The Rise That Begins When a Woman Is Truly Seen

Showing Up

There is something powerful that happens when women come together with no agenda other than to support one another. Not network. Not compete. Not put on a brave face. Just connect. Woman to woman. Heart to heart.

That is the feeling I want Élevé Collective to hold for every woman who joins us.

A space where you do not have to walk the hard things alone. A place where you feel supported, understood, and surrounded by women who get it because they are juggling, nurturing, striving, and growing, too. We rise higher when we rise together.

What Women Need More Than Anything: To Be Seen

In both my photography work and my personal journey, I have learned that women carry so much. We think deeply. We care deeply. We stretch ourselves to nurture our families, our businesses, our relationships, and sometimes even strangers who cross our path. Whether or not a woman is a mother in the traditional sense, she is almost always mothering something: ideas, clients, dreams, teams, communities.

Yet the one thing women rarely receive is simple, heartfelt recognition. A genuine “You are doing an incredible job” said not as a throwaway compliment but as a truth someone finally names out loud.

We need to feel seen.
We need to feel appreciated.
We need to feel like who we are and how hard we are trying matters.

What I See Through the Camera

There is a pattern I have witnessed again and again in the studio.

A woman walks in feeling unsure, nervous, a little self-critical, and maybe questioning if she belongs in front of the camera at all.

Then we start working. She relaxes. She trusts. She lets herself be guided.

When she sees the first image on the screen, she pauses. Really pauses. There is always this moment: the inhale, the soft smile, the exhale of relief. She realizes, “That is me?” And the answer is always…YES, GIRL!

What she is seeing is her own strength, her own beauty, and her own potential reflected back to her. And something shifts.

Women leave the studio ready to take the next step they have been holding back on. Enrolling in a class. Applying for a promotion. Starting a business. Trying something new. Not because the pictures changed them, but because they finally saw what was already there.

Becoming the Next Version of Ourselves

We’re a constant work in progress - and that’s a good thing!

Nothing in my path as a performer, artist, photographer, mother, business owner, or co-founder of Élevé Collective has happened with the snap of my fingers. Every step has taken work, vulnerability, bravery, and community.

Maybe that is why this group matters to me.

I want women to feel connected. I want them to feel supported. I want them to walk into our meetings knowing this is a room where they do not have to pretend. A room where they are appreciated. A room where they are seen.

From my own journey and from watching countless women rise through the lens of my camera, I know that when women feel genuinely seen, they become unstoppable.

This Is Why Élevé Exists

Élevé Collective was created for women who are ready to grow but do not want to grow alone.

• It is for women who are carrying a lot, doing a lot, and caring a lot.

• For women who want to be surrounded by others who understand that rising is not a solo act.

• For women who want a community that elevates them and who can elevate others in return.

We do not have to wait until we feel prepared, polished, or perfect to step forward.

We only have to show up as the woman we want to become and allow the people around us to lift us higher.

That is what we are building here.

Together.

This article explores visibility, belonging, emotional connection, and women’s personal growth.