Can you see anything wrong with my profile picture?
If you don’t notice it now—you will in a moment.
A few months ago, I paid for a family photo shoot. I needed one or two professional photos of myself to use on my website and social media. Something that looked polished and business-ready. But honestly? I didn’t like any of them.
They just didn’t feel like me. I didn’t want to spend more money on another shoot, only to end up in the same situation—stuck with images I didn’t connect with, and wouldn’t use.
So, I tried something else.
I asked my 7-year-old son, who is autistic, to take a few photos of me in the garden. No pressure, no lights, no studio—just us, outside. They weren’t perfect. But I think he did a great job and I liked them better. They felt warmer. More real.
I picked one, removed the garden background, and used it on my website and social media. But here’s the part most people miss—until they don’t:
Behind my chair is my son’s bright plastic garden digger.
It couldn’t be edited out. It blends into the chair just enough to be part of the image. And I left it there on purpose.
Why?????
Because that digger is a reminder of exactly who I am.
Before I’m a counsellor or a business owner—I’m a mum. My son is at the centre of my life, and so many of the clients I support are mums too. Sessions usually revolve around motherhood, identity, guilt, exhaustion, love, pressure, and everything in between.
So no, the photo isn’t “perfect.” But it’s perfectly me.
That little digger says something powerful. It reflects the messiness, the reality, and the beauty of the life I live. It shows the balance I try to hold—between being a parent, a professional, and a person. And I think many mums will see themselves in that too.
The digger stays.
Because it’s not a flaw in the photo.
It’s a part of my story.
And it might just make someone else feel seen, too.