This long-overdue business task was the personal vacation I didn’t know I needed. For any girl who has ever looked at a magazine cover of a celebrity or model or a Facebook post of a friend and thought “I’m not pretty”, this is the personal vacation you didn’t know you needed but will serve you in ways that you never expected.

While my personal vacation with Felicia Reed Photography started as a simple need to update my branding and headshots, the experience turned into SO much more. I will admit that I have struggled with body image insecurities my entire life. When you spend your youth as a dancer in front of a mirror analyzing your body and surrounded by tall dancers it was easy for me to fall into a lifelong trap of “I don’t like what I see”. Fast forward, I’m a 51-year young woman whose body is changing while also coming out of a pandemic where I spent more time than I’d like to admit scrolling on social media while snacking on chips and Cheetos – away from the daily gym that I was accustomed to pre-covid.

I can honestly say I’ve not been my healthiest. But luckily for me, I’m a talker, and I’m a thinker, and I’m aware of the good, the bad, and the ugly. So as I faced this journey of having to get new headshots now as a middle-aged woman I talked to people like my friend, Dionne Young, who is an extraordinary fashion/style consultant and walked down this amazing path of self-discovery at 51 about how I choose to manifest the good the bad and the ugly of my negative thoughts.

And then I remembered the amazing photos that my friend Edie Phillips shared and started to learn more about the unique photography services of Felicia Reed photography.

Felicia describes her work as photoshoot therapy and boy is that an understatement.

From pre-shoot consultations to photography planning, counseling & support, Felicia provided a fully immersive, personalized experience from beginning to end. I didn’t know about Legacy photography before I met Felicia but coming out of the past 2 years with a greater appreciation for the frailness of life, I wanted to celebrate who I am today and make sure my family had my legacy in print of who I am as a mother, wife, and daughter.

So, what initially felt like an incredibly vain photoshoot assignment led me to a celebration of the life of exactly who I am and where I’m at, all 51 years of unique body, energy, and complexities. And yes, I obtained the classic business headshots and branding shots that I’ll look forward to sharing when I launch my new business ventures but along the way, I also added some fun memories with hats for my son who is all about hats, and some dramatic and thoughtful ones for my Dad, and some sexy ones for my DH (and maybe me) and other playful poses!

I encourage any woman to consider taking time like this to celebrate their spirit in print for her family.