Over the course of 5 months, photographers who choose to be apart of the Elena S Blair Photography Mastermind will transform their business and themselves. Although every experience is different we have seen so many talented photographers grow in ways that sometimes even surprise themselves. In this blog series we will highlight Alumni who have completed the photography mastermind and allow them to discuss what their personal experience was like. Keep reading to see the thoughts of today’s Alumni, Chantalle Fiscus.

What cohort were you a part of? I was apart of Level 1 – Cohort 4.

What your favorite part of the mastermind?

My favorite part of the mastermind was the community aspect of the program. Every single week, I had a countdown until our weekly zoom meetings. Everyday I was creating friendships and community with my pod (our group of 4). We encouraged each other through out our business transformations, both good and bad. We also lived life together. We supported each other through a death of a loved one, a challenging diagnosis of a child, and many other really hard things. We were each others cheerleaders. Elena created this space for vulnerable and genuine relationships and it made it easy to push ourselves to the next level with our businesses and in our personal lives.

What are some changes or improvements that you have seen in your business since joining and completing the mastermind?

One of the reasons I joined this mastermind was because I was so burned out. I didn’t want to see another inquiry. I just wanted space to breathe. Obviously, that’s not a healthy or sustainable way to run a business. Throughout this program I began to feel confidence in myself. I was able to start calling myself a photographer. I was able to raise my prices by $200. I was able to start accepting families who were my ideal clients. I was able to end my busy season with very little burnout and also increasing my revenue.

What are some changes or improvements that you have seen in your habits, lifestyle, confidence, and spirituality that you have seen in yourself since joining and completing the mastermind?

I’m sure most people understand the feeling of “imposter syndrome”. I had it by leaps and bounds when I started. Elena challenged my way of thinking. My way of valuing myself. My way of seeing myself as worthy. She challenged me to rethink how I viewed the world. And how this directly effects my personal life, my relationship with money, the way I run my business, my role as a mother, and how I view self care. This was so much more than a “photography business class”. This has changed the way I view everything.

How would you describe the retreat experience.

I remember waiting by the baggage claim and thinking, “I really hope they are huggers”. My excitement to see my pod in person was overwhelming. We had lived life together for the past 6 months, daily conversations, weekly lessons and implementation. It felt like meeting someone with a piece of my heart. When we met up with the rest of the cohort, it felt like being reunited with best friends. I remember looking around at everyone interacting together and thinking, how often can you come together with a group of women and feel 100% free to be yourself? I felt completely accepted for who I was, flaws and all. There was so much laughter, learning, creative expression, goal setting, so many deep conversations, and a lot of tears. Our guest speakers were wonderful, insightful, and so knowledgeable. We were able to watch them work, ask questions, and see things done in such a unique way. Saying goodbye was so incredibly hard but I walked away with so much momentum and excitement for the next quarter for my business. I am looking forward to the next retreat, just to be in real-life community with these lifelong friends and hear about their successes, accomplishments, growth, and to encourage them through challenges that come up as we continue to change and push boundaries.

What would you tell someone to help them take the leap and join the Mastermind? What words of encouragement do you think they need?

Do not be afraid to invest in yourself. You will see the money come back into your life, and more. Learning from someone ahead of you in the journey is invaluable. As photographers, a lot of our time is spent alone. Having a mentor and a community to help launch you forward is one of the best investments I have made in my life, not just for my business. If “they” can do it, why not you? Believe you are worth it and say yes. You will not regret it.

What are you working on right now? What is something that you are excited about in your life and biz? 

Right now, I am trying to increase my SEO. Making short and long term goals and strategic ways to make them successful. I am figuring out additional ways to increase my revenue. I have a lot of back-end things to implement to make my business more streamlined so I can “work smarter, not harder”. Elena gave us so much practical information and I am working on putting all of that information into practice.

Anything else you want to share?

Throughout this mastermind, I have really been able to hone in on my purpose,. Who I want to serve. How I want to express through my art. Trusting myself and my intuition to propel me forward, which has helped me grow and flourish as a photographer and as an artist.

You can view more work by Chantalle Fiscus at her website www.tillylanephotography.com and on social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook.

If you are a photographer who is looking to level up and transform your business and mindset to achieve your goals, you are invited to apply to be in the next Cohort of the Elena S Blair Mastermind. You can join the waitlist to be notified when applications are live and being accepted. Don’t miss this opportunity to create life long community, the business of your dreams and the confidence to be authentically you.