Today we’d like to introduce you to Tanya Baird.
Hi Tanya , can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My journey began with a decision that completely changed the direction of my life. After years of working in corporate America, I reached a point where I knew I needed something different. I wanted to discover who I was outside of my career, my responsibilities, and the life I had always known. So, I made the decision to quit my job, sell my house and everything I owned, and uproot my life to move to Mexico.
I didn’t know anyone there. I had no family, no established circle of friends, and no real idea of what the next chapter of my life would look like. But that was intentional. I felt that in order to truly discover who I was, what I was capable of, and what my purpose might be, I needed to step away from everything and everyone familiar to me. Moving to a place where no one knew me gave me the freedom and space to rediscover myself and create a new life on my own terms.
That journey of self-discovery eventually led me to create Tanya’s Traveling Flying Dress. What began as a personal transformation grew into a business centered around confidence, self-love, empowerment, and giving women the opportunity to see themselves in a way they may have never seen themselves before.
I originally launched the business in Mexico, where I began creating unforgettable flying dress photography experiences for women. The response was incredible, and I quickly realized that what I had created was about so much more than beautiful photographs. I was watching women step outside of their comfort zones, embrace themselves, celebrate milestones, and rediscover their confidence.
As a Philadelphia native, I eventually decided to bring the experience home. I introduced Tanya’s Traveling Flying Dress to Philadelphia, and the response was so overwhelming that I made the decision to establish the business here on a permanent basis.
Today, Tanya’s Traveling Flying Dress continues to grow beyond Philadelphia. I am expanding throughout the tri-state area, including Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, while also exploring opportunities to expand further into Florida and other markets.
When I look back, it’s incredible to think that this journey began with me walking away from everything familiar and moving to a country where I didn’t know a single person. I went to Mexico searching for myself and my purpose, and along the way, I created something that now helps other women discover their own confidence, beauty, and strength.
My story is still being written, but everything I’ve experienced has taught me that sometimes you have to be willing to leave behind the life you know in order to discover the life you were meant to create.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road has definitely not always been smooth, but I believe some of the greatest challenges I faced became some of the most meaningful parts of my journey.
Moving to Mexico was a major transition. I left behind everything that was familiar to me—my career, my home, family, friends, and the life I had always known. I moved to a country where I didn’t know anyone and didn’t speak the language. Although I went there intentionally to begin a journey of self-discovery and healing, I quickly learned that healing itself is not always an easy or comfortable process.
When you are on a healing journey, you begin shedding parts of your old life and your old identity. You are facing things within yourself, letting go of what is familiar, and discovering who you are becoming. Sometimes the people who have known you the longest may not understand the changes they see in you because you are growing and evolving into a different version of yourself.
At the same time, one of the most fulfilling parts of living in Mexico was discovering that I wasn’t alone. I began meeting women from the United States and around the world who had also come to Mexico seeking healing, transformation, and a deeper connection with themselves. Through spaces centered around yoga, meditation, sound healing, and other wellness experiences, I connected with like-minded women who were on journeys similar to mine. Those experiences gave me a sense of community during a time of tremendous personal change.
One of my greatest practical challenges was the language barrier. I was building a business in a country where I didn’t speak Spanish fluently. I had to learn how to communicate with local businesses, build relationships, promote my company, and navigate the everyday challenges of entrepreneurship while often relying on Google Translate.
One of my favorite stories from that time is how my flying dresses were created. When I decided to build Tanya’s Traveling Flying Dress, I needed someone who could bring my vision for the dresses to life. I met an incredibly talented seamstress in Mexico who did not speak English, and I did not speak Spanish.
Somehow, we made it work.
With the help of Google Translate, patience, creativity, and a shared vision, we worked together to create approximately 45 beautiful flying dresses. What began as a business relationship eventually became a friendship. Two women who could not speak the same language found a way to communicate, collaborate, and create something beautiful together.
Those same dresses traveled with me from Mexico back to the United States and remain an important part of my business today. To me, they represent so much more than fabric. They represent perseverance, connection, friendship, and the reminder that sometimes the very challenges that seem like obstacles can become an important part of your story.
Despite the language barrier and the challenges of building a business in another country, I was able to successfully establish Tanya’s Traveling Flying Dress in Mexico, serving women in Playa del Carmen and Tulum. Looking back, I believe those experiences made both me and my business stronger.
The road wasn’t always smooth, but it taught me that growth often happens when we are willing to become uncomfortable, embrace change, and find ways to connect with others despite our differences. Some of the most beautiful parts of my journey—and my business—were created because of the challenges I had to overcome.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Tanya’s Traveling Flying Dress?
Tanya’s Traveling Flying Dress is an extension of the iconic flying dress photography experience made famous in Santorini, Greece, but I wanted to take that concept and create something with a deeper purpose while making the experience more accessible to women closer to home.
One of the things that sets our brand apart is that you do not have to travel overseas to experience the beauty and magic of a flying dress photoshoot. We are bringing this experience to cities and destinations throughout the United States and creating opportunities for women to have their own unforgettable flying dress moment against beautiful local backdrops.
But Tanya’s Traveling Flying Dress is about much more than taking beautiful photographs.
At the heart of our brand is the belief that every woman deserves to feel seen, celebrated, confident, and beautiful. You do not need a birthday, anniversary, wedding, or major milestone to give yourself permission to celebrate who you are. Sometimes simply making it through a difficult season, rediscovering yourself, stepping outside of your comfort zone, or deciding to choose yourself is reason enough to celebrate.
From the moment a woman begins her experience with us, our goal is to create an environment where she feels comfortable, supported, and celebrated. Our clients choose from our collection of flying dresses and complimentary accessories to create a look that reflects how they want to see and express themselves. We encourage them to select music that helps them relax, feel confident, and enjoy the moment. They can incorporate meaningful props that represent their personal stories or celebrations, and we help them choose a backdrop that reflects the feeling they want their photographs to convey—whether that is the peacefulness of the ocean, the natural beauty of a park or garden, the energy of a city, or another setting that speaks to them personally.
Every woman who steps in front of our camera brings a different story with her, and we want that story to be reflected in her experience and her photographs.
Some women come to us celebrating birthdays or major accomplishments. Others are beginning new chapters, overcoming difficult seasons, rebuilding their confidence, embracing their bodies, or simply doing something they never imagined they would have the courage to do. Whatever brings them to us, we meet them where they are and create a space where they can feel supported, appreciated, and seen.
Our experiences are designed for women of different ages, backgrounds, shapes, sizes, and walks of life. There is no single definition of what beauty, confidence, or empowerment should look like. I want every woman who encounters our brand to know that there is a place for her here.
What I am most proud of is the deeper purpose Tanya’s Traveling Flying Dress has developed. Yes, we create beautiful photographs, but the photograph is only one part of the experience. What matters most to me is what happens within the woman while she is wearing the dress.
There is something powerful about watching a woman arrive feeling nervous or unsure of herself and then seeing her begin to relax, smile, move freely, and embrace the moment. With the music playing, the dress flying behind her, and our team encouraging and celebrating her, something begins to change. She starts to see herself differently.
That transformation is what our brand is truly about.
I want women to understand that they do not have to wait for someone else to celebrate them. They do not have to wait for a traditional milestone, a perfect moment, or permission to feel beautiful. Sometimes the most important celebration is simply honoring yourself, your journey, your strength, and the woman you are becoming.
Tanya’s Traveling Flying Dress is not just a photoshoot. It is an experience rooted in self-love, confidence, empowerment, and celebration. My hope is that every woman leaves with more than beautiful photographs. I want her to leave feeling seen, appreciated, confident, and reminded that she has always been worthy of celebrating.
What makes you happy?
Freedom makes me happy—the freedom to live, create, and choose how I want my life to look.
For many years, I lived within the structure of what I thought life was supposed to be. Today, happiness means having the freedom to define life for myself rather than living according to someone else’s expectations or rules.
I am happiest when I am creating, exploring new possibilities, and living life on my own terms. That does not mean life is always easy or that every decision comes without challenges. It simply means that I have given myself permission to choose the direction of my own life.
Freedom, for me, is also about authenticity. It is the ability to become who I truly am, to change, to grow, and to create a life that reflects the woman I have become.
I believe one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves is the courage to decide what happiness means to us personally. For me, happiness is knowing that my life belongs to me—and having the freedom to choose what I do with it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tanyastravelingflyingdress.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tanyastravelingflyingdress/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61567767374502
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Tanyasflyingdresses
