Wide Open Heart Space, Savoring the View and What We Wish We'd Said

Who are you sister? Tell us a little about yourself. Hi! I’m Jen Trombly from Charlottesville, Virginia! Born and raised in the deep, dirty south of Louisiana. My sole source of income (love & passion) is boudoir photography. I live to empower women! My (hella handsome) husband, Max, and I live on a 10 acre (soon to be) farm with our two dogs, Goose & Kasier.

My superpower, and kryptonite, is my capacity for empathy and understanding. It allows me to connect on a soul deep level with other people. Sometimes I feel things so deep it hurts, but being sensitive is one of my best qualities.

Let’s do some one word answers. Ready, set, go!

Morning drink: Tea

Indulgence: Ben & Jerry’s non-dairy ice cream. Holy shit y’all!

Lusting after: Travel in all capacities, always

Spirit animal: Fox

Head space: Clusterfuck

Heart space: WIDE OPEN

Bloom of choice: Iris

Turn-on: Nature. It’s my church, my sanity, and my turn-on

Celebrity Icon: Angelina Jolie

Favorite compliment: “I like your heart.” A cashier at Whole Foods told me this once. I smiled for the rest of the day!

Word of the year: Transition

What does practicing joy mean to you? To me, practicing joy means learning to find the joy in all things. It’s seeing and appreciating the green of the trees on a long drive. It’s feeling the warmth of the sun’s kisses on my skin, feeling the ache in my legs after a hike. It’s making time for myself to do what makes my heart happy when I need to, whether that be taking a hot bath or doing yoga.

Biggest life lesson you’ve learned lately? I’ve learned lately is to stop ignoring my heart. If I don’t listen to it, there’s only so much I can take before I break. The whole saying ”listen to your heart” seemed so hokey to me for so long. I didn’t know what it actually meant. I’m learning now that it means to pay attention to the feelings that come up inside of me and listen to them because they’re trying to tell me something.

What’s your definition of success? Success to me isn’t something that can be measured in dollars, quantity or material possessions. Success is a feeling. It’s getting to a point in your life where you’re living for you, with your heart as your guide. Being able to follow your passions and do the things that make you happy. Living TRUE to yourself.

Name 3 things from your Life List that light you up.

The views right after summiting a mountain

Dancing in the rain

Camp fires with good friends

What do you do when life gets messy? Retreat to the woods! I find the calmness of nature allows me to sort my thoughts better than anywhere else in the world. I constantly remind myself to breath when I’m stressed. I meditate, take hot baths with a good book. I allow myself to feel the messiness, and remind myself that all feelings are transient and this too shall pass.

3 Songs, 3 Books, 3 Instagram Accounts

SONGS

“You’re the One That I Want” by Lo Fang

“Rosie’s Lullaby” by Norah Jones

“Facing West” by The Staves

BOOKS

Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card

Wild by Cheryl Strayed

Before They Pass Away, a photo book by Jimmy Nelson

INSTAGRAM

@travelingourplanet

@uncensoredstripper

@blackandwhiteisworththefight

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What do you love about yourself? This was actually the question that stumped me the most out of this whole interview. So I stopped and made a list. I think the thing I love the most about myself is that I’m really good at making people feel comfortable.

Which living woman do you most admire? Angelina Jolie. She uses her Hollywood fame to do good in the world.

What is the trait that you most want to improve in yourself? I want to improve my anxiety and my irritability.

What has been your favorite journey? The one that I’m on right now. It’s the hardest, longest and most fulfilling. I’m getting to know myself better than I ever have, accepting the shit I’m responsible for, and changing myself for the better. I’m becoming a better person, and at times it can be grueling work but damn it, it’s good.

What is your greatest regret? This one hurts. I’ve lived a very dark and also colorful life. I’ve made some bad choices and gotten myself into some ugly situations. I don’t regret any of that. Everything I did, everything I’ve been through has made me who I am today. However, the one thing in the world I regret, and it still haunts me to this day, was not telling my best friend I was in love with her. She committed suicide and I never got the chance to tell her how I felt.

What are you doing in an alternate universe? Living in the wild, running barefoot and naked with the animals, living off the land.

What’s your flavor of sexy? Red lipstick in a dark bar, scruffy beards in the woods, dancing naked around a fire, deep conversations until 3am, playing music together and totally syncing up, having arms wrapped around my waist from behind with sweet nuzzles into my neck.

What’s your personal version of hell and heaven? Hell feels like being surrounded by shallow people in a loud grocery store with annoying music playing too loudly, no sunshine and concrete everywhere, no nature. And heaven is being surrounded by nature and my favorite people with warm, sunny days and lots of skinny dipping. Nudity isn’t just accepted, it’s just natural.

How are you going to change the world? I’m going to empower women to unapologetically embrace their sensuality and feel comfortable in their own skin.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given? “Put yourself in their shoes.” I live by it. Anytime I’m feeling agitated at something someone has done, whether it be a loved one hurting my feelings or someone cutting me off in traffic, I try to put myself in their shoes to understand why they may have done whatever it was they did. It helps me to be more compassionate, and it keeps more joy in my life by not letting myself get pissed over petty (or not petty) things.

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