This Saturday, I was shooting at Botanical with eight incredible women. Three of them were brand new — their very first Liberty experience. The other five had been before, some once, some a handful of times, some regulars who now walk into a shoot as if they are stepping back into a room that already knows them.
It was fascinating to witness the difference between the women who had been before and the ones who hadn’t. Especially one woman who first came this summer. She had been so nervous then… truly terrified. But this weekend she walked in smiling, glowing, excited.
She said, “I’m just ready. I can’t wait.” And it was extraordinary to see her shift from fear to exhilaration. She wasn’t scared anymore. She simply wanted to enjoy herself.
And that — right there — is the magic of Liberty. One of the mantras I teach in the Liberty course, the one you receive the moment you book a shoot, is beautifully simple:
My only job is to enjoy myself.
It sounds almost too simple. But it is the foundation for everything we do.
The Brain Lives Every Experience Twice
One thing I’ve learned about human behaviour is that we live events twice. We live them first in our mind — anticipating, imagining, rehearsing the future. You rehearse the school run, the meeting, the conversation, weekend plans, the party you’re nervous about.
Your brain runs ahead, creating a script for what might happen. Then you do the thing…and you live it again, in real time. This is normal. It’s how the brain tries to prepare you. But when you’ve never done something before — when your brain has no roadmap, no historical memory, no “this is how this goes” — your mind panics. It says: “I don’t know what this is… so this must be dangerous.”
This is why women often arrive at their first Liberty shoot shaking, crying, apologising, or trying to laugh through their fear. Not because the shoot is scary, but because it is new, and the brain hasn’t built a pathway for it yet. And this is completely normal.
The Magic of Play (And Why Liberty Works)
The beautiful thing is that the brain grows fastest through two things: play and pain. Pain builds pathways because the brain is trying to protect you. But play builds pathways because the brain is trying to expand you.
At Liberty, we create an environment of pure play — childlike, joyful, surprising, expressive play. You’re dressing up. You’re stepping into the unknown. You’re being guided by someone you trust. You’re engaging with other women who feel exactly the same way. And in this space, the brain can build new neural pathways at lightning speed.
This is why that woman who was terrified in the summer came back glowing this weekend. Her brain learned, “This is safe. This is joyful. This is allowed.” And once your brain learns that — once it knows the road — the second time feels like freedom.
Repetition & Mantras: Training the Mind to Let Go
Repetition also forms pathways. This is where mantras come in. If you repeat: My only job is to enjoy myself over and over again…your brain starts to believe you.
But — and this is crucial — you cannot repeat the mantra while being cruel to yourself in other moments.
You cannot say, “I am enough,” and then immediately tell yourself you’re not. Mixed messages cancel each other out. The neural pathway won’t form.
This is why Liberty shoots work so fast. Because the environment itself is pure play, pure safety, pure presence. Your mind doesn’t have time to sabotage. It’s too busy experiencing something new and beautiful.
A Liberty Shoot Is Active Meditation
People often tell me, “Two hours just went by like five minutes…it feels like I pressed reset on my life.” And they’re right. A Liberty shoot is a form of dynamic, active meditation. You are present, you are engaged, you are connecting with yourself and the women around you. You are listening, feeling, noticing — fully in the moment.
Meditation doesn’t always look like silence and stillness. Sometimes it looks like flow, movement, community, expression, and embodiment. A Liberty shoot is one of the few places where time dissolves…
because you are truly here.
The First Time vs. The Second Time
I’ve been thinking a lot about how different the first shoot feels compared to the second. It’s like having your first baby. No matter how calm or confident you are, the first time is unknown territory. The second time, you enjoy it more. You lean into it and you trust yourself.
But here’s the question that keeps circling in my mind: how do I help women enjoy it the first time?
How do I help you walk in knowing — not hoping — that you will be okay?
Maybe the answer is that I can’t fully do that. Because I cannot build your neural pathway for you. Only you can. But what I can promise is this:
You will enjoy the process. And if you don’t, I will make sure you do. We will reshoot, we will adjust, we will support you, and we will find your version of Liberty. Liberty is designed to be a place of joy. And joy is something every woman deserves to feel — especially in front of a camera.
Your Mantra Before Your Shoot
If you have a Liberty shoot coming up, I want you to take this with you: my only job is to enjoy myself. Say it in the car, say it while you pack your bag, say it while you choose your outfits, say it as you walk through the door.
Let it carve a new pathway in your mind and soften the fear of the unknown. Let it open you to the possibility that your first time can feel like your second. And then tell me how you get on. Because joy is waiting for you, and your only job…is to let yourself have it.
