I am a 46-year-old wife and the mom of a 13-year-old daughter. I am originally from Texas but moved to Northern Colorado at age 18, and the West feels like my soul's home. I work for a federal government contractor in a fairly high-stress role, but I am beginning to think about a career change that will be a lot nicer on my nervous system. I am also a Reiki master and a certified Breathwork facilitator, and that work feeds my soul in an indescribable way. Lately I have been joking that I am having a midlife crisis, because the desire to change my career and shake myself out of my life rut is v ..read more

Life is Yours - Grasp it The big takeaway that I’ve had from every Zealous Stills session that I’ve taken part of - from my first studio mini-session to taking it outdoors to traveling across the country to do an aerial shoot to group shoots in public places as a brand ambassador - is to just go for it. Whether it’s for boudoir or just in life in general. Take the chances and have the experiences! It might be scary (I know I’ve felt a whole range of emotions in all my sessions), but take the leap and do it and it will be so worth it. Even if it doesn’t turn out how you expect, YOU DID IT! You ..read more

My name is Lili; I am 26 years old and have been working on Ranches independently all over the West since I was 18. I have three horses and two dogs. My passions and goals align with making better horses every day and improving stockmanship skills overall. It sounds somewhat simple, but it takes a lot of reflection, studying, listening, and feeling to create animals that are independently happy and willing with and for you. It's difficult to do if you are not open to working on your vices and building on your strengths. I am not sure what that means ten plus years from now. The world is changi ..read more

Boudoir is for the insecure Never in a million years did I see myself doing something like boudoir. But let me tell you this, boudoir has done amazing things for me. Healed me in ways I never thought possible. I’ve been given an opportunity that one person could only begin to dream of. So many people have told me that they did not know if they could do what I do. They don’t know if they are brave enough to pose in front of a camera like that. What they don’t know, is everything that they could gain from taking a leap of faith and just deciding to do it. As I’ve gone through my journey as a Bra ..read more

if you're not speaking it, you're storing it, and that shit gets heavy. A BRAND AMBASSADOR REFLECTION For too much of my life I've thought that because my body isn't what I want it to be (i.e. I’m too sick, not physically strong enough, not “ideal” looking) that also means that I'm not worthy of what I want out of life-- a certain job, a certain man (which is a long off worry, as i have been happily taken for ten years now), being truly accepted by different groups of friends, being part of various activities, etc. Well, I'm here to tell you; that old thought process is WRONG, because I've sec ..read more

Wow, what a year it has been already!  When I started as a brand ambassador, I was in shock that a shy, healing, self-conscious woman could be given a once in a lifetime ticket to self-discovery. I’ve never been fully sure of who I am, I’ve always found solace in hiding myself from the world. I have placed myself under a rock, in the corner just watching life happen around me. The adventures and growth from this year has dragged me out of my shell and I couldn’t be happier with what I found once I stepped out and opened my eyes.  I have learned to be confident in my actions, to use m ..read more

This is probably my most frequently asked question and understandably so! Boudoir is just now becoming a word that people recognize as a form of intimate and sensual photography. As we all know, words change and shift with the generations and boudoir is no exception to that! I’ve been a professional boudoir photographer since 2017, running a very successful studio in the suburbs of Chicago for several years serving hundreds of clients. When people ask, how did I get started, I can only really give you the long version, and a starting sentence that makes people’s heads cock like a listening dog ..read more

Recently, Zealous Stills Instagram account was under fire for the outdoor boudoir images below, image after image was flagged for “sexual activity and nudity.” Since I love my Instagram community (Shout out to you!) I deleted all the images to keep my adventure boudoir account in the “green” to so say. Insert massive eye roll. I can confirm, there was no sexual activity present and well nudity? Yes, there was some of that. Luckily, many places in Oregon, like these hot springs below, are clothing optional! I recently asked my Instagram followers to send me their ponders, questions and concerns ..read more

Boudoir is healing for me, it is a powerful outlet for my often hidden femininity, a stepping stone to get back in touch with my most authentic self, and an art form where my soul yearns to create with my body. I'm writing this because I NEED to get the whole story off my chest, and have the information out there for whoever wants to know, because I've had to revisit my poor health trauma TOO MANY times; like when I meet someone new, when I start a new job and inevitably get sick (again), or when I go to a new medical facility, or unexpectedly run across something I physically can't do anymor ..read more

I’m a mess. There’s no other way to put it. For as far back as I can remember, I’ve lived my life in complete and utter chaos. My brain runs at least a million miles an hour at any point during the day. I struggle constantly to find the time to slow down and just exist. And at the same time, I struggle to get my brain to cooperate. I have days where I can’t complete even the most basic tasks. Including self care tasks. It’s been a rough few years for sure. If you’re out there feeling like you’re alone, I can assure you, that you are not. There are so many parts that play into this. A lot of ..read more