From Disney Merchandise to Princesses of Heaven: How One Artist Found Her Calling

🎨 Fabiola Garza spent 10+ years at Disney, then left it all to draw saints for kids. In this episode of The LIVing Room, she sits down with Liv Harrison to talk about hitting a creative plateau, the moment her side project outgrew her day job, and what it took to go full-time as the artist behind the beloved Princesses of Heaven children's book series.

They also get real about Catholic singleness over 30, why God promises himself and not a white picket fence, and Fabiola teases what's next. Including Catholic toys, Princesses of Heaven Vol. 2, and the long-awaited boys' saints book.

⭐️ Guest Bio

Fabiola Garza is a Catholic artist, author, and illustrator with over 10 years of experience at Disney in merchandise design. She is the creator of the Princesses of Heaven children's book series and has worked with publishers including Pauline Books & Media. Her work brings a Disney-trained eye for whimsy and storytelling to Catholic children's content.

🔗 Links

Connect with Fabiola Garza: 

https://www.instagram.com/fabiolagarzacreates/

Follow Liv Harrison: 

https://instagram.com/@livharrison

In This Episode

00:00 Why Whimsy Isn't Immaturity
04:08 How Imagination Became a Vocation
06:01 Holiness Over Catholic Check Marks
08:44 The JPII Book That Almost Didn't Happen
11:20 10 Years at Disney and the Creative Plateau
14:06 "When Are You Leaving Disney?"
17:20 Saying Yes to the Unknown
21:22 St. Therese, Rosary Walks, and Discernment 
24:20 Playing Convent at the Playground
29:50 What the Church Gets Wrong About Singleness
33:40 "God Promises Himself, Not a Husband"
37:37 Toys, Princesses of Heaven Vol. 2, and the Boys' Book
42:50 Prayer Request

Transcript

SPEAKER_04 0:00

He does not promise you that you're gonna get a husband, that you're gonna get the white picket fans.

SPEAKER_01 0:04

He just doesn't promise any of those things. I make you point out everything that you have drawn or designed, and I buy it. People are like, oh, are you a Disney fan? I'm like, I'm a Fabiola fan.

SPEAKER_04 0:16

Should I do more religious things or non-religious things that wasn't a conflict? Because God doesn't think like that. You know, he thinks about the amount of love and holiness you bring to your job. They started deciding what heavenly crowns they would want in heaven. So they were playing Princesses of Heaven at the playground.

SPEAKER_00 0:32

Okay, I have to response.

SPEAKER_04 0:33

Once I saw that everything had been laid out on a silver platter for me, the Lord was like, you just have to say yes. God's not gonna care if I tell him, look at all these saint books I did in my life. He's not gonna care if I'm not holy.

SPEAKER_01 1:10

I'm so excited for you to be in the living room. This is the living room, friend. I wish you were here. I wish in real life.

SPEAKER_04 1:18

I need to travel over there and go.

SPEAKER_01 1:20

Yeah, you really do. You really do need to come this way to Texas and sit in the room with me and let me just spoil you because I only get to see you when I go. Well, that's not true. I do get to see you sometimes at conferences.

SPEAKER_04 1:34

Every once in a while we'll bump into each other at conferences.

SPEAKER_01 1:36

Every once in a while. But other than that, we get to play with each other at Disney World.

SPEAKER_04 1:41

Yeah, which is so much fun. I mean, what better place?

SPEAKER_01 1:45

It is our favorite place in the world. I love it. It's so much fun with you. I um the thing that I love about you, Fabiola, is that you're one of the only other adults, and I'm this is going to be a compliment.

SPEAKER_02 1:58

Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 1:59

As I caveat it. Um, you're one of the only other adults I know that has a childlike spirit that I share where, and and this is where the mature part is, it's not an immature thing. It's not, you know what I mean? It's not being, it's not being kiddish. It's being, you know, childlike. Do you feel that you carry that into your spirituality? Do you feel like you have a childlike spirituality like Jesus calls us to have?

SPEAKER_04 2:28

Yes, definitely. Um, I think that a lot of the times it's one, you have to accept that that's a good thing, right? And not feel embarrassed because I think a lot of the times even when you approach God, you think it has to be in this very like mature, adult, um, serious manner, where a lot of the time he wants you to come in your most like the places of you that he just wants you to be completely open.

SPEAKER_00 2:56

Yes.

SPEAKER_04 2:57

Um, and not be afraid to be small if that's where you are, or it to be silly if that's where you are, or to need him as a father if that's what you what you need. I love that. So I I don't know. I think it's I I definitely sometimes feel a little bit self-conscious about that because I feel like like um I want to be seen as cool, you know?

SPEAKER_01 3:24

You are cool. You are a cool friend.

SPEAKER_04 3:26

Uh thank you. But it's just it's just an in- No, I know what you're saying. I know what you're meaning. Yeah, people can think of you as naive or immature or um silly. Or embarrassing.

unknown 3:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 3:40

You know, or embarrassing. And I'm like, I sometimes, you know, people will say things that I'm like, I'm not sure if that's a compliment or if if they if it's kind of like a double meaning of like, oh, there she goes.

SPEAKER_01 3:55

Like Pat, pat, pat on the head.

SPEAKER_04 3:57

I know, because that's happen that's happened to me. Uh, but also I think because I work a lot of the work I do is for children, I I get on their level rather than expecting them to be on mine. So people can think of that as silly, you know? Yeah. And it can be a little bit, because sometimes you do have to, when approaching children, you have to um sometimes not worry about what other people are thinking, which is what children do, children don't care. Um, and uh to not overthink it too much when you're talking to them. Um but yeah, I think I think it just goes into every aspect, including um how you approach how I approach God. But um very much when you do entertainment for children, you you you cannot lose that. You know, you can't lose. And that's probably why why I I went into children's entertainment to begin with, because um um that that uh part of me that is this could connected with whimsy and imagination and everything, that just carried on into my adult life and something I really enjoy. And a lot of the times, unfortunately, um adults lose that. Sometimes they reconnect with it once they have children again. They feel that they have permission, they feel like they have permission now to enjoy those things again without feeling weird about it. Um, but yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:18

No, it's it's you're you're nailing it. I love that you said that's a great way of expressing a lot of who you are for anyone who doesn't know you, is you have this beautiful gift of whimsy. And you've brought you brought these very tangible gifts into, like you said, into your career, you know, and I think that that's what's really also very attractive about the choices you have made is that you're like, okay, these are my gifts, these are my talents, and where can I do that and flourish and have passion? And you know, you're young and define your passion and get to live that at such a young age. I mean, people spend their whole lives without knowing what their passion is, you know? And you're a person that I definitely think lives their passion in your faith, in your work, and your, you know, in your day-to-day. So now that you, you know, to give a little background about you, you worked at Disney for a while. 10 a lot of years, yeah. Yeah, for a long time. Every time I'm at Disney and I make you come with me, I make you point out everything that you have drawn or designed, and I buy it. So I look like the biggest fangirl. People are like, oh, are you a Disney fan? I'm like, I'm a Fabiola fan. So um, but now you're kind of taking your gifts of Disney and what you learned at Disney, which you and I both love this company with a lot of heart, and you have incorporated your Catholic spirituality into the work that you're doing today. Talk to me about the fear of leaving something like a Disney, you know, and going into your own.

SPEAKER_04 7:10

Well, it's it all everything has been so organic in a sense, um, because it it's so interesting. If things hadn't happened the way they happened, I probably would be, I don't know what I'd be doing in terms of where I would be in the industry. Um, because as I reflect on my entire career, I've been doing things connected with the faith since college. Um, and I was never like, oh, I'm gonna be a Catholic artist that does saint things. I it was just it was never my approach. It was just like I did things I liked. So I like this saint. Oh, you know what, I'll do that for this project. That would be great. Or I love this fairy tale. I was never conflicted as like, oh, should I do more religious things or non-religious things? It wasn't praise God, it wasn't a conflict because um uh God doesn't think like that. You know, he thinks about the amount of love and holiness you bring to your job, not necessarily like, oh, does it have like a Catholic check mark on it? Um, because you could be about holy things and doing be doing very unholy things in your life.

SPEAKER_01 8:15

Amen.

SPEAKER_04 8:16

You know, he's not like at the end of the day, I I I do tell people, God's not gonna care if I tell him, look at all these saint books I did in my life. He's not gonna care if I'm not holy. He's like, that's great, but that's not really that's has are you sink, you know, um did you participate in my grace that I gave you? Right. Are you getting your soul back to heaven? Yes, exactly. So luckily I was never uh that was never something that was hard for me. I loved Disney. Um, I always want to work for Disney. I particularly wanted to work um on the Disney films. I grew up at the Disney Renaissance, like everything was just fabulous back then. Um, I ended up working in the merchandise department, and at some point I plateaued. I was like, there's nothing more I can do here. Like I will either become a manager and just draw less.

SPEAKER_02 9:07

Right.

SPEAKER_04 9:07

But um we don't really get to create new characters. We are not really involved in in making movies, anything like that. Um, at one point I kind of wanted to go into imaginary that door never opened. Um and uh I I needed a creative outlet. I was like, I just I just need to be doing something else. And um when uh uh when I started working on Princesses of Heaven, um, it was more like a calling. It was just like, you know, I wasn't really passionate about it. There's no way I'm gonna go work eight hours, come home, and work some more. Yeah. Um and uh I had done a book on JP2 before. How did that come about, Fabinho? We can we can go back because that really the first Catholic book I did, like uh uh the John Paul II book. I actually did my first draft of that when I was in college, um, my last year of college.

SPEAKER_01 10:08

So you weren't even at Disney at that point.

SPEAKER_04 10:10

No, no, no, no. This was actually before Disney. I was able to publish it between jobs because the first draft I did of it was in college. My dad was like, pitch it after college. It didn't go anywhere, nobody wanted it. Um, and I was like, that's fine. Um, it looked very different. It was much longer, the illustrations were different, but I was like, that's fine. At least I tried. I sent it a bunch of curry letters. Um I worked in the video game industry, the toy industry. Um then when I was between jobs when my dad was like, want to try it again? I was like, sure, my dad's the best. He's the reason we've got all anything I've done. Um I redid it, rewrote it, uh, sent out query letters immediately, uh, got Pauline Books and Media. They wanted it. Um and so that was published before I got my Disney job. So I got it. I was like, great, did it. Um, you know, made your Catholic book. A normal no, it's not even that. I was so excited because it was a passion project. It wasn't all like make money. Exactly. And not that it made a particularly large amount of money. It was just like, it was not something I could live on, but I was so proud I was able to do it. That story meant so much to me.

SPEAKER_01 11:23

It's a great story. Yeah, you did fantastic. It's a great book.

SPEAKER_04 11:27

And and I I always tell that like, I'm not gonna do these things unless I'm passionate about them. You know, unless there's a um a I have a personal collect c connection to it or a personal viewpoint to it, um, where I'm not just regurgitating like biographical details. So I was so excited that I was able to do that, but I didn't have another story on my heart. Uh people were like, what about Mother Teresa? I'm like, it's not that I don't love Mother Teresa, but I I had no story. There was nothing where I'm like, my heart is in it, and I luckily were a call to it.

SPEAKER_01 12:01

It wasn't a calling for you.

SPEAKER_04 12:02

And it always felt weird, like I'm just gonna make it to cash in. Like it just no, not for me. Um not for me. So I went into Disney, uh, was in the merchandise, the art side of merchandising for 10, 11 years, did some other things. Um, and then Princesses of Heaven uh started rolling around. There were a few awkward starts there. Luckily.

SPEAKER_01 12:28

Um that's a really nice way.

SPEAKER_04 12:31

Yeah, it's a really nice way to put it say that. Praise the Lord. Like, really, praise the Lord. Um, I got uh the right publishing company behind me, the best editor in the world. I think you've met Haley Stewart.

SPEAKER_01 12:43

She's oh, Haley is one of my favorite people.

SPEAKER_04 12:49

All the people I'm friends with, I'm fangirls of them, including you. I'm just like, I want to be like you. Thanks. Um in that sort of half weird way. Where I'm like, You're an adult woman, you're not 15 anymore. What are you? Um, just being like, these are my fans, the people I want to be like. Um but anyway, she is fantastic. I did help while I was working at Disney. Um and I really didn't have, I was just like, Lord, I'm just gonna do it. Whatever you want to do with it, go ahead. If not, you know, I'm praise God, I have a job. Um, but I knew I wasn't ever gonna be able to do that again while being at Disney because I was so sleep deprived.

SPEAKER_01 13:29

I was not I saw you during this time. I like I saw you I I don't know how you were functioning.

SPEAKER_04 13:36

Well, I really wasn't, and it wasn't fair to anybody in my life. Like anybody, not at work, not in my family. Like I was just, I was like, I cannot do this.

SPEAKER_01 13:44

You were surviving, and that's not yeah, and I'm like, you know what?

SPEAKER_04 13:47

I was like, I signed a contract, I'm gonna do it, but nobody deserves what I'm giving to them at the moment. So I was like, we're not doing that again. Um, but then the book did so, so well.

SPEAKER_02 13:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 13:58

So so well.

SPEAKER_02 13:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 13:59

And was touching so many people's lives. I was getting so many messages and so many things, and I felt um like it was beyond nothing I had planned, really. Like I, you know, you're just like So you were surprised? I was insanely surprised. Well, because I had done another one and it did fine, but it wasn't like did very well. It was just like, oh, I did a book. I I I have maybe a a a few like extra pocket change. Like, I don't know, like it we were like I could get a Starbucks. I did, I never I never regretted it. I did it out of love. I'm so glad it exists or anything. It wasn't to make a career. Um, but then it's it did sort of explode. Um and it was amazing. I felt so uh humbled that something that I just did out of love, not necessarily trying to get anything out of you know what I mean, experience out of people or anything like that. The Lord was like, Oh, I had a much bigger plan in mind. I had a much bigger plan. And um uh my Brandon Vaught, who's the editor in chief of Word on Fire, started joking, When are you leaving Disney? When are you leaving Disney? Like when he started seeing the numbers, um, when you leave in Disney, I was like, ha ha, so funny. And then when I really did start seeing the numbers, um, I was like, Oh, I could leave.

SPEAKER_02 15:26

Wow.

SPEAKER_04 15:27

I could leave. Um, and uh it was it was very odd because I uh I come from a family. Uh uh my my dad had no money when he started. Like, you know, his family, he had nothing, everything from the ground up. He was all about stability, having being in a big company, having stability, like doing good in your your schooling, the idea of leaving a company huge, stable as an artist. Be loyal. Yes, and and it's very stable in the in the in the merchandising side. You do not leave. Like it's not like animation where you could lose your job. No, no, no. Here you you're just forever. Like you could, I could have everything, you know? And so dad had already passed by then. So I'm so sorry. I know how much you love your father. I know, but it was just like, all right, dad, you now see the bigger picture, you're fine. Like, like, but it, but then it was my mom, and my mom's like, but why would you leave? It's Disney. But it's Disney, but also, you would you still get the um discount? Oh that's a fair question. But and yeah, no, no, but it was so funny. I was like, mom, do you get the discount? I was like, but mom, I was teasing. Money in law works for Disney. His mom works like they all everybody works for Disney. You'll be fine. Um, but yeah, convincing my mom, I had to show her how much I was making versus how I much I made, and explain to her what royalties are and like all those kinds of things.

SPEAKER_01 17:16

And um that's so cute though, Fabiola. That she's so that you know, you have two parents that are that are so invested, and your dad's still invested up in heaven. He's up there absolutely looking out for you and your mom. I love that. I love that she cared to know.

SPEAKER_04 17:32

Yeah, no, well, at this point I was living with her because that's even that's uneven like because again, once that passed, my brother and I, we were just like, Well, what are we doing living in separate houses? What am I doing? Pay like us pay mortgage. Like, it just didn't make sense. Mob's super fun, she's easy to live with. It was not a pity thing at all. It was just like, what are like why this just makes no sense? So very American thing in Mexico. You're just like, why would you do that? Like, um, you know, you you have you have a parent who's really who's not controlling, very easy to live with. And what are you doing? Like what are you doing? What are you doing? So save money. Yeah. So at that point, like it was also just like I couldn't just be doing whatever. Like I was living in her house. So of course I had to like bring her into the conversation FYI. Um I'm gonna leave Disney. And I also had to explain to her like why it was more of a calling and why it was more fulfilling. Like that was that was the that was also the big thing of like, mom, I've like plateaued, there's nowhere to go. I am there's there's nothing for me there creatively. And here I am building um create like these relationships with families and moms and their kids. Um, I'll tell you a little adorable story that makes me. Yeah, I I'll tell you all the little adorable, but I was like I will listen to everything. It's just like they're just gifts from God because you know it's it's hard being a Catholic single woman. It is, uh, you know, like I'm not brain shot. Like it's great to be success successful in your whatever you do, but it is hard. So sometimes the Lord sends you love, like from everyone.

SPEAKER_01 19:15

In a different in a different space.

SPEAKER_04 19:18

So I was just like, mom, there are all these stories that are coming in. Um and I I feel like my unique gifts have a place in God's kingdom in a special way. Like He's showing me all of these things that had happened in your life, all of these things, all of the skills, all of your um sensibilities, they have a very specific um uh plan, you know, that only you can do like it's your personal mission. Yeah, because and it's very personal. So it is person, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 19:57

You're not gonna be able to do it.

SPEAKER_04 19:58

So it's very so it's very it's very personal. It's based off of what I would have wanted as a child, um, and what I think little girls need to hear today. And um, everything I do is because I I like it. You know, I enjoy it, I like it, or it moves me, which is why when I choose saints to write about, they have to move me. I have to have a per like a relationship with them. It doesn't negate anything of that, but it's just like do I don't want to just check off of like this saint is popular. Right. Uh I want to be like, is there something important that I want to express? Like being connected to the saint in a certain way. So I I do I it is a very sort of visceral work. It's a very um and uh so I try to make everything intentionally with love, and then just give it over to God and be like, God, I don't know what you're gonna make with it. You could be like, okay, this is your last book. It did terrible and be like, okay, but at least I know that I gave what I yeah, gave your all.

SPEAKER_01 21:09

Well, and here's here's the thing. You you've taken this incredible gift that you have, and I love that you're saying uh a couple of things that you've said that I just love. Uh A, I'm gonna do this out in order. A, you um, you're not just doing it to check off a box. I think that's really important to hear. And I think B, you followed your passion and you listened to God when He called you, and you weren't. I mean, like I remember talking to you, Fabiola, when you were at Disney and you were doing the book and everything. I don't know if at that moment you saw a clear pathway to how you would leave Disney and do this, you know, as your as your life work. And it's so interesting because God saw the pathway. He saw this bigger path that was like, No, I've got you. You are going to be able to do this incredible work. You are going to be able to leave this, you know, company that people have wanted to be in their whole lives that you wanted to be in your whole life. And so you listen to that calling. Is there anything specifically during this time? Was there a certain novena or a certain prayer or a certain saint that walked closely with you during this discernment? Was there anything that you can remember?

SPEAKER_04 22:33

Oh, I have to um during that period of time. Well, Saint Terese, I already had a devotion to Saint Teresa of Lucieux for a while. I've done a lot of um, it's it's a kind of a go-to novena for me. Um there was um uh I'm trying to remember specifically, I would have to go through my prayer journals, but it just the way I work is just I felt when it was right. I was like, it's what I'm gonna do. Like there wasn't, I wasn't very confused. Like there wasn't a lot of like, should I, shouldn't I? Once I saw that everything had been laid out like a sit on a silver platter for me, the Lord was like, you just have to say yes. It wasn't, it wasn't, it wasn't hard.

SPEAKER_01 23:21

That's really strange.

SPEAKER_04 23:22

Um, you know, you know, some people are like, oh, it's such a struggle. I'm like, no, there wasn't a struggle because it wasn't like I was living the dream of making a movie and I had to choose between these really great things. Like it it wasn't. It was just like, okay, I did all the things, there's nowhere to go.

SPEAKER_01 23:37

Um this is somewhere new.

SPEAKER_04 23:40

Yeah, it's somewhere new. And I um and financially it wasn't an issue. So I would love to be like, it was so scary. It was not scary. But it wasn't.

SPEAKER_01 23:51

Yeah. Yeah. But it wasn't when it was so clear, but I think, you know, to give yourself a little bit of credit, you uh since I've known you, you've been a very prayerful, you know, devoted woman of God. And I think because you were open to listening to Christ, that yes, when you were presented with something, it was very clear to you because you were doing that spiritual work. You know what I mean? It's not like all of a sudden you're like, well, now I'm gonna pray to God.

SPEAKER_04 24:18

Yeah, it's not more so that I was like praying as to like what should I do. Like to a certain extent. It was it was more that when I would do my prayer walks, um, like I like to pray the rosary, just walking around my my neighborhood, um, and just kind of visualizing, like, Lord, help me visualize what the this would look like. Um, what what um helped me not to be afraid of the unknown because it would be very different. Um, um, not being around people every day working from home.

SPEAKER_01 24:48

Um yeah, it was a big big change in a lot of ways. Yes, it was like the logistical logistical things.

SPEAKER_04 24:57

So, um, but no, I think it's just consistency of prayer. I think that's why it just doesn't, it doesn't like spring off like, oh, I was like extra praying. No, it was just like it, it, you know, it's just my everyday prayer.

SPEAKER_00 25:10

Yep.

SPEAKER_04 25:11

Um, it was just through every day. You know, you bring whatever is is on you every day and and just be like, all right, Lord. Um, and the encouragement would come through through the messages of parents, and they would be like, and you'd be like, oh, in case you doubted, this is what you need to be doing.

SPEAKER_01 25:26

Oh, geez. Um Yeah, tell me a story of of of a child. I know that you have a million.

SPEAKER_04 25:32

There's there's a few there's yeah, they're so cute. They're so cute. So I'm just gonna tell you a few. One tell me a few. A mom was like, um, they a mom wrote me and she's like, Me and my friend, we went on a play date with our girls, and we went to the playground and they started playing convent, and they started uh deciding what heavenly crowns they would want in heaven. Stop. And so the mom asked the other mom, like, oh, you must have princesses of heaven too. And she's like, We do. So they were pr playing princesses of heaven at the playground.

SPEAKER_00 26:04

Okay, I have goosebumps.

SPEAKER_04 26:06

Uh I adjust, I just, you know, it's you just want to sob, and you're just like, I cannot believe that's incredible. That just that that's the that means you touch their heart and their imagination as children that they would want to do that. You know, um, and that's really the whole point of of I'll I'll tell you more stories and then we'll just remind me to come back to sort of sort of the aspect of saints that I think was missing a little bit um from our uh from the way that you know saints are presented to children. Um anywhere, there was that one, there was one where a woman, not a child, was like she was like, I was nannying for a Catholic family, and the one-year-old got princesses of heaven, and I was so um uh inspired by these saints as I I think she was a Baptist or something, and she was like, Oh, and I came back to the Catholic faith, like not not that that was the reason, but that she remembered that that was part of her journey at all as an adult.

SPEAKER_00 27:12

That's insane.

SPEAKER_04 27:13

That was that was huge for me because you know, you're not thinking of your target our audience as adults.

SPEAKER_01 27:19

Um, that's beautiful.

SPEAKER_04 27:21

There was uh there was another little girl who Kateri's story helped her with understanding the pain her her either aunt or grandma was in because she she had problems with her eyes. So so that that helped her um understand and they prayed to Kateri to help with with uh her grandma who's five. Another one where I think somebody's aunt passed, and the little girl who was very, very little asked if her aunt was a princess of heaven now.

SPEAKER_01 27:50

Just like very like just amazing ways that you're touching people that you didn't, you're thinking, Oh, I'm gonna use my amazing art and I'm going to use my amazing faith, and I'm gonna connect the two, and then you're getting all this incredible, beautiful, you know, like glowing, glistening sparkles that you couldn't have even imagined. And it's just so important. And here's the thing it's really obvious with your work because you have work that you can show and be like, here is my book, here is my drawing, and people can call you and be like, your book did this, your book did that. So it must be very validating as a well, because you're also writing them, right? You're you're doing both. You're drawing and you're writing the books. Is that validating that you are working towards the kingdom in the way that you're supposed to, that you're using the gifting that you were given in that space? Like, is there a moment where you're like, this is it? I have I am doing the work that I am supposed to be doing.

SPEAKER_04 29:03

I think that is praise God, because it's not that I got that many messages with the JP2 book. Sometimes I did, but it wasn't where I'm like, oh, this is special. You know, this is something like I'm feeling some I'm feeling some need, apparently, that there is for these children. And um I don't know. It might have been the story that might have been the first one, the one where they're playing on the playground. That might have been the one where I'm like, oh, this is something, like this is this is beyond what I thought it is it was gonna be. And maybe um this is what I need to be doing with my life. Um yeah, because not only that, it's what I would do. Like, I want to go play with with the girls and play convent and ask her. Like, I like that stuff. I love some some and I I understand some parents don't like imaginative play. They're like, oh, play, go play with your siblings. I don't know how to do this. I'm like, yes, please give me the things. I will I will play. It's so much fun.

SPEAKER_01 30:03

Um no, you were like the world's greatest aunt. Watching you be an aunt on the internet is like one of my favorite things ever. You were just so you're the best godmother I've ever seen.

SPEAKER_04 30:14

I love my babies. I I just it's it's so hard loving little ones so much. Like it's just it's you know, you worry about them, all the things. Um, but it's also through them. It's also the you know, give thanks to to my niece and nephew because so many of the things that they enjoy, I notice and I try to incorporate those things to the things I'm doing because I'm like, oh, that works for them, that doesn't work for them, you know. Right. Um so I love that. A lot of times they're a big source of inspiration because they see um what they enjoy, what doesn't work for them, what's you know, what's not of interesting. You know, you would think it's interesting, but they really don't.

SPEAKER_01 30:54

Um so they're a good like little test market to see what's going on. Yeah. So as you brought it up earlier, um, you're a single Catholic woman, and we've talked about this as girlfriends, as friends. I'm determined to get your husband for you.

SPEAKER_00 31:11

Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 31:11

Um and uh, and so as a single Catholic woman who is becoming and you already were successful, you were, but this is a different kind of success, like we've been talking about. Are you at all worried that you're going to be intimidating intimidating to another Catholic man? Or do you see this as a calling card, as like a positive thing for Catholic men?

SPEAKER_04 31:38

Like so, it's so Where does it fall? I think the hard part, um, because I sometimes talk about with with my brother, um, because um he's like, Can you start liking different like he's like I I it's hard because I have a hard time connecting with guys who are not as passionate as I am about things. Um so that's the only thing. Um uh because some people want to be the passionate one and the other ones just kind of chill, you know. Right, um, you know, you know, and and that works in a dynamic.

SPEAKER_01 32:16

I think that's I'm in one of those, yes.

SPEAKER_04 32:18

Yes. So I think that's the hard part of just it's more of just sometimes I think like, is there something wrong with me? Like, you know what I mean? Everybody every single woman goes through that moment of just like but I I I like people who are project oriented as well. So that can be a little bit hard because I think some people want that balance that you have. So they see somebody who's sort of project-oriented, and they're like, oh, I'm the chill one. She will be the high energy one or something. And I'm not actually, but uh they they think that that'll work. And I'm like, no, you don't understand. I'm actually very introverted, kind of low-key. I like having the extroverted person. So it's funny, it's just there's the uh professional me, and then there's the home me a little bit, you know, which just kind of lays back. But if you get me talking about projects, um plans, things like that, are you know, um, it can it can go that way.

SPEAKER_01 33:15

You get passionate, yeah, for sure. Yeah, do you find it's how are how are you navigating being single in the Catholic space right now? Like, I mean, Fabiola, I gotta know. I mean, I've been married since Adam and Eve. So I've been married forever. I started on the planet married. I don't know. How is it out there? Like, what is it that that I am not that I misunderstand about being? I don't know.

SPEAKER_04 33:40

I think it's okay, I think it's so many fold. I think there is the camp that are trying to help single people who are in their 20s and then, you know, the in their 20s and and messages and talks where a lot of the us who are 30, 35 plus, we hear those talks and we cannot help but roll our eyes just a little bit. Sure. Because you have to nuance so many of the promises you're giving people. You have to nuance them because otherwise people will just run with one thing and then end up bitter in the later on. So it's always very important to nuance these let me hit you with some truths about finding a guy. And you know, if you're Catholic, you have to do this, this. You know, I give it more that people are always okay. So there are a couple of things that people always Yeah, now we're getting into it.

SPEAKER_01 34:35

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 34:36

I gotta ill meaning. It's never ill meaning. It's never with the thought that, like, oh, if they take it at face value without any nuance, they're gonna go to a place in their head. Um, there are a few. I'm ready. Um I'm ready. Um, okay. Uh one is um God would not put a longing in your heart if he's not gonna fulfill it. It's I don't know where that comes from. I'm still trying to, like, is it in the Bible? I don't know. But you you you put that and you're just like, well, no, it depends on the longing. It depends on his will, it depends on the brokenness of the world. Um, it depends on whether or not he's not gonna give you that to sanctify you in some way. There's so many layers to to that theologically, um, that we forget, like the Lord promises us himself, he promises us salvation, his presence with us throughout our lives. He does not promise you that you're gonna get a husband, that you're gonna get the white picket fence. He just doesn't promise any of those things. I don't know where people think that that this is what Jesus is for. Um, like you know what I mean? Um, and he can and he does want you happy and he wants to bless you in so many things, but um we are in a broken world and he will be good and with you no matter what happens. But it's a lot, I think a lot of women end up when it doesn't happen for them, they think I did something wrong. Um God doesn't love me, or he doesn't care enough to fulfill the longings of my heart, you know? So I think the longer you go and you longer you're in those spaces, it can start to feel a little bit like I'm doing something wrong because that this is what was promised to me in these single talks.

SPEAKER_01 36:30

That's very fascinating. Yeah, it starts to feel very personal. Yeah, like then it's gotta be me.

SPEAKER_04 36:35

So it needs to be a little bit more. It doesn't mean that it's not a thing you can say. It means that you need to nuance that of what happens if not. But what happens if not? What is what is the what is the path of holiness look like? And let's not put our small v vocation above our big V, which is just to be holy. So many saints did not have their small V vocation realized. So many did not. And none of us are like, oh, they didn't do they didn't do it right. None of us are going back into their stories thinking like she didn't become a nun. Like the the Lord wasn't faithful because she she was too sick to become a nun. Or, you know, or so many things. So I think it's important to nuance it correctly and not to give these uh big overarching statements without a proper nuance, so that you go into it with hope, but without this, if it doesn't turn out the way it is turning out for everybody else, there's something wrong for me.

SPEAKER_01 37:36

I love that. Yeah. Yes. So I think there's nothing wrong with you.

SPEAKER_04 37:39

Thank you. I mean, we all we all have our things, but I do think I I think because there's such a large population of Catholics who are single, you know, increasingly, um, I think it's important for everybody's mental health and for, you know, uh a proper view of your relationship with God and not to have a bitterness to to properly, you know, nuance things for for younger people too.

SPEAKER_01 38:07

No, absolutely. I think that that makes a lot of sense. And your needs are gonna be different and once in your 30s, you know, than they should be. They, you know, as a married person, there are. So I would I would assume as a as a single person they are. Um let me ask you, let me ask you this. What is something that in your life, either personal, professional, spiritual, whatever old that you want it to be, what is something that you are really excited about that's on the horizon? Something that either there is there a project in there or a personal anything in there? What's something that, yeah, you just lit up like a crazy?

SPEAKER_04 38:47

Okay, so professionally, I'm excited because I I'm gonna test the waters with toys. Uh yeah, so I'm gonna test the the the waters with toys.

SPEAKER_01 38:58

So it's a very acting calm.

SPEAKER_04 39:00

Yes. So I I'm not gonna tell you exactly, but you can follow, follow on, you know, Instagram to kind of see. I'm not, I'm never sure how much to show, not to show.

SPEAKER_02 39:08

Right.

SPEAKER_04 39:08

Um, but um, I'm gonna be testing the waters and learning that side of the coin and see if that goes well. Wow. And if it does, because I love toys. I grew up in the um early 90s when we had the best toys. I just have to say we're such good toys. Even late 80s, early 90s. Great toys. So I I love a well-made toy. I I did I did some projects for Hasbro. Like I like a well-made toy. So I might try that.

SPEAKER_01 39:38

Um You're flirting with toys.

SPEAKER_04 39:41

Yeah. I'm so excited. It's it's a whole new world, and it's there's also licenses. There's all these things that you know. Um, so I'm very, very excited for that. I'm also very excited about the second volume of Princesses of Heaven coming out. We don't have a date yet, but I'm very excited.

SPEAKER_01 39:59

I was hoping you were going to reveal and be like, I know, I know.

SPEAKER_04 40:03

I I right. Um, so uh when's when's this episode coming out? Do you know?

SPEAKER_01 40:08

No, no, no, no. I don't know.

SPEAKER_04 40:10

So it yeah, you can make up a date and we would tell you because it's not part of thing, but the uh you can be the first one to know what the subheader is.

SPEAKER_01 40:18

You are the first to hear it here.

SPEAKER_04 40:20

Right here. Um yeah, it's um tomorrow. Tomorrow. It doesn't matter. They they gave me permission. So I was just, you know. Um, so it's gonna be Princess of Princesses of Heaven, the jewels. So the first one was the flowers, this one's the jewel. And um yeah, perfect. Yeah, and we've got uh who's gonna be in the book? Uh we've got uh Catherine of Sienna, Saint Catherine of Sienna, we have Venerable Sakoto Kitahara, who's from Japan, um Saint Margaret Clitheroe, who's a martyr from England, um servant of God Eileen O'Connor from Australia, and then Bless is Blessed, I think she's blessed, uh Victoire Rosa Manarivo. Don't know if I pronounced her very, very long last name correct, but she's from Madagascar, and then Bernadette. Um Bernadette.

SPEAKER_00 41:18

I'm so excited about Bernadette.

SPEAKER_01 41:20

Oh my gosh. Well, and you you went to uh you were in France recently uh this summer, and I'm I'm leading a pilgrimage to Lourdes and to Barcelona, and I know, right? And there's and then there's the big Bernadette musical. I feel like Bernadette's having a moment.

SPEAKER_04 41:39

I know Bernadette is having a moment, but she is.

SPEAKER_01 41:42

I mean, it's really exciting. So good. I'm glad she's in there. That's fantastic. And I know, and I'm gonna ask this, even though I know the answer, but I feel like it's my due diligence. I do have to give a softball question. Is there going to be a little boy book?

SPEAKER_04 41:55

Um that is probably I know everybody wants to know. Everybody, everybody asks this question, but yes, I was able to push it. Um, I was really wondering whether I was fit to do this. Um, because I'm like, do can I really speak to the heart of little boys? Not that authors of different, you know, it doesn't matter, you know, but I was like, am I fit to do this book?

SPEAKER_01 42:16

You know that, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 42:17

Um so I talked to a it's so funny. There's it's also been lots of conversations uh with boys and things like that about like what are you looking for in a book, you know? Yeah, yeah. Um, but yes, I was able to to pass it. We really uh originally I have uh an entire list of books to make for these series. Of course you do. I I I I do, like until I'm 80. Like I was just like, you have options. So we were gonna complete the first trio of princess books, but there were so many people that asked for it, including my sister for my nephew. And I was like, Yeah, he's getting older. I don't want him to have to wait any longer for his book. Um, so I said, Look, I know you really wanted to have the third princess book come in. Can we just do the boy book first? You know, even if it doesn't make sense to to like cut into the trio plan. Let's trilogy. The trilogy. Can we just, you know, um go with our hearts on this? Like, can we just go with our hearts and just do that? Um so yeah, I actually I'm starting research. I'm trying to decide who's gonna be in it, but I haven't signed for it yet. So it could blow up, who knows? But if all goes as we think it will, I'll sign, we'll start the next one, and we'll have our boy book, which I'm so excited. I'm so excited. No, because I luckily there's sports, not my thing. However, Arthurian Legends, Ben Hur, Robin Hood, all that my thing. So in that way, I'm like, yes, let's go for it.

SPEAKER_01 43:55

You were made for this, friend. You really I mean thank you for saying yes. How can we as a community, as a Catholic community, how can we pray for you right now? What is there anything specific prayers that you need? Um how can we support you in that, in that spiritual place?

SPEAKER_04 44:12

Um, I would say just um I need prayers for um clarity and discipline um and just um strength to to go through all of these new stages in terms just in terms of the work that I'm doing and um and to see my life through God's eyes. I think that's the most important thing. Um not not through the world's eyes, because then you start, you know, yeah, you know, you you stop losing your way when you start worrying about um how how how other people view you. So I I think I that would be great. That would be great if you could just pray for me.

SPEAKER_01 44:53

I love that. I and I needed to hear that actually, literally today. So thank you for saying that. Thank you for sharing that, friend. I love you to pieces. I can't wait to come see you in Orlando.

SPEAKER_04 45:06

I'll see you very soon, and we will run around with Mickey-shaped ice cream and and let let's plan a trip for me to go to Texas for whatever reason, just to visit. It would be so much fun. Um, yes. And I'll get you a cowboy.

SPEAKER_01 45:22

A cowboy! A Catholic cowboy. Okay, let's see if I can deliver on that, everybody. Me with my arm would be something else. I love you to pieces. Thank you so much for being here.

SPEAKER_04 45:35

Of course, help me so much. Bye.

SPEAKER_01 45:37

Bye.