Ep 28: How to Be Your Own Advocate with Angela Michelle

Angela Michelle is an internationally published and award-winning photographer who calls Texas home. She started Raven Red in 2008 and since then her work has been published in print magazines, online blogs, and featured in art exhibits. She has been named one of the Top Photographers in the city by The San Antonio Current Magazine for the last four years. Angela is respected among her peers and is a mentor and teacher to other photographers worldwide.  She has photographed artists, musicians, models, actors, entrepreneurs and everyone in between. She always brings her passion and creativity to every session. Angela 's unique view of the portrait experience stems from her background in Cultural Anthropology. She sees the photoshoot as a way for a woman to transform how she views herself. Her clients leave with a new sense of confidence and feel empowered by the experience. Angela's passion for photography, art, and her clients is obvious to everyone she meets. She lives to create and she is in her element when she is photographing. No matter the project Angela throws her heart, mind, and soul into everything she does.   WHERE TO FIND Angela ONLINE: Website Instagram Instagram (Personal) EPISODE SUMMARY: Angela shares her incredible story of dealing with Antiphospholipid Syndrome (APS) which is a clotting disorder. She did not know of this diagnosis until 2016 when she had a stroke and nearly died. Thankfully, she survived this traumatic event but it left her blind in her right eye. She turned to yoga to heal from the effects of the stroke and the pain of miscarriage. Practicing yoga was so helpful for Angela that she felt inspired to become an instructor herself. Embrace your scars! Sharing our story with the world can feel overwhelming because we are not sure how it will make others feel, but what we may not know is how much you could be helping others with your story! Someone else might be struggling the same way and you've just made that person feel less alone. Angela and I talk about how open we are with sharing our biggest scars. She says that by embracing the scars, she is educating and helping others in a tremendous way. Physical activity can be challenging when you're faced with chronic illness. However, Angela beat the odds and found healing in yoga. She talks about how she was able to use yoga as her self care and why it has helped her mentally and physically. "Having that mindset of strength and reliance is so imperative to living a quality of life no matter what illness you're faced with, and yoga helped me do that." -Angela Michelle Sometimes, it can be tough to always have a positive mindset. Angela has been through a lot from having a stroke, losing part of her vision, not being able to have children, and much more. Naturally, she felt overwhelmed with the amount of stuff that was being thrown at her, but what helped was allowing herself the space to grieve and feel the hurt. She says it's about allowing yourself to be in the hurt but not stay in it! "You have to give yourself space to have those breakdowns." -Angela Michelle Angela says that her chronic illness was a gift. It was a gift of perspective and she really embraces that. This illness has shined a whole new light on the way that she now sees the world. "Love your body for how it makes you live and not just how it looks."  -Angela Michelle We have to be our own advocate when it comes to our health and Angela gives us her tips on how to advocate for yourself when you're faced with any sort of medical issue. Let's Connect! See all that Jennifer has to offer at Shamelessly Feminine! Join The Shamelessly Feminine Facebook Group and continue the conversation! Connect more with Jennifer on Facebook and Instagram!