A Mini Session That Opened Something in Me

Recently I did a little mini session at home with one of my favorite clients, Jacq Gould (the founder of Your Inner Babe, who helps others on their self healing journey as a mom and woman). While we planned photos, Jacq told me how special Valentine’s Day was for her and her mom growing up. So we chose to shoot on Valentine’s Day, capturing her and her daughter, Monrow, doing what they love most – getting ready together.

It was a quick session in a tiny corner of their bathroom. Yet it brought up so many feelings for me about self healing as a mom…

Because my own bathroom at home has become a sacred place.

My sanctuary. A quiet place where I go to honor the temple of Me.

The Invitation That Shifted Everything

This whole journey of self healing as a mom started about nine months ago when Jacq texted me out of the blue:
“I don’t know why, but I feel like I want to gift you a spot at an upcoming workshop. If you’re interested, let me know.”

I’m not overly spiritual or into the mystical. But I do believe we are connected in ways we don’t fully understand. I don’t always know who sends the signs, but I trust that what is meant for us finds us. So I opened my metaphorical arms and received the gift without overthinking it.

Leading up to the workshop, life was busy. I had no idea what to expect.

When I arrived, I walked through the gate, passed the bushes, and gasped. A beautiful home stood there with a pool tucked between lush gardens. Jacq welcomed each of us with the softness and steadiness she’s known for. We gathered in the backyard, laid on the ground, and began hollotropic breathing exercises – cycles of deep breathing, breath holds, and slow intentional breaths.

What I Saw on That Projector Screen

When the breathing ended, we sat in a circle with our journals. The prompt was simple but piercing:

Watch a past version of yourself on a projector screen.
What would you tell her?
What do you see? What do you feel?

Something cracked open in me.

Hollotropic breathing has a strange kind of magic. That practice unearthed a truth I had been avoiding:
I needed to give up every distraction in my life so I could finally face the pain I kept pushing aside.

The late-night TV that “helped me unwind.”
The cannabis at night and the caffeine in the morning.
The sweets and the mindless scrolling.
All of it left me exhausted, overstimulated, and disconnected from myself.

It was draining the energy I needed for the things – and people – I love.

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The Decision That Changed My Daily Life

I left that workshop with a clear knowing. A deep desire to choose myself again.

So I made a huge shift.
I let go of every distraction.
Coffee, sugar, cannabis.
Late nights.
Screens that numbed more than they soothed.

I started eating whole foods. Reading at night. Going to bed earlier. Moving my body. Meditating.

And without planning it, my bathroom became the place where I learned how to take care of myself again.

Rebuilding a Relationship With Myself

Every time I stepped out of the shower, I slowed down.

I rubbed creams and lotions over my face and body with intention.
I put on music and danced naked.
I high-fived myself in the mirror.
Some nights I cried.
Some nights I wrapped my arms around my body and said out loud the words I’d say to a friend who was hurting.

Sometimes it felt ridiculous… and also like exactly what I needed.

Slowly, something softened.
Clarity returned.
So did love — the real kind.

Since that workshop, I’ve had some of my hardest moments and some of my most joyful ones. But I’ve met each of them with more honesty, more presence, and more compassion.

Because I’m finally learning how to:

• let my body feel pleasure
• be my own safety
• offer myself unconditional support
• calm my overwhelmed nervous system

It has been one of my favorite journeys yet — especially in the midst of being an overstimulated, underslept parent.

A Full-Circle Moment

So even though Jacq, Monrow, and I only spent fifteen minutes taking pictures in that little bathroom, it felt like a full-circle moment — one that stretched all the way back to that text she sent me nine months ago.

A reminder that healing is rarely linear.
But it is always available.

If You Want to Explore This Work Together

If you’re interested in booking a session that helps you explore the connection between your Self and your children, you can contact me HERE. I’m a family photographer, mentor, and mom who loves taking beautiful photos of families. And even more than that, helping parents create meaningful, grounding experiences with the people they love most.

And if this post resonated with you, you might also love this post HERE about navigating tough seasons of parenthood.