May 2026

May: When the Camera Became Safe

Hi Video Kickstarters!

For thirty years, I hid my head.

Not metaphorically. Literally. Scarring alopecia had taken patches of my hair, and I became an expert at covering it up. Expensive hairpieces. Careful angles. Strategic wardrobe choices. I knew every trick to stay invisible.

And here's the part that still stings a little: I worked in television production. I knew cameras better than most people. I built my career behind them. But the woman who spent years telling other people's stories couldn't bring herself to tell her own.

Then April 2020 happened.

Salons closed. My hairpiece situation became... complicated. And one day, I asked my husband to film me shaving my head.

I sat in front of that camera more terrified than I'd ever been. This was the thing I'd hidden for three decades. And I pressed record anyway.

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You know what I saw when I watched it back?

I actually looked good.

Not perfect. Not polished. Just me. And for the first time in fifteen years, that was enough.

Happy Creating,

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In this issue:

May Focus Stop Letting the Mirror Run Your Marketing Toolbox Skytex Lights & DualShot Recorder Actionable Tips Just "Do It" Live Events! Fearless Visibility with Edie Clarke & Heather Jones at the Align Success Collective Weekly Wednesday Live Training + Q&A

This month's issue sponsored by Embrace Video Action Lab

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• You Ask | I Answer live weekly training and Q&A sessions.
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May Focus

Stop Letting the Mirror Run Your Marketing

Here's what I hear most from the entrepreneurs I work with:

"I hate how I look on video." "I need to lose weight first." "I'm waiting until I fix [insert the thing]."

I said every single one of those. For fifteen years, I said them.

And while I was waiting to be camera-ready, my ideal clients were out there searching for someone who understood their specific fear. Their specific flavor of stuck. They didn't need a polished presenter. They needed a real human.

Here's what nobody tells you about authenticity: you can't fake it and you can't buy it. But you can hide from it. And when you hide, you aren't protecting yourself. You're withholding the solution your client desperately needs.

The person who needs you isn't watching your video thinking, I hope her hair looks perfect. They're thinking, I hope someone finally gets it.

You are the answer to that thought.

I posted a video of me shaving my head. It became one of the most-watched things I've ever shared. Not because it was flawless. Because it was real.

Your audience is waiting for the real version of you.

Not the future, camera-ready version. The one you are right now.
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Need support, accountability and help? Join my Embrace Video Action Lab community over on skool.com

May Toolbox

Skytex & DualShot

I love finding tools and equipment that are simple and easy to use. Here are a couple recommended tools that make your videos painless, even if you have zero technical experience:

• ​Skytex Softbox Lighting Kit (2-Pack, 20x28in) I love my softbox lighting kit! While I personally use a slightly pricier version by LimoStudio, I truly believe that all softbox lights are equally good at providing that essential visibility. They wrap you in flattering light, eliminating harsh shadows and glare. More importantly, good lighting improves how you feel right before you press record.
• ​DualShot Recorder One of the quieter anxieties before you hit record: do I shoot vertical or horizontal? DualShot Recorder removes that decision entirely. This $9.99 iPhone app records portrait and landscape simultaneously — two perfectly synced files saved straight to your camera roll from a single take. Vertical for Reels. Horizontal for YouTube. Currently only available for iOS devices.

Just "Do It"

Knowing you should show up and actually doing it are two different problems. Here's how to close the gap. Do one "ugly" recording this week — just for you. Not for publishing. Not for anyone else. Set up your phone, hit record, talk for two minutes about anything. Watch it back. Notice that you're not nearly as bad as the voice in your head said. Do this three times. The voice gets quieter every time.. Shift your focus from appearance to message. Before you hit record, ask yourself: What does this person need to hear today? When you're focused on serving someone, there's no room left to spiral about your appearance. The camera becomes a bridge, not a mirror. Name the fear precisely. "I hate how I look on camera" is too vague to work with. Get specific. Is it your voice? The more specific you get, the smaller the thing becomes and the easier it is to address, work around, or just decide isn't the point.

Heather Jones

Certified Consulting Hypnotist & Life Coach

Heather is a certified hypnotist, coach, and the person I'm calling on when it comes to the inner work of visibility. She's known as the imposter syndrome coach — and she came to it the hard way. As a military spouse and former Army soldier, she built a business, then watched fear quietly sabotage every launch. Sound familiar?
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She now helps women stop rewriting the same post for the ninth time, stop waiting for a "better week" to show up, and stop charging less than their work is worth, using a combination of coaching and hypnosis that gets to the actual root of what's running the show.

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She's joining me on May 14th for Fearless Visibility: Mindset & Mechanics because the mechanics only get you so far. The mindset is where the real work happens. Details below.

Don't Miss!

Live May Events

Aligned Success Collective May 14th @ 12noon EST Topic: Fearless Visibility: Mindset & Mechanics ​Register to attend​ Coupon code:GUEST50

You Ask | I Answer Live Q&A Every Wednesday at noon EST in my community ​Community Members ​Non-Members​ FREE to all until June 1