A Letter to the Career-Blessed Christian Who Feels Left Out of ‘Trad’ Culture

Let your work become your prayer and vocation, and let it be feminine and beautiful no matter what it is!

Women studying at the University of Chicago circa 1960

Understand this well: there is something holy, something divine, hidden in the most ordinary situations, and it is up to each one of you to discover it. - St. Josemaría Escrivá

The Unspoken Ache

I get it, I really do. I love it. I eat it up like a fresh slice of homemade sourdough: the soft linen dresses, the cozy homeschooling vibes, the cottagecore-meets-Christianity aesthetic that’s blooming all over social media. It’s beautiful! But lately, it feels like more than just a sweet little style…it’s becoming a full fledged grassroots “trend” in the Christian counter-culture and the like.

And don’t get me wrong. I’m here for it. But I also want to be honest: sometimes, I struggle with it too.

While I agree with the sentiment, the highly curated social media version really does do us all a disservice.

See, I’m one of the women who feels a little caught in the middle. I love my work. I believe I was called to it. And yet, sometimes it seems like there’s no place for me in either “trad” culture or in the mainstream “boss lady” hustle.

Trust me, I want all the babies, chickens, and sourdough! But I also love the elderly couples I draft estate plans for, and the widows who come seeking advice about what to do now.

“The Reading Girl, 1896” by British painter A. C. W. Duncan (1883–1896).

Maybe you’re like me, a career-driven Christian woman, and you’ve found yourself asking: “Can I be both feminine and ambitious? Faithful and professional? Holy and career driven?”

I don’t claim to have all the answers, but I think the answer is yes. but here’s the caveat: