“Just five minutes,” I whispered to myself as I laced up my sneakers for the first time in two weeks.

The flu this year knocked me out hard. What started as feeling so exhausted turned into a 102-degree fever, body aches, and the kind of exhaustion that makes showering feel like running a marathon.

I had finally gotten into my daily routine again (burning 500 calories a day, 40 minutes of exercise, and an 8 stand goals on my Apple watch), and not being able to move when I was sick made those two weeks felt like an eternity. Worse than the physical setback was the mental one—that creeping doubt in my head saying, “You’ve lost all your progress and momentum. You should push yourself harder to get off the couch.” If you don’t know me, I can be extremely tough on myself, so this is normal.

The First Workout Back

When my fever was gone for 48 hours and I felt halfway decent again, I tried walking just five minutes on my walking pad. A gentle re-entry.

Five minutes became ten. Not because I was feeling particularly strong, but because I was being particularly kind to myself. Moving at half my usual pace. Celebrating the simple victory of showing up.

The next day, I showed up again and did about 13 minutes before knowing I had to stop and not push it.

I went back the next day. And then again. Each time, adding a little more speed—another several minutes and celebrating another small victory.

This experience got me thinking about how many business owners approach their brand visuals. They fall into one of three categories:

1. The Never-Starters – Those who keep putting off professional brand photography because “the timing isn’t right” or “I need to lose ten pounds first” or “my office isn’t perfect yet”
2. The Stop-and-Starters – Those who did a photoshoot three years and two business pivots ago, and haven’t updated their imagery since
3. The Consistent Evolvers – Those who understand that brand imagery, like fitness, isn’t a one-and-done affair but a consistent practice that evolves as they do

If your brand visuals have been “out sick” for a while, you might be feeling that same intimidation I felt staring at my walking shoes after two weeks of illness.

Starting again is always worth it; and it doesn’t have to be all-or-nothing.

Gentle Re-Entry vs. Never Starting Again

Here’s what I learned from my post-flu fitness that applies to brand photography:

• Something is better than nothing
• Progress isn’t linear
• Today’s effort creates tomorrow’s momentum
• The hardest part is often just showing up

Are you Ready?

If your brand visuals have been “out sick”—whether for two months or two years—know that with me, you can either do a headshot refresh session or a full brand photography session where I do all the heavy lifting for you. I become a student of your brand, I think outside the box and present ideas you might not have ever considered. I’m here to make it a fun experience for you and deliver a robust gallery of images that you can utilize for the year with ease.

Ready to lace up your brand’s sneakers again? Let’s talk about a plan that honors where you are now while building momentum for where you’re going.