Lisa Riggs | A Celebration of Phenomenal Women

“It’s making a difference in the world that prevents me from ever giving up.”

-Deborah Meier

It is my honor to share with you all this month more about the CEO, Founder, and woman behind the Bay Area-based company, Spirit Sox USA.

Phenomenal women are everywhere and Lisa Riggs is no exception. She comes from a long line of entrepreneurs (her grandfather started his own jam and jelly company!) and is the first in her family to move from food-industry based entrepreneurship to socks! Spirit Sox USA helps fuel fundraisers for organizations in various industries and non-profits, both locally and nationally.

She has also been featured as a podcast guest on Blue Roads Education Group, School Zone Podcast, and Enterprise Podcast Network. In addition to being affectionately known as the “Sock Queen”, Lisa is also a proud mother, wife, and loyal Bay Area fan of both the 49ers and Giants!

Image | Heartbox Photography

Hair & Makeup | Daisy Gonzalez-Duarte of Beautiful One Makeup Artistry

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“I founded Spirit Sox USA about 5 years ago. We are a certified woman owned company that customizes socks uniquely for each customer. My true goal is to make the world a better place 1 sock at a time and that's why I do what I do and donate 5% of my profits to helping underserved communities.

On a personal note, I've been married almost 25 years and am enjoying empty nest more than I expected with my husband! My son, Mitchell, is 20 and attends UCI, majoring in Chemistry with a goal of saving the planet with chemistry. My daughter, Kayla, is 19 and will be a sophomore at Cornell, studying communications and already an editor for the Cornell Sun and blog writer for the Women's Network. We love our animals! Our 2 rescue dogs, Tucker and Callie, our 30 year old box turtle, Henry, and our 5 fantail goldfish! In my spare time I love to exercise, enjoy the outdoors, go to the beach and read. My happy place is swimming with the sea turtles in Maui!”

What has your journey looked like personally/professionally to get to where you are now?

“I had to grow a lot personally in order to grow professionally. I'm a perfectionist and perfectionists do not like to fail. Do you know the % of startups that fail? 90%. So my personal growth which included confidence in myself and my abiilites as well as overcoming, or even embracing, the fear of failure. I have to admit Google search is my friend - it's amazing what I have been able to teach myself from full Photoshop skills to how to build a business!”

What do you enjoy about what you do? What are some of the challenges?

“Honestly, my favorite part of my job is helping my customers improve their community or area of the world. Who would think a pair of socks can make the world a better place?!

But time after time, I've seen my customers raise money with their sock fundraisers to fight teen suicide, support Down Syndrome, raise awareness for mental health, fund cancer reasearch on so on."

My main challenge is being a one woman show, not because I'm a woman, but because I wear so many hats. I did get funding to start this company so I truly have built it from the ground up. As we've grown, I've been able to hire contractors to take on roles in the company but I just never seem to have enough time to get it all done.”

Knowing what you know now, what would you tell your 18 year old self?

“My 18 year old self always focused on the negatives about myself rather than the positives. Thankfully I when I went to college I found both my indepence and the start of my self confidence. So if I could talk to her now I'd say: Be kinder to yourself. Enjoy the moment. Have confidence in YOU.”

What do you appreciate most about your life now/what are you most proud of?

“My family 100%. I am so proud of my kids for their intelligence, their accomplishments and most importantly for the genuinely good humans that they are. I'm also very proud of my husband and I who have our 25th anniversary approaching and worked our tails off to create a loving and happy household for our family. As we all know it's not always easy, but it sure is worth it.”

Who inspires you and why?

“My dad has always been my biggest inspiration. He's so smart and confident but also one of the kindest, most thoughtful people you will ever meet. He's run and sold multiple companies so he is tough in the boardroom but a softy with babies and dogs and his grandchildren, too! I come from a family of entrepreneurs. My grandfather started his own jam and jelly company. My dad started a strawberry company. And as the 1st female entrepreneur I took us out of food and into socks!”

A fun or surprising fact about yourself?

“Fun fact: I have a 30 year old box turtle named Henry. He is my sidekick and I love him dearly! Also, I am a sports nut! Die hard 49er and Giants fan. We've had season tickets to the Niners for 31 years and I rarely miss a game!”

If you could meet anyone in history, who would it be and why?

“Honestly, I think I'd like to meet Oprah. She has overcome so many barriers and failures to be the household name that she is while always retaining her class and her authenticity. She is someone women of all ages and colors can look to as a role model.”

Celebrating Phenomenal Women | Tiffany Castillo

 When I first started Heartbox Photography almost 9 years ago, I (as many photographers who are just starting out will attest to) began experimenting with the various styles and types of photography I wanted to specialize in. Everything from families to weddings and everything in between helped refine my creative style over the years and clearly showed me that I thoroughly enjoyed portrait photography that specifically highlighted women the most.

Tiffany Castillo is a devoted mother, wife, and works as a loan officer with Green Family Mortgage, a family-owned mortgage broker. During the early stages of my business, I had the privilege of working with Tiffany on a styled photoshoot in the San Jose area, as she so graciously agreed to help me build my portfolio and serve as one of my models.

It has been many years since that photoshoot and I recently had the honor of working with her again, this time to create her business headshots. One of my favorite things about her session is that we not only got to take advantage of the beautiful outdoor light, but also that her images prove you can absolutely have professional headshots that seamlessly integrate a fresh style and sense of fashion as well.

Without further ado, I am proud to share with you all the latest photoshoot featuring this phenomenal woman, Tiffany Castillo.

Images | Heartbox Photography

Hair & makeup | Daisy Gonzalez-Duarte of Beautiful One Makeup Artistry

“My passion is giving people knowledge regarding home financing and homeownership. Although I am a “mortgage loan officer,” I like to consider myself an advisor when it comes to home financing. Advising new and current homeowners how they can best utilize their largest asset.

Interestingly enough, it took me awhile to get here – it was not a straight line and I am proud to have arrived at my destination thus far. When thinking about “what I want to be when I grow up,” it was never a mortgage advisor.

While in tech, my manager knew I was not happy and asked where I see myself in 5 years. I was honest and told him that I can see myself in real estate but not as a realtor. He reached out to a family member who is a mortgage broker and asked if she would be willing to speak with me. From there, she took me under her wing and has guided me to where I am today.”

What do you enjoy about what you do? What are some of the challenges?

“Being part of this big event in a person or persons life/lives. The elation and excitement they feel, that its doesn’t seem real because it hasn’t all set in yet. The challenges – in general, purchasing a home is a stressful time due to the timeline of the purchase. Getting first time homebuyers to understand that things are moving as they should can be hard as there is a lot at stake for them, and I completely understand. I think it really comes down to trust – building that trust with my client – both a joy and a challenge.”

Knowing what you know now, what would you tell your 18 year old self?

“Save early and don’t live outside your means even if it looks pretty – whatever it was, it was not worth it knowing what I know about being financially healthy with an asset of a home!”

What do you appreciate most about your life now/what are you most proud of?

“I appreciate my family - my kids are my pride and joy. They are what push me every day to do what I do. To help those families who are like mine and only want the best for them.”

Who inspires you and why?

“Again, my kids. They really show me how important it is to live in the moment. That not everything is so serious. They inspire me to be a better person every day and I base my decisions on what is best for them, both personally and professionally.”

A fun or surprising fact about yourself?

“I am an adrenaline junkie, love tattoos, roller coasters, anything to get the heart racing – you’ve got one life, do what makes your heart go!”

If you could meet anyone in history, who would it be and why?

“I would want to see my grandfathers to be honest. They were both very different men and when they passed, for one I was too young, and for the other, I was too naïve. I would want to sit down with them and ask them about their lives – how they came to be who they are. Stories from my family are great but I have my own questions and would love to hear their stories from them.”

“I strive to be the best resource to all who know me in whatever it is they need assistance in. And if I don’t have the answer, I will do my best to point them in the right direction. I will continue to be curious, knowledge is power!”

A Celebration of Black Excellence | Black History Month 2021

“We've learned that quiet isn't always peace

And the norms and notions

of what just is

Isn't always justice

And yet the dawn is ours

before we knew it

Somehow we do it

Somehow we've weathered and witnessed

a nation that isn't broken

but simply unfinished

We the successors of a country and a time

Where a skinny Black girl

descended from slaves and raised by a single mother

can dream of becoming president

only to find herself reciting for one

And yes we are far from polished

far from pristine

but that doesn't mean we are

striving to form a union that is perfect

We are striving to forge a union with purpose”

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-Amanda Gorman

Excerpt from 2021 inaugural poem “The Hill We Climb”

Images | Heartbox Photography

Patricia | 2020 | A Celebration of Phenomenal Women

“Feminism isn’t about making women stronger. Women are already strong.

It’s about changing the way the world perceives that strength.”

-G.D. Anderson

Beauty is an inside job.

As a woman AND a photographer, I get the privilege of being able to continue advocating this message in a special way with my camera through sharing the profiles, stories, and images of women here in the Bay Area.

One of the things I am often proud to share with others is that I do not work work with professional models. I work with real women that vary in their confidence level in front of the camera. These women are from various backgrounds, of all ages and are experiencing various seasons of womanhood, from being a teen to an empty nester to being grandmother.

I work with women who, like myself, are growing past the common misconception that beauty is purely surface-level based solely on what others think of your style of clothes or make-up. Women who, like me, are seeing what it means to truly walk in the confidence that unleashes when you see that indeed, beauty is an inside job that no amount of exterior styling can replicate.

I am honored to share with you all the latest profile of a woman whose beauty radiates from the inside out, the lovely and phenomenal, Patricia.

Images | Heartbox Photography

Hair & Makeup | Daisy Gonzalez-Duarte

Can you tell me a bit about you as a person (your own life journey thus far), what inspired you to do the work you do, and what you find most rewarding about your work?

“I have always loved the written word, from my early childhood days of putting pencil to paper as I wrote my first sentences, to my current project of crafting the narrative of my grandparents’ World War II romance. Helping people put words together to create a sensory experience, share information, or teach something useful, brings me a deep sense of satisfaction.”

What are some things that you would want women to know with regards to beauty, self-confidence, and growing up as a woman in today's world?

“Always be true to yourself and listen to your inner voice. That’s the compass you can always come back to, no matter how wildly the world is spinning. Regarding beauty — I believe you’re truly beautiful when you let your inner light shine.”

Best advice you ever received?

“After my mom died of breast cancer, a very wise and kind woman at work said to me, “Eat when you’re hungry; sleep when you’re tired; move when you want to move.” It sounds simplistic, but it’s about really tuning in to your basic needs so you can be grounded. From that foundation, you can successfully face whatever is happening in your life.”

What do you appreciate most about your life now?

“My wisdom, my internal strength, and my amazing community of women.”

“In one of the photos Maria took, I’m wearing my mom’s gold earrings and my paternal grandmother’s Spanish coin necklace. I didn’t realize the pairing until I was reviewing the images with Maria.

These women, who weren’t close to each other, shaped and inspired me in very different ways.

It’s a powerful image of my lineage and legacy. I’m so grateful to have it!”

What Would You Say to Your Younger Self?

Hey, ladies.

If you could face your younger self now, in the form of that teenaged girl growing up and learning life, what would you tell her? 

What would you say about self-confidence? About womanhood?

What would you say about outward and inward beauty? 

About love? About mistakes? 

What would you tell her about flying…and about the moments we fall down in life? 

I think that portraits are some of the best ways you can show your teenaged girls that life is already happening NOW. That it’s important, especially for young girls growing into womanhood, to see that it is more than ok, dare I even say, necessary, to see the value in existing in portraits, to capture where they are in life now. 

Not to wait until they feel “worthy”.

Not when they achieve society’s definition of what is “beautiful”. 

Not when they achieve x, y, or z. 

And certainly not when have earned the approval of other people. 

But now. Just as they are.

So that when it comes time for them to look back at those photographs of their younger selves, they can smile in remembering who they were becoming in that image. They can smile remembering that someone advocated for them and told them that they absolutely are worthy to capture in a photograph, even if they are still learning and trying to understand their life, awkwardness and all.

It is a joy to be able to capture young adults in photographs. 

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ANNOUNCEMENT FOR SUMMER!

Whether they are entering in as seniors in high school or have just begun their teenage years, we are now booking for outdoor photo sessions this summer!

I  invite you to book that appointment for the young adults in your life, whether they are your own children, your nieces, your god-children, whatever the case may be. 

Encourage them to exist in photographs. 

Because their life is worth capturing in images today and these images are a part of their unique story.

#existinphotographs #teenagers #seniorphotography #heartboxphotography #seniorportraits #sanjosephotographer

#classof2021 #seniorphotos 

Tania | A Celebration of Phenomenal Women

“She remembered who she was…and the game changed.”

-author unknown

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I have known Tania for awhile now, but it wasn’t until she came in for her own photoshoot that I got to really learn more about her own personal story - as a woman, a wife, and a mother.

I think as women, we can relate to one another on a unique level with regards to what it is like when hit hard with the coldest challenges of life, witness the bliss that comes from the peaks of victories, and shed tears of relief when God’s beautiful and constant feed of grace sustains us through it all.

Tania is not hesitant to share all about her faith and how she has seen God transform and strengthen her and her family.

It is beautiful and nothing short of a miracle.

Like every mother and every woman I have photographed, she is understandably hesitant and shy to step out in front of my camera - because she, like all of us as women if we’re honest, sometimes wonder about what the camera will show us about ourselves.

Will it be critical?

Will it be kind?

Or really…should it even matter to us?

One of my favorite things about seeing a client’s transformation is the look that changes in her eyes from when she first comes in for her shoot compared to the last image captured.

It’s almost as if you can see that smile from within that steps out, hesitantly at first, but later with a reassured confidence once it sees that it is more than safe to come out.

That smile, that strength, that unique creation of who Tania is as a person is exactly what I saw emerge in her eyes in these images and I am so very proud to share them with you all here.

Images | Heartbox Photography

Hair & makeup | Daisy Gonzalez-Duarte of Beautiful One Makeup Artistry