Hello beautiful Becoming ladies! I'm Vanessa Reed! I am college student/ministry intern. A few things you should know about me: I am probably the girliest person you will ever meet, shopping is my kryptonite and I trip over my own feet at least three time a day haha! #reallife.  I adore traveling, meeting new people and If I had to chose anyone else besides Jesus to write the story of my life, it would be Jane Austin!

As a teen-20something, how have you learned to get comfortable in your own skin?

Being a girl that has always struggled with her body image from a young age, getting comfortable in my own skin is something that has taken me a long time to really grasp. One of the things that I've learned to do is to customize my life. That simply means that before I do something I make sure that I'm doing it in a way that celebrates the way that God made me.

For example I love fashion! But it would be silly for me to look at Pinterest posts or Instagram pages of fashion icons that look nothing like me. That would only make me compare myself and become insecure. So since I am a curvy girl I follow curvy fashion bloggers that have my similar body shape. This helps me to accept my body and love the way God made me.

Tell us some tips on how you study the bible and encounter God’s presence?

For me the key thing to getting a deeper understand of God's word is writing. I follow the YouVersion Bible App as a guide for my devotion time, but in addition to that I set aside at least 20min each day to respond to what God has said to me in His word. Since I am a talker and a verbal processor: writing down in detail the context (which I find in my ESV study bible & you can find one at your local book store) of the scripture as well as the application to my personal life is how I grow deeper in His word.

Favorite Fall Drink or treat?!

Starbucks has these apple cider donuts that are to die for! As soon as I take my first bite, I know that there truly is a God haha!

Tell us your favorite Instagram account to follow for Inspiration, and why?

Definitely Propel Women! They do an amazing job of uplifting and inspiring women at all stages of life. 

If you could look back at your life, what is one piece of advice you would give to other young women?

I would encourage young women to not be so stressed! When you are young everything feels like the end of the world but it's truly only the beginning. God has grace for you. He has love for you and in His arms you will find a secure identity. So whatever is currently stressing you out, give it to Jesus. He's not stressed so you shouldn't be.

What’s your favorite beauty secret?

Clearance Racks! haha! There's nothing like a good sale and you'll often find the last of that item that the store has. So not only have you gotten a discount but you also found something that not everyone will have! I call that winning.

What’s one thing you’ve really struggled with as a young woman? And what truth can you speak into that?

Control. I am a planner! I am deeply satisfied when I make a plan and it goes exactly like I wanted it to. Anybody?! However we all know that 99% of the time, the plan we have for our life is not the plan that God has for us. And I'm so glad that's true!

The bible says that His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts! So the plan that God has for me is always going to be a thousand times better then my greatest plan for me. I would encourage you that whatever dream you have on your heart, God wants that for you more then you want it for you . So give him control of your life and I promise you'll never regret it.

What’s your favorite app (or other tool!) for helping you do life well?

Evernote! I have to write down a lot of content on a daily basis and Evernote helps me to keep all of that organized. You can also make to-do lists in addition to setting alerts and reminders. I love it!

Fashion trend you think will be over SOON?

Everyone's obsession with wearing all black or white all the time! Life is colorful! Don't get me wrong I love a pair of black jeans that make me feel like I could conquer the world. But I love color, and would love to see more people embrace colors and prints!

Follow along with Vanessa:

Her Instagram

Her Blog

"How She Does It" is a Blog Interview we do 1x a month, featuring Inspiring and Godly teen-20something women from around the world! We want to know tips, secrets and insight on how other young women live their life well and pursue Christ intentionally. Doing this young woman stage of life together is what we're all about- empowering each other and becoming confident enough to live out these years well!