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SHE HUSTLES TALKS
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WOMEN OWNED BUSINESSES
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Nina Purhenn
LIVING HER GOAL DIGGER LIFESTYLE
FEATURING:
-BRENDA GEIGER - OM LOVE LOVE - SCULLI CAT ART - CHANDRA MOOREHEAD - GREATHOUSE OF DECOR - BARBELLA - KIM HOPE -DIMENSIONAL SERVICES - BLAQUE OUT MAGAZINE - MI AMOR BOUTIQUE KALIFA HEALTH - DOTERRA - NINA ON THE BEAT - MINDFUL CONSCIOUSNESS -
YOU ARE ENOUGH. NINA PURHENN
BY NICOLE HEROUX WILLIAMS I PHOTOS BY NSP STUDIO BY KELLY BREUER I PHOTOS BY MICHAL LEPORE, DOUG MITCHELL, BRODY WHEELER & L SHOT PHOTOGRAPHY
GOAL DIGGER. One who utilizes ambition and persistence toward a particular achievement and won’t stop until the desired outcome is attained Well this truly defines our latest She Hustles Talks cover woman Nina Purhenn.
Recently we had the pleasure to sit down with Nina and talk about her goals, where her journey is taking her, plans for hustling in the future and more. She Hustles even got to enjoy Nina perform on stage at the December Catwalk for Kidneys fashion show where she launched her clothing line Goalline Lifestyle, and gave the audience an epic performance of her spoken word poetry.
Let us introduce you to a woman with goals...Nina Purhenn.
Tell us a little about yourself. Where are you from? Who is Nina Purhenn?
I’ve lived in Syracuse most of my life but I was born in Raleigh, North Carolina. I am the owner and operator of my business, The GoalLine. I’m a certified Personal Trainer and Goal Coach. I teach group fitness and Zumba as well. Outside of the gym and personal training, I’m a motivational speaker and spoken word artist. I enjoy working on my goal-orientated clothing line. I’m also a mom to my beautiful 16-year-old daughter, Amaree. I love spending time with her and my other family members and friends as much as possible.
What makes you hustle?
Besides wanting to be a good role model for my daughter, I feel passionate about
motivating people towards their goals and healthier lifestyles. I believe it’s part of my purpose in life.
did you start the business?
The GoalLine Mission is all about Pushing Positivity with Purpose and Passion through Motivational Collaborations, Fitness and Fashion. The focus is really just that positive lifestyle brand. I started my business after being inspired during a church service.
What are some of the things you find help you to be a successful business woman?
I think its important to be a good listener, to always continue learning, to be goaldriven and accountable. My faith in God is also a huge part of my life and Is definitely a main contributor to my success as a businesswoman. I also think it’s super important to be authentic. I live the lifestyle that my business represents.
What is the mission behind your business model?
I shared my mission statement above which pretty much sums it all up, Pushing Positivity with Purpose and Passion through Motivational Collaborations, Fitness and Fashion!
The bottom line to me is all about pushing the positive, productive, and motivational lifestyle and encouraging others to get their personal goals and to be the best version of themselves. I don’t want people to just look good but I actually want them to feel good too, and that
too, and that starts from the inside out.
If you could interview one person who has inspired you, who would it be and what would you ask them?
I would be honored and probably a little bit scared but my interview choice would be with God. I’d ask him for advice on the current circumstances in life, I would ask what he thought I was doing good, what I could be doing better, and what his idea of my best looked like for him.
Have you found social media to help or hinder you in promoting your services, especially during 2021?
Definitely helped. That’s how my business grew when I first started far before 2021. Social media still plays a huge role for business development and marketing, especially in light of all the virtual connections needed during the covid-19 pandemic.
How do you juggle the fast-paced life of being a female entrepreneur and having a personal life?
I have to schedule everything on my calendar! I mean everything, both professional and personal tasks. Sometimes I’ll have 4-5 clients in a day for coaching and then a spoken word event in the evening, in between family, friends, calls, cancellations, orders to fulfill, social media marketing, messages, my daughter, her jobs, school functions, volleyball, etc. If it’s not written in on my calendar then it’s not a priority and it won’t be getting done!
you started your business and how have you overcome them?
Early on, I definitely feel like I wasted a lot of time, energy, and money by attempting to complete business endeavors alone and without proper plans. There was a lot of trial and error and I think that’s to be expected at least a little bit. I would encourage new entrepreneurs to work with a business counselor and take some entrepreneur business classes to properly prepare.
Besides that, I look at any challenge or setback as an opportunity to learn. Never let anything keep you down for too long, you live, you learn and you move on!
What motivates you and keeps you moving forward?
I’m definitely motivated by my faith and what I believe my purpose in life is. I know God has blessed me with certain talents and gifts and that my time on earth is limited, I don’t ever want to take that for granted.
Did anyone ever prepare you, or encourage you to move ahead in business? What about in the fashion world?
My mom, Deborah has always been a huge influence and inspiration to me. From as early as I can remember, my mom has always had her own business and she has always incorporated me into many different aspects of her company operations. Certainly, she was preparing me for my own business but I didn’t know that then. Currently, she owns and operates Nutrition Power; ‘A Health Enhancement Retail Shop’, in Lawrenceville, Georgia. She continues to encourage my entrepreneurship, she comes to every performance possible, the GoalLine apparel is also featured in her shop and you will often find her rocking the line as well.
Where do you see yourself in the next 3-5 years?
My short and long-term goals revolve around faith, family, and fulfilling more goals. I’d like to have my own studio for fitness classes, personal training, and the GoalLine Motivational Collaborations. The GoalLine vision is about bringing a diversity of culture, color, community, competencies, young, old, and everyone in between, we want to exemplify positive, motivational collaborations and not the need to compete. The GoalLine has a particular ambition to help underprivileged and misguided youth, along with veterans, adults, and seniors who suffer from mental health and have limited community resources available to assist with their success in life.
What are some of the pros and cons of being a female business leader? Naturally, there are benefits in regards to being a woman-owned or minority business such as training and educational programs. Also, the access to opportunities within government or federal contracts due to your specific business qualifications and/ or their standards of minimal spending requirements. However, for the most part; I think pros and cons can go hand in hand. As a leader,
unfortunately, the same reason that some people look up to you will be the same reason that other people try to pull you down. My personal approach is to always stay true to you, regardless of the negative or positive, if it doesn’t apply, let it fly.
Do you have any helpful advice to someone just starting their career? Any tips that helped you along the way?
Yes, set SMART goals! This is always part of my educational piece when I do my motivational speaking or spoken word poetry, especially with the youth groups or young adults. Follow the SMART goal template (with some NinaP additions) S=Set goals that are very Specific, M= Let it be Measurable, what are the Metrics and Milestones you need to Meet, A= how will you Achieve this goal, do you have the Assets and/or Abilities you need to Accomplish this goal, if not how do you plan to Attain them, R= is this goal Realistic and Relevant, does it Relate to your overall success, T=is it Timely and True, You need to have a Time period, is there a deadline, do you have a beginning and an end, is this goal still True to you and for the vision you pursued? This template helps guide my personal Goal Plan on the daily !
What prepared you to be where you are today?
This is kind of a loaded question for me, my circumstances in life and the choices I’ve made, both good and
bad have ultimately led me to this moment, I think we can envision and imagine our reality prior to any actualization, I believe we can take all the necessary steps to equip ourselves with knowledge and the resources that we think will help us be prepared, but I’m not sure if we can ever truly prepare for experiences we’ve never really had.
If you needed to start it all over again tomorrow and you had just one thing to change, add or subtract, what would it be and why?
This is a tough one too, my first thoughts are that I wouldn’t change anything, even through all the trials and tribulations, I’m so grateful for where I am today, BUT if I had to choose something, I would slow myself down and be more present and mindful in all of my moments.
What makes you an expert in understanding the needs of your audience?
I don’t know if I would call myself an expert but I would call myself experienced and evolutionized. I think it’s essential that my audience can relate to me, and that I can relate to them. I think goals are very relatable because we all have them but we all come from different foundations and formulations, we can have similar backgrounds but come from different generations; At the end of the day, if our goals can mutually collaborate for the betterment of our families or for our communities sake, then that’s the need I want to entertain.
Where did you come up with the tagline “Goal Digger”?
After listening to my pastor at the time, the message was very strong about our personal goals in life and how they might coincide with the world. It was a few years after Kanye West had the gold digger song, and after my church service, a thought just came into my mind about Goal Digger. I went and got a black hat made with big gold letters spelling Goal Digger across the front and wore it everywhere. At the same time, I was composing my thoughts about goals, just as a personal form of expressing my feelings based upon the message I heard at church. I never really shared poetry before, I never even really wrote poetry, except like little grade school things, it was always just thoughts that I put together in my mind over a period of time, that was basically the birth of the GoalLine and the GoalLine poetry Anthem.
Name one defining moment in your career that was your ah ha moment. There are so many defining moments for me, actually, this alone is one. I have so many experiences where I’m just so humbled and honored that so many people have invited me to share my line, my story, my positions, my passions, it always feels so inspiring. It’s always a blessing and I’m so grateful for each opportunity.
Tell us about one moment in your life that has had a lasting impression on you and formed who you are today.
My life has been full of lasting impressions but I’d have to say that the most impressionable experience was being pregnant and giving birth to my daughter. I was pregnant at 21 and had her at 22. Before she was born or even conceived my path in life was less than productive, I lacked value and respect for myself and for others, I had no compassion or empathy, I was full of anger and resentment. Honestly, I was just a lost and misguided young lady at that point in time, but thank God, something changed inside of me when I knew I needed to be a mom, I knew I needed to teach my daughter better than I was and I committed to that more than I had committed to anything before. My life dramatically changed from that point forward.
What do you attribute your success to?
The love I have for my daughter, the love I have for God, the love I have for myself on top of my ambition, persistence, dedication, commitment, perseverance, and determination for a passion and purpose that expands beyond my personal expectations.
Tell our audience one thing about yourself that not many others know.
Often times people perceive me as a strong, confident motivational leader, which I would agree with most of the time, but what people don’t know or see is that I do a lot by myself without help and thats not always easy. From the outside looking in, people see the finished product not fully realizing what it might have taken to get there. Don’t forget about your strong friends, sometimes motivators need motivating too :)
Where will we see Nina Purhenn next?
February 5th, I’ll be making my debut in Atlanta! An entrepreneur friend recently started her own business there and I’m thrilled to be assisting in her launch event.
We recently finished our first 30-day GoalLine Healthy Habits Fitness Challenge. We had 12 people sign up and I’ve been so inspired as a coach. I can’t even fully explain how their determination and success in the daily challenges have filled my heart with so much joy. I’m excited to see who will the cash prizes, they all definitely deserve it.
We’ll be starting another challenge soon for the new year, be sure to reach out on one of the links below for registration info!
Stay up to date with me and all the other GoalLine events on social media or check out our website with new merch coming soon! GoalLineLifestyle. com FB: Nina Purhenn FB: GoalLine IG: GoalLineLifestyle
WHAT’S YOUR SUPERPOWER? WHAT IS YOUR PASSION?
WHAT’S YOUR SUPERPOWER? WHAT IS YOUR PASSION?
CHANDRA MOOREHEAD
Who is Chandra M?
Chandra is passionate, driven, an a team player. Some say I’m funny, but hey, I may be lol. I am blessed, and a strong believer in God. I’m a lady who likes to see what is next in-store. I love to see everyone succeed. I am a mother to a beautiful little boy, whom I love immensely. I have a strong partner that supports me in everything I do. I am very caring, and always have an open ear. I am not judgmental, because I know we all have our own life to live. I enjoy life and thank God for it every morning that I wake.
When did you first start your own business and what made you decide to become a lady boss?
I have assisted others with their fashion shows for 12 years ranging from modeling to creative design. Prior to the Pandemic, my brother spoke at our church on Scholarship Sunday to inspire the youth to live out their dream. He didn’t realize it, but his message was an inspiration to me. I could never put a solid reason on why I never wanted to venture out on my own. In his message, points were said:
1) We don’t have to be perfect to accomplish great things
2) Don’t ever let your own insecurities hold you back
3) His ending was even a broken crayon can still draw the most beautiful picture.
PHOTOS BY L SHOT PHOTOGRAPHY
At that moment I realized that I had been holding myself back and decided to jump into action with all my thoughts and dreams.
I’m not sure about the word boss, it is a quality of mind to handle business because I enjoy accomplishing my goals. As far as the term boss lady, I sometimes feel that we should retire
putting lady in front of things because it could minimize the work in some people’s eyes. At the current time in 2022, I’m not sure if we need those qualifiers anymore. If someone is a boss, just let them be recognized as a boss. As for me and my business, like many fledgling entrepreneurs, I’m still in the beginning stages and am very honored that people see me as a boss/lady boss, at all. I am a leader that takes charge and does know how to handle my business.
What makes you hustle?
Hands Down my family. I come from a family of entrepreneurs for the last three generations. Back in the day, it was my forefathers that farmed. Most recently, I have seen my parents’ generation succeed in real estate and the auto industry. In every instance, their drive is to provide for their children and encourage them to become successful. Now that I am a mother, I want the same for my son and he is my drive to succeed or maintain success.
How do you balance being a successful woman entrepreneur, a personal life, and having a 3 year old son.
It is said that, “you make time for what you want/enjoy” so it helps that I love my work and my passion is my work. It also helps that I have a loving partner who shares my ambitions and equally wants to see me succeed. Often her passion and my work intersects so that helps, as well. I think that like many, my personal life is taking a bit of a back seat due to the pandemic. On the other hand, it has provided me more time to focus on my son and give him the solid foundation that is so critical right now.
My mind is like a calendar, and I am always thinking of what I need to accomplish next to having everything in place. I place my son first, even if that means staying up late to accomplish the
the tasks I need to complete. Honestly, I have spent more time with my family during this period and thank them for all their love and support, they are a key support structure that helps me remain balanced.
My biggest challenge over the past 5 years. What was your biggest success?
Ohh, there have been many challenges along the way. I think my first fashion show was my biggest challenge and successful, at the same time. I decided to host a fashion show as a big Kick Off of the “Be Unleashed” line right before Valentine’s Day in February 2020. The fashion show was a culmination of all my past work into one big grand entry into the Rochester fashion scene, launching “Be Unleashed” and had more moving pieces than I think I realized when I first start planning it.
It’s one thing to assist a scene in someone else’s fashion show, but to be responsible for the set design, choreography, picking the right designers, keeping your models happy, advertising to the public, and let’s not forget finding the fabrics and crafting the designs for your own collection, which is why I started this in the first place. I could go on, but as much as it was a challenge, it was a huge success. First, the audience was amazing, the fashion show sold out and we had to bring in additional seating at the last moment. As stressful as that was, I was so excited to see the crowd for my first fashion show. It was truly a success in every area. I worked with top-notch designers and their collections were astonishing. Everyone was happy and easy to collaborate with. My models were stunning, hair and make-up were on point. Things worked out like miracles with the fit for every model. At the end, the audience and participants begged me to do another fashion show, next year and how everyone needed this right before Valentine’s Day.
Imagine how disappointed I was in 2021, as the pandemic was still such a factor in our lives and made it impossible for us to deliver another fantastic show. Now here we are in the present and I am planning to return with a fashion show this February and dealing with supply chain issues and difficulties finding exotic fabrics but that’s another story but I’m working it out!
What do you think makes a successful business woman?
I grew up hearing the mantra that if you fail to plan, you are planning to fail, so I always value having a good business plan for anything you do. A plan will always keep on track and make sure you are working toward your expectations. You also need to have clear and considerate communication. I grew up working various retail and customer service jobs and learned early the value of clear communication and how important it is to treat others with respect. I think many would benefit from working a service counter for a season.
What tips do you have for other women who would like to start their own business?
My first tip is to always remember you represent your brand.
You have to push your sales, have confidence in your business. When the business started, you had a plan, it is always good to go back and check it. There are many different learning opportunities out here, may it be a friend, may it be off the internet, use it. You may wonder if you will fail but you will never know unless you try, so believe in yourself and your business. When you have a business, you must know how to talk to people. I always say that everyone should work a customer service job so they have a better understanding what
is behind the business scene. I believe in networking, have the ability to sell, and except criticism. Lastly, have patience, we learn every day!
What is your favorite thing to do in your free time?
Hmmmm, what is my favorite thing to do in my free time? Well, it all depends on how much time I have lol. I love watching life stories, watching things on YouTube, look at different fashion. Now if we really have time, my family and I are hitting the road. Something about that car ride and sightseeing that just relaxes me. But honestly, I can just sit at home and be with my family and do little crafts, paint, color, read with my son. My dream was to me a mom and that dream came true!
What impact do I want to have with both fashion and for plus sized women?
The impact that I would want to have with both fashion and plus sized women would be to be free, don’t be scared to break the rules but you have to make it look good and work all fashion needs a bit of sass when dealing with me. Everything should be a little sexy, a little daring. When I style people, I try to pull out their inner kitten because we all have one. They all know I like it classy but just a tad sassy. My plus size ladies make it work, you just need to have the confidence to do it. Don’t be afraid. I spent too many years being behind the scene now I just walk in the room.
Who is my biggest influence and why? My biggest influence would be my family, my mom and dad. These two right here are my world, they have shown
my brother and I what it means to have great work ethics and what a family really is about, they always pushed us to do our best in which they still do! Who inspires me are the people with the drive to get things done. I do not have one specific person. I just love fashion and doing choreography so if I can have any part of that, I’m in. I watch stories of stars or singers, and videos and just think ok now let’s put this into the works of fashion.
If I could pick anything from my line, it would be a black robe because you just never know what I will have under there!!
What is the most important piece of information someone has told you along your journey.
I was apart of a fashion show a few years ago and when the show ended, I was told to stop being a part of a show and have your own, that my scenes are the show. I thought to myself wow, oh ok, well thank you so much and here we are with our third annual fashion show.
Where will you see me next?
Where will you see me next, my 3rd annual fashion show: Welcome To The Secret Garden, is February 6th, 2022. i also have a surprise coming in the beginning of April, so be on the lookout for UNLEASHED!
Visit B Unleashed at 215 Tremont St, Door 3 Suite 102 in Rochester, NY.
BLAQUE/OUT
BY TAMARA LEIGH
Tell us about yourself and Blaque Out Magazine.
I was born and raised in Rochester, NY. I started an urban Public Relations, Media Management and Event Planning firm called ROC Candy Media in 2012 to help Black and Brown small businesses and creators bring what they do to the world. I worked in Non-Profit and went on to work with Urban Youth for the City of Rochester and PR work for the Commissioner of DRYS. During that time Adrian Elim invited me to join the team creating Rochester Black Pride. features Black and Brown Queer artists, writers, photographers, entreprenuers and activists. Besides that, I’m a mom of two boys, Zaire and Zayden and two dogs, Deuce and Zora.
What made you decide to start publishing a magazine and what is the focus of the publication?
The Empty Closet was the longest running and continuously published LGBTQ+ focused periodical in the United States. In my role at Out Alliance I became the editor, sadly the last editor, first magazine September of 2020. It is monthly and digital and this time it features and uplifts all things Black and Queer. We hope it provides a stage for a community of amazing and talented folks who very much deserve it.
Through my work with Black Pride I was asked to be a Director at Out Alliance and assist in diversifying the agency so it was reflective of the entire LGBTQ+ community of Rochester. I learned so much through that process of introducing the concepts of Intersectionality to the agency and their magazine, Empty Closet. When the agency shuttered early in the pandemic I went on to doing the same kind of work locally and nationally as a consultant while getting very involved in the activist community in Rochester that was speaking out about police violence and injustice. BlaqueOUT Consulting goes into businesses, organizations, and schools to teach about creating QTPOC safe spaces, Intersectionality, microaggression, use of pronouns and understanding the BIPOC and Queer experience. I also started BlaqueOUT Magazine, a monthly digital publication that firmly centers the Black and Brown Queer experience (www.blaqueout.com). It over 50 years. It was an important document for the LGBTQ+ community across the country but sadly, it was never diverse. There were very few Queer Black & Brown or Trans people ever featured. Much of my work on the EC was working to change that. When the agency closed and the magazine stopped being published many people inquired as to whether I might start another magazine. It seemed big and impossible but eventually I decided to see if it was feasible. We published the
What makes you hustle?
I think it’s who I am. One, I want my sons to know they can achieve absolutely anything they put their minds to. But it’s also who I am. All the work I do is around advocacy, activism and education. It’s creating space in a world that often doesn’t make space. Seems more of an obligation to fight that fight than a choice. That is the heart of my hustle.
Who is one person that inspires you and why?
Brittan Hardgers. He is a local activist, educator, and he recently ran for City Council in Rochester. He started an organization called Next Generation Men of Transition. He recently published a journal. He is one of the most important people in my life and he constantly inspires me. He pushes me to see the greatness in me and to never give up on myself. He is my biggest cheerleader and I am constantly inspired by his strength, courage and drive. He has given up everything to find himself and allows nothing to get in the way of that. When I’m out here fighting and advocating, its for me, its for my kids, it’s for him. For his right to exist and I can’t give up on me because I’ll never give on him.
What is the mission behind Blaque Out and how did you come up with the name?
The mission of BlaqueOUT is to provide a voice for the Black and Brown Queer community. BlaqueOUT comes from Black- spelled with a Q for Queer and OUT to represent the LGBTQ+ community.
What does being a female entrepreneur, specifically a female in the publishing industry mean to you?
Honestly of all of my intersecting identities, the woman part gets the least of my attention. I think women are the powerhouses in almost every industry right now. We are holding our own. So I use my priviledge there to empower Black and Queer folks to make sure their/our voices are heard.
What is one thing you have done that you are most proud of?
I am extremely proud of the magazine. To watch how its grown and watching the readers get excited about it means so much to me. Probably the things I’m most proud of are my work around activism. Speaking in front of crowds of thousands in pursuit of justice and equity, working with the families and friends of murdered Trans folks to bring visibility is truly my life’s work and I am so so proud of that work.
What have you found to be the most successful tool in marketing Blaque Out?
Really just finding different ways to connect with our audience. It is a big world and finding our way to the folks who need us most is challenging. But we continue to share our content, and feature people from all around the country so that they can share Blaque/ OUT within their communities.
What are a few of the challenges your have faced since starting the magazine and how have you overcome them? All of our articles are submission based
so without a huge budget, finding folks to contribute and stay engaged can be tough. But we have a core group of amazing and incredibly talented contributors that are truly the heart and soul of the magazine. They keep us going and make each issue special.
What is the most difficult thing about being a female entrepreneur?
I think probably being a Mom. There are only so many hours in the day and so much of you to go around. Dream chasing is an ideal but when you have people depending on you and responsibilities, it changes the game and how you can move. It’s a constant pursuit in finding the balance. Not working 24hrs a day to be successful, providing for your children, actually being able to spend time with them and saving little pieces for yourself... and sleeping occasionally.
What would you say truly excites you about what you do and provide to others that encourages you to keep moving forward?
I think that I’m doing work that very very few other people are doing. This fight for the Black, Queer community is revolutionary, its awe-inspiring, its people and a people that I love and has loved me through my toughest times. Seeing the change I have been able to effect and the people who come up and tell me about how they heard something I said or read something I wrote is so humbling and absolutely pushes me to keep going.
Where do you see your business growing in the future?
I hope eventually the magazine will transition to print and subscription. I hope to one day be considered an expert in my field so that I’m called upon to speak about LGBTQ+ and QTPOC issues on a national scale.
I think I’m always surprised that people are actually paying attention. I’ve had people I’ve never met say that they heard me speak or that I’ve inspired them and it is absolutely insane to me. So humbling. But I’m always shocked.
Where did the idea of your business derive from?
From the lived experiences of myself and my community. Its needed. We need it.
How has Rochester accepted you and what you bringing to the community?
No matter where I am, Rochester will always be my home. I work all over the country now. I’ve gotten the opportunity to live in other places but a lot of my work remains in Rochester and I am so appreciative of that. That my voice is still requested. That folks in need still look to me. That I’m still welcomed to the table. It means everything and that’s why whatever I do and wherever I am, Rochester will always be a part of that.
What are your Business Goals in 2022?
Just growth and expansion. I really feel like it’s only the beginning. Each year we get stronger and reach farther. As long as we can keep creating change, the work is never done.
OM LOVE LOVE
BY REBECCA BLANCH
Tell us about yourself and Om Love Love®.
I’m a down-to-earth, creative soul who craves learning and is curious about the universe’s secrets. The older I get, the more I feel drawn to science and the unexplained, the vastness of our universe, and ancient people and their cultural practices. A sense of bliss fills me whether I’m enjoying stargazing, dancing, singing, photography, or hiking in nature with my husband and dog, Oliver. Looking for the lessons in every experience reminds me daily to nurture self-growth and allow for and embrace change. I’ve learned how to navigate stressful times with mindfulness and meditation; however, this wasn’t always the case. I was first introduced to yoga and meditation when fulfilling a college physical education requirement in the mid-’90s. I never stuck with the practice but would revisit it sporadically. About 15 years later, a few stressful life events happened, whereby self-hypnosis and meditation came up again. Still, I only practiced on occasion.
To rewind a little, I earned a BFA at Syracuse University in Art Photography and spent the last 23 years as a self-employed professional photographer. Over the years, I’ve photographed over 700 weddings, countless portraits, and corporate events, primarily in Central New York. I was born and raised in the Syracuse area, and I knew that photography was the path I would take when I was in my early teens. However, I felt overworked and depleted over the decades, suffering from long hours and often not understanding how to say no. Compounded with everyday stress, I searched for answers to how I could reignite my passion and release the feeling of being overwhelmed with a self-made career I loved. I thought that doing things and taking time for myself would be considered selfish, so I kept pushing forward to make everyone else happy because the happiness of others was how I would measure the success of
my work. Unfortunately, certain aspects suffered, and deep down, I knew if I didn’t slow down, my body would force change upon me. Allowing those years to pass without focusing on solutions to stress management eventually led me to learn Transcendental Meditation, but not until I had reached my stress limit. I felt somewhat desperate. Desperate for a change. But how? How do you know where to go if you don’t have a direction to move in? Slowly, I began taking steps towards small acts of self-love. I recognized that I needed a spiritual journey to understand myself, to reveal the direction of travel.
Shortly before this spiritual journey revelation, I had gone back to school and earned a Master’s degree in Integrated Marketing Communications. I knew the PR, social media, and mobile marketing skills were essential to my own business, but I still felt like something was missing upon completion. My degree enabled me to relate to other companies and their photography marketing needs. Additionally, it qualified me to teach college-level photography courses, but with the onset of Covid, teaching positions were significantly reduced. Again, I began to think about what I enjoy doing personally and enrolled in a few jewelry-making classes, but I still couldn’t quite see a path towards feeling more grounded. Then it happened. Just like when I was young taking photography classes and knew I wanted to be a photographer, I learned Transcendental Meditation (TM) and knew I wanted to teach meditation. I instantly and instinctively knew that meditation was a new beginning. Meditating felt blissful, grounding, and most of all, it was an opportunity for me to make time for myself every day. Although teaching the TM practice wasn’t a possibility with the extensive required training occurring overseas, I felt deep down, somehow,
