Personal Branding Portraits with Karen Thrall, an Author and Business Coach Extraordinaire in San Diego, California
Let’s talk about personal branding…
It’s like a first date, but for your business — except you’re not just dressing to impress, you’re dressing to express who you are. What better way to dive into personal branding than my lifestyle branding session with Karen Thrall, the powerhouse consultant who defines what it means to be authentic in the business world?
Karen is the founder of Karen Thrall Consulting and brings a dynamic background in leadership coaching, communication strategies, and team development. Karen offers a wealth of services designed to transform individuals and organizations alike. Whether she’s helping executives hone their leadership skills or guiding teams through challenging transitions, Karen does it all with grace, wit, and a little bit of unshakable charm.
Working with Karen is like catching up with an old friend — even though this is only our second shoot together, it feels like we’ve done this a hundred times. I knew from our very first meeting that we were going to create something amazing together.
Our first collaboration was a portrait shoot for her upcoming book — a project that required an authentic, professional headshot for the book jacket. This time around, we wanted to showcase Karen in her natural habitat: leading, inspiring, and connecting with others. We shot a series of lifestyle images at a photo studio, focusing on what Karen does best—interacting with clients and leading presentations with that trademark confidence and warmth.
We acted out a coaching session via Zoom call, captured her mid-presentation, commanding the (imaginary) room with her insights, and staged a one-on-one coaching session with a “client” (shoutout to her partner Corey for being the ultimate stand-in). Corey truly is the epitome of supportive — he cheered Karen on from behind the camera the entire time!
This shoot was more than just capturing images — it was about telling the story of a woman who’s built a career dedicated to helping others succeed. Karen’s brand isn’t just about what she does, but how she does it — with heart, integrity, and a whole lot of expertise. Karen, you’re a force of nature and I’m honored to be part of your journey. Until our next hundred shoots, my friend!
