Yes, that is a movie theatre sized minion poster in the background of my photo! My friend Candace (IG- @iamcandacefranklin) offered me the opportunity to participate in a branding photo shoot back in January! What a way to kick off the year?! Initially, we were supposed to be at a different location, but the setting ended up being my home. No qualms, to know me deep is to know that I am an #introvert and I love my home (especially my bed) dearly! I decided to include my 4 girls because they are an integral part of my day-to-day business operation.
I guess you could say I’m a hybrid stay-at-home mom and business owner. Sanovia Jade (18) is in college, but that’s still my baby! Then there’s the big 3 Olivia London (9), Phoenix Jiselle (5) and Xena Leilani (3). With the middle 2 in elementary school, I’m left home with my precocious #threenager! My days consist of chasing her around while editing contracts, conducting consultations, managing invoices, etc. This is all in between drop offs and pick-ups of Frick and Frack lol! Did I mention that my #husbae, Justin (#girldad extraordinaire) is a truck driver so I’m the runner track star parent.
Back to the shoot chile…I woke up late, had to get their outfits together, get them washed up and fed all before Candace arrived. Mind you, I hadn’t consumed a lick of coffee yet! My outfits weren’t yet picked out, although I had an idea of what I was going for. The #mompreneur hoodie jumped out the closet at me! I wanted the concepts and photos to accurately depict my life. It’s chaotic, it’s full, it’s late nights and early mornings. My husband and I are like Jordan and Pippen, teamwork makes the dream work, but there are many nights where we are exhausted from the parenting rat race! We get frustrated and sometimes we take it out on one another. I believe in transparency. Just because my life looks easy (as told by others) doesn’t mean that it is. There are a series of decisions to either Choose Joy or meltdown, but I digress…
I had fun shooting with the girls. Justin got home just in time to make us laugh and get the baby to look at the camera! We moved on to my solo pictures again and after Candace took this photo she realized the minions were in the background. I said, “Girl, leave it, these folk are gonna get this realness and that’s that!” All of this to say, this blog is a place where my readers can really get to know me. I thrive on authenticity and the older I get the less I care about pretenses and the opinions of others. I’m proud to wear all these hats but sometimes it’s crazy overwhelming! This is a safe space to show my readers the behind the scenes of the Choosing Joy journey. I look forward to sharing content and interacting with you all! Check out some of the photoshoot outtakes below!
Muva feat. EnVogue
Finally, got my coffee!
Snuck in a photo with my Phoenix Jiselle
This photo embodies her personality flawlessly
The man behind the woman behind the brand