I’m a podcaster, online educator, speaker, author, photographer, Beyoncé lover, and Ranch dressing aficionado. My vision it to equip and empower women with practical tools to walk in their worth and navigate their lives grounded in freedom, vision, and wholeness.
So how in the heck did I get here?
Do I have a story for you…
to get a full ride athletic scholarship to college. But everything changed when I met Jesus on a literal mountain-top in Colorado. Mid-college I quit my full-athletic scholarship as a D-1 tennis player to study the Bible. Like most Southern girls I thought I’d graduate college with my MRS. degree, and start popping out babies. Instead after graduating with a Bible degree I left Texas to work in the non-profit world. I traveled all over the U.S. living out of a 15-passenger van doing advocacy. From there, my life took another unexpected turn, I landed a job with one of the most prominent photographers in the nation without even knowing how to turn on a camera. Within four years I found myself shooting celebrity weddings, editorial campaigns, magazine covers, and backstage at New York Fashion Week as I took another leap and launched my own photography business.
No matter if I was working with a model, a bride, or a brand my heart was that every woman I crossed paths with got the opportunity to know that she was worthy and her voice and story mattered. In this vein I started a tiny little blog, The Refined Woman in 2013. My vision was to empower women to embrace their beauty, identity, and value through story telling. What started out as a passion project turned into an expensive side hobby, and eventually a full blown business and something I have become more passionate about than I could have ever anticipated.
I found my work being featured in publications like The New York Times, WWD, Vanity Fair, GQ, Glamour, People, and Who What Wear with clients like Carolina Herrera, Mara Hoffman, and Rockefeller an unexpected thing started to happen.
When I launched a series about dating in New York City, Sexless in the City, my blog went from a couple hundred hits to tens of thousands of readers a month. With that came opportunities to work with brands like Google, Neiman Marcus, Soul Cycle, JCrew, Anthropologie, and Lululemon. As incredible as all this success was, I began to feel a deep pull within me to shift yet again. As great as the notoriety and social media followers felt I wanted to point people to something much greater than cool clothes. As I had experienced profound freedom from fear and heartache over the years, I wanted to see other women set free.
everything from healing from an eating disorder to overcoming anxiety and investing holistically into my emotional, physical and spiritual health to being honest about my not so sexy dating life in New York City I started building a community of women from all over the world longing to live more free, whole, abundant, and faith filled lives. My heart to equip and encourage these women continues to grow and grow.
Through my website, podcast, bible studies and meditation guides, online curriculum for single women, newsletters, and different social channels I am committed to equipping and empowering women with practical tools to walk in their worth and navigate their lives grounded in freedom, vision, and wholeness.
I currently am single, live in Brooklyn New York, and still take on a handful of photography clients each year, but spend the majority of my time investing into this online community. I believes in the power of story, that done is better than perfect, quality triumphs quantity, and that the journey truly is the destination.
At every turn my life has never turned out how I thought or planned it would. And thank God for that, because every twist and turn, fumble and victory, heartache, and unexpected door opened or closed has led me to this exact moment. And it’s exactly where I’m supposed to be.
My vision it to equip and empower women with practical tools to walk in their worth and navigate their lives grounded in freedom, vision, and wholeness.
Resources
Are you single and overwhelmed at navigating today’s dating culture? Do you struggle with walking in your worth? Do you see God answering prayers in other people’s lives, and feel forgotten?
Podcast
From reality t.v. to Beyoncé to fertility, dating, sex, emotional health, heartache, launching a business, meditation… there isn’t a topic I don’t cover on The Refined Collective Podcast.
Experiences
From speaking to preaching, to hosting and participating in panels, events, online workshops my vision is to guide, equip, vision cast, and lead you in holistic biblical truth.
Storytelling
My invitation to you is to spend some time digging through the archives of the blog. If you’re walking through something tough and need some encouragement or just to know you’re not alone, chances are I’ve either written about it, talked about it, or had a guest writer sharing their journey. And get ready for 2021 when my very first book will be in print!
Courses
I currently offer two online courses. How to Embrace Your Sexuality is a mini-course created for women of faith to learn a biblical vision for sexuality, and things like masturbation (ya…I said it). The Activate Your Dating Life Program is offered bi-annually to a select number of women to support them in jump starting their dating lives connected to their faith, values, and vision.
