Be Your Beauty

I learned long ago that thought is reality, and the way that I saw myself became the way I carried myself.   For many years I let my self-image dictate how I showed-up in life, and it wasn't pretty.  I was awkward, always seeking to be invisible—letting my hair hang in my face, never making eye contact, wearing baggy clothes, and never speaking up.  I didn't value mySelf. 

At the encouragement of my parents and a friend's mother, I attended modeling school and started to see my beauty.   I started modeling and while this began to change things for me, seeing myself as physically beautiful was not the same as seeing myself as innately noble.  I had to do the inner work necessary to accept the nobility of my soul as an absolute, unchangable fact.  As I walked this path of "knowing" to my core my inherent worth something striking happened in my photoshoots, I began to show-up differently in the images.  Images that once looked pretty but hollow became vibrant and full of life.  I realized that in order for an image to truly capture a person's light, that light has to be lit from within—this isn't something photoshop can "fix". 

Now I work behind the camera lens, supporting others in their journey of embracing their inner light so that their brand images truly reflect their inner certitude.  I do this through my Brand Your Beauty program.  This program supports entrepreneurs in stepping into their light on camera leading to an increase in both confidence and clients.  During our time together we  explore the various barriers—myths, fears, and insecurities—that keep individuals from honestly recognizing their inherent beauty and transform such barriers into bridges to their true calling.  For you are a noble soul.  Once you embrace this truth and show-up in life knowing to your core that you are a vibrant, brilliant, beautiful being, the world cannot help but notice.  And when you feel confident, it is a catalyst to your calling, and THAT is what this work is about—empowering you to serve.

An essential aspect of the Brand Your Beauty program is the virtual Radiance Retreat, which consists of three mini-intensives: Exploration, Transformation, and Sophistication conversations.  During the Sophistication conversation I share tips and tricks from nearly two decades of experience in-front of and behind the camera lens.  Much of this learning comes from my time as a model—both in terms of techniques to amplify physical beauty and, most importantly, to boost inner radiance.  However, most of this learning comes from my own journey to truly see myself, my whole Self, as beautiful.

So while much of this may sound like it is only for entrepreneurs or those preparing for a photoshoot or live event, the truth is that all of us could stand to recognize, appreciate, and embrace our genuine and natural beauty in a way that elevates our souls, awakens our purpose, and catalyzes our calling.

For a glimpse at the kinds of things covered during the Sophistication conversation, click here for a free gift, "Be Your Beauty".

So much love,

And so it begins

Whew!  Starting a business is a whirlwind!  I've had to face fears and insecurities of my own through this process, and also recognize the ways in which I feel called to serve on a much deeper level.  And with this post, it begins ... so let's dive in!

Recently I was reading Daring Greatly by Brené Brown, learning about the research on shame and vulnerability and their relationship to joy and gratitude, and I found myself thinking of a few quotes from the Bahá'í Writings:

"In this day, to thank God for His bounties consisteth in possessing a radiant heart, and a soul open to the promptings of the spirit. This is the essence of thanksgiving." ~'Abdu'l-Bahá

"O My servants! Be as resigned and submissive as the earth, that from the soil of your being there may blossom the fragrant, the holy and multicolored hyacinths of My knowledge." ~Bahá'u'lláh

"Instead of complaining, they rendered thanks unto God, and amidst the darkness of their anguish they revealed naught but radiant acquiescence to His will." ~Bahá'u'lláh

After reading and calling to mind these quotes I sat back to reflect, and I looked out of the window of the plane I was in.  (I happened to be flying from California to Colorado after a whirlwind trip to work with two clients and present my Master's research on interfaith dialogue at a conference on immigration.)  So in that moment, I was directly above the Grand Canyon—like, crystal clear skies, perfect fall day, Grand Canyon.  Now, I've never seen the Grand Canyon before, never on a flight or in person, and in that moment I was breathless, choked up even.  It was stunning.  Here was this physical manifestation of beauty that comes from being "resigned and submissive", the water carved through this land creating vast cracks in an otherwise flat(ish) vista, and in its submissiveness it's beauty was born.  As an artist you'd think I would have whipped out my camera and taken a few shots out of the window.  In that moment, my prerogative wasn't to act as photographer, it was to simply allow myself to be taken on the journey the landscape beckoned me toward.  To quote one of my favorite movies (The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, 2013), "If I like a moment, for me, personally, I don't like to have the distraction of the camera. I just want to stay in it", for "Beautiful things don't ask for attention."

If only I can continually recall that moment, how being "open to the promptings of the spirit" is much like the water flowing through the channel created out of "radiant acquiescence"—oh the joy felt in gratitude, the power cultivated in submission!  I was reminded of why I am doing the work I am doing, it is that feeling of returning home within one's self, the kind of homecoming that is only possible thru an encounter with true beauty.

So that is what I am here to support you in, returning home, to your center, thru beauty.  Whether through a specific program—Brand Your Beauty and Shape Your Sanctuary—or through customized artwork and prints—Radiant Creation and the Shop—it all centers around supporting you to come home within yourself through an encounter with beauty—the beauty within and surrounding you.

Ever in service,

Since I didn't take a photo of the Grand Canyon, here is a photo of a rose in the morning dew.