Simplifying Life with Grace:
A Minimalist's Journey to Intentional Living
Welcome to the first-ever interview series on the Yorba blog! Today, we're hanging out with Grace Nevitt, a minimalist lifestyle YouTuber.
Grace dives into what minimalism really means to her (hint: it's not about having just one of everything, but about making life less complicated). She shares her take on why keeping both your room and your digital life tidy matters just as much and why minimalism is way more than just a bare room.
Check out the full scoop on how Grace makes minimalism work for her, and maybe find a little inspiration to simplify your own life.
Yorba: Please introduce yourself, your role, and one thing you love thinking about most often.
Grace: My name is Grace Nevitt, and I am a minimalism lifestyle YouTuber. I also work as a wardrobe swing on Broadway. And something that I love thinking about most often is how to simplify my life and make things go smoother to reduce friction where I can.
Yorba: Minimalism means a lot of different things to different people. What does it mean for you?
Grace: Finding the simplicity in life. Having an intentional life, having less friction in your day to day routines, and finding a way to make things run smoothly for you. Only having the things that you need and that bring value to your life and cutting out the extra noise.
Yorba: What are the differences you see between physical minimalism and digital minimalism? Are there any differences?
Grace: There are not as many as people would think because they both add simplicity to your life once you've achieved or taken the effort to minimize in both of those spaces. They're both very important for physical minimalism. It's definitely something that you see all the time, and it kind of impacts your ability to relax in your own space.
And in terms of digital minimalism, it can also be something that's very overwhelming. We are so online now, and we are so connected to our devices that they are both very important when going for a minimalist lifestyle.
Yorba: If there's a concept of minimalism that people are constantly misunderstanding, then why do you think that is?
Grace: It's definitely just the fact that minimalism doesn't always mean white walls and three books and one cup, one glass, one fork, one spoon sort of thing. It doesn't have to mean deprivation.
It just means intentionality. And I think that the aesthetic, white, stark, nothing minimalist is something that is kind of pushed upon us by people online. The aesthetic of that. And it's something that all minimalists are supposed to strive for or whatever. But I really don't think that that's the case, nor do I think it's realistic or enjoyable for most people.
People are constantly misunderstanding that because it’s pushed as the ideal or the goal for minimalists at a certain point when I just don't think that that should be the case.
Yorba: How has practicing minimalism impacted your relationships with others? Have you faced any challenges or expected benefits in that regard?
Grace: I think it's definitely shifted my values a lot. I spend my time doing the things that I want to do instead of constantly doing things for other people. It helped me protect my peace a bit more. And also made me more available to help people just from the energy and goodness and whatever of my own heart. I'm giving from a place of having a full cup instead of giving from a place of burnout and obligation. I'm able to rest and reset in my own space now and have a good foundation for expanding energy to the outside world in terms of challenges or benefits.
It has definitely made the people around me a lot more aware of their surroundings in their own spaces as well. My mom has done some decluttering, my younger siblings have done some decluttering, and they've just become more aware of their spending as well. So that's really positive because it's important to help out your family and to have them see that buying things is not necessarily going to help anything.
Yorba: Have you made any mistakes in your initial approach or practice of minimalism?
Grace: Everyone makes mistakes. I definitely made the mistake of thinking that it was going to be easy or quick. Just thinking that it was going to be easy or fast and that it was just about getting rid of stuff and not thinking about the emotional aspects of it as well, and the habits and other things that you would have to deprogram yourself from.
Yorba: People will be interested in getting into digital minimalism. If you had to give them your top three tips, what would you say?
Grace: Definitely listen to yourself and have a strong and clear why. Understanding why you're doing something is going to help you come back to the same place every time. If you have a “why” that you are operating from, then everything can have an intention behind it, and if you are aligned with that intention, then everything will feel much better.
Another tip is just to be aware of the emotional impact of minimalism. Because it's difficult. It takes a lot of time and mental and physical energy as well, and just make sure that you're prepared.
And then also to rely on other people as well. Have a community of people to whom you can gift your things or ask for advice or ask for encouragement, support, or use services to help you do things easier, or apps like Yorba.
Define things that will help you along the way. Because doing it by yourself is really overwhelming.
Yorba: Imagine having access to a billboard. What would you write on it and why?
Grace: “Have empathy for others and care for others.” Because at the end of the day, we're all going to die. And we might as well make our lives more enjoyable while we're here. More simple, less convoluted, less political, less awful. So having empathy for the people around you, I think, is really important. And that's what I would want people to think about and reflect on if they saw a billboard.
Big thanks, Grace, for sharing your insights and journey with us. It's conversations like these that remind us how impactful a simpler, more intentional life can be—not just for our physical spaces but for our mental health and relationships too.
Who else would you like to see us interview? Feel free to email us your suggestions at yo@yorba.co. We're all ears and excited to keep this series rolling with more engaging chats with experts who can inspire us to live better in all sorts of ways.
About Grace
Grace Nevitt runs a YouTube channel that features no-buy tips, minimalism, and lifestyle vlogs. She mainly shares her experiences while trying to get through the ups and downs in life in one piece. To her, learning how to manage the hurdles of life is the first step to living happily and more intentionally. Her vlog is a safe space for us to figure it out together, recognizing that we're all just trying our best out here.
