We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Rachael Mcmillan a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Rachael , thanks for joining us today. Let’s kick things off with a hypothetical question – if it were up to you, what would you change about the school or education system to better prepare students for a more fulfilling life and career?

As a former middle school teacher, there are several things I would change about the education system.

The most important thing: students need more social-emotional support at school. Not every child has a supportive home life. For some, school may be the only structure they have. And with social media and constant news updates at their fingertips? It’s overwhelming—but staying connected is important to them. Educating and supporting students in their social-emotional needs would be incredibly beneficial.

I received trauma-informed training far too late in my career. Once I did, it drastically changed the learning environment, my relationships with my students, and even my relationship with myself. If a student wasn’t following directions, I would check in with them by asking which of the three life goals they were struggling with.

The Three Life Goals:
Goal 1: I can make safe choices even when I am upset.
Goal 2: I can be okay when others are not okay.
Goal 3: I can do something even if I don’t want to or if it is hard.

Approaching students through the lens of these goals made them more accountable for their actions and was far more effective than barking, “sit down and get to work!”

I would also bring in community members from diverse backgrounds for small group discussions with students. This would help them feel more connected to their city or town while showcasing different career and life paths. Hearing personal stories builds empathy and gives students new perspectives. The world of work has changed so much—I HATE the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” The average adult goes through multiple jobs in their lifetime. Yes, college is important for some careers, but there are also trade schools and countless ways to make a living that don’t require a degree.

Other things I would change:
No homework
Daily yoga
Outside time
Small class sizes
Daily reflection/journaling
A physical art class of some kind—painting, sculpture, drawing, woodshop, etc.

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 grew up borrowing cameras from family members, always documenting what was happening around me. In college, I learned more about manual photography while working as a student photographer for campus events. Some of my friends started their own wedding photography businesses, and I assisted them on wedding weekends. At the time, I was in college to become a teacher.

I graduated from Illinois State University in 2018 and taught middle school for five years. During that time, I spent my weekends second-shooting weddings and gradually started taking on my own. In 2021, I launched my website. Over time—through the challenges of teaching during COVID and the growth of my photography business on the side—I lost my spark for teaching. I realized I was happiest when I was helping people on their wedding day. After many therapy sessions during the rough years of teaching, I finally made the decision to leave and pursue photography full-time. That was two years ago.

Today, I own and run Rachael Marie Photography, capturing weddings all across Illinois—including Chicago, Peoria, Bloomington, Champaign, and St. Louis—and helping couples plan elopements in Central Illinois.

I work with two kinds of couples:

1. Couples who want to remember how their wedding day felt—surrounded by their friends and family. Before their wedding, I help them create a timeline that ensures a smooth, stress-free day. I take the time to learn about their relationships—with each other and their guests—so that on the wedding day, I can help everyone feel comfortable in front of the camera. I capture a blend of posed, directed, and candid moments, so couples walk away with not only artful photos but also beautiful memories of their day.

2. Couples who want a beautiful wedding day—without the stress of a 100-person guest list. I started with courthouse weddings, and now I help couples plan their own unique elopement experience. This includes location recommendations, officiant options, and, of course, artful photos.

I’m most proud of my adaptability—because running a business isn’t a linear process.
And I’m incredibly proud of myself for finally leaving teaching. It took me a long time to accept what was best for me: creating my own path.

Most importantly, I want people to know that YOU get to decide how you want to get married. The modern wedding industry in the U.S. is barely 100 years old, and at its core, it’s deeply patriarchal. If you don’t want to do the “norm,” then don’t.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Google! I hire out SEO blog writing through an awesome duo called MSAV Creative Co.

Couples do lots of vendor and venue research throughout the planning process. MSAV writes copy for me that serves my current clients and attract my dream ones. They make sure my blogs rank on Google so planning couples can find me faster.

https://msavcreativeco.com/

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

Photography was a side job for a long time. I graduated college in 2018 to teach middle school education.

The beginning of my business was not glamorous. I moved home with my parents during my first year of teaching. It was a shift from living on my own in college, but it helped me get ahead financially. I put one full teacher paycheck a month to my student loans during that first year, and the other paycheck to my bills. I didn’t want to have college debt hanging over my head, whether I was teaching or having another job.

In those beginning years of my business, I didn’t make much. I lived off my teaching salary through those 5 years and didn’t pay myself often / ever through the business.

When I wasn’t teaching, grading, or editing photos, I listened to photography business podcasts like it was my full time job. Subconsciously I wanted to go full time but I was invested in teaching.

One milestone was launching a website in 2021. Before that, people did not know how to find me to photograph them.

But was waiting a mistake? I created an entire website the year before, in 2020. But I completely scrapped it and never published it. Should I have posted it? Yes, it would have helped me book people sooner. Honestly, I was scared and “not ready.” I should have posted it.

But, I am glad I waited. Will all my business education through podcasts, YouTube, and photography mentorships, the website I published in 2021 was very me and very on brand. I was immediately attracting couples I wanted to work with, because I took the time to write out my website.

If you want to book people now, don’t do what I did and wait to publish a website. I was teaching so I didn’t need to book people immediately. For my situation, I’m glad I waited.

What helped my business was second photographing for other local photographers. It gave me wedding content, which was something I was falling in love with the more I photographed them. I was learning how to photograph better in the moment, was learning from different photographers with different styles, and was getting better without “messing up” a real wedding day. I think I counted at one point- I had assisted or second photographed 40 weddings before taking one on my own.

When did I decide to quit teaching? When I realized I was tracking my crying. Photographing fall weddings on the weekends and teaching 13 year olds Monday-Friday finally caught up to me.

One day I walked into my classroom and thought “What if I don’t come back?” and for the first time in years I felt lighter. And also scared, but lighter.

Into my fourth and fifth year of teaching, I kept letting my photography bank account grow without paying myself often. This came in handy when I finally realized I wanted to go full time.

How was this helpful? At the time I was renting. However, I heard through a small business friend that lenders often view self-employed individuals as a higher risk due to the potential instability of income. So when I decided to quit, I knew I had to buy a house while I was still a teacher. The money I had on the side was the downpayment on my house. And the banks saw my 5 years of stable income and gave me the loan. **And now, while I am self employed, I am still able to pay my mortgage!!! Take that bank.

Because I taught in Title 1 schools for 5 years, I was able to apply for a 5K student forgiveness loan. That was helpful, and also why I’m glad I stayed in teaching as long as I did, because I thought about quitting halfway through that last school year.

I went full time almost two years ago. And I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://rachaelmarieitsmephotography.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachaelmarie_itsme/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rachaelmarie.itsme
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/rachaelmarie_itsme/

Image Credits

all photos are by me