The Day I Stopped Believing I Was a Bad Mom – Rising Phoenix Experience – Me Ra Koh

For years, Christie believed she was failing her daughter. Every day was a battle against the voice in her head telling her she wasn’t enough. “I almost always feel like I’m not doing a good enough job,” she confessed, carrying the weight of that doubt into our studio. But that day, everything shifted. She came in to our studio unsure, but she left with something far more powerful than answers—she left with the peace of knowing she was exactly the mother her daughter needed.

Christie didn’t come in for glamour. She came because she was tired. Tired of the inner voice whispering, “You’re not enough. You’re going to mess this up.” So she asked Me Ra, “Do you do the Rising Phoenix Experience for families?” She needed this not just for her—but for Pia, her 14-year-old daughter who loves red velvet cake, motorcycles, purple and black, and giggles when her mom tries to chase her with a stick.

They came, and everything changed.

When a Portrait Becomes a Mirror of Truth

“I haven’t thought I was a bad mom since,” Christie said when she came back to pick up her wall art. “Not once. The thought doesn’t even cross my mind anymore!” YES!!!!!! Cue HAPPY tears!

The smile of a mom who finally believes the truth her daughter always knew.
Now, every glance at her wall art delivers a micro-dose of truth—rewiring how she sees herself, one moment at a time.

Her brain has been rewired! There is a new pathway running through her mind that is based on TRUTH not pain. We aren’t just taking portraits. We were changing the script.

Christie had spent decades in therapy. The pain from childhood trauma ran deep, and the fear of forgetting Pia’s childhood haunted her. “There’s so much I don’t remember,” she said through tears. But after seeing the portraits—images filled with love, laughter, and safety—she said, “That was the day I stopped believing I was a bad mom. I did decades of therapy but THIS did it! It healed me!”

Capturing the Energy Only a Daughter and Mother Share

Pia loves when her mom lays beside her after work, cold hands resting on warm cheeks. “Oh mom, this feels so good,” she whispers. They binge Gilmore Girls, play pickleball, and belt out Birds of a Feather. Pia knows her mom is her safe space. And Christie? She treasures every cuddle, every sarcastic joke, every slapper fight that ends in belly laughs.

These moments, once overlooked in the chaos of daily life, now live forever on their walls. “I’m doing something right,” Christie finally admits. “She’s happy. I see it. I feel it. And I don’t question it anymore.”

The Power of Seeing Yourself the Way Your Child Sees You

The Rising Phoenix Experience didn’t just capture their connection—it redefined how Christie saw herself. The day I stopped believing I was a bad mom wasn’t just about photos. It was about truth. Real, raw, undeniable truth that said, You are more than your fear. You are showing up. And that is enough.

And Pia? She sees it too. “My mom’s funny. She’s always there. She cares.” The portraits tell the story of a mom who rough houses, laughs hard, helps with homework, and makes every cold-hand cheek press a comfort Pia will never forget.

Could This Be Your Day Too?

We often ask, What are the voices in your head saying? Are you still trying to outrun guilt, shame, or comparison? Maybe it’s time to look in the mirror and finally say: The Day I Stopped Believing I Was a Bad Mom can be my day too.

? Are You Ready to Finally Believe You’re Enough?

Christie and Pia’s story is a beautiful reminder that healing doesn’t just happen in therapy sessions or big breakthroughs—it can also happen in a single moment of seeing yourself with new eyes.

This is the heart of the FIORIA Photography Method—a neuroscience-informed process that helps you see what’s been true all along.

If you’ve been carrying the weight of self-doubt…
If you’re ready to stop believing the lies and start embracing the truth your family already sees in you…

Take the first step.

DM me on Instagram or message me on Facebook with the word “rise,” or fill out our contact form here: Rising Phoenix page. Let us know you read Christie and Pia’s story—we’d love to help you create your own moment of clarity and connection.

It’s time to rise. And believe it. For real this time.

See their transformation in action — Watch the full Instagram Reels story here.