Little did I know when I made that photo how strong the non-conforming force in me would be. Growing up, I often wondered how (and why) my Type-A brain was equal parts BFA and MBA. Do you know a lot of creative types from small Ohio towns who love spreadsheets, profits and persuasion? That's what I thought.

Eventually, after lots of hard-earned lessons while building my business in Denver and then Chicago, I turned my art degree into 7 brands, attracted 12 you-know-them-by-name celebrity & Forbes™ World's Billionaires List clients, won countless awards, and was named a top-20 wedding photographer. Not bad after almost failing yoga in college!

This brings me to the most important person in the room—YOU. If I had to pick one thing in my career that made the biggest impact on my success...it's my relentless commitment to you, my client, and the work I make for you.

I take my job seriously even though I always bring the good laughs. Right now, my job is to help you grow your business, be the best at what you do, and help you make that happen faster. I pinky promise I won't tell you to step into your power...I keep it simple, straightforward and hella fun with the straightest possible line to profits. I teach the same proven strategies that I used to create my tiny-but-mighty creative business that has made millions, served thousands, and allowed me to do what I love.

And now it's your turn—Let's GET TO WORK.

I BELIEVE IN:

My family, health = wealth, curiosity, profits, homemade meals, dogs and going big with as little effort as possible.

I'm allergic to:

Fake anything (think sushi grass), excuses, fluff (ski snow excluded), inefficiency, soy (seriously) and I DON'T HIGH FIVE IN YOGA (even before COVID).

YOU CAN FIND ME:

Mom-ing pretty hard when I'm not working with my amazing clients. Check the ski lifts, beach chair or national parks if I'm OOF playing with my fam: Tod, Emmet & Zoe.

COOL STUFF I’VE DONE:

Turned 10 clients into $1M+ worth of business, co-piloted a plane in the Amazon, climbed Cotopaxi, my business advice published in three books, and sang ON STAGE with KT Tunstall, Sheryl Crow & Brandi Carlile (Wait, WHAT?)

HARD STUFF I’VE DONE/AM STILL DOING:

Beat breast cancer, figured out Facebook ads, avoiding career moves because I hate being on camera instead of behind it, continuing to perfect the art of being a recovering perfectionist.

But my business journey wasn't easy...because hard things are hard.

Today you can find me teaching my students online, working with my long-time photo clients, creating in my studio or filming a new course. But when I started my business journey, I HAD NO IDEA WHAT I WAS DOING. Every day felt like Bon Jovi wrote "Livin' On A Prayer" just for me.

When I started as a wedding photographer, I didn't know ANYTHING. I struggled with small things like how to use my camera, how to sell, and what's a P&L, again? I got super excited when my credit card wasn't declined. It's embarrassing to think about my early days—I truly can't believe people paid me. But they did. And all I really needed to hook me was that very first dollar. After that, I was determined to never again check into Hotel Starving Artist.

It's been a wild journey since I made that dollar. Since then, I've built service, product, and digital businesses in multiple niches, including my wedding studio, Artisan Events®. Now I have two decades of experience chasing business dreams and, more importantly, making them real, all while maintaining an unbusy family life. I 100% made so many WTF-was-I-thinking mistakes along the way. Two that come to mind: Taking out a $25,000 loan to open my first business BEFORE I had clients, and hiring too fast and firing waaaay too slow. But, regardless of the business model, what universally impacted my success was my intense focus on learning, testing, and experimenting with everything. I am hell-bent on improving and automating everything except the magic...that special something that makes clients love you forever and pay you over and over again. Don't touch the magic, friend.