Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lisa Haukom. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Lisa, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

The Goldenbrand Virtual Studio’s mission is to promote a refreshing take on beauty and self-love through photography, specifically the back camera lens. We think that having photos of yourself should be normal and that you don’t have to be “ready” to take a photo — you can just be real.  We help you realize this through intimate virtual photography sessions and self portrait education.

I feel there is a lack of representation for real women who want real photos that aren’t overly edited or photoshopped. So many of us are moving through life feeling deficient and at fault for the disconnection we feel from our own photos. We struggle with truly believing ourselves to be worthy of a portrait. This is all very, very normal. We all laugh, we all cry, we all feel insecure — it’s all part of growing and evolving. It’s riding on the edge of change and it means a metamorphosis is on the way.  I’m here for that.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I wasn’t always soft or kind toward myself.  That was a skill I had to learn later in life.  I was also unsure that I could replicate the magic of virtual photoshoots while also teaching people how to shoot their own self portraits — basically everything I do now with The Goldenbrand Studio.

I’m not new to bootstrapping a business or taking the road less traveled. I’ve done it all — from founding a catering company to launching a clothing line to supplying private jets with my secret chocolate truffle recipe. Basically, if it sparks my curiosity, I’ll learn everything there is to know. My jigsaw-puzzle-piece-shaped career path taught me three things — don’t rule anything out, let your future self handle your future problems, and know that there is always a larger picture than the one staring you in the face.

My experience with photography has been…complicated. After a short stint as a model, I realized I wasn’t very good and I was uncomfortable with the expectation of perfection being portrayed. The photographers I worked with were not used to posing real women. It was then that I realized I could do a better job behind the camera, helping women to feel beautiful at any age in front of the camera.

Looking back now I can see the groundwork slowly being laid throughout my life — the photography, my love of writing and making content, my empathy and desire for intentional conversations with other women — it’s all there. I just couldn’t see it at the time.

In addition to practicing portraits and getting comfortable in front of the camera, I began mentoring business owners, helping them to move their services online and hone their branding. I dabbled in product photography and began receiving requests from my clients for photos of themselves.  Since flight-hopping wasn’t appealing during the pandemic, I got creative. I shot my first two clients over Zoom and while the pictures were fabulous, I still wasn’t convinced I could make a business out of it. This isn’t a thing.  It’s too niche.  Nobody will get it.

I sat on the idea for over a year, agonizing over my ability to consistently replicate the magic of those first few sessions again and again. I was also on a personal journey of healing, discovery, and growth through the magic of self portraits. I’d skillfully avoided the camera since the humbling modeling experiences of my 20’s (talented models make it look so easy), and at the age of 47 I was tired of avoiding myself, my own harsh judgement, and self-criticism.

Around day 15 of shooting self portraits I noticed my daily trudge had become a skip. See ya, I’d tell my family with a huge grin on my face. This was the turning point and my audience was feeling the shift too, asking for tips and advice to shoot their own photos. This was the start of the Self Portrait Studio, our education community for women. Fast forward to today. While Zoom shoots are long gone, the virtual aspect is here to stay.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

This one is easy.  Without a doubt the biggest lesson I have had to unlearn is being overly self-critical.  I needed to learn to fire my inner critic — the people pleaser who puts everyone else’s opinions above my own.  I distinctly remember poking at my 29 year old face declaring that I was looking old, not appreciating the woman looking back at me for the amazing human she was.  It’s easy to be swayed by the extreme pressure society puts on women to look a certain way — movies, magazines, and quite frankly, sometimes the company we keep — it is absurd, unrealistic, and yes, unhealthy. I’m not going to go down the rabbit hole of blaming the media, magazines, or beauty industry for my idea of perfection — it didn’t help me feel better then and I doubt it will help you now either.  However, I learned that you can opt out.  Tune out the unsolicited edits. Biggest lesson learned? Fire the inner critic.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I had just closed down my clothing line and moved from Los Angeles (where I lived for 20+ years) to a rural property in coastal Oregon. No friends, no extended family, no roots, no plan. I had also just turned 47 and the question of “what’s next?” was keeping me up at night. Do I do what the women in my family have always done at this age — shop, lunch and bump cocktail hour up earlier and earlier?? Do I accept the narrative that I am past the point of making significant contributions in the world, that my midlife opinions are not worth voicing?

I didn’t know it at the time, but “what’s next?” turned out to be the discovery of my life. Literally my life — myself, my purpose. I was just playing, following my curiosity, finally getting to know the woman I see ever-evolving and changing in the mirror much faster than I can keep up. I always assumed there would be plenty of time to get to know her or one day I would wake up a self-actualized, worthy woman knowing who she is and asking for what she wants from life. That was the moment I realized it wasn’t going to happen on its own, it was going to require work and examining all bits of myself I’d been rejecting.  It was time to start really seeing myself.

The process started out a little lonely, in my bedroom, with a tripod and my iPhone as a camera. At first I didn’t tell my family what I was doing. I felt so ashamed and fearful of being judged by them and by you, but mostly by myself. When sitting with myself in this new way I felt so exposed and vulnerable even though these photos and this experience was only for myself. I removed the pressure to make them great or to edit them excessively.  As I continued, though, I felt less lonely, less weirded out sitting for photos on my own.  I was also getting used to seeing myself through the lens.  Not the selfie lens but the back camera unmirrored version of myself that everyone else saw. I also started to really like my photos. I was able to see myself clearly and connect with myself in a way I hadn’t before.

From those early days, we have grown into a full-service Virtual Photo and Self Portrait Studio with a growing  education community of women, each on their own supported self portrait journey.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thegoldenbrand.co
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_golden_brand_co/
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/lisahaukom-1b58091a3
• Other: Substack https://thegoldenbrand.substack.com Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/thegoldenbrandco/_created/

Image Credits
All image credits are as follows: Photographer Lisa Haukom, The Goldenbrand Studio.