Despite the gender stereotypes in the '80s, my race-car-driving dad taught me that I could do whatever my brother could.
— Amanda de Cadenet
I've never interviewed anyone where I set out to try to persuade them to reveal something. Instead, it's about creating a space that allows someone to be authentic without judgment on my part.
Learning how to be persuasive has been really crucial to my life both professionally and personally.
I love photography - I fell in love with photography, I think, because it was my own thing, it wasn't something I needed other people's permission to do. So, it was really freeing for me actually to be able to not be a famous person and just to take pictures.
Spirituality is an anchor for me and guides me through life.
I'd personally like to see more 'real bodies' in magazines.
From 12-year-old girls to 70-year-old matriarchs, I know hundreds of women who have some sort of body image issue. This is sad and seriously worrying, but it's true, and it's why I feel some kind of social responsibility to do what I can to show a variety of body types in fashion magazines.
Portia de Rossi is a gorgeous woman, and I found it incredibly refreshing to discover that she puts very little stock in her appearance, instead preferring to concentrate on what goodness she can put into the world around her - a choice we can all learn from.
Sitting down with the insightful Gabourey Sidibe was a wonderful experience.
I had lived with abuse for many years, but the worst abuse has been at my own hands and the appalling situations I have tolerated.
Learning how to have 'healthy' attachments sounds easy, but in fact, for someone like me who had damaged early relationships, it's like learning to be fluent in Chinese.
By age 19, I was married to a high-profile, much older musician and was mother to a baby girl. Since then, I've been divorced, been a cheater, been cheated on, gotten happily remarried, and raised a couple of great kids.
As a photographer, there are times when I have to decide if it's appropriate to invade a moment with my camera.
I love all Goop products, but I'll always have the Revitalizing Day Moisturizer on my desk at work or in my handbag.
I've been privileged to be able to be a part of some of my girlfriends' lives at their breaking points.
There are women who are just extraordinary, who are smart and brilliant, sensual women in their 70s and even 80s!
The power that you have as a young woman, unless you have great self-esteem, is largely based on how the rest of the world reacts to you. And so it's kind of a superficial confidence that you have, you know?
If there was anyone primed to raise their kids feminist, it was me. My parents treated me no differently from my brother. I was raised to believe I was capable of doing anything I set my mind to.
Persuasiveness takes finesse; it takes an understanding of human psychology. And intention is everything.
No one understood why I would wanna be behind the camera, not in front of the camera, and so no one took me seriously, and people said, 'Oh, well, this is just a hobby isn't it?' and I said, 'No, I really love this. I wanna make this my career,' and I did not have a lot of support at all for many years. People just kind of thought it was a joke.
I was about 15 years old, and I needed a job, and somebody I know - I don't even know who it was - said that there was a television show that needed a presenter and that I should go and audition for it, so I did. That was a show called 'The Word,' and I got that job.
I don't marry myself to one belief system.
I've often contemplated some kind of tummy tuck surgery, but I know this is not the answer.
Jane Fonda was at the top of my list of women to meet and the only time I felt nervous about interviewing someone. She is one of the most dynamic women I have ever had the honor of talking to.
Glenda Bailey is a woman after my own heart who believes that climbing the career ladder can be overrated, to say the least. After all, why not just go for what you want now?
Being a young woman is difficult enough, but add to that the pressures of Hollywood's spotlight, and you have a lot to navigate.
I believe I was a codependent out of the womb and have been struggling to free myself from its vice-like grip for many, many years.
When you've worked as hard as I have to form your identity, the last thing you want is to blur where you end and someone else begins.
I've always known if anything killed me, it would be boys. From the time I was a teenager into my thirties, I loved only the ones who were bad news.
When I look at a woman through my camera, I see her with complete admiration and appreciation of her beauty, strength, and power - and that's how I do my best to represent her.
I share personal things about myself in the context of my interviews and in 'It's Messy' - but that's 20 percent of my life.
When I was interviewing Hillary Clinton, I knew when I'd ask her something that she wasn't going to give me the complete truth because she would break eye contact with me.
I am interested in people. I'm interested in telling stories, whether that is behind the camera or in front of the camera.
My kids see feminism in action every day, and leading by imperfect example is how I'm raising them.
Persuasiveness is really just about getting your ideas across without being forceful. It's a skill that can be learned and is useful for anyone who works in a team environment.
I've grown up around people who love photography, and I think from being photographed for so long, I always wanted to understand how it worked, and I've been fortunate enough to be photographed by some really wonderful photographers, and so I learnt a lot from them, and I always ask them questions.
If I'm looking at life without a spiritual perspective, it's a lot more painful, a lot more confusing, and there's so much that I don't understand.
If I could wave a magic wand, I would be a size 6 and still be able to eat cake every day.
I am one of the last photographers to convert to digital.
I believe women need to hear stories and see images that they can identify with, not media-fabricated ideals that even the 'role models' themselves can't live up to.
Pregnancy is a time for women to feel more connected with their bodies, and yet often the opposite occurs.
While Jane Fonda has no shortage of knowledge to share, I was particularly moved and fascinated by her recovery from bulimia, which she battled with for over 25 years.
It doesn't matter how many people adore you or how skinny, successful, smart, talented, funny, kind, or compassionate you are. None of it matters if you don't see your wonderful self.
In marriage, you sacrifice the adrenaline rush of seeing someone new for the comfort of being with someone who knows everything about you and loves you anyway.
You have a different experience as a woman walking through life; you just do.
With the combination of spending a fair amount of time on planes, having twins that go to elementary school, and generally living a lifestyle that is pretty high-stress, I have been known to run myself down quite easily, so I am pretty much a petri dish for germs, colds, and flus.
I hate small talk! I can't do it.
I went from being able to walk down the street and be ignored to having men whistle at me. I was an insecure young girl, and it felt good to have attention, even though it was inappropriate.
People reacted to how I looked, and that was certainly a power to have as a young girl, but not one that you really understand.
