Tracy Irvine: Client Spotlight { Personal Branding Portraits }

I've known Tracy for several years now, we've both seen each other grow in our respective areas of expertise, and it's been a really inspiring for me to witness how much she's evolve, developed her business, and provide amazing service to her clients.

Tracy recently decided to re-design her website and her brand. When she knew she was going to need new personal branding portraits she called and I was thrilled and honored that she chose me. She flew from San Jose to get her pictures done here in Denver and we went to several locations to get the look she was looking for. As you can tell by the photographs, her favorite place was RiNo, where all the street art is in Denver. We had a blast, and we were able to create magical bad ass pictures that represent who she is and what her business is about.

I love what she does, but I'll let you discover it as Tracy talks about her life, her business, and what inspires her in this blog.
  

 In Tracy's words

What do you do?
I am a Career Success and Leadership Coach which means that I empower professional women to be the strong, confident, and badass women that they are both at work and at home.


Give me 5 words to describe you.
Honest, nerdy, approachable, great listener, funny


What inspired you to start this career?
My one driver in any career that I have ever undertaken, and this is my third professional career, is helping people. It has always been and continues to be a strong value for me. Also throughout my career, I have seen and experienced a massive gap in the lack of support and mentorship for professional women, especially in the tech industry. I am passionate about changing this and quickly.

How do you keep inspired?
For one, I find inspiration in a routine that I created for myself. Every morning I put aside time on my calendar to meditate and journal before I start my day. Sometimes the amount of time I spend is 15 minutes and other days it’s 45 minutes. It truly depends on what is going on for me at the time. But this time that I set aside for myself has become essential for me to clear out the negative voices in my head or to work through a problem that is keeping me stuck. I also take time to listen to at least one uplifting podcast sometime during the day to keep me going. My favorite right now is Oprah’s Super Soul Conversations because, well… it’s Oprah and she’s awesome.   

Can you tell us a favorite story of a job you've done.
Oh I have so many! I'll pick something recent. Early on in my coaching career, I had a client who was really unhappy with her job. The role that she had was very demanding and it included a micro manager who would call, text, or email all hours of the day and expect her to respond. When she started to work with me, she was extremely burned out and at a loss for what to do. Over the course of us working together, I helped her to reconnect with both herself and her desires as well as to rebuild her confidence. Unbeknownst to me, she decided to take this newfound confidence and look for a new job. She ended up getting an amazing opportunity to move to the Middle East with a new company in a completely different industry. Something that she never would have considered before the coaching. Today she is extremely content with her career and that just makes me so happy that she’s finally living a life that she had once dreamed about.

What are you most excited about right now?
I got an opportunity to facilitate a two hour Women’s Leadership workshop at a local corporation. Oh and to drink the delicious wine that I bought while wine tasting with my sisters this past weekend.

What’s your favorite book or movie?
I am a voracious reader. This year I have read 22 books alone so it’s hard to pick a one favorite. The one fiction novel that comes to mind is "Ready Player One" by Ernest Cline. My most recent non-fiction read was “Today I Will…How to Finally Change a Habit, Keep a Resolution, or Make a Dream Come True” by M.J. Ryan. I know it’s not a movie, but Game of Thrones is my favorite right now… hands down.

Favorite quote?
“You can fail at what you don’t want, so you might as well take the chance on doing what you love.” - Jim Carrey

Favorite object in your home?
My washer and dryer. If you have never owned one or have spent any length of time without one in your house/apartment, then you will understand why.

Favorite hangout?
Coffee shops and I don’t even drink coffee. I have about 5 that I rotate through on a regular basis because when I am not coaching, working from home can get pretty lonely.

Favorite food?
Baby Back Ribs and Chicken Wings

Favorite product?
My Mazda 3 who is named Miguel. He is the first car that I have ever owned. (Until recently, I have always lived in and around cities with amazing public transportation, so I never needed a car until a few years ago.)

Favorite can’t-live-without item?
My iPhone. It’s essential for everything that I do.

What’s your #1 tip for fellow creative people?
Do NOT give up. There is always a way and it will come from inside you, if you connect with your heart and listen.

What are 5 items you never leave home without?
Sunglasses, iPhone, Apple Watch, keys, and lipstick

What is a movie or TV show that you watched recently and really enjoyed?
The Story of Diana - a recent documentary about Princess Diana on ABC. It’s an amazing take on the rise of paparazzi, 24 hour news, the tabloids and it’s impact on her and her life. It’s also a very thoughtful story about a beautiful woman with a beautiful soul.

What's one thing you want to share that I haven't ask?
It took a long time (almost 3 years) to adjust to being an solo-preneur and there were many, many times that I almost gave up and went back to corporate. What keeps me here my love of being in service to people. I love seeing my clients hit their goals and get results. Their empowerment is also my empowerment.

Where can we find you?
My Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/tracyirvinecoaching/
My Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/309891252800166/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracyirvine/
Website: https://www.tracyirvinecoaching.com
Newsletter: https://www.tracyirvinecoaching.com/newsletter

Here are the pictures from her session with hair and makeup by the fabulous Bernie Rausseo.

 

Hair and makeup by Bernie Rausseo.

Leslie Karotkin: Client Spotlight { Denver Portrait Photographer }

Personal branding portraits are one of my favorites things to do. In a world relaying heavily on visuals, helping an entrepreneur portray who they are and what they're all about is important work. When Leslie told me that she was working on getting her business up and running I was thrilled. She is a bright light in the world and you can feel her kindness and love for life just talking with her for five minutes. We went out for coffee, looked at fabulous pictures of her trip to Asia, and talked about her business.

I sent her to the fabulous Bernie Rausseo to get her hair and makeup done and met at my studio. We did a little bit of everything, different outfits, outdoor and studio shots, and even caught a rainbow!

Here's a little bit more about Leslie in her own words. 

What do you do?

I am a consultant for foundations and organizations wanting to build their philanthropic efforts.  I want to help promote philanthropy and guide people to engaging with their communities.

Give me 5 words to describe you.

Enthusiastic, straightforward, witty, appreciative, adaptable

What inspired you to start this career?

I started in the nonprofit field in my late 20s and was drawn to fundraising through event planning,  Then as my career grew in fundraising and through various leadership roles with nonprofit organizations and foundations, the underlying factor that kept me energized and motivated was knowing the work was making a difference or having an impact in the community.  This has kept me excited and engaged in philanthropy and propelled to use my knowledge and abilities to help connect companies, foundations, individuals and families with the causes that speak to them.   

How do you keep inspired?

I am inspired by the people who want to share their time and money to help make a difference in the lives of others.  I love hearing the stories and knowing that lives were transformed because of people helping people.  Because of community and honor.  

What are you most excited about right now?

I’m excited that fall cooler weather is coming.  I’m excited because at the time of this interview, the Olympics are on and the competition and team sportsmanship is fun to watch and a great reminder how the Olympics really do bring all countries together on a level playing field.  

What’s your favorite book or movie?

I have so many favorite books and not sure I can name one. I can say that my short list of favorite movies includes:  Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, Auntie Mame, The Way We Were, Shawshank Redemption, and The American President. All movies I’ve watched over and over and will continue to watch for years to come.

Favorite quote?

There are a wide variety of quotes that speak to me, but what comes to mind first is actually a poem by Maya Angelou.  The Human Family, which is currently being used in a commercial and it has been on my mind a lot.  I’ve read it every day since hearing it.  The sentiment of the poem so accurately addresses the lack of acceptance and human decency that seems to be permeating our culture right now. This poem is so moving and ends with the truest of words: 

“I note the obvious differences between each sort and type, but we are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike.  We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike.”   

Favorite object in your home?

Well she’s not an object, but the favorite and most important force in my home is my dog, Scarlet.  She brings life, energy and sunshine to my world every day.

Favorite hangout?

I can narrow down to… anywhere in the mountains on a hike.  Or anywhere I can enjoy a good craft cocktail!

Favorite product?

This may seem frivolous, but I love the invention of gel nail polish.  Now I can keep my nails looking nice and like a grown up.

Favorite can’t-live-without item?

Chocolate!

What’s your #1 tip for fellow entrepreneurs?

If you don’t try to reach out of your comfort zone and take risks, you will never know if you can succeed.  It’s scary to be an entrepreneur and I doubt myself often.  Know there will be bumps in the road and setbacks, but I find a lot of satisfaction in the fact that I’m giving it my all and will hopefully ultimately find success.

Renea Rios: Client Spotlight [ Denver Portrait Photographer ]

Renea is such an amazing overall human. Every time I talk to her I can't help but smile because of her truly beautiful spirit. She is excellent at what she does and super passionate about making people look their absolute best. She is also very persistent and she knows what she wants, which will only serve her for well in this adventure of entrepreneurship she's embarked.

As soon as she knew she was going to open her business she knew she needed Personal Branding Portraits for her marketing, that represented who she is and what she's all about. She called me to make it happen, and I am so proud of her for knowing she needed to have great images. We met at 7am, had some coffee, laughed a lot, and made gorgeous portraits.

Here's a little bit more about her in her own words:

What do you do?

  

I am an eyebrow artist. I shape eyebrows.  

Give me 5 words that describe you? 

Committed, happy, soulful, kind, grateful.

What are you most excited about right now?

I am currently in permanent make up school and will have the tools and training soon to permanently design and execute beautiful eyebrows for my clients. I am so excited to be learning something new that is going to greatly benefit my clients and make getting ready in the morning so much easier!

What's your favorite book or movie?  

Okay this is a tough one! There are too many to pick just one, but the one that comes to mind  immediately is the "Color Purple."

Favorite Quote

"I used to think I was the strangest person in the world but then I thought there are so many people in the world there must be someone just  like me who feels bizarre and flawed in the same ways i do.  I would imagine her, and imagine that she must be out there thinking of me too.  Well, I hope that if you are out there and read this and know that, yes it's true I'm here and I'm just as strange as you."  Frida Kahlo 

Favorite object in your home?

My mother's Buddha statue that she used to burn incense in. I love it and always reminds me of her!

Favorite hangout?

Honestly??? My own kitchen.  

Favorite product?

My Anastasia eye brow pencil. It makes getting ready and filling my brows in every morning so much easier.

Favorite can't live without item?

Ugghhh I hate to be that person, but my cell phone.   I do everything with it.  Run my business, Facebook, look at photos of brows, Instagram,  music,  take pictures.   But I do draw the line and put it away so I can have real interaction with the world around me.  

What's your #1 tip for fellow entrepreneurs?

Don't be your worst enemy and get bogged down in self doubt.  We are often our worst critic. No one will work harder than you will to make your dreams come true and your business a success. Do what you love with passion and the bonuses will show up!!! 

 

 

 

Want fabulous eyebrows? Get in touch with this magical woman: http://www.hautebrow.com/ 

Do you want more than a head-shot? Do you want images that actually say something about you and your business? Then call me, we can create photography awesomeness together!

www.florblakephoto.com