Episode
051 - Building a Life Bigger Than Your Business w/ Perry Vaile
- Podcast
- More Than Photos
- Published
- Jun 23, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 5000
- Processing state
not_requested
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Summary
This week Brad and Jen sit down with Perry Vaile, a destination and editorial wedding photographer, historian, educator, and creative whose life stretches far beyond the wedding industry. What begins as a conversation about Perry’s mountain home in North Carolina quickly turns into something much bigger: ambition, success, identity, community, social media, and what it means to build a life that doesn’t depend on your work to fulfill you. Perry shares the story of building a 15-year photography career, the moments she felt like she had finally “made it,” and how her relationship to success has evolved over time. From photographing a Victoria’s Secret supermodel’s wedding to intentionally removing social media from her phone, she offers a refreshing perspective on staying connected to what matters while working in an industry built on visibility and comparison. Together, we explore boundaries, hobbies, community, family, creativity, and the challenge of building a successful career without sacrificing the life around it. We also explore: • Living a “split life” between the mountains and the city, and why each pace feeds the other • Buying land on instinct and building a home designed to last generations • The two moments Perry felt like she had “made it” • Finding the confidence to stand up for her work on a make-or-break deadline • Entering a world of wealth without attaching her worth to it • Why real memories matter more than staged perfection • Removing social media from her phone and creating healthier boundaries • Archery, needlepoint, gardening, reading, and building a life outside the industry • Creating local community on purpose • Holding success open-handedly and defining it on your own terms • Working smarter, protecting rest, and avoiding burnout • Why “goi…