This is what happens when you do something just for you | a new mom's story

"I know where I lost her. I just didn't know how to get her back."

What a confident new mom found when she stopped looking, and started playing.

Susette walked into the studio with a clear answer to one question: Why are you here today?

She wanted to find herself again. Bring the sexy back. Reconnect with the woman she used to be before motherhood gently, lovingly, completely rearranged her life around someone else.

She wasn't nervous. She was excited. A whole day of doing something just for her felt almost foreign, which is exactly why she knew she needed it.

Getting ready felt like a wedding day

She prepped like she was getting married. A long shower. Skin scrubbed glowing. Manicure, pedicure, fresh blowout. She rummaged through her closet looking for the pieces that used to make her feel like her — the woman she remembered being before "mom" became the first word out of everyone's mouth.

Then she showed up at the studio and let the day take her somewhere.

The unexpected moment

About midway through our conversation about her experience, she paused. Got quiet. Her eyes welled up.

"I'm getting emotional actually," she said. "It was a really fun experience to do that as a mom."

That's the part I wasn't prepared for. Susette is a confident woman. She'll tell you that herself. But playing dress-up as a grown woman — really playing, the way little girls do, with music and outfits and zero apologies — cracked something open. The kind of fun you forget you're allowed to have once you're the one packing other people's lunches.

What actually happens during a session

She described it better than I could:

"You kind of start soft and then you feel more comfortable with your body, and you get a couple glimpses of good shots. And you're like, oh, I look really good. And your self-esteem sort of builds throughout the day. I feel like I want to walk out of here and go onto a runway."

Hair and makeup first. The big reveal in the mirror. New outfits. Music that makes you move. A team that makes it fun. Light building, confidence building, until you stop posing and start playing.

She said she expected to enjoy it. She didn't expect it to be thrilling.

What she said about leaving

"I feel like I gained 10 years of my life back."

"I feel like I'm coming out of here with a new sense of self."

"As women, we forget to take care of ourselves. This is really just reconnecting with yourself."

And the line that stayed with me longest:

"Even if you're a confident woman, you still need reminders. You need to do little things that make you feel like you. Eventually that makes you a better mom, friend, sister, and self. If you don't love yourself, you can't love anyone."

Why I'm sharing her story

Because almost every woman who walks out of the studio tells me some version of the same thing: I didn't realize how much I needed this.

If you've been quietly curious about a session, wondering whether it's silly or self-indulgent or "not for someone like you" — Susette was you a few months ago.

She found her again.

You can too.

🎥 Watch the full interview with Susette on YouTube → https://youtu.be/e7h2BS675Rw

Ready to book your own session? → www.linsphotostudio.com | 954.737.1211

Lins Photo Studio | Boudoir + Branding Photography | Fort Lauderdale, FL