Eat Love Do – Sharron Goodyear, Look And Feel Your Best In Photos

Hi guys, welcome. I'm Janine Ebury and this is the Eat Love Do show and this is exclusive to Women's Radio Station. Please do head over to Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram and follow us @WomensRadioStn and do take a moment to go to our YouTube channel and click subscribe and like us and that really does help us. Thank you very much. So this is Eat Love Do, it's the show for you because what you eat, how you love yourself and others, and what you do on a daily basis because to take care of your health and happiness matters. Each episode we will be chatting with experts and incredible people who devote their time to helping and inspiring people just like you be healthier, happier, take care of yourself, have more freedom to do the things that you love, and just have a nicer, happier life. Um, today's guest is very special. She's a photographer, but she's more than that, and If you wanna know how to look good on camera, then this is, you're gonna love this show. You're gonna love today. Part of looking good is obviously taking care of ourselves, our health and everything so that our skin glows. And as well as taking care of our mental state so that we glow from the inside. I think part of looking good on camera is about feeling good in your own skin and feeling good about yourself. Sharon is somebody amazing to work with on this if you ever wanted to do pictures with, by the way. And I worked as a model for 20-odd years. And, um, some of the things I used to do more than anything to take care of myself was to, um, just try and be in a happy space, be in that heart space, but also make sure that I was getting the right nutrition for my body that it needed, that my skin is clear and I look glowing. So no matter what makeup they did or didn't put on me, I think your skin should be the most beautiful thing that you wear. And if your skin's not glowing, then perhaps you might want to try my glowing skin glowing skin smoothie, which is over on the eatlovedo.com blog. Just look up glowing skin green smoothie and you will find that there. Pop one of those in your diet every day and it's just full of absolute goodness that makes you just glow from the inside out. So if you've got any issues with your skin, then maybe you should give this a little try and maybe it could be some diet stuff that's going on. So there's loads of information on the Eat Love Do site if you want to learn a bit more about nutrition or how to take care of yourself and your health. So you have that beautiful glowing skin and you don't have to rely on makeup to look good. And also there's lots of tips and advice on how to take care of yourself and feel happy and love yourself and feel beautiful so that when you do take those pictures, you look absolutely gorgeous. And it's not just because of the way the picture's taken, it's because of how you're feeling about yourself and how you've taken care of yourself. But how the picture is taken and the photographer you work with is also very important. So if you're taking professional pictures and today's guest is absolutely brilliant. She's got a beautiful energy, she's great at taking pictures, she's a woman so she understands obviously a woman's body and how to pose and look good, and she's just a really lovely person and I think you're going to enjoy chatting with her today and I can't wait to bring her on. So without further ado, I'm going to bring on today's guest. Her name is Sharon Goodyear, her website is sharongoodyear.com, spelled with two R's, so So pop over and have a nosy there. And without further ado, let's get this party started. We have a lovely guest on the show today. We've got the gorgeous Sharon Goodyear. Welcome, Sharon. Very excited to have you on. Morning, Janine. How lovely to be here. Good morning. You have that great voice, by the way. I've heard that you've got that kind of— I think last time we chatted, you said you were going to do some meditation. I have, yeah, I have actually recorded the meditations, um, but they need editing. So, um, and then they will be released into the stratosphere and see what happens. You just, you just have that voice that you just want to kind of drift off to sleep with and have those dreams. It's like, ah, it's like a pillow and a duvet just cushioning you. Welcome when I'm shouting at the children, hurry up. Yeah. Right, Sharon is a fantastic photographer and she also helps people with their branding, but I'll let her chat about that as we go on. And you're a mum and you do all this on your own as well, which is incredible. So tell us a little bit about your journey and how you got started. In the world of photography specifically? Yeah, yeah. So, oh gosh, well, I've been a photographer now for Gosh, it must be 16 years now. And, um, I'd— before that, I'd worked in London, lived in London, worked in London. I was in, um, marketing, sales and marketing, then in recruitment and what have you. And then my then, um, fiancé and I moved down to, uh, we moved down to Tonbridge Wells, and we were planning our wedding. And I was thinking, you know, well, I, I know we're going to have kids and stuff. I really want to think about what can I do to have my own business? And I've always been creative, did lots of creative things in school and what have you. But it was, it was when I was looking for a wedding photographer for my own wedding that I had this kind of eureka moment and thought about photography. And I saw some amazing creativity, some amazing photos, and then some not so good. And I thought, well, hang on a minute, if these guys are making a living with this kind of standard of photography, then hey, the gates are open. I'm gonna give it a go. So I suddenly thought, I think I'm gonna get into wedding photography, bizarrely. So it seemed like an easy access. So I did a lot of training. I was mainly self-taught, but then I joined a professional body called the Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers and got my licencia qualification. And then really it sort of grew from there. So I did weddings for a long time. Time, um, probably stopped them about 4 years ago now. And occasionally I'll do one if someone asks me, but, um, but I, I, you know, I sort of outgrew them really. So I did weddings, I did portraits, I did boudoir photography. And for anyone who doesn't know what boudoir photography is, it's like lingerie photography but very, very classy, very kind of high-end, mixing out with fashion. And actually I won Fashion and Boudoir Photographer Yeah, through the Master Photographer Association a few years ago. And as I built my, you know, honed my craft, built my skill, I created my own style, which is very contemporary, no gimmicks. Because sometimes you see, particularly in wedding photography, you see like these kind of crazy gimmicks or people that photograph sideways and all these different things. And so I kind of refrained from that because I wanted my photographs to be classic and timeless and a bit edgy, a bit more editorial, like I say, because I'm a fan of fashion. I used to have a fashion and lifestyle blog. So, so yeah, so I did that for a while. I was fortunate enough to travel in the latter years of my photography as a wedding photographer. I got to travel to New York. I did a wedding in New York, which was amazing. I also did a wedding in Portugal, which was at Pena Palace. And if anybody knows Pena Palace in Sintra, it's simply stunning. So you have to go up a very big winding hill and it's like, um, a Neapolitan palace. It's like yellow and blue and all these sort of pastel pinks and all these beautiful colors. And this particular evening, it was a sunset wedding. All the clouds rolled in. So it literally was like the castle or the, It was actually floating. Oh, sorry, palace was floating in the sky. So, and the bride was stunning. It was, the whole thing was just amazing. Um, I got to travel to Iceland 3 times as well and do incredible, uh, pre-wedding shoots in Iceland. So I had an incredible journey. Um, and then I also got flown out twice to Las Vegas to go and teach other photographers in Las Vegas. At a convention called WPPI, which is like one of the world's biggest photography conventions. So it's wedding portrait photography convention. So yeah, so I did that a couple of years running. Then obviously the pandemic hit and that was really challenging for a lot of photographers because we were suddenly in this situation with like, okay, so, you know, what do we do now? Because we can't go out and take photographs. And that's when I discovered and sort of did some research and discovered virtual photography. So for those who have no idea— yeah, I'm virtually taking a picture of you. Not really. Yes, exactly. Well, you would be surprised. So in the very early stages of virtual photography, it was literally doing FaceTime photos, and that evolved and an app was created. So How it basically works is we, my client and I, we download an app and, and they, I would then direct them, I would pose them, I would put them in the right light and I could photograph them through my laptop just using their iPhone and obviously, or their Android phone. The better the quality of camera on their phone, the better the quality of the photos. But actually they were high resolution images and they weren't obviously going to ever compete with in-person personal branding photography, but they were really of a decent quality for social media. So I was doing virtual photography and this is when I obviously, I decided to stop doing weddings and transition into personal branding photography because I realized that I wanted that more kind of one-on-one experience. Working with people and, and not just doing photography, but I wanted to immerse myself in the world of personal branding and, and learn all about that. So that's what I do. That's fantastic. I didn't know about this virtual photography. I mean, I was, I was a model, and well, still am technically sometimes, for 20-odd years. And like you, the whole industry just shut down during lockdown. So this is, this is fantastic. I didn't even know this was a thing. So it is, as long as you've got good Wi-Fi or good 4G. I photograph photographed, um, one lady who's actually a good friend of mine, but I photographed her in Brazil on the beach. So she was in Brazil on the beach, I was, um, at my desk in Sussex in, uh, quite a gray miserable day, and there she was in this beautiful red dress sort of flaunting on the beach, and there I was like, I wish I was actually there. It's really— it's incredible, isn't it? Human beings are just amazing. We adapt to any situation and just find a way. This This is— I am— I've never— yeah, I'm really impressed by that. And you are a phenomenal photographer on the branding as well, because I've seen some of the people that you've shot, and I had a little nose at your website yesterday, which is stunning, by the way. So beautiful. It's a work in progress. I'm rebranding at the moment. So yeah, it's absolutely gorgeous. I'll have to chat to you about that later, and you can tell me what platform you built on, because that is just beautiful. And the photography on it is It's incredible. So if anybody, go pop over to Sharon Goodier.com and have a little nosy. Sharon with two Rs. Sharon with two Rs, yes, because she's extra. There is such a thing. But it is absolutely beautiful. I was blown away by it. And yeah, and I've seen your work as well, and it is incredible. Yeah, so tell me a bit about what you do with people, because I know that you work with people and help them with their branding and you help them. So, and then that all ties into the photography that will go with their branding. I like that concept, rather than just being a photographer that takes the pictures, you do the whole thing together. Yeah, absolutely. Well, the thing, the thing is, is that I, you know, I wanted to move away from just ultimately being a photographer in the sense that I was thinking, okay, yeah, I could be a rock-up photographer where I just turned up and said, right, okay, you know, what do you need doing? But I thought, no, I really want to understand understand these people's businesses. Because if I'm going to— and I'm a high-end photographer, so I'm not, you know, I'm not your £500 photographer who'll come and take a few shots for the day. Um, what— but the reason for that is because there's a lot of work that goes into what I do. So I, um, when I take on a new client, I really want to kind of get under the hood of their business and understand, you know, what it is that they do, um, what are their values, you know, what's their messaging like, who are they trying to show up as, or who are they, you know, authentically showing up as online. And a lot of people are either looking for a brand refresh, perhaps they're just starting out, maybe they've never had a brand shoot. So for me, it's really important in terms of how we actually position them to make sure that they to make sure that the brand photos are representative of their brand story. So we look at that and we look at how we're going to style them. I talk to them about, okay, what adjectives would you use to describe you, for example? So, and the reason I want to ask that is because I want to understand them as a person. So they, you know, all of us, we're multifaceted, and sometimes it's hard for people to describe themselves. I say, okay, so how would other people describe you? And way. So say for example they said, well, I'm really confident, um, I'm, you know, people say I'm fun, I'm outgoing, um, but I'm also, you know, I like my home comfort, so I like calm time and I like, you know, I'm into meditation, stuff like that. So maybe what we'll do is we'll, you know, we'll position them in, in, in the sense of, okay, I want to bring out your fun side in the photos, but I also want to see, you know, perhaps curled up with a cup of coffee reading a book or something like that to, to really show the different elements of who this person is. And then we take into account, okay, if you are positioning yourself as a high-end brand, for example, then location is really important, the styling is really important. So we think about, okay, where are we going to, um, where are we going to shoot this? Because it won't do just to have an ordinary background, it has to be something that's really going to complement the shoot. So all of these little things that we put in play first and we create a mood board, a Pinterest board as well. And the reason that we do that is because ahead of the shoot, I want to have a very strong vision of how they want the shoot to look, because there's no point me turning up with my vision if it's, you know, if it conflicts with what they want. So we look at the posing, we look at the, you know, the locations and stuff all through Pinterest as well, just to really build that vision board. So that by the time of the actual shoot itself, we know exactly what we're doing. So yeah, yeah, that's fantastic. That's really good because, because usually when people book a photographer, they kind of just take some outfits, they think about what they're wearing, and then they maybe do the hair and makeup and the lighting, but they don't think of the whole concept and bring it all together and bringing out the personality of the person. And that's, that's just, that's absolutely incredible. It's like another level. That's like when I mean, I've modeled for 20-odd years and you can always tell the difference between working with a really good photographer and creative team and when you're not, and you are like that higher level when you know the pictures are going to look on point and it's going to really work. And yeah, so, and I absolutely love what you're creating as well. I've looked at all your stuff, I'm like, this is actually incredible. Because obviously I've worked with lots of photographers over the years, you can tell when somebody's good, and it's not just about getting the lighting and the composite, it's that you bring something out of your subjects as well. You can see that they feel really comfortable with you and they're just very natural in themselves. And each picture, it tells a story in a sort of a deeper way. I really like that. Well, the thing is, is that for me, the most important part of the whole process is building that relationship, because it doesn't matter how much you go through the process if, like you say, that person turns up and not everyone's confident on camera, not everyone's, you know, used to being in front of the camera. So they might turn up and they might be a bit anxious, a bit nervous. So that's where it's really important that I help build the confidence in my clients. And, and so I do that by, you know, making it fun, making it lighthearted and relaxed, and also, um, just giving them confidence by showing them on the back of the camera how things are going. And obviously, as you've probably seen from my social media, I do a lot of posing as well. So they've seen my posing reels and stuff, and I direct them in the posing, which apparently I thought every, every photographer does, but apparently they don't. Oh, they do, they definitely don't, they don't. And for our listeners, what Sharon actually does, she makes little videos on TikTok and Reels on Instagram, and they're phenomenal. And she will show you the poses, she'll show you how people stand, which might be how you might be standing when someone's snapping a picture of you, and then she'll show you different ways you can stand and pose and make that picture and yourself look amazing. So you have to go check this out, even just for taking regular pictures at home with, you know, when you're out with your friends and family. This is brilliant. So what's your Instagram and TikTok so people can go and find you? My Instagram is simply Sharon with two Rs, Sharon Goodyear. Did you like the ties? It sounds so, so sexy, doesn't it? I'm not part of that empire, unfortunately. Sharon Goodyear and And my TikTok is Sharon Goodyear Photo. And it's quite funny actually because, um, Beiju, who is my, my boyfriend, who I met on Clubhouse, as you know, I do know, we just did our first couples posing TikTok reel and it's kind of gone a bit viral, which is quite funny already. It's had, in 24 hours it had over 40,000 views and like 2,000 likes and lots of shares and stuff. So I think there's a thirst for more couples reels. So I've got him this week here staying here because the kids are on holiday with their dad. So I'm— I've got him captive. So I'm doing some more posing reels with him. And it's quite funny because the first reel that we did together, he was concentrating so hard. So he, he looked like He looked like, what's the expression? You have a face like a slapped arse. Everyone was like, cheer up, mate. And he's like, yeah, I was concentrating. So in the next one, we're going to have that sultry deep pose. Wasn't he like that? Look at that. Yeah, yeah, that was kind of Beijing. Beijing's very fun. And but he, yeah, you can look quite serious. As well. It's just his, just his resting face is just like, bitch resting face. Oh, it's quite funny. So yeah, so he was like, oh my God, you're going to put that on, going to get so much stick. And he did, but he's taken it in good humor. So I've actually seen that. I've actually seen it. They are really good. I like you. You sat down in front of him, didn't you? In between the legs. Yeah. Yeah, I saw it. The thing I think people get— yeah, people get really awkward around posing. They, you know, you put a camera in front of them, they're like, well, I don't know what to do. And why would they? Because, you know, we don't— it's not a natural thing to do, but it's amazing how just, you know, how positioning your body in a certain way can— so say for example, you were conscious about your weight and you wanted to slim down your waistline or something like that. It's just how we position ourselves. Us in photos and how we pose, whether it be our hands, you know, just, just even like I call it this snap your wrist back, just things like that. Because, you know, when we do that, it can look really unflattering. But if we suddenly change it to that and showing the side of your hand, it can look much more elegant. So it's all of these little things. And then with the pose with Beiju, we were sat on a step. We went and knocked on the door of this guy because we're like, where can we take these photos? And we looked and there was these beautiful We were in Brighton and there were these beautiful white villas and this guy had this like checkerboard steps leading up to his house. So I was like, I really want to do the photos and the reel here. So we knocked on the door and luckily it was this older gentleman, single gentleman, and we said, could we borrow your steps? And he was like, yeah. So we did it, but we just, we literally, it was, it was, it showed how a lot of people might pose is, okay, if you're a couple, what do you do? You sit together. If you were sat on steps, of course, you just sit together side by side. But what I said is, let's mix it up a bit. So I positioned myself so Beiju was above me, a couple of steps above me, and then I sat on the floor and then parted his legs. It's okay, people, this is a family show. Luckily it was me doing the posing, not the other way around. So, and then I sort of sat between his legs and then just rested my elbow on his knee. And then we kind of did this a bit more power couple type shot just to, you know, change it up. So it's amazing, just changing it up can really make a difference. So yeah, so that's what I do. And I think posing, like when people see pictures of models, because obviously I modeled for so long, and they see pictures and the models have got like the flat stomach and they've got like the no cellulite on the legs and the bum. That's how you pose. It's how you stand. I mean, I've looked at— because I used to do a lot of swimwear and lingerie. I'm surprised we didn't work together, quite frankly. But I know, yeah, I know. But I used to like— you stand in a pose and you kind of arch your back and you pull your stomach up and it flattens your stomach and you pull your leg in front of you and you kind of— your skin goes taut. So you look perfect in the picture, but in real life you don't look like that. And then women are comparing themselves to these models that look perfect. And I mean, these days are completely touched up as well anyway, so there's no imperfections. And then they're trying to get that sort of to look like that and then feel uncomfortable themselves. When you look at pictures of yourselves where you don't look like that because you don't know how to pose. I don't look like that. I don't look like I do in my pictures. I look at pictures of me as a model and I'm like, wow, I look amazing in this, but I do not look like that in real life. Like, no way. —so I think that also adds to people feeling uncomfortable in how they're posing, not knowing how to stand and sort of do the awkward arm out. Yeah, yeah, I think I totally agree, and I think unfortunately— and this has been an ongoing thing, I mean, I remember it since I was much younger as well— this, when they went through the whole kind of Kate Moss, heroin chic, and, you know, you had the supermodels and It was— and that's— we were exposed to that all of the time. And then social media obviously boomed and we had all of the, you know, all of the social media and selfies. And now you've got these ridiculous filters as well. So people can actually even disguise how they truly look. And that for me is— it really bothers me because as a mother to a daughter particularly as well, I just think, why are people being inauthentic online? Why are they not being true to themselves? And I know that it comes from a place of pressure, of thinking they have to look a certain way in order to be accepted, in order to be loved, or what have you. And it's really, really tough. And my aim when I work with my clients is not to make them look, um, different to who they are. But at the same time, when it comes to photos, a photo can make or break you in terms of your confidence. If you have a bad photo of yourself, it can really affect and impact how you feel about yourself. And you can keep looking at it going, gosh, is that really how I look? But, but, you know, conversely, if you have a great photo of yourself where you look at yourself and because it's been done in the right light, because the posing is, is correct and stuff, It's still you, but it's you in the more flattering version. I mean, we say put our shoulders back, you know, hold your tummy in, do, do these things, um, sit in a certain way. Um, it's not that we are trying to make you look like something you're not. You're still you, but we are putting you in a more flattering position. The same way that we can put clothes on and they can be unflattering to us, you know, whereas we put something else on and it really works for our body shape. So that's all it's about. It's about maximizing optimizing what we have in the most flattering way to make us feel good. And the power of that and how it can impact people is quite extraordinary. Yeah, I agree. And I think that's the healthiest way, as in, and for mindset and everything, to make yourself look your best without trying to be something you're not. I think when, when they're using the filters, it's almost like you're telling yourself that who you are isn't enough. You're not beautiful enough, you're not enough. And if you keep using them and then you think, that's me looking good, this sort of alien version of myself, then you're constantly telling your psyche that who you are isn't enough, and that's just gonna have such damaging effects and layering it on. And I really sort of worry for the younger generation coming up. So when we've got photographers like you teaching people how to actually celebrate themselves, so they can— because we all want to look our best, let's be honest. That's why we put makeup on, that's why we do our hair, that's why we buy the clothes, get our nails done. We want to look our best, and of course we want to look the best in pictures. So I really love that you're doing that in a way that's healthy, um, and teaching people so they can do it and look incredible but without that sort of fakeness. And yeah, I really don't like these filters. I don't like them. And look, we all want to look— I mean, I am a fan of the Paris filter on stories. Oh really? Yeah, I don't mind. Yeah, I don't mind like the color wash, like making the whole picture But that's just— yeah, it's a bit skin softening, but I still look like me and I'm not catfishing anyone, you know. But like a 21-year-old with big bubble lips and nothing. Oh, Katya, welcome to that. We actually have to completely change the look of who we are. It's just— and the thing is, I think the more women are doing it because I think it's a women thing particularly. The more women are doing it, the more they're seeing themselves like that on social media, the more they're thinking, that's how I look. And, you know, it wouldn't even surprise me if they're doing their makeup on their phones with the filter on because they don't, you know. And that, for me, it— I find it really worrying, actually. I'm all about celebrating the, the natural beauty that you have. And, and for some people, they might, they might say, well, It's easy for you to say, or it's easy for us to say, I hate how I look. I'm, I don't feel beautiful. Um, so I don't wanna look in the mirror and see what I see. But the, the thing that I really wanna celebrate is, um, to me this is just the veneer, you know? And that's what I say to my clients. I believe that, you know, unless you are a, you know, a horrible, horrible person, um, We all have evil. I don't know. Because you are born evil. We all have something beautiful inside of us and we might not want to see it ourselves. We might not believe it because the negative voices is strong. I'm starting to sound like Yoda now. Don't get voices strong in this one. But yeah. Um, but, but actually, if we, if we look at who we are, we're all loved by somebody. Somebody sees our beauty. And, um, when I work with a client, whether it be male or female, I, when I put the lens to my eye, um, I am really focused on capturing their, the essence of who they are, their inner beauty, because we're all so unique. And the thing is, I think we live in a, a comparing culture where everyone's looking at everyone else. So I should look like that. If I look like that, my life would be better. Um, but, um, I actually did a reel recently, uh, well, a few, few months ago, and I said, if we lived in a world without mirrors, would we feel more or less beautiful? And, um, and I said, because, you know, beauty is really subjective. Um, what's beautiful to one person is not beautiful to someone else. Uh, we all have different tastes. That's why we all look so different because there's, you know, well, if we all look the same, it would be pretty boring. But, um, I think the thing is we form opinions about who we are and about, uh, you know, I am beautiful or I'm not beautiful, or, you know, I look a certain way, but you know, as I said, beauty's subjective. So who are we to decide? Um, how beautiful we are in the eyes of another. So yeah, so that's for me, the thing is, is to really focus on the inner beauty and capturing the soul essence of somebody is what's important to me. Yeah, I love that. Um, I, I, yeah, I like that. And I think us feeling beautiful should be about us appreciating ourselves and not needing external affirmation from somebody else or society. Feedback to us that were beautiful as well. I think a lot of people kind of get caught up in that, especially the younger generations. Not when you're seasoned like us two. Young at heart, hopefully a little bit of wisdom in there. You're turning 50 this year, I'm sure you won't mind me sharing that, but your birthday. I know, I'm turning 50 next month. Incredible. You only— you look like you're in your 30s. I'm like, what is her secret? Does she sleep in a cryo chamber? Does she The blood of virgins. What is it? You know, um, that's very kind of you, Janine. Thank you. Yeah, I, I am. I'm turning 50 in, um, on September the 20th, actually. And, um, I've been a little bit, um, I've not known how to feel about it, to be honest with you, because I've thought, oh wow, you know, I remember my mom turning 50. I remember, you know, and I always used to think, oh, 50 is like, that's old, 50s old. But actually, I think that it's just a number and we can completely redefine what, what it means. And I was very lucky, um, my mom is— she's in her very early 70s now and she, she looks amazing. And she's always looked after herself. And she, um, from a very young age, from the age of 12, my mum taught me the importance of good skincare routine. So she taught me to look after my skin, to keep, um, you know, to wear sun factor. So I've always— I always wear, like, no matter what time of year, I wear a 50 SPF sun factor, um, all year round. Because as well as protecting against, you know, harmful sun rays, it also protects against pollution as well. I drink a lot of water. I have a plant-based diet. I, you know, I enjoy going out and walks in the fresh air. And so I do, I do look after my skin. I don't smoke, I don't drink. Quite boring, really. I used to do all of those things. I was a social smoker back in my 20s when it was, when everybody was doing it and you could smoke in the pubs and stuff. Oh my God. Can you imagine going back to those days? No, no. I used to come home and your hair used to smell of cigarettes. And your pillow in the morning. My eyes were burning. Yeah, yeah. I said, it's really disgusting. So yeah, so I just, you know, I've looked after myself. I'm not averse to, you know, the odd beauty treatment occasionally. Um, but I, um, you know, I like— What's your favorite beauty treatment? What's your like go-to beauty treatment? Um, so I've had like facial peels occasionally, the, you know, the odd facial. I have tried, you know, I have Botox occasionally. I'm not afraid to, to say that out loud, but, you know, not very often. I like to look as natural as possible. And I don't, you know, I don't— the reason that I tried Botox was because I got in— I mean, I'm a single mom to 3 kids. And it's not something I do very often, but just sometimes I found that when I hit my 40s, I would wake up and I think, God, I look knackered. I started to look really quite tired. And, and so whilst I'm, you know, not, you know, I was, I was a bit unsure about it. And then someone said, have you thought about having Botox? And it The thing is, it's so mainstream now. And so I thought, okay, um, I'll give it a try. So I tried it and I couldn't believe the difference that it made. It just, it really opened my eyes up. It's, you know, it softened my lines and just, it made me feel good about myself. And, um, and so I, I thought, well, okay. And so I tried it and, and, and then when I feel like I'm starting to look I'm like a little bit tired, a little bit, I will, you know, I'll have it occasionally and it just gives me that little, that little boost. But I don't wanna have it to the point that I lose all my facial expression and stuff. 'Cause you can see it in people and it's a bit like, whoa. Yeah. I think some people overdo it and I think younger girls doing it, it's so unnecessary doing it in their 20s and maybe early 30s and that their faces are nowhere near like forming wrinkles, and they, and they just look weird. And I think it ages them, and it creates kind of body dysmorphia where they're not enjoying themselves. But when you hit your— in your 40s and 50s and upwards, you're obviously— you haven't got the collagen, and, and your, your muscle tone's going in your face. I think just having a little tweak, if it makes you feel good, then why not? But it's— I think it's like you, you've got a really healthy attitude where you're just doing a little bit just just to, you know, give you a boost. Yeah, why not? Why the hell not? I think the thing is, is that I, um, you know, I, I never ever talked about it before because I was a bit like, you know, it's too— people are, people are so judgy around these things. And people will judge, and people probably hear this and go, but it's not for everybody. But I, I try to come from a place where I don't judge judge people because it sounds like I'm judging because I'm talking about the filters and stuff. I— that doesn't come from a place of judgment, that just comes from a place of concern because I'm the mother of a daughter and I, I want people to celebrate, um, who they are. But I just try and make the best of who I am. But I also, um, never would want to go to an extreme where I, you know, you see these people who have, you know, they have loads of fillers, they have loads of Botox to the point that it actually starts to change what they look like. Now that again is seen in some celebrities as well, haven't we? In their face. Yeah. And it's, and it, the thing is, is that again, I don't judge. I don't judge anyone for doing what they do. I think, you know, you do you, I'll do me. We all do what makes us feel good about ourselves. And, and if you feel confident because you have these treatments and it makes you feel good, then great, do it. There's no, there's no problem for me. But I personally just want to look as natural as I can. But that's just, that's just me. And other people, you know, they, they like that whole kind of look and that's, that's for them. But I don't judge it. I just It's just personal preference. Yeah, I'm the same. I think that's a really good attitude to have. And I think particularly women as well, like women can be quite judgy of other women. And I think it comes usually when people are being judgy, it comes from a place where they're hurt inside and they've not healed and they're not happy. They're comparing themselves to that other person. It's almost like jealousy or they just think, and really, cause they're not loving themselves, they don't feel like they look good. Whereas if we actually focused on self-love a little bit more and self-care and loved ourselves, we wouldn't be judging others because we'd be just happy and accepting of others. So I think that I really like that you brought that up. And speaking of self-care, you mentioned to me about your shoulder and you're going through treatment. I'm quite interested to hear about this, and I think maybe our listeners are. Yeah, so, um, so I have somehow, um, damaged, um, my shoulder, and it started off, um, I think I did it in the gym, and it started off as like, um, a, I think, a rotator cuff half injury and, um, and, or impingement where, so, so with this arm, if I turn that way, I can flick my arm back, I can put it above my head, I can, and nothing hurts. Whereas with this one, um, what's actually happened is I've start, that's about as far as I can get it back. That's actually better. It was there, but I had, um, a steroid injection and, um, and that seems to helped it a little bit, but, um, but it's still, I'm still getting daily pain and it got to the point where, um, I, so I gave up going to the gym because it was just so uncomfortable. All the exercises that I was doing, that's actually a bit of a cop-out. Cause I just called it, oh, I can't go because of the shoulder. I can't go because of my shoulder. Nothing to stop me going on the treadmill or doing the leg press or whatever that, but you know, it's like, it's my shoulder. I can't go. So I'm just into dog walking at the moment. But, but yeah, so it's, it got to the point though where I was like, this is ridiculous. I, I was, I had numbness and, um, tingling in my hand. I had constant arm ache. I was in constant pain. Um, you know, it was like, it was like one of those manageable pains, but, but you know, you know when you get like a dull ache in your arm and I was always like touching my shoulder and And, um, so I, um, eventually I was like, okay, what am I gonna do? So I was given some exercise by the physio. It just made it worse. Well, I've got a shoulder injury, rotator cuff, the same. So yeah. Yeah. But I got mine pulling a big heavy suitcase along a beach in Thailand. I got dropped off on a boat and we got dropped off on the beach. We had to pull our suitcases on and our wheels don't work in sand. It ripped my shoulder. Oh my God. So how long have you had yours? Um, so I did that maybe about 8, 9 years ago. Oh, I've still got it. I still got it a little bit. It comes back. So it's healed, but I'm really interested to hear about, to share the treatment you're doing. So basically I, I've, I had the steroid injection, uh, about a week ago now. Um, and there's been some mild improvement and definitely it's helped with the inflammation. But, um, a friend of mine told me about something called Bowen's therapy and, um, Bowen's therapy is, and the lady, luckily there's a lady local to me in Lewis and she, she's worked on, you know, some quite well-known people like Bear Grylls and stuff. And, and she does it. It works on all areas of the body, but particularly good for shoulder and back injuries. And so how it works, it's like soft tissue manipulation. So there's massage involved, but she also works on energy healing. So she works on the meridians in the body. And recentering and healing your actual body. So she, she works on energy healing. And now for some people that will all sound a bit woo-woo, but she gets these incredible testimonials. So I've got an appointment with her after this and I'm going to try it out because I think obviously you have your traditional medicine, but I had— I actually had a back problem before and I had and it was, I don't know, trapped nerve or I'd done something and I'd had it for about a week. And this lady came over and she did reflexology on my feet and obviously she knew about my back. And I'm not kidding you, the next day the pain had gone. So now that might be coincidence, but it was like it was a very good coincidence. And, and I've heard that these alternative therapies and things like acupuncture and stuff can actually really work. So, so yes, I'm going to try that out. It's called Bowen's, B-O-W-E-N-S therapy. I'm going to try this. I love alternative therapies. If ever I can avoid, you know, taking, you know, prescription drugs or things or an operation, you can do something like this to avoid that and actually heal the body naturally. I think this is incredible. Yeah, it's great. Yeah, because kinesiology works on the meridians as well, doesn't it? And they, they do the tuning in to work out what's going on there. So this sounds, this sounds really good. I like that kind of holistic, whole way of healing as well. So me too. You'll definitely have to let me know. Let me know how that works. I will let you know. So what else do you do for like self-care and getting yourself ready? Because you're obviously, you're a mum, you've got kids, um, you're running a business. And I'm sure there's other women out there that have got all this going on. So how do you balance all of this and take care of yourself? Because you always have this sort of serene calmness to you, like you're just coasting along. Yeah, well, I, I, you know, I think I've, as I've got older, you know, I've mellowed a lot. And I, I've had, you know, I've had my challenges with, um, I have, so I have 3 children. I have, um, Josh who's 15, Gracie's 13, and Jake who's 12. And I've had had my challenges, um, particularly with my younger one, um, in the pandemic and stuff. And, and so it's, um, and that, you know, that tested me. But I, I actually worked with a parenting coach because I, I felt like nothing I was doing was working, just in terms of, you know, getting him into this, this routine, because he was, um, he was quite defiant, shall we say. So, but I didn't wanna be the mum that was just always shouting at my kids, um, or shouting at my son. So I worked with a parenting coach and that actually really helped because it helped me understand things from his point of view. So I try to take a fairly calm approach to parenting. Um, it doesn't mean I don't raise my voice to them occasionally when after 5 times for dinner, yeah, calm down. Hi. Um, but, um, in terms of So is it self-care you're saying about? Yeah, like self-care. How do you take care of yourself? You know, stay centered and keep your energy levels up as well. Because I think, yeah, because I'm 46 now, so I'm only a couple years like behind you, and I find sometimes— You look amazing as well. Oh, I thank you. I do feast on the blood of virgins. That's why I live next to a school. That sounds very wrong. Don't worry, no children were harmed in the making of that joke. Oh, but, um, oh, thank you. But, um, yeah, so I sometimes I get, I just get quite tired. Like my body doesn't bounce back as like it used to do in my 20s and early 30s. So, um, have you got any tips on how, because you always seem like your energy levels are really high. So what is anything that you do? Do you think it's your diet, your mindset? Well, I, um, like I say, I have a plant-based diet. Um, I think that really helps actually. Yeah. Um, Yeah, well, the thing is, is that, I mean, I say I have— I'm not a strict vegan. I do have dairy occasionally, but I would say I'm 90% plant-based. I was completely plant-based, but I'm about 90% now, just because occasionally, you know, when we go out for dinner or something, it's sometimes hard and the vegan options aren't particularly exciting. But I avoid dairy as much as possible because it actually can make your system quite mucusy. Um, and, um, so since I cut out dairy, I've felt a lot better. Um, and also, you know, cutting out meat, having more whole, whole-based food, whole grain food. But you can be a really unhealthy vegan as well. It's just about chips every day. Just chips. Yeah. I am ashamed to admit that I, I have, when I'm particularly hungry and short of food, I have nipped around to McDonald's and got myself a McPlant burger. Is that a thing? I'm at Plant Burger. Plant Burger, it's like, um, a vegan snack. It's actually pretty awesome. But, um, oh really? Yes. I think I feel like I've just lost respect from a lot of people. I believe everything. I think you can eat what you want in moderation. You know, if you want cake, if I want cake, I'll have cake. If I want to eat a bar of chocolate, I'll have a bar of chocolate. But I just I just, I don't deny myself anything, obviously apart from meat and dairy, but I don't deny myself things. Um, because I think when we come from a place of denial, it feels like punishment and we come from that kind of lack mentality. Whereas I think if it's just about making a different choice, about a healthier choice, it, it has, um, a feel-good factor around it. So, so I never diet. Um, I simply if I feel like I've overindulged, I simply, you know, draw it back. So a couple of things that I do, um, I actually do natural fasting. So I try not to eat past 8 o'clock at night. Okay. Yeah. Um, and, um, and then I, I don't, um, eat till probably about 10 o'clock in the morning. So, um, by doing that, it allows your body's digestive system to, um, to recover and to, to relax. So, and funnily enough, you were talking last night about you ate late, you didn't have the best night's sleep and stuff. And, uh, often that can happen if we eat late. It can, um, you know, cuz you, you, you're giving your, your digestive system's naturally slowing down. So you give yourself more to do. Um, so yeah, so I, I naturally fast. Um, and that works really well for me. Um, it's not all the time, but you know, on weekends I'm more relaxed, I'll eat later. But during the week, um, stop eating by 8 and start eating again at 10 in the morning. Um, I have like a protein shake or I have like oats and berries and stuff. So I make sure that I'm getting my protein. I make sure that I'm getting fruit into my diet. So my diet's quite important to me. I don't get enough sleep if I'm honest. Honest, I could probably get more sleep. And, um, I like to go for it. So I don't go to the gym anymore, but I'll go and have a great walk in nature across the fields and stuff with my little Cavapoo, my dog. And, um, and then, um, yeah, and then I, I have a vigilant skincare routine. It doesn't matter what time I get to bed, um, I always, always take off my makeup. Um, I always have a, you know, the 3-step. I cleanse, I tone, I moisturize, use eye cream. I do the same in the morning. I body brush as well to get my lymphatic system working. I think that makes a big difference as well, first thing in the morning doing that. Yeah. So, so all of these sorts of things that I do, and like I said earlier, I wear sun factor and I drink water. I don't smoke. I used to, I used to drink a lot more, but I've literally, it's just phased out. And I'll occasionally, if I go out, I'll maybe have one drink. But I just, I've realized, you know, I try and listen to my body and I've just realized that I don't, I enjoy a drink, which is why I have it occasionally. However, I've got to the point now where I'm so sensitive to it. Same with caffeine. I don't drink caffeine. Um, that, um, it just, just doesn't make me feel good. So I think, you know, I don't want to have more than one drink because I know if I do, I'm actually going to feel it the next morning. Because I guess the less you have, the less tolerant you become. I'm like that. I drink only very occasionally now. When I do drink, it takes me a week to recover, like really to get my energy levels back. I get almost like the blues 2 or 3 days later. Oh yeah, didn't get that in my 20s and 30s. But in my 40s, my body's like, no, no, no, no. And I might eat one drink and I'm okay. And then, yeah, I think it's an age thing. I don't know, but I know I've got a lot of making up to do because I used to drink a lot in my 20s. It was the culture, wasn't it? It's what we did. Yeah, yeah, it was. It was almost like a badge of honor, a hangover the next day, or how much you drank the day before. It was when I was growing up in York. I grew up in Yorkshire. From London, and it— what you drank was like, it was almost like how you sort of connected socially and that bonding. And, and drinking was the culture, and it was a thing to be proud of in a way, which is really strange. But I think it's getting less and less that now. I think the younger generations are coming up, a lot of them are not drinking, which I think is quite healthy, or just drinking on occasions. I quite like that. Yeah, absolutely. And I like your sort of healthy attitude and your diet and stuff like that. I also cut dairy out about 20-odd years ago And I think most people don't realize that milk's actually the breast milk from a different species. It's breast milk from cows. Cows don't drink milk, yet we're drinking that, drinking it, and it's having all kinds of negative ramifications on our health. So yeah, yeah, it's a bit weird when you think about it. Um, and you know, that's— yeah, so I, I try and avoid that as much as possible. But, um, but I think again, like I say, it's all about balance and if you want to go down to McDonald's and grab yourself a burger occasionally. And what was it called? A Mc— what? McPlant Burger. But they, um, I used to get, uh, when I went there I was quite upset, um, so I had to obviously go back for another one. The first time it was like the best thing because I used to love a Big Mac back in the day when I was in my 20s. And you know, after you're like, oh, let's go to McDonald's after pub. And, um, and I used to love a Big Mac, but, um, but, and then this I tasted, I was like, oh, it's like having a Big Mac, but they put the gherkins in and I love the gherkins. And then when I had one locally, um, and they didn't put the gherkins in, I felt quite upset because it's like, it doesn't taste like a Big Mac because it hasn't got the gherkin. So I've been robbed of my gherkin experience. I felt very much because it's such an occasional treat that I have, you know. I thought, I'm gonna really enjoy this, and then when I got home and it was like, well, it's game over, I might as well throw it in the bin. I love that. I love that you still like treat yourself to stuff like that, because some people can be quite rigid as well when it's, you know, with their health, and they forget. I think it's great that we're trying to be as healthy and clean as possible, but if you get too rigid, you kind of lose that, um, taking care of yourself and giving your soul and your heart and your body a little bit of what it needs. And, you know, if you want to, if you want a McDonald's, go and have one, but it's just doing it on occasion. So I like, I, I like that balanced approach. There's now many, many listeners are going, maybe we should go to McDonald's. We're not advocating McDonald's. Yeah, but any, like I say, anything, um, occasionally, I think, is fine. An occasional drink, an occasional bit of fast food. It's not— it's when it's cumulative, it's when you're doing it on a regular basis that it impacts your health and your body, I think. So if you're looking after yourself, you know, then, and listening to what your body needs— mine needs chocolate. I try not to listen to it when it says that. Again, you know, dark chocolate's great. I love Yeah, I love that trick. I think it's great. I think, yeah, I think you're right. It's like what we do daily consistently matters. So you can afford to treat yourself and have a glass of wine or a slice of pizza or a mac and cheese or whatever you want if you're not doing it every day. And I think that's where some people like kind of fall short. Like they're eating poorly every day and they think they're gonna have to give that up to be healthy. But being healthy is just making good choices every day and occasionally having the things that you like. Like. So yeah, I like that you shared that. That's, uh, hopefully that will motivate some of our listeners to, uh, it's okay to occasionally have a little bit of naughty as well. Sharon says it's okay, so I'm now going for a macchiato. Yeah, I'm kind of tempted to try one now. Let me know what you think. So what are you doing today? You're going off for a photo shoot today? You shooting? So, um, I'm going to go and have my Bowen's treatment appointment now. Um, I've got an 11:30 appointment, and then, um, I am going with Beiju, and we are going to go and create some content. So we're going to— we've had some— I had a request to do, um, a standing on stairs pose because we were sitting on stairs, and this lady's going, um, to some function she wants, and she's got to stand on some stairs with her partner, so she wants to know how to do that. So I'm going to be recreating some standing on stairs. I don't know where I'm going to find these stairs, but some stairs around Lewis and see what I can find. And yeah, and then we'll, we'll go from there. So, so yeah, creating content and I like that you're taking requests. So if anyone listening is thinking about doing a picture and they're not quite sure how to stand, hit Sharon up on social media, on her Instagram, and you can ask a request of what, you know, the pose you want to do, and you'll make a video and a reel of it, won't you, and share it on your social media? Yeah, that's what I do when I— if people request. I did that, um, somebody else, um, contacted me and she said, I'm going to a black tie function and I don't know how to pose. And I said, okay, send me in a photo, um, I want to see how, you know, you normally pose yourself. And, um, so she showed me this photo of herself and she looked beautiful, you know, she had an amazing dress and but you could just tell that she was really awkward. She was sort of standing like this, like a cardboard cutout. Yeah, yeah. So I just gave her, um, so I showed the photo and then I just gave some tips about, you know, different types of poses, how we can pose ourselves, and just, um, she found it really, really useful. And then she showed me the photos afterwards, after she'd done it, so it's great. They look so much better. Oh, that's fantastic. So yeah, definitely use Sharon as a resource, guys. I know I shall be. I'll be like, Sharon, I'm going to— I've also got a guide as well, um, which, um, if people want access to, they can have. It's, um, 10 tips for looking great in your photos for your personal brand as well. Oh, that's fantastic! And how do they get that? How do they get the tips? Do they have to— um, if you DM me on Instagram, I'm also— we're just creating, um, my VA and I were just creating a resources page page on my website. So if they go to my website, which is sharongoodier.com, and click on resources, and I've got a couple of resources on there, but the one of them is the, um, is that particular PDF. So it just guides you through all the various steps to, to look great in photos. So yeah, okay, fantastic. And also I will pop Sharon's details on all the Eat Love Do social media as well. So if you want to find out, find our information, you can find that there too. Sharon, I want to say thank you for being on. It was absolutely lovely having you on. You've been an absolute joy, and I love all the little tips and stuff that you've given, and I really love your attitude and ethos on life. I think it's lovely. Thank you very much. Nice to get to know you a little bit better as well. I want to thank our listeners for listening today. Do remember to head over to the Woman's Radio Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook book. It is @womensradiostn, um, and also go to our YouTube channel and hit that subscribe button. Um, it really does help us, so thank you so much for doing that. And I am Ginny Newbery, and this was the Eat Love Do Show. Each week we will be chatting to different experts and amazing, incredible women who will be sharing their insights and knowledge and helping you be healthier, happier, and live a life with more happiness and freedom to do what you'd you love to do. So until next time, we will say a fond farewell and wish you all a wonderful day. And yeah, just keep being healthy and being happy. Thank you, Janine.