Embracing Change, Curls, and “Job Stoppers”

So… I got a new headshot.

Yes, the dreaded professional headshot... the one that makes even the most confident of us suddenly forget what to do with our hands and wonder if we’ve ever smiled before in our lives.

The last time I had mine taken was in 2022. Do I prefer that one? Honestly… yeah, maybe a little. But who wouldn’t like a younger version of themselves? A photo with slightly more glow, a few fewer wrinkles, and a little less “stress of adulthood” showing.

But that’s life, isn’t it? We change. We grow. We learn. We evolve.

And that’s exactly what this new photo represents for me.

What I love most about it is that it feels authentically me. My curls are out in full force (doing their own thing as usual), my tattoos are visible (some might call them “job stoppers,” but I call them conversation starters), and there’s no heavy editing, no filters, no slimming tricks. Just me... as I am.

And the tattoos showing? That actually means a great deal to me. They’re not random designs or impulsive decisions; they’re part of my story.

The apple, front and center, is shared by my immediate family. We each have one in a different spot. It represents Apple Valley Lake, the heart of so many of our family memories. My grandparents were among the first to settle there, my parents worked at the family marina, and that apple became a symbol of our roots. The five seeds in the center represent our family of five.

Then there are the flowers wrapping around my arm... each one is a birth month flower for my family. My parents, my siblings, my nieces and nephews, my husband, even my in-laws. Each bloom tells a little piece of our family’s story. My plan is to continue adding to it, incorporating symbols for those I’ve lost along the way - a living, growing reminder of the people who shaped me.

So yeah, maybe my 2022 headshot caught a slightly younger version of me. But this one? This one captures who I am now. The confidence, the stories, the curls, the imperfections... all of it.

Because at the end of the day, I’d rather be remembered for being real than perfectly posed.

Here's to wild curls, visible tattoos, and being exactly who we are. XO, -CC