As the gal behind the camera at the Roxy Studio in Terre Haute, IN, it was my job to capture its spirit and celebrate its beauty. From families and weddings to businesses and boudoir, the Roxy team delivered a fun-­loving, modern photography experience to hundreds of people. But for us, it was about more than taking pictures. It was about telling the stories of life.

I led the Roxy Studio for nearly a decade. And the most important thing I learned—the most important thing those people taught me across hundreds of shoots—is that life is the story of changes. We move from chapter to chapter, leaving one behind to explore the next. Why? Because life should be about trying new things and stepping out of our comfort zones. Life should be about finding those little bits of magic that make it something special. 

In 2014, I finally took that lesson to heart and launched UNVEILED—a brand new studio in Bloomington, IN dedicated to one thing: empowering women. 

“But what does photography have to do with empowerment?”  Everything. 

How often do we compare ourselves to others and tear ourselves down? When was the last time we felt comfortable in our own skin or looked in the mirror and truly loved who we are? Too many of us don’t have the answers to those questions. That’s why I launched UNVEILED, a boudoir photography studio. 

When I started boudoir with Roxy in 2007, a lot of people were afraid of it. They called it pornographic and claimed they’d never be in a shoot. But times change; so do perspectives. 

Boudoir photography is sexy—but it isn’t about sex. It’s about stepping out of our comfort zones. It’s about self-­confidence and self-­discovery. It’s about being comfortable with ourselves and our bodies. It’s about celebrating our femininity in our own way and on our own terms. That’s what I mean by empowerment. 

Right about now, you might be thinking, “This sounds great, but didn’t you move to Bloomington? I don’t have time to make that drive.” It’s true, I did. But my relocation didn’t stop more than 100 women from the Terre Haute area from taking a day to focus on themselves and participate in this unique experience, as well as hundreds of new women from the Bloomington area. For some, the resulting pictures were a treat to themselves. For others, they were gifts to significant others. But in the end, what these bold women did with their pictures doesn’t matter. 

They walked into the studio worried that they needed to lose weight, were too old, had nothing to wear, couldn’t pose, didn’t have enough money, or had no one to gift their photos.

They walked out unveiled, rocking a level of confidence and self-­acceptance that now touches every part of their lives.

There are a lot of things in life that we want. But there are even more things that we need. It may sound crazy but this is one of them. Why? Because you deserve to feel amazing in your own body. You deserve to feel like you can conquer the world. You deserve to see yourself through another lens. You deserve to know the one thing most of us forget: you’re worth it.