Full name: Nicole de Fatima Espinoza

Age: 31

State-in-life: Stay at Home mom to 3 crazy beautiful, handsome, rambunctious babies

Location: San Diego, CA

Educational background: BA in Theology and Catechetics and MA in Counseling from Franciscan University of Steubenville

How does your Catholic faith affect the way you live your day-to-day life?

My Catholic faith is what drives me to strive to be better wife, mother, daughter, disciple of Christ. It is what challenges me to get over myself (my exhaustion, my impatience, my stubborness) and refocus every task at hand to Him from whom all good things come!

Tell us about a moment in your life when your Catholic faith transformed your understanding of yourself, your purpose and others.

The summer before beginning high school, I reluctantly attended a youth retreat. It was there amidst the chaos that had begun in my life that Christ radically showed me His face and His heart in a way I had never known before. It was the moment when my faith was no longer just something I did because of my family, but something that I was choosing to live out from then on. That retreat was the first time I heard in the depths of my heart Jesus telling me that He was there suffering with me and that He would never abandon me.

What lesson did you learn from that moment?

In that moment I realized that my life now had a purpose so much greater than I could have wrapped my mind around. That purpose was to be His. No matter what storm life would bring, I would have my roots in His Heart and He would calm those seas every time out of radical love for me.

How do you grow in your Catholic faith?

My favorite way to grow my faith is by reading different Catholic literature. Whether it’s the lives of the saints or a wonderful Catholic author. I am currently reading “Breath of God” by Fr. Dave Pivonka.

What do you do for fun?

My favorite thing is going to the beach or park with my husband and kids and watching their wonder and awe as they discover the world around them!

Three words that describe you — go!

Flawed, honest, and hopeful.

Fill in the blank:

My morning routine consists of: Stumbling out of bed at the crack of dawn and pretending to be totally awake enough to start the day with my three littles.

I’m currently obsessed with: All things Montessori as I am trying to harness the glorious energy of three little munchkins under three years of age.

I feel most inspired when: I see my kids engaged in the world around them. I also feel most inspired when I am engrossed in a good spiritual book.

My favorite part about my life right now is: chasing after my little treasures (full disclosure: it’s also the most challenging part of my life right now ha!).

The advice I would give to the millennial Catholic woman is: Strive for authenticity. There are so many ways to lose yourself and project yourself in ways that are not true to who God created you to be. Social media, filters, picutres are all fun and can be used for good. However, it’s also so easy to get lost in it and forget to live an authentic life. My prayer is for women to not be afraid to be who they are (quirks and all) because the world needs it. The world needs YOU exactly how God made you. Do not be afraid to be seen. I pray for the Holy Spirit to illuminate you (and me) to be able to live that real life that leads us to His Heart.