Christina Morassi is Goddess of the Week!

Interview by Tabby Biddle

“With the pictures that I am doing, I am really inviting them [women] to bring in some movement while we are shooting and asking them to keep moving and literally to find places of pleasure -- because I think that is a lot of feminine power – when women are in pleasure. It might seem a bit contradictory for business, but I think if we want to get our authenticity across to connect to our target market, then that is crucial.”

-- Christina Morassi

Christina Morassi is on a mission to revolutionize the way women embody their businesses.

Formerly working in fashion photography (having worked on high-fashion shoots with the likes of Heidi Klum, Paris Hilton, and other high-fashion gals), and later a healing arts practitioner and workshop leader, Christina has combined her experiences to help women entrepreneurs build their businesses into authentic, powerful successes.

"It's a real mission of mine to have women show up in their feminine power," she says. Through her latest program, "Star in Your Own Stock Photos," Christina is helping women entrepreneurs show up as their full feminine selves to up-level their business and their life!

Rose Cole Before (left) and After (right). Photo on right by Chrisina Morassi.

Tabby Biddle: You are on a mission to have women show up in their feminine power. Tell me more about that.

Christina Morassi: I believe I am in service to the Divine Feminine. It is time for this kind of feminine power to take its rightful place in the world, and for every woman to claim her own flavor of what this feminine power looks like. Oftentimes, over the many years of patriarchal rule, this feminine power has been under-appreciated. And as we keep hearing over and over again right now, and in the words of the Dalai Lama, “The world will be saved by the western woman.” And these specific aspects of feminine power for me have to do with being deeply connected to the earth, our bodies, to humanity, to creativity. I feel like I get to support feminine power by inviting business women to embody their businesses in a feminine way, and to reflect that back to them with the immediacy of photography.

Tabby: What drives you in your mission?

Christina: What drives me in my mission is the freedom of full expression. I cannot stand it when I see potential underutilized. I know we all came here with unique gifts, and nothing makes me happier than when I feel someone in the glory of their full expression. My mission is to remind people that they can authentically be real and themselves, and to provide spaces of permission where they can truly let go. I know that if people can break free of societal constraints, then they will live into their potential, and create the wealth they deserve as well. And that oftentimes this potential may manifest as careers that don't even exist yet.

Tabby: I have heard you say that if we, as women, are going to succeed in our businesses, we need to be tapped into our body and soul. Can you say more about that?

Christina: Sure. I believe that we as a society live most of the time in our heads. And there is so much wisdom in the body, and the soul too. This feels especially true for women.

I believe that many women feel bound by the societal norms that train us to be a certain way ... and that this keeps us from living our truth and full expression. So I have developed ways of bypassing these constraints that keep a woman ‘small.’ I do this first by creating sacred space through meditation, prayer, and ritual so that we can tune into the wisdom of the soul. I find this opens a woman up to something larger than herself, and therefore outside of her habitual patterns. Then I incorporate movement, play, and expression, which I find helps a woman break free of her habitual patterns and then beyond to surprising creativity. And all of that will make a stronger business and be using more of our power potential!

Tabby: What does the feminine way of business look like to you?

Christina: I think it’s about using more of our bodies in our business, which I know can sound a little funny, but I think it’s about utilizing all the different parts of ourselves in our business. In the photographs that I am able to capture, I think that you can see a woman is more deeply embodied in the photograph than your average headshot. Someone pointed out to me that the average headshot looks quite masculine. It’s an older patriarchal way of doing business. So women are trying to fit in that category. Whereas with the pictures that I am doing, I am really inviting them to bring in some movement while we are shooting and asking them to keep moving and literally to find places of pleasure — because I think that is a lot of feminine power — when women are in pleasure. It might seem a bit contradictory for business, but I think if we want to get our authenticity across to connect to our target market then that is crucial.

Tabby: You talk a lot about the importance of authenticity, andI have heard you refer to authenticity and transparency as currency. Can you say more about that?

Christina: Coming from doing energy work, I really know about the laws of how energy works. I think when a person is most authentically themselves, their energy is literally congruent, which I know can sound a little woo-woo. But that translates into: their body language is different; they seem to be inhabiting their space in a different way, and I think that will then connect them to their target audience. That’s an important piece. But then also, I really believe that if we are to create the change that we are here to do, we need to keep inviting in who we are because then we are able to walk into a room and people know what we are about through transmission. If we are in our bodies and out of our heads; if we are owning our power; and if we are being authentic, this creates a congruence of our being that I think can translate as a very pure power.

Tabby: That is interesting to hear your thoughts about when a woman is really in her body and in her authenticity, she is better able to connect with her target market. In other words, she won’t be wasting energy reaching people who aren’t really who she needs to reach.

Christina: Someone said to me recently, “People make decisions through pictures.” For example, you know when you go to someone’s website, you very often want to see what they look like first. you want to connect with the person. So there is a lot that goes into the photograph.

What’s interesting is that a woman could look very beautiful in her business portrait, but you might think to yourself, “Are the lights on?” For example, I worked with someone yesterday whose earlier headshots were pretty, but you couldn’t really feel her essence radiating. It was almost as if it was submerged in her. Then as I worked to draw her out more and we got more and more playful — and she got more and more comfortable — her essence started to radiate outward. That speaks volumes through the photograph. And of course if her target market is coming across her photographs, they are going to feel like they really know her now, versus, “Oh that’s a pretty picture. Maybe she does some interesting work.”

"There is a transmission that I am looking for — something sort of outside cognitive ability — where someone just knows and feels comfortable and connected to a person by seeing their photograph."

Tabby: You have been referred to as the "heart-shot" photographer, aka the"anti-headshot" photographer. What do you think of that?

Christina: I love it! I have a strong streak of wanting to get outside the box, and to help others do the same — so the rebel revolutionary in me loves the "anti" referral. As well as that it specifically states part of my mission to get people out of their heads, and into their bodies/hearts. I also like that it leads people to believe that this is no ordinary photo shoot. I am proud that I have found a way to bring together many of my passions into one offering ... namely transformation, ritual, play, movement, photography, business building, and wealth creation ... And hope that it inspires others to create their own careers as well.

Tabby: You have said that if people can break free of societal constraints, then they will live into their potential, and create the wealth they deserve as well. How do you see wealth creation related to women living into their potential?

Christina: It always comes back to energy for me. There are some energy principles I worked with when I learned Polarity Therapy that I use now when I am doing my work with women entrepreneurs. It’s basically that energy wants to be organized, but if there isn’t something strong for it to organize around, it actually stays quite chaotic. So the stronger that we create our center and our core, then everything begins to organize around us. So you can think of it like a planet and an orbit. This is how I have been operating in the business world too. The more strongly I am in my authenticity, and the more that I embody, then I become a stronger stake, if you will, that energy organizes around and then I am able to draw in the people who will want to work with me — which will lead to greater wealth creation.

It also comes back to this place of congruence, which I call “the flow.” So when we are in the flow, things begin to line up, we find the right people, and we move forward in a way with less struggle. Energy wants to circulate. So, staying in movement and the flow of things can bring in more wealth.

In a more grounded way to talk about it: Having photographs that really speak to your authenticity and radiate that out to the world will bring in more clients, will get your message out, and people will feel a spark when they see your photographs. There is an instant up-level that happens when people see your photographs.

Tabby: Regarding the up-level you just spoke about, I have heard you say, “The more each of us up-levels and the more each of us is seen, it effects all of us.” What do you mean by this?

Christina: It feels like there is a wave moving through the women’s entrepreneurial communities right now, and certainly in our circles in Los Angeles. I feel like once somebody steps forward and is willing to be seen, a lot of other people might say, “Oh I want that.” It sort of calls us and beckons us forward to be seen as well. If you believe that we are all connected in oneness, anything we do for ourselves benefits the world. In other words, when one person is authentic, then others are inspired to do the same.

Tabby: If a woman wanted to work with you, what are a few questions she should be asking herself to get ready and get the most out of your work together?

Christina: First of all, I always invite people to dream into what their pictures might look like. I think it’s fun for them to see what some other women have done in my other shoots, and then to really make space for themselves.

Then, I invite them to think about who their target market is. What would they like to convey? What would they like their target market to feel when they look at their photograph?

Next, women should ask themselves: What environment and what colors do I want that would support my brand? I send a welcome package to new clients and have some branding exercises in there to help women prepare. One great exercise is to come up with five words that capture the essence of your brand. There are a lot of questions that go into the package so I can get onto the same page with them and what would best serve them in their brand and business.

To learn more about Christina’s work and “Star in Your Own Stock Photos,” visit www.christinamorassi.com

Tabby Biddle, M.S. Ed., is a writer, editor, and reporter dedicated to the empowerment of women and girls. She is a regular contributor to The Huffington Post on women’s issues and reports on the inspiring work of women changemakers. Her work has also been featured by The Los Angeles Times, USA Today, NPR, and other national media. She lives with her husband in Santa Monica, CA. Learn more at tabbybiddle.com.