great empathy for people, but animals truly don’t have a voice and cannot ask for help. I am just so passionate about animals and making sure that they have someone to speak up for them. Second is health and medicine. In my profession as a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, I am passionate about helping people feel relief from pain and have better quality of life. I care so deeply for each of my patients and it is so encouraging to see their health improving when they come to me for acupuncture.. What is your favorite thing about yourself? “Well, this is a really hard one!” she laughs, “I think that I have a lot of determination. When I want something, I’m going to go after it with everything that I’ve got. Sometimes what I want may change, but that doesn’t mean that I've given up on what I want. I’ve just switched my focus. I also think that I am good at communicating in an honest and gentle way. When someone needs to hear something that they don’t want to hear, I feel like I do a good job letting them know without hurting their feelings…although other people may have to tell you whether or not they think that is true!”  Who is a woman you look up to and why? “My mom and my grandmother, hands down. My mom is a total free spirit. She’s going to do what she wants to do without caring what people think. She is such a strong person. I feel like I get a lot of my good qualities from her: she loves animals, she's creative and she loves and respects nature. Mom takes these wild day trips around New Mexico and she sees the unexpected beauty of the desert when so many people miss it. My Nana, who became a widow in her early twenties with four young children. She is so resilient. She told me a story about how after her husband passed away, everyone expected her to just quit. But instead she stayed up all night putting in the wood flooring they had picked out together because she wanted to see it through and finish the things she had started with my grandpa. And now, at eighty four years old, she is just a total badass. I aspire to have that kind of resilience.” This is the point where I hold back tears because while I am trying to interview her objectively, these women she is referencing are also MY mother and MY grandmother and they are two women I greatly admire as well. Maggie and I have been blessed to be surrounded with strong women as role models and it is so cool to see my sister recognize that as well.  What makes you feel beautiful? “Being with my family, getting a good night of sleep, being active and accomplishing something!” Maggie is all of those things she referenced and more. She is confident, organized and determined; but she also has a softness and a love of others that I have rarely seen matched in my life. I feel so appreciative to have spent the time talking with her in a new way and learning more about her heart. I can only hope to see my daughters grow and foster the type of relationship that I have with my sister as they get older. Welcome to the Sisterhood, my original first edition sister!  {All photos are property of Simply Sisterhood and Gonzalez Guillen Photo.
Please refrain from cropping, editing or copying photos.}  I was lucky enough to meet up with Tania in Corrales just before she moved to the east coast in late August. She was so much fun to talk with and Pedro shared that she was so much fun to photograph as well because she was willing to try anything he threw at her! Her wit, her spunky sense of humor and her heart for people have all stuck with me since we spoke; and I am excited to share her reveal with you!   If you could have dinner with one person, living or dead, who would it be? “Oscar Wilde because he is just my favorite!” she laughs, “He wrote The Picture of Dorian Gray, which is my favorite book and I think he would be really interesting to talk to. He drank a lot of absinthe and was definitely a character.” What are you passionate about? “Oh, everything! LIFE!” she lets out a giggle before becoming more serious, “As far as my career, I’m moving to practice Acupuncture in an office that specializes in women’s health. It isn’t exactly what I had expected to be doing, but I am really excited about it. I think it’s really cool that women’s health is finally sort of coming to the forefront of society. I am also passionate about food and nutrition. I eventually would like to go back to school for Nutrition and focus on autoimmune disease because I have one and I think it is pushed to the side in our culture. I would also love to be able to help people who struggle with disordered eating as well."  What makes a person beautiful? She pauses for a bit before answering, “Beauty is so subjective so that is a hard question to answer. Everyone is beautiful - I know that sounds corny - but in their own way, everyone does have beauty in them.” She contemplates for a few more seconds before adding, “I almost have a disdain for that phrase though - beauty. It is purely opinion. If you are doing what jives with yourself, and you feel happy doing something, what does it matter? Live a life of passion and do your thing. That’s beauty.” How do you show compassion to yourself? She sighs, “I struggle with this a lot. I tend to put myself on the back burner. If anything, I think discovering that I have an autoimmune disease has taught me to work on my stress levels and self care. Sometimes that means not going out, sometimes it's sleeping in on the weekends, etc. Doing whatever I deem necessary to take care of myself.” She lets out a short laugh before admitting, “but man, it’s hard.”
What is a cause that you are passionate about? “I’m really passionate about ending this whole slut shaming and body shaming issue that our culture seems to be so obsessed with - especially in young people. There just is no place for it!” If you could talk to a younger version of yourself, what age would you go back to and what would you say? “Probably somewhere between the ages of fourteen and sixteen. That is such a challenging age. Um…” She pauses for a short spell and I can tell these next words will be of great meaning to her. “It’s hard because I had a bad pattern in the past few years - and I feel as though I've finally broken it - of being with people that just drained the life and happiness out of me. I wish I could go back and tell myself ‘you are worth so much more than that’ and have myself actually believe it. A book that does a great job describing what it is like to be a teenager is ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower” and it says ‘you accept the love you think you deserve’ and that is so true of me at that age. SO TRUE.” What is a quality that you admire in other women? “I love the outspoken ones more than anybody because I wish that I was more like them! Not to say I don’t value my introvert tendencies, I just really admire people who speak their mind and don’t give a damn what anyone thinks of them.”
What is your favorite thing about yourself? “I like that I laugh a lot. I actually got told in high school that I laugh too much…by someone who maybe laughed too little.” We both have a little chuckle at that and she continues on, “I do have a nervous giggle, but I also just try to find humor in life and be an optimist without losing touch with reality.” I think Tania has nailed it - she’s 49% realist, 51% optimist. I love her blunt, yet kind way of speaking and that she isn’t afraid to confront her own insecurities, nor afraid to speak highly of her strengths. She is one of those people that makes you feel comfortable in your own skin, just for being around her. One of my very favorite things was that she wore a Beavis and Butthead T-shirt for the shoot. Tania is unapologetically herself and has a quirky sense of humor that makes her unique. She filled the Corrales Bosque with laughter and energy and I felt lucky to have spent the afternoon with her. Welcome to The Sisterhood, Tania, and best of luck in all of your new endeavors!  {All photos are property of Simply Sisterhood and Gonzalez Guillen Photo.
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