What do bacon, burritos, and Chinese takeout have in common? Aside from the fact that they’re some of God’s best creations? We ate all three of them in a span of twelve hours with this dynamic duo who came all the way from the frozen tundra of Madison, Wisconsin for a full-day coaching session with us at our new home in sunny Scottsdale, Arizona! Lorelai Gilmore would be proud. We met Maison and Caleb of Maison Meredith Photography at the Connect Marriage Retreat earlier this spring when… get this: they weren’t even married yet! They were engaged, getting married over the summer, and knew that once they knot was tied, they wanted to make a living as a husband and wife wedding photography them, so they attended a marriage conference with other couples who do what we do to get started on the right foot. How cool is that?! We wish we were half that prepared when got married!
Since our house has been covered in paint and dust for the past few weeks, we were so excited to finally get things tidied up enough to host guests, and for Jordan to cook in a kitchen that’s been MIA for a while, too! We started bright and early — just as soon as the sun came up — with a full home-cooked breakfast to get us all fueled for the day. Jordan got a new tea kettle for Christmas, which he couldn’t wait to show off, and it went just right with the bacon, eggs, toast and coffee on the table. We love sharing meals with people. There’s just something about sitting around a table and breaking bread that’s so connecting. Plus, for full-day coaching sessions, it gives us all a chance to chat — and get wired with two of three cups of coffee in our systems — before we dive head first into all things photography and business — and that’s what we did!
With breaks only for burritos at lunch, Chinese takeout at dinner, and some updated promotional photos, we sat at our kitchen table and cuddled up on our couches (not all together, but as couples!) and got real and dug deep. We asked hard questions and got open answers. We shared from our hearts and talked about our photography and business scars. It was real world stuff. It was real life stuff. But we like it that way. It should be nitty gritty. We wanted to know what was hurting the worst in their business so we could give them solutions to turn the pain into gain. We wanted to know their dreams, too. Their desires, goals, and aspirations so we could empower them to get from where they are to where they want to be.
Empowerment. That’s such a great word, isn’t it? Because when we first got started in this business — heck! when all of us get started in this business! — at times we felt the opposite of empowered. We felt beat down. Discouraged. Less than. Like we’d never shoot like them or be full-time like them or be successful like them, whoever “them” is, anyway. And that’s what made this day with these two so special for us. Sure, we laughed and lot (and cried a little, too). There were plenty of ah-ha! and light bulb moments that went off. There almost weren’t enough pens for all the notes these two took, which as former teachers we love! It was that second, though. On the walk to the car. Late that night. After they’d both finally looked at us and declared that they’d had enough, their brains were full, and they couldn’t fit any more in. As we hugged and said our goodbyes, Maison look back at us and said exactly what we want everyone to feel when they spend time learning, whether that’s with us or someone or somewhere else. She said, “Our time with you was so worth it, because I’m leaving feeling so empowered.”
If you’d like to schedule a coaching session with us, whether online or in-person, or even a full day like Maison and Caleb, just click here!
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