This is not a glamour shoot, it was so intimate and catered to me — I felt like a queen for a day. Carmen spends time with you, goes through your closet, gets to know you and your mannerisms, and uses her artistic eye to draw that out of you. She has an intuitive approach that leaves you thinking, 'she got a glimpse of me.' It's the real you amidst your transformation and beauty.

I think sometimes it takes seeing yourself through someone else’s eyes to recognize something you haven’t quite been able to see yet. When I looked at those photographs, I didn’t see a woman whose life had fallen apart. I saw a woman beginning again. She looked strong and feminine and confident - and, maybe most importantly, like herself!

There is just something about Carmen that brings out the best of her subjects. She posed and directed me, yet made me feel like ME, not a mannequin. She was so in-tune with bringing out my own character in the photos, and when we had our viewing, I couldn’t help but see myself in a new, authentic, and confident light.