“Do it because your kids deserve a mother they can brag about” -Unknown
For this edition of Aging Beautifully, I am interviewing a long-time family friend, Francesca Pardo. She has known me and my family since I was about 6 or 7 years old and has had the opportunity to see me develop into the woman that I am today. I always wanted to learn more about her. She is a woman who has inspired me over the years, and someone who has helped me tremendously while being in college. Francesca hasn’t lived a typical cookie-cutter life. It took her a while to figure out who she is and what she wanted in life. One thing that leads her to who she is today is her two beautiful daughters. Here is my interview on Francesca Pardo.
Name: Francesca
Occupation: Retired- worked in hospitality and studied fashion
Decade: 50’s
What is something that you are most proud of?
Something that I have always admired about Francesca is her ability to always grow as a person. She is always telling you about a topic you didn’t know about. Every time I go to her house, I always leave with new information. Her answer to this question was something new that I didn’t know. At first, when asked this question, she stated, “It’s a complicated response because it’s almost my metamorphosis. Being of a Hispanic family, I was raised to be a very submissive woman.” Being raised to be submissive is common in Hispanic families. She continues by stating, “I eventually, through many things that happened (by that point I had two daughters), I broke out of it. It was a combination of events in my life. A lot of it started with, I can’t do this anymore, because I am a role model for my daughters, and I changed my life like 108 degrees. I went back to school, and I became extremely self-sufficient. I started succeeding heavily in the business.” She had a career in hospitality. Francesca’s metamorphosis is something that I admire. It takes courage to leave an emotionally abusive relationship while being a single mother of two daughters, but she did it. She was able to become the role model she wanted her daughters to have, and she was able to become the woman she wanted to be.
What is one word you feel best describes you?
After knowing Francesca for over a decade, I was extremely curious about what her word to describe herself would be. She stated, “I think I would say where I am right now in my life is resilient.” Right away, this word made perfect sense to me as a representation of who she is. She has been struggling with health issues the past year and a half and has been resilient at anything that has come her way. She also was a single mother who decided to go back to school later in life to show her daughters that women can do anything. She was also able to help both her daughters attend college. The word resilient demonstrates all of that.
Do you have a mantra you live by?
I wanted to ask Francesca this question because she is someone, who every time I talk to, finds a way to inspire me. I wanted to see if she had a motto she lives by because of my curiosity I had to ask. I find the second one she started to be something that I live by, as well. I was able to then have a conversation with her about the importance of appearance and how it can affect you mentally and physically.
“Fake it till you make it”
“If you look good, you feel good”
What has been the best part of being a mom?
“I have loved being a mother.” Francesca’s first response says it all. She loves her daughters and speaks very highly of them. Francesca did not have an easy journey in motherhood, as being a single mom of two daughters while going back to school. She goes on by stating, “Being a mom is the best job I ever had. I always say that my daughters made me aspire to be a better person.” She then finished up answering this question by stating, “I highly recommend it.” When she talks about her daughters, she has a glow that shows the love she has for them. I haven't had the opportunity to meet them, but I plan to.
How has your health shaped how you look at life?
She started to answer this question by stating, “Big time. I was, up until a year and a half ago, the healthiest person you could ever meet in your life.” Francesca has dealt with her fair share of medical issues. In the past two years, she has had problems with her gastrointestinal tract, where the doctors found a cancerous tumor. “It took my breath away. After my diagnosis, I was depressed for three days. I’ll still revert to why me; I don’t know if I will ever get the answer. Other than cancer happens.” I think that after anyone goes through something like that, no matter how positive of a person they are, they think about why it had to be them or how could this happen? Francesca has always been a person who lives life to the fullest, but now even more so than before. Francesca calls herself the “Queen of the Bounce,” which means the second she is feeling good she will get up and work on projects. I will wrap up this question with this statement by her, “I will live until I die.”
How has traveling changed your life or perspective?
“I have always loved traveling, especially to other countries, because it helps you think in different ways.” I wanted to ask this question because I know that she has been able to travel all over the world. I enjoy hearing about people’s experiences of traveling. I think that traveling is extremely important because it teaches us so much more than anything we can learn in the classroom. Francesca goes onto state, “My all-time favorite place in Amsterdam. I love Amsterdam because it just seems to be a mix of different countries. It has the best of the canals, the people are always having fun, and the bicycle culture. My second favorite city is Venice. There is something about canals.” I don’t know how to explain it to someone who doesn’t know her personally, but I can see why she likes Venice and Amsterdam, both of those cities represent her personality very well.
What is your go to skincare advice?
I like to ask this question to all the women I interview because I think that it is important to learn and read about different skincare products; after all, our skin is our largest organ. Francesca answers this question by stating, “I’ve had a lifetime of skincare. I've always been obsessed with taking care of skin.” She explained how when she was younger she had acne-prone skin, which made her want to always take great care of her skin. However, her skincare has changed recently because of her health issues. After becoming sick, she changed her skincare routine. Now, one of her favorite products is rose water. And she also is a strong supporter of sunscreen.
Fashion advice?
Francesca always has had an amazing fashion sense. She is very fashionable, yet I didn’t know until recently that she studied fashion when she was younger. She starts to answer this question by stating, “I studied fashion. It was my first life.” She included several tips on fashion that I believe are important for all younger women to know. She states, “Don’t wear what is in style. Wear what is the style for you.” I also believe that this is extremely important. Many women try to wear what is in style, but the truth is that not every trend looks good on everyone. You should always wear what you look good and feel good in, and that doesn’t always mean it has to be in trend.
What is your favorite piece of clothing you own?
I have always admired Francesca's fashion sense, and so I was curious what her favorite piece of clothing is. She simply stated, “my favorite piece of clothing forever and ever will always be dresses.” Her response did not surprise me. Dresses are classic, and they fit her personality well.
What is one thing you would tell your younger self?
This is something that I also didn’t know about her. She answers this question by simply stating, “Don’t smoke pot. I started when I was 14, and I believe it delayed a lot of my personal development. It made me aspire to less for a big part of my life.” I found this interesting because I guess I just never thought that she would have smoked for seven years.
What advice would you give women in college?
“Experience everything you can. You are young and unencumbered. It will give you exposure to so much that you have personal resources to reach from.” I agree with that she stated in her answer because it is so important to do everything you can while you can do it. I took her advice by taking a dance class in college; when I haven’t danced in ten years.
Anything else?
Something that Francesca stressed is that women need to remember how far we have come and that we need to be grateful and remember the women that came before us. I agree that this is important, and I’m glad she decided to mention it at the end of her interview. I think that we need to remember her story, we sometimes forget about it because we are so focused on history.
A huge thank you to Francesca for letting me interview her and allowing me to share her story with my friends and followers. Thank you for reading this article. This series is meant to foster growth and bring up personal discussions of what women have gone through as mothers, students, and employees.
Forever Always,
Emily
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