“I am a 43-year-old marketing professional, wife of 13 years, and mom of two beautiful children, Delaney (11) and Vance (9). I haven’t had photos taken like this other than a couple family photo shoots. Not since my senior pictures have I had any professional photos of just me. Those all don’t really count though because they weren’t as intimate as this session. It was a new experience for me all around.

I have admired Trish’s work for quite some time. I had been working up my nerve to schedule a shoot with her for over a year. I kept pushing it back…feeling a little insecure, needing to lose just a few more pounds, worried about my serious case of resting bitch face, not able to justify splurging a little on just me, etc. What lead me to put my big girl panties and sign up for the For Real Campaign, was Delaney.

I have many wishes for Delaney as she is entering middle school. It is going to be tough even though she is a little rock star (or Diva, as Trish called her). I mean—we girls…we get it right? There may be times where others will try to fill her head with self-doubt and even break her heart. What I want her to know as she heads into the middle school minefield is to be brave, true to herself, and to love herself as she is. The For Real Campaign is the embodiment of all that those characteristics. Participating in the campaign gave me the opportunity to not just preach these things, but to lead by example.

I also found along the way that I needed to take a little of my own advice. I needed to do something for myself, love myself as I am, and be brave enough to do something that scared the bejeebies out of me.

Going into the shoot, I was feeling a bit vulnerable, almost raw. Delaney was nervous out of her mind.  That lasted for all of about 20 seconds once the shoot started. Trish does an amazing job of making you feel comfortable even if you are seriously out of your comfort zone. It turned out to be an amazing experience for my daughter. We both left the studio feeling brave, beautiful, and empowered. I am forever grateful I had the chance to experience this with her.

I was almost more nervous for the reveal than I was the photoshoot. I shouldn’t have been though. I shouldn’t have doubted Trish working her brand of magic. Do it ladies. You won’t regret it.”