09/04/2026
Let’s talk about hockey.
I know, you’re like, “but wtf does that have to do with bo***ir, Allison?”
Actually, a lot. This is long but follow me here for story time…
I grew up in a football family, in a football town, and had a fast as hell running back of a brother. Hockey never even crossed my mind. Fun fact: I was a cheerleader. (Peep the comments, I’ll show ya, somedays I still don’t even believe it myself)
But then 9 years ago, I met my husband, was introduced to the Boston Bruins (&Brad Marchand, still not over him 😭) and the rest is history. I grew to learn and love hockey, as did our children.
Our son played floor hockey for 3 years before moving on to street and dek hockey. His next goal is to learn ice (so book sessions w/me please so I don’t have to sell a kidney😅).
He always had a fascination with goalies. We love watching Jeremy Swayman and Aerin Frankel together. Sure enough, his second street practice he hopped into the crease for a try and here we are.
Being a goalie mom, helping my child to learn the position, the lingo, the quirks, the struggles, the emotions, the mental game… has all somehow ran so similar to bo***ir photography for me.
Here’s what both goaltending & the journey of learning to love yourself have taught me and why they’re so similar:
When the world is taking shots at you, you’ve gotta take up space, stand tall, hold your own and keep it pushing. Some shots may make it by you, sure. Can’t stop them all. But you sure as hell can get up and try again on the next one.
Challenge your opponents. We’ve been working on confidence with Sully. When his opponent approaches, he needs to come out, get big and challenge his opponent. When you’re learning to love yourself and get comfortable in your skin, you’ve gotta get big and challenge the small minds that will try to attack you.
Take up space. Take up alllll the damn space. The more space you take up, the less chance your opponent has at scoring on you. The more space your presence takes up, the less others’ opinions have a chance at even remotely touching you.
Goaltending is a mind game. So is learning to love yourself. Shots scored on you can creep in, get the best of you and bring you down… if you let them. Negative self talk can creep in and send you spiraling… if you let it. The ones who win, are those who keep that next shot mentality— shake it off, stay unbothered and get ready for the next one.
Your experience is only as good as the people you surround yourself with. We’ve been fortunate to meet some really great people in the ball hockey community. It makes hard days better when you see the kids and adults that offer kind words and encouragement to your player. Likewise, when you surround yourself with supportive women and a positive community, learning to love yourself becomes much easier and enjoyable.
We’ve learned a lot so far. And we have a hell of a lot more to learn. But I couldn’t help but notice that I find myself recognizing so many similarities. Whether goaltending or learning to feel confident in your own skin, you have to keep learning and always try to love the ride with your head held high.
Offering bo***ir services and being a part of that learning journey for other women is seriously one of the biggest honors of my life outside of being a mom. Rest assured, if you’re looking to learn how to feel comfortable in your own skin, I got you.
