Sarah is Graduating! | Austin, Texas

When I first got an inquiry from Sarah to photograph her senior portraits, of course I was thrilled. However, the more we discussed what she wanted to achieve from her session, the more excited I was to work with such an amazing person. The week of her session, I finally clicked a link provided in her email signature and was impressed to find a foundation she had created, Living Like Golden. As a female entrepreneur myself, seeing another young female going after something she’s passionate about before even finishing her degree hits home for me.

I asked Sarah if she’d be willing to send me a write-up to specifically use for her blog post, and she was more than happy to. I wanted to share with you all, in her own words, why she started her foundation and a little bit of her backstory as it also ties into her degree!

Major: Corporate Communications at University of Texas

“I came to UT because I realized I wanted the big school experience.  I grew up doing theatre and acting, so I knew I wanted to continue those communications skills in my collegiate career.  After interning at a non-profit in Houston called Kids’ Meals, I realized my love for PR, marketing, and communications.  I hope to stay in Austin and work in PR or Communications.

In the Fall of 2017, I started a blog called Living Like Golden, a place where I seek to empower and embolden women to see their golden, unique beauty and live an abundant life from that confidence.  I started the blog after some deliberation.  I had been in recovery from anorexia for about a year and wanted to share my story so that other women would not feel so alone.  I also wanted to use the space on the internet to share what I had learned through recovery and how I had been growing in my relationship with food, exercise, and my body—relationships that can be so confusing in our culture today.  Now, Living Like Golden has transformed into a foundation that writes blog posts, seeks to be a positive space on the internet amongst so much negativity and diet culture, collaborates with other brands, and hosts “Golden Parties”.  We recently hosted our first “Golden Party” for International Women’s Day and had donations from brands such as Outdoor Voices, Kendra Scott, Austin Woman Magazine, and May Designs.  We hosted a panel with myself, Lauren Newman (Registered Dietitian), Kara Weaver (CEO of Weddings by Weaver).  Living Like Golden believes that you do not need to change your body, your jean size, your weight, or your relationship status to be worthy or loved.  You are loved just as you are. You can read my story and more about Living Like Golden on my website here!”

She’s spectacular right?? Before even graduating college she is already doing big and amazing things in this world! Getting to work with people like Sarah is amazing to me and I enjoy every moment of it.

Now, you may be asking why her story hit close to home for me.. Being inspired by Sarah I decided to be brave and a bit more transparent with my own journey. Growing up I witnessed people who are very close to me struggle with body dysmorphia and depression. As a young teen I wasn’t overly confident, but I was always content with who I was. Unfortunately, when I attended a private school for an academic year, I was a target for bullying. A lot of self-worth issues followed as a result. Words are a powerful weapon and they can truly break someone’s confidence in so many ways. It was hard to build a positive relationship with myself when others had torn me a part as a person. It took me a long time to find the courage to really put myself out there again when it came to new friends and just being around people my age in general. It took me even longer to be able to openly discuss it with my family.

As a photographer, I found the beauty in empowering these people who were in front of my lens. Some of them felt similar about themselves as I did. Being able to give them that power to have fun, feel free and confident was extraordinary! The more people I worked with and the more I found my own path in this career, the clearer my style became. I love natural light and using different locations and elements outside to express my client’s personalities. Throughout my journey, my favorite part has been meeting astounding people from all over and helping them see how spectacular they are – inside and out. In this industry, along with many others, and just life in general, it’s very easy to get sucked into the comparison game; especially now with social media. I try to be a part of as many body positive and women empowering groups as I can as it’s something I am truly passionate about. Throughout all my sessions, regardless of what kind of clientele I am photographing, I always want my clients to feel amazing, healthy and confident. I always aim to send photos back and for my clients to feel worthy – because they are!

Reading about Sarah’s story and seeing her passion translated into her foundation was very inspiring. Going after something you’re passionate about is brave! It brought back a lot of emotions of when I first decided to chase my dream and the confidence it took, that I didn’t have at the time, to do so. I sincerely felt honored to meet and work with her. Being able to discuss her foundation further when we met for her session was truly awesome. In so many ways I am incredibly proud of this woman who I only spent an hour with in person for all she is doing.

Without a doubt, Sarah is a person who has a contagious happiness! It’s hard not to smile while being around her. I love that she is able to be herself, unapologetically. When you read about her journey, and then get to be around her, it’s empowering. Being transparent about your past and struggles isn’t easy. Being able to overcome any kind of disorder, and then to be selfless enough to decide to help others in the world with the same struggles… To give people hope, and allow yourself to be honest about your own past is truly beautiful. So many of my clients would have been more hesitant and shy about jumping up in the air, or twirling in the streets, but not Sarah! Her personality is so uplifting – and you feel absorbed by it. Sarah is a beautiful person, inside and out. I’m so glad that she has been able to overcome her struggles and share her story with the world. She is making a difference by bringing more awareness to how we speak to ourselves and others. It’s so easy to forget that people around us, even sometimes the closest to us, are fighting a battle we may not be aware of. Always be kind and let’s stop comparing.

We should all be confident enough to twirl in the streets!

Sarah, thank you for sharing your story, not only on my blog but also on your own. Thank you for asking me to be a part of this amazing and exciting time in your life! I know that you have so much more happiness and love coming your way in all aspects because you have put so much of that out in the world yourself. You are an amazing woman! Your story spoke to me personally, as well as so many others on so many levels. Your kindness and selflessness is something this world needs more of. I can’t wait to see what you achieve now that you’re done with your degree. I’m extremely excited for you and I cannot wait for us to collaborate together more in the future!
YOU ARE GRADUATING!!!!!!!!!!!!

A little behind the scenes for you all…
If someone could just let us know what this door actually leads to!
Sarah has a theory that it’s UT’s door to Narnia hahahahaha. I love these so much!