Who are the women that inspire you?

Wednesday, March 14, 2018

On March 4^th, I was invited to take part in a Vanity Fair-inspired photoshoot with a select group of inspiring Montrealers. Did I mention that we were all women? And that there were 29 of us? Let’s just say, that a photoshoot of that scale and with women of that calibre, was beyond impressive. Seriously, just look at the photos!

Left to right: Jessica Scalera, Connie De Luca, Heidi Hollinger, Jennifer Campbell, Meryem Saci, Vanessa Grimaldi, Raquela Cheesmond, Daniela Ferreira, Monique Weston, Antoinette Di Carlo, Maria Gesualdi, Mandy Wolfe, Steffany G, Rebecca Wolfe.

Why would twenty-nine extremely talented and very busy women show up on a Sunday to a photoshoot, in a gown, high heels and full make-up? Because we all had one thing in common, our girlfriend, Monique and she asked us to be there. So, we showed up. Because, when Monique says she’s doing something cool to honour the women that have made an impact on her life since she moved to Montreal, you show up. Or, you miss out on an incredible opportunity.

Left to right: Katherine Karambelas, Faith Karambelas, Gerardine Jeune, Nektaria Karambelas, Anna Galchenyuk, Josie Weitzenbauer, Sonia Zarbatany, Natasha Gargiulo, Kimberly Lallouz, Lolitta Dandoy, Priscila Stuart, Carrie MacPherson, Tuti Do.

Now, when I say an incredible opportunity, I don’t just mean the fact that we all got to look gorgeous in a glam photo, taken by a sought-after photographer. I mean, we had the opportunity to meet and hang out with like-minded, powerful women who know how to hustle and how to do it with heart. Some of us had met before, but this was a completely different context. Here we were, celebrating who we are, what we’ve become and sharing it all with other women of great brilliance and ability. You could feel the energy of 29 creative souls spinning around that photo studio. It was exciting and afterward, we all left on a high. That would have been plenty, our hearts were full, but then we saw the photos!

I’m not saying that you need to run out and book a photo session with the women who inspire you, but I would encourage you to organize a lunch or an after-work gal get-together to share, support, encourage, inspire and congratulate each other. We don’t do it nearly enough and to Monique, I’d like to say, a big “Thank you,” from the bottom of my heart. You make the world a magical place, every. single. day.

Monique is also a talented photographer and you can check out her work here.