When I was a teenager I was always looking for that defining moment that I would become a woman, or at least what I perceived a woman to be like. I tried to find any way to truly understand myself, in my skin, and be comfortable with who I was. Turns out that doesn’t just happen naturally and I was so disappointed. I was constantly surrounded with the social expectations of needing to hide who I was or be more than I could be based on my physical appearances. As I got older I realized what made me the confident and beautiful women that I am today was looking deep within myself and learning that my inner strength was what made me a woman. This was the type of woman I was searching for the whole time. It wasn’t whether or not I had wider hips to have curves, not if I could reach a bigger bra size, and definitely not what people in my past have told me.

My journey over the last couple of years along with therapy, personal soul searching, and education have allowed me to work through my insecurities and be completely comfortable in my own skin. I am at a point in my life that I am 100% confident in myself and I never knew that was possible. Having my own boudoir experience was also like shedding the many layers of past negative thoughts and insecurities and was one of the most personal healing moments in my life. Although it took work outside of my own boudoir experience, having that moment of seeing myself in these beautiful photos and saying, “WOW, that is me! A beautiful, strong, determined, and perfect woman.” This was empowering and absolutely what I want to share with others.

“Owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing that we will ever do.” 
― Brené Brown 

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been most satisfied when I’m helping people. Whether it’s through actions or words of support, I feel the most like myself when I’m serving. While caring for other people comes naturally to me, taking care of myself, unfortunately, does not. I suffered from depression and low self-esteem for so long that I used to believe it was just a part of my personality, instead of a negative feedback loop to break out of. Thanks to therapy, mindfulness, and the never ending support from Stephanie, I’ve learned to love myself through all circumstances. While I didn’t ever anticipate becoming a photographer, being able to capture the abundance of love at weddings felt like a natural extension of my desire to serve. After seeing Stephanie’s remarkable boost in confidence after her first boudoir session, I knew I wanted to provide the same experience to as many people as possible. 

Stephanie

Bradley