Girls today are growing up in a world filled with pressure, comparison, and unrealistic expectations—and they’re struggling with confidence and identity younger than ever before.

As a photographer, empowerment coach, and founder of a worldwide kindness movement, I’ve made it my mission to help girls see their worth, believe in their value, and know they are more than enough. Through tween empowerment photography experiences and large-scale empowerment events for girls, I’m helping them bloom from the inside out.

But it didn’t start with confidence—it started with struggle.

🌿 My Story: From Struggle to a Confidence Revolution

For nearly 40 years of my life, I lived with the belief that I wasn’t enough. I disliked myself deeply, and that belief impacted everything—my relationships, my decisions, my health, and my emotional well-being.

Then, the weekend before my 40th birthday, I had a life-changing epiphany.

I saw myself clearly for the first time in decades—and I knew I couldn’t keep carrying what I had been carrying. More importantly, I didn’t want anyone else to carry it either. Especially not young girls.

That moment planted the seed for everything I do today.

🌼 Tween Empowerment Photography: More Than a Photoshoot

Shortly after that turning point, I began offering confidence-building photo sessions for tween girls—the often-overlooked age between childhood and the teenage years.

These tween photo experiences are designed to reflect not just how a girl looks—but who she is. Before each session, I ask her loved ones to share what they admire most about her: her courage, her creativity, her kindness, her humor. We highlight those words during the session and in the slideshow afterward.

It’s not just a photo reveal.
It’s a reflection of her worth.

These sessions are powerful, emotional, and often bring moms (and me!) to tears. I’ve seen girls walk in quietly and walk out taller—with joy in their eyes and new belief in themselves.

🌸 Empowerment Events That Bring Girls Together

Over time, these individual sessions grew into something even more meaningful—large-scale empowerment events for tween girls held right here on our flower farm in Georgia.

We’ve welcomed up to 50 girls for unforgettable days filled with:

• 🌼 Inspiring guest speakers
• 📸 Professional portraits in the flower fields
• 🎨 Empowering art projects
• 💌 Affirmations and self-worth reflections
• 🎁 Swag bags full of goodies and reminders of their value
• 🤍 And an atmosphere of unconditional love and connection

These tween girl events are filled with laughter, creativity, confidence-building, and belonging. Girls leave not only with beautiful portraits, but with a deeper sense of who they are—and moms often tell me it was the turning point their daughter needed.

💛 Certifications + A Calling That Runs Deep

To create experiences with lasting impact, I invested in my own growth too.

I flew to Idaho multiple times to become certified through the Brave Girls program with Melody Ross—an experience that changed my life and gave me tools to guide others through self-reflection and creative healing.

Later, I became a certified Fearlessly Girl Empowerment Coach, Mentor, and Leader—equipping me to support girls with mentorship rooted in kindness, resilience, and self-acceptance.

And I’m also the founder of Sparks of Kindness, a worldwide kindness movement that’s been featured in nearly 40 national news outlets, radio shows, and newspapers—including the Associated Press.

Every one of those chapters has shaped what The Bloom Collective is becoming.

✨ The Bloom Collective: A Place Where Confidence Takes Root

Now, I’m bringing it all together.

The Bloom Collective is a space where tween girls are seen, celebrated, and empowered—through photography, events, and creativity. And it’s also a place for the women who guide them.

I’m currently building a course for photographers who want to create meaningful, confidence-building photo sessions for tweens—and eventually, I’ll be offering workshops and resources for moms and mentors too.

🌼 Join the Movement

If you have a tween, know a tween, work with tweens—or simply care about helping girls grow confident and strong—you belong in this space.

Follow along at @tweenempowerment, join us on Facebook at The Bloom Collective, or learn more about the INCREDIBLE photo experiences that remind tweens how amazing they are on the inside too or the amazing events at cedarhillstudios.com.

Together, we’re planting seeds of self-worth—and I believe we’re going to change lives, one girl at a time.

💛 Debbie McFarland