188 - Meagan Thomas - Counteracting Patriarchal Conditioning with Boudoir Photography

The magic of great photography is that it uncovers emotions on both sides of the lens. But what if subject and audience are the same? That exposure arrives with all sorts of charged, squishy feelings––including a healthy dose of healing. That's what I'm experiencing as I circle back to the beautiful new collection of branding images my guest Meagan Thomas took of me. Meagan is a boudoir photographer specializing in capturing each client's unique beauty, revealing the ravishing soul within so that they can bear witness to it, too.  You might be asking, "Hey Sarah, doesn't boudoir photographer imply spicy shots of nakey folks?" Yes. Yes, it does. And while my branding images aren't nakey (natch), time spent in Meagan's company, whether through a photography session or simply via this conversation, is a reminder of/return to our beauty beyond the physical. She makes women feel strong, assured, and sexy as hell. I say "women", but Meagan's objective is to create an environment where everyone is free to embrace and embody their enoughness. And confidence comes from unlearning all the conditioning that's force-fed to us by advertising. Even with my clothes on, I had to grapple with capitalism forever expropriating my desirability––as a professional person, a sensual being, and all the complexities in between.  Under Meagan's guidance, I experienced the freedom to pose and play. To experiment in my body. To be seen and see me. "I think my biggest goal is to remove contempt from your psyche," she says. "If you can go from the contempt of 'I hate this" to 'It's not that bad. I've done my job." Job well done. I cried when I received the final images from Meagan. I like who I see. GET CONNECTED Crave with Mishara D. Winston: www.misharadwinston.com/crave Wounded Healers Virtual Group: https://tinyurl.com/woundedhealersvg-2 GUEST BIO Meagan Thomas is a boudoir photographer who specializes in identifying the unique beauty of each client she engages with. In every image she wants to see evidence of the ravishing soul within, so that her clients can see it too. For full show notes, resources, and links to connect with our guest, visit: https://www.headhearttherapy.com/podcast *** Conversations with a Wounded Healer is a proud member of @mhnrnetwork. Let's be friends! You can find me in the following places... Website: www.headhearttherapy.com/podcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WoundedHealr/ https://www.facebook.com/HeadHeartTherapy/ Instagram: @headhearttherapy Twitter: @WoundedHealr @HeadHeart_Chi