Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Alexandra Lee. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Alexandra, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
My journey to developing self-esteem and confidence has been one I wouldn’t wish on anyone, but now, looking back, it has shaped me into the woman I am today. This experience has fueled my passion to use my skills to help women feel fierce, beautiful, and confident in their marriages, businesses, and lives.
Although it was many years ago, I can still remember the sinking feeling in my belly from all the times a person who said he loved me also told me I was ugly among many other negative things. The sadness, as I was compared to others and deemed less than. At one of the lowest points in my life, I felt as if all my personhood and confidence had been ripped from me. And funny enough, confidence and joy were something that came naturally before him. Throughout my childhood and teen years, I spent most of it with my twin sister attached to my side, modeling, dancing, or playing photographer with my friends adorned in cute outfits. I had inner confidence that I would tell people came from God, and, of course, from the strong, loving female friends around me. I do wish everyone could have an automatic best friend like I had in my twin, so that, I’m sure, played a bigger role than I give it credit.
But, ironically, at the lowest part of my life when I felt little to no confidence, I was asked to model for a photographer group shootout. That photoshoot of myself at that low point, coupled with counseling, connecting with good female friends, and digging into my identity in Christ, led me to leave a toxic relationship and start to regain and build confidence. Slowly, I started to learn and be reminded that true confidence is not based on looks, a job, a relationship, or status, but on the fact that I am a woman with value, created for a purpose, and made perfectly with flaws and all. This remains an ongoing journey for me, but I firmly believe that gaining and retaining confidence is all about ensuring we’re not trying to find our worth or value in things such as relationships, work, or tangible items. Instead, I believe inner confidence is built by finding out what your identity in Christ is.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
Today, I am a photographer and educator specializing in marriage-building boudoir and elevated portraits for women seeking alluring imagery. I’ve always wanted my photo sessions to be more than just photos, but a photo experience that can be a small catalyst to help women find more confidence in different areas of their lives. I know that every woman has a secret struggle, and I really feel called to encourage and uplift the women that come across my path.
Within my marriage-building boudoir sessions, I aim to help women feel beautiful while also nurturing their relationships. Imagine indulging in a lavish boudoir experience, starting with hair, makeup, and curated lingerie to keep. During your photo session, experience expert posing guidance for your body shape. Afterward, enjoy a soothing massage to melt away any tension. Then, select your favorite images and plan a year of thoughtful gifts based on you and your partner’s love languages.
In our portrait or branding photography experiences, I support women in their aspirations by creating alluring, editorial imagery to help them feel confident in how they show up in business or life. For my fellow women entrepreneurs, my passion lies in creating strategic, marketing-centered, feminine visuals that not only boost confidence but truly help to exceed their marketing aspirations.
Alongside photography, I’ve been quietly developing a newer aspect of my business: an e-commerce platform aimed at inspiring and kickstarting women in their side hustles and entrepreneurship journeys. I find immense joy in assisting women in honing their selfie skills or enhancing their business presence through empowering courses on posing and marketing. I genuinely believe that embracing one’s beauty, flaws and all, alongside acquiring the necessary tools and the right mindset, is fundamental in fostering confidence and eventual success. In due course, I aspire to serve as a mentor to women seeking to build confidence in their businesses.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Looking back through the years I would say without a doubt: faith, resilience, and persistence. For women who are just starting their journey, I would say be true to yourself. Figure out your identity and never let anyone or anything try to define that for you. For me, this means speaking truth over myself about who I am and fighting any negative thoughts or ideas.
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies? So many women I know feel overwhelmed, and as a small business owner and mom, it’s so easy to get caught up in overwhelm with a seemingly never-ending to-do list. I think so many of us are taught as women that we need to be able to manage a house, take care of the kids, and work. But that’s impossible for anyone to do without exhaustion. To help myself combat overwhelm, first, I try to carve out at least some time in my day to pray, think, and breathe. Second, I always like to remind myself that even in the Bible, women had help. So girl, reach out for help! There are so many things that can be hired out, from routine household tasks to things you hate doing that suck the life out of you – like maybe cleaning baseboards or pulling weeds. Or maybe even hiring help to watch the kids so you can have some much-needed you-time. I encourage you to be creative. If you have a skill but are tight on funds, ask for a trade. Or maybe it’s just not knowing who to ask. I’ve found so much help with referrals off Facebook and friends.
In my business, my goal is to automate as much as I can while also keeping the connection. I use systems and pre-planning to automate all of my bookings, most of the planning, and as much marketing as I can schedule or automate. I won’t lie, it takes a lot of time to get it running as it does now, but the time saved is a lifesaver! Second, I recommend taking a time audit. What is taking up a lot of your time that someone else could do as well as or maybe better than you that you can’t automate? What could you be doing in your business that only you can do? Would your time be better spent elsewhere? If so, try building a team of aligned people you love working with. I promise, business is so much more fun when in community as well. I’m always striving to find better ways to keep combating overwhelm, refine the systems/help I have in place, and free up time so I can spend it with my kids and the people I love.
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
So many women I know feel overwhelmed, and as a small business owner and mom, it’s SO easy to get caught up in overwhelm with a seemingly never ending to do list . I think so many of us are taught as women we need to be able to manage a house, take care of the kids, and work. But, that’s impossible for anyone to do without exhaustion. To help myself compact overwhelm, first, I try to carve out at least some time in my day to pray, think, and breathe. Second, I always like to remind myself, that even in the Bible, women had help. So girl, reach out for help! There are so many things that can be hired out from routine household tasks to things you hate doing that suck the life out of you – like maybe cleaning baseboard or pulling weeds. Or maybe even hiring help to watch the kids so you can have some much needed you time. I encourage you to be creative, if you have a skill, but are tight on funds, ask for a trade. Or, maybe it’s just not knowing who to ask. I’ve found so much help with referrals off Facebook and friends.
In my business, my goal is to automate as much as I can, while also keeping the connection. I use systems and pre-planning to automate all of my bookings, most of the planning, and as much marketing as I can schedule or automate. I won’t lie, it took a lot of time to get it running as it does now, but the time back is a lifesaver! Second, I recommend taking a time audit. What is taking up a lot of your time that someone else could do as good or maybe better than you? What could you be doing in your business that only you can do? Would you time be spent better elsewhere? If so, try building a team of aligned people you love working with. I promise business is so much more fun when in community as well.
I’m always striving to find better ways to keep combating overwhelm, refine the systems/help I have in place, and free up time so I can spend it with my kids, and the people I love.
Contact Info:
- Classes: lifewithalexjo.com
- Photography: www.alexandrajo.com
- Instagram: alexandrajophotography
- Facebook: alexandrajophotography
Image Credits
Amber Tice
