Today we’d like to introduce you to Catherine Grace O’connell
Hi Catherine Grace, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I was a child of trauma. It started early with my family, and I carried it silently for a very long time. Unfortunately, that was exacerbated by a decision to marry a man that would simply heap more trauma and abuse on me than I was capable of bearing at the time. I broke … emotionally, spiritually, and physically. Despite having two children that I adored more than life itself, PTSD and a devastating experience with Late Stage Lyme Disease tore me apart. I only lived for others, mainly my children, and kept myself silently in the shadows striving to be who everyone around me told me I should be.
It almost killed me. Actually, it did.
I’m 5’9″ and by 11/11/2014, I was experiencing daily hours long seizures, I could not walk unassisted, and my weight was under 95 lbs. and my organs were shutting down. Lyme had crossed into my brain and stole much of my cognitive ability. I received the Last Rites in Cedars-Sinai Hospital in LA. I was fully in despair as every single day was painful and too difficult to bear. On 11/11, I had a near death experience and left my body for some time. I saw myself from outside of my physical persona, in a place that was quiet and peaceful. I don’t know why I didn’t leave.
But I came back … from death.
But I still didn’t know how to live. I was so very ill and so very tired. My daughter woke me up by asking me, in exasperation, “But Mom, what would you do if you were well?” Suddenly, I had dreams of travel, creations, and vibrance … and life had potential. She encourage me to start an Instagram account and put myself out there. I did. And in doing so, I found my Voice. I found my Purpose. I found my Passion. I realized that in my isolation, I didn’t have a Tribe. So, I created one.
My mission became celebrating and supporting women, that like me, had chosen to be invisible at Midlife & Beyond. I created a Facebook Group called the Forever Fierce Revolution which is now Forever Fierce: Midlife Matters. It quickly exploded and some absolutely amazing companies supported me and frankly, raised my game. This all occurred after age 55! I had no experience in social media or being in the limelight. My best friend came along for the ride and took up photography and videography to support my healing through creativity. We were both flying blind.
Where am I now? We have our own digital media agency, MODLife Media (modlifemedia.co), and do all of our own professional photography, video, audio, and editing. In addition, I am an expert (teach and consult with other influencers) in short form video techniques, trends, and editing. I am an accomplished motivational speaker, talk show host, journalist/writer, model (fashion and role!), and my platforms and messaging are focused on celebrating and supporting women of all ages but especially those that are age 40+! I’ve interviewed and had as talk show guests that include Hannah Storm, Laird Hamilton, Paulina Porizkova, Joan Lunden, Christie Hefner, Cheryl Richardson, and many more!
At age 61, I was personally selected by Supermodel Coco Rocha to attend her prestigious model camp when the next oldest model was …. 25! As Chief Executive Catalyst of MODLife Media, I’ve led the charge to change the way women over 50 are viewed and how vital, creative, and amazing we can be. But the most the most critical thing that has occured in my life is that I became something I never dreamed to be: A Leader. And the most important thing any Leader can do is to create other Leaders. And that is my passion.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
There is no such thing as a smooth road. And my path was strewn with obstacles. We are living through a paradigm shift of not only who and what a woman is, but we are also tossing aside the last -Ism in our lives and that is ageism. The greatest struggle any revolutionary faces is changing prejudicial opinions and societal mores that tend to determine not who a person is, but rather who society believes they should be.
And I called bullshit on that.
We are all the arbiter of our dreams and our purpose. There are no limits. And we now live in a world where breakthroughs in medicine, nutrition, fitness, and the ability to reinvent at any time are game changers for anyone with a desire. My message is if I can do what I have done, anyone can. But you have to embrace living from the Inside-Out.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Creativity saved my life. That’s the bottom line. It became immersive and compelling to create in ways that had never been done before. My business partner and I both had financial backgrounds … and we both challenged each other to think outside of the box and immerse ourselves in marketing and adverstising. And it’s worked. Our clients have benefited tremendously and our work garners millions of views and resulted in incredible business success for our clients.
One of the things we did, was when we were asked to do something we’d never done before … we simply said “Yes.” Once you find your Voice and your Purpose, the world becomes an opportunity. Understand that I was incredibally shy and until I turned 55, would never have stepped in front of a camera or asserted myself that I could create marketing and advertising for clients. But for some reason, the change that occured internally with me just made me believe. And that created confidence. And confidence and self love is the key to life.
How do you think about luck?
I don’t believe that luck is an issue. Luck comes and goes for all us, and yes, it can be a game changer. But for the most part, it’s not the focus. It’s belief, drive, creativity, and think outside the box that creates opportunity.
So. I don’t go there.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://catherinegraceo.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catherinegraceo/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cathy.mccormick.52/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAlQZNyNI66UZbzqxlL0PFA?view_as=subscriber
- Other: https://modlifemedia.co/
Image Credits
Michael Castagna @goirishphotog