Who will walk the runway during New York Fashion Week and win $20,000? You decide.
Nanci Caceda
About Nanci Caceda
I’m Nanci Caceda, wife, mom, caregiver, content creator and home cook. I’ve spent years caring for my 87-year-old mother while sharing our real life, food and laughter with millions. Now I’m ready to step outside my comfort zone and surprise myself.
Learn More About Nanci Caceda
What makes you the Next Runway Star?
Because confidence has no age limit, and neither does reinvention. After years of being a wife, mother, daughter and caregiver, I’m at a point in my life where I’m willing to try something simply because it scares me, excites me and makes absolutely no sense for my life which may be exactly why I should do it. I’ve built a community of millions by simply being myself and sharing the laughter, chaos, food and family that make up my life. I know how to connect with an audience, but I’ve never walked a runway before. Honestly, that makes me want to do it even more. I want to walk that runway exactly as I am: confident, joyful, a little unpredictable and completely comfortable being myself. I want women who think certain opportunities have passed them by to see me and think, “Why not me?” Sometimes your most unexpected chapter becomes your best one
What would this once in a lifetime experience mean to you and why?
For much of my adult life, I’ve been someone’s wife, mother, daughter and caregiver. For many years, my 87-year-old mother has lived with my husband and me, and caring for her has shaped so much of my life. Like so many women, I became very good at taking care of everyone else. Somewhere along the way, I stopped asking myself a simple question: What do I want to do just because I want to do it? I certainly never expected the answer to be walking at New York Fashion Week! This experience would be me giving myself permission to have a new adventure while still loving and caring for the people who depend on me. I want other women, especially those who have spent years caring for others, to see that their own adventures aren’t over. You’re still allowed to surprise yourself. Walking that runway would be one hell of a way to prove it.
What are you most proud of about yourself or what have you overcome and why?
I’m most proud of my ability to keep moving forward and still find reasons to laugh. My family and I once lost our home and nearly everything we owned, and we had to rebuild our lives from the ground up. Through other difficult chapters, I also became a longtime caregiver for my mother. But I don’t want the hard things to be the most interesting things about me. I’m proud of what came after them. By simply sharing our real life, cooking, laughter and crazy family moments, I somehow built a community of millions of people who have become part of our story. After everything, I’m still curious. I’m still willing to take chances, embarrass myself and try things I never imagined doing. To me, resilience isn’t just surviving the hard things. It’s coming out the other side still excited about what might happen next.
What would you do with the $20,000 cash prize?
I’d use the $20,000 to give my family something money can’t really buy back later: time and memories together. My 87-year-old mother has been at the center of our family and so much of the content our community has come to love. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized I value experiences far more than things. I’d love to take my mother and family on a special trip while we still have the opportunity, somewhere beautiful where we can laugh, eat, explore and make memories we’ll talk about forever. Winning $20,000 would be incredible, but I don’t need another expensive thing sitting in my house. I’d rather turn that money into a memory.
Content from Nanci Caceda
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