Crazy humbling experiences: Embrace your fears, find your fierce and GO!

I love nothing more than empowering women, helping them 'Find Their Fierce' and let go of the fear of embracing that. That doesn't mean I do the same with ease all the time. Not at all! I've wanted to publicly speak about Finding Your Fierce for some time now. Mind you, I speak about it all the time, I have no problem talking to women about how fierce they are at any given moment, and most especially when they come to Ciao Bella Boudoir for a session. Talk about finding your fierce! YES! The transformation is inspiring, every. single. time. In as much as I've always told my clients, friends, random strangers to follow their dreams, my dream of publicly speaking? I've kept that little dream to myself. It seemed so big to me. But this year I decided to leap. And yes, when I lept those proverbial wings you hear about had more strength than I had ever imagined they would!

So now I get to say it, scream it from the rooftops: I am speaking about 'Finding Your Fierce' at Inspire Photo Retreats 2016!  This will be my third year attending Inspire. I'm not sure I can put into words what Inspire means to me, but I'll try:

As a photographer, we focus on getting it right in camera, the technical side of photography. Obviously that's incredibly important. Our clients trust us to know what we're doing. They trust that when they give us a crazy day, in a dark room, with no light, that we will be able to create gorgeous images for them. And so, we study, we practice, we make magic happen. But there's so much more to being a photographer. That trust our clients have in us, goes deeper. They trust that we see their beauty. They trust that we can show their amazing personalities, their love, their joy, their ferocity, when we photograph them. Inspire Photo Retreats is about that side of doing what I love. Learning to Fail Faster with Graham and Ashley Scobey of Scobey Photography this past winter allowed me to face my fears, open my mouth and talk about my dreams. Listening to Kristi Drago-Price of Editor's Edge speak about how your website should reflect YOU so your clients are attracted to YOU opened my eyes to what I had been avoiding for a while (and I found my take no bullshit mother fucking puma spirit animal in her). All the moments spent with friends, new and old, talking about life, love, business, and everything in between. Playing cards against humanity with Melissa Koren, Rebecca Marie, Lindsay DeDario, Michael Hanlon and more as tears ran down our faces, our cheeks hurting from laughing too much, eating too much food and having foodgasms, hugs, more hugs, more laughter and even more hugs. It's a spirit lifting, soul feeding, joy inducing three days. I would not miss it for the world.

How did I do putting that into words? Do you feel it? I hope so! I get ALL the feels from Inspire and my Inspire family. I'm in love with every single one of them. I am humbled, it's crazy. Talking to the group in Ashley and Graham's Failing Faster class about my desire to speak to photographers and beyond about Finding Your Fierce, it still seemed like a faraway dream. To see that come to fruition, to know that people see value in what I'm saying? It is a humbling, empowering, beautiful experience. I look forward to sharing dreams, hopes, fears, joy, love, desire, and most of all FIERCE with my fellow photographers this coming February.

Where is your fierce? Find it, embrace it, revel in it, and share it with the world. Inspire those around you to do the same.

~Ciao Bellas! XOXO

Beyond excited and honored to be among these crazy talented, intelligent, love-filled individuals!