Wonderfully Made

It was a warm, sunny afternoon in Malibu, California. I was sitting at Alumni Park, the fairytale-esque "front yard" of Pepperdine University, close enough to the Pacific Ocean that you could feel the cool breeze of the waves. It was the annual Wonderfully Made Pepperdine conference, and I was sitting on a checkered blanket with a few of my girlfriends as we listened to inspiring women share their life stories on the stage.

Allie Marie Smith, the founder of the organization, was one of those women. Gracefully walking up to the mic, dressed in beach-chic attire, she began to share her story - of which surprised just about everyone in the crowd. Allie explained how life had not been rainbows and butterflies, as she struggled with depression in her high school and college years. She found hope in the Bible verse Psalm 139:14, stating "I praise you, Lord, because I am fearfully and wonderfully made." Allie's life shifted once she allowed Jesus to mold her heart; she knew she was His precious, beautiful, darling daughter with a glorious future He alone could map out.

Wonderfully Made is an organization centered on helping women discover their true value. Founder Allie is a beach babe rockstar, and we were head over heels to spend some time interviewing our role model. Enjoy!

Tell us about yourself and Wonderfully Made!

Well, I currently live in North Santa Barbara County with my husband Paul – we’ve been married nine years. I love to surf and play with horses and write whenever I’m inspired. Paul and I love adventuring in our camper van and exploring new places especially in our home state of California. Wonderfully Made is a 501c3 non-profit organization I started which is dedicated to helping young women know their God-given value and worth. We host conferences, have a podcast and produce films with the effort of inspiring girls to lead lives of lasting purpose, beauty and worth.

How did you start WM?

God gave me the vision for Wonderfully Made when I was 18 – shortly after I was hospitalized for severe depression. Everything I had placed my value and worth in was gone from me, which made me free to receive a sense of worth and purpose from God. Starting around the age of fifteen I knew I wanted to inspire girls and young women. I dreamt of starting a positive magazine – kind of like what Darling Magazine is today. When I went to college at Pepperdine University I started Wonderfully Made on campus, but shortly after our group began meeting, my severe depression returned and put me into an even scarier and darker place. I then transferred to Santa Clara University where I lived with my parents and finished college. I still felt driven to start this organization so I put up posters in the women’s bathroom and three girls responded. We began meeting every week and our group grew to almost thirty girls in the following years. We have evolved since to become an official non-profit and offer conferences and other resources for girls.

Advice on how to be a Godly wife?

I have so much to learn when it comes to marriage and being the best wife I can be. One thing I’m learning right now is how to better respect my husband by knowing the specific ways he feels valued, appreciated and treasured. It’s a constant journey to try and forget oneself and esteem your spouse and put him first. I’m not a marriage excerpt, but I’ll also say that having common interests you can do together helps bring you closer.

Advice you would give your 20 year old self?

I would remind myself of Jesus’ words:  “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." For too long after I became a Christian, I believed that because I was following Jesus life would be pain-free. In my case, that meant that I would never struggle with clinical depression again. But I did and when it happened I felt like God had abandoned me. I’ve now learned that Jesus never promised us an easy life and we all faces different storms. My mentor always reminds me that God doesn’t waste anything in our lives when we surrender it to Him.

Favorite Bible verse?

Right now I have this one on mental repeat:
You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. – Isaiah 26:3

Favorite books? TV shows? Music artists?

I’m great at starting books and terrible at finishing them. One of my favorites, however, is "A Ring of Endless Light." For TV, I liked Parenthood a lot and my husband and I currently engrossed in “This Is Us.” My favorite musical artist is Josh Garrels.

How can women get involved in WM?

By grabbing a copy of one of our two Bible studies and starting a group with girls/women. They can also follow us on social media to be encouraged and watch and share our films. Sign up for our newsletter list to find out where our next conference will be.

"God moment" you can share?

I recently hit a really rough patch. A treasured friend showed up unexpectedly at my house. She listened to me and prayed for me. Her visit helped me make a turn around for the best. It was like a “God-wink” reminding me that He is with me and uses people to encourage us.

Describe your perfect day.

Paul and I would rise early, hop in our van with bluegrass music blasting and head to our friend’s property on the coast where we would surf a lovely point break on our long boards. I’d then go horseback riding along the mountains and beach followed by getting lost in a good book and doing some writing. And maybe we’d finish the day by going to my favorite restaurant.