The Photo That Changed Everything

A story about growth, grit, and trusting the process.

This past May I photographed a women’s retreat in Bali. The women I met were absolutely magical, and that trip lit something up inside me all over again.

But this photo right here… it’s a full circle moment.

Back in 2011, my hubby, Mike and I quit our corporate jobs to travel the world.
At the time I worked for Time Inc. in the Licensing & Syndication department, negotiating rates for US photos in international magazines. I was surrounded by incredible photographers, and I remember thinking, “One day, I want to do that. I want to create something breathtaking.”

So when we left to travel, I bought a Canon T3i and promised myself I would figure it out.

And let me tell you, it wasn’t pretty.

Shoutout to Mike, who sat on mountaintops reading while I spent hours taking way too many landscape photos, trying to learn my camera. He never once made me feel silly for dreaming big. He supported me from day one, and that’s something I’ll never take for granted.

One of our stops during our world traveling adventure was the Monkey Forest in Ubud. I snapped hundreds of monkey photos, so excited to see them… and then realized almost every single one was out of focus.

Fast forward 12 years.

This time, standing in that same Monkey Forest, I had over a decade of experience under my belt. I had built a multi six-figure photography business from scratch. I had taught myself everything I know. I had refused to give up on the vision that once felt impossible.

I’ll never forget when my dad asked me after our travels, “So what are you going to do now?”
“I’m going to be a professional photographer,” I said.
“You’ll never make money from that,” he replied.

And maybe those words were the spark I needed. Because here I am, being flown across the world to photograph retreats, empowering women through my sessions, and creating priceless memories for families who cherish every single image.

I’m proof that you can take a dream that everyone else doubts and make it your reality.

I’m proof that you can teach yourself the skills, create the opportunities, and build a life you can’t stop pinching yourself over.

And I’m proof that you don’t have to put yourself in a box. Photography will always be part of my soul, but I also have so many other passions, and now I get to build a business that holds all of them.

So here’s my message to you.

Do the thing they say you can’t do.
Follow the dream they roll their eyes at.
Keep going when it feels impossible.

Because one day, you’ll look back at the girl with the shaky hands and the out-of-focus photos and realize… she became everything she said she would be.