In November, I had the incredible honor of photographing Wendy Palacios.
Wendy shared how for the last two years she’s been on a road of self-reflection and self-development.
“I took a class called ‘Mindful Self-Compassion’ to build my inner strength and calm the inner self-critic that was so loud in my head at the time. It was loud because, during COVID, it was challenging for me to build relationships with peers and colleagues in the virtual world we were living in. I had taken on a new role leading a big initiative at my company and it was really difficult to connect without that face-to-face interaction,” Wendy shared.
Wendy took this class as the first step in her journey to calming that inner voice and it helped her have more confidence in herself and jump-started her meditation practice.
Recently, Wendy completed a course with the Wharton School called “Executive Presence and Influence: Persuasive Leadership Development.”
“For where I want to be in my career, this class encapsulated everything I had been learning through books, ted talks, and lectures over the years. I realized it’s not about me anymore. If I really want to be a leader, it’s about how I can start inspiring others. Like Maya Angelou said, ‘I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.’”
“As a leader, that’s what I want to be. It’s not just about how good I am from a technical standpoint, it’s how I can make people feel and grow better. I want to focus on inspiring people and teams and honoring everyone’s voice and diversity of thought. As a hispanic latina, I want to be an inspiration to others and bring them along with me – to be a strong promoter and advocate across ethnicities, and genders. As part of this journey, earlier this year I became co-chair of the women’s leadership network at my company. I can become that advocate for women and women of diversity. I am stretching myself to be in positions where I can help be a voice and help provide inspiration. This photoshoot was part of that journey.”
About Alissa
Alissa Randall is a portrait photographer based in New Jersey and New York City, known for creating images that feel both elevated and deeply personal. While professional headshots remain a cornerstone of her work, her photography has grown to include personal branding, women’s empowerment, family connection sessions, and expressive portraits of dogs and the people who love them.
Her approach blends editorial artistry with empathy and guidance, helping people feel comfortable enough to be fully seen in front of the camera. Whether photographing an executive, an entrepreneur, a family, or a beloved dog, Alissa creates photographs that reflect more than appearance. They reflect presence, personality, connection, and story.
Alissa photographs in NJ, NYC, and on location beyond the tri-state area. Explore more of her work on the homepage and discover stories behind the images on the blog.