4. How a Portrait Photographer is Changing the Aging Narrative: Dee Boomkens

Denise Boomkens was a fashion model turned photographer. Now behind the lens, her love of fashion and beauty took her all over the world, touching down in cities like Tokyo, New York, Capetown, and Seoul.  As she neared the ‘BIG 4-0’, she left her camera behind to have her son and take a few years off to be with him. During that time she was looking for inspiration and began to notice a lack of social media platforms and blogs for women her age. She realized that women her age were worried about getting older, and middle-aged women believed they were no longer relevant after a certain age.  Denise decided to come back to her profession but in a new way. She used her love of photography to help change the negative stereotype around aging. She committed to launching a platform that provided what she wasn’t seeing–a cool and authentic space that brought fashion, lifestyle, age-consciousness, and community together.  Today AndBloom is an age-positive community featuring Dee’s edgy and feminine photographs of women over the age of 40, and daily thoughtful reflections and inspiration by Dee herself.  In this episode, Nada sits down with Dee to discuss her book AndBloom, The Art of Aging Unapologetically, and why she only takes photos of women over 40. They discuss the lack of visual content for women in their 40s, 50s, and 60s, and Dee shares the responsibility she feels to the women who follow her AndBloom Instagram and blog. Join the Bloomers, subscribe to the blog or follow AndBloom’s Instagram. If you are interested in ordering Dee’s book AndBloom it is available on her website and Amazon. Dee suggests the apps Preview for organizing Instagram posts and Unfold for creating next-level stories. Please follow us at @thisislibertyroad on Instagram--that's where we hang out the most. And please rate and review us —it helps to know if this podcast is inspiring and equipping you to launch and grow your ventures.