Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Coady Parks. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Coady, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?
When I was brainstorming names for my business, I took into consideration the message that it would convey. I wanted the name to represent the deeply rooted passion I have for empowering others to be authentically themselves. I chose Let Your Soulshine, because I believe that we should all feel free to radiate our light and unique beauty into the world. There is no one else on earth that is exactly like you and that is precisely why it is so important to be exactly who YOU are.
Coady, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I am a Photographer, Reiki Master Teacher, & Artist.
My intention when I opened my business was to share my adventures and experiences with the community in a way that allowed the healing energy of the mountains to shine through my art and landscape photography. I thoroughly enjoy hiking, camping, and fishing so I spend an immense amount of time exploring the backcountry. The art that I create is inspired by the breathtaking beauty of the landscapes that I am allowed to witness and is a representation of my personal healing journey. I believe that creating art and spending time in nature are vital to an individual’s healing process.
What started as a way to simply share my adventures has grown into a gift that I can share with the community. I started taking photos of people as a favor to someone I knew and quickly realized how much I enjoyed capturing the small, fleeting moments between loved ones. There is just something about capturing the beauty and love between people that brings joy to my heart. Of course, the mountains are always a backdrop for my sessions as they bring a sense of wonder and imagination that I do not feel in a studio. Being immersed in nature, having to adapt to the varying and sometimes harsh conditions is where I feel the freest to express my creativity. I offer several different types of sessions: Family, Engagement, Maternity, Elopements, & Special Themes upon request. I have prints, paintings, and calendars for sale throughout the year!
I am also a Reiki Master Teacher and Sound Practitioner at EDENOLOGY Holistic Wellness in Old Colorado City. I find immense joy in seeing people grow through their healing journey and find deep connection with their soul in the process. I know from personal experience that the body is capable of healing itself and there are many different modalities that can facilitate the journey to the full expression of the soul. I utilize both Reiki and Sound to help you relax, reduce stress, regulate the nervous system, promote overall wellness and healing for the whole body. I offer a monthly event called Soulshine Sound Sessions where you are immersed in the ethereal sounds of quartz crystal sound bowls, tuning forks, and 432hz music combined with Halotherapy (salt). These sessions are not only deeply therapeutic but also help your body gently detox. I offer individual Reiki + Sound healing sessions and teach Reiki certification classes where you can learn to utilize this ancient Japanese healing technique in your everyday life. I also teach various crystal art classes including Crystal Wand Creations and New Moon Meditate & Create with additional classes to be added in the future!
My hope is that what I create and offer through Let Your Soulshine sparks a curiosity within you to explore the deeper layers of this human experience whether that is through physical art, photographs, or utilizing ancient energy healing techniques to help you to remember that everything you need has always been within you and that YOU are a radiant, powerful, and truly magnificent soul!
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
In my opinion, authenticity is by far the most important part of growing a business. In a time where so much click bait marketing and disingenuous business tactics to “get more likes” on social media exists, people are craving authentic and genuine human beings to interact with. We are inundated with people who just want to make money. Scammers are everywhere and it can be difficult to navigate through the chaos. When you focus more on sharing real stories, personal experiences, everyday life, and less on how many comments or likes you are going to get, people can relate to you on a deeper level. You are showing up as your authentic self, sharing raw details about your own journey and not hiding behind a mask. They appreciate your honesty and the fact that your intention is not just to get them to buy something. When you focus on truly getting to know this person, it opens up a level of conversation that invites them to express themselves authentically as well. This builds a foundation for a lasting relationship and shows them that you care about them as a human being.
We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.
Let Your Soulshine started out as a way to share my landscape photography with my friends, family, and acquaintances on social media. I have always loved taking photos and grew up in the middle of nowhere. We rented an old farmhouse for most of my childhood and I spent the majority of my days outside exploring the 300 acres that surrounded our house. My mom almost always had a camera with her and took photos of everything. As a kid, I was not always cooperative or keen on the idea of having my photos taken, but I realize now that her love of photography inspired me to explore my own abilities. I took several photography classes both in high school and in college when I pursued my Bachelor’s of Science in Interior Design. I always had a passion for creating art and building things with my hands, so I thought Interior Design was the career for me. Little did I know, the “hobby” that I used as a therapeutic outlet for most of my life would become a catalyst for me to find the path that was truly meant for me.
About ten years ago, I started sharing my photography on my social media and it was always met with an outpouring of love and awestruck comments about beauty that I had captured. I really did not believe in myself at this point and chalked it up to the mountains being an undeniably gorgeous backdrop that anyone could capture. They are absolutely that, but throughout the years I have realized that no one can offer the same perception, composition, or experience that you can. That goes for every single person reading this. Not one person can offer exactly the same thing that you can offer because we all see the world through our own lens. The mountains taught me that each moment is unique and that conditions are always going to allow for a different perspective. I could go to the exact same spot, take the same photo and it would look entirely different based on lighting, weather, time of day, seasons, etc. It never gets old for me. I am forever invigorated and absolutely stunned by the beauty that I am able to witness while spending time in the mountains.
About 5 years ago, I had someone ask me to do elopement photos and I hesitated. I never intended to take photos of people and did not think I would enjoy it at all. I was so passionate about taking photos of the mountains that I just never considered doing sessions for people. I told her that I had not ever photographed people professionally, so I would do my best but I wasn’t confident at all. To be completely honest, the photos were okay. They turned out well for my first session, considering I had absolutely no experience posing people or working with actual moving subjects aside from animals. But this session ended up being the doorway to a world I never expected to step through. Shortly after this session, I had another friend ask me if I would be willing to photograph her elopement session. They had been waiting to get married for over ten years and because of circumstances and family health challenges had to cancel two separate weddings. This one was super special and I was able to photograph the entire day for them. It was so beautiful to be a part of their big day and I really felt the spark ignite within me to continue photographing these important memories.
Another big milestone that relates to the energy healing and art portion of my business was when my friend Andria decided to open EDENOLOGY Holistic Wellness. She had a vision to show people a different way to wellness by helping people realize that in order to heal you must take the whole body into consideration. The driving force behind EDENOLOGY’s mission is Earth, Seed, Soul medicine. This means that our offerings encompass medicine for the whole self, body, mind and soul. She has been a beautiful inspiration to me and has encouraged me to step further into my passion for helping others realize their innate wisdom. Prior to this, I had worked in a related field for almost five years. I experienced an abrupt and unexpected change in my employment and was forced to make a decision. I know now, that although heart breaking, this situation was exactly the nudge I needed to expand and grow my business into what it is today. Sometimes we just have to trust the timing of our lives and this was a perfect example of one of those moments. I had to start building my own dream.
I had been a Reiki practitioner since 2014, but mostly used this energy healing modality on myself and loved ones. My mom is a Reiki Master Teacher so after I obtained my Master Teacher training with her, I started offering classes at EDENOLOGY to teach others how to use this ancient healing technique to heal themselves. My mom has always been a guiding light for me and I am so grateful for her presence in my life. I will admit, the stepping stones along this journey have been scary, exhilarating and absolutely life changing. I would not be where I am without all of the amazing people in my life who have supported, loved, and helped inspire me to continue offering my gifts to the world. The rest as they say, is history.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @_letyour_soulshine
- Facebook: @Letyour_soulshine
Image Credits
Coady Parks
Let Your Soulshine Photography