When the chapters of life unfold, they can lead us down paths we never expected—just ask Lydia Gillis. On our latest podcast, she joins us to share her transformation from the military, to stay-at-home mom, to a successful entrepreneur in photography, a journey that is sure to inspire. Lydia’s story is one of passion rediscovered, a testament to the enduring belief that it’s never too late to pursue what sets your soul on fire.
Lydia's camera isn't just a tool; it's a time machine capturing the essence of moments and the souls of individuals. From the tender tales of her grandfather to the life-altering leap into business ownership in her 40s, her conversation with us is a vivid narrative tapestry. She discusses the emotional resonance of photographs, their ability to transport us across generations, and the privilege of documenting such stories. Her insights are a compelling reminder of the importance of capturing our own narratives, no matter how simple the shot may be.
As we round out our time together, Lydia illuminates her pivot from the whirlwind of wedding photography to the nuanced world of personal branding. She emphasizes the power of authenticity in an increasingly digital landscape, where establishing personal connections is more crucial than ever. Lydia's thoughtful approach to her career, mindful of her family and personal satisfaction, offers valuable lessons on investing in oneself and one’s aspirations, setting intentional goals for both personal and business growth. Join us to hear how Lydia Gillis crafts images that are more than pictures—they're a legacy of life's fleeting, precious moments.
You can follow Lydia online at; lydiagillis.com @lydiagillisphotography
Sign up to be on her VIP list today and get signed up for a mini branding session.
If you liked today's show, I would greatly appreciate if you liked and subscribe to the show on your favorite listening platform. You can also support the podcast for as little as $3 / month to help cover the tech and time costs. The link to Support The Show is just above this paragraph. I appreciate you listening so much and I can't wait to have you back!
You can find me on Instagram @farmtoheartsara and follow the farm @sweetfreedomfarmco If today's episode touched you in any way, I would love to hear about it! Write a review or send me an email at sweetfreedomfarmco@gmail.com
When the chapters of life unfold, they can lead us down paths we never expected—just ask Lydia Gillis. On our latest podcast, she joins us to share her transformation from the military, to stay-at-home mom, to a successful entrepreneur in photography, a journey that is sure to inspire. Lydia’s story is one of passion rediscovered, a testament to the enduring belief that it’s never too late to pursue what sets your soul on fire.
Lydia's camera isn't just a tool; it's a time machine capturing the essence of moments and the souls of individuals. From the tender tales of her grandfather to the life-altering leap into business ownership in her 40s, her conversation with us is a vivid narrative tapestry. She discusses the emotional resonance of photographs, their ability to transport us across generations, and the privilege of documenting such stories. Her insights are a compelling reminder of the importance of capturing our own narratives, no matter how simple the shot may be.
As we round out our time together, Lydia illuminates her pivot from the whirlwind of wedding photography to the nuanced world of personal branding. She emphasizes the power of authenticity in an increasingly digital landscape, where establishing personal connections is more crucial than ever. Lydia's thoughtful approach to her career, mindful of her family and personal satisfaction, offers valuable lessons on investing in oneself and one’s aspirations, setting intentional goals for both personal and business growth. Join us to hear how Lydia Gillis crafts images that are more than pictures—they're a legacy of life's fleeting, precious moments.
You can follow Lydia online at; lydiagillis.com @lydiagillisphotography
Sign up to be on her VIP list today and get signed up for a mini branding session.
If you liked today's show, I would greatly appreciate if you liked and subscribe to the show on your favorite listening platform. You can also support the podcast for as little as $3 / month to help cover the tech and time costs. The link to Support The Show is just above this paragraph. I appreciate you listening so much and I can't wait to have you back!
You can find me on Instagram @farmtoheartsara and follow the farm @sweetfreedomfarmco If today's episode touched you in any way, I would love to hear about it! Write a review or send me an email at sweetfreedomfarmco@gmail.com
Speaker 1:
you data. Today I have my good friend, lydia Gillis, from Lydia Gillis photography, on my podcast and, although we just met in the fall of last year, I feel like it was a friendship that was meant to be. She lives right here in Colorado and she's just a wonderful soul, a wonderful human being and an amazing photographer and just great at what she does. So I can't wait for you guys to listen to Lydia Gillis. Here we go.
Speaker 1:
Welcome to the Farm to Heart podcast, a podcast for heart centered entrepreneurs and dreamers alike seeking to plant their seeds and grow a life of alignment, purpose and their own version of joy filled success. I'm Sarah Rutter, a former award winning bakery owner, turned mama, animal rescuer and multi passionate entrepreneur with a desire to help others ignite their dreams and create a life they love without the burnout. So whether you're seeking guidance on personal growth, launching or growing your current business, or simply looking for inspiration to ignite your entrepreneurial spirit, this podcast will be your loyal companion. So join me as we plant the seeds of your dreams, nurture their growth and cultivate a life of purpose, abundance and fulfillment. We'll saddle up and let's go.
Speaker 1:
Hi, lydia, how are you? I'm doing good. How are you, sarah? Good, I'm excited that we were finally able to get you here on the podcast. It worked out. Yeah, I'm excited to be here. Thanks for inviting me. Yeah, so for those of you that don't know you, do you want to give a little bit of history about yourself and kind of where your love of photography began and how you got into it and just all the details of you?
Speaker 2:
Yeah, so my name's Lydia and I am a wife. I've been married for almost 30 years. I have a mom of two adult kids 27 and 24, which it's hard to say those numbers and a grandma to a pit bull, because my kids are not ready to have kids and I am so ready to be a grandma. I am a brand photographer. I started doing weddings and slowly pivoted to being a branding photographer. My love for photography started when I was very, very young and I think both of my grandparents were very influential on my love for photography my own. I speak Spanish also, so I'm going to try to speak really slow and speak English. My husband, who I loved dearly we've known each other for like 35 years and he's been trying to still I mean, he still tries to teach me how to speak proper English. But I say give it up, because my Spanish family just tries to teach me how to speak proper Spanish and my English family is trying to teach me how to speak English.
Speaker 1:
And I just said yeah, they speak how you want to.
Speaker 3:
I've learned how to speak, no matter what I'm just going to speak Spanish, so I apologize in advance, but this is who I am and I'm embracing it.
Speaker 2:
But so, anyways, my, my, my grandparents both of my grandparents were very influential on my love for photography, for two different reasons. My dad's dad passed away. He was murdered before I was born, so I never got to meet my grandpa and since, early on, I just felt like I got cheated because I would see my friends and my cousins, you know, with both sets of grandparents. And I didn't have that. And not only did I not have my grandpa, I didn't have pictures of him. Like I didn't even know what my grandfather looked like. I knew his name and that's about it. For whatever reason, my family never really talked a lot. My dad's side of the family never really talked much about my grandfather and I didn't get to see a picture of my grandpa till about 20 years ago I'm going to be almost 55 years and that to me was just priceless.
Speaker 2:
And growing up, like when I grew up in Mexico, moved to the United States, and every summer my parents would ship us. I said, ship us. They put us on the train and the day we'd go on the train we didn't do that anymore to Mexico. And the first thing that I would do when I arrived to my grandparents' house is I would go and my grandparents had a box of portraits, photos, black and white pictures, and I would pull that box out and an album that was falling apart and I would go sit on my grandpa's lap and he would just tell me stories of all these people that are no longer with us. And through those pictures I got to know so many of my family members.
Speaker 2:
From early on I learned I value portraits because it tells a story. It's the last thing we have to document that we existed in this world and for me, I truly believe that we all have a beautiful story and it needs to be documented. And when I photograph, I don't photograph for my clients. I photograph for the future generations. It is such an honor to know that I'm leaving my fingerprint on all of this for their future generations to enjoy. And I'm going to get sad emotionally here, but it is an honor. I take it really. I mean it's such a for me, it's such a blessing that I get to be part of it and when I'm long gone, those images are still going to be there for other members to enjoy. So yeah, that's kind of where my love for photography started. That's amazing.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, I love what you said too. Like I feel like I share your heart when it comes to photography because, like I get emotional looking at pictures of my parents, like when they were younger, because it's just, it's like literally a glimpse into their life that went before I was even around, and how many little moments had to lead up to, like me being here and you know, it's just cool to see like little snippets of God's journey from the generations before us. So, yeah, I love that. Yeah.
Speaker 2:
So, everybody go take photos. I don't care if it's selfies or not, but document your life, because it's just so important yeah.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, I've been catching myself this year trying to take more photos with me and Brett. I've been taking a lot of Brett just by himself, but I want to be in more of them, just so I can. Who are you? Just so? It's not just me behind the camera all the time, but I want to make sure that I remember being with him in that moment too. Yeah.
Speaker 2:
It's so important to have those moments. A lot of times, especially as moms, we want the event to be perfect, like our hair done or makeup done. We want to be dress coordinated, all of that. To me it's like no, just take the photo, be in the moment, because that's what matters yeah.
Speaker 2:
That's what tells the story. That's the true, authentic self it's like. And how are kids are going to remember us? They're not going to always remember us with our hair done or makeup done and whatever. They're just going to remember mom being part of playing with them on the floor, baking cookies or whatever, riding horses, going for a hike whatever it is. That's what they're going to remember. They're not going to remember how we look.
Speaker 1:
Right, yeah, I love that. Were you in the military. Do you want to talk?
Speaker 2:
a little bit about that I was yeah, so, moving from Mexico, my parents moved us to East LA and I come from a very shelter home, like really shelter. I grew up in a little town, 1500 people, where everybody knew everybody. Generations have been there after generations. And then my parents moved us to East LA old places, right, just total chaos. And so my world was very, very small and East LA, I mean, it was like we were never able to go, like we lived in a cul-de-sac and if there was boys outside playing in the cul-de-sac we couldn't go out and play in the cul-de-sac.
Speaker 2:
And I knew early on that my parents weren't going to be able to afford for me to go to college and I really wanted to go to college and I couldn't afford it. And so my parents were very old school and at that time I think I felt they were like too, very dramatic with this. But my parents I come from a very Mexican home, where and it's not just Mexico, I just think it's old school and I appreciate it now, I didn't appreciate it back then. But the only way you were going to leave the house if you got married, right?
Speaker 3:
Which I think. I don't think it's a bad idea at all nowadays, but I wasn't even allowed to date and I'm like how am I going to get married if I can't even date?
Speaker 2:
So I just felt like I was this little bird in a cage, ready to fly, and identity was given to me and I'm like I am not that person. I didn't know who I was, but I'm like that's not who I am and I need to find myself. So my ticket out of East LA was the military, the Navy, and I was the first person in my family to join the military, because we don't believe in that, and so I was very naive and very gullible. My recruiter saw me coming and he told me everything I wanted to hear and I'm like where do I sign? I went in to be a photographer, ended up being a mechanic for A6 intruders.
Speaker 2:
I never got to do photography in like part of my trade in the military. I mean, I did do photography just on my own but never got to pick up a camera for the military. But I did pick up a lot of screwdrivers and wrenches and all of that stuff. So yeah, so I ended up being stationed three and a half hours away from home in the middle of nowhere, the desert. I'm like there's going to be what. I'm like I'm in the Navy, I love the ocean. There's going to be water somewhere around here. It's like no, the pool had water all year round, but that's about the only water that we had in El Centro, california. But I met my husband there and so we dated for five years and then we got married and the rest of his history.
Speaker 1:
Nice, so yeah, and so how long have you been photographing now?
Speaker 2:
So I've been doing photography professionally as a business since 2012. I celebrated 12 years in January. I was really blessed to stay home. So I was a stay home mom until my daughter was in junior high or first year high school. I can't first, yeah, I think she was in high school and then you know you, when you stay at home mom, you kind of lose your identity because you just become mom. You know it was Jeremy's mom and Vanessa's mom. Like I didn't even have a name.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, as the kids started getting older and I used to volunteer in their school and they weren't very excited about me volunteering because you know they wanted to do their thing.
Speaker 3:
It's like a kid mom Just cut the apron strings and let us go.
Speaker 2:
You know just trying to figure out, like, what am I going to do with my life? You know, like, who am I Besides Jeremy's mom and Vanessa's mom? And photography is something that I've been doing all along.
Speaker 2:
I was a photographer that would photograph weddings for family friends that couldn't afford a photographer, or high school seniors, and it was my husband who'd really encouraged me to like to start my business. And you know, I'm 47 years old and it's like I'm too old to start a business, like I don't even know, like you know, everything was moving from film to DSLR and it's like I don't even know how to work a camera. So, yeah, so he was my husband, was my inspiration, my fan. He continues to be that and just pushes me. And so I decided you know what I'm going to jump in and as long as I have few, few kind of requirements.
Speaker 2:
I didn't want to go into business because we couldn't afford to go into I mean not business go into debt, because I couldn't afford that, since I was a stay home mom and my husband was providing for all of us. I didn't want it to be about the money. I wanted to be more of a ministry for me and I just wanted to get back to the community, and so I have been able to do that. I've been in business, like I said, for 12 years and I've never gotten to debt, and I am really proud of that.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, that's amazing. Congratulations. That's awesome. What I have many things that I want to pick out of that, what you just talked about. But going back to being a stay at home mom, do you have any advice? Advice or like little nuggets of inspiration for moms that are staying at home right now, or even working moms that just have a dream on their heart as far as not letting that dream go.
Speaker 2:
Oh my gosh, you're just you're talking, I'm just getting chills and tearing. Being a mom is such a hard job. I mean you know that and it's such a but such a. I think for me it's the most important job that I will ever do, and even my kids are 24 and 27. And I feel they still need me. They don't say it, but you know they still call and like hey, mom.
Speaker 2:
No, it's such an important job and I just feel, like you know, we go through phases in our life, chapters in our lives, and to me that was my chapter. It was just to stay home and I have no regrets. It was hard but I felt like that was part of my kids, were part of my ministry, and I truly believe that when I'm a person of faith, that as long as you serve honorably the God and you have a passion in your heart because those are gifts that God gives us He'll, he'll, he's, he's still. You know, watering those, those dreams, and you know, and tilling the soil and all of that is don't give up on those dreams because it, if there's going to come a season that you're not going to it be needed. You think you're not going to be needed as much and God opens new doors for you and this is the opportunity for you to really blossom, and it's never too late and it's never too early. I always believe it's God's perfect timing on when you're going to do what you're going to do, because God has it all planned out for us.
Speaker 2:
As a person of faith, I believe that, and for those that don't believe in God, my God, you know, there is a higher power and I do believe that everything is predestined for us in that way. So I would say, you know, charge the moments and brace them. Just celebrate them. Even the ugliness Childhood, especially teenage years, weren't the greatest. I can erase those. Well, back then I wish I could erase them, but I am so grateful for them because even on those, you know, those trials, those hardships in order with their kids, those are lessons that God is teaching us, you know, and strengthening us, and we're learning something and I truly believe that my husband and I are where we're at in our marriage because everything that we went through as a couple. So, yeah, I would just say you know what? Celebrate the moment that you're here right now, because you're not going to get it back and kids grow really fast and before you know it you blink and they're out of the door and they come back, but they don't come back to stay.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, oh, you just gave me chills. Yeah, I a thousand percent agree with everything you just said. I think that we are born with the dreams that we're gonna we're gonna have, like those dreams are in our hearts already and they're made for us, and it's just God's timing when we start walking the path to pursue those dreams. And I love what you said, too, about just how you and your husband wouldn't be where you are today without everything that you've gone through. I I feel that a hundred percent. Like, even on the hardest days, I know that it's making us better people, better parents, better friends, wives, husbands, whatever everything. And so I, I love that so much. So thank you for sharing all of that. You're welcome. So let me see where I want to go with this. You started out what did you? Jump right into wedding photography.
Speaker 2:
After, when you got back into photography, I did a little bit of everything and I learned early on that I was not good at everything, and and so this is the part where you're like I don't want to do it for the money, I want to be able to enjoy it. It sounds really crazy, but I love high school girls, that age, that age, I just absolutely love it. I think because I I, in a way, I was a very laid-bloomer and I see myself in man growing, you know. And then I have weddings. I love the chaos, I mean, of the weddings. I feel like the more chaotic a wedding is, the more the better I perform. But I also love the romantic part of it. You know the fairy tale and all of that. I love to document that.
Speaker 2:
I'm a sappy lover, so no, but when I started, when I started my photography, I was doing everything and anything. And I remember one time I had a girlfriend invited me to. She was doing a ministry, she was reaching out to pregnant teenage moms and she was doing a photo shoot. So she invited me to be part of it and in my mind I thought I was photographing a pregnant teenager, but when I showed up she had a 10 month old baby and I'm just like, oh wait, that's not what I had, that's not what I had in mind, like I was mentally prepared for that and I spent like 45 minutes with them and I was so exhausted like I was not exhausted, I was spending 45 minutes with them and shooting, photographing a 10 hour wedding and I realized, like this is not my thing, I can't. Yeah, I'm not a photographer for family, so I do lifestyle photography. You know, when it's not, it's more documenting the lifestyle instead of like posing and all of that. Yeah, that's not. I would be like if you hire me, I would be doing you a disservice. So it's learning early on to like, okay, I don't want to do it for the money, I want to do it because I feel like I can provide a good service to my customer. And I knew that I was not providing a good service, so kind of one.
Speaker 2:
And it did make me happy, like I like I got old getting my husband with second shoots, sometimes with me, with high school, I mean with weddings, and he's like it looks like you're getting a high and I'm like I do, and it's just really. It's just really weird. And you know, I love photographing high school seniors, when, especially the shy team and ones, the ones that are very insecure, I guess that I can relate to them because I used to be like that. But there's a point and it's my goal. There was a point during the photo shoot and I know this is kind of sounds weird to you and it's okay because I understand it, but I feel like their soul connected with my lens and it was like my a-ha thing and I looked, I look forward to it. Even when I do personal branding, I look for that moment with their soul connects with my lens and it's just, it's such a high. Yeah, I love it and so I know. I just want to thank you for watching and I don't get the one she taught worse.
Speaker 1:
I was just gonna say you have to do what lights you up, because otherwise you're just gonna burn out and it's not what you're meant to do. But I love how you talk about, like, even the way that you talk about photography, like you can just tell that that was like your second calling after being a mom, you were supposed to be a photographer, like, and I knew that from the second that I met you like you have a way of making people just feel beautiful that are like I am like.
Speaker 1:
You have known me long enough now, I think, to know that I am kind of shy and timid and so it's a little harder for me to break out of my shell, especially in front of a camera. But you had a really amazing way of doing that when we were in Nashville last year and just making me feel super comfortable and beautiful and just like, yeah, you're great at what you do and you were absolutely meant to do it.
Speaker 2:
Thank you. I appreciate that. I love working with shy, timid people.
Speaker 1:
That's the best for me, yeah, but so I love how you called it. Your ministry, too, is now that you're kind of like branching more into personal branding. Do you want what made you kind of want to start going that route a little bit more?
Speaker 2:
For personal branding. Yeah, as much as I love weddings, then it was. It took me four years to finally kind of have a come to Jesus moment and have a really serious topic with myself about this. As much as I love weddings, I love my family. I love spending time with my husband and we're MTS-ers and I feel like I am in a place in my life. Sometimes you're not there yet, but as the kids are getting older, you start thinking about are we still gonna have a close relationship when we get older? It's the love, the chemistry and all of that. It's still gonna be there because we make it so much about the kids, whether they're at home, and I am very fortunate that as an MTS-er, we've been like so we're gonna be celebrating 30 years this year that my husband and I still love to spend time together. We love doing things together. We go on dates. I mean we think we have dentist appointments on the same day we become those people.
Speaker 2:
We still don't wear matching clothes because my husband refuses to do that, but no, and when you do weddings you're pretty much gone every weekend. You're booked a year, sometimes two years in advance and you miss so much out with family and friends that family and friends stop inviting you to events because you're always working and I missed out a lot on family and friends. And one of my things was when my daughter her senior year. I couldn't go to her, I couldn't be part of her prom because I had a wedding that I had booked a year and a half in advance. So till this day I don't go on social media during the prom season because it still stinks.
Speaker 2:
I don't have those paparazzi pictures with my daughter. I don't have those memories and so, yeah, it's just I wasn't willing to give up anymore of my family time to do something. It's like you have to compromise. You know like what's more important and at this point in my life not that it wasn't important back then I treasure more the time that I get to spend with family and my husband than photographing weddings. So weddings have to go. I do second shoot every now and then for other photographers and I'm so grateful that they allow me to do that, so I'm able to get a few weddings in the year. That gets my fix, you know, and I was able to do it.
Speaker 2:
But you know, sometimes I know like a month in advance, so it's not like I'm booked a year in advance and like in a month I know I'm gonna be in town and I'm missing my family stuff.
Speaker 2:
So yeah, that's all right, and I also like teaching the business side of photography and you can do everything you know. So you again, it's like you have to. You know, when you pivot, something's gotta give, and so weddings consumed a lot of my time, and weddings was the thing that had to go, unfortunately, but it was. It took me four years to finally say Really yeah, and you know, I have somebody working on my website and there's not gonna be weddings.
Speaker 3:
This is a and I'm like, I'm like morning the process, I was like no.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, yeah, I relate to that so much, especially with the cupcake shop. Like it was every weekend, every Holiday, like we were delivering cupcakes, making cupcakes like and that, and so, even even though I was working with my family, like we were all Exhausted at the end of the day and didn't want to like so we couldn't spend quality time together, and then we were missing out on, like friends, showers and Weddings and all this stuff. And so, yeah, it was, it was a. I mean, it was what I knew needed to happen, but it was definitely. It took about four years for me to finally be like okay, this is, this is the pivot that I need to do, and so, yeah, I relate to that.
Speaker 2:
I am proud of you for taking the step and I think I'd. Of all the episode, all of the episodes I've listened from your podcast, that's the one that made me cry, like I was in tears a whole entire time. Oh, I can feel the burden and I can feel the weight and then, when you like, I'm ready to go. I think everybody, everybody, everybody needs to listen to that episode, especially if they're out across road where you know, you feel and you know, you know it in your heart that it's time to let it go.
Speaker 2:
But whether it's pride or, like you were saying, you didn't want to some point your family because they had sacrificed so much, whatever it may be, you know it's like that can be stronger and bigger than than you Wanting to go the way that God wants you to go and and so a lot of times we fight it because it's the unknown, you know you're even though it's draining and it's tiresome, you know and you're giving up so much, but you're in a comfortable place because you know it right. And then it sometimes we it's that getting out of our comfort zone and yeah.
Speaker 1:
Step into the unknown so good.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, yeah that's my favorite. Everybody needs to listen to that episode. What?
Speaker 1:
episode was that three or four. I have to look, I don't know. Good for you too, because that's a huge step and I know that it's that's hard to step away from something that you love when, but when you know that it's the right thing to do, especially it. So well, with the personal branding photography, is there anything exciting in the works for that, or what's the next steps with that? Yeah, so I explain.
Speaker 2:
You say so. I have a. I am launching my first mini sessions here in Colorado and so that's coming up next month. So, working, I should have the place tomorrow. There was two places that I was looking at and so I should have it opened, or I should have all the the logistics tomorrow, which I'm really excited. I love many sessions because it gives you know entrepreneurs an opportunity to you know the people that can invest in a bigger project, like full-on branding session, to come and get a little taste of what a Session can be with Lydia.
Speaker 1:
Gillis photography. Yeah, that, and, and we should fill it up because you're amazing and everyone Will benefit so greatly from it. So Well, thank you. Why can you tell people why they need personal branding?
Speaker 3:
Yes, absolutely.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, no, I. You know it's to me personal branding so crucial, especially if you are the face of your business. Nowadays, I don't care what kind of business you have. People want to know who you are, because I truly believe that people buy from you Not because you offer the best product or the best services, because they connect with you. So personal branding it's more than you know.
Speaker 2:
Yes, everybody needs to have a headshot and needs to be updated. You know, the personal brandy takes it a level up. It really documents and it tells just the story of who you are, what your services about, your product or brand, and Through that process it connects, you know, your audience with you. You know People. I talk a lot about team books and you know and so people connect with me with three team books and I want your personal branding. It's like who you are, who who is Sarah? I know Sarah loves horses and you have a beautiful place in Colorado and stuff, but you're more than that and I. Personal branding brings that all that in you and when people connect in a personal level with you, they're there's a higher chance I can buy your service or your product.
Speaker 1:
Amazing, yeah. Yeah, I feel like personal branding is new, a new concept for me, because before it was the, I was behind the wall of the cupcake shop so I was, I mean, like we were the face of the company but but it was all about our cupcakes and so, but now that I think back on it, like people that knew the family behind the cupcake shop, like they wanted to support that them, they didn't want to support the cupcake shop and so, yeah, it makes sense like we live in a world where Social media can kind of just be like a highlight reel and everyone needs to be authentically who they're meant to be.
Speaker 2:
You need to build a trust. No factory like I want to get. I want to get to know everybody that I do business with you know. It's like who do you, who do you are, and you know, before I hire you or I buy your product. I want to, because I'm all about relationships too. It's like I want to know who you are. You know, what do you stand for, what do you believe, what do you like to do? You know, do we have something in common?
Speaker 1:
And and I think that's what attracts people to, whether it's be your social media or website or or service and it's somebody's work, yeah, yeah, and if somebody is just getting started with the business, what would you recommend as far as personal branding? Like right off the bat, should they start with headshots or kind of just Be vulnerable about?
Speaker 2:
who they are. Well, hey, many sessions are great because if you don't have a budget for a personal branding, no, yeah, I. You know what. We all start somewhere. And Headshots are great. I think everybody needs to have a headshot. To me, personally, is one of my pet peeves. When I go and visit somebody's website and they don't have, they have a selfie and not a professional website. And here's the thing. I totally get it that.
Speaker 3:
I haven't visited your website, so I apologize. I wasn't talking, but here's the thing. But here's the thing.
Speaker 2:
Oh, hold on a second, because we do all start somewhere, right, and but there's, there's gonna come a time that we have to invest in our business and invest in ourselves. Because this is what I tell my students if you're not willing to invest in your business and yourself, then why should I invest in you? You know, and and it's part of doing this right and so to me, like I want, when people don't look at my okay, here it is don't look at my website either. Right now I'm having somebody work on it right now, so I do have a professional headshot, but it's a mess right now.
Speaker 2:
No, but we do start somewhere in and you know, there's kind of there's kind of coming time that in your business, you're going to have to start investing in your, in your business. So what's, what's a priority? Selfies are good for when you start, but at some point it's like you're gonna have to invest in that. You know website if you're not a web designer, it's good for a while, but if you really want to bring your Business to different, to an upper level or higher level, that you need probably to hire somebody to do your website or whatever it may be.
Speaker 2:
You know, if I want my business to grow, I'm probably need to hire a business coach. You know, and that's what I had to do early on in my business, because I love photography, I sucked at the business site. I didn't even know, like somebody asked me like do you have a business plan? And I'm like yeah, what is?
Speaker 2:
what is that? I didn't even know. I had to have a business plan or a business model, you know, and these are things that business coach taught me. So I think I just kind of went in a.
Speaker 1:
No.
Speaker 2:
I love it.
Speaker 1:
I think that was a lot of good areas that people could start or focus on. Yeah, I think that was great and I am signed up for your mini-sessions email. Oh, yay.
Speaker 2:
But again we got to start somewhere, but I set goals. I think setting goals is really important. For example, when I started my business, I started with my business. I had a kit camera back then and I had my only perfect good lens was my 50 lens, and you can't shoot a wedding with a kit lens, a kit camera and a 50 lens. So what I did? There's a few companies that allows you to rent gear and that's what.
Speaker 2:
I did. I rented gear until I was able to save money to buy my own equipment. It's the same thing Like, if you can't afford a branding session, you can't afford headshots. This is why business planning gets so great, because when you do your business planning, you budget for that and it's something that you look forward to like. Oh, I'm working, I'm going to save some money for branding sessions, coaching, whatever it may be, taking a course or a retreat, whatever it is.
Speaker 1:
It's just part of our business plan, yeah, and I honestly believe too, when you start actually naming those things that you want to work towards and you write it down, stuff just starts happening and your business kind of works itself out and that stuff, if it's meant to come to you, it will. You'll get there. That's exactly how I am going to inspired retreat. It was just kind of one of those things like I really need this for my business, and then we started booking more weddings and I was able to afford it, and so it was just kind of one of those things.
Speaker 1:
If you put it out there and you really want to grow, stuff will start happening and coming into place.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, and the other thing, and I just want to add one more thing, one of the things that and I still do it every now and then I don't do it as much as I used to do it before, but it's also good to collaborate with other entrepreneurs. So if you need headshots and they can use your selected photographer, can you like? If you're a masseuse and you need some headshots or branding, I can probably do a trade with you. You know, yeah, it's okay to ask if they're willing to collaborate and do a trade. I just caution that you know, when you do a trade, make sure that you find value and what the other person has to offer you and it's price for price and not time for time, because your time and your you know, your education, it's worth something.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, oh, I love that. That's great. So where can everybody find you? How can they sign up for your little mini sessions and to learn all about personal branding and everything?
Speaker 2:
If you go LidiaGioliscom, there's a sign up sheet there that you link. That sends you to the waitlist. So the waitlist is still open and I'm going to close it on Friday and then on Monday, so you'll be the first to know. Sarah. On Mondays I'm going to release the date and location for the mini sessions and I'm really excited, it's like. So I've been looking at two houses and either one's going to or it's going to work and I'm just, I'm just excited about the houses. So yeah.
Speaker 1:
Awesome yeah.
Speaker 2:
So, I feel like if we are on Instagram, that's pretty much where I'm more active.
Speaker 1:
But yeah, Cool. Well, yeah, I'll link both of those in the show notes for people to follow you and get connected. But is there anything else you want to add about just kind of following your dream and going after your, your purpose? Because I truly believe that you are doing exactly what you were meant to do and I'm it lights me up to see you light up when you talk about it.
Speaker 2:
You know what? No, it's just just just do it like Nike, get out of your comfort zone and, and you know, I just feel like the when we step in faith or when we step on something that we really believe it's in our heart. It doesn't mean it's going to be easy, you know, but there's such a reward even when you know like I can't tell you how many times I failed in my business, so I've done mistakes, but those have been beautiful lessons and I think I would say just step out of your comfort zone and be okay to fail. Embrace that. It's a faith failing as a gift and we cannot grow unless we fail, and you're going to fail more times than you're going to succeed, so be okay with it.
Speaker 2:
I actually I learned it from Jasmine star just real quick, when she she wants to, of course, I think everything just went bad and she just pour her heart and soul into this thing and she tells a story that her and her husband were in the back here and I think they were the fire pit and stuff and she was just like sobbing because everything went wrong and her husband, jd, gets up and brings the most expensive champagne that they have and she's kind of like tick, like what are you doing, opening the expensive bottle? And I just love this. And he said to her we're going to celebrate that things, things come out the way that we wanted to, but you showed up and you did the work and that's worth celebrating. And to me, like I celebrate every moment, like when I'm working on that, even when I finish, like oh, I finished writing my blog post, I'm going to have some chocolate, you know, and sometimes I'll have a bottle of wine. It's like my little carrot tingling.
Speaker 2:
And you can have that and also reward yourself and you know what, if you do something and you fail, you know get back up and celebrate that, because you showed up and you got out of your comfort sonning where you were being vulnerable or whatever, and you did the work and I think that's a beautiful thing to celebrate. And sometimes, you know, we just want to celebrate our wins and not celebrate our losses, and I think we need to kind of put a focus on the losses, because I think that's where the lesson is at, and not on the wins. It's on the losses.
Speaker 2:
So I, as I'm getting older, often at all older life I am learning to celebrate that more. I'm learning to celebrate just in life too, when things don't go your way, when you go through trials, and we all do that, to celebrate those moments too. Because that's for me, that's where my faith is strengthened and that's where I'm growing, and it's like embracing the process, like okay because you know you're going to get out of eventually going to come out of it, you know. So what? How am I growing during the journey, in the process?
Speaker 1:
So yeah, let's go and do it Celebrate.
Speaker 2:
I love that.
Speaker 1:
Yes, I love that so much. Thank you, well, awesome. Thank you so much for being here. It was a pleasure talking to you.
Speaker 3:
And I love doing this with you, sarah.
Speaker 2:
Love everything you do.
Speaker 1:
I love talking to you so, and I can't wait to get to spend some time with you at Inspired Retreat soon.
Speaker 3:
Yes, I'm excited about that.
Speaker 1:
Yay, yeah, I will connect everybody to you in the show notes, but in the meantime, I will see you soon at your little mini sessions too.
Speaker 3:
Yes.
Speaker 2:
Thank you for that. Thanks, sarah. Thank you, lydia.
Speaker 1:
Thank you so much for listening today. If you enjoyed the show, please like and subscribe to the podcast on your favorite listening platform. You can also leave a review anytime or send me a DM on Instagram at farm2heartSarah. I would love to hear from you and hear more about your story. You can also help the podcast even more by financially supporting the tech and time costs of each episode, starting at just $3 per month. Click the Support the Show link in show notes to learn more. Today's show plus more Farm Fun can be found on the blog at sweetfreedomfarmcocom. I can't wait to talk to you again next week. Have a beautiful day everyone.