In this solo episode, Mica McCook, food photographer and host of The Savory Shot, shares her personal journey with a late ADHD diagnosis. Based in Austin, Texas, Mica has built a successful creative career while navigating the unseen challenges of executive dysfunction, time blindness, and burnout. Her experience blends professional insight with lived truth, making this conversation both grounded and deeply human.

This episode explores how ADHD shapes creative work, energy levels, and self perception. Mica opens up about years of blaming herself for burnout, missed deadlines, and mental exhaustion. Through learning about ADHD, she reframes those struggles as neurological rather than personal failures. Listeners hear honest stories about hyperfocus, task paralysis, decision fatigue, and distorted time awareness. The episode also offers practical tools that support neurodivergent brains, including external time cues, breaking tasks into smaller steps, and designing workflows that reduce overwhelm. At its core, this conversation is about releasing productivity shame and building systems that honor how your brain works.

Listen to this episode with openness and self honesty. Reflect on where your current systems create harm. Begin identifying supports that reduce mental load and protect creative energy.

This episode is a reminder that creativity thrives when it is supported with compassion. Your brain is not behind. Sustainable creativity begins when you stop forcing and start designing a life that works with you.

Savory Shot Shownote: https://micamccook.com/guests/

Website: https://micamccook.com/podcast

Instagram: www.instragram.com/mica.mccook

Instagram: www.instagram.com/thesavoryshotpodcast

Would you like to be a guest on the show? Fill out the guest form, and we'll be in touch soon.

Hey friend, picture this: you're knee-deep in a shoot, sweat dripping, props scattered, and that one shot refuses to cooperate. Sound familiar?

What if embracing the mess unlocked your most magical work? In this episode of Savory Shot, we dive into building a creative life that fits you perfectly.

Ren Fuller shines as a food and lifestyle photographer in LA. She photographed the stunning Mi Cocina cookbook in Mexico, trekked to Everest Base Camp, rocks climbs with ease, and raises her little one, whom she calls a professional mess maker. Her film background fuels her storytelling magic in every bright, playful image.

Ren shares raw stories from her dream shoots, like guerrilla beach sessions with laptops on rocks and stylists shaping sand. Learn to light with heart by studying real sunlight, golden-hour glows, and scene stories. She opens up on tough shots that nearly broke her, saved by team collaboration and bold moves outdoors. Ren empowers us with contract wisdom: demand full upfront advances, share daily proofs, and walk from bad deals. Discover freedom in ditching heavy cameras for vacations, nurturing non-competitive networks, and weaving motherhood into creativity. Her honesty inspires sustainable passion.

Savory Shot Shownote: https://micamccook.com/guests/

Website: https://micamccook.com/podcast

Instagram: www.instragram.com/mica.mccook

Instagram: www.instagram.com/thesavoryshotpodcast

Website:www.renfuller.com

Instagram:www.instagram.com/ren_fuller Podcast: linktr.ee/photodump.club

Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/renata-x-fuller

Would you like to be a guest on the show? Fill out the guest form, and we'll be in touch soon.

Have you ever looked at your calendar and thought, “No wonder I feel so tired”?

What if your creativity is not asking you to do more, but to care more for yourself? In this episode of The Savory Shot, Mika sits down with Naomi Smith, a multi-passionate art director, food stylist, prop stylist, and film director who has built a meaningful creative career with heart, courage, and strong boundaries.

Naomi started in photography and grew into a sought-after stylist and director, working across commercials, film, and editorial projects. Her path is full of grit, curiosity, and a deep commitment to learning from every experience.

Naomi shares how years of nonstop hustling led to burnout and how the pandemic became a turning point for her health, mindset, and work habits. She talks about:

• Learning to say “no” with confidence
• Using food, rest, and movement to support her body
• Building a flexible, prepared kit for set life
• Speaking up, asking better questions, and reflecting after every shoot

This conversation is a gentle invitation to create a career that feels sustainable, joyful, and aligned.

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Savory Shot Shownote: https://micamccook.com/guests/

Website: https://micamccook.com/podcast

Instagram: www.instragram.com/mica.mccook

Instagram: www.instagram.com/thesavoryshotpodcast

Website:naomismith

Instagram: @naomismith_

LinkedIn: @naomismith

Would you like to be a guest on the show? Fill out the guest form, and we'll be in touch soon.