Ep 56 - Grace Liang: From "Ugly Duckling" to Cult Hit Fashion Blogger—and Cover Girl

Grace Liang's story is a thesis in the power of believing in yourself. While growing up in rural China, wearing her brothers' hand-me-downs, she always thought of herself as an ugly duckling.  No one ever told her she was pretty—until she met her husband. He was an American and the two fell in love. In 2007 Grace moved to the US, the two got married and she began working as a teacher.  Then four years ago, she decided to channel her lifelong passion for fashion into Color and Grace, a lifestyle blog for the petite, over forty fashionista. On the site, Grace (who is five feet tall) shares everything from great app suggestions to healthy recipes to fashion tips. But the common thread running throughout all of the content is beautiful, highly editorial shots of Grace posing in fabulous outfits.  Today,  Color and Grace has a cult following— and Grace has quit her teaching job. That's because she has (paid sponsorships) from companies like J. Crew and Urban Decay to get all done up in their products and appear in photos. Grace shares with Linda how she created a successful brand in just four years, how "being real" trumps any posturing with fans and followers, and how she got the confidence to put herself directly in the public spotlight.