Meraki Studio - Pittsburgh Personal Branding Photographer

That's what she said she wanted for each of her clients. She said that every time you exercise, you have an emotional response. If it's a bad response, she said, that's where she wants to come in and help change that for you. Now that's a business motto I can get on board with.

Her BarreAmped studio name? Meraki Studio. Why? Meraki [may-rah-kee] is a modern greek word used to describe doing something with soul, creativity. or love. Leaving a piece of yourself into your work.

I love that. A lot.

That morning I was on my way to Laura's studio and I had no idea what the space looked like, what she looked like...what we were even going to do for her shoot. This was a bit of a different style: this shoot was for her business. But Laura was clear: she didn't want "head shot" photos. She wanted to have her personality captured in an artful way. She wanted people to look at the photos and feel an invitation being given to them. She wanted them to be representative of her space and her, but feminine. Sounded pretty good to me.

We instantly connected. Turns out we both have the same business code: be committed, give everything you have, invest emotionally in each person as if they are your only client and, most of all, enable everyone you come into contact with to find their own sense of power.

I loved hearing Laura talk about her space, her plans and how excited she was to get things moving along. Hearing her talk about helping women shift their perspective on their body image was really wonderful. It's not about the size of your butt, she said, it's about connecting with your body on a level that allows you feel proud of yourself and become intimate with every muscle.

I hate working out (and by that, I mean I'd rather eat glass) and even I looked up her class schedules. For the first time, um...ever....I think I'm excited to work out. Tune back in some time soon to see if I actually break a sweat (god forbid).

In the meantime, you should sign up for a class. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that you won't regret it.Lovely hair and makeup by Hannah Conard Beauty.