Beneath Your Beautiful Apr 2023

PUBLISHER DESIGNER EDITOR

Hara Allison

COLUMNIST

Kiantha Duncan

At Beneath Your Beautiful, we are commited to spreading positivity and hope + improving lives through raw and compassionate storytelling. If you, or someone you know, has a story to share, please reach out to hara@BeneathYourBeautiful.org

COPY EDITOR

Elin Adcock

BeneathYourBeautiful org

All rights reserved. Contents of Beneath Your Beautiful, including articles and artwork/photography. may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the express consent of Beneath Your Beautiful

FRONT COVER ART

PHOTOGRAPHER Hara Allison hara.photography instagram.com/hara_allison_photography

MODEL Kiantha Duncan instagram.com/kianthaduncan

BACK COVER ART

PHOTOGRAPHER Hara Allison hara.photography instagram.com/hara_allison_photography

MODEL Cassandra KC Carpenter instagram.com/casskayecars

MODEL Seth Buswell instagram.com/_sethiroth

Hara Allison is an award-winning graphic designer and owner of STUDIO H creative. She is an award-winning photographer at Hara Allison Photography. And she hosts award-winning podcast Beneath Your Beautiful in addition to publishing and designing Beneath Your Beautiful magazine.

studioh-creative.com hara.photography beneathyourbeautiful.org

PHOTOGRAPHER Neal Buster Brown (Hara’s dad)

by Hara Allison

“How much do you weigh?” a guy asked me on a dating site before he’d agree to meet me - making sure I wasn’t too heavy, as I had posted only pictures of my face.

“Your weight is an issue for me” a boyfriend said as he broke up with me. And then a subsequent boyfriend did the same.

Way back then, my dating profile said, “I’m more than the size of my thighs,” but who was I kidding? The world, over and over, told me my worth was found in my looks. In my sexuality. When I was 7, a boy twice my age felt me up. He was in my house, in my bedroom, lying beside me and putting his fingers inside of me. I was shocked, horrified and, also, I didn’t move. Besides being a frightened little girl who didn’t quite understand what was happening, I felt my body respond to his touch while my mind screamed at me to jump up and get out of the room.

Finally, I did jump up. I did tell my mom.

And nothing happened.

The incident was never mentioned. The boy continued to visit our house and nothing was done to protect me or show me I had value.

My 7-year-old mind swam in shame.

As a young girl, I let boys touch me when I didn’t want them to. As a young woman, I let men have sex me when I didn’t want them to. I accepted the dregs, completely detached, hoping their use of my body was the pathway to love.

In my mid-40’s, I started to do the work.

In my early 50’s, I begrudgingly spoke about the childhood sexual abuse to a trauma counselor.

Finally, I released my secret and my shame. I began to understand that my value is intrinsic. I didn’t have to earn it: my personality is enough - my body a bonus.

Today, my thighs are as big as they’ve ever been, and yet, I’m deserving of the love and respect I demand and receive.

Just look at these hams! Sexy AF. «

“Look at these hams” my ex-husband would say while grabbing my thigh. On repeat. For years and years. That was the exact quote I relayed to him when he questioned why I was asking for a divorce.

Clancie

Art is real, grounding, serious and fun. That is why I do it.

Art is also elevating, mind altering, spiritually rewarding and uplifting. That is why I have been doing it for over 50 years.

Creating art and sharing my passion for its creation has been the driving force of my life. A narrative artist, I weave stories using found objects, paint, wood, metal and canvas, but my primary medium is paint on canvas. My subjects are most always in nature and I create the narrative with color, experience and imagination.

I met my husband, Chuck, while earning my degree in English Literature and Fine Art from California State University - Rohnert Park in Northern California. We’ve lived for over 50 years on our Hoodoo Mountain, Idaho property, creating a life in our beautiful acreage surrounded by nature. Art is a way of life for us, valued for all that it contributes to the community. It Is there that I tirelessly work to grow as an artist and encourage others to develop their own inner artist.

My art has been shown in many galleries, festivals and venues and I have art patrons all over the United States. I taught In a Montessori program for over 24 years and later furthered my passion for inspiring others by running an art program in our local community center. My life of creating and sharing my passion has been full!

CLANCIE PLEASANTS

by Marc David

nourishing

Photo by Sinitta Leunen

As I grew to be 1, 2, 3, 4, I was extremely asthmatic and couldn’t run, had trouble breathing - I almost died a handful of times. So as a child, I thought I was halfway between this world and the next. And it was okay, on a certain level. I didn’t quite know what to think of at all.

It was the late fifties, early sixties and my parents took me from doctor to doctor to help me. When I was about five years old I heard a rumor that fruits and vegetables were good for you. I had been born into the generation of TV dinners and Velveeta cheese and all the things you’re not supposed to eat now. I asked my mother to change my diet, to get me apples and peas and carrots in a canbecause that was my concept of fruits and vegetables - and she played. Coincidence or not, my health started to change for the better.

Looking back, it was a magical experience. I was amazed that I, me, this small little person could take control of a situation

that was painful for me. I couldn’t breathe, I was immunocompromised and I couldn’t run like other kids. So when with diet, I was able to slowly turn around my asthma, I was off to the races!

I became obsessed with nutrition, which led to education and then entrepreneurship. Being from New York, I began my practice on Wall Street in New York City at the age of 24. My clients were mostly high-powered Wall Streeters, mostly looking for help with weight loss. In the beginning, my practice was mainly advising people what to do, how to eat. I’d instruct them and they’d come back two weeks later and say, “I know what you told me to do. I know what you told me to eat. I just couldn’t do it.” It was a bit of a revelation for me. I thought, “Oh my goodness! Simple nutrition information, which had worked so well to heal me, was not enough to help other human beings.” Giving people information about all the good foods to eat doesn’t

mean they’re going to eat it. It was shocking to me, because if you told me to eat something and it would be good for me, I would do it. I finally realized I needed to learn more about the psychology of eating.

In the late seventies, there weren’t any books on the subject, there wasn’t a program, there wasn’t a course I could take. There was plenty of information about eating disorders, but I was more interested in the other 98% of us who don’t have anorexia or bulimia or extreme obesity, but who simply don’t like our bodies. Or we overeat, or we binge eat, or we emotionally eat, or we just want to lose some amount of weight. What about those people? How do I help them? Because there were no resources, my next thought was, “Okay, I’m going to have to create the training that I wish I could take and write the books that I wish I could read.” So that’s what put me on the path to studying psychology and then to branch off and literally create the field

My mother was holding me in a blanket and my was father driving the car, rushing me to the hospital, because I was having an asthma attack a handful of days after I was born.

Photo by Tasha Jolley

of eating psychology for everyone. And eventually, I created the Institute for the Psychology of Eating.

I’ve seen so many times and I’ve experienced it for myself, that somebody could tell you something that you might not know so much about, but sometimes when we hear truth, there’s a little bell that goes off inside the head that tells us, you know, this is good for me to hear. This is right for me. This is a truism, at least for this moment, so that bell gets rung and I think what happens is we are conditioned to not trust our own bodies. “Ask your doctor. Go to the experts.” And yeah, of course we need experts - if the electricity goes out in my house, I don’t know what to do, I need an expert to help me with that. But there’s a place where we are taught to limp a little bit when it comes to our own body wisdom, when it comes to the messages that naturally come to us but are often short circuited by this need to go to an expert, or to read a book.

At the end of the day, what are you going do? What are you going to eat? You can read so many

books about food and what to eat, all written by an expert and they all have scientific proof and they all have something to say. Maybe there’s a nugget of wisdom in any nutritional

some point, we’re all going to end up in the same place. So, it’s not only about what do I want to eat, but, but what kind of life do I want to live? Who do I want to be?

I think of self-hate and

approach. There’s no onesize-fits all perfect diet for all human beings because we’re all different and we all have different genetics, different lifestyles. We’re in different phases of life and have different inclinations and preferences. And all those things will probably determine, to some degree, what’s good for me to eat. And I think when you get down to it, it’s all an experiment, because no matter what you and I eat, even if we eat the healthiest food that we can imagine, the end result is still that we’re going to die, right? At

self-attack and self-blame and self-judgment: it’s a viral belief that I should attack myself to somehow be. That thought is floating in the atmosphere. We catch it from the world and it seems to be an undercurrent that we don’t notice in so much of our media and so many of the books that we’re exposed to as young people. It’s so easy in this world to be born into shame and guilt. We have shame about the body - at some point, all of a sudden, we’re embarrassed about our body. And we’re told we can change it to feel better about ourselves.

Giving people information about all the good foods to eat doesn’t mean they’re going to eat it. It was shocking to me…

You’ve got to be taller, shorter, thinner, fatter, more muscular, less muscular… You’ve got to change your body to be lovable. We all have our list that we were somehow given or conditioned to believe – “Here’s what I’ve got to do to be loved, approved, accepted, a winner.” Particularly in my profession, I see that quite a bit. There’s this false promise: “When I have the body that I want, everything’s going to be okay. I will be the real me, my real life will begin. I’m not the real me yet because I don’t have my real body. This is not my real body. This body belongs to an imposter, but when I have my real body, I will be more confident, more outgoing.” But really what we’re affirming is, “I am not happy, nor can I be happy, because I don’t have the body I want now. But I’ll be happy in the future when I have my real body.” And so, we make this strange bargain with time because

we think there will come a time when that body will occur and all of a sudden I’ll jump onto the world stage and go, “Ta-da, I’m here!”

So then we find ourselves living in the false belief that our life begins at a future time. My father died at age 59. He had a brain tumor and it’s so cliche, but I remember when he said something so poignant and powerful to me. He was probably six months away from his death and we were looking out the backyard window of his house and he said to me, “I literally have never stopped to smell the roses.” And he meant it. Because he was running all his life to do something and be better and accomplish and do his job and uphold his duties and all with the promise that someday his real life will begin.

I think what we need is a spiritual reckoning. One of the interesting aspects of being human is we can have all these wonderful things and still feel like it’s not enough. Now that I just

noticed that I have all these wonderful things and it’s not enough, then what’s my spiritual practice? How do I use that to become my best self? I look at any challenge around food and body or life as a great teacher. I have to look at the places where life is asking me to grow and learn and mature and evolve and I have to believe in that as a useful path. Otherwise, we’re just living in reaction to life.

We are on a lifelong journey, learning and growing. We started out as tiny little infants, completely useless – unable to do anything. And here we are, adults, perhaps raising other young humans, perhaps being productive in the world. We’ve learned and we’ve grown and I don’t think that ever stops. So as long as I hold onto that as part of my outlook on life, that part of my spiritual practice, I know what I need to do.

So many times, I have somebody say to me, particularly women, when I

…there’s a little bell that goes off inside the head that tells us, you know, this is good for me to hear.

To learn more about Marc, listen to Beneath Your Beautiful podcast Episode 104

Photo by Jade Destiny

was 19, when I was 15, when I was 13, I thought I was fat. I was dieting, I hated my body and now I’m 40, I’m 50, I’m 60. I look at myself and I think to myself, “What was I thinking? Really, what was I thinking? I was there all that time thinking I looked so terrible. I didn’t! I would give everything to have that body!” And my response is always the same: 20 years from now, you’re gonna be saying the same thing. So, you might as well now understand, here’s your body. This is it. Let’s play. A majority of people that I meet who wish to lose weight and who have been wishing to lose weight or change their body shape, for many, many years, have never had a time when they’ve just relaxed into and accepted the body they have right now. Even when you go to sleep, there’s some part of your unconscious that is committed to “this body is no good.” So, you wake up in the morning, you weigh yourself, you look in the mirror and it’s the same body that’s not okay. We never have that experience of “this body is okay, there’s nothing to change.”

We give so much power to

the tiny little machine, the scale. It’s liberating when we can see how much power we give to numbers. But they really don’t matter, right? We’re not born that way. If you observe any infant, they’re good, right? They’re naked and they’re happy; they don’t care what you think about their naked body – that they have baby fat. But at some point along the way, we learn shame. We learn guilt about our body from our environment and we get conflicting messages about pleasure.

“Your body’s pleasurable, but don’t do that. It’s bad.” We call foods sinfully good. We elevate pleasure on the one hand and then we tell ourselves to refrain from it on the other hand. And what happens? Especially for women, but more and more for men, is that we have a very conflicted relationship with pleasure.

There are so many levels of pleasure. Just looking at nature can be an absolute pleasure. Looking at a beautiful work of art can be a pleasure. Listening to music that moves you can be a pleasure. Touch can be a pleasure. Food can be a pleasure. Being quiet and

at home and just being with yourself can be, so many things can be pleasurable. Something interesting happens when we make one pleasure wrong. “Don’t eat food. Food is bad. Food makes you fat. Don’t eat that. You have an appetite? That’s bad because then you’re gonna eat food and you’re gonna get fat.” We’re taught that food is bad for you, because it makes you fat. And if you’re fat, then you’re gonna be miserable and nobody’s gonna love you. So really the message that we’re hearing underneath all that is, food is really, pleasurable, but food makes you fat, so this means pleasure is bad. Then you tell yourself, if you’re going to eat a pleasurable food, you have to do it in secret. You binge in secret, because you’re committing a crime, the crime of pleasure. And when we make one pleasure bad, it spills into other pleasures. It spills into pleasure in general. And then we have a feeling that we cannot be in pleasure without being bad. But pleasure is a state that is healing. Pleasure is a state that is empowering. Pleasure is a

state that helps us become more happy, creative beings. Pleasure in a relationship fuels the relationship.

Pleasure in oneself is nourishing. It’s nutritional, it’s metabolically healthy, but making one pleasure bad tends to poison the well for the others. Eating to nourish, eating itself is your birthright and you must stop wishing it away.

My goal for anybody is to help them live their best life. And for so many of us, the thing in the way of living our best life is our

challenging relationship with food, our challenging relationship with our bodies, our challenging relationship with our sensuality, our sexuality, just being at home in our own skin.

My grandparents were Orthodox Jewish and I remember when I was young, I’d often go to Orthodox Temple with them. So many of the prayers were about giving thanks. You would pray giving thanks for the food on the table. And I could never understand why we were we being so

thankful for the food on the table. At some point I understood that gratitude is an essential ingredient in life. Without it, we don’t necessarily have a measure for our humanity and for the gifts that we’ve been given and how precious life is and how vulnerable our life is. And in a strange way, how brief it is. It is from this point of gratitude that I’m committed to helping other humans in this realm and I’m inspired by them. I’m fascinated by this practice and I’m fascinated by people, their stories and their journeys. I might care about their relationship with food, but only from the perspective of caring about their relationship with themselves. And if their relationship with food is getting in the way, then okay, let’s talk about that. «

Marc David , M.A. is the founder and primary teacher of the Institute for the Psychology of Eating. He is the leading visionary behind the fascinating field of Eating Psychology and the author of the bestselling books, Nourishing Wisdom and The Slow Down Diet . His mission, in work and in life, is to help people create an empowered relationship with food and body and learn to use their eating and health challenges as a pathway for transformation.

psychologyofeating.com instagram.com/marcdavid_ipe instagram.com/eatingpsychology

…gratitude is an essential ingredient in life. Without it, we don’t necessarily have a measure for our humanity and for the gifts that we’ve been given and how precious life is and how vulnerable our life is.

The void fills the pools, the buildings weep piles of stone, the absence populates the abandoned and never finished buildings. A lost paradise now and once a refuge ready to welcome hundreds of families of the Campania bourgeoisie (and not only) from the chaos of the city. The goal was to create a seaside tourist center that could rival the model of Baia Domizia.

The idea went into the pipeline: the works began in the 60s and soon this place became a very popular destination for summer holidays. The project aimed to become multipurpose. In fact, buildings such as a school, police station, hospital, discos, pharmacies, bank branches and a cinema were also included.

There were a series of dramatic events that hit Campania and Southern Italy, including the 1980 earthquake in Irpinia and several bradyseismic declines. These catastrophic vicissitudes caught the area unprepared and the developers were unable to recover from the series of sudden, gaping, irreparable maws caused by the movement of magma underneath the Earth’s crust.

NUNZIO DI GIROLAMO

PHOTOGRAPHER Nunzio Di Girolamo instagram.com/dr_benway_

Kiantha L. Duncan is a highly sought-after distinguished lecturer, speaker, facilitator of sensitive conversations and consultant.

Kiantha is regularly tapped to support organizations, corporate entities and higher education institutions in the areas of executive leadership & development, program and project development, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging, in addition to specializing in community affairs.

For over 25 years Kiantha has provided leadership to marginalized and disproportionately impacted communities and is recognized nationally as a community builder, mobilizer and influencer.

As a SOULFUL leader and syndicated advice columnist, film maker, author and former radio personality, Kantha’s reputation as a master communicator precedes her.

As a Commencement Speaker for the Washington State University’s Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, TEDx and PIVOT, Kiantha inspires and challenges audiences to actualize their potential, purpose and connectedness through the art of conversations.

To live out her commitment to civic engagement, Kiantha most recently served as President of the Spokane NAACP (2019-2023), a Governor appointed Trustee for the Community Colleges of Spokane and as a Board member for the Washington State Coalition on Domestic Violence.

Kiantha currently serves as a Board member of the Family Impact Network, Canopy Credit Union and KSPS-PBS.

MODEL Kiantha Duncan instagram.com/kianthaduncan

Comfort

born in the late 1800’s. I have very few memories of her, but I remember her being a very strong. but tiny woman. I also remember that she carried a revolver in the pocket of her house dress. I have no idea who she might have needed protection against and in those days, there’s no telling.

I can see the fine lines on my great-great grandmother’s face, weathered by struggle and triumph. I can feel the tenderness of the skin on her fragile hands, warm to the touch. While her words to me were few and her vocabulary somewhat limited, I always knew she saw me. Each time her glazed eyes met mine, I knew she saw me.

My maternal great grandmother’s name was Matilda. Matilda was a tall statured, broad-shouldered, caramel-complected woman feared by most men. She was a righteous woman who loved her family and her children and would walk into any room and hold court. While I may have not been one of her favorite great-grandchildren, I knew that in her own way she loved me.

When Great Grandmother Matilda

extended her arm – it went on for miles and miles before reaching my tiny hand – I know she saw me. Her grip solid and strong from working in the fields of Pine Bluff Arkansas as a sharecropper before moving north in the great northern migration.

My Grandmother Geraldine, daughter of Matilda, granddaughter of Comfort, noticed every little thing about me as her first grandchild. Grandma Geraldine nurtured me and saw things in me that I did not see in myself. I now realize that these three women ignited something in me. A desire to see others, “Sawubona”. Sawubona is a South African greeting used when you approach someone. In its simplest term it means “I see you.”

In the same way that my grandmothers left a lasting impression on me, my sole and soul’s desire is to leave an impression on the readers of my column in Beneath Your Beautiful by sharing stories of the people that I have met and meet in my journeys. Their stories being unique and complicated, they are nonetheless worth being seen.

Know that I see you and I love you.

My maternal great-great grandmother’s legal name was Comfort. Grandma

was

PHOTOGRAPHER: Claudio

Dell’Osa

claudiodellosa.com Instagram.com/claudiodellosa.it linktr.ee/claudiodellosa

Born on September 3, 1971 in Guardiagrele (Italy), Claudio Dell’Osa developed an interest in photography in his twenties. His innate curiosity led him to experiment with countless techniques, using different analogue cameras such as la Mamiya. The real turning point in his craft was with the purchase of a digital Reflex in 2004, this tool encouraging him to look for new expressions. His work was first published in 2007, featured In the Nikon Foto Contest in 2007 and again in 2011, 2012 and 2013. Printed on canvas, his photos were on exhibition at the Aurum In Pescara (Italy) In 2015. In the following years, he began to explore rural and urban landscapes offered with a modern and stylized language.

Through his experimentation with dark and light, Claudio approaches a reading of reality focused mainly on the play of light and shadow. Objects are caught in bright glimpses that underline their plasticity and help to create a rarefied atmosphere. He uses a multi-exposure technique, which he has adapted and altered to create his own, signature style. Although at first visualization one could be overwhelmed by the perceptive chaos In his Images, lingering allows the distinctive elements of the images to be fully understood and appreciated.

In recent years Claudio has begun a collateral project, aimed at bringing the observer back to an archaic, millennial world, ruled by Mother Earth. This experiment continues even without the use of cameras, using alternative tools and giving rise to a series called “Cutting”. The images in this series show sections that cut the whole plant from the roots to the stem, the leaves and the fruit, including the soil. He has received many accolades for this new style; future projections will lead to new experimental projects linked to the union of various innovative art forms.

STUDIO H creative is an award-winning design firm. After 32 years in business, we’ve done it all. Annual reports, event collateral, magazines, logos, packaging, social media graphics, photography, brochures, flyers, posters, menus, web and editorial design – including Beneath Your Beautiful magazine!

PHOTOGRAPHER Elena Mamrukova instagram.com/mamrukova_photostory facebook.com/mamrukova.photostory mamrukova-photostory.com

MODEL Katalina Mamrukova (3 years old)

Childhood is when your imagination is your reality. The words “can’t” or “impossible” don’t exist. You are the strongest, the smartest and the most talented. You are the hero of your own fairy tale. This series is about stories discovered by child imagination while exploring the world.

ELENA MAMRUKOVA

Beauty of grey skies

by Mercedes McLain

I began to ponder the afterlife and what may happen. I thought whether I would go to heaven, hell, or maybe that nothing at all happens and I just cease to exist. What does nothing feel like?

I received treatment at Deaconess Cancer Center in a room filled with windows. Sitting back in my reclining chair I gazed outside at the grey winter scene. Only birds equipped for Pacific Northwest winters remained, their plumage matching the grey of the sky. From somewhere below the windows steam billowed up from the hospital ventilation stacks. Looking at the treetops against the adjacent brick buildings and treetops I wondered what death would bring me, what it would bring all of us, eventually. I teared up a bit, but I’m not much of a public crier, so I hid it. I promised myself and the conductor of life that I would never, even if we drift to nothingness, forget how beautiful this place was.

Before I was faced with the

potential of a journey to an unknown place, I remember being irritable, tired, cynical and judgmental. I had been heartbroken so many times. Each time, my ability to forgive and forget wearing thin. The mundane parts of life, such as unloading the dishwasher (after asking my family three times already and writing a reminder note) made me feel like life was just a series of heartbreak and work. Maybe, just maybe, we get to experience joy in between.

It wasn’t until I sat in that chair, viewing that gray winter day, thinking about death by stage three triple-negative breast cancer, that I shed a tear for the beauty of this view. For the mundane tasks that await me each day when I arrive home to my family because they are done in proximity to my loved ones. Also, the heartbreaks that caused me so much pain because the sweetest thing in life is love. I savor that in each moment so that I can fulfill my promise to feel all of it wherever I end up. «

It was during my first chemotherapy session when it finally hit me that I could die.

PHOTOGRAPHER Hara Allison hara.photography instagram.com/hara_allison_photography

MODEL Mercedes McLain instagram.com/mercymclain

Timothy Bolen

by Timothy Bolen

When my brother joined the high school track and cross-country team, I immediately began running myself. Mainly I did it for the sake of having more time with my older brother, who I idolized. And I certainly couldn’t let my brother be a faster runner than me - yes, we were competitive with each other. We both ran in middle school, high school and at Eastern Michigan University. During college, I began to dabble in triathlons and after competing in my first triathlon race in 1987, I knew that I was hooked. I went onto compete for several years as a professional triathlete and even now, at 57, I love the sport as much as I did back in ’87.

In 1989, I was fortunate enough to qualify for the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii. My life would be forever changed after meeting a father and son team, Dick and Ricky Hoyt. Ricky had Cerebral Palsy, so his father Dick would pull Ricky 2.4 miles through the ocean, pedal 112 miles on his specially designed bike and run 26.2 miles pushing Ricky in his Hoyt running chair. The love that

radiated from these two was palpable and contagious. You couldn’t walk away without feeling a sense of selfless sacrifice, all out of love. Ricky was quoted as saying to his father, “When we run, it’s the only time I feel I don’t have a disability.” The Hoyt team would go on to compete in many marathons, triathlons and Ironman events, until Dick was no longer able. Dick recently passed away, but he left behind a mighty legacy.

In 2011, I accepted a new position as State Director for Best Buddies Arizona. Within the first year I met and was instantly drawn to Jessica Dunn, a high school student with Cerebral Palsy. Just a few days after meeting her, I asked Jessica if she would like to run the Rock & Roll Marathon together. Her priceless reaction was a resounding “YES!” 12 months later, we competed in the 2012 Rock & Roll Marathon, having raised money to buy a new Hoyt running chair. Sitting in the park together, I asked Jessica what she thought about her race; Jessica simply said, “Amazing! When is our next race?”

I grew up in Michigan, just 50 miles south of the Mackinaw Bridge. As a young child, I spent most of my days outdoors, actively running, riding bikes, motorcycles, snowmobiles, playing tennis, basketball, swimming, or chasing my twin sister or older brother as we played games.

Over the next 6.5 years at Best Buddies, our running team would expand to 12 runners and 25 support athletes. As a team, we would compete in all the large running events throughout Phoenix. Over that period, I created several fundraising events that would include our athletes and families. Inclusion, acceptance and providing new opportunities for all those with disabilities was just as important as running itself. My heart screamed, “Look at these incredible athletes! They want the same things as any able-bodied athlete; why shouldn’t they experience the same joy?”

In January 2017, I would be notified that Best Buddies International was eliminating all events, except Galas and Walk fundraisers. This meant they would require me to dissolve the entire running team. I felt such a huge loss and disappointment. I loved working for Best Buddies, but I also believed with my whole heart that the running team was instrumental and necessary to move the needle for inclusion, acceptance and equal opportunities for all those with disabilities.

In March 2017, I resigned from Best Buddies Arizona. By May of 2017, I formed 2Gether We Live, a nonprofit group that was created to provide positive life experiences through running and multi-sport events, not only for the athlete with disabilities, but also for the parents and support athletes. Based on love and compassion first, competition and sports second, 2Gether We Live has expanded from 12 athletes to over 30, 50 family members and over 100 support athletes. We compete not only in Arizona, but also have athletes

do, not only to impact additional families, but to expand into other arenas such as wounded veterans and those facing debilitating illnesses.

The Curveball

On January 10th, 2020, while driving my twin 15-year-olds, Cole & Cloe, to school, my daughter said with her stern voice, “Dad, once you drop us off, go straight to the emergency room.” In November 2019, I had noticed a small lump on my neck. I went to the Minute Clinic the first week in December and I was put on meds for a bacterial infection. I assumed it was from all the open-water swims I did that year in nearby lakes. By January though, the lump had grown to nearly a golf ball size and Cloe was urging me to have it seen. I remember walking into the hospital, so confident that it was a bacterial infection, in the back of my mind feeling as though I was wasting the time of the doctors and nurses. Four hours later, I was given the devastating news - Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. For the next few weeks, I would scramble from one doctor to the next, looking to determine what type of Lymphoma and at what stage. The answer, Aggressive B-Cell and Slow B-Cell at Stage 4. All lymph nodes in my body were confirmed cancerous. Sadly, it wasn’t just isolated lymph nodes; my spleen was the biggest concern. All I could think

explain, but the instant you hear the words “You have cancer”, it changes you. You know instantly you have a serious fight in front of you. Will it be a short fight, or will you have the opportunity to warrior on and beat the ugly beast? Although my diagnosis of Slow B-Cell Lymphoma is terminal, I feel very blessed knowing I’ve had advance warning and time to get things done. Spending extra time with my kids, family and friends is the greatest gift with my diagnosis.

I think often about all that I need to accomplish with 2Gether We Live, wanting to leave the legacy I’ve pictured in my mind. I think of Cole & Cloe finishing college and then marrying and having kids themselves. I think about my family, how we never have enough time together. I think about my coaching business and my coaching at Marcos De Niza High School for cross country and track and how I can leave a positive impression on as many youths and

athletes as possible. I think of my close friends and I hope that I’ve shown each of them what they mean to me. I think about my girlfriend who has given so much of herself and who has taken the risk of being with me even through the ugly days with treatments and CT scans knowing what’s in front of me. In the end though, I think mostly of how I can love each of them deeper, show them what they mean and tell them as often as possible. I no longer find myself worried about petty things. I’ve learned to set boundaries, leaving time and space for those who truly care about me. I certainly have found myself smiling and laughing more frequently, mostly at myself and all the ridiculous things I do and say.

Today, I approach each day as a new opportunity to create, improve and expand everything important in my life. I don’t tolerate laziness or those not willing to work or listen. I’ve learned by experience that no matter what situation we are in, we always have a choice. It’s up to us and our decisions whether we achieve greatness or self-pity. Choose greatness - everyone has it! You deserve it! «

Tim, the founder of the 2Gether We Live based in Tempe Arizona, started the nonprofit with my sister Jessica Dunn in 2012, when the team was known as Best Buddies Arizona. Together, they raised $5000 for Jessica’s own racing wheelchair.

A fledgling photographer, I followed the team and shared my photographs of their triumphs with the world. As support for the team grew and more athletes joined the cause, Tim and Jessica made the most of the exposure and the funding.

Unfortunately, Jessica passed from her disease in March 2016. In her honor, and despite his grief at her loss, Tim started 2Gether We Live

Timothy has one of the biggest hearts I know, not only for training people to become athletes, but in the way he lifts people up every day. As one of the first people to believe in my photography, Tim knew the power in showing people with disabilities in a much more positive light. A million times over, I nominate Timothy Bolen to share the story of the legacy he created with some of the most talented and kind-hearted spirits in the world.

NOMINATED BY CHERYL DUNN

Tim is the ultimate friend. He is there at every crash, cheering on the sidelines, pushing each person to be more than they think they can be. He is memorable without trying, speaking through his actions.

I met Tim at an event for endurance athletes, joining with those who have physical challenges for running, swimming and cycling. He has such a positive, can-do attitude that parents trust him with their fragile individuals. He makes it fun-for everyone! He encouraged me to push my own daughter and even to believe in myself to complete an Ironman. His superpower is convince people to believe in themselves! He is amazing.

BETH RANK

Jessica Dunn was Timothy’s first running partner. She passed just a few years ago.

Through his work at 2Gether We Live, Tim has taught me how to love and express my love for those in the Intellectually Disabled (ID) and Physically Disabled (PD) community. In my 50 years, this has been one of the greatest gifts I have ever received.

Watching Tim battle stage 4 cancer has been nothing short on aweinspiring. He never, ever complains or shows any sign of letting his diagnosis stop him living his life to the fullest!

Tim is a man with a heart that can’t be contained. He contributes to his community, friends and his family with every fiber of his being.

Love this guy like a brother.

TIM HERZER

On behalf of our family, I would like to recognize Tim for his compassion and for including others no matter what their ability may be. He has provided a welcoming, inclusive opportunity for our son Luke to participate in a team by being pushed in a running stroller, or pulled from a bike or even a kayak.

Luke has Cerebral Palsy and Autism and is adored by Tim, showing him encouragement and kindness and treating Luke as a normal kid. We could not be more blessed to have Tim lead 2Gether We Win, despite battling cancer all the while.

KAREN HINDS

Tim is an amazing person! Tim founded 2Gether We Live so people with disabilities could experience running, swimming and biking and be a part of a community.

His vision to be inclusive for all people has opened up our lives as parents to other parents with disabled kids, and kind and generous support athletes give our kids their time, love and attention.

Our daughter, Kaitlyn, has made many new friends in Tim’s group and gets very excited when we meet for an official sporting event or practice runs around Tempe Town Lake.

They even provide the jogging strollers for our kids to use, assembling and taking them apart at each run. Kaitlyn and Mr. Tim ran her 1st half marathon on 2/4/23 in 1 hour and 47 minutes! Kaitlyn keeps the medal because Tim ran the race for her – she is the athlete and he is the support athlete. The fact that her first half was with Mr. Tim made the day even more special for her and us. Kaitlyn adores him and beams a huge smile when she hears his voice, or we mention his name.

Mr. Tim is so upbeat, positive and energetic. His personality is magnetic! We are truly grateful for him because 2Gether We Live expanded our world. It has given us new opportunities for Kaitlyn and a chance for our family to make great memories. He is selfless with his time and energy in order to make special experiences, with pancake breakfasts and movie nights in the park. He really goes all in for the families he supports. He has touched our lives in countless ways. He is a remarkable person!

CAROL, CHAD AND KAITLYN BOYD

I could write a novel about the ways Tim has changed my life and the ways I’ve seen the lives of others transformed because of him.

If I had to use one word to describe him, it would be passionate! Selfless also fits. Tim gives freely of his precious time and energy to so many: friends, family and beyond, to athletes and families part of 2Gether We Live, to the high school track team and all the triathletes he coaches.

His passion for life is evident in everything he does, because he sees each day as a new opportunity to enjoy the many things in life for which he is grateful, despite his terminal diagnosis.

He’s had a bigger impact on my life than he even knows. I first heard him speak at his yearly Ironman Race Talk, one of the many free events he offers to anyone who wants to attend.

The way he cares about other people

hope for my future simply by being such a positive, passionate, caring individual. I honestly didn’t believe someone with such a true heart existed in this world until I met Tim.

Some of the biggest ways he’s impacted my life is to realize the importance of living in the moment and not letting life’s aggravations bring me down. Life can be overwhelming, yet Tim continues to help me see that nothing lasts forever, both good and bad. He has taught me to not let the tough situations drag me down. More importantly, he has taught me to be mindful of enjoying the many good moments throughout each day – from sharing true laughter with my mom with Alzheimer’s, to not worrying about my massive to-do list – long enough to truly see the beautiful sunrise, being grateful I have the freedom to use my own two legs and so much more.

Tim leads by example with his sincerity and humility and LIVES his truth.

LAUREN MCGUIRE

To learn more about Timothy, listen to Beneath Your Beautiful podcast Episode 106

To nominate someone who has made a difference in your life or your community, please send an email to: hara @ BeneathYourBeautiful.org

TALES OF Cuba

Seigar is a passionate travel, street, social-documentary, conceptual and pop visual artist based in Tenerife, Spain. He feels obsessed with the pop culture that he shows in his works. He has explored photography, video art, writing and collage. His main inspirations are traveling and people. His aim as an artist is to tell tales with his camera, creating a continuous storyline from his trips and encounters. He is a philologist and works as a secondary school teacher. He is a self-taught visual artist, though he has done a two years course in advanced photography and one in cinema and television. He has participated in several international exhibitions, festivals and cultural events. His works have been featured in numerous publications worldwide. His latest interests include documenting identity and spreading the message of the Latin phrase, “Carpe Diem”. A recent recipient of the Rafael Ramos Garcia International Photography Award, Seigar shares stories of art and culture in his blog, Pop Sonality

PHOTOGRAPHER Seigar instagram.com/jseigar facebook.com/jseigar

by Anita Morris

I was confused because my husband treated me like a queen.

All of the questions started rushing into my mind: “Who is the woman? Where did he meet her? How long have they been seeing each other?” I wanted to know if he was in love with her.

On the day I found out, I was home, about to shower when I got a phone call from my husband. I answered, but he didn’t say anything. I said hello a couple of more times and he didn’t say anything and that’s when I realized he’d accidentally called. We called it a butt call.

I waited, because I heard him talking and then I heard a woman. I waited for him to say hello, because sometimes when he called me he would be in conversation with someone and he would say, “Hold on, Nita.”

I was waiting for that when I heard a woman. I couldn’t really make out what she was saying because it sounded like she was speaking from a distance. And then I heard her say, “I wanna be with you so bad.”

My heart just exploded.

At some point he realized I was on the

phone and hung up. I was furious, wanted to show up on the scene and cause some damage, some real harm. But I stayed in the closet. I had no idea where they were.

My husband rushed home as soon as he realized what had happened. I could hear his footsteps walking through the house, looking for me, the sound piercing my soul. The closer he got to the closet, the faster and louder they became. And then, there he was, standing in front of the closet door, where our eyes met. That moment marked the long, hard, painful fight to save my marriage. We had been married for 19 years. I decided to stay, but it wasn’t easy.

It took a while to forgive him.

My belief before this happened to us was “once a cheater, always a cheater.”

My husband knew how I felt about infidelity. He knew that if he ever cheated, I was gone. He knew my immediate response would be divorce.

I also remember what I used to think about other women who stayed in marriages after their husbands had cheated on them. I still feel bad about thinking this - but it’s

I found myself in my bedroom closet, down on my knees crying, after I discovered that my husband was having an affair.

my truth - I used to think they were stupid. But my personal experience with infidelity has taught me how to have compassion for other women going through this type of devastation. I have a totally different outlook on it now.

My husband was devastated when I asked him for the divorce – he vowed to do anything it took to stay together. Eventually we started communicating with each other again and I saw how hard he was fighting to make it right. I saw how remorseful he was and seeing him fight made me want to fight. I had never seen my husband fight for anything like that.

So, together, we did the heart work. It was very difficult, but we eventually recovered from the betrayal. Believe it or not we fell more in love with each other than we had at any other point in our marriage. We continuously worked to heal our marriage, this not being a one-and-done or an overnight type of healing.

Having served his 30 years, my husband retired and we began living our best lives. We were so happy together, traveling and doing all the things we had planned for our retirement. But six months in, my husband was diagnosed with brain cancer. Eight months after that, I watched him take his

last breath.

The entire time leading up to his death I was holding out hope. I had confidence that God was going to heal my husband. That was my constant prayer, that God would perform a miracle and heal him. And I believed he would. It wasn’t a delusional belief, but I thought that if I believed it with all my heart, my prayers would be answered. But God had different plans and he allowed my husband to die.

The grief process was so painful and heartbreaking – I didn’t know how I would ever recover.

People often don’t process grief because it’s so painful and difficult. Many want to ignore it. They would rather mask it and keep themselves extremely busy so they don’t have to think about it. But when we don’t allow ourselves to go through the healing process, we end up taking all of that unresolved grief, hurt and pain into our future with us. We continue moving forward, but the trauma will show up. You can run if you want, but eventually it will find you. If you don’t deal with grief, grief will show up and grief will deal with you.

When I finished my book, STEP into It: Overcoming Trials That Lead to Purpose and

Anita Morris is a Transformational Speaker, sharing a message of hope, perseverance and triumph for those who are living in the midst and aftermath of devastating life trials. She is the Best Selling Author of STEP Into It, Overcoming Trials that Lead to Purpose. She’s also the Founder of the popular DIY Fashion Brand, Anita by Design, where she teaches women all over the world how to master the basics of garment sewing.

To learn more about Anita, listen to Beneath Your Beautiful podcast Episode 103

felt like a huge burden was lifted. It was as if heavy chains just fell from my shoulders. But then, I literally went screaming through my house. I thought to myself, “Oh my gosh, my secrets are out! People are gonna know what happened –they’re gonna know my story.”

One of the things that really concerned me was the possibility of someone finding out about the betrayal. If someone found out that my husband had an affair, what would they think of him? What would they think of me? People had often made comments like, “Oh, your marriage was so beautiful.” But they didn’t know the whole story.

I worried about people finding out - that was heavy on me. And then there’s the

childhood issues that I shared, my secrets. I learned that the trauma I experienced in childhood followed me and I didn’t even realize it. I was making trauma decisions based on how I felt about myself, based on the mindset I had created and the limiting beliefs that I took upon myself. I didn’t even realize it until I wrote the book.

As I allow myself to move forward, I am continuing to heal from all of the past: my childhood, the trials of my marriage, the death of my husband. I am moving through it and growing through it. God is using the courage that he gave me to stand up and open my mouth to share. As I hear from other women who tell me how much my experiences have help them, I see the ultimate beauty of it all – that other women are feeling like, “Okay, if she got through this, I can do it too.”

Above all, I have learned the trials of life do not come to destroy you; they come to usher you into the purpose for which you were created. And I have found that my purpose as a woman of God is to glorify Him and I do that by walking in obedience to the call that He’s placed on my life in this season. By using the gifts and talents that He’s blessed me with, I am blessing other people and equipping and empowering other women to thrive again in life after devastation.

And in this, I find Peace. «

Right around the time I began painting, my Mom was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s. She loved sitting with me in my studio and watching me paint. Eventually, her disease took hold and she no longer recognized me.

One cold Sunday morning, I picked her up from the assisted living home and took her to breakfast. She was in a good mood, ordered apple pie and was very chatty even though she didn’t know who I was. She was going on and on about her daughter who painted “beautiful pictures and was making a book.” She talked about how proud she was. I realized she was talking about me. A bittersweet moment.

I grieved the loss of my mom with my paintbrush. She was the first angel I painted. To this day, I still find comfort and connection with angels…some dancing, some crying, some playing instruments, blowing bubbles, dreaming and walking in the snow.

P.S. My Mom’s name is “Faith.”

JENNIFER YOSWA

Jennifer Yoswa is a self-taught oil painter. She is also an introvert and a perfectionist. It wasn’t until she was in her mid-thirties that the urge to create became greater than her fear of failure.

The day she picked up a paintbrush and applied oil paint to canvas was the day she discovered her voice. She creates colorful, soulful, strong and playful portraits, primarily of women, celebrating their complex and essential place in our world and relationships.

She begins her process with a sketch, proceeding to oil paint, cold was, brushes, palette knives and fingers. A “trial and error” painter, the decisions she makes are primarily intuitive. She considers a painting finished when it looks and feels right.

If she is dissatisfied, she will cut out (literally, with scissors) the parts of the painting that are worth saving and stitch them onto a different canvas to make a new piece.

Jennifer is passionate about creating art that connects my collectors to a part of themselves. Her work is meant to be empowering but tender and occasionally mischievous.

Then the man’s struck by lighting and he thinks he’s dead.

He fears what might happen should he move from his seat.

Solutions elude him. His new sound? A groan.

Born in Butte, Montana, Ed.Renouard is a Gonzaga University graduate who began his professional life reading the news at a local radio station in Spokane, Washington. When the station’s owners replaced the news format with country music, Ed. migrated to marketing and advertising.

He’s worked as a writer and creative director with hundreds of clients, from Fortune 500 companies to local supermarket chains and currently serves as director of marketing for a regional healthcare company.

Ed. serves on a number of non-profit boards and committees and enjoys cooking, playing guitar and occasionally, writing poetry.

The Truth

by Vanessa Wideski told via

I prepared something entirely different for my speech tonight. But something happened to me today that made me change it up. I went for a walk to clear my head and help prep for this evening’s talk. The weather was beautiful and I found myself looking up into the trees, feeling the wind, feeling very peaceful, very calm.

All of a sudden, I see this huge bird swoop past my head, fly in front of me and land on a tree branch, not far away. I’m trying to register what just happened, when the bird turns and looks at me and I see it’s an owl. A beautiful gray owl and I was like, “Whoa…this is magic, magic just for me!”

A believer in signs, I say to myself, “I need to Google this and see what it means.” I didn’t, though, because I thought, it just makes sense - owls, wisdom… Proudly, I think, “Yes, I am wise. Connected with the universe.” I feel grounded and I feel centered. And I think, “I am POWERFUL.” Nothing can shake me. Nothing can rattle me, no matter what happens. “Thank you. Thank you, Source. Thank you, God. Thank you, Universe, for this sign.” And then I think, “OOO, I’ve gotta take a picture!” I take my phone out, take a picture of the owl and as I walk away, I’m thinking, “Oh yeah, this is awesome. I feel so good for tonight!”

As I continue my walk, reveling in this awesome thing that just happened, I’m marveling at how spectacular it was and how great I feel. Then all of a sudden, “Boom!” Something hits the back of my head and I realize as I look around, it’s the owl! The owl came at me, swooped down and clawed the back of my head!

I couldn’t believe it! “What the fuck? Why are you doing this to me? What does

that even MEAN?” I just couldn’t believe it! After I calm down, I do, actually, Google it. I didn’t ask, “What does it mean when an owl comes and claws the back of your head,” because when does that ever happen? But I Google “owl meaning” and the very first result - if you Google it, this will come up first - says the owl is a symbol for Athena, goddess of wisdom. According to Greek mythology, an owl sat on Athena’s blind side so that she could see the whole truth. And it hit me, I need to speak truth. My truth. The whole truth. As I walk along, I’m debating with myself, “They don’t need to hear the whole truth.” But I need to speak it.

So, as I continued this walk around my block, still looking for signs, I hear a noise, look to my left and I see a food truck. On the side it says Big Daddy Food Truck. I think to myself, “Big Daddy Food Truck. Oh, daddy issues.” Yeah.

So, the truth of my story begins when I was 12 years old. My parents divorced, and they went through a really, ugly custody battle. My mom ultimately won the custody battle, but my dad wouldn’t have that. He said to my brother, Eli and I, “We’re going to leave the country. You guys can’t tell anybody.” I always did what my dad said, because, daddy issues, control…. So, I acquiesced.

My brother and I both packed up a backpack, went to meet my dad and he fled the country with us. After a bunch of random travel, we ended up in a little tiny country island in the middle of the South Pacific called Samoa. Smallest, tiniest country island in all the South Pacific. We arrive with nothing, since my dad spent all the money with all the random travel. We’ve got some mountain bikes and we’ve

got nothing else but our backpacks and we’re wandering around the island looking for an opportunity.

My dad somehow managed to find a family who allowed us to move in with them. He signed us up for school, but I had no friends and I don’t speak the language. I become “the loser.” I’m teased and the kids make fun of me. It was really hard, because in Canada I was the cool chick, but in Samoa, nobody liked me.

That’s when I first formed this deep insecurity, the feeling that “I’m not enough” and “people don’t like me.” The family we lived with had two daughters - one of the daughters was the same age as me – and the three of us shared the same small room. I can remember one day overhearing a conversation between one daughter and her cousin. I was in a different room, so she didn’t realize I was listening, but I heard her say, “I don’t know how long they’re gonna live here, but I just wish they would leave already.” That hurt so bad; as a kid, it hurts to hear that you’re not wanted. But we did leave soon after that, my brother and I and we came back to Canada.

And so now that I had this insecurity that I wasn’t enough, I had to start over and make new friends. But we’re the kids that were on the missing posters, right? We’re “the kids that got kidnapped by their dad.” There’s a lot of rumors and stigma around me and my brother. At our new school, I start hanging out with the bad kids, the wrong crowd. Eventually, I drop outta school, get kicked outta my home and I go into foster care.

Living in foster care just pours more salt into the wound. That wound that says, “You’re not enough. Nobody wants you,

nobody likes you, nobody loves you and you’re a burden.” But I never faced it. I just ran away from that feeling - I suppressed it, you know? I shoved it down deep and I put on this facade. I had an ego that was like, “Nah, nothing can phase me. I got this.” On the outside I became this strong, independent woman; but that wasn’t who I really was. Who I was inside was this insecure little girl.

My journey led me to drinking and doing drugs and choosing the wrong men. I ended up in an abusive relationship. This man and I moved back to Samoa, where my dad was and we ended up living in Samoa. We both got jobs - he managed a surf resort and I became a photographer.

By now I was 21. Life was pretty good on the outside, but on the inside, I still had that pain that I hadn’t healed from. And so, to numb the pain, I began using crystal meth and I became addicted. Eventually, my abusive boyfriend lost his life to drugs. I decided to try to make it work in Samoa, but eventually lost everything, I had to pick up the pieces, move to a different island and start over again.

And I did start over again, managing a bar, making new friends. Until one day somebody came into the bar with some crystal meth and I took the drug and lost everything again. Ran away for the third time, to Hawaii.

No longer is my story that I’m this shameful crystal meth addict. My story now is I’m a powerful, loving being that is connected to all these other powerful, loving beings.

This time, nobody knows me. I tell myself, “I’ll get in with a new crowd, it’ll be good here.” I start a job with a landscaping company, start making friends and, you guessed it, somebody came at me with some crystal meth. And I remember thinking when she handed me the pipe, “No, don’t; you know it’s just gonna destroy everything.” But I did it. I took it and like a bad rerun, I lost everything again.

So, this time I ended up homeless. I was then living in bus stations, in church parking lots and just trying to keep it together. I decided that I’m gonna lose my life too, if I don’t smarten up. So, I packed up everything, moved down to the beach and I just “connected.”

I connected with myself, I connected with my worth, with my truth, with who I really am, not all the labels that everybody placed on me. And I sobered up. Every now and then I’d have to go into town for food and water at the food bank. To get there, I’d hitchhike in and I remember this one time, as I’m about to get out of this guy’s car, he says to me, in this heavy Hawaiian accent, “Hey sis you like, try some of this kind.” I look over at him and he’s holding a crystal meth pipe. Again, I’m flooded with these feelings, the crave and for the first time in my life I say, “No.”

“No, I don’t want that,” and I get out of the car. I just feel on top of the world, like, “I did it! I did it!” I said, “No, you know, I’m better than that.” And I walked down to my beach and I remember looking up at the stars in the Hawaiian night sky and just feeling grateful, feeling reborn, you know, like my life can now begin. In Hawaii, at nighttime, the stars are incredible. I saw a shooting star, I remember it fell in slow motion from the top corner of the sky, all

the way down to the bottom. And it was like, God, or the Universe was saying to me, “You did it. You got this.” I did. And I turned my life around.

I moved back to Canada and reconnected with my family. There was a lot of shame there because I thought everybody knew I was this meth addict, you know? I shamed myself. But I slowly started just doing the work, the, the personal development, the work that I needed to do to understand that there is nothing wrong with me. I’m not a burden.

I couldn’t do the work until I faced that insecurity that I had been running from my whole life. And what helped me to face it was having an intention, having a purpose. I searched and searched for purpose until I finally just surrendered. Surrendered to whatever came up for me, surrendered to the synchronicities, to the people, to the places, to the good things that came into my path. I stopped trying to control life and allowed it to just flow. And my life did, it flowed very, very magically. And so, That’s my truth. That’s my story. No longer is my story that I’m this shameful crystal meth addict. My story now is I’m a powerful, loving being that is connected to all these other powerful, loving beings. I truly know that we are, we are all one. We are. That our fundamental nature is energy, consciousness, humanity. We can connect from that level of humanity. I’m thankful for all that I’ve been through, ’cause it gives me that opportunity not to judge anyone. Now that I’ve been to hell and back, I can only imagine what others have been through. When we get curious about others, we can suspend that judgment and we can come together. «

SWEET SINCERITY & KOFI

Kofi is a strong leader, public figure, protective and wise. Sweet Sincerity is a tech guru that also happens to be a fashion and commercial model. Their families love them and they are in love and newly engaged!

Terrance Hamilton was born and raised in San Bernardino California. He took a course on film photography as an elective and considered changing his major. Sounded great except he was already a super senior close to graduating with a degree in Physics (BS Physics, CSUSB 95). He rented a Pentax K-1000 to complete the course and became hooked on black and white film photography. He was initially hesitant to join the digital camera ranks, but as technology was maturing rapidly he jumped in with both feet in 2016. He migrated to full Frame (35mm) DSL when he felt that he had exhausted the art that he could make with a crop sensor. He has finally arrived at fashion and very important group and family portraits. Hamilton strives to tell stories through portraits. The narrative left to the imagination of the observer. Is it a love story? Is it happily ever after? Sweet Sincerity & Kofi are engaged to be married and yet… is there anything missing? There is no room for doubt.

PHOTOGRAPHER: Terrance Hamilton instagram.com/riversidenyc3 RiversideNYC3.com

Wilson D instagram.com/kofispeaks

Alyssa JC @ heymantalent.com instagram.com/sweet_sincerity

MODEL Niecy Moss-Riedeck

PHOTOGRAPHER Natali Maltseva instagram.com/natali_prophoto maltseva-prophoto.ru

MODEL Natalia Petrenko

PHOTOGRAPHER sb.chitro

Kolkata, India

instagram.com/sb.chitro facebook.com/sb.chitro

PHOTOGRAPHER Cris Telles instagram.com/cristeles.teles

MODEL Dona Lacimi

Photographer Cris Teles’ heart is full of pride. She feels accomplished so far, but is confident that there are many more achievements to come. The art of photography is her passion.

I worked a lot and I spent a lot of time to raise my children. Four have homes of their own and are very accomplished. God took one son at 6 months, which was very painful for me. A son is a part of us, but we must conform to God ’s will. I struggled a lot in life. I’m going to be 94 years old and have problems because of my very advanced age. Today, I give glory to God that I can walk, talk and my mind is good.

I sacrificed and worked hard to give my children what they needed. The best education in the world is the education you give at home and I worked in the church for 44 years. A catechist for 25 years, preparing for weddings, preparing for baptisms, it was huge task and today I just can’t stand to do it anymore. Now I just stay at home and do chores. But through our catechesis, one of my children grew to be a nurse, one a priest. In the church, we don’t use the word “I”, we use the word “us”. As they say, “One swallow doesn’t make a summer”. But I worked

hard at church and at home, often awake until one o’clock in the morning preparing the catechism books for the children. My husband has been dead for 12 years now and I can now say I am the one who led our family in this way.

All my life I fought with my father, I fought with my mother. I fought with a brother for 16 years and now I’m fighting with myself. I’m going to be 94 on September 14th. My eldest son is 74 years old and the youngest is 52. All of my children are retired and, thank God, they are all on the path to Salvation. My children were very good to me and even now they never disobey me.

I raised a grandson, who still lives with me today. I have about 40 grandchildren. I’m entering the fifth generation: son, grandson, great-grandson and great-greatgrandson and now my great-great-greatgrandson and his wife are having their first baby. I just have to thank God and pray for myself and everyone else. «

I have lived in this house for 60 years. My eldest son is 74. I had 10 children and raised nine to adulthood, eight men and one woman.

Photographer Cris Teles interviewed Dona Lacimi, one of the most respected women in her community of Rumo Itaetê - Bahia, Brazil.

PHOTOGRAPHER Ekaterina Semenova instagram.com/cesario_mora

MODEL Viktoriya Romanova instagram.com/vishhqy

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