Inside of most of us is a voice that helps us navigate through the world.

This voice is the voice of fear. And it can be a good thing. When you’re a naked, mostly hairless ape running around in an area filled with lions, tigers and bears (oh my), having that voice of fear can be a good thing.

But when the most danger you face is your daily commute, that fear sense starts looking for other ways to be helpful. But, not being designed for this modern world, it tends to get things completely wrong.

Take what I do, for example. I take amazing photographs of beautiful people, often in epic locations.

Did you hear it? Did that fear sense whisper to you: “that’s not you. You’re not beautiful? You are not worthy of these photos.”

Maybe it gave a reason. That girl in ninth grade who you don’t even remember the name of who called you fat, and now you think you’re too fat, even though you spend two hours a day in the gym.

Or maybe it reminded you of that gap in your teeth, or of your rosacea, or of your freckles. Maybe it told you that your boobs are too big. Or too small. Or too droopy. Or that the left one is noticeably bigger than the right. Or maybe it will tell you that you’re not worth it; that you shouldn’t be spending money on yourself.

And that’s okay. It’s allowed to do that. Because that’s its job. Your fear sense is there to keep you safe.

But here’s the thing. You don’t have to listen to it.

I know, it can be hard to ignore. Maybe it’s been amplified by things other people have said. Maybe cruelly (like that kid in grade nine). Maybe out of concern for you. (The number of well-meaning moms who have tried to help but only fed the fear mongering beast….) And walking into a boudoir shoot? Can be as terrifying as sneaking into that cave where the bear lives, even though it’s not in there right now, and stealing that deer that it killed. (Or something; having never had to steal a deer from a bear, I can’t verify this is an accurate example. Do bear’s drag their kills back to their caves?)

The idea here is that sometimes the risk is worth the reward. Getting that deer will keep you and your tribe fed for a week. Getting those boudoir pictures will show you how beautiful you truly are.

And this space? This is a safe space. This is a space designed for you to let yourself be who you are. A space where you will be celebrated and loved and lifted up. A space that sees those things about you that set you apart as unique and worth celebrating.

So here’s what you do: you say to that voice “thank you for trying to protect me. But I think the reward is worth the risk. So I am going to do this thing that scares me, because the value that I get out of it will be more than what I invested.”

Because you? You are worthy.