10/21/2025
TRAUMA APPROVED 🕊️
When I decided to do a bo***ir shoot with Shelly, I won’t lie - I was nervous. Not the cute kind of nervous either. I mean deep-in-your-body nervous. The kind that comes from trauma.
As positive and confident as I am now, I’ve lived through abuse, surgeries, traumatic childbirth, and heartbreak and spent nearly a decade in therapy piecing myself back together.
I’m firmly in my “Don’t Try Me” era - where most days I’m grounded, healed, and unstoppable.
But when I walked into that session, I almost spiraled. Every insecurity, every scar, every memory of disrespect done to my body came rushing up at once.
Most people get uncomfortable when someone is unraveling. They rush you. They joke. They distract. Shelly did none of that.
She looked me in my eyes - woman to woman - like she could see my soul. Not just the confident Zakia I show the world, but the one quietly shaking underneath.
Instead of pushing, she softened. She grounded me with pure empathy. I almost felt afraid to be seen so vulnerably.
She didn’t force me. She didn’t shame me. She met me where I was. I cried during that shoot. And she cried with me.
Something buried deep finally cracked open. I didn’t just take photos - I released grief I didn’t realize was still living in my body.
This isn’t a “wait until you lose 10 lbs” shoot. My body was celebrated - not for perfection or media ideals, but for its resilience and the beauty that comes from truly living.
I never thought I’d do something like this. But now? I believe every woman deserves to have this experience, even if you never share the photos.
This isn’t just photography. This is therapy. This is healing in motion. This is sacred work.
I didn’t just walk away with pictures. I walked away more whole.
And in case you’re wondering - yes, there are spicier ones. But those are for Mr. Lott only… because he earned access. 😉
If you’ve ever felt scared to be seen… this one’s for you.
It’s your call to take your power BACK!
