051 - Building a Life Bigger Than Your Business w/ Perry Vaile

051 - Building a Life Bigger Than Your Business w/ Perry Vaile

June 23, 2026 · 1h 23m · Season 2 · Episode 51

About this episode

Brad and Jen discuss with Perry Vaile the importance of building a fulfilling life beyond work and the evolution of success in her photography career.

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…

People in this episode

Hosts: Brad, Jen

Guest: Perry Vaile

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Victoria’s Secret

Places: North Carolina

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