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, Bethany Cooper.

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

What your favorite part of the mastermind?

I am sure you have heard it before, the community you create and bond with over the 5 months is the best part. I have never met such loving, welcoming, encouraging and strong women in my life. You always ask, what will I get out of this and how can I get the most out of this experience when investing in yourself, and the most important part was definitely the community of incredible women. Our pod was great! We met almost on a weekly basis on top of the weekly meetings as a cohort. We were also always in contact with each other through out the week, chatting about our every day personal lives and also leaning on each other with anything business and photography.

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

The biggest and most important change I have seen in my business is ME. You are the heart of your business and when you don’t see your own potential your future clients don’t either. I built enough confidence in myself to step down from my 7 year stable career to follow my passion of photography. I am opening my own door now instead of waiting for it to be opened for me. I am not full time in my photog business quite yet, but I know I will be soon! Big things are coming for Bethany D Photography and I can’t wait to see where it all takes me!

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 have built the confidence to focus on where my heart is. I’ve pushed myself to get my shit together and start doing what I need to get my business where it deserves to be. The confidence you build helps you to find the time and energy you need to pull it all together.

How would you describe the retreat experience.

I LOVED meeting all the wonderful women that I built relationships with over the months. It was definitely surreal being able to see them, collaborate, talk and laugh together in person. If I am being honest it really was an emotional weekend! Feelings of “hey I can actually do this, all of these amazing people actually believe in me”. It’s rushes of gratitude as well when you realize how lucky you are to have such a wonderful and supportive community. What really got to me, was the fact that you’ve looked up to many of the women in the group, both photography wise and personally and they in a sense also look up to you. Your personal friends and family will support you and tell you “you can do it” which is great and always wanted but when multiple people who live out your dream on a day to day basis (full time photographers) and have such amazing work, tell you they believe in you, that you can do it and how you will make it as a full time photographer one day, it truly hits you on another level. There’s nothing like it. I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to have met these incredible women.

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

It is obviously an investment but probably one of the best ones you will ever make for your company. It is so much information that you can resource for a lifetime. There is a lot of mindfulness focus which I was very skeptical of walking into it, but it really is exactly what you need. I am beyond thankful that I took the leap and invested in myself and my company. I have already seen the major changes for the better and I know that there are plenty more to come. I owe a lot of it to the Elena S Blair Mastermind.

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

Since stepping down in my career I have had more time to focus on my photography business which has allowed me to make big moves happen. I JUST finished the final touches on my new website. I will be publishing it on 2/28. I’m excited to launch my website, register as a google business and continue to see how my company grows from there.

You can view more work by Bethany Cooper at her website www.bethanydphotography.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.