Photoshoot for Aubria Ralph, banking and finance lawyer, author and career coach
What advice you can give to other women who start a business or who want to write a book?
Stop asking for permission and just do it.
I met Aubria Ralph at the beginning of 2023.
Aubria is a banking and finance lawyer at Weil, Gotshal & Manges and an author and career coach. She hasn’t had photos taken for her personal brand in the last 5 years and needed them for her business and new Instagram and website.
Before the photoshoot, I ask my Clients to fill out an in-depth questionnaire that will help me to learn their brand properly and do pre-shoot research.
In that questionnaire, I asked Aubria what motivates her as a business owner. Her answer was so motivating for me:
Time. As a kid, I was always concerned about time, including how much time it takes to achieve a goal, or time spent waiting, or how much time on average humans have – and so my ultimate goal is to use my time so well that I am living my fullest life and showing others how to live their fullest lives.
I got inspired by this person and now I’m glad to share with you more and hope her story will motivate you to make changes in your life. You can reach her on Linkedin.
I think I knew very early on that I would be a lawyer but I really wanted to be everything for a while (and truthfully have been thinking about other interesting things I would love to do or be before I go to see my Jesus).
What does success as woman mean to you?
Success is deciding what you want, having the ability to get started, and actively working towards being better at whatever the original desire was. I think success needs to be described in the abstract and how we define it individually is the color and form we mold it into without the trappings of another person’s idea of success.
Name of a woman or women (past or present) whom you admire or look up to.
The women in my extended family – they are all rock stars in their own right but I want to highlight my two grandmothers and how they wrangled ~12 kids each and instilled lasting principles and values that have allowed them and their children to move their lives into a new dimension of existence.
My momma for making something out of nothing so that I could be me today.
My older sister (and younger sister) for sharpening me and challenging me to be a better version of myself every single day.
Chester Hertling because she taught me to project my voice at 16 and I’ve never had trouble speaking up since.
Ms. Tice for demanding excellence even though everyone could agree her literary period projects were ridiculous.
Oprah because when she was on the air, I thought I could be her or a variant of her with my own flavor.
Kim Kardashian because she’s managed to convince everyone to pay her to be herself and I publicly want that for myself conceptually though I would do things differently.
What characteristics do you most admire in other creative businesswomen?
Grit and poise. Being able to keep your composure while working overtime to propel your craft or a full blown business is not an easy feat. Sometimes it seems easier to break down and give up but I admire women who manage to reset and regain composure even have the tears and the defeat to push themselves toward their goals.
What quote or saying, inspires and motivates you to be yourself and to do what you love?
Okay I have four:
“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.” (Psalm 23:5-6)
“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Psalm 3:20-21)
“If you’re not first, you’re last” (Talladega Nights)
“Just do it” (Nike)
What advice you can give to other women who start a business or who want to write a book?
Stop asking for permission and just do it.
What is your book about, does it already have a title?
I have three projects in place.
The first is the children’s books series which is about two elementary school age kids and how they become best friends and have “adventures” together.
The second is a book about waiting v. waiting for a husband or wife.
The third is a project I initially wrote for women navigating their careers and it’s centered on entry-level to management experiences that shape us.
The children’s books will launch this summer.
What book can you recommend to read to other women who starts a business?
Expect to Win by Carla Harris
Burn the Boats by Matt Higgins
Ask for More by Alexandra Carter
Disruptive Thinking by TD Jakes
What does the world need more of, less of?
More love and grace for self so we can extend it to others. Less emphasis on trying to control other people’s behavior.
