We had the good fortune of connecting with Vanessa Cote and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Vanessa, let’s start by talking about what inspires you?
I find that I am most inspired by people around me who have overcome hard things. People who have had to work hard for every single inch to move their progress forward. Wether it is in the area of business, health, athletics, relationships – I am drawn to the stories of those have had a massive mountain in front of them and have climbed it to the top. The journey to the summit is not a race, and every person has their own struggles to overcome. The thing that is pretty amazing when people tackle their mountain, is that they begin to understand that not only did they do that hard thing, they realize they can do it again and again, even bringing other people up and over their mountains too.

I hope that I am able to give others inspiration to do hard things; that everyone is capable and strong enough. A couple of years ago, I invited people into the journey of my climb up Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. I knew standing on that summit wasn’t going to be easy and really, the summit wasn’t even the measure of my success. The success was in saying yes to that kind of adventure, overcoming fears of all sorts to even set foot on the trail. The success was in each step that moved me one step closer to the overall goal. The success was that I said yes and was pursuing something really hard. I remind myself all the time that I can do hard things because I’ve done hard things!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I have been taking photos for years, and each year finding more and more I love about photography. It has become a creative outlet that I find very freeing and empowering. I could sit and scroll through beautiful images all day; I love beautiful, moving and powerful images, but what I enjoy even more is picking up my camera and going out to try to capture the world around me in my own way. I believe photography doesn’t have to be one specific, trendy style to be good; there is room in this world for all styles and all forms of photography.

I strive to capture the everyday and basic moments and show, that even in the everyday, there is beauty there. I want to freeze time for the families that come to me; for the mamas to look back at their little ones and cherish that season. Photos become treasured heirlooms and I take my role in that very seriously.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Oh man, my best friend is visiting for a whole week? That would be amazing!! I love our area because you can get all the interesting and fun aspects of a big city and then just easily pop over into a quaint little mountain town and explore vast trails and vistas. For a taste of Denver, a Rockies game and a fun restaurant on 16th would be where I’m headed.
In Boulder, I’d be taking them on hikes in the morning like NCAR or Kohler Mesa and then to happy hours in the evenings at the many amazing places. My favorites are West End Tavern, The Rio, and still looking for something to replace my favorite: The Med.
My favorite restaurant that is closer to where I live is The Roost, in Longmont. The atmosphere, drinks and food are all five stars.

I am a hiker, so taking people on hikes is an easy activity to do. Plenty to choose from around Boulder, Golden and Evergreen, but going a bit further out to the Idaho Springs area will give you quaint little towns like Georgetown and beautiful hikes like Saint Mary’s Glacier, Idaho Springs Reservoir, or Chief Mountain trail. If my out of town visitor has been preparing – we will for sure go on a 14er, the best beginner one in my opinion is Bierstadt. For the next step down, Mount Flora is my favorite 13er…it gives you the challenge and taste of a 14er and with gorgeous 365 views for days.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I wouldn’t be where I am today without having the best people in my corner. The people that I know would be there for me if everything were to crash and burn or if I achieved all the success in the world – my people would support me, cry with me, celebrate with me, no matter what.

My husband and four girls cheer me on the loudest and I find myself just wanting to make them proud…even though I know I don’t have to earn anything with them for them to be proud. They love me all the way, regardless. They are why I do what I do and why I keep going after hard things.

To those friends and family who I commonly refer to as “my people”, you know who you are, and you know how important you are to me. I wouldn’t go after the hard things and set big goals if I didn’t have you there to encourage, support and cheer me on.

Website: www.vanessacotephotography.com

Instagram: @vanessacotephotography

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutColorado is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.