For the past few months, I have been telling the stories of my clients who have found joy in a second career. I hope their stories inspire others to follow their hearts and make the changes they feel they may need. In the spirit of inspiration, I thought I would share my story of how my life changed forever when I left my position in Corporate America and started my photography business. Below is my story, as written by my friend, Deb.

We all know Lisa Mongulla as the friendly Southern New Jersey corporate and portrait photographer. However, for 25 years, Lisa worked in Corporate America. Over the years, she held positions in the areas of finance, human resources, international relations, and more. About 18 years ago, Lisa decided it was time for a change. That is when she embarked on her journey as the corporate and portrait photographer, we all know, love, and respect.

Read on to learn more about Lisa Mongulla and her journey from Corporate America to photographer.

Lisa and Corporate America

At an early age, Lisa wanted to work as a secretary and be a mom! Her ideal job would be to work for a Philadelphia sports team (we all know her love of the Phillies, Eagles, and Flyers). To achieve her goal of being a secretary, she attended the Katharine Gibbs School, a premier secretarial school based in Philadelphia, immediately after high school graduation. Upon graduating from the Katherine Gibbs Schools, she started her Corporate career in Philadelphia. 

While at her new job as a secretary at a large Philadelphia organization, and at the young age of 19, she got the call she was looking for...well, kind of! She started a part-time position as sales associate and mascot for the Philadelphia Stars in the new USFL! For those who may not remember, the USFL was a spring-summer football league that brought a team to Philadelphia! To Lisa, there was nothing more exciting than working as a mascot for one of her beloved Philadelphia sports teams! 

However, this dream job would not last forever (and was only part-time in the evenings and weekends). When the Stars moved on to Baltimore, MD, she would eventually leave what she thought was the coolest part-time job and focus her work efforts on the corporate world for the next 25 years of her career. During these 25 years, Lisa continued working in the for various businesses as well as begin her college coursework.  She worked in finance, compensation, and international human resources. She built such a wonderful reputation for herself in this realm that she continues to work as a consultant helping businesses with human resources and compensation.

Why Did Lisa Leave Corporate America?

After more than 25 years of progressively increased responsibilities and burnout, Lisa was ready for a change. About every 10 years, she feels the need to reassess herself and her life. As a result of her reassessment, she makes changes, as necessary. As fate would have it, about 18 years ago Lisa realized she needed more in her life. This time, when she conducted her ten-year reassessment, she found the need to explore the life of small business ownership and follow her second life-long love (the first being Philadelphia sports) of photography. Hence, Lisa Mongulla Photography was born in 2004. 

As a small business owner, Lisa loves the challenges associated with owning a small business and working with so many amazing clients.  Since she has made this exciting change in her professional life, she realized she could never turn back to working in the corporate world. She finds so much enjoyment and joy from owning her own business and being a local favorite South Jersey neighborhood photographer. She also enjoys the constant learning involved with photography (going from film to digital to now, AI) and learning from the amazing professionals she has met along the way.  Every year she invests in education from other photographers as well as business coaches.

Lisa also enjoys giving back to her community.  During the pandemic in 2020 when she was looking to do something to give back to those in need, she did what many other photographers did at the time, offer "porch sessions".  The main difference was that the 5 minute sessions were complimentary, families received one digital portrait of their choice, and if they chose to donate to the Food Bank of South Jersey, any amount, they would receive all of their digital portraits.  What a month!  She "shot" 133 families and they raised just short of $7,000 for the Food Bank of South Jersey!  An amazing feeling and one she continues to donate to through birthday fundraisers and work with them directly.  She also supports several other charitable organizations throughout the year including the JDRF (diabetes awareness), Puzzle Pieces Squared (P2 that supports families affected by autism), as well as others.

What Are Lisa's Favorite Portrait Sessions?

As a professional photographer, Lisa has worked will all types of clients. She has enjoyed working with families, high school and college seniors, children, newborns and wedding couples. She has also done a lot of corporate work, including real estate photography, corporate headshots, personal branding, and non-profit events. Her favorite portrait sessions include working individually with seniors, teens, and children. She loves the one-on-one engagement as well as the opportunity to help boost a young person's self-esteem while capturing memories for families and teens. Lisa has truly found her passion and it truly shows in her work.

Conclusion

Lisa has traveled the path less taken and ended up living the dream of a professional photographer. Her love for photography (and life) shows through in each portrait session. Working with her is inspiring to her and, in turn, inspiring to her clients. Lisa lives in Westampton with her husband, Bob.  They enjoy golfing together, heading to the Jersey Shore, traveling and spending time with family and friends.  Their families are a priority and they enjoy celebrating milestones as well as just hanging out with their parents, siblings, nieces, nephews and extended families!  To learn more about Lisa and have her capture your memories, visit her website to connect.