Welcome to our new series – WOMEN WE ADMIRE. Here, we're shining a light on the incredible women within our community and our Sienna Swim Collective. Whether they're friends, leaders, creators, mothers, daughters (or all of the above!), these women are truly inspiring, and we want to create a space to showcase their magnificence. We are beyond grateful for the special community we're building through our brand – a diverse group of women achieving remarkable feats and inspiring others by simply being themselves and following their dreams. This monthly series aims to spotlight women we love and invite you to connect with them. We're all about uplifting others, celebrating successes and showing how truly special, layered and powerful we are as women. *Read our first in the series featuring Taylor Hayden here.
Ivana Cook Burbage (@ivanacook) is the photographer behind some of today’s hottest brands, including Aloha Collection, Reef and of course, Sienna Swim. She’s also captured stunning images as the photographer of choice for many women – one look at her web site and you’ll see why so much of her work is pinned on inspo-boards across Pinterest. Ivana and her husband Justin live on his home island of O'ahu, where they raise their daughter, Poerava (“Rava” to friends and family). Her book – With Love, Motherhood – is a guided journal she wrote to help expectant moms document their pregnancies.
We asked Ivana and Rava to model our new MOMMY & ME collection, which launches Monday, April 29 – just in time for Mother’s Day in the U.S. To us, they are the perfect mommy-daughter duo out there!
We sat down with Ivana to ask a few questions and words of advice she would share as the second woman to be featured in our new series:
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Q. HOW HAS THE JOURNEY OF MOTHERHOOD INFLUENCED YOUR SELF-PERCEPTION & YOUR PERSPECTIVE ON THE WORLD AROUND YOU?
A. Wow, I could write a book about this question alone. Motherhood, in one word, is just living selflessly. I remember as a kid being embarrassed by my mom (given she’s from Europe and just really different than most, which now I absolutely love about her). She did things because she wanted to and felt no fear of what other people thought of her. Once I became a mom I understood why. The world is no longer just about you. Becoming a mom let me release any selfishness or ego I had around me. Motherhood simplified a lot for me in all areas of my life and allowed my priorities to be aligned and in order. I feel that most people in society think that once you become a mom your goal is to “get back to your old self and your old body" but it couldn’t be more opposite. To fully embrace the person I am now as a mom is better than who I was before, because of how I see the world now and how I have grown as a person. I believe I will always be growing in each stage of motherhood, and can’t wait to see how it shapes and molds me through the rest of my life.
Q. MAINTAINING BALANCE CAN BE CHALLENGING; HOW DO YOU PRIORITIZE SELF-CARE IN YOUR BUSY SCHEDULE?
A. Every day has something new, especially being on the freelance side of work. My husband is super disciplined in this area of life and has made a really great morning routine for us that we stick to pretty much anywhere we are, even when traveling. It keeps us sane and our daughter too. Someone once told me if you have one win in the morning the rest of your day that follows will almost always be good, and I feel like our morning routines are always a win for us.
A. I have journaled since 5th grade and, even now, I always start with things I am grateful for; thanking God for all the things he has blessed me with big and small. It's why I wrote the Motherhood journal too, being able to look back on your thoughts and feelings while pregnant is just so powerful! I think music also keeps me in a grateful state, so in the mornings we always play worship music and set up the rest of our day to be grateful for another day in the sun.
