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Ben B. Braun

@benbbraun

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NYC-based photojournalist and documentary filmmaker
Part 107 Drone Operator

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I learned how to give from two people who are no longer here to see me do it. 🤍

My parents never made a production out of generosity.

It was simply how they moved through the world. If someone needed something and they had it, that was the end of the conversation. No announcement. No keeping score. No waiting to be thanked. They gave because it never occurred to them not to.

So now, every time I get to give through the Global Sisterhood — every woman we support, every child whose life becomes a little steadier, every moment when an entire room shows up for people they may never even meet — I feel my parents right there with me.

This is how I keep them close. And doing the work in Florida and Jamaica side by side with the people I love - like my brother John makes it all the more about legacy and family.

Grief is strange that way. You spend so long looking for where the person went, and then one day you realize…

They went into your hands. The same hands that feed a hungry baby or help to put shoes on the feet of a woman who had none.

Mom and Dad, I hope you can see this. I hope you know that everything you poured into me is still going somewhere.

And to every woman who makes the Global Sisterhood what it is — thank you for giving me somewhere to put all this love. Together, we are turning love into action, hope into opportunity, and compassion into change.

And because it bears repeating… ✨

The song you hear in the background is “Step Forward,” and we are just about to cross 50,000 plays! 🎶

Keep streaming it. Keep saving it. Keep sharing it. Every play helps us take another step forward. 💕

If you’ve ever wanted to be part of something bigger than yourself, come find us. There is always room in the Global Sisterhood.

🎥 Reel footage captured by Ben Braun

✂️ Edited by Orion Rodriguez

📸Photography by Riley Robinson

#GlobalSisterhood #StepForward #Giving #WomenEmpowerment #drshelliehipsky

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A year of stepping forward. 🤍

With all the things - I am stepping back to take a look at all the steps forward we’ve taken with my teams in the past year.

I’ve been looking back through all of it — the documentary coming together frame by frame, writing and recording Step Forward with Shannon K, fashion weeks, red carpets, photoshoots, traveling, and all the ordinary hours in between with the people I love most.

Not one of these moments was something I did alone. Every single one has someone in it who showed up, believed early, said yes, held a camera, helped me augment my message and voice, sat beside me in a studio, or just told me to keep going when I needed to hear it.

Gratitude is the only word I have for it. For the work, for the doors that opened, and most of all for the people who walked through them with me.

And we are only getting started. There is so much more coming — more film, more music, more rooms I always imagined being in. I can’t wait to show you.

So here’s to the year behind us, and to every step still ahead.

Here’s to more. 🥂

🎶 The voice of actor Bronson Pinchot you’re hearing is from “All Is Connected” from the La Pandora’s Box soundtrack, by Grammy Award winner Nadeem Majdalany — the same brilliant composer behind Step Forward. Everything really is connected. ✨

You can save the whole album now and Step Forward on Spotify, iTunes, or Apple Music.

And while you’re at it- Step Forward in your own path.

#StepForward #StepForwardInSisterhood #WomenEmpowerment #DrShellieHipsky #LaPandorasBox

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“Step Forward in Sisterhood” was read as the winner. Twice. 🏆❤️

On August 16th in Los Angeles, Step Forward in Sisterhood screened at the Los Angeles Tribune International Film Festival — and then our name was called for two awards.

🏆 Best Short Inspirational Documentary
🏆 Best Original Score — Documentary, awarded to Grammy Award winner Nadeem Majdalany

We are incredibly honored. And honestly? Thrilled.

But the greatest honor is knowing that our story landed.

That was always the goal.

Not to win.

To make women feel seen.
To remind them they aren’t alone.

To inspire them to believe that, even after everything, they can still Step Forward.

The awards are the icing on the cake. ❤️

And none of this was mine alone.

Every person you see in these clips carried a piece of this story.

Ben Braun, thank you for your incredible direction and cinematography.

Nadeem Majdalany, thank you for the brilliant score and for giving this film its heartbeat.
Ricki McKissock, thank you for the heartfelt Africa footage.

Terrence Sani, thank you for bringing the visual story to life through your graphic design.

Eva Dixon, thank you for helping me navigate this journey around the world.
And Camille, thank you for your incredible Agape Love.

Thank you to my Global Sister Producer Dr. Emily Letran who always believed in the project.

And to my family, friends, my love Chad Quayle and entire team — thank you for believing in this story and carrying it with me. ❤️

🎶 And that’s “Step Forward” you’re hearing — sung by recording artist Shannon K featuring me, and written in collaboration with Grammy Award winner Nadeem Majdalany.

Go to Spotify. Stream it. Save it. Share it. And use the sound in your own Reels and TikToks.

Every stream and save helps us move toward Gold Record status — and every time you use the sound, you help carry this message a little farther.

I want to see you Step Forward. ❤️

The trailer is coming next.

Stay close.

Together, let’s inspire the world to Step Forward. ❤️

#StepForward #StepForwardInSisterhood #WomenEmpowerment #DrShellieHipsky #Documentary

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This weekend in Hollywood was one I won’t forget. Being with @dr.shellie for the Los Angeles Tribune International Film Festival for a small preview of Step Forward in Sisterhood was incredibly special.

A huge thank you to everyone who helped bring this beautiful story to life, supported Shellie, believed in the vision, and showed up to celebrate this moment. It was such a joy to assist Dr. Shellie Hipsky throughout the weekend and experience all of the excitement surrounding the film, the festival, and this incredible team.

And then there’s “Step Forward,” the anthem behind the movement. 🎶 Sung by recording artist Shannon K, featuring Dr. Shellie Hipsky, and written in collaboration with Grammy Award-winning Nadeem Majdalany, the song is now on Spotify. If you haven’t listened yet, go stream it and SAVE it — every save helps move this powerful anthem closer to Gold Record status.

From the film to the music to the women stepping forward together, this weekend was a reminder that big dreams are built by people who believe in them.

🎬✨

#StepForward #StepForwardInSisterhood #DrShellieHipsky #LosAngelesTribuneInternationalFilmFestival

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We stepped forward together. 🤍

On August 16th in Hollywood, Step Forward in Sisterhood came to life on the big screen at the Los Angeles Tribune International Film Festival — and we came home with two awards.

🏆 Best Original Score — Documentary

🏆 Best Short Inspirational Documentary

But what I’ll remember most isn’t the glowing big screen. It’s the people beside me — and the loved ones cheering from afar. Even some as far away as heaven (like my parents, for whom the movie was dedicated).

These are the people who believed in this story before there was anything to see.
We made an award-winning documentary.
We created an anthem for women stepping forward into their greatness.
We started a world-wide movement.

There was a moment that I looked around that beautiful movie theater and realized… we were living my dream.

You don’t get a moment like this alone. You get there because people believe, show up, and take that step with you.

🎶 Step Forward — sung by recording artist Shannon K and featuring me (Dr. Shellie Hipsky) — is a song I wrote in collaboration with Grammy award-winning Nadeem Majdalany. If you haven’t yet, head to Spotify, stream it and SAVE it. Every save helps us move closer to Gold Record status.

And there’s so much more from this night still to come — more moments, more faces, more of what it felt like in that room. Stay tuned over the next few days. 📸

And soon the documentary trailer will be posted so you can get a glimpse into what the excitement is about! 🎬

Together, let’s inspire the world to Step Forward.

#StepForward #StepForwardInSisterhood #WomenEmpowerment #DrShellieHipsky #Documentary LosAngelesTribuneInternationalFilmFestival NewMusic AwardWinning

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The Views Are Unmatched😍

🍇IRONMAN 70.3 Musselman
📅 July 12, 2026

#IM703Musselman #RaceDay

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It’s almost time‼️

🍇IRONMAN 70.3 Musselman
📅 July 12, 2026

#IM703Musselman #RaceDay

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There is something so powerful about staying true to who you are, even as life stretches you, challenges you, and calls you into new seasons of growth.

The past year and a half has brought both profound loss and extraordinary blessings. There have been moments that tested my heart and moments that fulfilled dreams that I’ve faithfully called with consistency and perseverance.

Through every challenge, every expansion, every unexpected turn, I’ve learned the importance of returning to center—coming back to alignment with my mission, my purpose, and the vision divinely placed on my heart.

When you remain authentically you, even through the hard seasons, you create the opportunities, relationships, and experiences that are truly meant for you. Your truest vision isn’t found in becoming someone else; it’s revealed when you courageously become more of who you already are.

And through it all, don’t forget to enjoy the journey. Celebrate the growth. Embrace the lessons. Find joy in the unfolding. Be silly with your loved ones.

I am incredibly excited about what lies ahead and all that is still to come. The bigger picture continues to reveal itself, and I can’t wait to share more with you.

Stay tuned. The best chapters are still being written.

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The greatest luxury in life isn’t found in what you own.

It’s found in knowing that because you stepped forward, someone else found the courage to step forward too.

The greatest success isn’t measured by magazine covers, titles, awards, or achievements. Those are beautiful milestones—but they are never the mission.

The mission is helping people believe that their story isn’t over.

It’s reminding women of their worth.

It’s building homes where there was heartbreak, creating opportunities where there was poverty, and bringing hope where people thought none existed.

I’ve learned that the most meaningful legacy isn’t what we leave behind—it’s what we leave within people.

Every act of kindness creates a ripple.
Every life you touch changes another.
Every time you choose purpose over comfort, the world becomes a little brighter.

That’s the life I want to live.

One where love leads.
One where service matters.
One where we step forward together—because none of us rises alone.

The greatest flex isn’t what you have. It’s how many lives are forever changed because you chose to care. ❤️

#StepForward #GlobalSisterhood #LeadWithPurpose #LeaveALegacy #InspiringLives

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Hope begins with one step forward. ❤️

In Jamaica, I had the privilege of helping build a home for a remarkable family—four generations who lost everything in the hurricane. Watching a courageous single mom work beside us, hammer in hand, building the very home where her children, parents, and grandparents will begin again, is something I’ll never forget.

That day wasn’t just about building walls. It was about restoring dignity, creating safety, and reminding a family they are not alone.

Together, through Global Sisterhood, we’re building more than homes—we’re rebuilding hope.

Every step forward changes someone’s story. 🏡✨

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Bowling Night 🎳
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#backyardtrails #highlinebikeshop #mountainbike #crew

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There’s only one thing left to do… RACE 🫡

🚞 IRONMAN 70.3 Chattanooga
📆 May 17, 2026

#IM703Chatt #IRONMANtri

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