Held & Known

Held & Known Women’s Stories
beginnings • becoming • in-between

Part One:“It wasn’t until my 41st year of life that I became aware of the impact of an early childhood experience. That ...
04/27/2026

Part One:
“It wasn’t until my 41st year of life that I became aware of the impact of an early childhood experience.

That year, I had left a spiritually abusive relationship where I was dominated and controlled. ‘How did I end up in such a compromised position, God?’ I cried out.

And then He showed me the two bookends: the dominant female of my childhood where it began and the dominant female of my adulthood where it ended.

He showed me how from childhood on, in era after era of my life, I sought one who I looked to for validation of my being and direction of how to live.

I had spent my life disconnected from myself; abandoned in my relationship with me. Outwardly, I trudged on. Inwardly, I cowered.

And I knew, in order to heal this detrimental wound that had morphed into various addictions throughout my life, I had to revisit and forgive. In order to truly go forward I had to release young Tricia from her place of hiding.

I had to stop outsourcing my wounded soul to broken people and systems in hopes that they would fix me.

Instead, I searched inside and tapped into the power within me to connect to the power of God beyond me.

That’s when real healing began. He brought others to support but no one could restore my relationship to myself.

That was work only I and my Creator could accomplish.”

Tricia•44

04/25/2026

I got to photograph my grandma today and made a core memory at the same time.❤️

04/20/2026

started a garden for fun… ended up planning photo shoots around it

keep your eyes peeled—summer minis with homegrown bouquets and ethereal settings coming June/July/August

“In light of recent headlines-and in celebration of four weeks of Held and Known-I found myself with a seven-day break b...
04/19/2026

“In light of recent headlines-and in celebration of four weeks of Held and Known-I found myself with a seven-day break between sessions.
A forced pause that felt like a deep breath in. A moment of silence before continuing.
I chose to be the woman in front of the camera with a story to share.

Because while I’m building something rooted in softness and connection, the world outside is loud with reminders of how often women are objectified, silenced, and hurt.

We see it in headlines. In stories. In systems. In the ways power-whether political, religious, or cultural-has too often been used against women and children.

I don’t want to ignore it. Not in a performative, political way-but in a this is exactly why this matters kind of way.
Because the truth is-this work is changing me, too.

I’ve spent much of my life searching for my worth outside of myself—but something here is bringing me back in.

Not all at once. Not perfectly.
But through this—through you.

Through sitting with women in their stories.
Through witnessing honesty, softness, grief, joy, strength-all in the same breath.
Through watching women show up as they are, without apology.

It’s changing the way I see myself.

Because when the world shows you, over and over again, how women are reduced…
this space becomes resistance.

A quiet kind.
A powerful kind.

When the world tells you you’re more valuable when you’re small, I want to see you take up space.
When the world tells you to feel shame, I want you to imagine how many women would say “me too.”
When the world tells you to stay quiet, agreeable, and contained-I want you to feel what it’s like to rise.

In just four weeks, I have sat on the floor and cried with a woman.
I have danced by the river with a woman.
I have laughed in a graveyard with a woman.
I have stood in an open field at sunset, cheering on a woman.
I have held babies so mothers could breathe.
I have doted over a big, pregnant bellies.
I have looked into eyes carrying stories too heavy to hold alone.
And I am different because of it.

More confident.
More compassionate.
More grounded in who I am.

Not because I have it all figured out,
but because I am surrounded by women who are willing to be seen.

We are carrying so much.
We feel so heavy.
And still-we are the helpers,
the healers,
the nurturers,
the creators,
the mothers.

Held and Known was just a seed.
But like so many things in this world, it is women who have come alongside it-watering it, tending it, and breathing life into it.

Something beautiful is already breaking through the ground.

Four weeks in…and I cannot wait to see how she grows.”

Elizabeth•31

May is getting full. I just have two dates available in June. Keep it coming.

Leanne•33 You don’t have to have the words.You don’t have to share your story.You don’t have to be ready to open every d...
04/17/2026

Leanne•33

You don’t have to have the words.
You don’t have to share your story.
You don’t have to be ready to open every door.

You don’t have to come here with a reason, either.

No big milestone.
No perfect sunset.
No title you feel like you have to live up to.

Sometimes it’s just about standing in your space- in your coveralls, in front of your chicken coop, in the rain.
Letting that be enough.

Not every woman who steps in front of my camera wants to be vulnerable out loud.
And that’s okay.

You’re still worthy of being seen.

“I have found it extremely difficult to give a simple, straightforward account of my life. I’ve pushed so many memories ...
04/16/2026

“I have found it extremely difficult to give a simple, straightforward account of my life. I’ve pushed so many memories far out of my mind, and when I tried to map them out, there were so many holes. Even when I asked others for defining moments from my past, I was shocked by how much I couldn’t recall… and how much I didn’t want to revisit.

And now, here I am: an adult, a wife, a mother of five, living a completely different life than I once did… lost (most days), yet somehow completely “found” at the same time.

I am full of anxiety and anger, which have rooted a deep need for control, predictability, and security. I overthink everything, struggle to trust, and often live in emotional extremes—reactive, volatile, and unsure of my own feelings. I have spent much of my life feeling incompetent, dependent, insecure, and afraid that I will lose anything good placed in my hands.

Looking back, I can see how this took shape. I grew up in a loving, “whole” home, but everything shifted when I changed schools as a child. I was bullied, labeled “weird,” and quickly learned to adapt—becoming the very things I once hated just to survive and belong.

By my teenage years, I was chasing absolute chaos, falling into unhealthy relationships, rebellion, and a lifestyle that slowly eroded my self-worth. By adulthood, I was completely consumed by toxic relationships, searching for someone to fill what I had so deeply broken.

This ultimately led me into an abusive relationship that stripped me of everything—my identity, my relationships, and my will to live. I reached a point so low that I begged for death, convinced that this was all I deserved.

But then, one night, something shifted. In a moment I can’t fully explain, I realized I had no idea what I was doing there. And I left.

That night, I returned home, reconciled with my parents, and began the painful process of healing.

I didn’t have one dramatic moment of transformation, and I still haven’t “arrived.”

But I know this: God never left me.

Not in the abuse, not in the addiction, not in the denial. He was there through it all, patiently waiting for me to turn back.

I have wrestled, fallen away, and come back to Him more times than I can count. But I stand firm in knowing that His mercy carried me when I couldn’t carry myself.

Today, I still see my brokenness…
But I also see my growth. My purpose.

I am loyal.
I love hard.
And I am self-reflective.

I am a wife, despite having sworn off marriage—and what an absolute blessing that is.

I am a mother, five times over. God has entrusted me (of all people!) to bridge the gap between Heaven and Earth. He chose me to grow these tiny humans and bring them safely into this world—whether at the hospital, in the car, or even in my living room (twice over!), each experience deeply refining my soul.

I am a woman learning to align my life with Christ, even when it’s hard. Even when it doesn’t make sense to me.

I wholeheartedly believe truth is not something we bend to fit ourselves or our lives, and that real freedom is found in living the way God designed us to live.

I will teach my children to value themselves, to reject the lies of this world, and to understand that their worth is not found in fleeting feelings, but in who God says they are.

I am not who I was.

I am forgiven.
I am redeemed.
I am being refined by every holy fire that ignites.

And I know, without a doubt, who I am… and whose I am.”

Samantha• 32

04/15/2026

For the 80% of women who don’t feel confident in their bodies…
this is for you.

If you catch yourself hesitating to book or feel like you need to change something first—
you’re not alone.

You deserve photos you love as you are, right now.

Step into the light.
Celebrate your body, your strength, and your confidence.

The 80% Project was created to change the narrative—
to give you a safe, empowering space to see yourself differently 💛

I can’t wait to help you feel comfortable, confident, and truly seen.

15 minute session
5 edited images
$80
Bluff Road

Booking is open.

https://heldandknown.pixieset.com/booking/the-80-project?fbclid=IwZnRzaARLu6hleHRuA2FlbQIxMABzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeDoSf0XfKFv2V5b4L-DmngJruoStx2ES_MLEAkHZRaZ_jXFn0p6GR1ln2axI_aem_0NlqgrGrQ-L91XfaPf-fDg&utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio

For the women in every season.The ones in the middle of motherhood,building something of their own,or simply wanting to ...
04/12/2026

For the women in every season.

The ones in the middle of motherhood,
building something of their own,
or simply wanting to feel seen again.

This space was created for you.

My website is officially live
and May-July booking is now open. 💛

https://heldandknown.mypixieset.com/

04/11/2026

Answering your questions while I get things ready for today’s shoot.

I created this space because I believe women deserve to be seen, heard, and held—without having to be “ready” first.

You don’t need confidence.
You don’t need a story.
You don’t need to change anything about yourself.

You just have to show up.

Website + Booking open tomorrow!

“I grew up in a world that taught me beauty was something to chase, but never something I could quite catch. The standar...
04/10/2026

“I grew up in a world that taught me beauty was something to chase, but never something I could quite catch. The standard was always just out of reach. It changed constantly—too much, not enough. Too small, not curvy enough. Too young, then suddenly too old. Smooth skin, but not too much makeup. Natural, but still somehow perfected. It’s exhausting, and for a long time, I let it define me.

I started dieting when I was 10 years old. Ten. Before I even understood what my body was for, I had already learned to criticize and hate it. I learned to look in the mirror and search for flaws instead of seeing a beautiful human being staring back at me. I carried that mindset for years—through adolescence, through adulthood, through motherhood. I constantly tried to fix, shrink, smooth, or reshape myself into something more “acceptable.”

Somewhere along the way, I also learned to feel ashamed of my own sexuality—like it was something to hide, to tone down, to make more “appropriate” or more palatable. I learned that my body could be judged not just for how it looked, but for how it existed—how it moved, how it expressed, how it took up space. So I dimmed parts of myself. I disconnected. I learned to see my body as something to tone down instead of something to live in.

And the truth is, no matter how close I got, it was never enough. Because the standard was never meant to be met—it was meant to keep me chasing.

It has taken me 42 years—years of unlearning, of doing the hard work, of sitting in uncomfortable truths, of counseling, of breaking down and rebuilding—to finally be able to stand in front of a mirror and nod in approval. Not because I’ve reached some perfect version of myself, but because I’ve made peace with the woman I am.

I see now that this body is not something to fight against. It is a vessel. It has carried me through heartbreak, growth, love, loss, motherhood, and healing. It has held both my softness and my strength—my sensuality and my power. And it deserves my respect.

And I know I’m not alone in this.

So this is for every woman who has ever felt like she didn’t measure up. Every woman who has picked herself apart in the mirror. Every woman who has felt disconnected from her own body, or ashamed of parts of herself she was never meant to hide.

You are not the problem. The standard is.

My hope is to help other women come home to themselves sooner than I did—to see their bodies not as projects, but as powerful, beautiful vessels worthy of love right now, as they are. To reclaim every part of themselves, including the parts they were taught to silence.

Because the moment you stop chasing who you think you’re supposed to be… is the moment you finally get to be the badass woman you were always meant to be.”

Amy•42

04/09/2026

80% of women aren’t confident in their bodies…
so I’m building something for us.

Not the “fix yourself” kind.
The see yourself differently kind.

I’ll share more Saturday.

Address

Waterloo, IL

Website

https://heldandknown.pixieset.com/booking/summer-quilt-minis

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