We’re looking forward to introducing you to Kara Ardron. Check out our conversation below.
Hi Kara, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What is a normal day like for you right now?
Right now, a normal day starts early — I wake up around 5:45am when my grandmother’s helpers arrive for the morning (she’s 100 and lives with us!), turn off the baby monitor, and usually doze until about 6:30 when one of the dogs or a kid wakes up. My husband and I split morning duties: walking and feeding four dogs, making breakfast for our two kids (eggs and toast, oatmeal, or pancakes), packing lunch for my kindergartener, getting everyone dressed, and then I take both kids to school. They go to different schools about 20 minutes away, so drop-off takes about an hour, and I’m home again around 9:15. I grab a light breakfast, throw dinner in the crockpot, and I’m at my computer by 9:45, working until about 2:45 on a mix of SEO, editing, marketing, client communication, and a new business I’m launching with my brother. I try to get to the gym by 3:30 for a 75-minute workout, then do the reverse school pickup — preschool by 5 and after-school care for my oldest right after. We’re home, eating dinner around 5:45, followed by showers, feeding and walking the dogs, and a bit of cleanup. Around 8, I lay down with the kids with my Kindle to help them wind down, read for about an hour, and I’m usually asleep by 9:15 or 9:30.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Kara, a photographer and creative business owner behind Kara Leigh Creative. For nearly a decade, I’ve specialized in experience-driven elopements and intimate weddings, primarily in the mountains of the Southeast. My work is less about perfectly posed photos and more about telling the full story of a day — the quiet moments, the nervous energy, the laughter, and the in-between pieces that actually make it meaningful. I work with couples who care deeply about how their wedding feels, not just how it looks, and who want an intentional, grounded experience that reflects who they are. A big part of what makes my brand unique is that I don’t just show up with a camera — I help couples plan timelines, navigate locations and permits, and create a day that feels unrushed and deeply personal.
Alongside my photography work, I’m currently building something new with my brother that will launch later this year. It’s a project born out of years of balancing creative work, physical demands, and family life, and it’s designed to support creative professionals in a more holistic way. While I’m still keeping some details under wraps, the focus is on sustainable routines, strength, and longevity — helping people build bodies and lives that actually support the work they love. It feels like a natural extension of everything I’ve learned running a creative business and living inside it, and I’m really excited to bring it into the world soon.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
What breaks the bonds between people is usually not one big moment, but a slow accumulation of small disconnects: unspoken expectations, resentment that never gets named, feeling unseen or unheard, and living parallel lives instead of shared ones. When people stop being curious about each other — or stop assuming good intent — distance creeps in. Fear, defensiveness, and chronic overwhelm can harden people, especially when survival mode replaces presence.
What restores bonds is honesty paired with empathy. Being willing to name what’s hard without turning it into blame. Choosing repair over being right. Slowing down enough to really listen, to let someone else’s experience matter even when it’s inconvenient or uncomfortable. Shared effort, shared rituals, and shared vulnerability rebuild trust over time. Connection isn’t restored through grand gestures — it’s rebuilt through consistency, accountability, and the quiet decision to keep showing up for one another.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Yes — there was a time, about two years ago, when I came close. On the outside, my business was doing “fine.” Work was steady, things looked successful enough, but internally I was burned out, bored, and struggling on a personal level. I felt disconnected from my own motivation and honestly wondered if this was just what the next decade of my life was going to feel like — productive, but flat.
Instead of burning everything down, I made a quieter decision: to work on myself. I focused on getting back in shape, rebuilding consistency with movement, paying attention to my nutrition, and returning to reading — not for productivity, but for grounding and perspective. I stopped looking for one big fix and started chasing small, daily wins. That process of slowly becoming a better version of myself gave me a renewed sense of purpose when I didn’t even realize I was searching for one.
What I didn’t know at the time was that those small, personal shifts were laying the foundation for the new project I’m working on now. By taking care of myself first, I created space for clarity, creativity, and momentum to return. I didn’t just avoid giving up — I rebuilt myself in a way that made something entirely new possible.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
I’m deeply committed to the new project I hope to launch later this year, no matter how long it takes to build and refine. It brings together every major thread of my life — my years working as a health reporter in public radio, a lifetime of movement and athletics, and my creative work as a photographer and business owner. For a long time, those parts of me lived in separate lanes, but this project finally weaves them into something cohesive and meaningful.
At its core, the work is about helping creative people build bodies that support their work instead of breaking down under it. It isn’t about quick fixes or aesthetics — it’s about sustainability, strength, and longevity. I can see myself refining and evolving this project for the rest of my life, because it grows alongside both the science and the people it serves, as well as my own lived experience. It feels less like a single launch and more like a long-term practice — one I’m committed to shaping thoughtfully and patiently, for as long as it takes.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What do you understand deeply that most people don’t?
I understand deeply that success takes far longer than most people expect — and that the middle of it is usually a slog. It’s rarely romantic. Most days, you don’t feel inspired or certain, and you almost never know if you’re doing the “right” thing in real time. What actually matters is consistency over a long stretch of time: showing up, doing the work, and staying engaged even when the feedback is quiet or confusing.
You have to choose a path and commit to it for a while, knowing there’s a real chance it won’t work the way you hoped. But I’ve learned that failure isn’t an ending — it’s information. It’s how you figure out what’s aligned, what’s not, and what needs to change. Progress comes less from big wins and more from the willingness to keep moving forward, adjust, and try again long after the novelty wears off.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://karaleighcreative.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karaleighcreative/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karaleighcreative/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@KaraLeighCreative
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