It was the second to last image we created*. (Editors note - I actually hate the word shot/shoot in this instance. Puts up a bit of a barrier in the collaborative process, of which most photographers will opine. Most famously Ansel Adam's “You don't take a photograph, you make it." You get the idea.) The moment, a test shoot in my "studio youth" that was off the cuff. The tattoo was fresh and so was moment. It was the first of many iconic images to follow over the years, the moment when I knew I had realized something worth saying.

Working with women and showing them what they are capable of in the gym lights me up. Over my last 10 years as a personal trainer who has connected with many women, I have found that most of us ladies grew up keeping our voices as small as possible, as well as our bodies. Fortunately, times are changing. Women seem to be speaking up for themselves more boldly (unless this is a result of getting older :), and they are learning that putting on muscle (coined “the organ of longevity”) and getting physically stronger can help with metabolism, overall health and quality of life.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve stood for empowerment. In my younger years, I was often bullied for my distinct features, specifically my unique name and my naturally curly hair which I now embrace fully but it took me years to have a confident self image. Because of this, I’ve always felt called to help others feel stronger and more confident, especially in controlling their life and owning their authenticity through fashion and personal style. 

I don’t come from a family of musicians; I come from a family of serious abuse. Trauma changes the shape of the brain, but music does too, and the latter gave me a bit of solace and a path out of what I was suffering through. I found the horn by accident, but it gave me a voice for the ambiguous “this” that sat between me and myself, though I was never really excellent at it until much later in life. In my formative years, most of my bandwidth was depleted by a struggle to survive, and honing one’s craft requires a certain degree of resources and safety that I just didn’t have at my disposal. I was desperately trying to make it through to an eventual freedom that I never really knew was coming, but somehow I believed I would get to if I stuck it out. That has always been my biggest experience with faith.