We had the good fortune of connecting with Angel Hepp and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Angel, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
My balance is non-existent thankfully, ha ha! That’s because a long time ago I heard from a keynote speaker that it was so helpful for her to focus on compromise as opposed to balance. Balance assumes that there’s a point to be reached where everything in life is evenly distributed and it was such a stressful pursuit because that’s an impossible goal.

Her message was inviting a shift in perspective, that rather than balance, we envision the things in our life as rubber balls or glass balls. The things that we know we can drop and they’ll be ok, like dishes, laundry, etc are the rubber balls. Sometimes we choose to let it drop knowing that it’ll bounce back. And then there are the things in our life that are more valuable and fragile, family, self-care, etc and those are the glass balls. It’s not a matter of never being able to shift and put those things down for a time depending on what’s happening in our life. But rather that it’s put down with intention and care, knowing that we’ll be the one to choose to pick it back up since it won’t bounce back on its own.

It was a big turning point in my life to adopt that perspective shift. It felt like an enormous sigh of relief to finally be able to step out of the exhausting and endless race to pursue balance. Instead, it’s grown into an evolving practice of focusing on compromise and intentional choices for what gets my time and attention and when. Does it always work out that perfectly? Definitely not! But at the end of the day, it’s been a much happier journey focusing on work/life compromise.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Josephine and Grace, our home décor and gift shop in downtown Frederick, is named after our daughter’s middle names and they’ve each gotten to be part of the journey in their own special ways. Our 9 year old loves to help in the shop whenever she can and our paper bags are hand stamped by her as well. Our 4 year old is madly in love with the candles we carry and she can’t help but smell them every time she comes in, even if she’s smelled them all before.

Getting to open the shop has been an amazing way to show not only myself, but also our two young girls, that we can create our own opportunity. Which is something I’m very connected to because encouraging and empowering women and young girls is a deeply rooted passion of mine.

In the early days our oldest would ask how many customers we had each day or how much we sold, and I could quickly tell that that’s how she was measuring our success. To be honest, it was hard for me not to get caught up in that myself. And so it was an incredible opportunity to share with her something I needed to be reminded of myself; that we can’t control how many people come in the door or how much we sell, the only thing we can control is that we show up everyday and that’s how we’re going to measure our success.

It’s moments like those that we have the incredible privilege of showing our girls in real time as small business owners how we get to approach business, but also life. They get to watch as we cheer on other fellow business owners and do what we can to lift up fellow women-owned businesses. It helps us shift the narrative from comparison to collaboration. We try to do that as often as we can through pop-up events and in the products we carry. We also get to do that through our custom market bag. We donate the proceeds of the sales to organizations that encourage and empower women and girls. And because we want to share the support, we pick a new organization twice a year.

It’s another way we’re helping to be sure that other women and girls get the chance to make their own opportunities by supporting organizations that align with those values. Knowing that we get to be a part of hopefully helping even just one woman or young girl create a life that makes her smile is absolutely worth it.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
The Read Queen Bookstore in Lafayette: I’m madly in love with books and this local bookshop is so quaint and charming. Tons of great titles to choose from, great gifting items as well and a really fun kids section. Plus, the scones are amazing!

Wozani Farm in Frederick is one of my all time favorite experiences. The family that runs the farm are friends of mine and it’s been an incredible joy to watch their dream grow year after year. The Saturday morning farmstand during the summer is a must for fresh sourdough and making a mini bouquet at the Bouquet Bar.

Denver Art Museum never disappoints. My husband and I love to visit museums and we had our wedding reception at the Art Museum when we were married in 2010. No matter if its the existing collections or the visiting exhibitions, this museum is always on my recommendation list.

Due South in Lafayette: it’s one of my favorite spots! The shop is beautifully appointed and creatively designed. It’s always changing and so it’s fun to visit often and see what new gems are in the shop.

Sugar Mill Antiques and Vintage Depot in Longmont: There are so many treasures waiting to be found at this delightful antique and vintage shop.

Lottie Lane in Erie: The owner Lindsay has exceptional taste and her shop is full of all kinds of beautiful goodies for your home

Georgia Boys BBQ (3 Colorado locations): Anytime someone visits, at some point in their journey we’ll be going to Georgia Boys! The BBQ is so good and I love the southern hospitality. The burnt ends and sweet potato casserole are some of my faves!

The Post (multiple Colorado locations): You can’t go wrong with friend chicken and the deviled eggs are delicious

Salt & Acres in Fort Lupton: This spot is a hidden gem that won’t be hidden for much longer. It’s a beautiful winery and the tasting room is stunning! It’s a gorgeous place to enjoy their signature wine Ampersand, snack on tasty treats, and dive into their divine olive oil cake. If someone visits during the summer, their summer concert series is always a hit, but there are regular events going on as well so it’s a spot I recommend regularly!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’m incredibly blessed to have a very supportive family which is why so much of what we do at the shop is possible. It wouldn’t even be in existence without my husband’s persistent encouragement and belief in me. I’m much more risk averse and so would have sat on the sidelines for something like this without ever making it happen. So he gets a great deal of thanks!

My mom helps us run the shop and if you’ve shopped on a day she’s there, it just makes your experience that much richer. My sister has offered endless hours of her talent from years of retail merchandising experience and the shop looks as beautiful as it does because of her skill and talent. Our shop is in a space we rent from my in-laws which I’m beyond thankful for because it’s such a perfect spot on the main street of downtown Frederick. So, when we talk about being a family business, it truly is.

The ongoing support of our community and all of our customers is why we’ve been able to be here and continue to do what we do and so we literally couldn’t do it without them. Thank you, a million times, over!!

And of course, I couldn’t finish up a dedication without thanking our two young daughters. They help inspire courage I didn’t know I had in order to help them see that it’s possible for them to create their own opportunities in the world and encourage others along the way. We love getting to walk this journey with them!

Website: www.josephineandgraceco.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/josephineandgraceco/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JosephineAndGrace/

Image Credits
Dana Martin with Dana Martin Creative

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