"The photos didn’t change me. They changed the way I see myself."

A real boudoir transformation story in Milwaukee

HER STORY

I remember the day clearly. I was walking through Mayfair Mall when I overheard two boys making fun of the way I looked and my weight. The tears filled my eyes instantly, and I left before I even finished shopping. I went straight to Target and bought a scale. I remember the number I saw that day.

I made a promise to myself that I wouldn’t stop until I hit this “magic number” in my head. I was certain that once I got there, everything would change and that I would finally feel confident. I remember the day I reached it. Two kids later and 130 pounds lost, I stood in front of the mirror feeling completely disappointed. The excess skin, the missing belly button, the stretch marks that told a story I didn’t want to see. It felt like my body had let me down, like everyone else got to bounce back, but I didn’t.

Shortly after that, I was diagnosed with stage 3 kidney failure. The hatred I had for my body during that time was something I can’t even fully explain. It was consuming. Years of feeling miserable, disconnected, and disappointed, both internally and externally, followed.

Until one day, I decided I couldn’t live like that anymore. Learning to love and accept a body that I felt had failed me has been the hardest journey I’ve ever been on. Losing weight was easy compared to that. I slowly began to understand that self love has nothing to do with a number on a scale or having a “perfect” body. It’s not about looking like the women in magazines, because even they don’t look like that in real life.

Around that time, I started hearing about women doing boudoir sessions, intimate photo experiences where they allowed themselves to be fully seen. It terrified me, but it also felt like exactly what I needed. So I started asking around.

One story I heard stopped me in my tracks. A friend shared how she was criticized the entire time, told to suck it in, to hide parts of herself, and made to feel judged and exposed in the worst way. She left feeling worse than when she walked in. That story stuck with me and made me question everything. I wondered if that was what I would have to go through in order to face myself.

But I kept asking, and eventually I heard about Laura. Honestly, it sounded too good to be true. I was added to her group and couldn’t believe what I saw. Women who looked like me. Bodies that told real stories. Stretch marks, skin that wasn’t perfect, and yet they looked powerful, confident, and beautiful.

Even then, I prepared myself for the worst. I booked my session the day after Thanksgiving after weeks of going back and forth and saving up. It felt like a big investment, but I knew there was no price tag on self love. From the moment I booked, something started to shift. The emails leading up to my session were more than just preparation. They encouraged me to start taking care of my body in ways I never had before. Drinking more water, exfoliating, slowing down, and connecting with myself. For the first time in a long time, I began to soften toward the woman in the mirror.

The day of my session, I was terrified. I drove all the way from the middle of nowhere Wisconsin, talking myself through it the entire time. I kept telling myself that I was going to hear things that might hurt and that it was okay, I just had to get through it.

When I arrived, I saw a welcome sign with my name on it. It was such a small detail, but it grounded me. I walked in and was immediately greeted with warmth and energy that made me feel at ease. Hair and makeup felt like sitting with a friend. Everything was explained to me in a way that made me feel comfortable and cared for. When I looked in the mirror, I barely recognized myself in the best way. I felt beautiful, not different, just seen.

Then it was time to start shooting. I was shaking and had never felt so vulnerable in my life. From the very beginning, Laura guided me through everything. Every pose, every

movement, every expression. She created a space where I didn’t have to think, I just had to exist. The entire time she was encouraging me, telling me I was beautiful, that I was doing so well, that everything looked amazing. Not once did I feel judged or picked apart.

We laughed, we talked, and somewhere along the way I stopped thinking about what I looked like and just allowed myself to be in the moment. By the final set, I decided to go fully nude. Not because I suddenly felt confident, but because I didn’t want to leave with regret. And at some point, I completely forgot I wasn’t wearing anything. That is how safe and comfortable I felt.

When I saw my images, I lost my breath. Tears filled my eyes again, but this time for a completely different reason. The woman in those photos was me, and she was strong, beautiful, powerful, and sexy. Everything I had spent years believing I wasn’t.

Not once during the entire experience did I feel like I needed to hide anything. Instead, Laura has this incredible ability to show you yourself through a completely different lens, one rooted in truth instead of insecurity. She doesn’t change you. She reveals you.

I left that day feeling like I had met a version of myself I didn’t know existed. The drive home was filled with reflection on the years I spent hating my body, wishing it was different, and fighting against it. For the first time, I felt grateful for it.

The photos didn’t change me. They changed the way I see myself.

There truly are not words strong enough to describe what this experience does for you. My only regret is not doing it sooner.