We’re looking forward to introducing you to Jennifer Imus. Check out our conversation below.
Jennifer, really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: Are you walking a path—or wandering?
A little bit of both. As someone with ADHD, I’ve never been great at staying rigidly on one path without glancing around at what else might be unfolding nearby. I’m a big believer that life tends to leave breadcrumbs for us… those small cues, opportunities, nudges that invite us in an intriguing direction. I tell my kids to pay attention to those breadcrumbs. They’re there for a reason. But you can’t always go back once you’ve walked past them. Forward momentum is simply part of life. That said, if the path you’re on stops feeling aligned with your values, or just feels wrong in your gut, it’s never a failure to pivot. It’s an invitation to pause, reassess, and look for the next set of breadcrumbs. Because they always appear—if you’re paying attention.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Jennifer Imus, a luxury motherhood photographer based in Old Town Tustin, serving families across Orange County. I specialize in maternity, newborn, and family portraiture, but what I really do is create a full-service, “just show up” experience for moms during a season of life that can feel overwhelming. Hair and makeup are included, a curated wardrobe is waiting, sessions are calm and baby-led, and I design heirloom artwork for their homes so these moments don’t live on a phone—they live on their walls. My brand is rooted in the belief that motherhood deserves to be documented with intention, care, and a sense of ease. I’ve built my studio to feel less like a place for a photoshoot and more like an extension of the support system women need during pregnancy and early motherhood. Right now, I’m focused on continuing to elevate that experience, growing deeper connections within the local motherhood community, and helping families preserve this chapter of their story in a way that feels timeless, beautiful, and deeply personal.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
What has served its purpose and now must be released is the version of motherhood I carried when my children were small. I was the mom who felt everything as my own—the scraped knees, the disappointments, the emotions, the hard days. I was always on call, always holding, always absorbing. Being that mom in that season was a joy and a true honor.
But in this empty-nest chapter, that version of me is gently being released into something new. I still hold my children close, but now they hold the reins. They’ve found their voices, their strength, and their confidence as young women. While they still need me, they no longer need me in the same way. This shift has opened up space in me that didn’t exist before—not just as a mother, but as a woman, an entrepreneur, and a business owner. It’s allowed me to step into parts of myself that had been waiting patiently for their turn. It feels freeing. And incredibly beautiful.
What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?
The most defining wounds in my life trace back to my childhood and the dynamics within my family. I grew up with a father who carried his own deep, unhealed wounds, and without intentional healing, those patterns inevitably shaped the way we were parented. My parents had four children, and each of us experienced that in different, painful ways—through attachment struggles, feelings of abandonment, and emotional wounds that lingered long after childhood. As an adult, I began to understand that simply becoming a parent doesn’t automatically equip someone to create a healthy emotional environment. When I got married and chose to have children of my own, I made a conscious decision to do the work. I spent nearly a decade in therapy unpacking the trauma, the messaging, and the patterns I had internalized, with one clear goal: to ensure those wounds did not pass to the next generation. That healing journey has shaped not only how I parented, but how I move through the world, with more awareness, more compassion, and a deep commitment to breaking cycles rather than repeating them.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What important truth do very few people agree with you on?
An important truth I hold that not everyone agrees with is this: we’ve started to confuse what’s quantifiable with what’s valuable. Watching my own kids go through the college admissions process, I was struck by how heavily STEM aptitude is elevated. Students with natural strengths in math, science, coding, and engineering are often viewed as inherently smarter, more capable, and somehow more deserving of spots at top schools. There’s a reverence there that feels disproportionate. Meanwhile, students drawn to the humanities—writing, compelling storytelling, critical thinking, emotional intelligence, the study of people and culture—are often seen as less impressive simply because their strengths are harder to measure. To me, that’s incredibly short-sighted. These are the very skills that shape leaders, creators, communicators, and change-makers. Just because something isn’t easily quantified doesn’t mean it isn’t deeply valuable.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What will you regret not doing?
What I would regret not doing is fully pursuing the dream I have for my cottage bakery, Chipped OC. It started because my daughter had a severe egg allergy, and I was determined to make sure she never felt left out at birthday parties or gatherings. I began experimenting in the kitchen, trying to create egg-free baked goods she could confidently bring with her. The surprise star of it all was my egg-free chocolate chip cookies. Before long, other parents were asking for them. Then they were being auctioned at school fundraisers for hundreds of dollars. What began as a mom trying to solve a problem for her child quietly turned into something much bigger. In 2019, my daughters and I decided to turn it into a real business. Since then, it’s taken on a life of its own. I have a vision of one day turning Chipped OC from a home-based cottage bakery into a brick-and-mortar shop here in Orange County—and maybe even beyond. Not seeing how far that dream could go would be something I’d truly regret.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jenniferimus.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/jenniferimusphotography
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/jenniferimusphotography
Image Credits
Jennifer Imus Photography
