A Warrior-Preneur is always up for a challenge that scares them a bit – personally and professionally. Recently, I caught a post on Facebook through one of my friends that Jillian Todd was looking for women over a certain age (and it’s not 30!) to pose for her for an article soon to appear in Examiner.com. The intention is about how older women step into sexy, confidence and knowing they are fully amazing even with age. Jillian specializes in “boudoir photography ”, so if you are not familiar, these are not your typical pictures!
When I saw the post I felt instantly excited and left a comment saying I’d love to! Well, guess what? Jillian followed up with me – gulp! As a warrior I was ready. As a woman I got nervous. What will people think of me? Yes, even I the warrior herself worried about that. Jillian assured me they would not use my name and only pictures that would be tough for people to tell it was me if I so desired.
I waited until the night BEFORE the shoot to think about what to wear for this, holy cow lingerie, huh? Then I got REAL with myself. I thought about what I say about sexy all the time- sexy is who you are, not what you wear or how skinny you are. Sexy is what you feel good in, not what others think is sexy. Sexy is what you exude when you are the BEST YOU. Sexy is willing to try something you have never done before and to take pride in what you learn. So I packed according to that…and I brought my sword.
Arriving at Jillian’s space yesterday was like going to a girlfriends house, she was comfortably dressed and welcoming. Her studio isn’t like you might think-it’s a studio and very professional. And the only mirror is TINY! (Simply brilliant) She looked at what I brought and was very complimentary and said she had other funs things we could try too. I never felt pushed to dress a certain way or to act a certain way. (I think that was my fear, that it would be like taking pictures for your boyfriend when you where in your 20’s!)
What Jillian did was allow me to be me and that is sexy. What Jillian is amazing at doing is helping you see the next level of beauty you have, that you might not see in yourself – while you are there.
Jillian sent me a few of my pictures for this blog (yes I put them in a little movie with some others of women she has taken, with their full permission of course), which I first saw this morning. It’s interesting what a woman’s first reaction is: “ohhh, ahh, wow! Ugh, what is that?” Emotions of pride, happy giggles and then the sudden critic. I again took out my sword, the figurative one, and told myself to STOP.
This little photo story shows you how incredible Jillian’s pictures are, and how diverse she can be (yes I included EVERY one she sent me this morning I did not self edit!!) I put mine at the end, it shows a great evolution we went though. It also shows her ability to take all women and have then feel what I felt! She specializes in pregnant women, women and couple photography.
You can reach Jillian at:
http://twitter.com/jilliansboudoir
http://www.facebook.com/JilliansBoudoirPhotography
408.843.7104
www.jilliantoddphotography.com
www.jilliansboudoirphotography.com
So what’s the point? Maybe sexy pictures will never be your thing. I get that (although after doing this for the first time I feel that EVERY woman should experience it at least once) This is less about the pictures and MORE about the journey. BUT what is your inner warrior afraid to do? What might be that thing that opens your mind, heart and soul to new level of self acceptance, and authenticity which only improves your success? That is why I am showing my pictures, with my name, it aligns with who I say I AM (and my regular readers know that!). Am I now wondering which external critics will show up? Absolutely. BUT because I have embraced Ann, she’s not worried about them.
Where will you stretch yourself to experience something new that challenges you to align with who you are? To embrace that internal critic and grow?
Ann M. Evanston is a “Chief Breakthrough Officer” teaching other Business Warriors how to slow down, and find the most unique part of their business that makes them stand out among the crowd. She has been named one of the top marketing consultants by About.com, is a guest blogger for Showcasing Women and takes pride in moving you from “blah, blah, blah” to “BOOM, BOOM. BOOM!”
Ann, congratulations first on defeating the inner critic, and doing this, which shows not only great self-respect but great power. Walking the talk is not always as easy as it seems. The external critics will take care of themselves.
Rob
Ann – Two words: Smoking Hot!
Debbie
http://www.FreshBrothers.Wordpress.com
Ann-you are the sexiest warrior-prenuer that I know both externally and internally. Happy Holidays!
Every woman is super sexy if they just allow themselves to be and it looks like Jillian opens that door. Kudos for you Ann for the courage (of course you are a warrior), but warriors know fear and they do what they know they have to do.
A wonderful post (nice pics too)
Absolutely BEAUTIFULLY written! You are amazing! I am completely blessed to have met you. :0) Thank you for the article, and for honoring me with your willingness to be in front of my lens.
Awesome Ann! I think we always worry about putting ourselves out there totally in our opinions, beliefs, and images. How will it affect who will do business with us? But, if we are not true to ourselves, we will not seem true to anyone and not attract the like-minded. And honestly Ann, (and may I say, you are stunning), I don’t know of what you are critical. As far as stretching myself in 2011, I’m still formulating that and am a bit “camera-shy” so I’ll keep it to myself for now.
Pat Zahn, Photo Solutions Superhero
http://www.patzahn.com
Thanks for putting yourself out there and embracing all of who you are as a woman. It’s a lesson we could all embrace. I think we tend to work with only the parts of ourselves that we feel comfortable with at the moment. This can cause us to be inauthentic even if we don’t mean to. I’m all for doing the thing that makes you uncomfortable or feels scary. This type of photograph is definitely on my list of things to do that will push me into the uncomfortable zone and help me grow as a person. You rock!
Wow, I take my hat off to you! This is amazing and fabulous and inspiring and super-sexy. Thanks for putting yourself out there so fearlessly. I know I would be scared as hell to do that. But who knows, one day…
Fiona Stolze
http://fionastolze.wordpress.com
For so many women, the internal critic scrutinizes their physical ‘beauty’…although at this point in my life I’m not so focused on that, at least not right now because I have so many non-physical characteristics to develop. I can’t remember who, maybe it was another blogger Monday participant, shard this video of Slam Poet Katie Makkai called ‘Pretty’. It’s fantastic and a great example of the effects of a woman’s fragile self esteem. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6wJl37N9C0.
Kristin Konvolinka http://www.kristinkonvolinka.com
Kristin I really wish you had READ the post, because it’s NOT about physical beauty AT ALL.
Oh I did read it. It just got me thinking that for many women their level of acceptance either begins or ends with the physical; it takes a journey for many to get past physical beauty and it often starts when we are young. There’s a reason that boudoir pictures bring out an anxiety and an excitement. It’s not the sexy part, it’s because it is often a culmination of a woman’s path to self acceptance. It takes strength and confidence to strip down like.
LOVE what you said here!
Your post got me thinking in a kabillion directions. While I never had a hankering to have my photo taken; several years ago I painted a nude self portrait. In my mind it had nothing to do with sexuality or whatever a naked or near naked picture may make someone think. I had just gotten to a point of self acceptance and it was my way of expressing that…and I did it just for me.
oh, I loved this, Ann. Cheers for Jillian and BRAVO! for our Warrior! and I love this phrase of yours, it is what I keep telling my daughters and even friends my age or older, my weight or heavier, short or tall, young or old:
Sexy is what you exude when you are the BEST YOU
That is so true and I am very proud of my friend Ann 🙂
Jan Tallent
Virtual Assistant specializing in proofreading & editing and Big Ann Fan!
http://www.tallentagency.com
Hi Ann, congratulations for stretching, overcoming your fear, and growing a bit more. Warrior or not, it seems to me this is the way we all grow, and such growth is good and fulfilling when we stretch deliberately in a personally meaningful direction. Thank you for sharing this story. Like you said, “This is less about the pictures and MORE about the journey”.
LOVE IT! You have given me some more ideas for photos to send to my deployed Hubby. I’m saving the Santa’s Helper pictures to send on Christmas and I sent him some other sexy pictures on anniversary 12/21 – He called me that day (rarely do we get to talk). He told me he was about to tear some shit up, steal a plane, & come home to me. HA! HA! I’m so lucky he tells me I’m beautiful all the time.
“So far I am mostly bummed about my blog post comments this week… really hoped people saw past the pics and into the importance of the journey and the words written.” – Your comment on facebook about your post and the comments left, made me want to read both.
I think sometimes people can discount the importance of this type of journey because you are beautiful on the outside. I have made the mistake of thinking that beautiful on the outside translated to confidence and strength on the inside. Not so. Sexy is not one dimensional, it does not lie on the surface…it comes from within, from a confidence in knowing who you are, loving who you are and living in the moment.
Kudos to you Ann for sharing this journey so publicly. I recognize that it takes courage to be vulnerable no matter what you look like on the outside, whether you are beautiful in traditional ways or unconventional ways. You still have to do the work on the inside, no matter how pretty the outside.
Darcie Newton
Using Real Estate to Fuel Retirement
http://www.mywealthspa.com
Oh I have SO MUCH to say.
Firstly, you and Jill get it. It is about the journey. We’re all on a journey every single day. A journey to fight that inner critic and to STOP BUYING WHAT THE MEDIA IS SELLING!
Secondly, all of the pics are SUPER HOT by anyone’s standards. Jill brought out the inner vixen and inner warrior in all of you.
We all have to put on that WARRIOR armor every day to FIGHT back the haters and negativity we dialogue internally. CONFIDENCE in g.d. sexy and clearly all of the women in these pictures have confidence. To most people, there is nothing hotter or sexier then inner confidence.
I love your BRINGIN SEXY BACK TO BUSINESS motto, Ann. It can be tricky navigating when we can step into our feminine and into our masculine when we are business owners. I say OWN IT. The days of the blue pin striped I.B.M. armor are gone… or slowly going away. (Although a blue pin striped suit with pencil skirt and heels can be super sexy, too.) Own your sexuality – no need to “act” like a man in business any longer. Act like the super kick ass, super smart, powerful woman you are and kick down some doors.
WE all are perfection EXACTLY as we are.
Thanks for setting an exceptional example Ann and Jill.
Blissfully, Chrystal
http://www.bliss-radio.com
Dear Ann loved what you shared, the personal part of letting go, probably the hardest thing to do, cross that barrier, and you did it with flare and such Ann style. I am enchanted! Wondering why I didnt just go for it. I am definitely ready to jump over of inner fences to let my inner and outer sexy truth be one.
Love you, brave Sexy bright Ann!
Jennifer Duchene
Home Makeover Mixtress
http://home-decorating-makeovers.com/
I have been thinking about this post while out skiing and you have no idea how much reading it quickly before I went skiing helped me today. You know that learning to ski when I moved here was a HUGE thing for me and how good I felt about myself that I had challenged myself to face fears and overcome them – made me feel very sexy! Well, I had been having a hard time this week after a disappointing first days skiing and was about to go out again and read this just before I went. I took your example and just threw myself into it and just DID it – and I now feel good about myself again. Like your pics – it’s not really about the actual skiing, it’s about the journey. I shall continue my journey of facing up to things that this warrior is afraid to do and just continue to get out there and do. Public speaking is on the agenda for 2011.
I do think these pictures are very beautiful but I totally get that this is about way more than the pictures. Love this post!
Louise Edington
Facing Fears and Frontiers Over Fifty
http://louiseedington.com
Louise I am honored to have you in my life!
The two that struck me the most: the black patent leather high heel with the heel stuck under the panty! and you in the black leather jacket with the sword! Wow!
Wow, good for you! You look amazing and it makes me want to do this, too. I would love to express that part of me that wants to be attractive, intriguing and mystical and powerful. This new year I hope to be more fully aligned with what is really important to me as a contributor and a healer and a strong woman, and be able to quiet that internal critic that continually points out all my weaknesses and failings. I want to be able to love myself even with all those faults and put them in perspective. I applaud your success, Ann!
First of all, the photos are fantastic, great job Jillian! The sexy from within, the courage and confidence, really does come thru.
Second, thank you for having the courage to be yourself, love yourself from within, and share it with us, that makes me feel more courage about loving myself for who I am, not what I am, how I look, or what people see or think.
I think every time we stretch our comfort zone, we grow a bit. Again, thank you for the reminder and I plan to find many ways to stretch my comfort zone in the coming year.
You really inspired me with this one! I’m so doing this.
wow Karen @MyBizPresence I am so touched! And dying to hear your story (whether you share the pics or not!)
I’m on a weight loss/fitness/finding Karen as a woman not a Mom journey… This is going to be one of my new goals/rewards. Thank you so much for sharing!!!
I love this! I’m so glad to see women of a certain age depicted as sexy, because we are! Bravo, you look great!
In 2011 I am going on a 10 day silent meditation retreat. I’ve never done anything like this. I don’t even meditate regularly. This is something I’ve always thought I would do during my lifetime. 2011 is my year for it.
wow Sherri Lynn I LOVE what you are going to do! Let us know how it goes! Totally sexy!
Wow! These photos are both beautiful and brave–as are you, Ann. This was an amazing way to end 2010 (although no doubt you are not quite done yet). It’s easy to talk about moving beyond our comfort zone or taking on new challenges, but it’s another thing to tackle something like this. Talk about being visible! The beautiful (and paradoxical) part is that by making yourself so vulnerable you revealed your strength. Is there a woman alive who can’t relate to the potential for body shame instead of pride? You showed us what it can mean to reject that natural critic.
Judy Stone-Goldman
The Reflective Writer
I so admire what you did and how you twrilled your head around actually doing it. But it was not the taking the pictures that was what you triumphed over, but the acceptance and broadcasting of what you did that was so cool. Not so sure I’d be able to do that journey, but I guess you never know until you tried! Nice job Ann.
Candace Davenport
http://www.ourlittlebooks.com ~ Little Books with a Big Message
First things first…you do look fabulous and I can’t help it because, unfortunate but true, the external is the first thing we see.
OK…getting that out of the way, I have to admit, I don’t know if I could do it. My very critical Virgo voice would be all over me. I’ve been checking in to this post throughout the day through FB…and contemplating how I would feel in the same position. Could I step beyond my comfort zone…and then announce it to the world.
Ann, you are a true inspirational woman, and I applaud your courage, your sense of Self, and your commitment to stand in the truth of who you are at all times. Brava.
In the meantime…I’m still thinking. Hmmmmmmmmmm….
What’s amazing Irene is I think first of all you are the most beautiful woman. Second thought: you ARE sexy, you exude it. And one of the things I love about you? You see things as a journey of growth and self realization. I bet you’d be blown away about what you’d see and learn doing it.
Been thinking, and may do it after the holidays. It’s kind of a juicy thought. still thinking, but the draw is greater. YOU have a wonderful holiday, hugs to you both, and Earl is a lucky man.
For some people, what you did would have been really easy for others it may have been fun and for most, terrifying. Getting to the point of feeling the fear and doing it anyway is always a triumph whether it is posing for sexy photo’s or saying hello to someone at a party.
The journey to become the best you is full of obstacles and can become paralyzing as it will always mean leaving your comfort zone perhaps doing things you may never have done before, having the belief you can do it, and may even shake you at the very core of your long held belief system. This will never be an easy journey, no matter what life experiences you may have already had.
For me, I am hoping, (or should I say I am planning) to stretch myself more in 2011, by becoming more confident in my abilities and what I have to offer. That in of itself will be something new for me
Wonderful post Ann, and by the way, the photos are stunning!
Julie Labes, The Fierce Over 5o feels much younger lover of travel point and click junkie does not own a jogging stroller this is NOT my granddaughter…woman!
You are absolutely beautiful—inside and out! I feel inspired to take risks that stretch me as I am moved by your journey. Thanks for this and all you do to open up possibilities!
Bravo! Thank you for your transparency and inspiration for all women. Sexy is, indeed, embracing who you are, and not what the world tells you to be. Great post!
Love the story and your greatness! You’re a real inspiration, Ann!
I am afraid to settle for less than what I deeply desire. As I mature (i.e. age), I realize I may have to, but I don’ t want to
Very beautiful work and subjects. Ageless subjects. I will stretch myself to experience my Godhead; to delve deeper into that ‘no struggle and effort’ power that is not recognized in our current ‘work HARD’ society.