INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY 2018 | LMDES
In December I blogged about my time photographing the first ever LMDES Getaway in Javea, Spain. The luxury retreat is aimed at women of colour who want to live their best life. The retreat provides workshops that included tips on healthy eating, yoga and insight on what life is really like when you take the step to live abroad. As it's International Women's Day, I thought it would be a good excuse as any to re-look at some of the amazing women I met at the retreat.
SIENNA BROWN
First up is Las Morenas De España’s founder, Sienna Brown who I first met at the Thrive Conference she hosted in Madrid. Sienna is a really inspirational women who is a fountain of knowledge when it comes to being the best possible version of you. I always look forward to seeing her pearls of wisdom on her Instagram stories and blog posts. You can find Sienna on Instagram at @siempregirando), Sienna also has her own website siempregirando.com so be sure to check her out.
DANNI MELENA DE LEON
Danni works very closely with Sienna as Community & Content Director at Las Morenas de España. Danni has that cool, calm and collective vibe going on and an effortlessly stylish and her close friendship with Sienna reminded me of my friendship with Safrana who often works with me when I shoot weddings. In both cases, the friendship started initially through work but quickly blossomed into something much more beautiful. That kind of closeness where you nearly always know what the other is thinking and you almost have some sort of weird telepathic communication thing going on. You can find Danni on Instagram at @danni_melena_de_leon.
NICOLE ANGELA
Ah Nicole! Nicole is one of those people that instantly draws you in with her openess and carefree vibe, not to mention her infectious laugh. She has lots of stories to tell about her journey so far that are both captivating and inspiring. When people talk about living life, you know like really living life and having lots of experiences, I think Nicole most definitely ticks that box. Nicole has her own wine tasting business called, Nicole Angela Travel And Taste which runs wine tasting workshops one of which happened during the retreat. You can find Nicole on Instagram at @mstravelandtaste and on Facebook by searching NATravelandTaste.
SARAH SOMIAN
Sarah is a Nutritionist & Wellness Coach specialising in teaching you how to vibrant health holistically. It's funny because we were both following each other on Instagram before the retreat but had never met offline so when we learnt that we were both going to be working at the LMDES Getaway, it was like KER-CHING! It was so lovely to meet Sarah in person. At the retreat, Sarah was responsible for leading workshops which included information on best morning practice, meditation and yoga. Sarah is so inspiringly positive in the way she lives her life. When I came down to eat breakfast at 8.30am, Sarah had already been out for a morning run, she is definitely #goals. I look forward to the next time we cross paths! You can find Sarah on Instagram at @deliciouslyvibrant and be sure to check out her website deliciouslyvibrant.com where she offers lots tips, tricks and recipes as well as a 10 day sugar detox e-guide.
ASHLEY + ADIA
Ashley (IG: @ashley.nicole_) and Adia (@avionthedon) are two friends from Washington DC that had everyone impressed with their wardrobe choices and real talk. I loved the conversations we had and I'm enjoying seeing the next steps in their journeys through Instagram.
NIYANKOR
Niyankor, Niyankor, Niyankor! Let me set the scene. It was the third day of the retreat, which happened to be the day of the photowalk through the old town of Javea. Everyone was gathering outside by the pool area of the villa. I'm not sure at what point, but Niyankor appeared, or rather made her entrance and everyone was like WOW!! There wasn't really any scheduled time for a portrait session at the house, but I managed to squeeze in an impromptu shoot while we waited for the taxi to take us into the old town. This is one of the shots from that shoot. Below you will also find a little behind the scenes video from the shoot. To find Niyankor on Instagram, search for @niloticgoddess
JAMILA
It was a real pleasure meeting Jamila at the retreat, she's really positive, down-to-earth and warm natured. I really wanted to spend more time asking her about health and well being as she seemed to be very wise in that department. I also loved that she's living in Namibia, which is one country I haven't been to and, well my aim is to visit all the countries in Africa! You can find Jamila on Instagram by searching @calilov8.
VANESSA
Vanessa is an aspiring photographer with the most amazing eyes but looks aside she is also really smart and I happily listened as she told me about her degree in Marriage & Family Therapy. I wished that we had gotten more time to talk. You can find Vanessa on Instagram by searching @highdreamsxo.
For more information about LMDES Getaways, head on over to the LMDES website at www.lasmorenasdeespana.com/events/ where you can sign up for the next Getaway in May 2018.
Photography by Tanya Weekes Airline: Ryanair + Jet2 Location: Jávea, Spain