Meet Mary Zic, a woman who is beautiful on the inside as well as the outside! We celebrate her and her generosity in giving her time and resources to Friends of Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital! A woman with an incredible heart! It was a privilege to photograph her!

Tell us about you, your family, and your work (if applicable).

I consider myself very lucky to be married to my high school sweetheart. My kind, intelligent, humble husband, John, is a dermatologist at Vanderbilt where he has been on faculty for almost 22 years. We are very proud of our two children John and Jessica. My son John was working in Munich, Germany for the past 2 1/2 years and has recently taken an exciting position at a start-up in San Francisco. Our daughter Jessica graduated from college last May and has spent the year in service working for Casa De Esperanza in Houston Texas. Casa is a program that provides care for foster children from birth through age 5 who have been removed from their current situations because their safety is at risk. I couldn't be more proud of my daughter for dedicating a year of her life to care for these children in need! Upon leaving Casa de Esperanza, Jessica will begin medical school at Vanderbilt this July.

I began my career as a Special Education teacher in Metro 28 years ago this August. I taught 5th and 6th grade in Nashville and then in the Chicago metropolitan area. After my second child was born I decided that I wanted to spend more time with my children so I began to work part time in the fitness industry. I have been very lucky to have been able to work in this field for the past 19 years. I love connecting with my students and motivating them to continue on their paths to healthier, happier, balanced lives! I am grateful every day for the privilege of working in a field that I am so passionate about!

Tell us your favorite charity and why it is your favorite charity.

It is very hard for me to decide because there are so many incredible charities that we are able to be a part of. I became involved in raising funds for Vanderbilt Children's Hospital when my friends son contracted meningitis as an infant and suffered devastating consequences. It was very powerful the way we came together as a community to support the family. We were extremely blessed when Keith Urban became involved and generously donated his time and talent to raise funds for research at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital. I believe that we sometimes take it for granted but are so lucky to have access to the caliber of health care available to our children in Nashville! Because I feel so strongly about the well being of children, I believe Vanderbilt Children's hospital is a wonderful organization to support!

I also feel strongly about supporting the Shade Tree Clinic which is a medical student run organization in East Nashville that provides free medical care to patients in need.

How can the community help your charity?

There are many ways to support Vanderbilt Children's Hospital that you can learn about by joining Friends of Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital which supports the mission through fundraising, community awareness and services to patients and their families.

An easy way to help the Shade Tree Clinic would be to participate in the Shade Tree Trot which is a 5 K run on April 22, 2017. The race starts at 8:00 am at the Vanderbilt Football stadium.

What does beautiful mean to you?

I believe that beauty radiates from people who are warm, positive, loving, optimistic and kindhearted!

What makes you happy?

I am happiest when I am in the company of the people I love!

I am also happy when I am teaching classes, dancing, hiking and discovering new places!

What is an inspirational quote that resonates with you?

"Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them."

Dalai Lama

What was your experience like having a "Women with Heart" session?

My experience with Erin McCaffrey was absolutely fabulous! Erin has an amazing artistic vision that resulted in photographs that far surpassed my expectations! She really seems to have a gift of connecting with a person in order to accentuate their best traits. Erin is energetic, positive and so incredibly sweet! I am so very grateful to have been part of this project!