February 16, 2025 • 26 mins
Ever wondered what really goes on behind the scenes before a model steps in front of the camera? It’s not all glam and effortless poses—there’s a whole strategy behind it. I’m pulling back the curtain to share the real, game-changing prep work that has completely transformed my shoots and auditions. From research and practice to skincare and grooming, these little details make all the difference in showing up as your best, most confident self.
One of my biggest glow-up moments? The model workshop—a next-level experience with industry pros like Anthony, Evan, and Arturo. This was where it clicked for me: literally... 📸 Game-changer.
Working with the insanely talented artistic director Evan Crothers, who taught me how tiny styling tweaks can shift everything. (Spoiler: The smallest details can take a look from "meh" to editorial-worthy in seconds.)
Oh, and let’s talk about that moment when I was the first model called up to showcase my skills—styled in a bold denim-on-denim look! What happened next? Let’s just say it was a moment I won’t forget. The feedback, the energy, the lesson I walked away with… you’ll have to listen to find out.
Also as promised, check out:
Anthony Grassetti (My amazingly talented photographer)
Evan Crothers (The artistic director/stylist of the model workshop)
Arturo Draper (My favorite makeup artist)
Beauty Saint Aesthetics (The only person I trust with my skincare)
✨ 2025✨ is about to be huge, and I want you to be part of this journey. Let’s glow up together.
🎭 Follow My Journey: Stay connected and get behind-the-scenes insights!
📸 Instagram: @megsalisburyofficial
🎬 TikTok: @megsalisburyofficial
Subscribe, leave a review, and share this with your fellow dreamers—we’re all in this for the long game!
Let’s glow up together—because your breakthrough moment might be closer than you think.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Hey there and welcome to the glow up year.
I'm Meg, an actress and a model, and your go-to guide for what
it really takes to turn your bigdreams into a reality.
After years in theentertainment industry on camera
, behind the scenes andeverywhere in between I am fully
embracing my glow-up era.
(00:33):
This podcast is your front rowseat to the journey as I hustle,
learn and level up in real time, from auditions and photo
shoots to script breakdowns andbehind the scenes chaos.
We're diving into the highs,the lows and the everything in
between.
If you're ready to fuel yourpassions, take some bold steps
(00:57):
and see if you have what ittakes to make it in this
industry.
You're in the right place.
So grab a coffee or a tea, getcomfy and let's glow up together
.
Hey, y'all, what's going on?
I am so excited to give you anupdate on the model workshop
today.
I went, y'all I went.
(01:19):
But before we get to it, Ifigured that maybe it's helpful
if I tell you how I actuallyprep for photo shoots and for
opportunities like this and whenI go on set.
I thought that might be auseful thing for you guys to
know as you're glowing up thisyear as well.
So before we get to theexciting update on the model
workshop.
(01:40):
Let's talk about prepping for aphoto shoot or an audition or
whatever it may be.
Okay, step one.
And I'm just going to reallyI'm going to touch on this
really quickly because I coulddedicate a whole episode to this
and I probably will in thefuture.
But it is to research and dothe practice.
And now for this particularshoot at the model workshop, the
(02:00):
shoot was for me, it wasn'tnecessarily for any sort of
company or brand, so therewasn't much research to do on
this particular shoot at themodel workshop.
The shoot was for me, it wasn'tnecessarily for any sort of
company or brand, so therewasn't much research to do on
this particular job.
But I will record a wholenother episode where I go
through how I research for jobs,for photo shoots and for acting
gigs before I actually go onset and perform so that the
person that I'm performing for,the person, the brand I'm
(02:23):
representing, gets the best outof me.
But we'll talk about that later.
We'll talk about research andpractice.
But next is about four daysbefore.
But for this particular shoot Idid seven and I'll tell you why
.
But four days before I shoot Iusually get a facial, especially
for modeling gigs, and this isnot something that I would do
(02:43):
before every audition, no way.
But before I have an actual jobthat is booked, that's paying
me, I get a facial and I didseven days before this shoot, in
particular because I had somuch like cloggage and like that
sounds gross.
I had so many like pores thatwere clogged and I needed to do
(03:03):
some acne extractions and so Iwanted to give my face a couple
extra days to heal.
Because I am a highly reactivegirly, my face gets really red
really quickly, and so I wantedto give my skin some time to
like, prep and even back out andget back into a new rhythm.
Before I actually went and didthe model workshop, I go to St
(03:29):
Beauty Aesthetics, which is inLewiston, maine.
If you are a local actor orcreative or artist, I go to
Michelle there.
She takes great care of me.
I love going and getting afacial.
It feels like so ah, just likespecial to not.
It feels it's not just aboutthe career when it comes to
(03:51):
getting some sort of pamperinglike that.
There's also this underlyinglike layer of I'm worth it with
going and getting a facial likeI'm worth it and I'm ready for
this shoot and I'm treatingmyself right before I go to my
shoot.
So there's like this underlayer of that as well, which is
like a beautiful little perk.
But I also want to get my skinprepped and ready so that when
(04:12):
the camera shoots me it looksbeautiful and there's less
retouching that the photographermight have to do.
I honestly learned theimportance of getting a facial
when I started editing my ownphotos of myself and I realized,
holy crap, I'm covering up somuch acne.
Another thing girlies, makesure, if you get your eyebrows
waxed, you prep your eyebrowsand make them look beautiful,
(04:33):
because it sucks to retouch, itsucks.
It sucks so much and it takesso much time.
So make sure you are like,prepped and ready to go in the
best way to make yourphotographer happy.
Seriously, they won't.
They will just be so happy withyou but they won't know because
you didn't not prep.
But seriously, just do it, justdo it.
(04:55):
You're doing them a huge favorby prepping those things for
them.
So the first thing I do is I goand get that facial and then
for this particular shoot andthis does happen on auditions
and jobs that you book too.
So I think this is an importantthing to touch is I was going
back and forth with the artisticdirector of this shoot, which
(05:17):
was so exciting.
His name's Evan Crothers and hehelped me really craft this
style guide out of what I had inmy closet already and then gave
me some inspiration to go outand shop so that I could find
some great assets for mywardrobe and personal styling
anyways.
So I went out and I purchasedsome options, as well as
(05:38):
bringing what I had in my closetand working with Evan.
Let me tell you, this was sofrigging cool because I'm not a
personal stylist.
This is something I wouldactually like to get better at
is like styling myself.
But just seeing the way he madelittle like critiques to
outfits to change them up wascrazy.
Like even just rolling up asleeve, a specific way that can
(05:59):
change the look so drasticallyin the camera view and in the
lens.
So it was so cool to like watchhim style people and just move
a garment around a little bit ormatch things together that I
wouldn't normally have puttogether, but they look
fantastic.
So I guess the second part ofmy prepping here was navigating
(06:20):
what the wardrobe was going tobe like for this particular
shoot and coming prepared withall of the options so that we
could create three really greatoptions there on set.
The next thing I do to prep fora photo shoot is the night
before I pack all my stuff sothat the morning of is not
(06:40):
hectic and I'm not runningaround the house crazy and I
don't forget anything.
So the night before I'll justgo like quickly go through all
the bags I packed, because Iprobably look like a crazy lady
when I walk into set.
But this girl, this girl is ahundred percent prepared for
every situation, everything thatmight happen.
So if we have an emergency, wehave all the stuff we need right
(07:03):
there.
We don't have to fret, we don'thave to be stressed.
If it was a job, this wasn'tparticularly a job, so I didn't
actually pack this, but if itwas a job, I would be packing my
voucher for my agency orwhatever that employer needed to
sign.
That is like the first andforemost, the first thing.
I pack normally, but in thisparticular instance, for the
model workshop, I didn't needthis.
(07:24):
And then pack normally, butthis in this particular instance
, for the model workshop, Ididn't need this.
And then next is I bring my setbag and I, honestly, will
probably do a whole episode onthis my set bag too because
there's so much useful shit init, but to like make it quick
and easy.
What it has in it is makeup.
It has hair supplies, a steamer, if I needed it, a toothbrush,
(07:45):
deodorant, like all the thingsthat I might possibly need in an
emergency.
Quote.
Unquote onset.
Then I also pack like mypersonal bag that has like my
planner and my laptop and mybottle of water and like
chapstick and normal to gothings that would go into my
purse.
I have like a giant set pursethat comes around with me that
(08:08):
has all those like normalnecessities my keys, my wallet,
that type of stuff.
And then, because I have a tonof dietary restrictions, I bring
my lunch and my food everywhere.
I like don't eat out anymorebecause I don't want to risk
having some sort of reaction tothe food.
I've had so many reactions tothings I didn't expect and so
(08:31):
I'm at a point in my life whereI just pretty much pack
everything 24-7 and it soundsreally boring and it is really
boring, but I am always takencare of and I don't like putting
myself in a situation where I'mlike hungry and there's no food
options around, and so I alwayslike over pack what I need for
food for the day to make surethat I'm covered and I don't.
(08:53):
I'm not in a situation where Ifeel like desperate for
something to eat.
That might cause me to have areaction, especially when I'm
going to a job and my reactionsare so physical I get hives and
I get my eyes will swell up andstuff like that, and so if I
were to have a reaction tosomething on set because I was
(09:13):
starving, it could drasticallychange the day and I could end
up at the end of the day firedbecause I've had like my eyes
are swelling up and they're notgoing to take pictures of me
with my eyes swollen.
So, yeah, this is just an addedlevel of protection for myself
that I've deemed important to me.
(09:34):
Oh, I don't think I talked aboutwardrobe.
I also pack my wardrobe and myshoes and, most importantly, the
undergarments I'm going to wear.
I usually wear a separate pairof undergarments wink wink to
the job and then I will changeinto my designated nude colored
(09:55):
that's, specific nude coloredundergarments when I get to the
job, just so I'm always likefeeling fresh.
And then the last thing I dothe night before is I check my
travel distances and I see howlong it's going to take me to
get there, so that I know whenI'm getting up in the morning
(10:15):
how much time I have and when isthe last minute that I have to
leave.
And then, just like personally,I usually add 30 extra minutes
to that travel time because Idon't care if I'm early, but I
hate feeling late.
I just don't like it.
It feels uncomfortable.
I think it brings weird vibesto you, crazier drivers, like
(10:36):
red traffic lights.
So I just always plan to be 30minutes ahead, but I don't go in
30 minutes ahead.
Let me be clear If I arrive 30minutes ahead, I sit in my car
and I arrive 5 to 10 minutesearly to the place.
You don't have to go in 30minutes before.
(10:58):
I guess this is actually thelast most important thing that I
do the night before, and thatis get a good night's sleep.
I make sure that I get plentyof sleep because I want to wake
up and be excited to take onthat day, that next day where I
have that photo shoot or thatfun thing that I planned.
I want to be like excited andprepped and feeling good and
(11:18):
feeling open and excited for theday.
So I always plan to get areally good night's sleep that
night.
This is my prep for the morning.
We'll go through it reallyquick.
So in the morning obviously ashower you always want to be go
to set feeling fresh and likecomfortable and not dirty or
oily, and so I shower and then Iusually blow dry my hair in the
(11:40):
morning, depending on the job,whether they've told me to come
natural with natural hair or notnatural hair.
If they haven't, if theyhaven't told me specifically to
come with natural hair, I'mgonna blow dry it and I'm not
ever coming to set with wet haireither.
It's just an added step thatthe makeup artist might have to
take care of and we don't wantto add steps to them.
(12:01):
And then I also do like a quick.
When I'm doing my skincareafter the shower and I'm putting
on my like moisturizer andstuff, I do a really quick like
lymphatic massage of my face toget all the extra liquid out of
my face.
I actually do this every daybecause if I skip a day I
actually really feel it in myface.
I know that sounds weird andthat's off topic and so weird.
(12:22):
But, yeah, I just like itstarts to give me a headache and
I can feel that I need to getsome moisture out of my face.
Okay, that's all my prep.
That's my prep for a photoshoot.
That's what I do the nightbefore a photo shoot to get me
to the next day.
Yeah, that was a theme song,just for you.
Uh, so we're at that pointwhere we're gonna talk about the
(12:46):
model workshop, the modelworkshop.
Okay, I'm so excited.
I can't wait to share all thiswith you.
It's ah, guys, guys, guys, itwent so well.
Okay, so I'm gonna just startfrom the beginning and I'll go
all the way to the end andyou'll stay with me, or you
won't, and if you don't, that'sfine, but if you do, that's
(13:06):
great too.
Okay, so I got there half hourearly, yeah, but I didn't go up
until five minutes after, whichis great.
I was the first one there, so Igot to get introduced to
Anthony and who I'd already met,but Anthony and Evan and Arturo
did the makeup, but he came alittle bit later and so I showed
(13:28):
up first, and so he started toget go through my wardrobe and
prep for the day, because themorning was gonna be all like
information based and then theafternoon was gonna be us going
through three different looks inlike round robin style, and of
the 10 of us, everybody gets todo their first set of photo and
then everybody else gets theirfirst set of photo like round
robin style.
(13:48):
You know what I mean.
Whatever, I don't need toexplain that.
And so we got three differentlooks and our first look is for
our digital and our other twolooks are just like a not a
fashion look but like alifestyle look, and so the
information portion was superinformative, like very beginner
friendly.
(14:08):
I learned a ton of things thatI didn't know.
They also gave me localinformation for agencies that
they would recommend or notrecommend.
We learned so many, so muchcool information.
It was so informative.
They had scheduled a model tocome into our class and do a
(14:28):
model demonstration.
Just in my practice formodeling myself, what I've been
doing is practicing posing andhow you move in practice.
So I was super stoked to likeget to see a live model
demonstration and see just howthis model moved, because I've
always felt like a little bit ofdisconnect with my movement,
like I can find a pose, but thenhow do I transition to the next
(14:50):
pose and transition to the nextpose, like without looking
crazy?
This model demonstration was socool and I learned actually a
lot about the information theyhad already presented in like
watching the application of it.
Evan, the artistic director,gave our demonstration model
(15:11):
different feedback and you couldsee how, as he directed her,
she would shift, how she wasposing and what the mood was of
the posing.
So it was really cool to watchher go through a set of digitals
and also to do some lifestylebeats.
It was, and watching her movewas like so fluid and confident
(15:32):
and just I don't, I don't knowit just so like professional and
like clear.
And I was literally watchingthis girl and I was going I'm
just gonna, when it's my turn togo up there, whenever that is,
I'm just gonna go up there anddo exactly what she did.
I'm going to shift the weight,I'm going to move the hand.
Occasionally, I'm going to goup there and, big smiles,
(15:53):
confident, I got this.
I am just like I can do whatshe's doing.
I know I can, I know I can and,oh, sorry, let's pause here for
a second too.
I want to tell you about thismindset shift I had last year.
So I decided last year thatwhen I go to a job that I booked
, everyone there is rooting forme and I'll maybe I'll talk
(16:16):
about this a little bit more inanother episode too, about that
particular experience.
But I have decided in over thelast six months that when I go
to a job that I'm booked to, thepeople that booked me, want me
there, are excited to see mework and are rooting and
cheering me on the entire timeand it really does like change
your mindset when you are put onthe spot in front of a ton of
(16:38):
people and, yeah, I'll talkabout this, the whole story, in
another episode, because it'sworth another episode.
Wow, I'm just like coming upwith episodes off the top of my
head, like I have like threeepisodes planned right now,
sorry, well, um.
So I decided that when I wentup there, I was going to go up
there with confidence and I wasjust going to do the exact same
thing she did.
I was going to keep it fuckingsimple, stupid, and I was just
(17:01):
going to go up there and do theexact same fucking shit she did
and make it work and not beafraid to look foolish or silly
and make mistakes, and I paidfor this class.
So this is my time with theseprofessionals and I want to
leave here with a good mark, andso all of those things.
(17:22):
We are having lunch and the teamis deciding who, who, what
order we're going to go in, andof course, they picked your girl
first and I was like y'all, Idon't want to be braggy, but I
was.
When they picked me first, Iwas like I, I know I'm meant to
(17:44):
go first.
I know that I'm going to go upthere and I'm going to show
these girls how to do it, andthat sounds like really braggy
and not kind.
And that sounds like reallybraggy and not kind.
But that's the like level ofconfidence that I think we, as
actors and models and creatives,have to be at in order to help
the next generation.
(18:04):
Right, we have to have likethat confidence.
And so I was like I'm justgoing to go up there and I'm
going to kick ass and I'm goingto do what she did and I'm going
to make it happen and I'm first.
So I'm in an even morevulnerable place.
But you know what?
I'm gonna go up there and I'mgonna kick butt and I'm gonna
inspire all these other peopleto kick butt.
And so I got my hair make.
(18:26):
I'm like sitting in my makeupand Arturo's doing my makeup and
he always makes me look sobeautiful.
Y'all like I never want to takethe makeup off.
He always makes me feel sobeautiful.
But, arturo, he also did mymakeup for my headshots
originally and so he does all myhair and makeup.
I'm feeling like fine.
And then we go into our digitals, the first round of shooting,
(18:47):
and so the digitals areessentially like unretouched
photos that go to like an agentto show them exactly what you
look like.
So there's no like retouchinginvolved.
It's just a basic photo toshowcase what you physically
look like.
So we did our digitals andthose are different than like
lifestyle and movement and pose,so I didn't do any movement for
(19:10):
those.
That's a very specific size ofa frame and all of those things.
We did digitals and I wasfeeling good after my digitals,
like I, they looked, the photoslooked great from what I saw.
And then we go into round two,where we're starting to put our
outfits on.
I got styled in this denim ondenim look which yall.
(19:32):
I love denim.
I fucking love denim.
I was like this is a hot lookright now, like this is what I
should be, walking aroundfucking Walmart and looking cute
.
I was feeling myself in thisoutfit.
I felt like styled and likefashion-y, even though I was
just doing a lifestyle shoot,and so I got my denim on, denim
(19:55):
on like a cool girl andeverybody else has finished
their digital.
So I'm going up for my secondround.
I go up there, I got the chair.
I'm getting like my artisticdirection.
Anthony does the light testwith a camera, right.
And I'm like well, you don'twaste a light test.
You're going to take a photowith a light test and it might
be your best one, and I learnedthat from America's Next Top
(20:16):
Model, so I'm not wasting thelight test.
I'm like posing for the lighttest and he's like, great, and
then I can tell he's ready toget started.
And I just fucking killed it.
People.
I fucking killed it Like I justkept moving it and I was
feeling it.
And I was kept moving it and Iwas feeling it and I was
(20:36):
changing poses and I was lookinglike a fucking goddess and the
people there that were teachingthe class were like, wow, you're
killing it.
And they were like, okay, now,let's do this.
And they were like, wow, welove what you're doing.
And I just kept getting allthis fucking amazing feedback.
And also, as a side note, I hadrecruited another girl in the
class to do my social mediawhile I was there and I told her
(20:57):
I do hers, so she was likerecording all of this at the
same time, which is so coolbecause I actually got to like
replay and rehear the positive,like feedback.
I got back from them after thefact, like after I came down
from like the high I was gotlike almost a second high but
getting to like listen to thefeedback, the positive feedback
I was getting, and it was somuch fun and I felt like I was
(21:20):
just like in the right place atthe right time.
That intuition that had likebeen gnawing at me to purchase
this class was like see, bitch,I told you you needed this class
, this workshop, and so I wentup there.
I killed it in my denim.
On denim, I'm feeling likeproud of myself, I'm watching
other people, I'm cheeringpeople on, I was having so much
(21:42):
fun.
And then we get into our secondoutfit and there y'all and I
killed it again, again, like Idon't want to be tooting my horn
(22:02):
here, bragging too hard andlike turning you off from this
podcast, but I was so proud ofmyself and I think it's
important to celebratecelebrations I went up there and
kilted a second time and I wasso proud of myself, the photos
that I got to see before I leftI was like those look good,
(22:23):
those look good.
I can't wait to see all of them.
I left there like having feltlike I hit the trifecta.
I got good information.
I networked, improved myself tosome individuals in the
industry that were great, and Ialso got great digitals.
Like I knew it before I evengot them, I got great digitals.
Digitals and photos Sorry, bydigitals I just mean all of the
(22:47):
photos and so a week rollsaround and I get an email with
the gallery rolls around and Iget an email with the gallery
and y'all, y'all, the gallery.
(23:07):
The gallery was so good, thegallery was so good, the gallery
like I just three photos out oflike 90 or something like that,
and I couldn't do it.
I had to have, like I have amodel coach and I had to have my
model coach come in and help mepick photos.
(23:29):
And even then we struggled.
We made a list and narrowed itdown, and then made another list
off of that, narrowed down andthen narrowed that down and you
know what?
I ended up paying for a coupleextra photos because I had some
that I just loved that much.
So I can't wait to get thosedigitals y'all.
(23:50):
Once they're finally retouchedand they're beautiful, I can't
wait to send them to agencies.
I'm so excited and also, nextepisode, I'll tell you what my
plan is to do with thesedigitals, like how I'm going to
use them within my portfolio.
So come back for that for sure,because, because I want to show
you how you can use what youget in multiple ways.
(24:12):
The model workshop 100%recommendation.
Check the show notes down below.
I will link Anthony Grissetti'sinformation down there so that
if you want to book a photoshoot, you can book a photo
shoot.
He's local to Boston.
The model workshop experiencejust was one of the best
investments I've made in myselfin a long time.
(24:33):
One of the best investmentsI've made in myself and in my
career.
So check him out because,listen, you will not regret it.
So, to recap, my experience atthe model workshop was amazing.
It was so fucking amazing, itwas so fun.
(24:53):
It was well worth the money.
I got all of the things that Icame for and, more honestly, I
actually feel like aprofessional model now.
I have like way more confidencein my abilities and my posing
and all of that stuff.
So I'm just excited.
This year is going to be a greatyear.
I'm going to book so many year.
I'm going to book so many coolopportunities and I'm going to
(25:14):
learn so much.
It's just going to be thegreatest year yet 2025.
That's a wrap on this episodeof the glow up year.
This journey is just gettingstarted and I am so grateful to
have you along for the ride.
If you enjoyed today's episode,don't forget to subscribe,
(25:36):
leave a review and share it witha fellow dreamer, and be sure
to follow me on social media foreven more behind the scenes
moments, updates and inspiration.
Your glow up is always withinreach.
Just takes one bold step at atime.
Until next time, keep pushing,keep believing and let's make
big dreams happen.
Hey there and welcome to the glow up year.
I'm Meg, an actress and a model, and your go-to guide for what
it really takes to turn your bigdreams into a reality.
After years in theentertainment industry on camera
, behind the scenes andeverywhere in between I am fully
embracing my glow-up era.
(00:33):
This podcast is your front rowseat to the journey as I hustle,
learn and level up in real time, from auditions and photo
shoots to script breakdowns andbehind the scenes chaos.
We're diving into the highs,the lows and the everything in
between.
If you're ready to fuel yourpassions, take some bold steps
(00:57):
and see if you have what ittakes to make it in this
industry.
You're in the right place.
So grab a coffee or a tea, getcomfy and let's glow up together
.
Hey, y'all, what's going on?
I am so excited to give you anupdate on the model workshop
today.
I went, y'all I went.
(01:19):
But before we get to it, Ifigured that maybe it's helpful
if I tell you how I actuallyprep for photo shoots and for
opportunities like this and whenI go on set.
I thought that might be auseful thing for you guys to
know as you're glowing up thisyear as well.
So before we get to theexciting update on the model
workshop.
(01:40):
Let's talk about prepping for aphoto shoot or an audition or
whatever it may be.
Okay, step one.
And I'm just going to reallyI'm going to touch on this
really quickly because I coulddedicate a whole episode to this
and I probably will in thefuture.
But it is to research and dothe practice.
And now for this particularshoot at the model workshop, the
(02:00):
shoot was for me, it wasn'tnecessarily for any sort of
company or brand, so therewasn't much research to do on
this particular shoot at themodel workshop.
The shoot was for me, it wasn'tnecessarily for any sort of
company or brand, so therewasn't much research to do on
this particular job.
But I will record a wholenother episode where I go
through how I research for jobs,for photo shoots and for acting
gigs before I actually go onset and perform so that the
person that I'm performing for,the person, the brand I'm
(02:23):
representing, gets the best outof me.
But we'll talk about that later.
We'll talk about research andpractice.
But next is about four daysbefore.
But for this particular shoot Idid seven and I'll tell you why
.
But four days before I shoot Iusually get a facial, especially
for modeling gigs, and this isnot something that I would do
(02:43):
before every audition, no way.
But before I have an actual jobthat is booked, that's paying
me, I get a facial and I didseven days before this shoot, in
particular because I had somuch like cloggage and like that
sounds gross.
I had so many like pores thatwere clogged and I needed to do
(03:03):
some acne extractions and so Iwanted to give my face a couple
extra days to heal.
Because I am a highly reactivegirly, my face gets really red
really quickly, and so I wantedto give my skin some time to
like, prep and even back out andget back into a new rhythm.
Before I actually went and didthe model workshop, I go to St
(03:29):
Beauty Aesthetics, which is inLewiston, maine.
If you are a local actor orcreative or artist, I go to
Michelle there.
She takes great care of me.
I love going and getting afacial.
It feels like so ah, just likespecial to not.
It feels it's not just aboutthe career when it comes to
(03:51):
getting some sort of pamperinglike that.
There's also this underlyinglike layer of I'm worth it with
going and getting a facial likeI'm worth it and I'm ready for
this shoot and I'm treatingmyself right before I go to my
shoot.
So there's like this underlayer of that as well, which is
like a beautiful little perk.
But I also want to get my skinprepped and ready so that when
(04:12):
the camera shoots me it looksbeautiful and there's less
retouching that the photographermight have to do.
I honestly learned theimportance of getting a facial
when I started editing my ownphotos of myself and I realized,
holy crap, I'm covering up somuch acne.
Another thing girlies, makesure, if you get your eyebrows
waxed, you prep your eyebrowsand make them look beautiful,
(04:33):
because it sucks to retouch, itsucks.
It sucks so much and it takesso much time.
So make sure you are like,prepped and ready to go in the
best way to make yourphotographer happy.
Seriously, they won't.
They will just be so happy withyou but they won't know because
you didn't not prep.
But seriously, just do it, justdo it.
(04:55):
You're doing them a huge favorby prepping those things for
them.
So the first thing I do is I goand get that facial and then
for this particular shoot andthis does happen on auditions
and jobs that you book too.
So I think this is an importantthing to touch is I was going
back and forth with the artisticdirector of this shoot, which
(05:17):
was so exciting.
His name's Evan Crothers and hehelped me really craft this
style guide out of what I had inmy closet already and then gave
me some inspiration to go outand shop so that I could find
some great assets for mywardrobe and personal styling
anyways.
So I went out and I purchasedsome options, as well as
(05:38):
bringing what I had in my closetand working with Evan.
Let me tell you, this was sofrigging cool because I'm not a
personal stylist.
This is something I wouldactually like to get better at
is like styling myself.
But just seeing the way he madelittle like critiques to
outfits to change them up wascrazy.
Like even just rolling up asleeve, a specific way that can
(05:59):
change the look so drasticallyin the camera view and in the
lens.
So it was so cool to like watchhim style people and just move
a garment around a little bit ormatch things together that I
wouldn't normally have puttogether, but they look
fantastic.
So I guess the second part ofmy prepping here was navigating
(06:20):
what the wardrobe was going tobe like for this particular
shoot and coming prepared withall of the options so that we
could create three really greatoptions there on set.
The next thing I do to prep fora photo shoot is the night
before I pack all my stuff sothat the morning of is not
(06:40):
hectic and I'm not runningaround the house crazy and I
don't forget anything.
So the night before I'll justgo like quickly go through all
the bags I packed, because Iprobably look like a crazy lady
when I walk into set.
But this girl, this girl is ahundred percent prepared for
every situation, everything thatmight happen.
So if we have an emergency, wehave all the stuff we need right
(07:03):
there.
We don't have to fret, we don'thave to be stressed.
If it was a job, this wasn'tparticularly a job, so I didn't
actually pack this, but if itwas a job, I would be packing my
voucher for my agency orwhatever that employer needed to
sign.
That is like the first andforemost, the first thing.
I pack normally, but in thisparticular instance, for the
model workshop, I didn't needthis.
(07:24):
And then pack normally, butthis in this particular instance
, for the model workshop, Ididn't need this.
And then next is I bring my setbag and I, honestly, will
probably do a whole episode onthis my set bag too because
there's so much useful shit init, but to like make it quick
and easy.
What it has in it is makeup.
It has hair supplies, a steamer, if I needed it, a toothbrush,
(07:45):
deodorant, like all the thingsthat I might possibly need in an
emergency.
Quote.
Unquote onset.
Then I also pack like mypersonal bag that has like my
planner and my laptop and mybottle of water and like
chapstick and normal to gothings that would go into my
purse.
I have like a giant set pursethat comes around with me that
(08:08):
has all those like normalnecessities my keys, my wallet,
that type of stuff.
And then, because I have a tonof dietary restrictions, I bring
my lunch and my food everywhere.
I like don't eat out anymorebecause I don't want to risk
having some sort of reaction tothe food.
I've had so many reactions tothings I didn't expect and so
(08:31):
I'm at a point in my life whereI just pretty much pack
everything 24-7 and it soundsreally boring and it is really
boring, but I am always takencare of and I don't like putting
myself in a situation where I'mlike hungry and there's no food
options around, and so I alwayslike over pack what I need for
food for the day to make surethat I'm covered and I don't.
(08:53):
I'm not in a situation where Ifeel like desperate for
something to eat.
That might cause me to have areaction, especially when I'm
going to a job and my reactionsare so physical I get hives and
I get my eyes will swell up andstuff like that, and so if I
were to have a reaction tosomething on set because I was
(09:13):
starving, it could drasticallychange the day and I could end
up at the end of the day firedbecause I've had like my eyes
are swelling up and they're notgoing to take pictures of me
with my eyes swollen.
So, yeah, this is just an addedlevel of protection for myself
that I've deemed important to me.
(09:34):
Oh, I don't think I talked aboutwardrobe.
I also pack my wardrobe and myshoes and, most importantly, the
undergarments I'm going to wear.
I usually wear a separate pairof undergarments wink wink to
the job and then I will changeinto my designated nude colored
(09:55):
that's, specific nude coloredundergarments when I get to the
job, just so I'm always likefeeling fresh.
And then the last thing I dothe night before is I check my
travel distances and I see howlong it's going to take me to
get there, so that I know whenI'm getting up in the morning
(10:15):
how much time I have and when isthe last minute that I have to
leave.
And then, just like personally,I usually add 30 extra minutes
to that travel time because Idon't care if I'm early, but I
hate feeling late.
I just don't like it.
It feels uncomfortable.
I think it brings weird vibesto you, crazier drivers, like
(10:36):
red traffic lights.
So I just always plan to be 30minutes ahead, but I don't go in
30 minutes ahead.
Let me be clear If I arrive 30minutes ahead, I sit in my car
and I arrive 5 to 10 minutesearly to the place.
You don't have to go in 30minutes before.
(10:58):
I guess this is actually thelast most important thing that I
do the night before, and thatis get a good night's sleep.
I make sure that I get plentyof sleep because I want to wake
up and be excited to take onthat day, that next day where I
have that photo shoot or thatfun thing that I planned.
I want to be like excited andprepped and feeling good and
(11:18):
feeling open and excited for theday.
So I always plan to get areally good night's sleep that
night.
This is my prep for the morning.
We'll go through it reallyquick.
So in the morning obviously ashower you always want to be go
to set feeling fresh and likecomfortable and not dirty or
oily, and so I shower and then Iusually blow dry my hair in the
(11:40):
morning, depending on the job,whether they've told me to come
natural with natural hair or notnatural hair.
If they haven't, if theyhaven't told me specifically to
come with natural hair, I'mgonna blow dry it and I'm not
ever coming to set with wet haireither.
It's just an added step thatthe makeup artist might have to
take care of and we don't wantto add steps to them.
(12:01):
And then I also do like a quick.
When I'm doing my skincareafter the shower and I'm putting
on my like moisturizer andstuff, I do a really quick like
lymphatic massage of my face toget all the extra liquid out of
my face.
I actually do this every daybecause if I skip a day I
actually really feel it in myface.
I know that sounds weird andthat's off topic and so weird.
(12:22):
But, yeah, I just like itstarts to give me a headache and
I can feel that I need to getsome moisture out of my face.
Okay, that's all my prep.
That's my prep for a photoshoot.
That's what I do the nightbefore a photo shoot to get me
to the next day.
Yeah, that was a theme song,just for you.
Uh, so we're at that pointwhere we're gonna talk about the
(12:46):
model workshop, the modelworkshop.
Okay, I'm so excited.
I can't wait to share all thiswith you.
It's ah, guys, guys, guys, itwent so well.
Okay, so I'm gonna just startfrom the beginning and I'll go
all the way to the end andyou'll stay with me, or you
won't, and if you don't, that'sfine, but if you do, that's
(13:06):
great too.
Okay, so I got there half hourearly, yeah, but I didn't go up
until five minutes after, whichis great.
I was the first one there, so Igot to get introduced to
Anthony and who I'd already met,but Anthony and Evan and Arturo
did the makeup, but he came alittle bit later and so I showed
(13:28):
up first, and so he started toget go through my wardrobe and
prep for the day, because themorning was gonna be all like
information based and then theafternoon was gonna be us going
through three different looks inlike round robin style, and of
the 10 of us, everybody gets todo their first set of photo and
then everybody else gets theirfirst set of photo like round
robin style.
(13:48):
You know what I mean.
Whatever, I don't need toexplain that.
And so we got three differentlooks and our first look is for
our digital and our other twolooks are just like a not a
fashion look but like alifestyle look, and so the
information portion was superinformative, like very beginner
friendly.
(14:08):
I learned a ton of things thatI didn't know.
They also gave me localinformation for agencies that
they would recommend or notrecommend.
We learned so many, so muchcool information.
It was so informative.
They had scheduled a model tocome into our class and do a
(14:28):
model demonstration.
Just in my practice formodeling myself, what I've been
doing is practicing posing andhow you move in practice.
So I was super stoked to likeget to see a live model
demonstration and see just howthis model moved, because I've
always felt like a little bit ofdisconnect with my movement,
like I can find a pose, but thenhow do I transition to the next
(14:50):
pose and transition to the nextpose, like without looking
crazy?
This model demonstration was socool and I learned actually a
lot about the information theyhad already presented in like
watching the application of it.
Evan, the artistic director,gave our demonstration model
(15:11):
different feedback and you couldsee how, as he directed her,
she would shift, how she wasposing and what the mood was of
the posing.
So it was really cool to watchher go through a set of digitals
and also to do some lifestylebeats.
It was, and watching her movewas like so fluid and confident
(15:32):
and just I don't, I don't knowit just so like professional and
like clear.
And I was literally watchingthis girl and I was going I'm
just gonna, when it's my turn togo up there, whenever that is,
I'm just gonna go up there anddo exactly what she did.
I'm going to shift the weight,I'm going to move the hand.
Occasionally, I'm going to goup there and, big smiles,
(15:53):
confident, I got this.
I am just like I can do whatshe's doing.
I know I can, I know I can and,oh, sorry, let's pause here for
a second too.
I want to tell you about thismindset shift I had last year.
So I decided last year thatwhen I go to a job that I booked
, everyone there is rooting forme and I'll maybe I'll talk
(16:16):
about this a little bit more inanother episode too, about that
particular experience.
But I have decided in over thelast six months that when I go
to a job that I'm booked to, thepeople that booked me, want me
there, are excited to see mework and are rooting and
cheering me on the entire timeand it really does like change
your mindset when you are put onthe spot in front of a ton of
(16:38):
people and, yeah, I'll talkabout this, the whole story, in
another episode, because it'sworth another episode.
Wow, I'm just like coming upwith episodes off the top of my
head, like I have like threeepisodes planned right now,
sorry, well, um.
So I decided that when I wentup there, I was going to go up
there with confidence and I wasjust going to do the exact same
thing she did.
I was going to keep it fuckingsimple, stupid, and I was just
(17:01):
going to go up there and do theexact same fucking shit she did
and make it work and not beafraid to look foolish or silly
and make mistakes, and I paidfor this class.
So this is my time with theseprofessionals and I want to
leave here with a good mark, andso all of those things.
(17:22):
We are having lunch and the teamis deciding who, who, what
order we're going to go in, andof course, they picked your girl
first and I was like y'all, Idon't want to be braggy, but I
was.
When they picked me first, Iwas like I, I know I'm meant to
(17:44):
go first.
I know that I'm going to go upthere and I'm going to show
these girls how to do it, andthat sounds like really braggy
and not kind.
And that sounds like reallybraggy and not kind.
But that's the like level ofconfidence that I think we, as
actors and models and creatives,have to be at in order to help
the next generation.
(18:04):
Right, we have to have likethat confidence.
And so I was like I'm justgoing to go up there and I'm
going to kick ass and I'm goingto do what she did and I'm going
to make it happen and I'm first.
So I'm in an even morevulnerable place.
But you know what?
I'm gonna go up there and I'mgonna kick butt and I'm gonna
inspire all these other peopleto kick butt.
And so I got my hair make.
(18:26):
I'm like sitting in my makeupand Arturo's doing my makeup and
he always makes me look sobeautiful.
Y'all like I never want to takethe makeup off.
He always makes me feel sobeautiful.
But, arturo, he also did mymakeup for my headshots
originally and so he does all myhair and makeup.
I'm feeling like fine.
And then we go into our digitals, the first round of shooting,
(18:47):
and so the digitals areessentially like unretouched
photos that go to like an agentto show them exactly what you
look like.
So there's no like retouchinginvolved.
It's just a basic photo toshowcase what you physically
look like.
So we did our digitals andthose are different than like
lifestyle and movement and pose,so I didn't do any movement for
(19:10):
those.
That's a very specific size ofa frame and all of those things.
We did digitals and I wasfeeling good after my digitals,
like I, they looked, the photoslooked great from what I saw.
And then we go into round two,where we're starting to put our
outfits on.
I got styled in this denim ondenim look which yall.
(19:32):
I love denim.
I fucking love denim.
I was like this is a hot lookright now, like this is what I
should be, walking aroundfucking Walmart and looking cute
.
I was feeling myself in thisoutfit.
I felt like styled and likefashion-y, even though I was
just doing a lifestyle shoot,and so I got my denim on, denim
(19:55):
on like a cool girl andeverybody else has finished
their digital.
So I'm going up for my secondround.
I go up there, I got the chair.
I'm getting like my artisticdirection.
Anthony does the light testwith a camera, right.
And I'm like well, you don'twaste a light test.
You're going to take a photowith a light test and it might
be your best one, and I learnedthat from America's Next Top
(20:16):
Model, so I'm not wasting thelight test.
I'm like posing for the lighttest and he's like, great, and
then I can tell he's ready toget started.
And I just fucking killed it.
People.
I fucking killed it Like I justkept moving it and I was
feeling it.
And I was kept moving it and Iwas feeling it and I was
(20:36):
changing poses and I was lookinglike a fucking goddess and the
people there that were teachingthe class were like, wow, you're
killing it.
And they were like, okay, now,let's do this.
And they were like, wow, welove what you're doing.
And I just kept getting allthis fucking amazing feedback.
And also, as a side note, I hadrecruited another girl in the
class to do my social mediawhile I was there and I told her
(20:57):
I do hers, so she was likerecording all of this at the
same time, which is so coolbecause I actually got to like
replay and rehear the positive,like feedback.
I got back from them after thefact, like after I came down
from like the high I was gotlike almost a second high but
getting to like listen to thefeedback, the positive feedback
I was getting, and it was somuch fun and I felt like I was
(21:20):
just like in the right place atthe right time.
That intuition that had likebeen gnawing at me to purchase
this class was like see, bitch,I told you you needed this class
, this workshop, and so I wentup there.
I killed it in my denim.
On denim, I'm feeling likeproud of myself, I'm watching
other people, I'm cheeringpeople on, I was having so much
(21:42):
fun.
And then we get into our secondoutfit and there y'all and I
killed it again, again, like Idon't want to be tooting my horn
(22:02):
here, bragging too hard andlike turning you off from this
podcast, but I was so proud ofmyself and I think it's
important to celebratecelebrations I went up there and
kilted a second time and I wasso proud of myself, the photos
that I got to see before I leftI was like those look good,
(22:23):
those look good.
I can't wait to see all of them.
I left there like having feltlike I hit the trifecta.
I got good information.
I networked, improved myself tosome individuals in the
industry that were great, and Ialso got great digitals.
Like I knew it before I evengot them, I got great digitals.
Digitals and photos Sorry, bydigitals I just mean all of the
(22:47):
photos and so a week rollsaround and I get an email with
the gallery rolls around and Iget an email with the gallery
and y'all, y'all, the gallery.
(23:07):
The gallery was so good, thegallery was so good, the gallery
like I just three photos out oflike 90 or something like that,
and I couldn't do it.
I had to have, like I have amodel coach and I had to have my
model coach come in and help mepick photos.
(23:29):
And even then we struggled.
We made a list and narrowed itdown, and then made another list
off of that, narrowed down andthen narrowed that down and you
know what?
I ended up paying for a coupleextra photos because I had some
that I just loved that much.
So I can't wait to get thosedigitals y'all.
(23:50):
Once they're finally retouchedand they're beautiful, I can't
wait to send them to agencies.
I'm so excited and also, nextepisode, I'll tell you what my
plan is to do with thesedigitals, like how I'm going to
use them within my portfolio.
So come back for that for sure,because, because I want to show
you how you can use what youget in multiple ways.
(24:12):
The model workshop 100%recommendation.
Check the show notes down below.
I will link Anthony Grissetti'sinformation down there so that
if you want to book a photoshoot, you can book a photo
shoot.
He's local to Boston.
The model workshop experiencejust was one of the best
investments I've made in myselfin a long time.
(24:33):
One of the best investmentsI've made in myself and in my
career.
So check him out because,listen, you will not regret it.
So, to recap, my experience atthe model workshop was amazing.
It was so fucking amazing, itwas so fun.
(24:53):
It was well worth the money.
I got all of the things that Icame for and, more honestly, I
actually feel like aprofessional model now.
I have like way more confidencein my abilities and my posing
and all of that stuff.
So I'm just excited.
This year is going to be a greatyear.
I'm going to book so many year.
I'm going to book so many coolopportunities and I'm going to
(25:14):
learn so much.
It's just going to be thegreatest year yet 2025.
That's a wrap on this episodeof the glow up year.
This journey is just gettingstarted and I am so grateful to
have you along for the ride.
If you enjoyed today's episode,don't forget to subscribe,
(25:36):
leave a review and share it witha fellow dreamer, and be sure
to follow me on social media foreven more behind the scenes
moments, updates and inspiration.
Your glow up is always withinreach.
Just takes one bold step at atime.
Until next time, keep pushing,keep believing and let's make
big dreams happen.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Boysober
Have you ever wondered what life might be like if you stopped worrying about being wanted, and focused on understanding what you actually want? That was the question Hope Woodard asked herself after a string of situationships inspired her to take a break from sex and dating. She went "boysober," a personal concept that sparked a global movement among women looking to prioritize themselves over men. Now, Hope is looking to expand the ways we explore our relationship to relationships. Taking a bold, unfiltered look into modern love, romance, and self-discovery, Boysober will dive into messy stories about dating, sex, love, friendship, and breaking generational patterns—all with humor, vulnerability, and a fresh perspective.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com