I was pretty darn pleased when I got the invite to join in conversation with The Bold Journey Podcast!
I had the opportunity to chat on the podcast alongside some pretty incredible & inspiring people: host Kevin Malik, Gina Sachs, the Creator of Tiny Acts, Tracy Tydeman, Graphic Designer, and Children’s Author, and Yasmine Creese-Brown Founder, Grlpire, LLC.
In this blog, I’m going to share the highlights of our brilliant conversation!
“My Idea of My Best Life Was Not Taking Orders From Others,” Me
Honestly, I laugh at myself because EVERY time someone asks me about my founding story and what inspired me to go into boudoir photography, my answer changes. It’s not a good or bad thing, but it does make me laugh.
For this podcast, I shared how I had had enough of working for other people.
What brought me to where I am in my business today was delving deep into myself—my purpose, my values, my “why.”
I really took the time to explore these values through journaling, meditation, and conversations with my community.
In this journey, I discovered my strengths and the unique ways I think, act, and are, which can bring value to others. My business journey has been about slowly uncovering these aspects of myself and weaving them into my business, so it truly reflects the value I have to offer the world.
I learned that in doing this, trusting the process and trusting myself, my value is immense and that my approach is unique and different.
For example, I don’t know of any other photographer who leads guided meditations before photo shoots or provides such extensive resources before the shoot.
I’ve never seen another boudoir photography business quite like mine, and I hear that from people who discover my website. I put a lot of effort into expressing what I offer on the site, and when people see it, they often reach out to me saying things like:
“I was looking for photographers, but then I saw your website. I saw people that looked like me. I saw language that talked about celebrating bodies instead of trying to make them fit into a mold. You lead a guided meditation. I’ve never seen that before, and I feel like my search is over.”
My Process
We dove into a discussion around running a business in this day and age, which included a lot of chat about social media & platforms.
I was pretty honest: I don’t love social media for work, I love it for connecting with others. So, like I do, I followed my values. I decided to use it to connect to people I know and have met with face to face to continue to build our dynamic & relationship.
I always, no matter what, start my day without my phone. I meditate & write my morning pages before even looking at my phone.
I also take breaks from technology to connect with nature, my community, my friends, and myself. While I enjoy technology, I know how easy it is to get sucked into it.
That’s why it’s important for me to not give it all my attention. Instead, I safeguard some time for myself where I can just be and exist. This helps me recharge my batteries so I can show up as my best self for my clients and the people in my community.
Have A Listen!
This podcast is very valuable because listeners get to hear from not just 1, but 3 incredible female business owners!
You get to hear what has worked for them, and what hasn’t. I think it’s incredibly inspiring and hope you will have a listen.
Here’s what else to look forward to in the pod:
- How long it *actually* takes to build a sustainable business
- Is being average a good or bad thing?
- How to run a business as an extrovert like me!
- The role of social media as a business owner
… and more!
Here is the link to listen!
About The Bold Journey Podcast
Every problem or dilemma we encounter has been faced by countless others in the past. That’s why The Bold Journey was created, as a space to have conversations around these challenges—whether it’s thriving after divorce, bouncing back after a layoff, overcoming imposter syndrome, or developing the ability to ignore haters.
The hosts believe that one of the best ways to deal with these challenges is to learn from the stories and experiences of others.
Their mission is to foster a space for everyone to learn from each other. The pod values the stories, experiences, and insights of our neighbors, friends, and peers as they are the most relevant and authentic sources of wisdom, worth more than all the wealth in the world. Have a listen!
