We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kelsie Overacre. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kelsie below.

Kelsie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about one of the craziest things you’ve experienced in your journey so far.

In April of 2021, we purchased our first home after learning that we would no longer be able to rent the home we were currently living in. We had just gotten married in November and found out that I was going to have a baby right before Christmas that year. we purchased my aunt’s home. When we moved in we found mold underneath of the flooring so we replaced over half of the flooring in the house and the subfloor below. We did not notice any immediate issues with our home however, after bringing home the baby, her and I both began to develop health issues. We were told that she had colic and would need stool softeners daily. The roller coaster began then. I extended my maternity leave from September to November, as I was a teacher at the time. I decided to finish that school year and then pursue photography full-time. Teaching during the pandemic was not the same and it ruined the school culture we had created and nurtured for so many years before. I had an elopement in Alaska in March of 2023, after having surgery in January. As time passed, I noticed that I felt different. I was less interested in photography and I was avoiding tasks as much as possible. My business began to lose momentum, and my passion was gone. I became a different person and went on a wellness and spiritual journey during this time. I found new friends, lost old ones, and even stopped engaging with some family members, as they had a hand in adding stress and drama to my life, that I was desperately trying to end. I knew I still needed to provide for my family so I started moving away from weddings and families to doing more social media, content, creation, and marketing for other businesses. During that time, my husband was not supportive and things became even more volatile in our home. When you are poisoned, you aren’t yourself. I was on a relentless pursuit to figure out what was wrong with my health and both my mental and emotional states. I was developing major health issues and honestly felt like I was going to die if I didn’t get help. I had brain fog, memory issues, mood swings, perimenopause, anxiety, depression, and G.I. issues. I developed celiac disease, I had RSV, and had Covid all from living in the mold. After spending all of my money and almost losing my business, I decided enough was enough and committed to getting answers for me and my family. The needs and the want to get better pushed me to work harder with my social media and then pushed me to try videography. I realized that my suffering could not only help others, but it also could fuel my creative fire as well. I learned that, even though it may be hard to do weddings and families after mine fell apart, that I am a creative, and when I’m not creating, I am not sharing my gift with the world as I was created to do. This push led me to other businesses and creatives, that have been a huge part of my healing and the road to my recovery. Without my relentless pursuit to use the gift God gave me and the want to heal my family, I would not have been able to make it where I am now. My health and business would not have been able to bounce back as they have. I feel I need to use my struggles to encourage others to pursue their dreams and talents relentlessly, as well as to help others who could be suffering as we did, so they know their is hope, they have purpose, and that they have at least one person in their corner.

Kelsie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Kelsie! I am a mom, christian, and lover of the outdoors. I am a Virginia Beach native and after living in North Carolina and Hawaii, I decided to return to my hometown of Pungo here in Virginia Beach. People describe me as outgoing, fun to be around, and extremely creative. I have an eye for detail and love for light, so my photography is unique and organic. I started my photography journey by capturing the love and special memories of those closest to me. From there, the journey has blossomed into so much more! I specialized in engagements, weddings, and lifestyle sessions previously, but have recently expanded my business to include videography, drone imaging, and social media management. I also do some influencing, aside from the content creation I do with the businesses I work with. It is important to me to capture those raw, authentic moments that others may not see when in those intimate settings. My style can be described as vibrant, bold, and edited with a fine-art, creamy texture. My primary goal is to provide my clients with a visual of the love, memories, and laughs I have the pleasure of witnessing during our time together, when shooting personal sessions and events. For my social media and content creation clients, I want to sell their services and products, while also educating others and collaborating creatively. My clients don’t just call me their photographer, but also their friend. I am known for my creative eye, hustle, and risk-taking. In the future, I hope to travel more and connect with other like-minded business owners.I am most proud of my ability to bounce back every time I am faced with adversity. Photography was a passion and hobby for me at one time, but slowly developed into a business to make up for the income. Now it is my life, the way I will be able to achieve my dreams, how I can fix my family, and how I will inspire and share my gift with others, who may not be ready to make major changes or aren’t ready to pursue their dreams.

Do you have any stories of times when you almost missed payroll or any other near death experiences for your business?

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We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

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Contact Info:

• Website: https://kelsieshaephotography.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kelsie_shae_photography/ and https://www.instagram.com/_kelsie_shae_/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kelsieshaephotography/

Image Credits

Miguel Ramon Nava IV, Cassandra Christian, Gianna Delavan