Most people wouldn’t tend to think that the descriptors of “island girl,” “Miss Universe Canada finalist,” and “boudoir photography studio owner” would all fit the same individual. Then again, most people have never met Quinn Teechma.
As a young woman, Teechma recalls having to light a fire under her family’s cast iron tub in order to take hot baths in her native island home. Though she says she wouldn’t trade the experience of her upbringing for the world, it did instill in Teechma a drive to work hard in order to enjoy the finer luxuries life had to offer.
“Indoor plumbing was a great start,” Teechma told us through her trademark smile and contagious laughter, “but growing up with fewer amenities and luxuries than others also made me want to pursue a career that would let me help others; people from all walks of life like myself.”
Growing up on a remote island is one thing, but with her closest sibling nearly a decade her senior, Teechma found herself feeling isolated in more ways than one. To help boost her self-esteem and build her confidence, she turned to the world of modeling, learning how to pose like the women she saw gliding down the runway or commanding attention on magazine covers before entering into the realm of beauty pageantry.
“One of the most exciting things was walking into rooms where people considered me to be a strong confident woman,” Teechma recalls. “There are many misconceptions about beauty pageants, one of them being that it’s all about the beauty side of things, but the most important thing is your confidence. It’s all about how you carry yourself and how you can inspire others to believe they can do the same.”
Though she didn’t know it at the time, that feeling Teechma recalls experiencing is precisely what would spur the growth of her career. By understanding the importance of inspiring others through one’s own confidence, Teechma began pivoting into the realms of professional modeling and acting, but still felt as if she was missing something vital, herself.
“I realized that the way I imagined myself during photoshoots wasn’t the same vision the photographer had,” says Teechma. “The photographer had the vision and held all the power of creative control regarding the outcome of each shoot.” So, instead of settling for maintaining the industry’s status quo, Teechma went out and bought her own camera.
Some 7 years of hard work (and multiple cameras) later, she founded her own photography studio, Queen Studios YYC, with the mission of using her platform to help other women find the confidence and beauty to empower themselves through boudoir photography.
“It’s incredible what a little confidence can do in someone’s life,” Teechma continues, “I am very blessed to have a global reach with my ever-growing platform, and I feel a constant pull and need to help my audience. There are few things I love more than seeing past clients of mine launching their own businesses and achieving the huge goals they set for themselves.
Those women and their stories are what inspire me to keep growing myself and helping others do the same.” As Teechma explains, whether it was a goal to be achieved by their boudoir session or a mental health confidence goal reached through the transformative process of boudoir, those women she took on as clients were able to walk out of her studio with renewed certainty in each step.
Though the past two years have been difficult for most of the world due to the restrictions implemented following the global pandemic, making it extremely difficult for those in the pageant and modeling industries to plan and achieve their goals, Teechma was nevertheless able to help empower women all over the world with the help of social media.
Since creating a TikTok account for herself, Teechma’s following has soared to over 565,000 on the platform; a success she accredits in no small part to her authenticity and perpetual drive to instill confidence in others.
“I strive to connect with my audience on social media platforms to inspire others all over the world,” Teechma says. “I offer one-on-one mentoring to help empower women around the globe and look forward to launching many courses this coming year to reach even more clients directly.”
For Teechma, her own feelings of empowerment are the result of years of hard work, the drive to create her own success, and show other women that those goals can be achieved.
“Sharing my story and giving it is just one example of how I work to empower other women every day,” Teechma concludes. “When you hear others’ stories and see them achieving the successes they’ve built for themselves, it suddenly makes achieving your own all the more attainable. It makes you wonder, ‘If she can do it, why can’t I?’”
Quinn Teechma is a finalist for Miss Universe Canada 2022 and the proud owner and operator of Calgary’s most luxurious boudoir photography studio, Queen Studios YYC. To stay up-to-date with Quinn, connect with her on social media, book a one-on-one mentoring session, or join her VIP Facebook group where all women can join or feel empowered, visit https://linktr.ee/quinnteechma today to learn more.
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