Meet Trailblazer Hillary Hand-Gruener

Today we’d like to introduce you to Hillary Hand-Gruener.

Hillary, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My story, which is relevant to what I am doing now, started when we moved abroad almost four years ago. My husband grew up in Germany, which is what brought us out there for the second time, to be a part of his family’s business.

I am a musician, so it seemed a perfect opportunity to work as one from home since, in America, I worked as a hairstylist most days to make ends meet, while also caring for our little guy. So, while my passion was music, I never had time for it.

My husband and I are nomads and always have been since we met 11 years ago at a Bible school in Austria. We’ve moved across the pond a few times since, yet we still feel as though we don’t fit in anywhere; hence our constant need for change and something new. We are currently back in my home town, Colorado Springs and plan to stay here, but who knows.

We don’t seem to attach ourselves easily to any place or culture. Someone said to me recently, “You don’t need to live amid culture to enjoy it–you can always visit culture.”

I feel that way often. Culture, to me, is replaceable–but family, friends, and nature are not. So for now, we feel most comfortable where those people, and nature, reside.

Our dream is to live in nature, off the grid in a self-built, self-sustaining home. Not in an apocalyptic or end of days kind of way–well, perhaps to my husband–but for me, it’s a pure desire to be among nature.

We would love to get back to the basics, live a materially minimalist kind of life with a garden and some goats. I HAVE to have goats.

But for now, we are bunkered up in my parent’s basement (God bless parents) while my husband finishes coding boot camp. He’s seriously struggling with changing careers at age 38. I think he’s the bravest man on earth.

Side note–he’s building us an incredible teardrop type camper in his free-time so we can travel the world as a family. Gosh, I love him.

So, I feel as though I painted for you a picture of the type of people we are when it comes to our surroundings and desired lifestyle, but who we are as people is quite similar. We don’t feel as though we fit in anywhere.

Our personalities intertwine with our different moods, which has made quite the incredible grounds for what I currently do–write about marriage, family life, and parenting for a blog I run called Word from the Bird.

My husband and I are attached at the hip but argue often. We are madly in love but suck at communicating. He’s my best friend, yet my mortal enemy (mostly during PMS).

I guess this is why I include my husband so frequently in this personal interview–he’s so much a part of me, I don’t know how not to include him. He’s my muse. I could spend an entire day trying to figure out how and why he does what he does. He’s fascinating to me, yet at the same time, he drives me nuts. Again, a lot of inspiration there for my blog’s content.

Going back a few steps, I tried my hand in the professional music world while living in Germany, but came up empty-handed. Well, that’s selling it short. I did quite well for a season. I got a few songs placed on some TV shows, a song on some weird indie film I have yet to see and was even involved in writing “jingles” for commercials and such. I was happy doing that, but I also wanted my creative efforts met equally financially.

In January of 2018, my grandma passed away, so I went home to visit America to be with my mom. At the time, I was pregnant with my now one-year-old son and met with my friend, who was a blogger. She told me of her dreams with it, and I guess you could say she inspired me.

From that point on, I did a butt load of research and decided I wanted to try blogging out. I love writing and always have. My dream is to someday write a science fiction book based on the super weird dreams I had as a child. I think I’ll do that in my forties.

For now, my babies nap time is filled with writing away, offering advice for millennial families, and being blown away from God’s blessing in it.

You see, our marriage has gone through a lot. Not only with moving from here to there but trying to understand the historically complicated German/American intercultural relationship. We’ve seen our fair share of difficulty while coercing our marriage to not only thrive but survive.

But that’s the thing. We have survived, and unlike most couples nowadays, we didn’t let our desolate circumstances get the better of us. I believe these are the stories and situations that people need to hear more of.

Get through the rough stuff so that you can enjoy the fruits of your labor. Many people jump off the love cliff WAY too early. It’s a shame. I believe that the health of our society rides on the tails of healthy marriages, as our children are deeply affected by it. If we can change the way we have relationships, we can begin to see hope for our culture.

In a nutshell, that’s what I currently do–attempt to be transparent with the hardships our marriage has faced so that others can learn from it. Add a little parenting advice, a cocktail or salad recipe here and there, and there you have my blog. For some reason, people read it and hopefully enjoy my brutal honesty in the meantime.

My social media skills are a bit bleak, which is why my Instagram has awkward hashtags in all the wrong places, and my Facebook page is crickets. I’m working on it, though, since the world we live in thrives off of social media. God help us all.

All that to say, my desire with my blog is to direct couples to the hope that brought my marriage to fruition — God and his everlasting love for us. It’s with that hope I can live my life to it’s fullest, knowing that with humility and grace, I can persevere in my relationships.

Some people don’t like that I like and talk about God the way I do. But I don’t care. How can I stay silent about the one thing that has literally saved my life, marriage, and makes me happy? How can I remain silent about real and lasting hope?

“…It’s not I, but Christ in me….” – Galatians 2:20

People have a hard time seeing the solution to their shitty marriage as growing personally. But that’s what I proclaim. My motto is, “But what can YOU do about it?” Because in all seriousness, we only have control over our own actions.

So yeah, that’s me, and that’s what I do. I keep my kiddos a bit on the DL to protect their privacy. I won’t share a whole lot about them, but let’s say this. They are incredible.

Has it been a smooth road?
I always struggle with follow-through. My attention span is a bit wonky.

As to starting your journey in the blogging world, my advice would be this. Ask someone you trust if you’re a good writer. If you aren’t–forget it. If you are, don’t give up. It takes time, as it did for me. My first year I made next to nothing. My second year has been mind-blowing. It’s not a lot, but it’s enough.

We’d love to hear more about Word From The Bird Blog and Hillary Hand Music.
I explained quite a bit of this in my story. I usually overshare, so forgive me if I did.

To sum it all up, I currently run a lifestyle blog that specializes in relationships, parenting, and personal growth. I am presently selling digital download printable journals for kids, and printable workbooks for marriage that I designed.

My music is currently available on iTunes, Spotify, etc. under Hillary Hand.

I am known for my brutal honesty, addressing things from a “what can YOU do about it” perspective, and encouraging women to live their lives to their fullest, even amid arduous circumstances.

I’m most proud of this quote I made up, as well as all of the songs I’ve managed to write.

“Perhaps you aren’t happy because you aren’t content. Instead of searching for happiness, arrive at contentment through gratitude–it might just make you happy.”

What sets me apart is my perspective on how to resolve relational hardships. I always encourage people to recognize that all they are in control of is their own actions.

We’re interested to hear your thoughts on female leadership – in particular, what do you feel are the biggest barriers or obstacles?
I don’t believe that the blogging industry has any barriers for women, but I do feel they are present in the music industry. As to what those are, I think anyone can guess. If you aren’t young, and by certain standards gorgeous, then you won’t be able to make a living with it. I think it’s getting better. Sia really inspires me.

Pricing:

• My Life Printable Journals for Kids – $2.99 Digital Download
• My Life Printable Journals for Girls – $2.99 Digital Download

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.wordfromthebird.blog
• Email: hillarygruener@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wordfromthebird.blog

Image Credit:
Hillary Gruener

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