Sexy is not a size—it's a vibe.

Come and listen to our Host, Candace Gish, as she chats with today's guest, Liz Hansen, for our "Boss Babe Summer: Leveling Up in Life & Career" Podcast Series.
 Mix motivation, business tips, and interviews with female entrepreneurs on how to use summer energy to plan ahead, reflect, or pivot. 

Liz Hansen is the owner and photographer at Chicago Boudoir Photography, a boutique studio that empowers women to feel confident in their bodies, relationships and lives. Liz opened her commercial studio in 2018 and has since photographed more than 2,000 women. She has been featured on the TEDx stage, on National Public Radio and with the Association of International Boudoir Photographers. Liz holds a BA in Art and an MA in Education. She lives in the Chicago area with her husband and two teenage daughters.

Discover the transformative power of self-love through the lens of boudoir photography with Liz Hansen of Chicago Boudoir Photography Studio. What began as a personal gift for her husband evolved into a mission to help women see themselves differently—stronger, more beautiful, and worthy of celebration exactly as they are.

Liz reveals how women from all walks of life step into her studio for vastly different reasons. Some celebrate joyful milestones like weddings or birthdays, while others seek to reclaim their confidence after divorce, leaving abusive relationships, or facing health crises like breast cancer. Whatever brings them in, the transformation goes far beyond beautiful photos. "Every woman deserves to be celebrated at every point along her journey," Liz explains, dismantling the myth that you need to look a certain way to deserve this experience. Her powerful mantra—"Sexy is not a size, sexy is a vibe"—challenges the damaging narratives many women carry about their bodies.

The conversation shifts to valuable business wisdom as Liz shares how specializing exclusively in boudoir photography, rather than trying to be everything to everyone, allowed her to perfect her craft and create truly exceptional experiences. For aspiring entrepreneurs, her advice cuts through perfectionism paralysis: "Start before you feel ready...trying to do things perfectly is the enemy of trying to get things done." This refreshing approach reminds us that progress beats perfection every time.

At its heart, this episode illuminates how self-care isn't selfish—it's essential. As women, we're often conditioned to put everyone else first, depleting ourselves in the process. Through boudoir photography, Liz offers a radical act of self-nurturing that ripples outward: "If we have love for ourselves and confidence for ourselves, if we're comfortable in our own skin, then that's when we can go out and serve others and bring love out into the world." Ready to see yourself through new eyes? Listen now and reimagine what's possible when you embrace your authentic beauty.

Website:

https://chicago-boudoir.com/

Social Media links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chicagoboudoir

VIP Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/VIPChicago 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chicago.boudoir/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chicagoboudoir

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liz-hansen-9aab35173/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChicagoBoudoirPhotography

TEDx talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9bkhCXpmIE

For more Divas That Care Network Episodes visit www.divasthatcare.com

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's Divas that Care Radio Stories, strategies and
ideas to inspire positive change.
Welcome to Divas that Care, anetwork of women committed to
making our world a better placefor everyone.
This is a global movement forwomen, by women engaged in a
collaborative effort to create abetter world for future
generations.
To find out more about themovement, visit divasthatcarecom

(00:25):
.
After the show.
Right now, though, stay tunedfor another jolt of inspiration.

Speaker 2 (00:32):
Well, hello everyone and welcome back to the Divas
that Care.
My name is Candice Gish.
I'm so excited that each andevery one of you has joined us
today.
I have a very special thingthat we are doing.
This summer.
We're going to be doing apodcasting series with a few of
the other hosts on the Divas atCare Network, and this podcast
series is called Boss BabeSummer leveling up in your life

(00:54):
and career.
And, oh my goodness, guys, I amso excited.
We have so many amazing womenthat are being a part of this
amazing podcast series, andtoday I have the pleasure of
interviewing Liz Hansen, and,guys, you're going to love what
she has to say today.
This is going to be absolutelyfantastic.
So, liz, welcome to the Divasthat.

Speaker 3 (01:13):
Care.
Hey, Candice, thanks so muchfor having me.
I'm really excited to be here.

Speaker 2 (01:18):
Oh my gosh, I am so excited to be chatting with you
today.
Liz, Would you mind telling usa little bit about yourself?

Speaker 3 (01:25):
So I run the Chicago Boudoir Photography Studio.
If you've never heard the wordboudoir, it's just a fancy
French word that means a woman'sbedroom.
And what I do at my boudoirphotography studio is I have a
commercial space, a photo studio, set up just so that women can

(01:47):
come and take sensual, sexyphotos of themselves, to feel
confident, empowered and tocelebrate their bodies, their
relationships and their lives.

Speaker 2 (01:58):
Oh my gosh, I love that.
How did you get into that?

Speaker 3 (02:03):
Well, you know, I started out as a photographer
doing weddings and events andtaking pictures of babies, and
then I did a boudoir photo shootfor myself, as a gift to my
husband, and it was atransformative experience.
I stepped out of that photoshoot feeling like I wanted to
show up in my life in bigger andbetter ways and I wanted to

(02:24):
share that experience with otherwomen.
I wanted every woman to havethis experience.
So I opened up my own boudoirboutique and I've been running
that full time, doing boudoirfull time for the last seven
years.

Speaker 2 (02:37):
Oh, my goodness, I love that.
You know, I've had theopportunity to talk to a lot of
women that have had thatexperience and they always say
what an uplifting feeling justbeing able to have somebody like
yourself talk them through it.
But they had confidenceafterwards.
You know that feeling ofself-love, and so tell me a

(02:58):
little bit about that, becausesome of our listeners might not
really understand the wholeconcept of a boudoir and why a
woman would want to do somethinglike this.

Speaker 3 (03:09):
Yeah, women book a boudoir photo shoot for a lot of
different reasons.
So sometimes women come intoour studio because they are
celebrating something happy.
Maybe they are getting marriedto the love of their life, maybe
they are having a baby, maybethey are celebrating their 30th
birthday, their 40th birthday,and they just want to capture

(03:30):
that happy moment by takingbeautiful photos of themselves.
But then we also have women whocome in when they're under more
challenging circumstances.
So maybe they got divorced,maybe they left an abusive
relationship, maybe they've beendiagnosed with breast cancer
and maybe they want to reclaimtheir power, maybe they want to

(03:52):
feel beautiful again, and sothey come into the studio
looking for something different.
Every woman who comes in thestudio has a different reason
for being there, and yet everywoman deserves to be celebrated
at every point along her journey, isn't?

Speaker 2 (04:08):
that extraordinary.
Why do you think it's reallyimportant to have photos like
this extraordinary?

Speaker 3 (04:13):
Why do you think it's really important to have photos
like this?
So I believe that a boudoirphoto shoot is an opportunity to
step outside of your comfortzone, to do something that may
be new and different and toexpress yourself and to really
appreciate who you are in yourjourney.
So maybe you don't use thesepictures on LinkedIn probably
not right, because they're goingto be sensual, sexy photos of

(04:34):
you in lingerie but maybe theexperience of stepping in front
of the camera and really puttingyourself out there, maybe that
helps you tap into something,maybe that helps you realize
your inner power and your innerbeauty, and that's the power and
the empowerment and theconfidence building that I hope
to give every woman who stepsinto my studio.

Speaker 2 (04:56):
I think you are, I think that this is exactly, and
you are in Chicago.
So if another photographer iswatching this podcast, what kind
of tips could you perhaps givethem, what kind of suggestions
if they're wanting to dosomething like this in their
area?

Speaker 3 (05:14):
of suggestions if they're wanting to do something
like this in their area.
So I think boudoir is a really,really fun niche to get into.
So if you're a photographer andyou're trying to do all of the
things, you're trying to be awedding photographer and you're
trying to take pictures ofbabies and pets and families and
bar mitzvahs and corporateheadshots, it can be hard to be
really good at all of thedifferent genres.
So I love being really niche,really specific.

(05:37):
I only take boudoir photos inmy studio and that way I can be
really really good at what I do.
I can offer a reallyexceptional service to my
boudoir clients.
So I think that is I think fora lot of people.
That's good advice in businessDon't try to serve everyone Not
everyone is your client but getreally good at serving the

(05:59):
people who want exactly what youhave to offer.

Speaker 2 (06:03):
You know what?
I'll be honest with you, liz,that's probably one of the best
tips I think I've heard fromsomebody to say.
I think, as women too, we thinkwe need to do it all, we need
to be a jack of all trades andwe don't necessarily specialize
into one specific route.
I think it's because we'rescared.
We're scared that that may notwork out and what happens next.

(06:25):
So maybe share with us a littlebit about your experience and
how this maybe changed your life.

Speaker 3 (06:32):
Yeah, I mean, I absolutely agree with what you
said.
You can be scared to specializebecause then that means you
will be turning away somebusiness, right?
So if someone calls me and theywant headshots or a wedding, I
have to say, oh, I don't offerthat, I only offer boudoir,
right.
And so that can be scary to sayno or to turn away business,
because sometimes when you'refirst starting a business, you

(06:52):
want everyone to buy somethingfrom you.
You want to be there foreverybody.
But actually by specializingyou can better serve the people
who really want to work with you.
So I have just really enjoyedbecoming a specialist.
I have a system at my studiothat works really well.
Every single client who comesin.
They get their hair and makeupdone, get a photo shoot, and

(07:15):
then I do something kind of cool, which is I do a same day photo
reveal so you get to see yourphotos right then and there
while you're still at the studio.
The instant gratification isreally fun, and also I love
women to see how beautiful theyare without a filter and without
Photoshop.
So by specializing I've beenable to develop, you know, a

(07:35):
really, really fun, empoweringopportunity for every woman who
steps into my studio.

Speaker 2 (07:42):
With the Divas I Carry.
You know, one of the things Ireally want is people to be
happy, to be happy withthemselves, because if they're
happy with themselves, they'regoing to be happy within their
families, their friends, and Ithink that you are that
trendsetter, that person that'sgoing to help these women.

Speaker 3 (07:57):
I agree.
I think if we have love forourselves and confidence for
ourselves, if we're comfortablein our own skin, then that's
when we can go out and serveothers and bring love out into
the world.
It's really hard to love othersand to serve others when we are
full of self-doubt andself-hate.
Here, starting within, startingwith some love, some self-care,

(08:23):
can allow us to go out into theworld and serve others.
So it's not just a photo shoot.
In my mind it's also anopportunity to grow personally,
to appreciate yourself, to havesome self-love.
You know, as women we're oftensocialized to believe that we
don't have needs or that weshouldn't meet our needs.
Our needs come last.
We're always giving to otherpeople.
We're giving to our families,to our spouses, to our kids, to

(08:45):
our employers, to our customers,to our clients, and sometimes
we don't stop and realize weneed to fill our own cup as well
.

Speaker 2 (08:53):
Oh, I love that.
So will you just explain to methe process?
How does a person get ready forthis?
Because that's the part I'mreally interested in.
Is there like there's a certainstep by step in the beginning
and then a step afterwards?

Speaker 3 (09:07):
Most women have a lot of questions before they decide
to do a boudoir photo shoot,and at our studio, everything
starts with a phone call.
So we have a planning phonecall where we hear about what
you want your pictures to looklike, what kind of outfits do
you want, what goals do you havefor your photo shoot.
So every photo shoot iscustomized to you.
So it starts with that phonecall and then, on the day of

(09:30):
your photo shoot, you're goingto come to our studio with clean
, dry hair and no makeup on andwe are just going to take care
of you from start to finish.
You don't have to know whatyou're doing.
You don't have to practice infront of a mirror.
We have a beauty team that isgoing to get you camera ready
with airbrush, makeup, lashes,hairstyling.
We're going to style you withwardrobe.
We're going to tell you exactlywhat to do and how to pose.

(09:51):
So, basically, just show up andwe'll take it from there.

Speaker 2 (09:56):
Oh my gosh, it sounds like so much fun and what a
wonderful day to pamper yourself.
I think that's what it is.
It sounds like you're reallypampering these women and making
them feel wonderful.

Speaker 3 (10:07):
Yes, you're the queen for the day, and I believe that
every woman should have thisexperience at least once in
their lives, where they get toreally be seen, be documented,
be photographed and be honoredfor their journey.

Speaker 2 (10:21):
Oh wow, liz.
This has been wonderful.
I love listening to you.
Liz, how can a person in theChicago area get ahold of you?

Speaker 3 (10:30):
You know, the best way is to go to my website,
which is chicagoboudoircomBoudoir is a little bit of a
tricky word to spell.
It's B-O-U-D-O-I-Rcom, and youknow, even if you're not in the
Chicago area, head to my website, because I've got a lot of free
resources for you there.
I've got a free ebook, a freeself care calendar, lots of

(10:50):
things like that that you candownload.

Speaker 2 (10:51):
I would just love to be in touch, so,
chicagoboudoircom oh, that'swonderful, and all is all of
your social media linked up toit also absolutely.

Speaker 3 (11:01):
Yep, yep, just go to the bottom and you can click to
my Instagram, my TikTok, myYouTube, all that.

Speaker 2 (11:05):
Liz.
One last thing Do you have anytips, tools for some of our
listeners today?

Speaker 3 (11:12):
So a couple of things .
First off, sexy is not a size.
Sexy is not a size.
Sexy is a vibe.
Size Sexy is not a size.
Sexy is a vibe, and what I meanby that is you do not have to
be a certain size or shape orheight or color or age to do a
boudoir photo shoot.
You are beautiful just as youare.
You don't have to lose weightto do a boudoir photo shoot.

(11:34):
You don't have to lookdifferent.
You are beautiful just as youare, and I would love for you to
come into the studio or into aboudoir photographer studio near
you and to just see that and toexperience that, because so
many of us walk around believingthese things about ourselves
that are just not true.
We think we're not enough,we're not pretty enough, we're

(11:54):
not thin enough, we're not youngenough, and I don't think
that's true.
I think just celebrating youjust as you are right now is
really, really powerful.
The other thing I would say is,if you are a business owner, I
started my business withoutreally knowing anything about
owning a business.
I really had to start from theground up, and my advice for

(12:16):
anyone who wants to run abusiness is to start before you
feel ready and to realize thattrying to do things perfectly is
the enemy of trying to getthings done.
So get things done.
You can always improve them andmake them more perfect later,
but just get something done.
Get a rough draft written.
Get a rough draft of yourwebsite on the internet.

(12:37):
Write out some emails, takesome photos.
You can always edit thingslater.
You can always edit thingslater.
You can always improve thingslater.
But you have to start oh, liz,that's fantastic.

Speaker 2 (12:48):
Thank you so much for being a part of our boss babe
summer podcast series.
I'm very excited that you tookthe time to chat with us today
and I really do hope that youcome back in the fall to be a
part of our next one.

Speaker 3 (13:00):
Well, thanks so much for having me, candace.
This was fall to be a part ofour next one.
Well, thanks so much for havingme, candice.
This was great, well, and toall of our listeners.

Speaker 2 (13:06):
Make sure that you check out all of the podcasts in
this series there's going to bea lot of tips here.
There's going to be a lot ofamazing women sharing fantastic
stories with all of you and alsomake sure you check out Liz's
social media.
So make sure you go and checkthat out and follow her.
Support her, just like you dowith all of our others.

(13:27):
Thank you again, Liz.
Thank you to all of our amazinghosts, our guests on this
series, and to all of ouramazing listeners.
You know we appreciate each andevery one of you.
Thank you for being a part ofthis for the last 15 years, and
a lot of you are all over theworld and we appreciate all of
you, so make sure that you dosomething kind today Until next
time, everyone.

Speaker 1 (13:47):
Thanks for listening.
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