Shannon Bindler is a Life Stylist & Tedx speaker who coaches everyday women & celebrities through inner/outer makeovers, creative projects, and life-changing challenges. She has styled actresses for the Golden Globes and magazines. She is also the creator of the unique fashion blog Sole Prescription, mom to the creative 9 yr. old soul Pearl, wife to director S.R. Bindler and wise friend to many. Below, she's honest with us about her fears and triumphs.

THE HONEST Q & A

Your current state of mind?
Pleased, relaxed.

Quality you most adore in other women.
Sense of style and humor.

Quality you most deplore in other women.
Pettiness and gossip. 

An ongoing battle.
I have an ongoing internal battle about wanting to live in the country vs. the city. I grew up in Vermont next to a huge river with a waterfall. In a lot of ways I’m still a country girl. I feel connected to myself when I’m in beautiful natural settings, and I see that in my daughter as well. I also love fashion, art and culture. Los Angeles has so much to offer, especially given my profession… I try to balance it by hiking, biking and hitting the beach, but I wouldn’t be too surprised if one day I pack it all up and move to the woods.

How do you feel about your body?
I appreciate it and take care of it much better now than I did in my 20’s. I’m also a lot less critical. I look back on images of myself in my 20’s and remember thinking I was so ugly, fat, whatever at the time. Now I wonder how I could have felt that way about myself, I was so cute and youthful. So, even if I’m not feeling great, I remind myself that 10 or 20 years from now I’ll look back and wish I would have owned my beauty more. 

What helps you achieve creative flow?
Meditation

Nicest thing anyone has ever said about you?
I was at a big Hollywood party one night after an intensive day at a coaching training. I decided to practice a listening technique I’d been introduced to that morning while in conversation with a prominent music producer. At the end of the night he said that I was the most interesting person in the room (and the room was filled with heavy hitters). I hadn’t said anything about myself, simply asked him probing questions and really paid attention to his answers. Learned a big lesson that night: The most interesting person in the room is the most interested. 

Is there one thing you find women could be better at?
Most of us would benefit from regularly practicing self-love and self-acceptance. The practice of self-forgiveness is the most transformational tool I’ve come across.

Have you had a friend disappoint you?
Definitely! I try to use my “upset” as a reflection of something going on inside of myself. The people who disappoint me the most usually mirror some kind of issue I am working on. When I get clarity on that, forgiveness of others and forgiveness of myself becomes easy.

What's the hardest thing about marriage?
Being married is a lot easier than being single (for me). Marriage helped ground me, and my family has given me a sense of purpose. I’m someone who is happier in a solid relationship. All relationships have issues from time to time, but marriage creates a foundation that puts the small issues in perspective.

What turns you on sexually?
High heels, lingerie, and the way my husband smells. 

Is there something you wish your mom would have warned you about?
The unexpected boredom that comes with your 30’s and the importance of cultivating hobbies in your teens and 20’s so you have something to keep yourself occupied with, as you get older. 

What are you intentionally doing differently with your kid(s) than your mom did with you?
I was one of four children. I have one. Think that says enough. 

You use shoes like an acupuncturist uses needles. What shoes would you prescribe to yourself and why?
The shoe I’d prescribe myself at this moment in time would be a gladiator sandal, which is the prescription for courage. I’m putting my work and my practice more broadly into the world, which can be a bit intimidating. I use a gladiator sandal to help me harness my inner fierceness and strength.

Whether you believe it or not, give us an argument supporting why you are a perfect woman: 
Because I see the perfection in everyone. 

How do you feel about exercise?
I’m much happier when I exercise regularly. It’s as good for my mind as it is for my body.

Something you want to tell your husband/partner but haven't.
This is very cliché but I wish he would haul the trash bins out of the garage and back in on trash day. I could easily bring it up, but it seems like a boring/petty conversation and doing it myself is easier than asking. 

Last time you necked in public
I don’t even know what necking is, if it involves giving or receiving hickies in public, never. Now in private, that’s a different question, and answer…

The book or author that always makes you feel strong:
Osho. His books bring me back to the essence of who I truly am. 

The book or author that always helps you escape reality:
Tom Robbins’ absurd story lines and characters have been making me smile since high school. I recently re-read Still Life with Woodpecker—a sort of love story that takes place inside a pack of Camel Cigarettes. I mean, if that isn’t escaping reality, I don’t know what is!

The book or song that always makes you feel romantic.
Love is a Rose by Neil Young. There is a recording of me singing this song around 3 years old. Every time I hear it, I’m brought back to being a little kid listening to it over and over. I still remember asking my mom to show me how to rewind the cassette tape so I could play it one more time.

Most played song on your ipod.
Jolene by Dolly Parton. Don’t know why, but I can’t get enough of that song. Ever. 

Your low-point as a mom?
When I placed my then 2-year-old screaming (and kicking) daughter into her crib and left the room to scream into my pillow at the top of my lungs.

Your high-point as a mom?
Listening to my daughter play Beethoven on the piano.

Why do you deserve success?
If success means happiness, then I think we all deserve it. 

Who are you most likely to seek guidance from in a time of stress? Therapist, life coach, best friend, mother, husband, partner, other? 
I use them all. . .suppose I seek counsel from the person I think will help me shift or widen my perspective the most. 

What or whom do you have a love/hate relationship with?
Netflix.

Your current favorite blogs?
Nowness, Refinery21, wondermintstudio.com

Women you most admire?
Hillary Clinton, Stevie Knicks, Louise Hay, Mother Theresa, Dr. Mary Hulnick, and my mother. 

When is it okay to lie?
When the truth will intentionally hurt someone.

If you weren't a Life Coach/Stylist what would you be?
A designer or singer.

Name a current fear. By naming it here, you release it.
That I’m not good enough. 

What question are you glad I did not ask?
More about my sex life. I’m by no means a prude, but I’d rather experience it than talk about it. 

What's the first thing you'll do after sending back the answers to this Q & A?
Stretch.

You can learn more about Shannon and join her online conversations & communities at: Soleprescription.com, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram. View her TEDx talk on The Sanctity Of Shoes.

Design & Photo Credits: Gold sustainable platforms by Sydney Brown, silk jumpsuit by Chay. Photos by S.R. Bindler for Sole Prescription.

It’s not out of the ordinary for German-born Anne Menke to find herself on a three-day trek up a mountain in the Andes, or flying over the plains of Mongolia in a helicopter photographing models for Vogue while capturing the indigenous people and cultures in such a way that they transform from mere backdrop to reveal a sublime influence on the world of fashion. Anne is one of the world's most in-demand fashion photographers, lending her eye to trademark spreads for  magazines and brands, such as Marie Claire, Vogue, Elle, Sports Illustrated, Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren, J. Crew and Nike.

When she is not traveling for work, she is at home in the beautiful seaside village known as  Sayulita, Mexico. She spends her free time with her three children and her husband, surfing and helping out at the non-profit Niños del Sol and the Costa Verde International School, which she co-founded. The mission of the Costa Verde International School is to provide children and adults in Sayulita and the surrounding area with a quality progressive education that is culturally and economically inclusive and focused on environmental sustainability, and to advance ecological responsibility in Mexico.

In her critically-acclaimed coffee table book, See The World Beautiful, Anne travels the world documenting—not as a voyeur but as an insider—how fashion, culture and art collide. Below, she's honest with us about her passions and the challenges of pursuing them.

Your current state of mind?
A free spirit who needs to be fed with things I love: traveling and discovering new places, people, cultures, and discovering new projects …the Native Huichol Indios are currently on my mind.

Qualities you most adore in other women.
Strength and determination.

Quality you most deplore in other women.
Passiveness.

What is the hardest thing about being you?
I never stop. Sometimes that is a pain to myself and to those around me.

How do you feel about your body?
Mostly great when I am active

What turns you on sexually?
My husband

What do you wish you could do better as a wife or lover?
Make more time for my husband.

Anything you want to do better as a mom?
I’m too busy sometimes and need to remind myself to get off the bloody phone.

Your strong suit as a mom?
When I am present I am really present. I’m like Little Miss Circus Director, curating and doing fun stuff for them and with them.

How does being a mom of three change the way you work?
I travel a lot but I always try to include them if they are able to travel with me and I’m going somewhere safe for them to travel. It’s not the easiest thing for me to do, but I make it work.

Is there something you wish your mom would have warned you about?
No

What are you intentionally doing differently with your kids than your mom did with you?
I am always there for them emotionally. My mum was not around a lot; she was too busy with herself.

Whether you believe it or not, give us an argument supporting why you are a perfect woman:
I can dream and I am happy and funny.

Something you want to tell your husband but haven't.
Nothing.  I tell him everything.  He is my absolute best friend.

The book or blogger that always makes you feel strong.
Anne Frank

A book that helps you escape reality.
I just ate up Mick: The Wild Life and Mad Genius of Jagger  and am now reading Life, a biography on Keith Richards that I cannot put down.

The book or song that always makes you feel romantic.
Wild Horses by The Rolling stones

Three most played songs or musicians on your iPod.
Bob Dylan’s Hurricane, The  Rolling Stones’ Brown Sugar, songs by Leonard Cohen  

What helps you achieve creative flow?
I see a picture or a movie, I hear a song, I read a magazine article… and I start researching or dreaming and off I go creating a story.

Who are you most likely to seek guidance from in a time of stress: Therapist, life coach, friend, mother, partner, other?
My husband. And, I do need to talk things out when I am stressed.

What or whom do you have a love/hate relationship with?
Sometimes my work. Ironically, I love what I do and can not really live without that need to create, but I love being a full-time mum as well. I love being the cook, the driver and everything else that comes along with that.

Your current favorite blogs?
I don’t follow too many. Just sort of traipse across them here and there, but Designtripper.com is one I like.

When is it okay to lie?
I do not think it is okay to lie, but the exception would be, sometimes, to make someone feel better.

If you weren't a photographer, what would you be?
A cook and a marine biologist

Why do you deserve success?
Because I work really hard!

Where do you see your career in 10 years?
I am where I want to be; no need to change

Women you most admire?
Diana Vreeland, Margaret Bourke White [the first female war photojournalist]

Why are you drawn to live in Sayulita?
I love surfing and I always wanted to live by the sea. Sayulita is a unique blend of simple village life with a cosmopolitan mix of people which is so important to me after living in Paris & New York City and traveling the world.

Your most challenging project and how did you endure it?
Shooting in India 15 years ago with no money. One weird thing after another kept happening. I remember breaking down crying more than once from frustration while continuing to search for solutions to the problems that kept coming up. In the end I got the job done and the photos turned out to be beautiful. Everyone, including me, was happy in the end.

Your favorite painter?
Picasso

Name a current fear. By naming it here, you release it.
Death.

What question are you glad I did not ask?
How many men I’ve slept with.

What's the first thing you'll do after sending the answers to this Q & A?
Enjoy a glass of wine.

See more of Anne Menke's photographic work at AnneMenke.com. Follow Anne Menke on Instagram (glimpse her instagram style in grid to the right).

All photos by Anne Menke, except the last one on right taken of her by Hana. Anne is the woman walking on air (an ordinary occurrence for her).