I have admired Louise’s vulnerability and bravery from afar via instagram for the past 2+ years as I went through what’s known as Topical Steroid Withdrawal (TSW) - a result of having used super strong steroid creams to manage my eczema. While I was alone in my house crying over my red, itchy skin that seemed incurable, Louise was going through the same thing all the way across the pond in the U.K. - but she was brave enough to show up online to share her experience and became incredibly supportive and vocal about the condition to increase awareness. It was because of Louise (and many other brave souls out there in the TSW community!) that I learned about my condition, what caused it, and how to heal from it.

Since 2019, when she started going through her withdrawal process, Louise has accumulated tens of thousands of instagram followers, co-founded a TSW advocacy community called Scratch That UK, directed a documentary about TSW and her experiences called Our Prescribed Hell and even started a business to bring a special clinic to the UK to treat TSW patients at skinsolaceclinic.co.uk. 

Listen in to today’s episode to learn a bit about TSW, but also to explore the idea and concept that those of us with sensitive skin may also be sensitive souls and how do we use that sensitivity (in both our skin and our emotions) as a super power. 

Extra big thank you to Louise for taking the time to do this podcast even with all that she has going on, and for always being a helpful and empathetic voice in the TSW community for so many!

For my tenth episode my guest is the lovely Liz Cooper! She’s a past bride of mine for 2020 and now I am lucky enough to call her a friend - she reached out to me early in the announcement of my podcast and we talked about some really cool ideas about an episode all about GRACE - giving yourself grace when you mess up, giving your partner grace when they mess up, and just talking about the nitty gritty REAL details of being in a partnership with someone. As a wedding photographer, I get to talk a lot about the big wedding plans and all the fun things - the food, the venue, the PARTY - but I never really talk about how hard it is to commit your life to someone and grow into your future together. Because that is HARD - both to talk about and to do!

I can’t thank Liz enough for contributing to the podcast with her stories, her advice and for sharing her experiences in both past and present relationships with us - she is so brave, beautiful and articulate and just THE BEST EVER. Thank you, Liz, for setting such a great example for the rest of us to show us how vulnerability can be our greatest asset, strength and superpower. You are a superwoman in my eyes and I am so proud to know you and to share our really super honest convo with our listeners today.

Also thank you for hosting one of my favorite weddings of all time and inviting me to photograph it and dance to emo punk music for a whole night. HIGHLIGHT of wedding photography career...no joke! So my friends, get yourselves ready for this fantastic convo with Liz (and for many references to Fall Out Boy and all kinds of 2005’s pop punk bands) because I just know you’re gonna love it. 

It’s my absolute pleasure to introduce you to Soji James - Soji is a strength and conditioning coach based in NYC who loves to help people discover and achieve both how they want to feel in their bodies AND in their lives. He’s inspirational, motivational, energetic, thoughtful, kind, hilarious and SO amazingly brave and awesome for coming on the pod and getting vulnerable about mental health and perfectionism.

I’m not even exaggerating when I say that Soji has changed my life in our short convo for this episode - he’s full of so many great pieces of advice and tips and tricks to shift your attitude and mindset - and I know I’m not the only one whose life has been impacted and changed thanks to Soji because I see all his fitness clients absolutely RAVING about him online!

So be sure to check out his website at sojijames.com  or follow him on instagram @soji.james1 to hear and see more about all the lives he’s changed by helping burnt out dieters feel confident AF and change their relationship with food & fitness.  FOR REAL - go give him a follow for weekly pick-me-ups full of his contagious positive energy and I just know you’re gonna want to vibe with his hilarious and awesome Reels/Tikoks.

And if you’re really super duper interested in working with Soji, make sure you check out his “Elevate You” group coaching program that he’s launching THIS WEEK - so hurry up and reach out to him and get on that! In the meantime, enjoy our conversation about how we can move from our perfectionist mindset of “all or nothing” into a space where we can live in an “always something” mindset instead.  

Honestly I used to fan girl over her and now I can’t even believe she’s my friend & mentor (OK FINE I still fangirl over her every time she posts a sneak peek of one of her weddings)  She is the QUEEN of Boston photography - I was so tempted to put a crown on her head in the episode photo because she absolutely rules the wedding photog circle of Boston her insane camera skills, contagious energy and “can do” attitude.

My other favorite thing about Lena is that she keeps it 110% real 110% of the time. She’ll use her instagram and online audience to raise awareness and money for racial and social injustices, she’ll post behind the scenes that show the not-so-glamourous life of being a wedding photog  and today she is coming on to talk about BURN OUT as a biz owner and she definitely DOES NOT hold back!

You’re gonna learn how to use your calendar to schedule a better work/life balance, how to set boundaries and say NO, and what to do both to avoid burnout as well as what to do if you find yourself in the middle of some burnout RIGHT NOW and it's a little too late to turn back the clock.

Please enjoy this amazing, honest and candid convo with Lena Mirisola and you can find her website at www.lenamirisolaphoto.com and on social @lenamirisola to see THE best wedding photos on all of the east coast  - and check out her blog if you’re a biz owner because she has SO much more amazing advice to share with you to make your CEO life easier!

I absolutely adore talking to Becca - we can be FaceTiming from across the country, having a scoop of ice cream in Boston, or (in this case) recording a podcast episode, and I know that no matter what, talking to Becca is always going to be full of REALNESS and it’s gonna be natural, easy and as genuine as genuine can get. So I hope you love listening to her talk as much as I do, and I bet that you can relate to a bit of her story about how she went from photographing 50+ weddings a year to chasing a new dream as an adventure and travel photographer in Oregon. 

PLEASE go check out Becca’s work on her stunning website beccamoot.com and follow her on social media at @beccamoot to support her in this new amazing adventure she is on - her work is truly ART. Plus she’s always sharing beautiful and vulnerable stories and truths because she has such a big heart. Oh and she has super cute doggies you’re gonna wanna see :)

Alaina is a certified wellness coach, a blogger, a fitness instructor, a world traveler and so many other impressive and amazing things. You can find out more about her and her services on her website www.alainasawyer.com where you can also catch up on her recent blog posts and listen to her weekly meditations she records that she so kindly shares with the world. You can also find her on Instagram @ alainasawyer_wellnesscoach.

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE: She is ALSO a new podcaster!!! She and her friend Claire host a fantastic new  podcast called Gin & Chronic - it's all about Chronic Illness - Claire has Type 1 diabetes and Alaina has CML (chronic myeloid leukemia). I love how openly and bravely these ladies discuss all the challenges of navigating life with a chronic illness - and they bring so much humor into each episode as well so it’s both relatable AND hilarious. Check out their instagram at @ginandchronicpod or find their podcast on iTunes, Spotify and anywhere else you listen to your podcasts! Go subscribe now!!

Sheila is a Life Coach that specializes in helping high-achieving women step into their next-level selves. She LOVES working with go-getters who may be feeling like they’ve outgrown their career, relationship, or lifestyle.  Sheila basically helps us people pleasers and negative self talkers to build killer confidence from within and take aligned action so that we can THRIVE!

In this episode, Sheila and I talk about how we can find the root of our perfectionism while also reflecting on how perfectionism may have benefited us in the past. Sheila poses some amazing questions in this episode about what it might look like for those of us who struggle with perfectionism to no longer be a perfectionist (*gasp!*) and how that might make us feel.  Stay tuned for a BONUS episode later this month because I actually participated in one of Sheila’s “Root to Rise” coaching calls and we recorded it and I’d love to share that with you all and update you on how it’s been impacting my life ever since.

In the meantime, check out Episode 3 and if you are interested in learning more about Sheila or if you want to book a coaching call with her, check out her website at www.sheilaanne.com or follow her on social media @sheflowsandgrows. Trust me, you’re gonna want to see all her Instagram Reels!