Add two cups of love, a heaping spoon full of soul and sprinkle of warmth and you got yourself an amazing women who know her way around a kitchen. Thats right Chef Milan is known as a French/Mediterranean style & Plant Based chef here in the city of big shoulders. Chef Milan has worked with many clients with diverse eating habits and unique wellness needs: Chicken free, Dairy free, Gluten Free, Nut free, High Blood Pressure, Diabetes, Auto-Immune Deficiency and Colon Cancer. Her specialty is in creating gourmet healthy delicious flavorful experiences as a lifestyle. If you want gourmet style dining at home after a hectic day, but can't cook, are too busy and isn’t a picky eater, Milan is definitely for you! She creates a custom gourmet menu for your taste and health conscious lifestyle in mind. To give you the level of VIP service that you deserve, we only commit to a small personal chef clientele monthly. Call 312-758-2006 or contact her and her staff at www.sonaturellewellness.com/

This session stole my heart in every way possible. Our golden girl of the week goes out to Elise, an 18 year old who had one heck of a year. Moving cross country from NYC to California would be hard for any teenager. Having missed her senior year of high school meant - no homecoming, no prom…. only zoom classes in a new time zone. Elise’s parents wanted to do something special for her big birthday and ask her what she wanted to do for her special day. Elise had told them that she wanted to feel beautiful, happy and in the spotlight. When her mom posted on Facebook what she wanted I wrote her and told her I’d love to make her daughter feel beautiful from the instead out. We talked a few weeks before and this 18 year old completely amazed me. She picked out the location, she picked out her stunning dress and told me that she wanted to shoot during golden hour. Being from Chicago, this was a dream to shoot as I am so use to shooting in city landscapes. A few hours before the shoot, I scoped out Leo Carrillo State Beach and found these hidden caves which were so amazing and I knew that Elise would literally light it up. When we finished our session, I showed Elise a few images on the back of my camera and she held her hand over her mouth and couldn’t believe that these images were of her. I know that this wasn’t the picture perfect year for this lovely girl but just for a moment I made this beautiful diva’s birthday wishes come true.

If you haven’t met her yet, her name is Meagan McClarin. She is a Ventura County Native, wife , mother of two beautiful boys and a UCLA grad. She chose to raise her family in beautiful Ventura County and hangs her license at Coldwater Banker Reality in Westlake Village, California. Why is Meagan not just another "blazer”? Its because she provides value that you can actually use to became a great homeowner. She will educate you w informational videos, interviews with the top leading experts in Real Estate so that you can feel confident in buying your forever home. If your curious and want to know more about how you can join her value club and start using Meagan as a resource then click here and see what she can teach you. www.megmcclarin.com

Life can sometimes be hard. We all have real issues to deal with, good and bad. ’Life Gone Real' is bringing out real stories with special guests that will share their truths to help inspire, encourage, and uplift us all. Just knowing you’re not going through life’s craziness alone is half the battle. Together we’ll talk about marriages, relationships, dating, family, kids and so much more. We’ll be getting vulnerable, open, and honest in each episode as we talk about how we’ve gotten through, or sometimes how we are still getting through. Hopefully, you'll feel like you can get through whatever throws at you and you are not alone.

Ronna DeAnn is a 'Southern Belle' who lives in California with her 2 kids and their dad. One of her ‘Life Gone Real’ moments hit her hard at the beginning of 2020. That gave her even more of a drive and passion to help inspire and encourage women and men of all ages to keep pushing through when life gets real and not feel alone in this world. She loves to connect with people, share her electric energy and heart. You can connect with her more on Instagram, Youtube, and all her social media platforms. Last week I was a guest on her show and spilled the beans on how I met the man of my dreams! If you want to watch just click here and here all about our love story (click here)

This weeks female role model goes out to this amazing author. Violet a mom of two in Calabasas California — had always wanted to but her family history and religion on to the written page. Well her wish came true with hard work, patients and of course this pandemic. Violet used her time wisely and wrote her first book during lockdown. Her publisher had asked Violet for some marketing martial for the book as well as a lifestyle photo of her for her book jacket. With hesitation she had called me and asked if it would be safe for us to shoot a session. We talked for some time and I told her that if we shoot outdoors, I will wear a mask and will use my long lens so we would have more than ten feet apart. Violet had suggested that we head to the beach so we headed to Point Dume in Malibu where everywhere we walked was so picturesque. I can’t wait to share with you Violets book when it come out.

Pose, Intelligent and Warmth are three words that I would describe Chicago’s Author of INFLUENCE REDEFINED. Stacey the owner of Stacey Hanke Inc exists to equip leaders within organizations to communicate with confidence, presence and authenticity, day in and day out. Combined, her team of mentors and consultants has more than 100 years of training experience. She has worked with executives, managers, technicians and sales leaders across the United States and on four different continents. Stacey and her team have diverse backgrounds in news & entertainment, sales & marketing, diversity & inclusion, organizational development & investor relations.

Stacey is also a keynote speaker. She mentors and works best one-on-one. Whatever your solution, the goal is always the same: Not to change you, but to help you confidently and consistently express your true self, Monday to Monday.®

Here I shot Stacey’s new branding, I’m so thrilled to have worked with her and help communicate visually who she is as a business leader and innovator.

Every business or business owner needs content to let their clients or consumers know what they do. Now with the help of social platforms ie (Instagram and Facebook being the biggest for businesses) words and links only go so far... and the need to showcase goods or content driven media (such as photos and videos) are in much hirer demand. Having the background in Production and Advertising, I know what sells and how to shine the spotlight on personal content. Yes, folks want the goods but it’s important to hire a professional to capture how those goods are put to use. This session with Sarah was a real eye opener. Sarah motivates and has a boss-lady attitude thats infectious!!! She dedicates her time and energy to ambitious women. Sarah helps change their businesses for a life-long success by doing what they love to do. Sometimes we feel stuck in life and need direction and guidance on goal setting in order to live a fulfilling and positive life. Sarah knows first-hand what it’s like to want to make a major change in your life – to change your career, to improve yourself both internally and externally, and to live a more fulfilling, less stressful and energetic life! During our time together, we talked more about her business and what helps her be the best version of herself she can be. Whether that is writing down what she is grateful for, organizing clients needs or playing the piano daily (as she also is a music teacher.) I loved this session because Sarah works with clients all around Chicago and we had a ton of fun shooting downtown. Thank you Sarah for showing me your beautiful, loving and helpful soul. If you need help getting your butt kicked - Sarah is the best Life Coach in Chicago who can make you wake up and get excited to take on the day ahead. You can contact here at https://www.sarahakochan.com/

Meet Dr. Sri Sullivan an OBGYN who decided to create a whole new business into looking and feeling amazing. Sri is the owner at the Chicago Aesthetics Club. Where their philosophy is simple. To make you feel and be your most beautiful self. Her discreet, luxury boutique office is located on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile. Dr. Sri Sullivan, founder of the Chicago Aesthetics Club, is a 20-plus year board certified physician who has married her love of medicine, aesthetics, client care, and luxury all into one unique experience. Having spent the majority of her career at some of the country’s most reputable hospitals, she observed a customer service void within traditional medical settings and longed for an opportunity to provide a more bespoke, intimate and high-end solution. As a result, she has created an atmosphere where patients are provided with the most current and carefully curated path of treatments. Her private, comfortable setting is where the style-rich ambiance encourages you to check out of your day and check into the journey towards looking and feeling your best. The Chicago Aesthetics Club is located at 605 N Michigan Ave #483, Chicago IL 60611 in the heart of Chicago. However, if you want an at home treatment you can call the office ( 312-320-4050 ) and set up a day and time for the doctor to come to you!!!! A great investment to making you look and feel your best! I had the pleasure of working with Sri and not only is this smart, passionate women beautiful on the outside - her warm heart and loving soul is just the right person you would trust your life with.

When you mix passion with intent you get the word Boss. But if you take "Boss" and add in a spice of zesty fearlessness with a dash of hip-hop and a whole lotta Fuchsia and sparkle - you'll get a badass Author named Judi Holler. FEAR IS MY HOMEBOY - is her motto and the name of her book (click the title to purchase your copy!) Her book already sold out in pre-sale at the number one spot on Amazon!!! Judi's Book is a game changer! What made this Fearboss fuel her passion and write her truth? Well ... many of us learned early there are plenty of reasons to fear the future. And many of us know Fear has a way of keeping us idling in one place, so we don’t get hurt. Yet the better option is to ride out the circumstances with our Fear. In either case ... We’re the only ones clutching the wheel. Judi has been afraid her whole life, experiencing the shapeshifting moods of Fear from a giant wave of anxiety before walking out on the stage to a subtle disturbance circling in the still waters called procrastination, perfectionism and imposter syndrome. Fear has many identities and many forms, but it was improv that taught her to look it in the eye, call it by its name, and understand what it wants - to show you what your limits are, to let you determine if it’s the limits you want...and sometimes to warn you that the probability of failure is ceiling high. Because when you walk out on the unpredictable stage, feet beneath you, audience before you, voice catapulting into the silence, there is often a big chance that you will BOMB, but what no one tells you… It will also be beautiful. Improv made her sharper, taught her to be patient, listen better, focus clearer, be prepared for the unknown, and made Judi really good at what she does. Her work takes the experimental principles of improv and applies it to the unscripted stage of everyday life. Judi might not teach you that you’ll never be fearless. But you can get really DAME good at ... FEARING LESS! Yes thats right. Fear is for the living and it comes with purpose - to keep you breathing. And to remind you you’re very much alive. Judi is on a mission to help you transform your fear into a powerful secret weapon so you can stop doubting your greatness and start living life on your own terms.This Lifestyle Branding Photo Session was a major collaboration!!! We had endless Facetime, IG messages, emails and tons of convos to talk about what we wanted to showcase. Judi made Pintrest and mood boards. She did her homework and told me what she wanted and what her colors were for her brand. So, I took Judi's personal style, ampt it up and got her to be her badass self and placed her in front environments that would make her shine! I've been following Judi and boy you should too!!! If you want to be entertained and learn on how to live your best life - Judi Holler is one name you will not want to forget!To learn more about Judi Holler click here