Keri shares a little about why she booked her photoshoot, both as a way to celebrate overcoming the challenges life has thrown at her and as a way to reconnect with her femininity. This is Keri's story.

Tell us your story

I suffered 3 strokes in 2021, the third & worse one of them was on 08JUL21. I wasn’t able to be the mom my 14-year-old autistic daughter needed me to be. I went from being very independent to not being able to live on my own & having to have my daughter go back to live with her dad. Since then, I had gained a lot of weight as I was not active anymore. I didn't like the way I looked or how the "new me" was anymore. I had a hard time letting my daughter see this as she has always known me for being a really strong person. I went from being my daughter's rock to her being my rock. My new life consisted of having memory & word recall issues (especially as the day goes on), having to relearn how to walk as my right side was really affected, having to wear an AFO & walk with a cane, not having energy like before & not being able to live on my own. After getting my daughter back in January 2022, I fought harder than I ever had to get better & to show her that you get what you put in effort wise. My daughter & I went from becoming homeless in September 2021 to new homeowners in April 2022. It has been an amazing journey for us to get to where we are today, but I wouldn't change it for the world.

Why did you decide to book a session?

I wanted to finally do something for me & to show my daughter (and myself) that it doesn't matter what you look like on the outside as long as your love yourself on the inside.

I was nervous for the boudoir portion of the shoot. Cory made me feel very comfortable & after an outfit change or two the nerves were pretty much gone.

Before your session, how did you define beauty? How did the experience of the photoshoot shift your perceptions of beauty about yourself?

Beauty is what is inside you not what you think you look like or what people tell you.

I did not truly feel beautiful about myself. Finally being able to have that alone time getting my make-up & hair done & then seeing the final pictures has me seeing myself in a new light. Seeing myself in a picture with my AFO also made me think about how far I have come in 20 months (almost to the day on the day of the photoshoot)!!

A big part of this experience is reframing and finding what there is to celebrate in ourselves. After having this experience, what would you say makes you uniquely powerful?

Having had survived 3 strokes, personally experiencing why it is called a silent killer, along with going from homeless to homeowner & being a single mom to an autistic child has taught me that I can conquer anything that I put my mind to.

Interested in booking your own photoshoot? Contact me using the link below. I can’t wait to meet and photograph you!

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