We first met Julie’s family at a sweet snowy session earlier this year. After sharing some of Nancy’s bad-ass wig-free photos on social media, Julie reached out asking if she could come to the studio for a special Something You session. Julie told us she had recently been diagnosed with breast cancer, and that the chemotherapy treatments were causing her hair to fall out in clumps. It was time to shave her head, and seeing Nancy’s bold photos inspired Julie to have her head shaved at our studio. She bravely wanted have photographs of this incredibly difficult moment.

When Julie arrived with her family and sister, she was visibly and understandably tense. As a mother, she worried about what her daughters would think watching their Mom lose her hair. The lovely and talented Elisa did Julie’s makeup before we began, That time when a client is being pampered at our studio is usually joyful, but this time, the mood felt heavy. We all felt Julie’s grief and pain, and as we inched closer to the time to shave her head there were a lot of tears shed in that space.

We invited our friend and neighbor Denise to come to this session to shave Julie’s head. Denise is a cancer survivor, and having been down this road herself she brought wisdom and empathy and JOY to the studio when she arrived. She was an angel guiding Julie down a very difficult path.

After Julie’s sister braided a small section of Julie’s hair to keep, Denise started cutting off her auburn locks. We were all crying in that moment. But Julie bravely pushed forward, holding her daughters close as she showed them the true definition of courage. Once Denise got through most of her hair, Julie’s husband Kenny sweetly stepped in to finish cleaning up his wife’s head. He tenderly encouraged her throughout the morning, but watching him use the clippers on Julie was one of the most beautifully romantic things we have ever seen.

When it was over, Julie looked at herself in the mirror and her face lit up. She exclaimed, “I look like a badass!” And she really did. A badass who bravely faced into her fears in a very public way. A badass who modeled strength and courage for her daughters. A badass who will continue to fight no matter what. It was an incredibly honor to witness this transformation.