I shoot in RAW a lot.... it kind of depends on my mood. I know that sounds silly. Generally I shoot in RAW though.... it does allow for more control. I use lightroom by the way- that makes a difference.
For anyone who wants my workflow I take out shadows with a very very simple action called Sunshine In Your Hand (its not too expensive, let me know if you want the link), then I do a defog (USM at 40, 60, 1), a soft light layer at 20 percent, and then I tweak from there.
I actually went into business a month ago!!!

I first started with my photography a year ago. I am part of an AMAZING online community (forum of children's photographers) that have guided me this far. Let me know if you're curious in the link or have any other questions.
Thanks so much for looking!