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Episode 15: Proof of Life
35 Plays5 months ago
Hello Rule Followers! Jaimie and Sarah are back at it with a quick recap of what the heck has been going on the last 6 months. Personal and professional updates, along with a few hot takes. Smash that follow button and buckle up, the girls are back in town.
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Transcript
Wedding Season Chaos
00:00:00
Speaker
We were talking about titillating tickles before we on. ah Hi guys. It's been a little bit. A hot minute, as we like to say.
00:00:12
Speaker
Yeah. We did our... It's funny. I was thinking today, I was like, well, we're we had to get through our wedding season, but then i have three weddings this month, so it doesn't really feel like wedding season ever really stopped, you know? Ma'am, ma'am.
00:00:26
Speaker
And then you have a wedding in January. We both have a wedding in February. i' have a wedding in March. I have one in April. um might have two in May. Several in May. I mean, but in a way, it's kind of nice because if you have like one a month, like going through the off season, then it's like you kind of just keep the momentum going. Sure. Yeah.
00:00:48
Speaker
But I will. i am. I only have one. No, I have two weddings left to send. One is coming back from the editor today. And then I have our off October one. And then my edit queue will be empty.
00:01:04
Speaker
Wow. Congratulations. Divine. so happy for you. I still have, i think, five to seven edits.
00:01:17
Speaker
But I am into October now. So that is good Insane. Guys, if you don't know this, Jamie has the tendency of saying yes to too many
Branding and Business Adjustments
00:01:27
Speaker
things. And then she gets to the time to do the things that she said yes to. And she goes, why I say yes to the things? Well, also, I just I'm like literally almost fully booked for next year, which I have not been this like fully booked this early since pre-pandemic. So it's good, but it's also like.
00:01:49
Speaker
raise my prices. great Well, that has been an ongoing theme to your life since we've been friends. True, true, true. and Okay, well, talk me. What does that mean? Like, what is fully booked look like for you in the 2026 season? Because literally, Amanda of May & Co is just talking about how like 2026 is super slow for people.
00:02:09
Speaker
I think it is slow for a lot of people, which is why I've been like, shooketh. um I have 15 officially booked, two pending right now.
00:02:22
Speaker
And I'm just getting inquiries like every day. so it's I don't know. I don't know happening. You don't people. She doesn't even have her new website launched or anything. don't.
00:02:33
Speaker
Okay. That is actually interesting. Okay. I was thinking for today's, since we're like doing our comeback episode, comeback. guys, coming We're alive. We're alive. um We could go back and forth on updates. Would that be fun?
00:02:47
Speaker
I'm into it. Okay. So... My first thing, I have been working on the new website. I am almost done. It is hilarious. I have shared it to, haven't shared it to you yet because I felt like you were too deep in editing.
00:03:03
Speaker
but i am Now I am free. Now I'll share it with you. And you can also tell me if I've used too many images from weddings we've done together. um I think it's just putting us on the trajectory to open Ridgewood and Thompson. So, yeah.
00:03:18
Speaker
Yeah. Another little titillating tickle thing. little tickle for you guys. OK, so hilarious. I've shown it to four people, four groups.
00:03:31
Speaker
ah Taylor, Haley, Nathan. And my film club group. Taylor and Haley both said, wow it's so like modern and clean and, but you know, whatever. And that Haley didn't say this explicitly, but Taylor did say this explicitly. and She's like, it doesn't feel like you at all.
00:03:53
Speaker
And then Nathan said, oh, man, it's so cool and vibey and modern. It feels exactly like you. Yeah. And then my film club group was very accommodating. They don't know me that well. So they' were just like, wow, it's really beautiful. And when I brought up the fact that two of my close friends had said that it didn't feel like me, Jen made this amazing point, Jennifer Moher.
00:04:19
Speaker
She said... When we are selling a brand, we are selling a piece of ourselves. We are not selling ourselves in its entirety. We can't do that, honestly. You don't want to do that. That's confusing because we contain multitudes. You are selling a part of yourself.
00:04:37
Speaker
And that just set me free so much when I'm like finalizing the website because I'm like, that is how I was feeling and I didn't really know how to put words to it It's like, no, it's not going to embody me from top to toe. You know, like...
00:04:50
Speaker
I have so many facets of myself. I have a nerdy facet and a antiquey facet and this, you know, all these different things. And like what I'm giving my client is going to be like a piece of that.
00:05:02
Speaker
So anyway, I am feeling very good about the website and it will be launching by the new year, I think. But I'm not going to do like a big fanfare thing. I'll probably send out an email to like some of my favorite planners and be like, new website. Here's the new pricing. Yeah.
00:05:20
Speaker
yeah Blah, blah, blah. Yeah. Well, I'm going to, first of all, apologize because I do, I think I'm starting to get sick. So I have a frog in my throat. Sexy frog. Yeah. her girl um I think it's also interesting because Taylor has known you for so long and so many, like since the very beginning, right? So it's like as you evolve,
00:05:46
Speaker
I think it becomes, and as we go into a higher echelon of work, I think what you touched on is we are selling just a piece of ourselves becomes even more true because we become more separate from the brand, if that makes sense. I think in the lower levels, you're like, I'm going to be your best friend and I'm going to know everything about you and you're going to know everything about me and we're going to be like...
00:06:06
Speaker
skipping through your wedding day together. did to-htahh But like now it's like, no, we're here to show up and do the work. And like, we're selling you the artist piece of ourselves. And that is influenced by all facets of who we are. But yeah, I agree. I think it's a very freeing statement.
00:06:22
Speaker
Yeah. Okay, so give me an update.
Artistry and High-Profile Photography
00:06:25
Speaker
What is a good update? Okay, I just got off the phone with the Corbin Gerken. For those of you who do not know who she is get out from under your rock. um She has photographed the when Joe Biden's granddaughter got married at the White House. She photographed that. And then another, like, she's very much in, like, the, I would say, the luxury market and into, like, celebrity weddings now. So she also photographed edge our Ed Westwick, a.k.a. cholk bass Chuck his wedding. I specifically asked her, I'm like, what was it like to work with with Ed? And she goes...
00:07:06
Speaker
He's amazing. and ah she told me about her fangirl moment where it's like, she's like, I definitely am of the generation of gossip girl. So when he came up and gave me a huge hug, my insides were like, and then she said, because we were we were specifically talking a lot about artistry in this phone call, because I think Jamie, you and I agree, like I'm really good at the meat and potatoes, but I really, for 2026, I really want to lean heavily into like,
00:07:36
Speaker
showcasing my eye and like what makes my version of your wedding different. And so she was talking about specifically thinking about the portrait of each merrier.
00:07:47
Speaker
and so she said whenever Ed was like doing his portrait, she was like, it was so Chuck Bass. And I was like, I didn't want to say it because i'm not going to be inappropriate with like one of my idols. But I was just like,
00:08:03
Speaker
i There would be a lot of inappropriate thoughts going through my mind on that day. It's kind of like, you know, when you read like a smutty book and you're like, oh yeah that little tantalizing tickle, you know?
00:08:18
Speaker
um ah How many? Okay, we should make a drinking game of tantalizing tickle in this episode. Yeah. all right. If we say tantalizing tickle, take a drink. I will be drinking that coffee because it is 1049 in the morning.
00:08:31
Speaker
Okay. So my update was going through and getting to talk to her. what i What I deeply appreciated about her is she was able to look at my work and like... give me such exact like this is the shot you're missing here or this is what I want to see here or I know that you probably got this shot but you're just not showcasing it and then she talked about like the order in which I'm showcasing the photographs um So it was just really great to have someone who can kind of cut through the bullshit. And again, i think that the difference between a great photographer and an excellent photographer who's like skyrocketing towards that level of work, it's all of the very, very small tweaks.
00:09:13
Speaker
Mm hmm. So that was really great. And she told me if I was ever in New York to hit her up and we can go grab dinner and I would be like, I'm booking my ticket. Literally, I was like, well, I'll be in Charleston for, you know, um hybrid in February. I'll just book a flight up and go swing by New York for the weekend. um So it was really fascinating to talk to her. And we talked a lot about um that transition from the lower luxury to where she is now. And I like that she was really honest about how COVID played a big part of that and like the demand. And Jose Villa talked about that. He goes, the the things we were able to charge during that time period, like have definitely come down. But like for those who are positioned properly during that time period, like they have just like, that was definitely a skyrocketing moment for them.
00:10:03
Speaker
And she's been doing it for 25 years. She's been a photographer. saying So absolutely wild. So she's been doing it since she was 18. And I think what I really loved about talking to Corbin and to Amanda Kay is like these women who are in their 40s and 50s who are still doing incredible storytelling work and knowing that like...
00:10:24
Speaker
We don't have a like a time cap or like an expiration date as artists. And I think that it just gets better and better and better the longer you stick with it, because then you're forced to continue to evolve. And I think that's what makes you a better artist. And so I just really enjoyed that juicy conversation. Yeah, that's amazing.
00:10:44
Speaker
um I'm so glad you got the opportunity to have another chat with her. She's just like so great. Like there's so many people that you meet. And i think that people have the tendency to and put our idols like on a pedestal, which of of course, like that's just natural.
00:11:02
Speaker
But like, it's kind of the way I feel most people feel like about Taylor Swift. Like, if you just had access to her, you know, you would be best friends. And I feel like that with a lot of these people that I meet. I'm like, if we just lived on the same street, you would be at my dinner table more often. You know what i mean? So I think I really have enjoyed Just the connection time. I feel like this year has been a lot of connection with other artists. um One of our friends within Seattle industry, Tanya of Tatiana Photography, she is probably like best person I know about like making sure there is a date, a reservation and a time that you are all meeting and going to dinner. And she is constantly hosting these small little get togethers and she, she, it's not that she does it in a clicky way whatsoever. Like she's constantly having a different mix of people at her table. And I just really admire that. And I kind of want to incorporate that going forward because I think,
00:12:02
Speaker
It's during the off season, especially in Seattle, we have that space to do that. And I think that just getting to know the human behind the work, it just creates this like stronger sense of community. And in a world that is super fucking shitty right now, that's kind of what you need.
00:12:19
Speaker
My other update, i have been on a self-improvement bender.
Self-Improvement and Efficiency
00:12:27
Speaker
um I'm always kind of on that train, but recently I've read a couple really amazing books um and I don't want to get the titles wrong, so I'm going to pull them up.
00:12:39
Speaker
Oh yeah, you just sent me one that I needed to read. I read the Success Principles, 20-year anniversary edition by Jack Canfield. um It's a thick boy, um but really amazing. And it's similar to Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People, where it's like timeless. Like you could read this book at any point in history, in your career, in your like life is a stay-at-home, like whatever, you could read this book and the principles that he's laying down are just really brilliant. And it's the first time I've ever read about manifestation and using affirmations in your daily life that I felt like, oh, this is not too woo-woo for me. Like,
00:13:25
Speaker
I do believe manifestation manifesting can work. I just have never had it explained to me in a way that it was like, here's how it's practically working. Here's the science actually behind the manifesting manifesting.
00:13:38
Speaker
So that was awesome. um so I've started to incorporate a few of those. I do want to get the um he has a workbook that comes with it because I read it on my Kindle and I um i want the workbook so I can like actually write through stuff. Do you want to do that as like a book club for you and me?
00:13:55
Speaker
ohoh that would be so fun. Let's do that. Let's do that. I need accountability because I also have like the yeah the notebook for um the artist's way. and I just I specifically bought it in the summer because i would want to do it in the winter. so yeah, I think doing that one with you would be really fun.
00:14:12
Speaker
That'd be fun. OK, I'll look into getting that. um And then I read Atomic Habits, which I know you've also read. and we were just talking about that.
00:14:23
Speaker
And for me, one of the biggest things that stuck out, and then you can tell everybody what stuck out for you. i in general, I'm pretty good at habits and forming them. Breaking them is harder for me, which I'll get into in a second with another book I'm reading. But um Forming habits is easy for me. But one of the tips that he said is start with like a two minute habit, I think is how he phrases it. So start with something so simple and easy. So instead of saying I need to drink 60 ounces of water a day, you say every day when I get up, I'm going to immediately fill up my water bottle. And that's an easy habit to make.
00:15:01
Speaker
And then because your water bottle's with you already and you filled it up already, like the drinking of it will be a natural habit that forms of that, basically. So that was really impactful for me. um And I'm still figuring out ways to implement it, but I just like finished that book. So I'm still figuring out. But what stuck out to you about Atomic Habits?
00:15:25
Speaker
Again, even though that that's not like super beefy of a book, there's just a lot of content in it. And so I would say the thing that like I really carried with me was the make it obvious and then the habit stacking. So like stacking things into like a routine. So it's just it's a natural progression of like I do this thing that I do this thing and then I do this thing. So like at night, I'm really consistent about like. I wash my face.
00:15:50
Speaker
I put on my cleanser. I take my birth control. I take all my other vitamins. I take my sleep supplement. I brush my hair and I go lay in bed. it's like all those things get done every night. And it sounds so simple, but like the amount of times people that i forgot to take my birth control, it is a wonder that I don't have like 10 kids at this point. Yeah.
00:16:10
Speaker
ah So, um yeah, I think that those ones were the most helpful. And I think um I am having my students read Twyla Tharp's The Creative Habit right now. And their final is going to kind of center around a lot of her exercises.
00:16:26
Speaker
And I think she talks about it. And then like I've heard it on, you know, the Instagrams of like your only your habits are only as good as your systems. Yeah. And I think that that is something that I have royally failed at many a time within my business. It's like, okay, like I know the things that I need to do, but the system, I'm not abiding by the system. And so, yeah, there's there I'm very excited for this off season to really solidify what these systems are going to look like um because I am so tired of like feeling out of control. True.
00:17:04
Speaker
Well, and it's interesting with systems because I think sometimes we think we're making them better. But what we're doing is we're making like, i think it's Microsoft 98 or something version where it's like this tab leads, to you know, you know what I'm talking about? This tab leads to this tab leads to this tab. And we think, oh, well, we've created a really good system. There's clear steps. But it's like in newer versions,
00:17:28
Speaker
they've taken out all of the tabbing down. do you know what I mean? They just have this main tab and that's how you get to the place you need to go. And that's what we have to figure out. Like, how do we simplify the system so it's really easy to do?
00:17:41
Speaker
And we're not, yeah, having to go through a million steps to get where we want to go. Oh, yeah. So, like, for instance, something that I want my system for, like, editing next season to do is day after a wedding, we import everything, we back it up.
00:17:59
Speaker
We call the full wedding on the Monday after. and then we select what we want for the highlight. We send that to AI because it does it faster. And, it like, AI has been, like, fucking nailing my preset recently. Yeah.
00:18:17
Speaker
and send that off, and then immediately send it to the editor. So like all in that first day, you're getting your preview to your client, dropping off film somewhere in there that has to live in my workflow. And then it's going to the editor. So that whole, the mental load of like having to relive the wedding day, like for me, I think the stress of that is like the mental block for me of, it's like when people can't unload the dishwasher because the mental block, the mental load of it is heavier than it actually is to just empty the cooking dishwasher. So.
00:18:51
Speaker
Yeah. Something that helps me with those types of blocks is i i think this is one of the concepts that you were talking about from Atomic Habits where you're like, um you're linking it to a pleasurable experience. So I don't let myself watch a show unless I am doing something productive at the same time.
00:19:15
Speaker
So if I want to watch re rewatch vampire diaries, I have to be cleaning. I have to be editing. I have to be on the Stairmaster like and I can't do those things. I can't do the thing I want to do unless I am also doing the habit that I need to, you know, form.
00:19:35
Speaker
That's what I do with my audio books is like you're not allowed look into your book. unless you're Unless you're cleaning. Yeah. Or you're driving. Or I can't go antiquing unless I've like done my Goodwill donation.
00:19:47
Speaker
Yeah. so um I have two more books to speak about. the first one is Financial Feminist by Tori Dunlap. I think you've read it or you just listened to her podcast. I can't remember. Both.
00:20:00
Speaker
I don't think I've read through like the entire book, but I read a lot of the highlights and I abide by the majority of her systems. Yeah. So I'm not going to get too deep into it because I think we're going to do a whole podcast around it. Sarah's going to actually like help me live walk through how to do some things so that you guys can see from like a layman's perspective, like how to invest your 401k and how to invest in an index fund and whatever. So yeah, we'll talk through that more in depth, but that was a great book.
00:20:33
Speaker
She's so... our age millennial. It's hilarious. Like the way she talks, how she talks politically, like all that stuff. I'm like, I could nail within a two year period when you were born. Like, even if I didn't know how old she was, like I, it's just hilarious.
00:20:52
Speaker
um And then the last book that I'm still working through, but is been so brilliant. And I can't believe it took me this long to find it is called The Willpower Instinct. That's the one you told me to get. Yes. And it is.
00:21:06
Speaker
It is so good. So it started as a lecture that she did. oh i'm going to get the school wrong. I think it was at Stanford. And ah the class became so popular, like every every quarter that she offered it, like they had to get a bigger and bigger space.
00:21:22
Speaker
um And so then she just turned her class into a book. And it is... So interesting because for my whole life, I have thought of myself as a very self-controlled person or just a very like someone with a lot of willpower.
00:21:42
Speaker
Even in grade school, like they would give out. um I went to a private school and they would give out awards like the whole school would be up for awards every month. And then at your like first chapel of the month, like seven students would get awards. And I got the award for so most self-controlled.
00:22:01
Speaker
As like a third or fourth grader. that doesn't surprise me at all. No. So I have always, i think, had this perception of myself. But then there are certain things that I struggle a lot with in terms of self-control. And reading this book has been like I'm only, I think, three or four chapters in and I'm just like, bro, this is speaking to my heart. Like, yeah.
00:22:26
Speaker
It is tantalizingly tickling me. Is that the words we were using? Yeah, sure. Tittilating, titillating. But tantalizing is a good one as well.
00:22:38
Speaker
um Everybody drink. um Anyway, so yeah. So I hope we have a whole like podcast on that book as well because it's truly so good. Okay. Well, I've just added it to my Christmas wish list.
00:22:54
Speaker
Perfect. ah holidays. Alright, what's your next update? You guys. Okay, so obviously on this podcast, if you are loyal and you've been listening to our last like 14 episodes, you know that Jamie and I talked about minimalism and purging and getting rid of shit. And I really enjoy that process. I literally just did a huge goodwill run where I personally filled up two of the ginormous blue bins of crap.
00:23:24
Speaker
um I was also giving stuff from my brother-in-law who needed to donate stuff, but still a lot of stuff to donate. Yeah. And I just realized like going through my house is like, yes, it felt so good to like get rid of things. But then my home felt like a shell.
00:23:40
Speaker
Like things didn't have story to them. Like it just didn't like when I walk into an antique store, like there are certain like little shops that like... I just feel so cozy inside of this small little space because of the way it's decorated and laid out and like the story that it tells the same way.
00:23:58
Speaker
i love going to the East Coast and going into like an old bookshop or like a very or like when you're in Edinburgh and like the way things just feel. Oh, so tantalizingly tickling.
00:24:14
Speaker
So um I got really into antiquing really, really fast. So I noticed on my Pinterest that I was just diving into the cottage core a lot and like just devouring what people were doing with that. But it was like with a modern edge. So it wasn't like you ended up looking like you had your grandmother's like hoarded house, but it was like well-designed, but like objects had history to them. And so...
00:24:44
Speaker
And I you guys can't see this, but behind me is a bunch of art that I've started on that's part of my collection. And my house now has several gallery walls of all of this beautiful hand done art or photographs or lithographs or, you know, paintings, whatever it is.
00:25:03
Speaker
And I've just been like thoroughly enjoying the process of like learning about antiquing and like what things are really valuable, why certain things are like priced super high. And so like the season during weddings, like when Jamie and I would travel together, like we would find an antique store along the way and it was just so much fun to go through.
00:25:23
Speaker
And like, I mean, for instance, Jamie, you found that like 16 millimeter ah video camera that was like a World War I or two camera. And then when we opened it, it's still filming it. It's still filming it.
00:25:38
Speaker
So I hope you're going to. haven't gotten it developed yet, but I will. And I'll keep you updated. Oh, I hope that there's something so cool on it. So like, I think that that is kind of like.
00:25:49
Speaker
There is like a high that comes with the hunt and like looking for things and finding something and like, oh, how can I tweak this? And how can I do that? The one thing that was extremely overwhelming was like I was doing this during high season. So like having the ability to then implement the decorating part or incorporating it has been very overwhelming because I haven't been able to do it. So um yeah, my most recent find that I'm so excited about is I finally found a gorgeous curved curio cabinet and I'm going to use it as my linen cabinet upstairs because we originally would keep all of our folded towels and like linens and stuff in the laundry room, but like the cat boxes are in there and it's disgusting. So I wanted this really beautiful dark wood round glass. Oh, and I found her for a great price. I think I got her for 150.
00:26:44
Speaker
And most of those go for like four or five hundred dollars on Facebook Marketplace. And like she needs a little bit of love, but oh, ah just so excited.
00:26:55
Speaker
Sounds great. I have an update that we haven't told the world. OK, go ahead.
Exploring Weight Loss Journeys
00:27:01
Speaker
that I got on a GLP-1. Oh, yeah. You haven't told the world yet. Yeah.
00:27:06
Speaker
Okay, guys. Let's talk about it. Let's talk about it. and Okay. How long have you been on it? Start with that. Yeah. So I started on it in May and it is now December. So how many months is that?
00:27:21
Speaker
Five minus 12, seven? Seven months. Okay. So seven months and I have lost 30 pounds, which feels grats amazing. um i definitely know that I've lost muscle mass. So I am incorporating my weight training again more diligently than I was.
00:27:41
Speaker
So part of why I got on the GLP-1 was because i was just stuck in this state within my body. like it I could not shed any weight.
00:27:52
Speaker
And I struggled with eating disorders when I was a dancer. so like the idea of having to count calories and do all these things on top of wedding season, on top of having a toddler, it was just too much. And so like I talked to my doctor and I was like, I specifically want to try this because it's something I haven't tried.
00:28:13
Speaker
And I know that I have a genetic predisposition for type 2 diabetes. I know that I'm overweight. And I know that my body doesn't process sugars very well because I failed the sugar test during my pregnancy.
00:28:26
Speaker
So she's like, yeah, I think you're a great candidate for this. So we did it. and like... The fact that the losing of the weight felt subconscious was so freeing because it wasn't eating up my mental load every single day of like, what am I eating? What am I not eating? what Did I eat too much? Did I eat too this? diddadahdah And so I will say I did have some of the side effects of like stomach pain or nausea. Which sucked on some days, especially when I was shooting a wedding and like wanted to barf on everyone. It actually very much reinforced the reason why I don't want to have another baby or one of the many reasons is because fucking morning sickness sucks. And so i was like, wow, I feel so valid in my decision. Yeah.
00:29:17
Speaker
But yeah, so it was it was very it felt very slow going at first because like the the weight would be coming off. But like I didn't necessarily look different and no one was saying anything. And what's funny is like none of my family has really said anything. And I think it's just because they see me more often. So it's like they haven't really noticed it.
00:29:36
Speaker
um But I'm at the point where it's like. None of my pants fit because they're all too big for me, which is like an amazing problem to have. Yeah. So I got on quince last night and I was, you know, putting some stuff in my cart. um So, yeah, I think now that I've lost a a beautiful, significant amount of weight, my doctor and I had a check in.
00:29:58
Speaker
And she's like, how are you feeling? How far are you from your goal weight? And I told her that I wanted to lose another maybe 10 to 15 pounds of fat, but I wanted to replace that with muscle. And so she's like, great, we're going to keep you on the same dosage you're at. And then, you know, for another six months. And I want you to increase your weight training because, of course, the thing about having it being on a GLP-1, guys, is that it can eat away at your muscle weight.
00:30:26
Speaker
super, super fast, right? Because you're not eating. So your body is needing energy and nourishment and like your muscles are full of that juicy goodness. So yes, you're losing fat, but you're also losing muscle mass, which can cause you to lose bone density. And like the older we get, the harder it is to keep all those things. So that's why it's super important to always have a high intake of protein and to be doing your exercises with heavy resistance training. um So I'm going to be getting back onto that bandwagon because I also don't want to be skinny fat where it's like I'm thin but like my body isn't healthy like I don't want i I don't want to have still like a high percentage of body fat even if my body is smaller i want to be healthier and have like my high density of muscle in slimmer body um and I will say that like the things that I've noticed is just feeling more confident and like feeling like i'm not
00:31:23
Speaker
I don't look at my clothes and be like, oh, well, I'm too bloated for that today. Or I don't think that's going to look good on me today. It's like it's nice feeling like I can just put clothes on and not be caught up in that like cycle in my brain.
00:31:38
Speaker
So i think that that's just been. I've just been it's been so relieving to not have it take up my entire space. Yeah, I think that's amazing. i think I'm so glad it has had like such a positive effect for you.
00:31:55
Speaker
i i think you're sort of like a almost a best case scenario for people that decide to do it too. Oh, that's very nice. I have also been on a GLP-1 for, I think, 11 months now.
00:32:11
Speaker
And it has not had the same effect on me as you. i have also lost 30 pounds. I had lost 40 and I've gained 10 back in the last month, which...
00:32:22
Speaker
It does happen to people between like 9 and 12 months. Your body has adjusted. um So you don't feel as full anymore.
00:32:33
Speaker
and um you I don't have the same like um hunger suppression, i would say would say. I'm noticing that as well. You're noticing it? Yeah, it's creeping. so And I'm already at like a max dose. Yeah.
00:32:51
Speaker
I am going to keep on it um I've been watching a shit ton of TikTok videos of people. And it's just like, you know, people's individual experiences with GLP-1.
00:33:03
Speaker
And I've seen enough now where i've there are women who are similarly built to me who have had similar experiences. And what they end up saying is basically...
00:33:15
Speaker
Your body type, for whatever reason, it has to be on such a calorie deficit forever to maintain or lose weight. Wow. so I'm going to try out some different things because one of my newfound modes of confidence, I guess, with my whole like having audacity that I've integrated this last year is that I'm not so afraid to like try things multiple times and just to see how they work.
00:33:40
Speaker
um which is not something I would have done in the past. I would have either gotten too frustrated or I would have felt like, well, if I can't do it right the first time, then I can't do it at all. And now it is just maturing and being in my 30s. I'm like, no, you can do things a million times. You can find what's right.
00:33:54
Speaker
So um one of the things I'm doing, I'm trying a calorie counter again, but I know myself and I hate freaking inputting everything individually. So I am using Cal AI, which um We'll see how it goes. But basically you take a picture of your food and it guesses like it uses AI to like calculate stuff and it's close enough. And I'm like, great.
00:34:15
Speaker
I had pretty bad lower back pain ever since I gave birth. And I'm assuming it had to do with pelvic floor. and I did a bunch of stuff to try and fix it. And literally nothing helped until I lost weight.
00:34:30
Speaker
And then as soon as I lost weight, it has not come back. That's amazing. I know. And so honestly, like, I've been fat my whole life, so I'm not... necessarily afraid of visually being fat like I don't have that same it I mean it does bug me sometimes just because society but like I think compared to other people I'm more fine about myself visually but physically i am literally so afraid of being in pain again i don't want it
00:35:01
Speaker
Oh, yeah. So, um yeah. So what I'm trying now is I'm trying to it stick to like the calorie deficit um that the app is kind of helping me with still on the GLP one, um because I know it helps with a lot of other things besides just hunger suppression, like it's doing a lot in our bodies. And yeah.
00:35:22
Speaker
and And then if I'm not seeing the results, I might try like ketogenic for a while. i might, I just, I'm going to try things. I'm going to see like how I feel on them.
00:35:32
Speaker
um i'm also part of doing, reading the willpower book is I want to cut down a lot on drinking. so I'm sure that will also contribute. and but yeah, so i think I feel good because I'm still hopeful.
00:35:50
Speaker
And while I do have days where I feel really discouraged, i um I feel mostly like hopeful and like I can figure this out. That's awesome. I think that's like the best place to be at because I think it's really easy just with all the o external...
00:36:09
Speaker
noise, like with what society tells us, like it can be so easy to get discouraged so, so quickly. um But when you mentioned the, like the suppression kind of easing up and all that stuff, I'm definitely noticing that as well. Cause I'm like, oh, I have been able to consume quite a bit extra today. Like that's really weird because like I used to not have to worry about Like for a while, it was like, yeah, we can kind of eat, quote unquote, whatever, because you could only eat a tiny bit before your stomach was like, whoa, girl, slow down.
00:36:43
Speaker
Yeah. um So something that I'm incorporating for this off season is just incorporating as many like vegetables and whole foods. So it's like anything that is going into my body is like ah full of nutrients because I feel like that can also really fuck up your system is like...
00:37:02
Speaker
when people go on the GLP-1 and they don't change their eating habits, like that, those are the people who immediately gain it all back as soon as they're off the medication, right? Because there was no structure or lifestyle changes beyond just the injection.
00:37:17
Speaker
And so I want to make sure that like, I'm, like so I'm sort trying to also do a little bit of like intuitive eating. Like, okay, am I actually hungry? am I just feeling stressed or nervous? Um,
00:37:29
Speaker
am I actually just thirsty you know so I think what's nice is like again because the GLP one for me right now still feels like a really nice safety net it's like okay if I get it wrong one day I'm not going to feel so derailed and I still feel like I have like the bowling safety guards up so it's like I can't like demolish a whole cheesecake by myself although that does sound quite fun
00:37:56
Speaker
Um, well, and it's interesting because in all of this, I've done a lot of like internal work to see like why when I'm, since the hunger suppression has gone away, like why am i so why do I want to finish this? Whereas like before i didn't feel the need to finish it and all of my that type of thing, it comes, like a food insecurity, is like it comes from this scarcity mindset. And I know it's probably, i think we may have talked about this before, but it has to do with childhood stuff, you know.
00:38:39
Speaker
But i feel genuinely in my head, I've convinced myself I'll never be able to have this again. Like this food that I'm eating that's so good, like if I don't finish the rest of it now, I'll never be able to have it again. or it'll be so long before I get to have it again.
00:38:53
Speaker
And i think that is a combination of like when I was growing up, like my mom was not a great cook. If she made something we liked, it would be a long time before we got it again. um And then in addition to that, we never got to go out to eat. And when we did get to go out to eat, it was never like the same places. So if you liked something there, who knew when you were going to get it again? Because we probably wouldn't go back to that restaurant again, maybe ever, maybe for a long time.
00:39:22
Speaker
So i think those things probably affected me more than I realized. um And now that I'm a doll, I have to just keep reminding myself, like, you could make this tomorrow.
00:39:33
Speaker
yeah You know, you could buy this tomorrow if you were that desperate for it tomorrow. As soon as I like have the willpower to be like, you don't have to eat the rest of this. Like you're full.
00:39:44
Speaker
Your tummy is full. Yeah. And I hand the rest of my plate to Brandon. i don't miss it at that point once I've relinquished it. But it's that like insecurity, scarcity mindset, like in the moment that drives me to keep eating it. So I'm working on that. But.
00:40:01
Speaker
It's a road. i completely get it because like that the desire of like you it'll be a while till you can do this again. That's how I would feel when I was um a bombshell cheerleader. It's like I would starve myself all week for the game.
00:40:17
Speaker
And then after the game, they would always have like a buffet in our like green room to like feed us dinner. And like the girls, like almost every single girl in that room would like put together like a huge doggy bag. and then of course, they they fed us the same things they fed the player. So it's like high calorie deliciousness with like ginormous cookies. And so you so you pack all that up and you're like, oh it's going to be a while till I can allow, like till I let myself eat this way again. And so that's where you kind of get that binging mentality. Mm-hmm.
00:40:47
Speaker
And yeah, I just remember, oh, there were some really bad episodes of that during that time frame. And I think only with like my older, kinder, wiser, gentler eyes do I look back and be like, oh, honey, like that was you didn't need to do that to yourself. And so. i know. I think part of me is really, i think the overall theme that I've really enjoyed this year is the wiseness that comes with just getting older. And the more you look back on things and reflect, I just feel like my brain is growing in that capacity of like, what really matters to me? Like truly, like the end of the day, with without the influence of like Instagram, like what actually matters to me?
00:41:34
Speaker
um One of the sad updates that I have, trigger warning, um this does have to do with death and with ah maternal death.
Reflections on Life and Loss
00:41:44
Speaker
So if you have experienced anything like that, please skip forward five or minute five minutes or so.
00:41:50
Speaker
um So a past bride who I adored and became good friends with, um she passed away two weeks ago during childbirth. And And I'm still and will forever be so gutted by it. She was just one of those people who was so Someone used a word to describe her on um the memory wall on her GoFundMe.
00:42:17
Speaker
And it was effervescent. And I'm like, oh, that's just like the perfect word for her. Like she was... She was the kind of person that you sit down and like we had like she didn't want to do like we did at our console on Zoom and she was like, OK, that's great. And we're going to book you, but I want to have dinner with you like I want to know you.
00:42:35
Speaker
And so we met for dinner and i walked away from that dinner. um Her late or sorry. Her husband joined us later in the evening. um But I just felt like I had known her forever.
00:42:51
Speaker
It was just one of those people who has the ability to connect and really. ah There was she was just extremely special. And so it's just been really heart wrenching to have this happen during, i mean, this time of year, that season in her life. um We had recently met for dinner over the summer to talk about pregnancy and delivery and being a mom and what does that look like? And um it was, you know, just reflecting on some of the things that we discussed during that conversation.
00:43:27
Speaker
its Yeah. It just fucking sucks. And so I think reflecting on that is not only informing me of the work that I want to do within my artistry as a wedding photographer, because obviously I look back at her photos and they mean so much more now, um especially these tiny in-between moments.
00:43:49
Speaker
um But it's also like for me as a human within my life, like what actually matters to me because she and I were only a month apart in age. Like she was only a month younger than me. So when I'm like, oh, my Atlanta, like literally you could die tomorrow. Like, like it just really I think that death.
00:44:10
Speaker
within proximity gives you this level of perspective. And as awful as it is, i think it's an incredible opportunity to be reminded of the sanctity of life, the fragility of life, and like to like stop caring about the bullshit.
00:44:26
Speaker
And for most people who I've spoken to about this, their first question is, did the baby survive? And yes, um her son is alive and well, and they are surrounded by an incredible community. They um have done a very large GoFundMe, which is amazing. um I will be photographing her celebration of life next month. So um that is also very precious work to do because you're stepping into a space where I think
00:44:57
Speaker
for the first couple of days, like I was mourning her because I felt this gap of like, oh my gosh, this person like existed and like now there's this hole and you know, what does this mean? And and what did that look like?
00:45:09
Speaker
And I was laid up one night and couldn't stop thinking about it. So who did I talk to? ChatGBT. So AI and I got into a discussion and I realized that like a lot of my sadness comes from that I have people in my life who are a version of her. So I know what that would feel like to lose that person. And so I mourn on behalf of her people because I'm just like, i am gutted for you. Like I cared about her. i loved her, but not in the same capacity that you did and the same way that you wouldn't feel that way about my person if I lost it. But it's just like that empathy of like knowing what that's like.
00:45:50
Speaker
yeah, I think just kind of being able to separate it a little bit from myself has been really helpful because like um it just allows me to have better perspective. So i i think that like my morning process has been a really useful tool of like just, little I don't know, just looking at that and being like, okay, like this is what people are going through.
00:46:16
Speaker
Where does like, where do I fit within that gamut? Because at first i was like, her passing isn't about me, but like, I'm so sad. And like, why am I so affected by this? Like, you know, when you think about like me versus like her sister or her mother.
00:46:30
Speaker
So anyway, I just... was looking at that. And so I'm excited to have the opportunity to honor her memory next month. It's a very unique space to hold. It's the same thing I feel like when we're photographing weddings and like the vows are so good, they make you cry. And like the the toasts are so good, they make you cry. It's like we are invited into a space of which we would not have an invitation otherwise. And so yeah it is a gift to be able to experience that level of humanity. And I think For so long, like I think this year it's also felt like a lot of autopilot for me. And so feeling this stretch within my heart of this emotion is like, oh, my God, this is what it feels like to be human. And I think as painful as especially those first few days were, it's just a reminder that we are alive. And I just feel really thankful for that.
00:47:23
Speaker
Well, thank you for sharing that. And um yeah, we'll all keep her in our thoughts and her family. yeah Thanks.
00:47:33
Speaker
wrap up, I'm wondering if um we could each say something that we're looking forward to for the rest of December. Yeah, you go first. Okay.
00:47:46
Speaker
So I am really looking forward to hanging out with my family this month. My mom and dad are coming into town and we'll be able to do just like big family Christmas stuff, which is always fun. I love Laz is at an age now where um he doesn't have to be constantly entertained or watched. Like you can just run around and play and And so Brandon and I can actually like enjoy adult conversation and play games and all the stuff. So that will be really fun. i am looking forward to our favorite things party that we're going to with our friends. um You're going to love my little gifts. Basically, Jamie and I have decided that we're shopping for each other because we have very aligned interests.
00:48:34
Speaker
So I'm hoping that we just get to hand each other presents. Yeah. Um, and then i am actually, this is, it doesn't, it shouldn't be shocking, but at this point in the season, usually I'm not really looking forward to doing any more edits, but I am actually looking forward to several of the edits I have in my docket, which feels good. it feels like, like you were saying, like sometimes having to relive through some of the wedding day can feel mentally draining,
00:49:02
Speaker
um But I'm not feeling that way. I'm feeling excited. And even though I'm in luteal phase and I had an angry day yesterday, today I'm feeling like fresh and ready and excited for what's to come. So that all feels really positive.
00:49:19
Speaker
That's awesome. I think... Oh, man, did I have a crazy anger day the other day, which is wild because normally I don't. But um for December, I'm really looking forward to obviously sending the last of my weddings out and just being done with that and just like feeling that that sense freedom.
00:49:39
Speaker
And then um for Christmas, we're actually heading up with Heath's family to the cabin all in Christmas Eve. So we're going to have Christmas up in the snow cabin. So that'll be really fun. um My sister is going to be in Georgia this year. So it'll be it'll be fun to just kind of get away with them. And then we'll do something with my parents separately. And I'm just really looking forward to having time to do the house projects.
00:50:04
Speaker
that I really wanted to work on. And so one of them is we're transitioning Jojo from her nursery to her big girl room. And so I found this gorgeous antique um bed frame. And so I'm in the process of stripping it because it was like this really deep red brown stain, which I'm just like not about. And so... um Once again, Pinterest and TikTok make it look so much easier than it fucking is, but it's been good. So I'm enjoying just having time to like do projects that are not digital.
00:50:37
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. All right, you guys Well, we hope you enjoyed a little ah bit of a ah update. We are live. We survived 2025. twenty twenty five We're headed into 2026. Yeah.
00:50:49
Speaker
yeah Yeah. And we think we have, what is it, 22 days left of the year. So with those 22 days, just really focus on the stuff that matters to you and gear up for another awesome year.
00:51:02
Speaker
Yes. Thanks, guys. And hope you were... Tick-tick-tillated? Tickled? Tick-tillatingly tickled. Tick-tillatingly tantalizingly tickled. Fa-la-la-la-la tickled.
00:51:16
Speaker
Ta-da-da-da tickled. Ta-da-da-da tickled. Ta-da-da-da-da-da-da. All right, friends. Thanks for listening. Happy holidays.