Last weekend, I had the pleasure of photographing an Editorial Mini Session with Sadie Higgins! Sadie is an author, an entrepreneur, and a keynote speaker. You can find Sadie on Instagram at @sadiesadiemusiclady and her website sadiesadiemusiclady.com. Read on for an interview with Sadie, and to see some of the portraits from our Mini Session!
Q: Please introduce yourself!
I’m Sadie Higgins (www.sadiesadiemusiclady.com @sadiesadiemusiclady)—writer, public speaker, and a big believer in the power of music to change lives. As a mom to three kids under ten and the wife of a brain cancer warrior, I’ve learned to turn life’s challenges into opportunities for growth, joy, and connection, with music as my guide.
I use my work to explore how music can help us regulate emotions, rediscover ourselves, and create meaningful connections. Recently published in HuffPost with an essay on music and caregiving, I’ll take the TEDx stage this March to share how we can all be the conductors of our own emotional wellbeing.
Right now, I’m working on a memoir about finding your voice, rewriting your story, and stepping into your power—no matter how messy life gets. I’m also developing a Masterclass, Being the Conductor: Using Music for Emotional Wellbeing, because I believe everyone deserves access to tools that help them thrive.
When I’m not writing, speaking, or creating, you’ll find me at concerts, playing piano, talking to strangers, or being silly with my kids.
Q: What were you like as a child? Did any of your interests align with your current work?
A: As a child, I was loud, curious, and constantly singing. I read the dictionary “for fun” and wrote short stories in my spare time. Not much has changed, although as an adult I no longer believe I’ll be a female professional baseball player.
Q: Can you tell me about how/why you started your business?
A: I’ve always been tethered to music. But there was a time when the rope was loose and I was flailing. After picking my son up from drum lessons one day, he told me he’d played a song called Grapejuice by Harry Styles. The energy in the car instantly changed at the breezy love song and I realized how powerful sound could be. Suddenly, the tug was something I could no longer ignore. Turns out, it would be instrumental in our family staying positive and connected during my husband’s battle with cancer. His doctor, a world renowned neuro oncologist, advised him to play an instrument to help in his recovery process and urged us to go to the concerts we’d had lined up before his diagnosis– one that turned out to serendipitously be Harry Styles at Wembley Stadium.
Q: What is your favorite part of your work / running your business?
A: I love watching someone’s face light up when they ask what I do. Music is the great vulnerability barrier smasher. Everyone remembers their favorite show or a song that lights them up. When I touch on my memoir, or an article I’m writing they share their stories of resilience and finding strength in their own voice. Hearing people taking emotions into their own hands while feeling grounded and calm is priceless. It’s powerful connecting with others.
Q: Can you share a favorite story from running your business?
A: One of the things I love most is when people say, “Oh you must be a musician!” I used to respond with something like, “Well…I used to play violin. And sometimes tinker on the piano. And I sang in a band in college.” Until I realized I wasn’t practicing what I was preaching. We’re all musicians in our own way. Maybe we’re not professionally trained. Maybe we’re not professionals, at all. But that doesn’t mean we can’t use music as an instrument for well-being. Now I simply say, “Yes!”
Q: What is a typical day in your life like?
A: I’m out the door by 7:15 to drop off my kids at school, often with a carefully curated playlist to ease the morning chaos. After returning home, I dive into my work as a writer and speaker, pitching article ideas, crafting social media content, or refining my upcoming TEDx talk. Somewhere in there, I carve out time to work on my memoir and develop projects like my music and wellness Masterclass.
By late morning, I prioritize movement—whether it’s cardio, weightlifting, or a quick dance break to reset my mood with music.
The afternoons belong to family—school pickups, snacks, and moments of connection with my kids. Evenings can be a mix of listening to my kids strum their guitars or bang on their drums, playing Scattergories or Clue, or watching a movie with the family curled up on the couch together.
Q: What are your hopes and dreams for your business?
A: I’m excited to be on the forefront of music for wellness. Studies are coming out weekly from well-renowned universities like Oxford and Harvard regarding music as medicine and overall well being. My hope is to give everyone, caregivers especially, plausible ways to reach for a life jacket when they’re drowning in a sea of chaos and responsibility, based on tools I’ve personally used.
Q: Are there any other businesses or people who inspire you with your work?
A: So many! Harry Styles, as aforementioned, for bringing joy and positivity to my family’s lives. Lewis Howes and Mel Robbins for their powerful, life-changing interviews. Maggie Smith’s impeccable, honest writing. Eve Rodsky, for her groundbreaking work on female equality within the home. Dr. Daniel Levitan, for his years of research and fascinating books regarding music and the brain. And Suzanne Hansen, founder of Berklee College of Music’s Music Therapy Department.
Q: Are there are words of wisdom that you live by in your work?
A: Vulnerability and honesty should be at the heart of anything you do.
About Editorial Mini Sessions
Editorial Mini Sessions are 15 minute portrait sessions based on the backdrops and lighting styles Diana uses when photographing magazine assignments.
If you’re interested in signing up for an Editorial Mini Session, please email dianalevinephotographer@gmail.com to be added to the mailing list, where you’ll receive all the upcoming dates and details! Each Editorial Mini, Diana chooses a different backdrop and lighting that she uses when photographing magazine covers and features, and books 15 minute photo sessions so that anyone can join for beautiful, creative, magazine-style portraits! You can learn more at dianalevine.com/editorialminisessions
Diana’s Editorial Mini Sessions take place at various studio spaces in the Greater Boston, Massachusetts area. These Mini Session days are convenient for people who live in the Greater Boston or MetroWest Boston area, including: Newton, Needham, Wellesley, Framingham, Holliston, Hopkinton, Natick, Westwood, Weston, Wayland, Sherborn, Dover, Medfield, Sudbury, Waltham, Ashland, Southborough, Concord, and Lexington.
At Diana’s Headshots Mini Sessions and Editorial Mini Sessions, she regularly photographs executives, attorneys, medical professionals, psychologists, realtors, business, marketing and communications specialists, journalists, authors, wellness and fitness instructors, designers, dancers, stylists, creatives, and professionals of all backgrounds in the Boston area. She uses the same studio lighting she uses for magazine editorial portraits, and retouching is included with all final selected photos.
About Diana
Diana Levine is a Boston based editorial photographer, specializing in portraits for magazines, headshots, branding portraits, families and children. Her clients include Boston Globe Magazine, Boston Magazine, BC Law Magazine, Simmons Magazine and more. She has photographed notable personalities such as Kim Kardashian, Alicia Keys, Usher, New Kids on the Block, One Direction, among many other musicians, actors, politicians, athletes and more. You can find her full portfolio at dianalevine.com
Behind the Scenes
Behind the scenes from my Editorial Mini Session with Sadie Higgins!
