We’re looking forward to introducing you to Marian Saint. Check out our conversation below.
Marian, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What do you think is misunderstood about your business?
A lot of people get it wrong when they think my work is just about pretty pictures or tech tools. There’s so much more to it.
With Butler & Badou Portraits, of course the boudoir photos are beautiful, but the real transformation is what happens inside my clients. I work with women who have gone through big life changes. Things like motherhood, heartbreak, or burnout and I help them reconnect with the parts of themselves they thought they lost. The photos are the keepsake, but the real breakthrough is in how powerful and alive they feel when they leave the studio.
With The Marian Method, it’s easy to think it’s only about business systems. What I actually do is take my background in sales, marketing, and strategy to help women business owners clear the chaos, feel confident in how they show up, and put simple systems in place so they can finally stop spinning their wheels and grow with clarity.
At the heart of everything I do, it’s really about helping women reclaim their power. Sometimes that looks like stepping in front of my camera. Sometimes it looks like stepping into their business with focus and ease. Either way, it’s about seeing themselves differently and knowing they’re capable of so much more than they realized.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Marian, the owner of Butler & Badou Portraits and The Marian Method. I grew up in Hawaii and moved to the DFW area about three years ago. I’m a single mom who loves hiking, being near the ocean, and spending time at the gym—anything that helps me stay grounded and strong.
At Butler & Badou, I create luxury boudoir and portrait experiences that go beyond the photos. My work is about helping women see themselves differently, feel powerful again, and reconnect with the parts of themselves they may have put aside.
Through The Marian Method, I work with women entrepreneurs to clear the chaos, simplify their systems, and show up with confidence so they can grow their businesses without burning out.
What ties everything together is transformation. Both sides of my work are about giving women permission to reclaim their power—whether that happens in front of my camera or while building their business.
Right now, I’m expanding my studio here in DFW and developing new tools and workshops designed to help more women step into their own light.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
When I was a little girl, I thought being “good” meant staying quiet, keeping everyone else happy, and never asking for too much. I believed love and acceptance came from making myself smaller to fit what others needed.
I don’t believe that anymore. I’ve learned, often the hard way, that boundaries are self-respect, that my voice matters, and that I’m allowed to take up the space I was born to fill.
That’s at the core of everything I do now. At Butler & Badou Portraits, I create a space where women can let go of apologizing for their bodies, their desires, or their power. Instead, they get to see themselves as worthy, bold, and whole.
Through The Marian Method, I guide women in building businesses that protect their energy and honor their boundaries, so they don’t have to keep twisting themselves into someone else’s version of “enough.”
At the end of the day, my work is about helping women stop shrinking and remember they were never meant to be small in the first place.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering taught me things that winning and comfort never could. It showed me how to get back up when life knocks you down and how to trust myself when the way forward isn’t clear. It stripped away all the extra and reminded me what really matters..who I am when there’s no audience and nothing to prove.
Pain taught me boundaries. It taught me to stop giving parts of myself to people who wouldn’t take care of them. It taught me how to say no without guilt and yes without fear. It made me softer where I needed to be and stronger where I had to be. It pushed me to stop shrinking and start protecting my peace, and that’s something success alone could never have taught me.
That’s why my work looks the way it does now. At Butler & Badou Portraits, I create space for women to see themselves with new eyes, to stand tall in their own skin, and to walk away with portraits that remind them of their strength. Through The Marian Method, I help women build businesses that honor who they are, protect their energy, and free them to grow without burning out. The truth is, suffering made me real. It gave me empathy, resilience, and a kind of confidence I carry into everything I do. And that’s what I want every woman I work with to experience for herself.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Is the public version of you the real you?
Yes and no. The public me is 100% real. I show up as myself, I speak from the heart, and I stand by what I believe in. What people see is who I am: strong, driven, and passionate about living life fully and helping others do the same.
But is it all of me? Not really. The public me is the version that’s ready to lead, inspire, and get things done. The private me is more quiet, more reflective, and fiercely protective of my peace and the people I love.
I’ve learned that not every part of who I am needs to be accessible to everyone and that’s not fake, it’s healthy. So yes, it’s real, but I also keep the deeper, softer layers for the people who’ve earned that level of closeness.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: When do you feel most at peace?
I feel most at peace when I’m outside, surrounded by nature…hiking a quiet trail, sitting by the ocean, or watching the sun come up before the world gets loud. There’s something about fresh air and open sky that clears my mind and grounds me back to myself.
I also feel deeply at peace when I’m with my family, fully present and making simple memories like laughing over dinner, exploring a new place, or just having an unplanned day together. Those ordinary moments remind me what really matters.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://themarianmethod.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themarianmethod_/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariandiop/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/msaint1000
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMarianMethod
Image Credits
Butler & Badou Portraits
