Women Like Me Stories & Business

Shannon Ferguson: Men Said “Secretary”; She Said “CEO” And The Universe Nodded

Julie Fairhurst Episode 169

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Some stories knock the wind out of you and still leave you standing stronger. We sit down with Shannon Ferguson, co-founder and CEO of FanSaves, to trace how she built an international sports tech company while carrying complicated grief, the end of a marriage, and the quiet that follows when a big family becomes a small circle. 

Shannon takes us inside rooms where she was the only woman, where ideas landed only after a man repeated them, and where people asked if she was the secretary. She shares the practical and emotional steps that moved her from “cool girl who adapts” to “CEO who leads,” with an ally who redirected credit and invited respect. 

We break down what complicated grief really means, why the heaviest wave can hit after year one, and how the “backpack of rocks” metaphor reframes progress: the weight stays, you get stronger.

We also dig into Shanifesting, Shannon’s community for skeptics of manifesting. Instead of starting with buzzwords, she begins with self-concept: if you believe you are unworthy, no technique will stick. We explore mindset loops, small daily pattern shifts, and why authentic storytelling is a growth engine for founders. If you struggle to post, pitch, or be seen, Shannon’s advice is disarming and doable: begin where you are, keep the imperfect posts, and let your authentic voice do the heavy lifting.

Come for the sports tech journey; stay for the resilience, mindset tools, and honest lessons on grief, identity, and impact. If this conversation moved you or helped you reframe your next step, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs it, and leave a review to help more people find these stories.

FanSaves: www.fansaves.com

Shannon on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/ShannonFerguson12

Website:  https://www.shannonferguson.ca/

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Who Is Julie Fairhurst?

Speaker • Author • Business Strategist • Founder of Women Like Me

Julie Fairhurst is a force of nature disguised as a woman with a pen and a business brain built for impact. As the founder of the Women Like Me Book Program, she has opened the door for women around the world to share their truth, heal their past, and rise into their power. Since 2019, she has published more than 30 books and over 350 true-life stories — without charging a single writer a dime! Why? Because women’s stories deserve daylight, not gatekeeping.

With 34 years in sales, marketing, and successful business leadership, Julie knows how to turn storytelling into influence and influence into income.

Her mission is clear and unapologetic: break generational trauma one story at a time and help women elevate both emotionally and financially. She doesn’t just publish books, she builds brands, confidence, and possibility, giving women the tools to rewrite their futures, grow their businesses, and lift their families with them.


Julie's Website




SPEAKER_00:

Hi everyone, welcome to another episode of Women Like Me Stories in Business. I am so thrilled to have this lady on our podcast today. I can't wait for you to get to know her. She's also an author in an upcoming book that we've got, but we're not going to really talk too much about that because that's not coming out until 2026. But she's lovely. So let me tell you a little bit about her and then we'll dive in with her. So today I'm sitting down with a woman who knows what it feels like to lose everything that you thought you could count on and still rise. Shannon Ferguson, she's the co-founder and CEO of Fan Saves, built an international sport tech company in a male-dominated industry while navigating a storm of personal grief, abandonment, and reinvention. But instead of sinking, she turned her pain into power and purpose. And Shannon is proof that you can be cracked wide open and still shine. So thank you, Shannon, for being here. I really appreciate it a lot.

SPEAKER_01:

Thank you so much for having me. I'm so excited. Good. So do you want to tell us a little bit about yourself a little bit more? Yeah, I am uh you you really nailed it in that opening. Um, but I'm the co-founder and CEO of a sports tech uh company called Fansaves. That's really been my identity for the past eight and a half years. I've poured everything into that, uh, growing that business internationally. And um at the same time, you know, healing through my like grief journey um after losing my mom uh 10 years ago. Actually, that it was 10 years ago this fall. So um a lot of like navigating and a lot of really amazing highs during the journey of my company, but a lot of lonely moments and sad times. So, you know, I think the more people talk about it, I think everyone goes through highs and lows. And it's just important to share the story and the journey to, you know, even if one person can understand or relate.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, for sure. Absolutely. So let me ask you. So you built an international sports tech company in an industry dominated by men. So what was that like? What was that like putting that together, or is it dominated by men?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, so I often talk about this because I feel like uh throughout my life, I've often been the only girl or woman in in rooms. Like when I when I was young, I started I played competitive hockey for most of my life. And when I started out, I was one of two girls on an all-boys team. Um, and even back then, I was like fine with it. I was like, I can keep up with the boys, throw me in with the boys. I got this. And um, you know, all being an athlete, uh I always, you know, I was always one of the guys I could talk about sports and and be in the room with them. So before fansaves, fansaves actually came about when my co-founder Chris and I, we were actually um working, managing all the sponsorship, marketing, game day operations for two minor professional hockey teams. Um, so even in that world, I was often the only girl or one of a couple in the room. And I had to navigate a lot of shady shit. Oh. Um, and and back then, you know, like I didn't have my the voice that I have now. And I was always like, I'm the cool girl, I can hang out with the boys, I can like, you know, talk like, you know, I can keep up with the the garbage that they're talking about and put up with the like the demeaning remarks and everything like that. Um, and looking back now, I just see that I was I wasn't being my authentic self. I was being who I needed to be to kind of protect myself in those spaces. And then, you know, as uh as I grew as a CEO, as a co-founder for Fansaves and having Chris as my ally who really has helped to lift me up in these spaces that are predominantly male, where early on in our journey, you know, oftentimes people would ask if I was his secretary. And he would be like, no, no, she's the CEO. You should talk to her. Uh so I think it's really important to have male allies. Uh, but it took a long time for me to find my voice and not just be like, okay, I'm cool, I can go along with this. And and now I'm it's much easier to call it the the bullshit.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, yes, exactly. And and uh in a career that I was in before I'm doing what I'm doing now, it was a male-dominated industry. And as I was listening to you talk, I thought, oh, I remember those days. Yeah, yeah, where you just kind of walked away feeling icky but didn't really speak up.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, even my, you know, when I initially started my career in marketing, I worked for an online sports book. This was before, you know, online gambling and it was like as popular as it is now. Um, and I loved my team, but I was again, you know, oftentimes the only woman on my team, or maybe a couple of others. And even back then, as much as I loved it, you know, I would think of an idea or put something out there, and then they'd be like, okay. And then two weeks later, like one of my male colleagues would say the same thing and they'd be like, okay, yes, we're gonna do that. And I was like, I just said that two weeks ago. So it's funny to see the patterns and to see how truly blind I was to it because I was always like, no, I'm not gonna be that girl, like I'm not gonna be the one that like speaks up because that's annoying. Yes. Now it's like, no, we need to be annoying sometimes.

SPEAKER_00:

Absolutely, absolutely, yeah. And um, yeah, that would be that would be annoying to have that happening. Yeah, for sure. You talk openly about complicated grief. So, how did grief change the way that you that the way you saw yourself and your business?

SPEAKER_01:

For sure. Um, well, even the the term complicated grief, I never knew what that was. And a lot of times when I speak to people, they just think I mean, oh, my grief was a little complicated. But it's actually complicated grief is a type of grief. It's really where your the future just seems unimaginable. Like it's just a deeper type of grief. It's not to like, you know, everyone's grief, everyone has their own grief journey, but it's when your grief really takes over and you just you can't even see what your future looks like. You can't see what tomorrow looks like. Um so I never knew that existed. You know, I had had, you know, my grandmother passed away and some other important people, but when my mom passed away, you know, like my world was shattered, and I didn't see how I would ever come out of it. Like I didn't see how I would survive without her. And I had to, like I had to learn on my own how to get through it. Um, so it was hard. Like, and it it's wild because when you haven't been through it, you assume that like there's a timeline. You might be like, okay, the first year, I'll give myself that like a year. Some people are like, I'll take three months. Like they think or you think that you're gonna get over it.

SPEAKER_00:

Right.

SPEAKER_01:

And what I realized is like it ebbs and it flows, and it really like the hardest part of it hit me almost a year, actually, a year and like two months after my mom passed away was like my lowest point of grief. And ever since then, it it has ebbed and flowed. It took about seven years until I was like not kind of like in that misery that I was all the time. And even now, this year being her 10th anniversary was harder. Uh, but I always say it's not that the grief gets any lighter. You just get stronger. Like it's I always say I heard the best thing, it's like you're carrying a backpack full of rocks, and the rocks and the weight of it still stays stays the same, but you just get stronger and like it's easier to carry that.

SPEAKER_00:

That's a great analogy. Absolutely. And and if I remember correctly, I think that part of what you went through was there was a lot of stuff going on during that during that time frame. Your husband was ghosting you at the time.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, so I was married. So this all happened before I was 30. Uh, I was married and um essentially my husband woke up one day and packed his bags and left. And it was two months after my mom had a double lung transplant, which was successful. Um and the following summer, uh the divorce was finalized, and it was a couple months after that that my mom had a sudden heart attack and passed away. So, you know, a lot of my grief, especially in the first, I'd say like up to like the first five, four to five years, I was like, my grief I thought was just about my mom. And then I realized no, no wonder it's my grief is so deep. It's because I was also grieving my marriage. It all happened, and this whole like idyllic life I had completely fell apart, completely washed away. So I was grieving my previous life, I was grieving my marriage, I was grieving my mom. So when you look at it that way, it's like, okay, no wonder I was drowning.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, absolutely. And and there's if I again remember correctly from a previous conversation that we had, is that is that you don't have really a lot of family in the world.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, my mom was a single mom. She was incredible. Um, we were super, super close. I'm an only child. And, you know, my grandmother helped raise me as well. I do have uh some amazing, like extended family, aunts, uncles, cousins, uh, but that immediate family was always very small for me. So, you know, my grandmother passed away in 2010, then my mom in 2015. Um, it really made me stop and be like, I don't know anyone else in my life or in my world that like doesn't have any parents, doesn't have any siblings, doesn't have a spouse, doesn't have kids, doesn't even have a pet, no nieces, nephews, grandparents, anything like that. And it would hit me and I was like, what, what like what soul contract did I sign that I have to go through this? And there's often been times where I'm like, you know, I in those moments where I'm like, it's not fair, you know, and I see I have so many friends who have wonderful families and they haven't really lost anyone. And I often look at that, and you know, there was a time when I was a little bit resentful, and there was a time when I was like, what did I do that I have to be alone? But I I do have amazing friends, I do have amazing support, so it's not the same, yeah, but I know that I'm not completely alone, but on hard days or days when the grief really kicks in, it's it's those days where it's tough because it's like I'm I'm a nice person, like I don't want to be alone.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, it's um you're right, you're right. I uh you know, when I think about my sphere, I mean we have we have a big family. There's brothers and sisters and cousins and stepsisters, and and then you start, you know, grandkids and nieces and nephews, and and absolutely, and and I don't know many people that don't really have that and it that immediate intimate family.

SPEAKER_01:

And growing up, you know, I was we were all very close. Like my aunts and uncles and cousins, my mom's one of six um kids. So everyone grew up like around the corner from each other. We had big Christmases, we had every holiday was like a lot of people. So I always say I'm so grateful that I had that because you know, I had that experience of um not being lonely, but I think that made it even harder when everyone kind of grew up. And after my mom passed away and my grandmother passed away, like that whole dynamic just changed. And I was probably grieving that as well, right? Those big family celebrations that weren't that didn't exist anymore.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, yeah, for sure. I can oh, I can, yes, I can see that because um I believe that that the mums and the grandmas are the glue. And and and in my family right now, we can feel it because we're all getting older. And so we've had two of our of our quite senior grandmothers pass away over the last few years. And and it does, it fractures things a little bit. You can you can feel it, you can see it. People just don't are as close as they were, and and those uh those get togethers aren't happening the way they used to. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Absolutely, absolutely. Like one of my cousins lives in Calgary, she's around the same age as me. And she's always like in her mind, it's still the same. Like, so she's always like, I want to move back and I want to be like, I want to see everyone. And I'm like, we don't see each other anymore. Like, I'm like, I've seen you more in Calgary than we've seen. I've seen some of my other cousins here. So it you can get like it's those memories you can get lost in sometimes where it's like I want that back, but you also know it's not possible.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, yeah, for sure. So, what keeps you going? What gets you up in the mornings?

SPEAKER_01:

Wow, I feel like a lot of things I'm I'm involved in a lot of things. Like I'm someone who most people probably think I do too many things. I am spread a little thin, but I always feel like I'm more productive when I'm doing more. I'm really involved in my community. Um, like I'm on the board of the United Way, and I'm part of different uh event committees for fundraisers. And, you know, again, my friends, my um personal connections, and then of course fansaves. Like literally, fan saves completely saved my life. Um, it gave me purpose, it gave me uh a reason to get up in the morning that, you know, people are depending on me, our partners are depending on me, employees are depending on me, Chris is depending on me. Really, truly, like if I didn't have fan saves, I don't know where I'd be today because it it was literally like it became and still is my purpose.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. Yeah. I think we all, you know, I I remember years ago taking some sort of a motivational course course. And I always remember they did this pie and you know, relationships and and this and and career and purpose and all of that kind of stuff was in there. And they said, if you keep that pie full when one of those things is gone, you'll grieve it, it'll be sad, but it's not the end of the world because you still have those other things that are filling in your life. And I think that's and I think about that sometimes, and I think it's so important to remember that our life is is full of a lot of things, or should be.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh my goodness. Yeah, absolutely. And you know, it's I feel like things happen in cycles too, right? I someone told me once it's like seven years cycles, yeah. Um, and it's kind of it's kind of accurate. I mean, I'm not eight, eight, just over eight with fansaves, but the the seven year, the year it hit seven with fansaves, it felt like a cycle had ended, and it feels like we've moved into a different kind of space of growth uh since then. So yeah, I think you know, even some relationships and friendships are secular, like things come and they go. And I think that's something dealing with grief helps you to realize that. Like you want to hold tighter to the relationships that you have in your life, but it's almost like sand, right? The tighter you hold sand, the faster it falls out of your hands. So um, yeah, I think it's so important to have a lot of to be dimensional and to have dynamic uh relationships and things going on in your life.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, for sure. Absolutely. Well, you told me that just before coming on with me, you were at a uh doing a TV uh um interview with someone. And then you told me that you were the uh comrade, a common what's the word I'm looking for? The per thank you, thank you for the Christmas uh uh parade in your community.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I uh I'm so grateful. I mean, I did my university university degree in communication studies and a postgrad in broadcast journalism. And you know, I after school, I lived in Toronto. I interned at Entertainment Tonight, I had my like eye on the prize, but it was 2009. And basically back then I remember being like, how am I gonna I want to get a job? How do I get a job? And one of the producers was like, uh, we're giving pink slips out. Like they're not hiring interns right now. And it crushed me. And I was like, oh no, what am I gonna do? I've wanted to like be a TV host for so long and I've worked so hard. Um, so that dream kind of was put on the back burner for a bit. And after my mom passed away, I moved home to my hometown. And within like about three years, two, two and a half years, um, I was hosting my own TV show for our local, uh, you know, our local cable television network and did that for a few years until fan say it's really took most of my time. But since then, they've been so you know gracious. And I get to fill in as a host every now and then. I get to host the Santa Claus parade, I get to do voiceovers. So yeah, I'm very lucky that I get to like live out what I was chasing in those bigger cities right here in my hometown.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. Well, and we never know where we're gonna land at the end of the day. You know, it's um I remember many years ago, I had one foot in one thing and one foot in another. One was paying very well, the other one wasn't, and I realized that I was spreading myself thin. So I made a decision. I really wanted to do the other, but I need a single mom, I needed the cash flow. So I went with the other, and I always in the back of my mind thought I will one day. Pick this up again, uh, one day. And um, and I did. And and you know, things are different. Things are so much more different now. And so, you know, you hold on to those things and you have to think, well, I I went through that for a reason. I was doing that for a reason. I don't know what it is, but one day it's it's gonna show up for me. And so it's kind of the same with you. Like it's it's not your your main focus, but it's there fulfilling you.

SPEAKER_01:

Absolutely. And it really aligns well what you just said with. I have another thing that I do, but I have a community, it's called Shanifesting. So it's teaching cynics of manifesting how to manifest and how to believe in manifesting. And it kind of goes in line with what you were saying. So if we really want something and our heart is like set on it, we might not take the path that we initially think to get there. But if it is truly something that's meant for us, we will often get there, even if we're redirected or rerouted and we don't know how we're gonna get there. Oftentimes we still get the thing that we want. So yes.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, tell us a little bit about that because we all need to do more manifesting.

SPEAKER_01:

Absolutely. It's really been such a big part of my life since I even knew what manifesting was. Uh, I talk about it a lot. My mom actually really instilled that mindset in me of like, you can get anything you want, put your mind to it. When you really believe in something, you can have anything you want. Like I grew up believing I could literally be like the president of the world. And my mom was like, yeah, go for it. Yeah, yeah. Um, and I realized that developed in me a really strong self-concept. So for me, anything I've ever really wanted to do, I believed I can do it. But I learned just before starting my manifesting community, I was actually in a relationship and it was with someone who doesn't believe in manifesting and had a weaker self-concept. And I realized, oh my goodness, not everyone thinks the way I do. And a lot of people actually have a very negative self-concept, they have low self-worth, they have low self-esteem, they don't believe in themselves. So of course they can't manifest. And then they hate manifesting, they don't believe in manifesting because it doesn't work for them, but it really starts from within. So when I learned when I realized this, I was like, okay, like if I can get to the root of the problem and help those cynics, then I can actually help more people step into feeling better about themselves, feeling more worthy of the things they want to manifest. So, you know, a lot of what I follow and a lot of what I, you know, read and the level of manifesting I learn about is very, I'd say high level. But when you have a cynic, you can't come in at them, start talking about like energy and vibrations and you know, right, things, things that they don't that's like out there, right? Like that's like when people are like, ooh, it's woo-woo. It's like, no, it's science, but yeah. Um, so yeah, I just at the core of Shana Festing, it's really just trying to enable people to feel better about themselves and hopefully maybe make the world a bit of a better place.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, yeah. It it it's um, I believe in what you're saying about the energy and and all of that other stuff that goes with it. And if you think about it, you know, if you get up and you're grumpy, get get ready for a really rotten day because it's gonna come, because that's what you're putting out into the world. But if you get up and you're like feeling good and feeling happy, more than likely you got all of that coming back to you.

SPEAKER_01:

Absolutely. I I love Joe Dispenza and I'm reading a book by him. Yes, yes. His book is called that I'm reading is becoming supernatural, and he talks about that. It's like literally, if you wake up every day, you're on autopilot, you're doing the same thing, you're you're you expect that you're gonna hate the traffic you're sitting in, you expect that you're gonna hate your coworkers, you expect that your work is gonna suck, then absolutely you're gonna keep living that loop because your brain expects everything to not be good. Yes, so you have to like snap yourself out of it and imagine, and when you wake up, be like, I'm not gonna hit any traffic. And if I do, it's all good. And I'm gonna, you know, give my give my coworkers some grace today. And I'm gonna lit like what you put out is what is reflected back to you. Like the world is just a mirror. So if you're going in to work and you're grumpy, like, yeah, everyone's gonna be grumpy back to you. Yes, like yes, if you go and you're smiling, then they're gonna smile back to you. One of my favorite quotes is like, if you want more people to smile at you, smile at more people.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh it is that simple. So, do you have a do you have a are you teaching this or is it well, what are you up to with all of this?

SPEAKER_01:

Right now it's mostly just social media. So Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok is really where uh most of my followers are, which is fun. Um, so just sharing uh different little tidbits, tiny little reels, um, hoping to like inspire people and you know, definitely hoping to grow. Maybe there'll be a podcast one day, who knows? But you know, even if there's like speaking opportunities where I can help, like I've done smaller groups, um, which is cool. Uh, but anywhere that I can help is really I I hope that I can have impact. That's like people say, Well, what's your goal in life? I'm like, just have impact.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, yes, absolutely. And from everything you're doing, and it there's impact. And what I find is that we we may never know. We may never know how many people we've helped through our stories, through our our knowledge, uh, you know, and sharing with other people. I uh even today I was out and about and I had a podcast on as I'm driving and listening to it, someone I've never even heard before. And all I wanted to do was to pull over so that I could save it, so that I could listen to it again and again, because I was picking up things from just this person who I I've never even heard of before. And I thought, why don't I, why have I never heard this person before? This is amazing information. So I think that um you gotta do it. You gotta put it out there. There's so many people that need help. And a lot of times what happens with people is that they have so much negativity coming in that it's really hard for them to be positive about themselves and to think that they can do, you know, be the president of the world and all of those kinds of things because they've had a lot of that negativity just coming at them, coming at them. And uh, and so when they can find someone that can help lift them up, they're gonna be drawn to that. And I I love manifesting. I think that it's just um it's uh it gives me, it makes me feel more powerful that I have some control of my life.

SPEAKER_01:

Absolutely. And I think like just talking about impact as well. I I always say if I can help one person that I'm happy doing that. Yeah. And if I can help one person help one more person, then that's even better, right? So a lot of people often tell me, Oh my God, it's you you you share your story so openly and it seems so easy for you. And I'm like, well, it's not like it can be scary, but the more you do it, the easier it gets. So many people are so scared of everyone else judging them. Like they're so scared that someone is gonna make fun of you, like, yeah, okay, cool. So I'm not gonna share my story that could help someone because someone might make fun of me or judge me, someone that I might not never even know. Like, yeah, so it's that kind of ego, right? Like our ego is scared to get judged. Yes, and then in doing so, we're not helping others. So I really uh I always tell people because I do, I also do like business consulting and mindset coaching. And I'm like, you especially for business owners, they're like, I talk to so many, and they're like, Well, my business is here and I'm here, and I don't want to share anything about myself because it's about the business. And I'm like, people want to help other people. If they don't know the people behind the business, which is you, then it's just a business, then it's just the same as every other business out there. Put yourself out there, let people know who you are, why this is important to you, why why you're special, right? Like what you know that got you here. And they're like, Oh, that's scary. Like, I don't know if I can do that. And I'm like, no, like it's not an if you can do that. If you're gonna be a business owner, your business is you and you are your business. Like your brands are intertwined, and it shouldn't be any different, especially for small businesses. Like, we want to support people, we want to know who you are. Tell us about yours and yourself.

SPEAKER_00:

Absolutely. And there's there's a lot of people in the world, and they not everybody connects with everybody. Um, I I have a wonderful friend, and she's very soft, she's very gentle, and she's very quiet. Uh, just doesn't have too much to say. And she was working with me at a development site. We were selling a town home development, and the developer called me one day and she was selling off a storm. And the developer said, Well, like, I can hardly get her to say two words to me. Like, like, how does she sell? And I said, very quietly. And and you know, there's people who want to work with her. And I remember somebody came in and they were talking to me, and then she's like, Oh, you're hurting my ears because you're talking too loud. And of course, I had to take a deep breath, right? And then lower my voice. But it's true, you know, yeah, it's true.

SPEAKER_01:

Everyone, everyone aligns with different people and different messaging and different things.

SPEAKER_00:

And you've got to put you have to show who you are so that the right people come to you.

SPEAKER_01:

Your authentic self is so important because if you're being fake, then people are gonna know that, you know. And I I teach a lot of um businesses how to pitch their business. And I'm like, you don't need to be the loudest person in the room, you don't need to be the most confident. But if you're telling your authentic story, then people it will resonate with someone. It's going to that's gonna come across. Know your business. Yeah, that's what is most important. Know what you're pitching, know what you're saying, know what your story is. And sometimes the quietest people who've pitched, I've seen them them win pitch competitions. So yeah, yeah, I love what you're saying too. And I think even there's some business owners that are like, oh my god, but like I'm kind of shy to post. What if it's like not good? Or and I'm like, okay, how many followers like do you have on this page that you're gonna be posting? And they're like, I don't know, like 150. I'm like, so no one's gonna see it. Yeah, post, post it, and like, no one the algorithms, people's algorithms are all crazy. Like, there might be 10 people who see it, really post it. And then they're like, oh my god, should I go back and delete old posts? And I'm like, don't do that, don't delete old posts. That's part of your your algorithm, that's part of your brand. It's fun to actually go back and look at how far you've come. Yeah, because like everyone grows, you have to start somewhere. And really, when you're starting out, most people don't know who you are, they don't care, they're not watching your videos, you're analyzing them, you're like, oh my god, everyone's gonna judge me. And I'm like, you probably got two views.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, yes, absolutely, yeah. And that judgment thing can just smack. I mean, it's just it can stop you in your tracks, and it did for me for years until finally I got my wrapped my head around it and said, uh if you judge me, I then go judge me over there. Like, I don't care anymore. Absolutely because other things are so much more important, yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

And it's I had a I had a client, just what you said made me think of it. She we dug down doing mindset stuff, and we realized she has a really big fear of being seen because growing up, being seen wasn't safe for her, right? And and it's real, it's true. So many people have this fear of being seen, and it prevents them from doing exactly what we were saying, like bringing it back to that impact or that change or growing your business. And it's that fear of being seen because somewhere in your subconscious, being seen equaled not being safe, which is like it's so sad, right? You're holding yourself back from because your subconscious is stuck up from something that might have happened when you were like 12 years old.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, yeah. I was in real estate, of course, and and I I remember this was 1991, so a long time ago. And I remember I had my face on a bus bench. I couldn't drive down that street. No, couldn't drive down that street. So it's probably so beautiful. Like your face. Well, I look back on it now and think, oh, that wasn't too bad. But at the time, I just couldn't drive down. I I couldn't couldn't drive past it, couldn't look at it, couldn't, you know, and by the end of my career, I had buses, you know, it's it's an inferiority, it's it's growing, right? But but um, but it's okay to feel fear, you know. So don't look at your own stuff then, right? But put it out there still. I needed the bus bench, I just didn't drive past it because it's kind of you did it.

SPEAKER_01:

And I did it, that's the biggest point. Like you did it, and then you did it again, and then you did it again, and then but if you had never done it the first time, you never would have done it the second time. That's right, that's right.

SPEAKER_00:

So it's just it's so there's so much growth that we that we're gonna go through, and uh and and I agree, you especially for for business owners and small business owners, that's how we attract our clients.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, yeah, people want to people want to support people. It's yeah, it's human nature, and I think that it's it's beautiful when people support each other. And I love hearing people's stories. I love when people tell them like are posting about who they are. Every time I see that, I'm like, yes, yes, yeah, give me more.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, exactly, exactly, yeah. Well, Shannon, I have just loved this conversation. It has been, I always say, you know, when I when I do these podcasts, I never know uh, you know, we never really know the full conversation. I just prepare just in case, but then the conversations go over here. But I always learn so much. I do, and and it fills me up and it helps me. So I appreciate uh you so much filling, you know, sharing all of the wisdom that you've learned over the years and and and and sharing the the happy parts of your life and the sad parts, which which uh which help all of us. Is there anything that you would like to say to our audience before we before we close?

SPEAKER_01:

Um, yeah, well, first of all, thank you so much for this opportunity. You're wonderful. I always love our conversations. You have so much energy, and good energy is always welcome in my life. Thank you. And I think, I mean, you know, it's it's a tough world right now. Everyone's going through it, everyone feels like things are a little heavy, but I think if you can be the light in someone else's world, um, then it can really go a long way. And it all starts with being kind of the light in your own world. So work on yourself and know that that's gonna help others around you.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, that's fabulous advice. I love that. I love that. So for all of you watching and listening, I'm gonna have information um how you can reach out to Shannon uh in the show notes. So you'll be able to do that. So her uh her information will be there. And um yeah, so don't hesitate to reach out to her. Maybe you need some uh to follow her on TikTok uh for getting some. I'm gonna actually, I don't think I'm following you on TikTok. I'm gonna do that today and get keep myself manifesting because it's just so darned important.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

I can't wait to follow you back. Perfect. Okay. Well, thanks again, Shannon, for being here. I appreciate it. Thank all of you so much for being here and supporting us as well. And uh, we will see you next time. Take care, everyone.