Meet Amber Larkins | Entrepreneur, Published Photographer, Storytelling Expert, Speaker, & Visionary. and Philanthropist.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Amber Larkins and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Amber, as a parent, what have you done for you children that you feel has had the most significant impact?
Parenting is probably one of the hardest, yet most rewarding things I have ever done. Raising children is no small job, and definitely not for the faint of heart. There is so much weight that will fall on a parents shoulders who has a strong desire to always do what is best for their children, while also following their dreams and ambitions. When my children was little I struggled a lot with mom guilt about this. That derived mainly from my desire to follow the calling I had on my life while also devoting my time, attention, and energy to another human (or two in my case).

Then one day, everything about my thought process changed. I sat in an auditorium with 5000 other entrepreneurs at business conference and I heard Ed Myles speak. He said one of the most profound statements that brought tears to my eyes because it suddenly put everything into perspective for me. He said “One of the most insidious forms of child neglect is a parent who doesn’t chase their dreams and potential.” That is when everything shifted for me. Almost as if it gave me permission to chase my dreams, my calling, my destiny. That’s not to say at times I don’t still find it challenging, as far as juggling my time and attention between work and family, but it has definitely helped me to realise that one of the most precious gifts I can give my children is teaching them to follow the dreams God has placed on their hearts, and I believe, they learn that by seeing their mother lead by example.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I have always been a creative person with a love for art, I have just never known how to channel that art until the last decade or so. When I first got a camera, I started photographing fitness. I loved it because fitness is also like an artform in the sense of sculpting the body and then showcasing it in real life. Although I loved what I was doing, it became “not enough” for me. I felt the pull to create more. After praying about how I could begin to make a bigger impact through my work, I started a passion project called “Transformation Through Trauma” photography sessions. In these sessions I photograph emotions, feelings, and an artistic expression of trauma. These sessions were not promoted at first, they were just more of a passion project for me, though I believed in them wholeheartedly. It was a struggle finding people who wanted to share. And it took a huge learning curve for me diving into the world of trauma on multiple levels.

Then just over a year ago, after feeling the pressure to devote more time into this project, I started a podcast called “Through The Trauma” which gives trauma survivors a place to share authentically and to give specialists a place to educate us more on trauma from every angle. My goal with this entire project is to find those who have overcome trauma (in whatever form) and who wants to help others overcome their trauma, and give these people a platform to share, as well as connect them with people who are in the middle of trauma and don’t know how to turn their trauma to triumph.

My vision is to be the conduit to connect those people who need help, with the resources, so they can get the help they need.

Through my business Empowerography Files, my vision is to empower people to heal, grow, and thrive through artistic expression of content in written, verbal, and visual form.
So in other words, my business still consists of 3 main areas
* Fitography Files, which is our side of the business that produces fitness content for athletes.
* Brandography Files, which is our content creation side for personal and business brands.
* Traumatography Files, which consists of our Transformation Through Trauma Sessions and our “Through The Trauma Podcast”.

We believe in giving influential individuals a platform to empower others through the promotion of strong bodies and strong minds. My goal is to do my small part to heal the world and help people heal and overcome past traumas that is holding them back.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Although I love the city for food, I am not really much for crowds. So if I had to plane trip based on what I enjoy, I would say visit the falls all over middle Tennessee like Fall Creek Falls, Ruby Falls, and Burgess Falls State Park. OR visit the different caves. Hike some trails or do some scenic drives like Natchez Trace Parkway or Cherohala Skyway or the Blue Ridge Parkway, and catch the sunrise or sunset. If I had to stay within Nashville, would take them to visit Cheekwood Estate & Gardens, or Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park and hit up the Framers Market, or Centennial Park, and explore its iconic full-scale replica of the Parthenon.
As far as food, which is my favourite, I would take them to to a few of my favourite places like Slim & Huskeys for pizza and cinnamon rolls, Mas Tacos, Vui’s Kitchen, The Grilled Cheeserie, The pancake Pantry, etc.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Over the years I have had many different mentors and coaches that has poured into me, but the one that sticks out to me the most is Britnie Turner. When I was just newly divorced, having lost pretty much everything, and wanting to get serious about entrepreneurship, my friend Whitney Wiser convinced me I needed to join G-Force, a mastermind for entrepreneurs that wanted to be a force for good in the world. It was through that mastermind, eventhough I was really premature for the level of entrepreneurs in that mastermind, yet it was through that group of people where I learned to think big, find my purpose, and serve the world through my talents and gifts. I think it is safe to say that this group of entrepreneurs helped shape my story and the things I am currently doing in many positive ways.

Website: www.empowerography.com & https://transformationthroughtraumaproject.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/empowerographyfiles/ & https://www.instagram.com/the_amber_larkins/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amber-larkins-43529986/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Fitographyfiles

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fitographyfiles/ & https://www.facebook.com/amber.larkins.39/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@amberlarkinsempowerography

Other: TIKTOK https://www.tiktok.com/@empowerography PINTERST https://www.pinterest.com/fitographyfiles