Community Spotlight: Hope McGrath
This week we caught up with the always-inspiring Hope McGrath! Hope is a Transformational Coach, creative entrepreneur & the instructor of our upcoming workshop "How Deep Is Your Love?". Keep scrolling to read our interview with her!
Who are you? Feel free to lay it all out here.
My favorite quote from Walt Whitman sums it up….“Do I contradict myself? Very well, then I contradict myself. I am large, I contain multitudes.”
First and foremost I am a mom to a fabulous teenage daughter and wife to a visionary artist. I am a multi-hyphenate creative and transformational life coach with a two-decade career in fashion and art. I love music and when I hit the dance floor, it’s hard to get me off.
What is your origin story? Tell us about where and how you grew up. Are there details from your culture and upbringing that influence your work today?
I grew up in Long Island, New York…a biracial catholic school girl whose multicultural background and life experiences dictates her entire life. I have a hippy mom (Italian & German Jewish) and an African father from Burundi. My life flowed between black and white every single day and still does to this day. This very fact influences everything I am and what I do. My innate compassion understanding transcends race, which is why I attract friends and clients of a vast array of nationalities.
What led you to begin your line of work and how long have you been doing it?
After I was a stay-at-home mom for a few years, I didn’t want to go back to fashion PR and went through some serious soul searching. When I discovered the profession of coaching I realized that I have been doing this since I was thirteen years old. It’s who I am. I’ve always been interested in inspiring people to live with passion and purpose and nurture strong relationships. I have facilitated over 800 coaching hours as a Certified Professional Coach accredited by The International Coach Federation.
Where do you currently live? How does your community inform/influence your work?
I live in Brooklyn, New York…as my Brooklyn-born husband likes to call it..”Brooklyn, the Planet.” I love my community in Bedford Stuyvesant as I was blessed with incredible neighborhood friends. We raised our children together, we support one another and nurture a real community spirit. I formed the Mom’s Empowerment Circle consisting of women who come together to share about life, marriage, work, childrearing and everything in between. For years, these connections inspire me in all aspects of my work as it is such a gift to be a part of a supportive community of brilliant minds.
Tell us about your working environment. What makes the space in which you create special?
We are still living the pandemic life, so I am working from home. My husband and I enjoy bouncing ideas off one another during the day. I made sure to design my work space with cool wallpaper, crystals, candles, my vision boards and inspiring imagery. I’m all about visualizing and ensuring positive energy surrounds me as much as possible. A little palo Santo, sage and incense drives the hubby nuts, but I do what needs to be done to clear the energy. I really do look forward to working in a more formal, creative working environment with other creative souls in the future.
What words of advice would you give to an aspiring entrepreneur, artist, designer, healer, etc. that is wanting to get started?
Follow your instincts. One hard lesson I learned was that you can follow the exact formula some millionaire business coach may teach you as the key to success…but that doesn’t necessarily mean that is YOUR road to success. You may think you don't know what to do, but more often than not…when you listen deeply, you do. Follow your heart, educate yourself, take action, be resourceful, work hard and stay consistent.
WHAT IS YOUR RITUAL? What do you incorporate in your day-to-day to help you feel more connected with yourself and business? (Self-care tips welcomed here!).
I have serious miracle morning rituals that consist of meditation, prayer, reading or listening to spiritual texts, journaling, walking meditation while walking my Pom and I add in yoga a few days a week. If I don’t engage in my self-love rituals in the morning, my day is a hot mess. Facts! Been there. Done that. My self-care tip is to just do it. Release the excuses and just do one thing towards your personal self-care in the morning. What would lift your spirits?
What is your favorite product or service you offer and what makes it so special to you?
I love “The Glow Up”, which is my six-month private premium coaching program. This is so special to me because it is effective! When women come to me feeling stressed, overwhelmed, lonely and unfulfilled, by the end of this program, there is some incredible clarity and healing that takes place. Not only that, the six months time period is enough for radical personal transformation and goals to be set and some are even achieved within that time frame. Other bigger goals take more time, but it brings me so much joy to see when clients make big moves to a new home or country or find true love, or land a big new job for major money or leave destructive relationships to live out their best lives. It takes time for real change and I love spending that one-on-one time, where clients become friends and I feel fulfilled knowing how much I helped my fabulous clients feel more confident to live out their dreams.
*I do love my group program too and to get updates on the relaunch, follow my Instagram!
Do you have any books, podcasts, or resources you want to recommend to the community?
You can check out my free guide “Five Rituals to Ignite Your Power”. When you sign up for this guide, you gain access to my inspirational newsletters on modern mindful living and all my event updates.
I put my podcast Radiant Mix on hold during the pandemic and will be relaunching it again soon. This podcast highlights and celebrates the mixed, multi-racial, multicultural experience. My previous episodes continue to be relevant today.
My go-to podcasts lately are The Daily (from The New York Times), Small Doses with Amanda Seales, The School of Greatness, with Lewis Howes. My daughter and I love learning about wild entrepreneurial adventures from “How I Built This, with Guy Raz.” The podcast Broken Records has some great interviews with incredible musicians. When I’m needing to be a little zen, I like Ten Percent Happier with Dan Harris.
There are so many books, but the one that is a fave is The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. Right now I’m reading Karma, a Yogi’s GuideTo Crafting Your Destiny by Sadhguru and Get Good with Money by Tiffany Aliche, a fun and informative book about elevating your financial literacy.
Feel free to shout out other creatives here! We love learning about other movers, makers, and shakers out there.
I love a good shout out….
Rashia Bell: Crystal Healer and Founder of The Cristalline, the place to go for all things crystals and RE.VITYL for unique wellness products to revitalize your sleep. We also produce the Tropical Transformation Wellness Retreat together.
Amanda Berlin: a Visibility Consultation and PR guru. Amanda works with entrepreneurs to help elevate their visibility and get more press!
Asha Frost: Indigenous Medicine Woman & Author. Asha just came out with her first book, ”You Are The Medicine”, and I’m super happy for her.
We must know: what are some of your favorite products at Ritual Shoppe?
I am loving... the Gold Dagger Chain Earrings, Talo XL Horizon Earrings, Moonlit Night Ring, Triple Spike Ring and so much more. I could do on an on, as the jewelry is incredible.
