Podcasts about when shannon

Ronald Shannon Jackson's music was open source.  It was not possible to play it correctly without bringing your own voice to it: your background, your proclivities, your vocabulary.  And if you didn't have it to bring, the music wasn't going to make it off the stage.  Jack DeSalvo brought a musical lexicon to the Decoding Society that was unmatched.  When Shannon expressed a mood-- on drums or flute or schalmei or in a composition-- Jack was able to flesh it out in a completely distinct way.  Entire new pathways were charted.     Mitch Goldman presents the third installment of his memorial broadcasts for Ronald Shannon Jackson from 2013, with guest Jack DeSalvo.  This week's show features guest cameos of Prince(!), Iron Maiden(!) Ethan Singer(!), a stolen vanload of gear(!) and that guy at the hotel in the south of France(!).  I tell you, this one is not to be missed.   #WKCR #DeepFocus #MitchGoldman #RonaldShannonJackson #JackDeSalvo #JazzRadio #JazzInterview #JazzPodcast #DecodingSociety   Photo credit: no publishing information available.

Ronald Shannon Jackson's music was open source.  It was not possible to play it correctly without bringing your own voice to it: your background, your proclivities, your vocabulary.  And if you didn't have it to bring, the music wasn't going to make it off the stage.  Jack DeSalvo brought a musical lexicon to the Decoding Society that was unmatched.  When Shannon expressed a mood-- on drums or flute or schalmei or in a composition-- Jack was able to flesh it out in a completely distinct way.  Entire new pathways were charted.     Mitch Goldman presents the third installment of his memorial broadcasts for Ronald Shannon Jackson from 2013, with guest Jack DeSalvo.  This week's show features guest cameos of Prince(!), Iron Maiden(!) Ethan Singer(!), a stolen vanload of gear(!) and that guy at the hotel in the south of France(!).  I tell you, this one is not to be missed.   #WKCR #DeepFocus #MitchGoldman #RonaldShannonJackson #JackDeSalvo #JazzRadio #JazzInterview #JazzPodcast #DecodingSociety   Photo credit: photo by Dany G.

The Connected Yoga Teacher Podcast 226: Questions to Ask Someone in Pain with Shelly Prosko   Description: Many people start practicing yoga because of pain, to get relief or to recover from an injury. As yoga teachers, we are sure to encounter students who have some pain in their bodies when they come to our yoga classes. What are some questions we can ask them to be better able to help them? Shelly Prosko shares some questions rooted in empowerment, pain science and self compassion we can ask.   Shelly Prosko is a Canadian physiotherapist, yoga therapist, educator, author and pioneer of PhysioYoga. With over 22 years of experience integrating yoga into physiotherapy within a variety of specialty areas including helping people with chronic or persistent pain, pelvic health issues and professional burnout, Shelly is an expert in this field. Her current focus is on continuing education for other professionals in this area. In addition to this, Shelly has authored book chapters in yoga therapy and integrative rehabilitation textbooks and is the co-editor/author of the textbook Yoga and Science in Pain Care: Treating the Person in Pain. She maintains a clinical practice in Sylvan Lake, Canada and believes compassion is the foundation of pain care, healthcare and overall well-being.   Shelly explains why the questions we ask people who have pain are so important, and how that can influence their healing journey. She also has some insights about how we perceive pain and rest, and why having compassion is essential. This episode is a must-listen for every yoga teacher looking to learn more about pain science, compassion and helping people in pain.   Key Takeaways: [7:22] Shannon introduces her guest for this episode - Shelly Prosko. [10:32] What is the work that Shelly does and who does she do it for? [12:08] When Shannon was dealing with a herniated disc, Shelly asked her some questions about her pain. They discuss the conversation they had regarding Shannon's injury. [15:25] Many times, when someone tells us they are in pain, our immediate reaction may be to offer suggestions or advice, but this may not be helpful. [16:11] Shelly shares a bit more about what she has learned about pain care and working with people in pain. [22:23] Shannon and Shelly discuss the concept of trusting your body to heal itself. [28:48] Shelly highlights that calming the system can have a profound impact on healing and recovery. [30:53] Regression is as much a part of progression in the healing journey, and it is important for people to know that, and not discount the progress they have made. [34:22] Shannon and Shelly discuss having inquiry around movement, and how yoga ties into that. [40:34] It can be helpful to reframe resting for people who struggle to rest, and encourage them to engage in self-inquiry and self-reflection about the healing process. [44:42] Shelly shares a bit about using compassionate language and being kind to yourself and others. [52:33] Shelly highlights the fact that pain is not necessarily bad. [58:04] Shannon reflects on this interview with Shelly and shares her biggest takeaways.   Key Takeaways from Shelly: What positions or movements bring you ease, peace or joy? The body is set up to progress towards healing. Regression is a normal thing in recovery and healing. Be curious as you move. Increase your movements without forcing. Detach from your expectations as much as possible. Can you reduce your cognitive load as you heal? We are all so unique. Ask individuals, "what do you think?" Speak with compassion to self. Pain is a normal human condition. Pain is not necessarily "bad" - including in a yoga class.   Links: Shelly Prosko Yoga and Science in Pain Care: Treating the Person in Pain, by Neil Pearson, Shelly Prosko and and Marlysa Sullivan Yoga, Neuroplasticity and Pain: New Hope for Self-Empowerment and Healing (Discount code for 15% off: CONNECTEDPCA15) Pain Care Aware The Connected Yoga Teacher Podcast Episode 225: Yoga for Hip Pain with Shannon Crow The Connected Yoga Teacher Podcast Episode 116: Pain Language with Shelly Prosko (Part 1) The Connected Yoga Teacher Podcast Episode 117: Pain Language with Shelly Prosko (Part 2)   The Connected Yoga Teacher Podcast Episode 009: Kegels, Mula Bandha and Pelvic Health with Shelly Prosko   Pain science episodes   Gratitude to our Sponsors Schedulicity and Pelvic Health Professionals.   Quotes from this episode: "There's all sorts of things you can do that feel good, that feel easeful and peaceful and joyful. So do those instead of trying just to go straight to fixing." - Shelly   "The body is set up to always progress towards healing." - Shelly   "Calm the system down, and that in and of itself is really powerful for healing and for recovery." - Shelly   “The more we check in and be aware, then the more insight we have into our needs." - Shelly

Sign up for our mailing list! I got to meet some listeners this week to see the synchronous fireflies, so thanks to Shannon, Diana, Derek, and Autumn for hanging out with me! This week we'll learn about a different kind of lightning bug as well as a shark mystery! Derek's photography, Enchanting Ectotherms Further reading: A shark mystery millions of years in the making I suspect this is a doctored image but it's gorgeous so here it is anyway, supposedly some blue ghost fireflies: This is a real photo, no photoshop, taken by Derek Wheaton during our trip. The long line of light in the middle is a blue ghost moving with its light on during a long exposure: A synchronous firefly on Derek's hand (photo by Derek Wheaton): A tiny blue ghost firefly on Derek's hand (photo by Derek Wheaton): Show transcript: Welcome to Strange Animals Podcast. I'm your host, Kate Shaw. It's been an amazing week for me because I got to take some people to see our local synchronous fireflies! The fireflies put on a brilliant show for us and the weather was perfect, and it was so much fun to meet Shannon and Diana! Then, two nights later, I also took Derek and Autumn out to see the fireflies. In between, I started research on the blue ghost firefly, since I had originally thought it was just another name for the synchronous firefly, but it's not. So this week we're going to learn about the blue ghost firefly, along with some interesting breaking news about a shark mystery. The blue ghost firefly only lives in parts of the eastern and central United States. In most places it's rare, but like the synchronous fireflies that all flash together, the blue ghost fireflies are actually pretty common in the southern Appalachian Mountains. The reason why people don't see them more often is that these days, most people don't spend much time in the woods at night. Like other fireflies, the blue ghost lives in forests with deep leaf litter where there's a lot of moisture in the ground. The female lays her eggs in the leaf litter and when the eggs hatch, the larval fireflies eat tiny insects and other invertebrates like snails. The blue ghost firefly is different from other firefly species in several ways. First, it doesn't flash. The male stays lighted up for around a minute at a time while he flies low over the ground watching for a female to light up too. Its glow also appears bluish-white to human eyes, at least in the distance and when it's really dark out. Up close, it looks yellow-green like other firefly lights. Researchers think it only looks blue because of the way human eyes perceive color in low light. In the daytime, blue ghost fireflies don't look like much. They're small, around 7 mm long, and males are all brown. The females don't have wings, and in fact they never metamorphose into the adult form and still look like larvae as adults. The female crawls to the end of a twig or blade of grass and glows to attract a mate. When I was doing my research to learn about blue ghost fireflies, I kept seeing articles comparing its size to a grain of rice. I looked up the average size of a grain of rice, and that's where I got 7 mm. I didn't think too much about it. When Shannon, Diana, and I were watching the synchronous fireflies, we noticed some fireflies that didn't flash, just stayed glowing while they drifted along low over the forest floor. After I started researching blue ghost fireflies, I realized that was what had seen! So I was especially excited to go back out with Derek and Autumn and confirm it. Derek works for a nonprofit that breeds endangered fish for conservation projects, which is awesome, but he's also a photographer, so he brought his camera to try and get pictures and video of the fireflies. His photographs are amazing so if you want to see them I've linked to his Facebook page, EnchantingEctotherms, in the show notes. He does a lot of snorkeling so a lot of the animals h...

A Winning Cup: http://awinningcup.weebly.com. Please donate to Ask Win by going to Payment Venmo Win1195 at https://venmo.com/. Win Kelly Charles' Books: https://www.amazon.com/Win-Kelly-Charles/e/B009VNJEKE/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1. Win Kelly Charles' MONAT: https://wincharles.mymonat.com.   On A Winning Cup today (Thursday, June 3, 2021), Best-Selling Author, Win C welcomes Shannon Andress. Shannon is the host and creator of the podcast “You Got This! – The Journey”. After suffering from her own experience with anxiety and depression, Shannon has become an advocate for mental health awareness and helping others to find ways that they can become the happiest and healthiest versions of themselves. By sharing her story of her own personal journey, she is helping her listeners to know that they are not alone. Shannon is also Interviewing guests that will help her and her listeners to find the ways that they can become the absolute best versions of themselves. When Shannon is not podcasting, she is a fur momma, a woman who loves spending time with her family and friends, and a volunteer to her local community. Shannon is passionate about making a positive impact on everyone around her and is hoping to make a difference in the world by following her purpose. To learn more about Shannon visit buzzsprout.com.

Inspiration comes from all kinds of places. the amazing thing is with all these many different places inspiration can come fryour pet, yes I said that i said your pet. om you would think it would come from When Shannon reads this she will think im a huge softy because i pretend not to like our dog. But when you have a pet like Bentley. As i am writing this Bently is trying to climb on the couch and licking Logans hand like it is candy. yeah that isnt the Inspiring part um Gross hahaha. Bentley is inspiring because no matter what he tries to talk to us and tell us what he wants. He is by far the most vocal dog we have ever had. when he needs to go out he comes over to us and tries his hardest to tell us he needs to go out. It's pretty amazing when a pet can be completely annoying attempt to talk to us and inspire us to for things like to keep going his persistence is outstanding. He thinks he is telling us something although he isnt speaking english there seems to be some kind of connection that we do know what he is actually saying. He is funny. he comes up to us when he needs attention and tries to talk . it all comes out as growls and barks but he tries. He even has tried to say I love you. yes he has done pretty well at this. But now that i have talked how our dog inspires us here is a podcast with Keith Mattix a man that provides inspiration of his own for the masses. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theyoungbloodlife/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theyoungbloodlife/support

Shannon Claire wants to live in a world where women don't feel shame for wanting more! As a multi-passionate entrepreneur, she is a sought-after international brand photographer for million dollar brands, mentor, and coach for women entrepreneurs who are in transition to their next level of success. She is a Mom to 4, Fiance to 1, beach lover, conversation starter, and eternal optimist. Learn more about Shannon, and check out her latest projects at www.TheShannonClaire.com Here's what we covered on the episode: Shannon's Background in Photography (2:00) How Shannon and I met through a mutual friend in 2016 and why she's on the podcast to discuss branding photography and talk about how she's been able to pivot her business through the pandemic Shannon has been an entrepreneur for over 15 years and has always loved photography — in high school she wanted to travel the world taking photos for National Geographic When Shannon was first starting out she used film and was inspired by coffee table baby books, which made her want to get into taking maternity and newborn photoshoots The story of how Shannon started her successful photography business in her local town, taking any shoot that came her way, and then struggled to get clients and shoot the weddings she wanted once she moved to where she lives currently When Shannon was struggling, she learned all about building a personal brand Before, Shannon was relying on people seeing her photos and wanting to book her off those  — she realized she needed to differentiate herself because there are so many photographers Shannon shares that she learned about niching down and started focusing on weddings, she then went even further down into what types for brides she wanted to work with, what types for weddings and where she wanted to shoot, etc Right when Shannon was getting to the height of her wedding photography career, she decided she didn't want to do weddings anymore, which resulted in her pivoting her business once again Transitioning Into Brand Photography + Coaching (6:35) Shannon explains that she went through a phase where she thought she didn't want to do photography anymore but realized that wasn't the case, she just wanted to be more fulfilled by it and wanted to help other women How Shannon decided to take her love of helping women grow their businesses and her love of photography and put them together into brand photography In 2015 Shannon started doing brand photography, which grew very quickly for her and by 2017 she was getting paid to travel and do photoshoots Shannon shares that her photography business has been built from word of mouth and referrals Why Shannon would strategically shoot live events for clients she was generally already working for because it was a great way to be seen, to meet people and book clients off the live event she was shooting Shannon's advice to anyone listening is to show up whenever you can as a leader for events because it can be a good way to book clients When you want to upgrade your brand photography, Shannon says you have to consider where you are in your business, see how much you can invest and highly recommends hiring a brand photographer if you are serious about building a brand Shannon shares that brand photography is an entirely different approach to photography from when she used to shoot portraits and weddings and explains the thought and strategy that goes into brand photography If you are not at a point in your business where you can afford to pay a brand photographer for a brand shoot, Shannon suggests starting with where you're at and getting some kind of lifestyle shots because those are useful too How lifestyle shots show personality and are more warm and inviting than your standard headshot, which is going to draw people in Why it's very important to choose a photographer who will know how to pose you and make you feel comfortable Shannon tells the story of a current client who had a terrible photoshoot with another photographer and claimed she never wanted to get in front of a camera again, but has been working with shannon to help her overcome that Don't feel like you have to hire the first photographer you talk to; talk to multiple and get recommendations from friends says Shannnon When Shannon started coaching people on brand strategy, she explains that it came from her own experience because she had to develop her own personal brand, saw that it worked and created her own system she was taking people through called, “Your Unforgettable Brand” How her personal brand coaching worked hand in hand with her brand photography and how she would end up using the brand coaching framework with her photography clients as well The struggles Shannon faced as a coach and a photographer because she didn't want to confuse people and lose business on the photography side because they were seeing her as a coach What Shannon has learned through all of this is that her personal brand is what has carried through everything and explains how she caterers to her audience who need both her coaching and photography Shannon explains that it comes down to knowing who your audiences are, knowing who you're selling to and being able to cater each post, each message, and each ad service to those people who need it Photography Through the Pandemic (19:18) The twists and turns Shannon's life went through between 2017 up until the pandemic and how she had set some things up in her business towards the end of 2019 that carried her through the pandemic Shannon explains that she sort of started a profit first model, nothing official but she did have a savings account for future paychecks, a savings account for taxes, and has her clients on payment plans, so that way she had money coming in during the beginning of the year A couple months into the pandemic, she started focusing more on coaching and started doing virtual photoshoots, which didn't replace the income of normal brand photoshoots but helped her stay fresh and relevant through the pandemic How doing a virtual photoshoot had never crossed her mind until a friend suggested she do it after seeing a virtual maternity photoshoot The first few virtual photoshoots came with a learning curve, but now Shannon has a method that works each time she does it Shannon explains that virtual photoshoots feel a lot like in-person photoshoots because she is still directing, posing people, taking the photos on her end, editing them and getting them back to the client within one business day How Shannon will now offer virtual photoshoots as a service indefinitely because with every new iphone that comes out, the quality gets better The virtual photoshoots have grown very organically and Shannon says that she puts availability out for virtual shoots on her platforms if she doesn't have a lot going on some weeks Growth in Coaching (24:22) In 2013, Shannon took her first coaching training but explains that it took her years to be able to call herself a coach and add that as part of her identity even though she was more than qualified to be a coach Shannon shares that she's the type of person who once she gets inspired she has to take action right away and that's exactly what she did last fall when she decided to do her mastermind How Shannon ran her mastermind for the second time on April 1st of this year with a new group of women and shares she loves learning new techniques and skills for her coaching toolbox Shannon treats her audience like she would treat her email list, which is very conversational, raw and authentic Audience growth for Shannon has happened through paid programs she's in and making those connections and explains why she tries to do a lot of guest appearances to help grow her audiences as well Why Shannon asks for connections and describes herself as a natural connector, which isn't always as warmly received online because she's noticed online marketers and coaches have never run a local business before, so it's a different type of networking Shannon thinks people are missing the mark by not taking that local business mentality and using it in their online business Connect with Shannon on her website or Instagram    Links mentioned: Shannon's Website Connect with Shannon on Instagram   Like what you heard? Click here to subscribe + leave a review on iTunes. Click here to download my Sales Page Trello Board Let's connect on Instagram!

How are you doing during the past year of the pandemic when it comes to mental health?  How are your employees? Do you really know? Just asking may not get you real answers. Episode 649 is a conversation with Shannon Andress, who shares her story about the struggles she faced over the last year and her journey to recovery.   This episode matters, as many people have had a rough year. Shannon does not hold back. And the we talked about how her employer did know how bad it was, even though her boss did reach out to check in. For you and your team, you should listen to this episode. Disclaimer: Neither Shannon nor Thom are mental health experts. We fully recommend that you talk to a professional if you are struggling with your own issues.  About Shannon Andress Shannon Andress is the host and creator of the podcast “You Got This! – The Journey”. After suffering from her own experience with anxiety and depression, Shannon has become an advocate for mental health awareness and helping others to find ways that they can become the happiest and healthiest versions of themselves. By sharing her story of her own personal journey, she is helping her listeners to know that they are not alone. Shannon is also Interviewing guests that will help her and her listeners to find the ways that they can become the absolute best versions of themselves. When Shannon is not podcasting, she is a fur momma, a woman who loves spending time with her family and friends, and a volunteer to her local community. Shannon is passionate about making a positive impact on everyone around her and is hoping to make a difference in the world by following her purpose.   Instagram: Shannon Andress (@yougotthis_thejourney) • Instagram photos and videos Website: You Got This! - The Journey (buzzsprout.com) Facebook: You Got This - The Journey | Facebook https://thomsinger.com/podcast/shannon-andress Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode I have a conversation with my friend Shannon Milligan, and we talk about the power of nostalgia in content, why to invest in rookie real estate agents, and what it takes for Realtors to trust you with their clients. She gives incredible advice on what to implement, and specific daily activities, to reach new levels of success. Shannon Milligan is an Associate Broker & Owner of RVA Home Team with eXp Realty. As a “40-something” and social media loving Richmond Realtor, Shannon has a passion for marketing and relationship building while utilizing video to create stories than resonates with potential clients. When Shannon is not selling real estate, you will find her building connections with fellow agents across the country as a co-founder of the successful Snap-pack Real Estate and Marketing Media Group on Facebook, and co-founder of REMM, a marketing mastermind for Realtors. Shannon is also a National Speaker having spoken at Inman, Virginia Association of Realtors, and on Live Video in Real Estate. She received the Video Star Award at eXp in 2017 and 2018, and was named, "19 Real Estate SnapChatters You Can't Help But Watch" by Inman News. She’s been featured on numberous podcasts and social media shows. Follow her on social media: @RVAHomeTeam and visit her website: www.rvahometeam.com ALSO, to get updates about the MME podcast, marketing tips, and to TEXT with me directly, shoot a message to: 214-225-5696! If you are enjoying the podcast, please take a second and LEAVE US A REVIEW! MME is a founding member of the Industry Syndicate Podcast Network - check out the entire line-up on our website!

This week on the Lady Leadership I caught up with Shannon Gillieland. Shannon is the Founder of Pronto Bottle. Pronto bottle is the world's first self sanitising baby bottle. When Shannon became a first-time mum she experienced the issues around having sterilised and ready to go bottles for her daughter and found this to be a big hassle, particularly when travelling with her daughter. She decided to see if she could come up with some better solutions to this issue and pronto bottle was born! I talked to Shannon about coming up with an idea right through to execution, how her background led to this, and how she went about this. Shannon didn’t just dive headfirst into this - she spent a lot of time surveying other parents and seeing what their pain points are, she then spent a lot time researching various technologies including UV light sterilisation, then she realised that she needed to build a support team around her and also bring in some experts. We discussed how Shannon went from having an idea to building a product, to building a business and building a team and all the steps and stages of that. When she faced overwhelm and a feeling of there is so much to do. She knew that she needed to create a framework of support around her to support not only building a product but building the knowledge that she needed to build a company. Tune into this episode as Shannon shares her journey plus her path to investment and hiring abroad. About me: My name is Samantha McIntyre and after 30 years in business and technology - from starting out on the helpdesk to the C suite, being on Executive boards, and being a mother and entrepreneur! I am passionate about helping women in their careers and business. What I have enjoyed the most in my roles is helping those around me succeed - particularly women!  I have lead technology teams for some of the biggest businesses and brands in Australia and the world such as Tesco, Loreal, Coles, Woolworths, and Sportsgirl. So if you're looking for someone who knows what it is like to be a woman in business and technology plus being a mother and an entrepreneur then you've come to the right place. Contact: Website: https://www.lady-leadership.com/ LinkedIn: Samantha McIntyre Twitter: sjmcintyre1 Facebook: @Samantha McIntyre Instagram: @sammijmac and @lady.leadership

Shannon Mattern almost gave up her entrepreneurial dream because she was getting burned out from her side hustle clients. She had set very poor boundaries with her clients and it was impacting her day job. However, through hiring a business coach, changing her mindset, and believing in herself, she was about to fully quit her job three years later. This slow growth might not seem like much, but Shannon knew it was a blessing in disguise because she was able to learn so much and take risks without worrying about her financial future. Find out more about Shannon’s entrepreneurial journey on this week’s episode!   Key takeaways: Shannon followed a very traditional path but at 34 years old she found herself incredibly unhappy in an office with no windows. When Shannon first started freelancing. She had no boundaries in place and she was charging way too little for her work. Shannon worked at her day job while building her company for three years before she finally quit. Shannon had to change her mindset about her day job. She wished she did this sooner because her energy was being drained so badly from the negative energy. When Shannon worked with a business coach, she learned how to be grateful for her day job. Why did Shannon get a business coach? And how did she find one? When Shannon finally quit her job, she was so scared about money that she let her coach go. You don’t know what your own blocks are. This is why you need a coach! Shannon had no idea she could tell her clients how she wanted to work. The early days were very stressful. She just said yes to everything and had the clients define the rules. When Shannon shifted her prices from hour to value, it changed everything for her business. The biggest scam in entrepreneurial communities is when they tell you how much money they’ve made but do not mention how much money they spent! Shannon is tempted to take her foot off the gas, but it’s hard to stop when you see the results of your labor. Shannon is out of the fear phrase, but she completely understands if someone is getting ready to quit their job, how scared they must feel. Shannon has gone all-in on digital projects and she has stopped taking on one-on-one clients. What’s your actual money target? Do you really need to make six figures before you quit your job? You have to make the time for your side business. It’s not just going to magically happen. Shannon would have made this life happen faster if she just listened to her coach. Who is Shannon’s ideal client? If you need a website, reach out to Shannon!   Resources: Shannonmattern.com PUSH: 30 Days to Turbocharged Habits, a Bangin' Body, and the Life You Deserve!, by Chalene Johnson   Quotes:   “I felt very guilty for hating my day job. I should be grateful for what I have. I make good money, I have benefits. To walk away from this, would be crazy.”   “Going it alone is so hard, so why not learn from someone who has already been there and made all the mistakes?”   “I wasn’t growing because I wasn’t willing to invest in anything. Let me just keep everything that comes in; and then I realized I needed help.”

Shannon McLaughlin — Building Products People Love, Creating Brand Ambassadors, Fourth Trimester Struggles, I Am Because We Are, Making People Matter, Whole Body Yesses, and More (#012)  “When I hired, I always said that it was going to be half-day jobs for everyone, because we are moms. So when we had the shop, we didn't open from nine to five, we opened at half past eight in the morning, and we closed at 1:30pm, because whoever was in that shop was a mom, and she had to fetch her child from school and then go spend the afternoon with their child.” —Shannon McLaughlinShannon McLaughlin (@shannonmarymac) is the Founder and CEO of Ubuntu Baba Baby Carriers (@ubuntubaba) . Shannon’s business launched in February 2015, just six months after her son was born, out of a personal need to help her baby sleep for longer periods of time and to have more freedom as a struggling and overwhelmed first-time mom.Before Shannon launched Ubuntu Baba, she was a freelance web designer, who worked mainly with female startup businesses. Shannon’s goal was to create an easy to use, breathable and comfortable carrier that could be used from the newborn days onwards. When Shannon launched her business, she started with one machine ist who worked part-time making baby carriers. Today, Ubuntu Baba has a full-time team of six who manufactures the carriers, as well as another team of six that helps Shannon run the business. Please enjoy this wide-ranging conversation with Ubuntu Baba Founder, Shannon McLaughlin, and Moms Who Build host, Margie Chuang! Show NotesThe inspiration behind creating Ubuntu Baba Baby Carriers. [2:39]Shannon’s fourth trimester experience. [4:14]The 3-month journey to building the first prototype. [7:25]Shannon’s experience with postnatal depression while building Ubuntu Baba. [10:23]Recognizing postnatal depression and getting help. [12:18]Building a product people love and how Shannon grew Ubuntu Baba to 10,000 customers. [14:53]Getting feedback, moms helping moms, and selling the first Ubuntu Baba baby carriers. [17:00]Building a community beyond the product. [22:19]Growing a beloved brand and Ubuntu’s slogan: To A Happy Now, #toahappynow. [25:22]More than a brick and mortar shop. [29:40]The impact of the global pandemic on Ubuntu Baba’s operations and shop in South Africa. [32:18]Persevering through the challenges of running a company and lessons learned. [36:23]Living the professional and personal life you want. [40:36]Building a parent-inclusive workplace. [41:32]How Shannon prioritizes and organizes her life. [45:03]How Shannon prepares for interviews and public speaking engagements. [50:10]Advice Shannon would give to her past self and how to handle feedback. [52:55]Learning to say no and the whole body yes. [53:47]What’s next for Ubuntu Baba? [55:23]Rapid Fire Questions. [57:01]Parting thoughts and encouraging words. [1:00:21] For more about this episode, visit https://www.momswhobuild.com/home/shannon-mclaughlin-ubuntu-baba-episode-012. *** Connect with Shannon McLaughlin on: Website | TwitterConnect with Ubuntu Baba: Website | Instagram | Facebook | Blog***If you have a moment, please consider leaving a rating and review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes. It helps us to get more amazing guests on the show and grow the podcast. Thank you!***Be a Guest on the MWB Podcast!Nominate Someone for the MWB Podcast!***For past interviews with inspirational moms building inspirational things, visit momswhobuild.com. Connect with Margie & Moms Who Build:Twitter: twitter.com/momswhobuildInstagram: instagram.com/momswhobuild_Facebook: facebook.com/momswhobuildYouTube: bit.ly/youtube-channel-momswhobuild

When Shannon couldn't find an ovarian cancer community to connect with after her diagnosis at a young age, she decided to start her own. That's how Teal Diva was born. All month, we'll be sharing the stories of amazing ovarian cancer survivors (and their allies). Shannon's story is the first in this inspiring series. 

Episode ninety of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at "Runaway" by Del Shannon, and at the early use of synthesised sound in rock music. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode.   Patreon backers also have a ten-minute bonus episode available, on "Blue Moon" by the Marcels. Tilt Araiza has assisted invaluably by doing a first-pass edit, and will hopefully be doing so from now on. Check out Tilt's irregular podcasts at http://www.podnose.com/jaffa-cakes-for-proust and http://sitcomclub.com/ ----more---- A note Almost every version of “Runaway” currently available is in stereo, and the stereo version of the song has a slightly different vocal take to the original mono version. Unfortunately, there appear to be multiple “original mono versions” too. To check that what I'm using here, a mono track available as a bonus on a reissue of the album Runaway With Del Shannon, is actually the hit single version, I downloaded two vinyl rips of the single and one vinyl rip of a mono hits compilation from the sixties that had been uploaded to YouTube. Unfortunately no two copies of the song I could find online would play in synch – they all appear to be mastered at slightly different speeds, possibly due to the varispeeding I talk about in the episode. I've gone with the version I did because it's a clean-sounding mono version, but it may not be exactly what people heard in 1961. Resources As always, I've created a Mixcloud streaming playlist with full versions of all the songs in the episode. This one is in two parts because of the number of songs by Del Shannon in the mix. Part one, part two. Only one biography of Del Shannon has ever been written, and that's out of print and (to judge from the Amazon reviews) not very well written, so I've relied again on other sources. Those include the liner notes to this CD, a good selection of Shannon's work (with the proviso that "Runaway" is in stereo -- see above; the articles on Shannon and Max Crook on This Is My Story, the official Del Shannon website,  and the Internet Archive's cached copy of Max Crook's old website. Patreon This podcast is brought to you by the generosity of my backers on Patreon. Why not join them?   Transcript Today's episode is an odd one to write, as just as I put the finishing touches to the script I discovered that Max Crook, the keyboard player at the centre of this story, died less than two weeks ago. The news wasn't widely reported, and I only discovered this by double-checking a detail and discovering an obituary of him. Crook was one of the great early pioneers of electronic music, and a massive talent, and he's a big part of the story I'm telling today, so before we go into the story proper I just wanted to take a moment to acknowledge his passing, and to regret that it hasn't been more widely noted. One of the things we've not talked about much in this podcast so far is the technology of music. We've discussed it a bit -- we've looked at how things like the change from 78s to 45s affected the music industry, at the transition from recording on discs to recording on tape, at the electrification of the guitar, and at Les Paul's inventions. But in general, the music we've looked at has been made in a fairly straightforward manner -- some people with some combination of guitars, bass, piano, drums, and saxophone, and maybe a few string players on the most recent recordings, get together in front of a microphone and sing and play those instruments. But today, we're going to look at the start of synthesisers being used in rock and roll music. Today we're going to look at "Runaway" by Del Shannon: [Excerpt: Del Shannon, "Runaway"] Synthesised sound has a far longer pedigree than you might expect. The use of electronics to create music goes back to the invention of the theremin and the ondes martenot in the 1920s, and by the 1930s, people had already started using polyphonic keyboard-based electronic instruments. The Novachord was produced by the Hammond organ company between 1938 and 1942, and was introduced at the World's Fair in 1939, where Ferdinand Grofe, who we talked about a little in the episode on "Cathy's Clown", led a group consisting only of Novachord players in a public performance. The Novachord never achieved mass popularity because of World War II halting its production, but it was still used in a few recordings. One that's of particular interest to those of us interested in early rock and roll is Slim Gaillard's "Novachord Boogie": [Excerpt: Slim Gaillard, "Novachord Boogie"] But also it was used on one of the most famous records of the late thirties. These days, when you hear "We'll Meet Again" by Vera Lynn on documentaries about the second world war, this is the version you hear: [Excerpt: Vera Lynn, "We'll Meet Again"] But the record that people actually listened to in World War II didn't have any of that orchestration. It was Lynn accompanied by a single instrument, a Novachord played by Arthur Young, and is notably more interesting and less syrupy: [Excerpt: Vera Lynn with Arthur Young on Novachord, "We'll Meet Again"] So even in the late thirties, synthesised sounds were making their way on to extremely popular recordings, but it wasn't until after the war that electronic instruments started getting used in a major way. And the most popular of those instruments was a monophonic keyboard instrument called the clavioline, which was first produced in 1947. The clavioline was mostly used as a novelty element, but it appeared on several hit records. We're going to devote a whole episode in a few months' time to a record with the clavioline as lead instrument, but you can hear it on several fifties novelty records, like "Little Red Monkey" by Frank Chacksfield's Tunesmiths, a UK top ten hit from 1953: [Excerpt: Frank Chacksfield's Tunesmiths, "Little Red Monkey"] But while the clavioline itself was in use quite widely in the fifties, the first big rock and roll hit with an electronic synthesiser actually used a modified clavioline called a musitron, which was put together by an electronics amateur and keyboard player named Max Crook, from Ann Arbor, Michigan. Crook had built his musitron using a clavioline as a base, but adding parts from TVs, reel-to-reel recorders, and bits of whatever electronic junk he could salvage parts from. He'd started playing electronic instruments in his teens, and had built his own recording studio. Sadly, the early records Crook made are not easily available. The only place I've been able to track down copies of his early singles in a digital format is one grey-market CD, which I wasn't able to obtain in time to include the tracks here and which only seems to be available from one shop in Cornwall. His first band, the White Bucks, released a single, "Get That Fly" backed with "Orny", on Dot Records, but I can tell you from experience that if you search anywhere online for "White Bucks Orny" you will find... well, not that record, anyway. Even more interestingly, he apparently recorded a version of "Bumble Boogie", the novelty instrumental that would later become a hit for B. Bumble and the Stingers, with Berry Gordy at some point in the late fifties. Sadly, that too is not generally available. But it wasn't until he auditioned for Charlie Johnson and the Big Little Show Band that Max Crook met the people who were going to become his most important collaborators. The Big Little Show Band had started as Doug DeMott and The Moonlight Ramblers, a honky-tonk band that played at the Hi-Lo Club in Battle Creek, Michigan. Battle Creek is a company town, midway between Chicago and Detroit, which is most famous as being the headquarters of the Kellogg company, the cereal manufacturer and largest employer there. It's not somewhere you'd expect great rock and roll to come from, being as it is a dull medium-sized town with little in the way of culture or nightlife. The Hi-Lo Club was a rough place, frequented by hard-working, hard-drinking people, and Doug DeMott had been a hard drinker himself -- so hard a drinker, in fact, that he was soon sacked. The group's rhythm guitarist, Charles Westover, had changed his name to Charlie Johnson and put together a new lineup of the group based around himself and the bass player, Loren Dugger. They got in a new drummer, Dick Parker, and then went through a couple of guitarists before deciding to hire a keyboard player instead. Once they auditioned Crook, with his musitron, which he could clip to the piano and thus provide chordal piano accompaniment while playing a lead melody on his musitron, they knew they had the right player for them. Crook had a friend, a black DJ named Ollie McLaughlin, who had music industry connections, and had been involved in the White Bucks recordings. Crook and Johnson started writing songs and recording demos for McLaughlin, who got Johnson a session with Irving Micahnik and Harry Balk, two record producers who were working with Johnny and the Hurricanes, an instrumental group who'd had a big hit with "Red River Rock" a year or so previously: [Excerpt: Johnny and the Hurricanes, "Red River Rock"] Johnson recorded two songs in New York, without his normal musicians backing him. However, Micahnik and Balk thought that the tracks were too dirgey, and Johnson was singing flat -- and listening to them it's not hard to see why they thought that: [Excerpt: Del Shannon, "The Search"] They told him to go back and come up with some more material that was less dirgey. Two things did come out of the association straight away, though. The first was that Charles Johnson changed his name again, combining a forename he chose to be reminiscent of the Cadillac Coup deVille with a surname he took from an aspiring wrestler he knew, Mark Shannon, to become Del Shannon. The second was that Johnny and the Hurricanes recorded one of Max Crook's instrumentals, "Mr Lonely", as a B-side, and you can hear in the Hammond organ part the kind of part that Crook would have been playing on his Musitron: [Excerpt: Johnny and the Hurricanes, "Mr Lonely"] Shannon and Crook recorded a tape of many other songs they were working on for McLaughlin to play to Micahnik and Balk, but they weren't interested -- until they heard a fragment of a song that Shannon and Crook had recorded, and which they'd then mostly taped over. That song, "Runaway", was the one they wanted. "Runaway" had been an idea that had happened almost by accident. The band had been jamming on stage, and Crook had hit a chord change that Shannon thought sounded interesting -- in later tellings of the story, this is always the Am-G chord change that opens the song, but I suspect the actual chord change that caught his ear was the one where they go to an E major chord rather than the expected G or E minor on the line “As our hearts were young”. That's the only truly unusual chord change in the song. But whatever it was, Shannon liked the changes that Crook was playing -- he and Crook would both later talk about how bored he was with the standard doo-wop progression that made up the majority of the songs they were playing at the time -- and the band ended up jamming on the new chord sequence for fifteen or twenty minutes before the club owner told them to play something else. The next day, Shannon took his guitar to the carpet shop where he worked, and when there were no customers in, he would play the song to himself and write lyrics. He initially wrote two verses, but decided to scrap one. They performed the song, then titled "My Little Runaway", that night, and it became a regular part of their set. The crucial element in the song, though, came during that first performance. Shannon said, just before they started, "Max, when I point to you, play something". And so when Shannon got to the end of the chorus, he pointed, and Crook played this: [Excerpt: Del Shannon, "Runaway"] When they were told that Micahnik and Balk liked the fragment of song that they'd heard, Shannon and Crook recorded a full demo of the song and sent it on to them. The producers weren't hugely impressed with the finished song, saying they thought it sounded like three songs trying to coexist, and they also didn't like Shannon's voice, but they *did* like Crook and the Musitron, and so they invited Crook and Shannon to come to New York to record. The two men drove seven hundred miles in a broken-down car, with their wives, to get from Michigan to New York. It was the middle of winter, the car had no heating, and Shannon smoked while Crook was allergic to tobacco smoke, so they had to keep the windows open. The session they were going to do was a split session -- they were going to record two Del Shannon vocal tracks, and two instrumentals by Crook, who was recording under the name "Maximilian" without a surname (though the "Max" in his name was actually short for Maxfield). Crook was definitely the one they were interested in -- he rearranged the way the microphones were arranged in the studio, to get the sound he wanted rather than the standard studio sound, and he also had a bag full of gadgets that the studio engineers were fascinated by, for altering the Musitron's sound. The first single released as by "Maximilian" was "The Snake", which featured Crook and Shannon's wives on handclaps, along with an additional clapper who was found on the street and paid forty dollars to come in and clap along: [Excerpt: Maximilian, "The Snake"] After that, the two women got bored and wandered off down Broadway. They eventually found themselves in the audience for a TV game show, Beat the Clock, and Joann Crook ended up a contestant on the show -- their husbands didn't believe them, when they explained later where they'd been, until acquaintances mentioned having seen Joann on TV. Meanwhile, the two men were working on another Maximillian track, and on two Del Shannon tracks, one of which was "Runaway". They couldn't afford to stay overnight in New York, so they drove back to Michigan, but when the record company listened to "Runaway", they discovered that Shannon had been singing flat due to nerves. Shannon had to go back to New York, this time by plane, to rerecord his vocals. According to Crook, even this wasn't enough, and the engineers eventually had to varispeed his vocals to get them in key with the backing track. I'm not at all sure how this would have worked, as speeding up his vocals would have also meant that he was singing at a different tempo, but that's what Crook said, and the vocal does have a slightly different quality to it. And Harry Balk backed Crook up, saying "We finally got Del on key, and it sounded great, but it didn't sound like Del. We mixed it anyhow, and it came out wonderful. When I brought Ollie and Del into my office to hear it, Del had a bit of a fit. He said, 'Harry, that doesn't even sound like me!' I just remember saying, 'Yeah but Del, nobody knows what the hell you sound like!" Like most great records, "Runaway" was the sum of many parts. Shannon later broke down all the elements that went into the song, saying: "I learned falsetto from The Ink Spots' 'We Three,'": [Excerpt: The Ink Spots, "We Three (My Echo, My Shadow, and Me)"] "I eventually got hooked on Jimmy Jones' 'Handy Man' in '59 and would sing that at the Hi-Lo Club.": [Excerpt: Jimmy Jones, "Handy Man"] "I always had the idea of 'running away' somewhere in the back of my mind. 'I wa-wa-wa-wa-wonder, why...' I borrowed from Dion & The Belmonts' 'I Wonder Why.'" [Excerpt: Dion and the Belmonts, "I Wonder Why"] "The beats you hear in there, '...I wonder, bam-bam-bam, I wa-wa...' I stole from Bobby Darin's 'Dream Lover.'" [Excerpt: Bobby Darin, "Dream Lover"] Listening to the song, you can definitely hear all those elements that Shannon identifies in there, but what emerges is something fresh and original, unlike anything else out at the time: [Excerpt: Del Shannon, "Runaway"] "Runaway" went to number one in almost every country that had a chart at the time, and top five in most of the rest. In America, the song it knocked off the top was "Blue Moon" by the Marcels, one of those songs with the doo-wop progression that Shannon had been so bored with. At its peak, it was selling eighty thousand copies a day, and Billboard put it at number three hundred and sixty four on the all-time charts in 2018. It was a massive success, and a game-changer in the music industry. Maximilian's single, on the other hand, only made the top forty in Argentina. Clearly, Del Shannon was the artist who was going to be worth following, but they did release a few more singles by Maximilian, things like "The Twisting Ghost": [Excerpt: Maximilian, "The Twisting Ghost"] That made the Canadian top forty, but Maximilian never became a star in his own right. Shannon, on the other hand, recorded a string of hits, though none were as successful as "Runaway". The most successful was the follow-up, "Hats off to Larry", which was very much "Runaway part 2": [Excerpt: Del Shannon, "Hats off to Larry"] But every single he released after that was slightly less successful than the one before. He soon stopped working with Crook, who remained at the Hi-Lo Club with the rest of the band while Shannon toured the country, and without Crook's Musitron playing his records were far less interesting than his earliest singles, though he did have the distinction of being one of the few singers of this era to write the bulk of his own material. He managed to further sabotage his career by suing Micahnik and Balk, and by 1963 he was largely washed up, though he did do one more thing that would make him at least a footnote in music history for something other than "Runaway". He was more popular in the UK than in the US, and he even appeared in the film "It's Trad Dad!", a cheap cash-in on the trad jazz craze, starring Helen Shapiro and Craig Douglas as teenagers who try to persuade the stuffy adults who hate the young people's music that the Dukes of Dixieland, Mr. Acker Bilk and the Temperance Seven are not dangerous obscene noises threatening the morals of the nation's youth. That film also featured Gene Vincent and Chubby Checker along with a lot of British trumpet players, and was the first feature film made by Richard Lester, who we'll be hearing more about in this story. So Shannon spent a fair amount of time in the UK, and in 1963 he noticed a song by a new British group that was rising up the UK charts and covered it. His version of "From Me to You" only made number seventy-seven on the US charts, but it was still the first version of a Lennon/McCartney song to make the Hot One Hundred: [Excerpt: Del Shannon, "From Me to You"] He made some interesting records in the rest of the sixties, and had the occasional fluke hit, but the music he was making, a unique blend of hard garage rock and soft white doo-wop, was increasingly out of step with the rest of the industry. In the mid and late sixties, his biggest successes came with songwriting and productions for other artists. He wrote "I Go to Pieces" which became a hit for Peter & Gordon: [Excerpt: Peter and Gordon, "I Go to Pieces"] Produced the band Smith in their cover version of "Baby It's You", which made the top five: [Excerpt: Smith, "Baby It's You"] And produced Brian Hyland's million-selling version of a Curtis Mayfield song that I'm not going to play, because its title used a racial slur against Romani people which most non-Romani people didn't then regard as a slur, but which is a great record if you can get past that. That Hyland record featured Crook, reunited briefly with Shannon. But over the seventies Shannon seemed increasingly lost, and while he continued to make records, including some good ones made in the UK with production by Dave Edmunds and Jeff Lynne, he was increasingly unwell with alcoholism. He finally got sober in 1978, and managed to have a fluke hit in 1981 with a cover version of Phil Phillips' "Sea of Love", produced by Tom Petty and with Petty's band the Heartbreakers backing him: [Excerpt: Del Shannon, "Sea of Love"] He also came to people's attention when a rerecorded version of "Runaway" with new lyrics was used as the theme for the TV show Crime Story. In 1989, Del Shannon was working on a comeback album, with Jeff Lynne producing and members of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers as backing musicians. The same people had previously worked on Roy Orbison's last album, which had been his biggest success in decades, and Lynne was gaining a reputation for resuscitating the careers of older musicians. Both Lynne and Petty were fans of Shannon and had worked with him previously, and it seemed likely that he might be able to have a hit with some of the material he was working on. Certainly "Walk Away", which Shannon co-wrote with Lynne and Petty, sounds like the kind of thing that was getting radio play around that time: [Excerpt: Del Shannon, "Walk Away"] There were even rumours that Lynne and Petty were thinking of inviting Shannon to join the Travelling Wilburys to replace Roy Orbison, though that seems unlikely to me. Unfortunately, by the time the album came out, Shannon was dead. He'd been suffering from depression for decades, and he died of suicide in early 1990, aged fifty-five. His widow later sued the manufacturers of the new wonder drug, Prozac, which he'd been prescribed a couple of weeks earlier, claiming that it caused his death. Max Crook, meanwhile, had become a firefighter and burglar alarm installer, while also pursuing a low-key career in music, mostly making religious music. When Shannon was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Crook volunteered to perform at the ceremony, playing his original Musitron, but his offer was ignored. In later years he would regularly show up at annual celebrations of Shannon, and talk about the music they made together, and play for their fans. He died on July the first this year, aged eighty-three.

Episode ninety of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “Runaway” by Del Shannon, and at the early use of synthesised sound in rock music. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode.   Patreon backers also have a ten-minute bonus episode available, on “Blue Moon” by the Marcels. Tilt Araiza has assisted invaluably by doing a first-pass edit, and will hopefully be doing so from now on. Check out Tilt’s irregular podcasts at http://www.podnose.com/jaffa-cakes-for-proust and http://sitcomclub.com/ —-more—- A note Almost every version of “Runaway” currently available is in stereo, and the stereo version of the song has a slightly different vocal take to the original mono version. Unfortunately, there appear to be multiple “original mono versions” too. To check that what I’m using here, a mono track available as a bonus on a reissue of the album Runaway With Del Shannon, is actually the hit single version, I downloaded two vinyl rips of the single and one vinyl rip of a mono hits compilation from the sixties that had been uploaded to YouTube. Unfortunately no two copies of the song I could find online would play in synch – they all appear to be mastered at slightly different speeds, possibly due to the varispeeding I talk about in the episode. I’ve gone with the version I did because it’s a clean-sounding mono version, but it may not be exactly what people heard in 1961. Resources As always, I’ve created a Mixcloud streaming playlist with full versions of all the songs in the episode. This one is in two parts because of the number of songs by Del Shannon in the mix. Part one, part two. Only one biography of Del Shannon has ever been written, and that’s out of print and (to judge from the Amazon reviews) not very well written, so I’ve relied again on other sources. Those include the liner notes to this CD, a good selection of Shannon’s work (with the proviso that “Runaway” is in stereo — see above; the articles on Shannon and Max Crook on This Is My Story, the official Del Shannon website,  and the Internet Archive’s cached copy of Max Crook’s old website. Patreon This podcast is brought to you by the generosity of my backers on Patreon. Why not join them?   Transcript Today’s episode is an odd one to write, as just as I put the finishing touches to the script I discovered that Max Crook, the keyboard player at the centre of this story, died less than two weeks ago. The news wasn’t widely reported, and I only discovered this by double-checking a detail and discovering an obituary of him. Crook was one of the great early pioneers of electronic music, and a massive talent, and he’s a big part of the story I’m telling today, so before we go into the story proper I just wanted to take a moment to acknowledge his passing, and to regret that it hasn’t been more widely noted. One of the things we’ve not talked about much in this podcast so far is the technology of music. We’ve discussed it a bit — we’ve looked at how things like the change from 78s to 45s affected the music industry, at the transition from recording on discs to recording on tape, at the electrification of the guitar, and at Les Paul’s inventions. But in general, the music we’ve looked at has been made in a fairly straightforward manner — some people with some combination of guitars, bass, piano, drums, and saxophone, and maybe a few string players on the most recent recordings, get together in front of a microphone and sing and play those instruments. But today, we’re going to look at the start of synthesisers being used in rock and roll music. Today we’re going to look at “Runaway” by Del Shannon: [Excerpt: Del Shannon, “Runaway”] Synthesised sound has a far longer pedigree than you might expect. The use of electronics to create music goes back to the invention of the theremin and the ondes martenot in the 1920s, and by the 1930s, people had already started using polyphonic keyboard-based electronic instruments. The Novachord was produced by the Hammond organ company between 1938 and 1942, and was introduced at the World’s Fair in 1939, where Ferdinand Grofe, who we talked about a little in the episode on “Cathy’s Clown”, led a group consisting only of Novachord players in a public performance. The Novachord never achieved mass popularity because of World War II halting its production, but it was still used in a few recordings. One that’s of particular interest to those of us interested in early rock and roll is Slim Gaillard’s “Novachord Boogie”: [Excerpt: Slim Gaillard, “Novachord Boogie”] But also it was used on one of the most famous records of the late thirties. These days, when you hear “We’ll Meet Again” by Vera Lynn on documentaries about the second world war, this is the version you hear: [Excerpt: Vera Lynn, “We’ll Meet Again”] But the record that people actually listened to in World War II didn’t have any of that orchestration. It was Lynn accompanied by a single instrument, a Novachord played by Arthur Young, and is notably more interesting and less syrupy: [Excerpt: Vera Lynn with Arthur Young on Novachord, “We’ll Meet Again”] So even in the late thirties, synthesised sounds were making their way on to extremely popular recordings, but it wasn’t until after the war that electronic instruments started getting used in a major way. And the most popular of those instruments was a monophonic keyboard instrument called the clavioline, which was first produced in 1947. The clavioline was mostly used as a novelty element, but it appeared on several hit records. We’re going to devote a whole episode in a few months’ time to a record with the clavioline as lead instrument, but you can hear it on several fifties novelty records, like “Little Red Monkey” by Frank Chacksfield’s Tunesmiths, a UK top ten hit from 1953: [Excerpt: Frank Chacksfield’s Tunesmiths, “Little Red Monkey”] But while the clavioline itself was in use quite widely in the fifties, the first big rock and roll hit with an electronic synthesiser actually used a modified clavioline called a musitron, which was put together by an electronics amateur and keyboard player named Max Crook, from Ann Arbor, Michigan. Crook had built his musitron using a clavioline as a base, but adding parts from TVs, reel-to-reel recorders, and bits of whatever electronic junk he could salvage parts from. He’d started playing electronic instruments in his teens, and had built his own recording studio. Sadly, the early records Crook made are not easily available. The only place I’ve been able to track down copies of his early singles in a digital format is one grey-market CD, which I wasn’t able to obtain in time to include the tracks here and which only seems to be available from one shop in Cornwall. His first band, the White Bucks, released a single, “Get That Fly” backed with “Orny”, on Dot Records, but I can tell you from experience that if you search anywhere online for “White Bucks Orny” you will find… well, not that record, anyway. Even more interestingly, he apparently recorded a version of “Bumble Boogie”, the novelty instrumental that would later become a hit for B. Bumble and the Stingers, with Berry Gordy at some point in the late fifties. Sadly, that too is not generally available. But it wasn’t until he auditioned for Charlie Johnson and the Big Little Show Band that Max Crook met the people who were going to become his most important collaborators. The Big Little Show Band had started as Doug DeMott and The Moonlight Ramblers, a honky-tonk band that played at the Hi-Lo Club in Battle Creek, Michigan. Battle Creek is a company town, midway between Chicago and Detroit, which is most famous as being the headquarters of the Kellogg company, the cereal manufacturer and largest employer there. It’s not somewhere you’d expect great rock and roll to come from, being as it is a dull medium-sized town with little in the way of culture or nightlife. The Hi-Lo Club was a rough place, frequented by hard-working, hard-drinking people, and Doug DeMott had been a hard drinker himself — so hard a drinker, in fact, that he was soon sacked. The group’s rhythm guitarist, Charles Westover, had changed his name to Charlie Johnson and put together a new lineup of the group based around himself and the bass player, Loren Dugger. They got in a new drummer, Dick Parker, and then went through a couple of guitarists before deciding to hire a keyboard player instead. Once they auditioned Crook, with his musitron, which he could clip to the piano and thus provide chordal piano accompaniment while playing a lead melody on his musitron, they knew they had the right player for them. Crook had a friend, a black DJ named Ollie McLaughlin, who had music industry connections, and had been involved in the White Bucks recordings. Crook and Johnson started writing songs and recording demos for McLaughlin, who got Johnson a session with Irving Micahnik and Harry Balk, two record producers who were working with Johnny and the Hurricanes, an instrumental group who’d had a big hit with “Red River Rock” a year or so previously: [Excerpt: Johnny and the Hurricanes, “Red River Rock”] Johnson recorded two songs in New York, without his normal musicians backing him. However, Micahnik and Balk thought that the tracks were too dirgey, and Johnson was singing flat — and listening to them it’s not hard to see why they thought that: [Excerpt: Del Shannon, “The Search”] They told him to go back and come up with some more material that was less dirgey. Two things did come out of the association straight away, though. The first was that Charles Johnson changed his name again, combining a forename he chose to be reminiscent of the Cadillac Coup deVille with a surname he took from an aspiring wrestler he knew, Mark Shannon, to become Del Shannon. The second was that Johnny and the Hurricanes recorded one of Max Crook’s instrumentals, “Mr Lonely”, as a B-side, and you can hear in the Hammond organ part the kind of part that Crook would have been playing on his Musitron: [Excerpt: Johnny and the Hurricanes, “Mr Lonely”] Shannon and Crook recorded a tape of many other songs they were working on for McLaughlin to play to Micahnik and Balk, but they weren’t interested — until they heard a fragment of a song that Shannon and Crook had recorded, and which they’d then mostly taped over. That song, “Runaway”, was the one they wanted. “Runaway” had been an idea that had happened almost by accident. The band had been jamming on stage, and Crook had hit a chord change that Shannon thought sounded interesting — in later tellings of the story, this is always the Am-G chord change that opens the song, but I suspect the actual chord change that caught his ear was the one where they go to an E major chord rather than the expected G or E minor on the line “As our hearts were young”. That’s the only truly unusual chord change in the song. But whatever it was, Shannon liked the changes that Crook was playing — he and Crook would both later talk about how bored he was with the standard doo-wop progression that made up the majority of the songs they were playing at the time — and the band ended up jamming on the new chord sequence for fifteen or twenty minutes before the club owner told them to play something else. The next day, Shannon took his guitar to the carpet shop where he worked, and when there were no customers in, he would play the song to himself and write lyrics. He initially wrote two verses, but decided to scrap one. They performed the song, then titled “My Little Runaway”, that night, and it became a regular part of their set. The crucial element in the song, though, came during that first performance. Shannon said, just before they started, “Max, when I point to you, play something”. And so when Shannon got to the end of the chorus, he pointed, and Crook played this: [Excerpt: Del Shannon, “Runaway”] When they were told that Micahnik and Balk liked the fragment of song that they’d heard, Shannon and Crook recorded a full demo of the song and sent it on to them. The producers weren’t hugely impressed with the finished song, saying they thought it sounded like three songs trying to coexist, and they also didn’t like Shannon’s voice, but they *did* like Crook and the Musitron, and so they invited Crook and Shannon to come to New York to record. The two men drove seven hundred miles in a broken-down car, with their wives, to get from Michigan to New York. It was the middle of winter, the car had no heating, and Shannon smoked while Crook was allergic to tobacco smoke, so they had to keep the windows open. The session they were going to do was a split session — they were going to record two Del Shannon vocal tracks, and two instrumentals by Crook, who was recording under the name “Maximilian” without a surname (though the “Max” in his name was actually short for Maxfield). Crook was definitely the one they were interested in — he rearranged the way the microphones were arranged in the studio, to get the sound he wanted rather than the standard studio sound, and he also had a bag full of gadgets that the studio engineers were fascinated by, for altering the Musitron’s sound. The first single released as by “Maximilian” was “The Snake”, which featured Crook and Shannon’s wives on handclaps, along with an additional clapper who was found on the street and paid forty dollars to come in and clap along: [Excerpt: Maximilian, “The Snake”] After that, the two women got bored and wandered off down Broadway. They eventually found themselves in the audience for a TV game show, Beat the Clock, and Joann Crook ended up a contestant on the show — their husbands didn’t believe them, when they explained later where they’d been, until acquaintances mentioned having seen Joann on TV. Meanwhile, the two men were working on another Maximillian track, and on two Del Shannon tracks, one of which was “Runaway”. They couldn’t afford to stay overnight in New York, so they drove back to Michigan, but when the record company listened to “Runaway”, they discovered that Shannon had been singing flat due to nerves. Shannon had to go back to New York, this time by plane, to rerecord his vocals. According to Crook, even this wasn’t enough, and the engineers eventually had to varispeed his vocals to get them in key with the backing track. I’m not at all sure how this would have worked, as speeding up his vocals would have also meant that he was singing at a different tempo, but that’s what Crook said, and the vocal does have a slightly different quality to it. And Harry Balk backed Crook up, saying “We finally got Del on key, and it sounded great, but it didn’t sound like Del. We mixed it anyhow, and it came out wonderful. When I brought Ollie and Del into my office to hear it, Del had a bit of a fit. He said, ‘Harry, that doesn’t even sound like me!’ I just remember saying, ‘Yeah but Del, nobody knows what the hell you sound like!” Like most great records, “Runaway” was the sum of many parts. Shannon later broke down all the elements that went into the song, saying: “I learned falsetto from The Ink Spots’ ‘We Three,'”: [Excerpt: The Ink Spots, “We Three (My Echo, My Shadow, and Me)”] “I eventually got hooked on Jimmy Jones’ ‘Handy Man’ in ’59 and would sing that at the Hi-Lo Club.”: [Excerpt: Jimmy Jones, “Handy Man”] “I always had the idea of ‘running away’ somewhere in the back of my mind. ‘I wa-wa-wa-wa-wonder, why…’ I borrowed from Dion & The Belmonts’ ‘I Wonder Why.'” [Excerpt: Dion and the Belmonts, “I Wonder Why”] “The beats you hear in there, ‘…I wonder, bam-bam-bam, I wa-wa…’ I stole from Bobby Darin’s ‘Dream Lover.'” [Excerpt: Bobby Darin, “Dream Lover”] Listening to the song, you can definitely hear all those elements that Shannon identifies in there, but what emerges is something fresh and original, unlike anything else out at the time: [Excerpt: Del Shannon, “Runaway”] “Runaway” went to number one in almost every country that had a chart at the time, and top five in most of the rest. In America, the song it knocked off the top was “Blue Moon” by the Marcels, one of those songs with the doo-wop progression that Shannon had been so bored with. At its peak, it was selling eighty thousand copies a day, and Billboard put it at number three hundred and sixty four on the all-time charts in 2018. It was a massive success, and a game-changer in the music industry. Maximilian’s single, on the other hand, only made the top forty in Argentina. Clearly, Del Shannon was the artist who was going to be worth following, but they did release a few more singles by Maximilian, things like “The Twisting Ghost”: [Excerpt: Maximilian, “The Twisting Ghost”] That made the Canadian top forty, but Maximilian never became a star in his own right. Shannon, on the other hand, recorded a string of hits, though none were as successful as “Runaway”. The most successful was the follow-up, “Hats off to Larry”, which was very much “Runaway part 2”: [Excerpt: Del Shannon, “Hats off to Larry”] But every single he released after that was slightly less successful than the one before. He soon stopped working with Crook, who remained at the Hi-Lo Club with the rest of the band while Shannon toured the country, and without Crook’s Musitron playing his records were far less interesting than his earliest singles, though he did have the distinction of being one of the few singers of this era to write the bulk of his own material. He managed to further sabotage his career by suing Micahnik and Balk, and by 1963 he was largely washed up, though he did do one more thing that would make him at least a footnote in music history for something other than “Runaway”. He was more popular in the UK than in the US, and he even appeared in the film “It’s Trad Dad!”, a cheap cash-in on the trad jazz craze, starring Helen Shapiro and Craig Douglas as teenagers who try to persuade the stuffy adults who hate the young people’s music that the Dukes of Dixieland, Mr. Acker Bilk and the Temperance Seven are not dangerous obscene noises threatening the morals of the nation’s youth. That film also featured Gene Vincent and Chubby Checker along with a lot of British trumpet players, and was the first feature film made by Richard Lester, who we’ll be hearing more about in this story. So Shannon spent a fair amount of time in the UK, and in 1963 he noticed a song by a new British group that was rising up the UK charts and covered it. His version of “From Me to You” only made number seventy-seven on the US charts, but it was still the first version of a Lennon/McCartney song to make the Hot One Hundred: [Excerpt: Del Shannon, “From Me to You”] He made some interesting records in the rest of the sixties, and had the occasional fluke hit, but the music he was making, a unique blend of hard garage rock and soft white doo-wop, was increasingly out of step with the rest of the industry. In the mid and late sixties, his biggest successes came with songwriting and productions for other artists. He wrote “I Go to Pieces” which became a hit for Peter & Gordon: [Excerpt: Peter and Gordon, “I Go to Pieces”] Produced the band Smith in their cover version of “Baby It’s You”, which made the top five: [Excerpt: Smith, “Baby It’s You”] And produced Brian Hyland’s million-selling version of a Curtis Mayfield song that I’m not going to play, because its title used a racial slur against Romani people which most non-Romani people didn’t then regard as a slur, but which is a great record if you can get past that. That Hyland record featured Crook, reunited briefly with Shannon. But over the seventies Shannon seemed increasingly lost, and while he continued to make records, including some good ones made in the UK with production by Dave Edmunds and Jeff Lynne, he was increasingly unwell with alcoholism. He finally got sober in 1978, and managed to have a fluke hit in 1981 with a cover version of Phil Phillips’ “Sea of Love”, produced by Tom Petty and with Petty’s band the Heartbreakers backing him: [Excerpt: Del Shannon, “Sea of Love”] He also came to people’s attention when a rerecorded version of “Runaway” with new lyrics was used as the theme for the TV show Crime Story. In 1989, Del Shannon was working on a comeback album, with Jeff Lynne producing and members of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers as backing musicians. The same people had previously worked on Roy Orbison’s last album, which had been his biggest success in decades, and Lynne was gaining a reputation for resuscitating the careers of older musicians. Both Lynne and Petty were fans of Shannon and had worked with him previously, and it seemed likely that he might be able to have a hit with some of the material he was working on. Certainly “Walk Away”, which Shannon co-wrote with Lynne and Petty, sounds like the kind of thing that was getting radio play around that time: [Excerpt: Del Shannon, “Walk Away”] There were even rumours that Lynne and Petty were thinking of inviting Shannon to join the Travelling Wilburys to replace Roy Orbison, though that seems unlikely to me. Unfortunately, by the time the album came out, Shannon was dead. He’d been suffering from depression for decades, and he died of suicide in early 1990, aged fifty-five. His widow later sued the manufacturers of the new wonder drug, Prozac, which he’d been prescribed a couple of weeks earlier, claiming that it caused his death. Max Crook, meanwhile, had become a firefighter and burglar alarm installer, while also pursuing a low-key career in music, mostly making religious music. When Shannon was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Crook volunteered to perform at the ceremony, playing his original Musitron, but his offer was ignored. In later years he would regularly show up at annual celebrations of Shannon, and talk about the music they made together, and play for their fans. He died on July the first this year, aged eighty-three.

In the past few weeks, our country has been reminded of the reality of racism. As Christian leaders, how should we as the church be responding? And what can we do on an individual basis?  While some of us may not be affected by or see racism on a regular basis, the issue was brought to light in a significant way in recent weeks due to the death of George Floyd (among other incidents). As I considered this issue, I knew this was something I wanted to address on this podcast. Yet I knew that I needed to invite someone who has the expertise to speak to this topic. In this episode, I’m talking with my friend Dr. Shannon Polk. Shannon shares her leadership journey and how she ended up as a lawyer, associate pastor, wife, and mother. Despite being encouraged in her leadership gifts for most of her childhood and young adult years, she still faced doubts about her gifts and leadership ability later in adulthood. We also dive into the topic of racism and how the church can and should respond. Shannon provides both historical and personal insights into this issue, helping us to understand the origins of some of the practices that still live on today (even if they are no longer policies). Finally, Shannon and I dive into how we can practically respond as individuals, as well as one caveat we should all be looking out for as we navigate this season. This incredibly powerful conversation is a must-listen for all Christian leaders (not just women), so I encourage you to consider sharing it after you listen. Become a Partner & Get Access to Bonus Content This post contains affiliate links, which means if you choose to make a purchase via one of the links, we will receive a commission at no extra cost to you. This helps to support the costs of running the podcast and blog. Key Points Discussed: Shannon’s current life & leadership [4:06] Her leadership journey [7:20] Natural gifting for leadership Encouragement from family and other leaders When Shannon faced doubts about her leadership [16:00] The current events involving racism and the church’s response [28:48] The need to speak up if you see racism happening The importance of listening Shannon’s own experiences The issue of dehumanization  The issue of segregation of our churches & how it started [40:00] Historical background Redlining and how this impacts the segregation Look at the message you are sending to the black community Dealing with the discomfort [50:15] Asking God to search our hearts Examining our own biases The need to change policies and practices The practical ways that we can do better as individuals (even if you’re in a predominantly white area) [59:44] Educate yourself Adopt a listening posture Speaking up vs. doing the inner work [1:05:00] Communication is key Recognize you may not get it right Look at your structures and see if you have people who can help you craft the message Don’t let the fear of saying the wrong thing stop you from saying anything Build the relationships  Caution about the rush to normalcy [1:11:20] Leaders are learners [1:13:45]  Key Quotes from the Episode: Quotes are by Shannon Polk unless otherwise noted. “We are women and there's a place for us in the body and there’s a place for us outside of the body.” “Go where you’re celebrated, not where you’re tolerated.” “If we want to really release women to do all that God has created them to do, we need to let them lead with all of who they are.”  “Imagine living in that tension every day; where the simplest encounter could escalate beyond your wildest imagination.” “You wouldn’t leave your sex education of your kids up to Netflix, so why would you leave the education of race up to Netflix, up to the media, up to the neighbors next door?”  “We have to ask ourselves: are we willing to be uncomfortable?”  “Are you willing to lock arms with your black brothers and sisters in a way that could inconvenience you, and could possibly even harm you?”  “Instagram activism is super easy.... Are you willing to be that person to stand up and say ‘this isn’t right’ if it could cost you your job?” “What Christian authors are you reading that are not white?” “We’re not expecting you to get it right, but we’re expecting you to participate in the journey.”   Links and Resources Mentioned: Be the Bridge Episode 2: What is Leadership and Why Does Your Leadership Matter? The Color of Compromise: The Truth about the American Church’s Complicity in Racism by Jemar Tisby Divided by Faith: Evangelical Religion and the Problem of Race in America by Michael O. Emerson and Christian Smith Leadership Pain: The Classroom for Growth by Samuel Chand Didn't See It Coming: Overcoming the Seven Greatest Challenges That No One Expects and Everyone Experiences by Carey Nieuwhof Take the Day Off: Receiving God's Gift of Rest by Robert Morris Connect with Dr. Shannon Polk: Website Twitter Facebook Instagram   Shannon Polk, JD, DMin is an associate pastor at Riverside Tabernacle in Flint, Michigan.  She is an attorney and consultant on issues of race, gender, faith, and leadership. Become a Podcast Partner & Receive Bonus Content We have a fun way for you to partner with the podcast and get access to exclusive content. Every month, we add at least 1 bonus clip from an interview or from Holly and I to a special podcast for our partners. You can become a podcast partner for as little as $5/month by clicking here. Connect with Esther and Holly: Esther’s Website Holly’s Website Instagram Facebook Group Facebook Page   This episode was originally published on estherlittlefield.com/episode103.

If you’re an actor who’s signed on to share scenes with Michael Shannon, you’ve got yourself a bit of a dilemma. On one hand, you can count on people watching; on the other, you can be pretty certain they won’t be watching you. To be fair, nothing could be further from Shannon’s intent; co-stars and directors routinely praise his generosity and dedication to the success of any project he’s in. It’s just that the guy is – inherently, chronically and helplessly – riveting. Evidence of this seemingly hypnotic power came to light most publicly with his fairly small role in Revolutionary Road. Variety wrote, “The pic’s startling supporting turn comes from Michael Shannon, who’s mesmerizing as the clinically insane son of local realtor and busybody… When Shannon is onscreen, it’s impossible to watch anyone else.” In that instance, “anyone else” included Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. Or take 99 Homes, which Time magazine called “a showcase for Shannon, who magnetizes all eyes, like a cobra in the corner.” Those are just two in a canon of some of the most consistently beaming reviews an actor could ever hope to paste in his scrapbook, though Shannon doesn’t seem like the kind of guy to keep one. If he did, it would be encyclopedic, as he’s piled up over 50 award nominations and an impressive number of wins over a career that comprises at least 100 film, TV and stage credits. So why is he not a household name? Hard to say, unless actors have to become “stars” to claim any permanency in our memory banks. What’s more confounding is that Shannon never planned to be an actor. He was a troubled, late-blooming kid who floundered in school and only defaulted to drama to get out of sports. He left school at 16 and with no formal training, was on stage in a year, TV the year after, and in Groundhog Day the year after that. Shannon tried working with an acting coach only once in his career, and said it was the worst audition he ever had. With fate apparently having done the heavy lifting, an impressive range of directors were quick to capitalize, including Michael Bay, Cameron Crowe, Oliver Stone, Peter Bogdanovich, Sydney Lumet, and even Tom Ford. As did HBO, casting him as Boardwalk Empire’s repressed G-man Nelson Van Alden. But no one has taken better advantage of Shannon’s facile embodiment of complex characters than Jeff Nichols, who directed him in Take Shelter, Midnight Special, and Shotgun Stories. Nichols has said, “Shannon makes me a better writer. He certainly makes me a better director. I wanted [Midnight Special] to be a very lean screenplay in terms of narrative and exposition, and if you’re writing that part for Mike, he’s going to be able to fill those spaces with all the subtext that you don’t want to have to write about. He can carry all of that on his face, and that makes him a very powerful tool for a writer/director like me.” What more directors need to take advantage of is Shannon’s range, which seems to be hiding in plain sight. He’s known for playing menacing, angry, possibly crazy guys whose ability to keep it all just beneath the surface keeps us in their thrall – quiet bears you do not want to poke. While he plays them subtly and brilliantly, he also made a surprisingly good low-key romantic lead in Frank & Lola. His comic chops are most evident on the stage, where he still spends as much time as possible. Look no further than his portrayal of showbiz huckster Felix Artifex in the comedy Mistakes Were Made, a role he’s reprised several times to wildly enthusiastic crowds and ticket sales. The New York Times theater critic Charles Isherwood said Shannon shouldered the part “with a full arsenal of gifts: a subdued but strong natural presence, a voice rich in grit and capable of imbuing Felix’s wheedling and needling with a variety of emotional colors, a keen understanding of how pathos can feed comedy and vice versa.” Roger Ebert put it more succinctly: “His performance in Mistakes Were Made was one of the most amazing I have ever seen.” Given that it’s a one-man play, it may also be the only performance in which Shannon risked being upstaged. For all the taut wiring that sparks below his surface, Shannon says he’s learned to relax a bit more these days, and that approach has made him a better actor. Besides begging the question whether it’s possible for him to be any better, it also demonstrates a broad interpretation of the word “relax”. He already has eight projects in the works for next year, including Horse Soldiers, a Special Forces drama with Chris Hemsworth, and Signature Move, which he’s executive producing. He admits he may have a small problem turning down a great script. All the better for us. Maybe Shannon wasn’t looking to become an actor, but sometimes fate just gets things right.

Female Leaders | At a Crossroads As female leaders, we often reach a crossroads where it feels like we have to choose between work and family instead of following a natural path. It is an illusion that Shannon Miles knows all too well. After working towards her dream job for four years, Shannon and her husband decided to have a baby. On paper, everything looked perfect; Shannon and Bryan would continue their lives in sales with a nanny lined up to help carry the weight. But when her daughter was born, Shannon wanted to spend much more time with her new child than she anticipated—becoming a stay at home mom was never in the cards. The Third Option Shannon managed to phase out of her position and work part-time so she could spend time with her family and build financial stability simultaneously. However, what started as a temporary financial bridge turned into a more permanent solution. Shannon stayed with the company until the founding of Belay in 2010 and fought hard to achieve work-life integration. She realized there is a third option, and many female leaders need to explore it for themselves. Shannon worked harder and just as much; the only thing that changed was where she did it. But where do you go when there are no clear next steps? Shannon saw entrepreneurship as the only viable option. On-Belay Upward mobility was no longer an option for Shannon or her husband in their current jobs, but they always entertained the idea of starting a business together. Virtual staffing was a thriving niche with the potential to fill a much greater market need. So, they built a line of service and Belay was born. Shannon and Bryan founded Belay with the mantra “own not run.” From day one, they have been preparing the organization to run smoothly while they're not in the picture. Shannon and Bryan designed their business to serve the life they want to live, offering a service that enables their clients to do the same! Female leaders face many unique challenges, but there will always be a pathway to the time and financial freedom you've been searching for. About Shannon Miles Shannon Miles is an advocate for people to have a career AND the flexibility they crave to keep their priorities in a healthy order. She is the CEO and Co-founder of BELAY, a staffing company serving businesses all over the U.S. When Shannon faced an all too common, yet emotional decision to stay home with her new baby or return to a fast-paced, demanding career (that she loved), she knew that there had to be a way to have both. Shannon first asked her boss if she could work part-time from home and her boss said “no”. She resolved not to accept that initial “no” as final but rather stuck to her convictions and proposed the same plan to her boss' boss. He said ‘yes' and she began planning how to make her schedule and workplace more flexible a reality by creating what she calls “The Third Option” – having a career and a family and succeeding at both. With her personal experience as a driver, the idea evolved for an innovative staffing company where all employees and contractors work remotely from their home office. Shannon and her husband, Bryan, cashed in their 401(k)s in 2010 and founded BELAY. The company has exploded to 700+ team members, all working from home, pursuing their own Third Option while serving BELAY's 1,400+ clients. Without an office, BELAY has graced the Inc. 5000 list five times and was awarded the number one spot in Entrepreneur Magazine's Best Company Culture. Shannon's new book The Third Option: Why a Woman Doesn't Have to Choose Between a Career and Family, but Can Actually Have Both and Succeed is now available. In The Third Option, Shannon shares how she took a leap of faith to create a flexible career that gives meaning to both her work and her family, and she shows how you too can accomplish the same. Shannon is passionate about serving others and inspiring them to live fuller, richer lives. She lives with her husband Bryan, and their two children, Harper and Rainey, in Atlanta. Practicing what she preaches, they spend their days running the company from their porch in Georgia, from the mountains in Jackson Hole, or from the beaches in the panhandle of Florida. What You Will Learn: How Shannon discovered a third option at the crossroads of work and family Why female leaders should pursue a career they love and time with their family simultaneously How Shannon transitioned from part-time employee to full-time entrepreneur How Shannon and her husband founded Belay Why you should strive to own not run your business How Shannon and Bryan designed their business to serve the life they want to live Resources: Twitter: @shannonkmiles Facebook: facebook.com/bryanshannonmiles/ Instagram: @shannonkmiles LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/shannon-miles Website: https://belaysolutions.com/ Book: https://www.amazon.com/Third-Option-between-Actually-Succeed-ebook/dp/B07B8T9QGQ

How To Stop Letting Your Mind Hold You Back Did you know that you have the power to reprogram your mind so that you can be living the life you’ve always wanted? It’s true, and today’s guest is here to tell you exactly how. Today’s guest is Dr. Shannon Irvine. She’s a mum, entrepreneur, high achievement mentor, host of the Epic Success Podcast and a philanthropist. Shannon has a Ph.D. in Neuro-Psychology and helps her clients “neuro-hack” their success by harnessing the power of the brain to hardwire productivity, goal attainment, and high performance mindset mastery. What I love the most about Shannon is that she didn’t come from entrepreneurial roots, but she has always been driven to create something impactful. So if you’ve ever felt like your mind has been holding you back and leading you to procrastinate and dwell in self-doubt then today’s episode is one that you are going to want to listen to and take notes. During this episode, Shannon is going to share why neuro-hacking is so important for entrepreneurs, how you can harness the power of your mind to create the business and life that you want, and how to kick imposter syndrome to the curb for good. Let’s get into it! Key Takeaways: >> [0:24] Can you believe 2019 is almost over? This year has been so full and so amazing. And I just want to say if you have been one of the many lovely ladies who have left us a five star review on iTunes then thank you, thank you, thank you. >> [1:24] Podcast reviews are super important to iTunes and the more reviews we receive the more likely iTunes will reward us with better reach so we can continue to empower incredible women in business and serve them so that they are also able to design a life and business they love. >> [1:45] I want to share today from Tara over at @aussiecurve. She wrote: “What an inspiration you are for small new businesses like me. I listen to you every week and take notes. Thank you.” >> [2:23] You do not have a “small” business. You have a business! As soon as I read your review, I knew I had to address this on the podcast because sometimes when we call our business “small” it’s really just our mind holding us back from big things. ABOUT TODAY’S GUEST: >> [3:10] Today’s guest is Dr. Shannon Irvine. She’s a mum, entrepreneur, high achievement mentor, host of the Epic Success Podcast and a philanthropist. Shannon has a Ph.D. in Neuro-Psychology and helps her clients “neuro-hack” their success by harnessing the power of the brain to hardwire productivity, goal attainment, and high performance mindset mastery. >> [4:29] During this episode, Shannon is going to share why neuro-hacking is so important for entrepreneurs, how you can harness the power of your mind to create the business and life that you want, and how to kick imposter syndrome to the curb for good. >> [6:05] Shannon’s children are the fuel behind everything that she does. Shannon figured out that she’s not quite employee-able, so she knew entrepreneurship was for her! YOUR MIND AND NEURO-HACKING >> [8:23] Most entrepreneurs believe that there is something that makes other entrepreneurs successful. >> [9:48] When Shannon had her son, she got into the mindset that she wouldn’t be able to raise her child and run her business at the same time. She actually thought about letting her business go. But then she had a mindset shift and she hired a mentor where she learned that her thoughts have power. >> [12:23] Shannon went into Neuro-Psychology for a Masters and she was viewing it from an entrepreneurial point of view. She learned that you can re-map your brain and your wires! >> [14:19] Many of your beliefs and resistances that you tell yourself are just a story that you’re telling yourself. Success doesn’t mean that you’ll be away from your family or that you won’t be able to mother in the way that you want to mother. >> [16:09] There is a systematic process where you can remove any of your limiting beli...

Thank you for sending in your wedding planning questions! We will have Q&A each month, so keep on sending them in. Meet your panel from today. “EVERYONE NEEDS A SHANNON” S.B.Moore Co Shannon Moore spent 20 years in the hospitality industry as a multi unit manager, corporate trainer and proprietor prior to stepping into the wedding scene.  As fate would have it, two sweet friends entrusted her with the management of their historic wedding venue. Having no knowledge of the industry, but incredible work ethic Shannon quickly settled into her role. A natural fit, as she is driven by her desire to help others and fueled by her passion for creativity. Shannon has a unique ability to take your vision and make it a reality. "What would we do without Shannon?", is a sentiment that all her brides and their families share.  After two years working exclusively with Beckendorff Farms, a handful of requests , and a ton of push from clients, family and friends, Shannon decided to start her own business. The idea really sunk in when she was designing a styled shoot with some of her favorite vendors. The calligrapher wrote S.B. on a place setting to honor the venue owners Stacey and Blake. Little did she know S.B. was the name given to Shannon when she worked in New York, as her full maiden name wouldn't fit on her companies business card. Shannon took that as a sign, and loved the idea of paying homage to her sweet friends that started it all. Hence, S.B. Moore.Co was created.  When Shannon is not planning weddings and events she enjoys living her best boy mom life chasing her 5 year old son Brody, and traveling with her family. SB Moore Co Instagram YVETTE VALDEGRO  Pop Up Wedding Houston Pop Up Wedding Houston came from a 10 year span of loving all things Weddings and PEOPLE.  My experience began at Two Be Wed, one of the leading wedding planning companies in Houston.  Gleaning and having Two Be Wed as my backbone in the industry allowed me to meet and work for other highly sought after venues, and catering companies. What a great way to spend my days... designing and planning the most memorable event in couples life.  I aim to be adventurous  and offer an all inclusive personal wedding experience for those looking beyond a basic courthouse wedding.  Keeping the stylish and beautiful look is a must.  Offering a high standard of value to amazing couples  looking for the same thing keeps me driven.  My passion is to provide a quality styled event for everyone, no matter the budget or situation.  Everyone's story is unique and love comes together in many ways and expressions and I desire my clients to have a safe place to express their love.   I am determined to offer an overall experience for my clients that makes 'saying I do' personal and stress free.  Planning, researching, and making a wedding happen can be tiring and demanding when you have other commitments and I've streamlined the process of getting married by doing all the legwork for you.  Teaming with me will connect you with some of the most desired vendors and venues in the Houston area.  These combined  years of experience and connections work together to create your perfect Pop Up Wedding!  We are always looking for ways to improve, add options and benefits for our clients.   PUW Houston Instagram         ​  

When Shannon takes a break from her exploding business, she realizes she has a problem. Her artist side is starving. Though she’s become better fed financially, and even fulfilled creatively, (building a business is a creative act after all) in the making art department, she’s feeling broke. As Shannon reflects back on the craziness of the last six months and admits she’s artistically dissatisfied, Kerri wonders if her art has simply taken on a different form….off-the-cuff, autobiographical audio monologues. And yet Kerri is also wondering if getting paid to make this podcast is enough to satisfy her artist. Produced by House of Who, Inc. Learn more at houseofwho.com Music by C.F. Watkins (http://www.cfwatkins.com)

Session 110 Geriatric medicine is both stimulating and satisfying for Dr. Shannon Tapia. We’ll talk about housecalls, mortality, and the importance of having a sense of humor. Meanwhile, be sure to check out all our other resources on Meded Media for more help as you journey along this awesome field of medicine! Listen to this podcast episode with the player above, or keep reading for the highlights and takeaway points. [01:20] Interest in Geriatrics Having a father who's a geriatrician was Shannon's first exposure to medicine. Growing up, medicine was different back then but she got to witness how it was being a physician. She liked the cognitive aspects of medicine. She could do procedures but she just never really got stoked about it. Being exposed to it early on and realizing how cognitively challenging geriatrics is, she was essentially drawn to it. Shannon compares geriatrics with being the Sherlock Holmes of doctors. Aside from a huge kinetic variability if they live long enough, they also have a lifetime of choices. With geriatric patients, many of them could be suffering from dementia and other cognitive issues, making it difficult for them to express how they feel. So geriatricians have to get a collaborative history from their family and know the environment.  Shannon finds this to be very interesting, challenging, and satisfying. Half the time, it's med side effects from the specialists. They throw a med at them which they should never have been on. You will also realize there's not an answer so you need to be working with the patient and their family. It basically covers all aspects of medicine. You have to be constantly thinking of options and navigate it with your patients and their families. [05:00] Types of Patients The majority of 30-50-year-olds are rare diagnoses but most of them present pretty similar cases. They come in and the doctor asks appropriate questions and they give an accurate history for the most part. This excludes people who are actively psychotic. In the older population, you have to expand your differential in what they say because a lot of things present differently. They have dampened immune systems. They have neuropathy and they don't feel pain in the same way. Until you spend a lot of time with your geriatric patients, it's hard to truly describe the extent of how different it is. You're essentially dealing with a variety of factors when you're trying to approach a problem. Then there are a lot more limitations on what the achievable goals are. So you have to reconcile those to arrive at a realistic outcome and that people can be comfortable with. [07:19] Traits that Lead to Being a Good Geriatrician Shannon says that having a healthy sense of humor is good. You have to be patient and not afraid to get into the thick of things. You never know what you're going to walk into half of the time. Don't take things too seriously otherwise you're going to end up missing what the patient really needs and that of their family. Being empathic and being comfortable with mortality are two other important traits of a good geriatrician. Shannon believes that if you're not someone who can stop doing things to people, you should not be a geriatrician. There's this mentality in medicine where doctors intervene when there's a problem and they're going to fix it. As patients get older, the only truth is we all die. There's always more we could do but you have to be able to step back. Think about the quality of life and prognosis for the patient if you did it. How would it look like not only after they recover but also in two years down the road? Essentially, you have to take it one patient at a time and take their goals and preferences at a time. Have your opinions but separate yourself from that. Moreover, there's a lot of misinformation even for geriatric patients and their families as to what's achievable in medicine. You have to get to know both the patient and their family. Be honest with them about what you think and whatever intervention they're considering. If it's a treatment situation, you have to be able to take their goals and translate what the realistic prognosis would be for them, knowing what their wishes are. That's not easy always because there's a lot of misinformation about what the medical community can achieve at a certain point." [11:00] A Typical Bread and Butter Day Shannon explains how geriatrics is struggling in terms of how they're under Medicare plans. But it's a cognitive field. It's not a procedure that they can always do and can rack up reimbursement for.  Especially if you're in private practice, it's really hard to pay off your student loans and do it well.  Unfortunately, there are very few private practice geriatricians anymore because it's tough and the pressures in the private practice world are hard. Not to mention that there are only a few great academic institutions that have great geriatric support programs.  Shannon describes her typical day as being different from an academician. It's basically different depending on what realm you practice in. If you're in academic geriatrics, you're going to do a mixture of geriatric consult service at a hospital you're affiliated with. You will be on service with heavy clinic and lots of didactics. It's hard for academic institutions to do long-term care providing. It's a whole different set of private regulations that tend to be challenging in an academic setting. As a private practice geriatrician, your day is variable depending on whether you're clinic-based or when you're doing house-based care. When Shannon's new job starts, her practice will be in one geographic area with the goal to see 10 patients a day. Four will be in one assisted living facility and the other four from another assisted living facility, and then two independent homes within the same geographic region. Moreover, Shannon has done some expert witness and chart reviews. There is so much chat vomit in terms of what they're required to put in the medical records. So much of it is just completely useless information. [14:50] Doing House Calls Before Shannon moved to Denver, she used to do direct primary care house calls. She was fortunate in her geriatrics fellowship to get good exposure to it. The problem with geriatric fellowships is they're hugely variable. Some are more research-focused, some are more clinical. Shannon did it for a year but it was clinically focused on every level.  While Shannon loved her fellowship training, she also saw how bad what you walk into could get. But part of why she loves doing this is that because of the patient population they serve. Just because you're Medicare age does not mean you need a geriatrician. It's really based on your physiology and the individual patients. Shannon explains that doing house calls could be best for the majority of the patients. This way, you also get to figure out what's going on with them. Whether it's physical debility or even a mile cognitive debility, getting them to the doctor is a huge deal. This also gives Shannon as their physician so much more information. Plus, the relationship you're able to build with them goes to another higher level. Being invited to their home, you kind of become part of their family. There is a much more intimate relationship with your patients. There is a lot more trust involved. Whereas just receiving patients in your clinic and you only have to go on the face with what they say that they're taking their medicines or they're eating. But it's different when you walk into their homes and see how they're taking their medications. So you get this unique perspective when you get to go to their home. [17:45] Work-Life Balance and Geriatrics Being a Low-Reimbursement Field Shannon says there's a potential to have a very good work-life balance as a geriatrician but it depends on how much money you need for your life balance. Again, it's a low-reimbursement field. So if you are one of those people that wants to take extravagant vacations, it is not for you. As a single mom and not having to be tied to an office, Shannon says this is really huge for her. When you're doing house calls or going to a long term care facility or nursing home, there's a timeframe. There's that flexibility of time that comes with having children but still being able to go out and do clinical work. The only challenge is the documentation requirements that put a lot of pressure on you so you end up taking more work home. Medicare sets the fees even for private insurances. So everything in medicine is all based on trying to figure out how much they're going to pay you and how many RVUs (relative value unit) you've got for a visit. The way the system works out is that time gets very few RVUs unless you do a ton of volume. But procedures get a ton. It's inherent that it's highly cognitive and diagnostic but it's not like you should be ordering tons of tests because usually, those tests are bad for the patients. People who do nursing home care sometimes do pretty well because they can do high volume as they're able to see a ton of people in one place.  Also, the reimbursement system is different in nursing homes than in an assisted living or even in house calls. In nursing home care, how reimbursement works is that it's not just face-to-face visits but it works like at a hospital where it's billed for all the time you spent on the patient. If you're in an outpatient clinic or in a house call, your time is all face-to-face time with them.  [21:35] The Training Path You can either do internal medicine or family practice to become a geriatrician. She was originally going to do internal medicine. Then she had great mentors in family medicine that told her that geriatrics is really an outpatient field and that if your patients are in the hospital, it's not good. Because of this, Shannon wanted to go to a field that emphasizes outpatient and she got a sense in medical school that family medicine did this. So she decided to do family medicine the last minute. After residency, you have to go through either a one or two-year fellowship thereafter. Whichever one you choose, you have to take both boards.  Since she did family medicine, she would have to take a family medicine board every ten years and the geriatrics board. She also has to do a ton of things that family medicine requires that are focused on peds and women's health, which are not related to what she's currently doing. In terms of subspecialty, there really isn't that much. You can do geriatrics/psychiatry but you would have to also go into psychiatry residency. [24:04] Bias Against DOs There is apparently no bias against DOs. Geriatricians are badly needed. Unfortunately, there are people who do fellowships just for filler because they can but they don't really have intention of really practicing the specialty. [25:33] Working with Primary Care and Other Specialties Shannon wishes to say to internal medicine and family medicine physicians that geriatrics is a specialty. This has been her biggest frustration with some family doctors. There are some that think that they've got it all and they don't need help from geriatricians. But they are trained to recognize a lot of things that can help their patients out. Geriatricians are very good at recognizing and helping treat dementia, Alzheimer's, and most vascular dementias.  They're actually better suited to treat it than neurologists because they are also generalists in the whole area. They're able to take a more big-picture approach. They can stay involved with the families and get them connected to the resources they need, more than just do a cognitive evaluation once a year and give them medicine. For family medicine or internal medicine physicians that have patients that are of the geriatric population or have geriatric syndromes such as Parkinson's disease and certain types of early-onset dementia, you would benefit from a geriatrician. Other specialties they work the closest with include cardiology, ophthalmology, and neurology, and gastroenterology. She also works with nephrology but not as much. They also work closely with trauma surgeons because so much of the geriatric trauma are related to unrecognized geriatric syndromes. Getting a geriatrician involved can medicate delirium and help the patients get on the right track. [30:30] Special Opportunities Outside of Clinical Medicine One opportunity is being an expert witness. Shannon only does defense. There's a lot of physicians, especially academic physicians that are on the plaintiff side. For instance, if a geriatric person had a fall in a nursing home and a bad outcome, the family goes and sues. So she does the defense and expert witness if she's asked to. [31:45] Most and Least Liked Things What Shannon wished she knew about the specialty that she knows now is that the system is not great for geriatric patients. And Shannon thinks it's even gotten a lot worse. If she had to do it all over again, she would still have gone into geriatrics. She just wished she had known how things would change in the system for the worse.  For her, it would have been easier to accept things if she knew about it going in, sort of like an informed consent process. Just like when she didn't know she had to take the family medicine boards every ten years that doesn't even apply to geriatric patients. So she was really frustrated about it. And had she known it, it would have been a different story. There's a disconnect between the general population's understanding of how the medical system works and how the system actually works. What she likes the most about being a geriatrician is the patient population. It's fun to be dealing with people. You get to know them and their families. She likes how these people have a lot of wisdom. If you go into it with a sense of humor, you can have a lot of fun with it. On the flip side, what she likes the least about her specialty is the system. She really believes how detrimental the system is to the patient population. It's a growing population and it's costly.  Eventually, she wants to get involved in advocacy for changing the system because she really doesn't think we can sustain the way we do things now. [37:08] Major Changes in the Field Shannon admits that she stopped subscribing to the Journal of American Geriatrics Society as she didn't see it necessary. She doesn't think there are major changes in the field but she hopes that there will be changes in terms of the system and Medicare.  On a side note, Shannon also does hospice, which a lot of geriatricians do because of a similar mentality. And she really hopes politics will recognize the need for qualified geriatricians. [39:15] Final Words of Wisdom It's one of the most fascinating medical fields you can go into. You have to constantly use your mind and be an expert at pharmacology and psychiatry in some ways. The physiology is fascinating as well as the pathophysiology. So if you love to think and you love relationships, it's a great field for you.  But be aware that everybody is different in terms of their student debt burden and the kind of support systems. That being said, it's not the field that's going to make you the most money the fastest. Links: Meded Media

Shannon Miles is an advocate for people to have a career AND the flexibility they crave to keep their priorities in a healthy order. She is the CEO and Co-founder of BELAY, a staffing company serving businesses all over the U.S. When Shannon faced an all too common, yet emotional decision to stay home with her new baby or return to a fast-paced, demanding career (that she loved), she knew that there had to be a way to have both. Shannon first asked her boss if she could work part-time from home and her boss said “no”. She resolved not to accept that initial “no” as final but rather stuck to her convictions and proposed the same plan to her boss' boss. He said ‘yes' and she began planning how to make her schedule and workplace more flexible a reality by creating what she calls “The Third Option” – having a career and a family and succeeding at both. With her personal experience as a driver, the idea evolved for an innovative staffing company where all employees and contractors work remotely from their home office. Shannon and her husband, Bryan, cashed in their 401(k)s in 2010 and founded BELAY. The company has exploded to 700+ team members, all working from home, pursuing their own Third Option while serving BELAY's 1,400+ clients. Without an office, BELAY has graced the Inc. 5000 list four times and was awarded the number one spot in Entrepreneur Magazine's Best Company Culture. Shannon's new book The Third Option: Why a Woman Doesn't Have to Choose Between a Career and Family, but Can Actually Have Both and Succeed is now available. In The Third Option, Shannon shares how she took a leap of faith to create a flexible career that gives meaning to both her work and her family, and she shows how you too can accomplish the same. What you'll learn about in this episode: Why Shannon feels passionate about helping people integrate their family and personal life with their successful career How Shannon managed to turn a temporary, part-time work-from-home solution into a long term answer to her struggles with balancing career and family Why a remote work solution can be ideal for certain personalities, and how the workforce is beginning to embrace work-from-home arrangements How Shannon and her husband Brian founded BELAY, how they structured the company, and why it works What benefits come from bringing outsourced contractors into your business, and what benefits the contractors see from the arrangement Why Shannon considers serving others to be the essence of her work, and how she came to be co-CEO of her company with her husband What advice Shannon would offer to a couple looking to start or go into business together Why Shannon and Brian try to remove themselves from their business as much as possible, bringing in other leaders to help run it Why Shannon and Brian focus on a family vision of someday being able to travel with their children and grandchildren How to work with BELAY, either as remote support staff or as a business looking to use BELAY for your staffing needs Additional resources: The Third Option by Shannon Miles: https://amzn.to/2IpFoAV Website: www.mythirdoption.com Website: www.belaysolutions.com

I have been looking forward to putting today’s conversation in your ears for a long time. Shannon Miles joins me around the table. She is the CEO and Co-founder of Belay which is a staffing company serving businesses all over the US.    When Shannon faced an all too common, yet emotional decision to stay home with her new baby or return to a fast-paced, demanding career (that she loved), she knew that there had to be a way to have both. Shannon shares her story and advice on how she didn’t take no for an option. We talk about her book titled “The Third Option” which is all about figuring out how to have both a career and family. We talk about what to do when you feel stuck and how to figure out that next step.   If you enjoyed today’s episode, would you take a screenshot and share it on your favorite social channels and tag me. I’m @sarahwbragg on Instagram and SurvivingSarahPodcast on Facebook. That’s an easy way to support the show. Another thing you could do is to leave a 5 star rating and review on iTunes. Your review will help other women who feel alone or depleted find encouragement.    You can find links to everything we talked about and discussion questions to complement today’s episode online at SarahBragg.com. While you’re there, be sure to sign up for my monthly newsletter in which I send out the details to my own survival kit. Maybe something that is helping me survive will help you, too. And since we talked about planners, if you’d like a FREE resource to help you plan your day, your week and your meals, go to SarahBragg.com/planner and download your FREE planner pages today!

On this episode of the Early Accountability Podcast, we are joined by Shannon Beacham, a doula, breastfeeding coach, and owner of Pregnancy with Mrs. B., focusing on holistic women’s health. When Shannon became a mom, she suddenly realized how much she loved being a mother and her passion for helping other women feel the same was sparked. Through her own experience with young children, she became aware of the importance of self-care, and she now integrates the health of body, mind, and spirit into her services to other moms who struggle to prioritize self-care. In addition to helping women feel excited and empowered by their birthing and breastfeeding experiences, Shannon homeschools her kids and helps her family maintain a vegan diet. While she relies on organization to keep her on track, she also recognizes that things do not always go as planned, so being flexible and having a sense of humor are her keys to daily success. Shannon has learned through her own endeavors the importance of finding a supportive community for whatever journey she is on: entrepreneurship, coaching, homeschooling, vegan eating, herbal medicines, etc. She encourages others who are starting a journey to reach out to others who are farther down the road and commit to reaching your goal. Topics Covered in this Episode: • Empowered birthing and breastfeeding • Homeschooling • Finding a supportive community • Starting a new journey • Self-care for moms

Shannon Shue is a Los Angeles based realtor and investor with a passion for international food and an insatiable wanderlust that’s brought her on adventures around the world. In just her first few years as an agent she’s smashed sales records and achieved MEGA agent status. When Shannon’s not helping her clients buy and sell real estate, you’ll find her teaching women how to invest through her Meetup group or eating her way through every mom and pop eatery in the city to find the perfect Vietnamese Spring Roll. Contact her

We recorded this episode shortly after Erik had just returned from New York City where he circumnavigated all of Manhattan in a kayak to promote the No Barriers Summit that took place in October 2018. He took interviews along the way as journalists and you can read more and see some photos here. Erik, Dave, and Jeff dove in with Shannon asking about her and her daughter’s website and how they came up with the name: “endangered activists.” Shannon shares her love of activism with her daughter and decided to encourage her passion for animals and so, they built a project around this passion. “Perhaps activism is also an endangered species” Most of the time, Shannon explains, people find activism overwhelming and, especially in this day and age with all that is going on, it can seem like too much work to be involved. And instead, people become apathetic. But Shannon’s goal is to get people (including her daughter) to blast through this apathy, find their passion, and start working towards a goal or project to bring about change. When Shannon was college age - she had dreams of being a dancer or a sports therapist and then, at age 18, she had an incredibly traumatic life altering experience when she was raped and nearly killed. This event would shape her trajectory in ways she couldn't foresee at the time. After living abroad for 10 years, getting married, having a baby, and returning to Colorado, Shannon receives horrible news. Her younger sister was raped while at college. She starts looking into how common this occurrence is and discovers that violence against women is extremely common on college campuses and, spurred by wanting to change this and other alarming gender violence stats, “almost overnight” she became an activist. She chose to focus on Afghanistan after learning they have some of the worst records of gender violence and human rights violations. “The activism has always been in me but I wasn’t putting it to use in the world.” Her first step was learning and collecting data. She made contacts that helped her meet locals from all walks of life in the community - everyone from women in prison, folks in parliament, teachers, and other activists and heard their stories. She chose to travel without security in order to help break down those initial barriers to human connection. Over time she developed a network and decided her next step was to highlight what regular Afghans were doing and in particular, the youth, since they are the future. Little by little, Shannon was developed her cause by taking on small projects, all of which involved storytelling and evolved into street-art in and sport activism in particular. “No matter how different my projects have seemed it all comes back to the power of voice and the power of storytelling.” “One of my better qualities is that I thrive in the deep-end ….I like the puzzle of figuring things out. The idea of becoming an activist was just another puzzle to tackle.” As she spoke to more individuals and traveled the country she of course experienced dangerous or risky situations but overall she was blown away on the resilience and tenacity of the Afghans she met: “Just as you’re exposed to the worst of humanity you simultaneously are experiencing the best of humanity.” She started speaking to women in prisons who were often jailed for so called “morality crimes.” For example: being sexually assaulted or domestically beaten and she reflected upon her own experience and how despite the trauma she endured she was lucky that the USA doesn’t punish victims in the eyes of the law. The women were incredibly open and wanted to share their stories and she began to value the importance of bearing witness even more: “We look upon “victims” as something less than, people that we have to help, nurture, and hold up and that is demeaning and patronizing. People who are victimized and have to struggle are typically the strongest people that I know, have the most resiliency, and the most capacity to change, if we give them the tools, allow them to own their own voice, their own story and allow them to share that.” Erik is intrigued by Shannon’s quest to bring riding bikes to the women of Afghanistan and how she pursued this goal. As a mountain bike rider in Colorado, she was blown away that nobody seemed to be taking advantage of the beautiful terrain in Afghanistan and realized that despite other huge leaps forward in the workforce and other areas of society, it was still completely unheard of for women to ride bikes. She decided to lead by example. She brought her bike overseas and just started riding, striking up conversations everywhere she went which would lead to dinners, and coffee and more conversation, and even other men and boys who would ride with her. Five years later (after continuing to ride) she met the first generation of women who were riding bikes in Kabul as part of Afghan National Cycling Team. She met with their coach who, it turns out, was training both men and women. And now, despite the persistence of old stereotypes and physical harassment, young women in Afghanistan are taking a stand and riding bikes - changing their culture and making history on two wheels. This road to activism is not always easy, or instantly rewarding, or lucrative and it takes constant work and grit to succeed. She suggests that for others who are on the sidelines that want to get involved and feel overwhelmed: just start. Pick a passion and see how you can make small changes, even if it’s just locally, to affect change: “Each action seems insignificant on its own….but when you look back and realize all the people that are putting their drops of water in the bucket: that’s how we’re making change.” As Shannon progressed in her pursuits in Afghanistan she slowly started to accept what a strong role her own sexual assault played in helping her find this line of work. “The things that happen to us, that we see as the worst of the worst, are also the catalyst for change in us.” Her other tips include ignoring other people’s doubts about your choices and your decisions, to stay true to your vision, and to surround yourself with people that know more than you. Start the process, get comfortable feeling vulnerable, and stay strong in your fight to make a difference and overcome apathy. Visit Shannon's website: endangeredactivism.org Learn more about her film, Afghan Cycles, now touring the film festival circuit. Read her book, Mountain to Mountain, about her work in Afghanistan.

Shannon has always had an interest in women's advocacy. She earned her Master's degree from Yale University in women's studies and religion. She worked in non-profit management for several years. It wasn't until she moved to Finland that she realized she wanted a more flexible working schedule that would allow her to travel whenever she wanted. She also started her popular travel blog, Tramontane Travel which fueled her passion for writing and photography. When Shannon and her husband moved back to the US, she knew she didn't want to go back to a traditional 9 - 5 job so she followed in her mother's footsteps and became a flight attendant. Her followers on Instagram love the behind-the-scenes life of a flight attendant as well as her travels around the world.   

Episode 12: Adopting While Black From 1999-2017, the total number of adoptions in the United States totaled 271,831, with most adoptions being from birth up to 2 years old, and more girls being adopted than boys. In 2016, 9988 Black or African American children were adopted in the US, compared to 27776 children identifying as White. Over a 13-year period, from 2009-2012, Texas remained one of the top 5 states for adoption, having 13920 adoptees. In 2017, the number of adoptees in Texas was 406. Today, we will be talking with one mother who adopted two African American children, from different states. We will discuss her choice behind adopting.   Guest Momologist: Shannon Powell Hart Shannon Powell Hart has lived throughout the United States, sharing stories as a journalist. Hart’s career began at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, where she studied radio, TV, and film. The next two decades were filled with opportunities working on-air for stations in Washington, D.C.: Lynchburg, Va.; Greenville, S.C.; Baltimore, Md.: and WFAA in Dallas, TX. The former producer/reporter of Good Morning Texas has since transitioned as Marketing Manager for the Texas Ale Project, a veteran and family-owned brewery in Dallas. When Shannon isn’t educating us on the brewing techniques, the mom of 2 loves evenings at the Coyote Drive-In in Fort Worth with her husband and their 3-1/2-month-old son Zachary, 11-month old Zoe, and crafting, and finding time with friends. Please reach out to the show hosts to be connected to Shannon.   Episode Sponsor: Gladney This episode is sponsored in part by the Gladney Center. Since 1887, Gladney Center for Adoption has been a pioneer and leading voice for improving the lives of children, adoptive families and birth parents. With unwavering commitment, Gladney has focused on their mission and made a difference in the lives of birth parents, families and children in the United States and around the world. Gladney believes every child deserves a loving & caring family and will not rest until all children know the love and stability of a forever home. Visit www.adoptionsbygladney.com/start and request a free adoption information packet today!   Sources: Adoption Statistics, United States Department of the State: Bureau of the Consular Affairs. Retrieved from: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/Intercountry-Adoption/adopt_ref/adoption-statistics.html   National Public Radio (NPR) Six Words: ‘Black Babies cost less to adopt’ Published 2013 June 27. Retrieved on https://www.npr.org/2013/06/27/195967886/six-words-black-babies-cost-less-to-adopt     SxSW Panel Picker: https://panelpicker.sxsw.com/vote/81148 Please vote for Mahogany Momology to join SxSW speakers in March. We are looking to present on the reality that black moms change in a variety of ways throughout the day. You do need to create an account in order to vote. SXSW Voting began on August 6, 2018 and continues through August 30. We thank our listeners for voting and your unwavering support.   Continue the Discussion, Download, Subscribe, Rate, Like, Follow Us, and Share on: Twitter: @MMomology Insta: @mahoganymomology FB: @MahoganyMomology Email Us: Mahoganymomology@gmail.com   Recording Studio: Greenville Ave Recording Studio Website: http://www.greenvilleaverecordingstudio.com/

Shannon McDowell explains why you should experience Via Ferrata in the Dolomites Shannon McDowell (2-time world champion in Ultimate Frisbee), shared her experience of via ferrata climbing the Dolomites in Italy. You may be wondering what via ferrata climbing is. Via ferrata is a lot like rock climbing, but when you climb via ferrata there is a fixed line that you clip into. There is a device you bring with you called a via ferrata device which has an attachment that you use to clip into the rope into the via ferrata. Via Ferrata means "iron path" which dates back to the metal ladders in the mountains in WW1. window.dojoRequire(["mojo/signup-forms/Loader"], function(L) { L.start({"baseUrl":"mc.us19.list-manage.com","uuid":"c98f8ee80dad6b3294c16e167","lid":"2d6f35300e","uniqueMethods":true}) }) Shannon and her teammates spent a week in the northern Dolomite region climbing via ferrata and it was an adventure to remember. They visited a few areas of the northern Dolomites, the lower dolomites (which has more rolling hills) and the upper dolomites that were more mountainous. When you go via ferrata climbing, you want to select your route at least the night before. It may be a 30 minute to a couple of hour hike to get to the via ferrata route. Shannon and her teammates chose routes that would take about half a day. When Shannon went it was mid-august and thunderstorms were showing up in the afternoon, they got an early start each day. Shannon's favorite part about the trip was experiencing the history of the Dolomites. This area was part of WW1 and has an extensive history here. Where do people go Via Ferrata Climbing? Via ferrata climbing is very popular in Europe and isn't very popular in the United States, yet. The climbing traditions in the US has the goal of leaving the rock the way it was in the 'leave no trace' idea. In Europe, they are more open to adding ladders and line to help others experience the rock in a new way. The Dolomites in northern Italy is top via ferrata climbing spot, and is a magical place you should experience. Where Can You Stay when going Via Ferrata in the Dolomites? The refugio/rifugio is a cabin that is managed by an Italian and these cabins may be right along a highway or in the wilderness. They are like a bread and breakfast. You can buy breakfast or dinner while you're there and is a great home base while you're there. Some refugios have private rooms you can rent and other refugios are bunk bed style like a hostel. Refugios are like hostels, but a bit more adult friendly. You could also camp when doing via ferrata in the Dolomites. Roadway camping in northern Italy has pull outs on the road and camping there is free. These roads are small and windy and may not be the best roads to bring a trailer. You could also do a multi-day camping trip in the Dolomite National Park and have an experience you would never forget. How do you get to the Dolomites? You can fly into Milan, Venice, or you could fly into Munich or Zurich airports in Switzerland. You should do a cost analysis and see which is the best to fly into for you as well as what other adventures you want to have while you're over there. Shannon recommends renting a car to get into the Dolomites and having a car is a great way to get around. Also, you drive on the right side of the road in Italy, so if that's what you're used to, you'll be alright. What type of Climbing Gear Do You Need for Via Ferrata the Dolomites? Shannon recommends bringing shoes with a stiffer sole like hiking shoes. You can also bring rock climbing shoes. If you are a beginner, you definitely don't need to go buy new rock climbing shoes. You should purchase your own via ferrata device of your own. It is a very important safety gear. Check out Black Diamond for via ferrata climbing devices. You should bring a climbing rope in case you fall on your via ferrata device so you can belay yourself down if you fall on a via ferrata device.

066: Online Scheduling Tool for Yoga Teachers with Jane Crites   When Shannon began The Connected Yoga Teacher podcast she had a vision to create a safe and supportive community for yoga teachers along with great content shared on a weekly basis. Shannon didn't have immediate plans to find a sponsor but knew that the podcast's sponsor would have to offer services that she herself used and about which she could speak passionately. Shannon also felt strongly that she wanted the service to be relevant to yoga teachers. Schedulicity, an online booking application and scheduling tool that Shannon has used since 2011, checked all the boxes.   Through a consultation call with her business coach Natalie Eckdahl of BizChix, she was encouraged to create a plan to monetize The Connected Yoga Teacher podcast. Shannon realized that she needed to focus on marketing and sponsorship as those elements would make the longevity of the podcast possible.   Today's guest is Schedulicity's Jane Crites, VP of Product. Jane began working for the company in 2007.  Shannon and Jane talk about Jane's love of yoga, upcoming enhancements to their services, the power of scheduling and more.   Jane does the work that lights her up in a position that allows her to problem-solve with customers. Jane has been instrumental in putting energy towards marketing to yoga teachers and studios as well as focusing on how Schedulicity's services can benefit yoga entrepreneurs.   Jane lives in Bozeman, Montana (also Schedulicity's headquarters), and describes the winter landscape as a frozen tundra but she wouldn't have it any other way. She has a variety of interests including yoga (sometimes hot yoga in the winter ☀), software development languages, has a whole foods plant-based culinary/nutrition certification and is excited to design and create a permaculture food forest in her front yard.   2:20 How Schedulicity became The Connected Yoga Teacher's sponsor   5:00 Shannon's journey to monetizing the podcast   7:15 About Jane Crites from Schedulicity   9:50 The origin of Schedulicity   10:10 Jane's experience working with Schedulicity   12:25  How Schedulicity is able to offer services for free   15:00 Is Jane finding an increase of yoga teacher and studio users?   16:05 How Schedulicity can serve new yoga teachers   17:55 Upcoming plans for Schedulicity enhancements like “Fill My Class” and community-based cross-promotional opportunities   21:25 How Jane and the Schedulicity team implement customer suggestions- including Shannon's :)   24:40 Creating your client database to help with marketing your classes   25:20 Jane's yoga journey and interest in yoga teacher training   28:40 Other Schedulicity RockStars' passion for yoga   29:55 Jane's advice for those thinking of trying Schedulicity   32:15 Shannon's key takeaways about the power of scheduling your one-on-ones and more   35:55 Exciting MamaNurture Teacher Training news!   Links   Jane's email: jane@schedulicity.com   Jane on LinkedIn   Schedulicity Website   Schedulicity on Facebook   The Connected Teacher Facebook Group   Follow The Connected Teacher on Youtube   Book a Consultation Call with Shannon   MamaNurture Teacher Training   Relevant Podcast Episodes:   020: Six Online Tools for Your Yoga Business with Shannon Crow   054: Launching a Podcast and Facebook Group with Shannon Crow   BizChix Podcast: 235: How I Monetize My Podcast and Platform   BizChix Podcast: 306: 7 Ways to Monetize a Podcast   Live Podcast Interview Video with Jane Crites & Shannon   Gratitude to our Sponsor Schedulicity

062: Buteyko Breathing with Steve Donald   When Shannon heard about Buteyko breathing she became curious and reached out to Steve Donald, one of the first Buteyko teachers in Canada. Steve had struggled with asthma throughout his life,  and it worsened as he grew older. He tried raw diets and supplements and some improvement was made but not sustained. In looking for an answer an internet search led him to learn about The Buteyko Method.   Impressed with the extent Buteyko helped him with his chronic condition Steve trained to teach Buteyko in 2006. He is the founding member of the Buteyko Breathing Educators Association ( BBEA) 2010 and was elected as BBEA president and board chair in 2016. Steve has been asked to speak to various groups, including yoga teachers and is preparing to hold teacher trainings in the Buteyko Method in the near future.   Buteyko is based on the concept that we breathe an excessive amount of air and it negatively impacts the function of our bodily systems. It is known as an asthma, sleep apnea and anxiety treatment; however, it is effective in treating a wide range of chronic health issues, as well as being good for general health and wellbeing.   Shannon and Steve discuss breath and the Buteyko method including what happens on a physiological level when we take a deep breath, how much air we should optimally be taking in per minute, and why Steve highly recommends nose breathing (even when engaging in physically demanding activities such as running). Shannon also asks Steve how the Buteyko Method can co-exist with yoga. 11:50 What led Steve to discover the Buteyko method   14:00 How much time does it take to incorporate the breathing exercises into your life   15:35 The theory behind Buteyko   17:00 Steve's process to incorporate Buteyko into his life despite his skepticism   19:40 Other alternative health attempts made by Steve to relieve his asthma symptoms   20:55 How to incorporate Buteyko breathing into your life and how much work is needed in order to maintain the benefits   22:20 Steve's experience as one of the first Buteyko teachers in Canada   23:20 Difference between yogic and Buteyko breathing and the possibility of incorporating Buteyko breathing with yoga   26:05 The culture of “take a deep breath” and what happens on a physiological level when you take in too much breath   30:00 How understanding respiratory physiology informs the understanding of blood pH and the effectiveness of Buteyko   33:50 How much a healthy adult should be breathing and how much those with chronic conditions breathe (liters per minute)   35:50 What Steve wants to share with yoga teachers   38:05 Why Steve believes large volume breathing isn't beneficial and the effect it has on those with asthma and anxiety   40:10 Nose breathing versus mouth breathing   44:40 A great yoga cue for breathing through the nose   45:35 What distinguishes Buteyko breathing from regular breathing   47:35 How to work with Steve and upcoming Buteyko trainings   51:45 Shannon's closing thoughts on breath Links   Steve's Website: Buteyko Toronto   Buteyko Toronto on Facebook   Buteyko Breathing Educators Association   Further Reading: Buteyko and Breathing   PDF: The Health Benefits of Nose Breathing by Dr. Alan Ruth   Article: 28 Reasons to Nose Breathe by Lisa Bowen   Gratitude to our Sponsor Schedulicity

061: Too Many Yoga Teachers? with Kimma Stark   When Shannon read Kimma Stark's thought-provoking blog post: What the World Needs Now is NOT ANOTHER YOGA TEACHER, she knew she wanted her on The Connected Yoga Teacher to share her perspective. Kimma, with great love and respect for those who own and/or manage yoga studios, questions the churning out of yoga teachers through the yoga studios who provide trainings in order to make ends meet.   With Kimma's experience managing four different studios she knows how difficult it is to create a business model that will ensure a studio's financial success. What she questions is the effect these trainings can have on the industry, the teachers and the students.   Shannon and Kimma also discuss the limitations of a 200-hour yoga teacher training, yogi trainings versus YTTs, the importance of always learning and finding inspiration as an established yoga teacher, embodying your teachings and much more.   For Kimma, teaching yoga is her full-time profession and says it has been “most rewarding, challenging, and meaningful work she has ever done.” She was intrigued by yoga from her very first experience, trying a hot yoga class in 2000. She moved on toward traditional formats and began teaching in 2008. Her teachings are grounded in yoga philosophy, anatomy and physiology.   She teaches private and group classes in Gentle Flow Vinyasa, Hatha, Yin, Restorative, Prenatal, and Kids Yoga classes along with Thai Massage in Cascais, Portugal. She has an Essential Elements retreat planned in Portugal for June 2018.   9:40 Kimma's early experience with yoga   13:30 Kimma's first teacher trainings   15:30  Kimma's early career in the high-paced corporate world of marketing and advertising   17:10 What led Kimma to write her article: What the World Needs Now is NOT ANOTHER YOGA TEACHER   20:20 Kimma's experience as studio manager and the business model of offering yoga teacher trainings as a way to make ends meet   22:45 Alternate trainings such as yogi trainings for those interested in delving into yoga but not necessarily teaching and the pressure to teach coming out of your first YTT   26:05 Kimma's move to Portugal and travels to Thailand and how teaching yoga can be a nomadic lifestyle   29:45 On continually learning and evolving as a yoga teacher and how students can sense when yoga teachers are embodying the yoga they teach   31:18 What 200-hour YTT Kimma would recommend   33:12 Other considerations when choosing a yoga teacher training and approaching yoga with an understanding of the light and dark (the yin and yang)   35:00 Why Kimma feels a 200-hour YTT is not enough   37:30 What would Kimma tell aspiring yoga teachers who have obstacles, such as distance and time, about taking a yoga teacher training and why Kimma has a concern with online training when starting out   39:44 The effect of studios offering yoga teacher trainings to make ends meet instead of offering unique teachings and the idea that teaching yoga is a service   44:30 Kimma's advice to teachers wanting to teach full-time     46:28 How to contact Kimma and her upcoming retreats   49:18 Shannon's closing thoughts and key takeaways   Links   Flowing Lotus Website   Flowing Lotus Yoga on Facebook   Kimma Stark's Resumé   Kimma's article: What the World Needs Now is NOT ANOTHER YOGA TEACHER   Frog Lotus International Yoga Teacher Training Programs   Fiverr- Freelance Services   The Connected Teacher Facebook Group   Follow The Connected Teacher on Youtube   Book a Consultation Call with Shannon   Accessible Yoga Conference in Toronto June 22nd-24th, 2018 Gratitude to our Sponsor Schedulicity

054: **Anniversary Episode ** Launching a Podcast and Facebook Group with Shannon Crow   Welcome to The Connected Yoga Teacher one-year anniversary episode! Episode 001 of The Connected Yoga Teacher was launched on February 24th, 2017 and here we are, just over one year later on episode 054. Shannon's vision to provide a platform for yoga teachers to connect between trainings has grown in a way that she could never have imagined. Always reading about and researching yoga topics, Shannon wanted to support other yoga teachers by sharing important and relevant information. She has invited a variety of guests to share valuable knowledge about a wide array of subject matters such as running a yoga business, pelvic health, eating disorders, yoga and social media, re-thinking stretching, and the importance of trauma-informed yoga. Shannon provides a behind-the-scenes look at creating and maintaining The Connected Yoga Teacher Facebook group and the work put into the podcast each and every week. She also shares more about herself; her vulnerabilities and her view on making mistakes. With much gratitude, we want to thank our listeners for taking this journey with us. Downloading the podcast and engaging with and supporting one another on The Connected Facebook Group keeps this community thriving. Thank you also to The Connected Yoga Teacher team -- Rob, Laura, Samantha and every single listener. 2:25 Shannon's journey that led her to the creating a podcast for yoga teachers and the fear that accompanied that   4:40 Brainstorming in her red journal and finding the common thread was wanting to help yoga teachers   5:10 Why Shannon thinks supporting other yoga teachers is so important   5:40 How Shannon got her ideas for topics- from yoga consulting, connecting with and interviewing experts, reading articles   6:40 The Connected Yoga Podcast team   9:55 If you're interested in making a podcast or creating content   10:05 Some of the content Shannon wanted to include in the podcast and choosing her guest   11:05 The Connected Yoga Teacher Facebook Group- creating and maintaining the group   12:05 Podcast listener and TCYT FB group member Barbara Peter's question for Shannon: “Would you please do a podcast about everything you do behind the scenes to make everything in The Connected Yoga Teacher group page so wildly successful. Every minute detail. Hold nothing back.”   13:00 Naming the podcast and making the choice to avoid asking others to join, hoping to grow the group organically   14:20 July 2017 (5 months into the podcast)- 346 members, a solid foundation had been built with Shannon working hard to keep the members engaged   14:55 Nov 2017 (9 months into the podcast) -1000 members, great questions and content posted regularly by members   15:35 February 2018 (the one-year anniversary of the podcast)- over 2000 people (100 people added just this week!)   15:40 3 question set-up for those that want to join a group, post questions to start discussions, post questions on behalf of other teachers   16:55 The challenge of making a welcome post that you can pin to the top of the group page, the purpose of the welcome post and tagging people in the group   18:25 Shannon's TCYT Facebook Group welcome post   20:40 Context of people's posts when it's in writing, in text, easy misunderstandings challenges in moderating the group   23:35 Online negativity and taking a look at your own reaction to posts, avoiding the knee-jerk reaction- “Can you say that in a more vulnerable way?”     Related episode: 051: Yoga and (Anti-) Social Media with Carol Horton, PhD   24:50 Question from Shelly Prosko of Prosko Physio Yoga: “My question for you relates to compassion and sense of community and connection...What is one thing that you've failed at or made a mistake of you're struggling with right now if you can get a little vulnerable if you feel comfortable…”   27:25 Shannon reflects her on making mistakes, owning up to them, embracing them, how her view of mistakes has changed over time   36:15 When Shannon thought she was ready to launch the podcast and what she still had to consider   Related Episode: 005: Set and Achieve Big Goals with Natalie Eckdahl   37:50 Steps needed make TCYT podcast   42:20 How Shannon got Schedulicity as a sponsor   44:30 Automation and engaging with guests and listeners through emails   46:40 Show notes and our desire to have a great summary, quotes, timestamps and links   47:50 How profit can be made through podcasts   48:40 Shannon's began using Facebook Live as a way to engage her audience   49:30 Shannon's Facebook Launch Party Event   51:40 TCYT downloads statistics   52:50 Shannon's final thoughts and voicemail by TCYT podcast listener Haunani Drake   Contact us:   Email: info@theconnectedyogateacher   Voicemail: The Connected Yoga Teacher Website (click on the ‘Send Shannon a Voicemail') Links   Seth Godin's Podcast 01: Akimbo- The Grand Opening- a great episode about launching a podcast   Dr. Kristin Neff's website: Self-Compassion.org   Accessible Yoga Conference- June 22nd-24th, 2018 at the University of Toronto   Related TCYT Podcast Episodes:   051: Yoga and (Anti-) Social Media with Carol Horton, PhD   009: Kegels, Mula Bandha and Pelvic Health with Shelly Prosko   005: Set and Achieve Big Goals with Natalie Eckdahl   Facebook Live Show: The Connected Yoga Teacher   The Connected Teacher Facebook Group   The Connected Yoga Teacher Launch Party Facebook Event Page   The Connected Yoga Teacher Launch Party Facebook Event Video   Mama Nurture Teacher Training (RPYT)   Gratitude to our Sponsor Schedulicity

This week’s episode focuses on the 3HAG. As many of you might be familiar with a 10+ year BHAG, the Big Hairy Audacious Goal, our 3HAG is not too far off from this concept. How do you effectively structure your mid-term goals? Today’s expert guest has some tips for you! Shannon Susko has more than 20 years of experience building and leading high-growth technology companies in the financial services industry. She is also a Senior Gazelles Coach and has a ton of experience helping business leaders put strategies in place to achieve their 3HAG and BHAGs! When Shannon was the CEO of her first company, she had to stand in front of her team, her shareholders, and investors to discuss the company’s BHAG. However, you have to do more than just exclaim it, you also have to prove you can do it. This is where the 3HAG comes in and it is how it helped Shannon make the long-term goal achievable and believable. The reason most companies do not even have a 3HAG is due to fear of failure. That’s a lot of pressure for a CEO and nothing good comes from having their three-year goals fall short in the eyes of his or her investors. The BHAG is the first strategic goal, but the 3HAG brings everything together. As Shannon says, it’s like the pivot point. Shannon and her team decided to map out 36 months, 12 quarters, of what the key milestones were going to be in order for them to put the strategy in place. They also studied the current climate of the market throughout these months to ensure they were still on track with their target audience. During this time, the 3HAG helped Shannon and her team stay focused and all the decisions in the company were striving to hit those goals. After about five years of incorporating that framework, the company was able to take a very successful exit. Shannon’s second company experienced similar success, except within a shorter timeframe, due to this framework. Three years and three months to the day, she was able to sell the company and reap the rewards of another huge exit. Interview Links: Shannonsusko.com More Resources: Scaling Up for Business Growth Workshops: Take the first step to mastering the Rockefeller Habits by attending one of our workshops. Scaling Up Website Gazelles Website Bill on YouTube

When Shannon told his personal story of infidelity to the public, it was only his side of the story. Even years after the affairs, he didn't know Cindy's true feelings or point of view. Andy talks with creative mogul Alex Bogusky about how to advertise real love.

Shannon wants to live in a world filled with endless creativity, non- stop outdoor adventures and an endless supply of red wine and dark chocolate.  Currently she is the Director of Brand Experience for a creative agency.   In this role Shannon works with clients to build dynamic brands and brings them to life in engaging and memorable ways through end to end customer experience strategies.   When Shannon’s not training for her next triathlon you can find her planning her next adventure with her dashing husband of 10 years,  jumping on the trampoline with her energetic daughter or answering the question “why” for  the kajillion time for her spirited 5 year old son.   On this interview with Dr. Melissa Longo, Shannon discusses her experience with the roller coaster of motherhood, being a united force with her husband in parenting their children as individuals, and setting goals for themselves as a family unit. Shannon also shared how dealing with an unusual viral infection from a travel experience challenged her health, but how the recovery process enabled her to create a support system, learn to ask for help, and shape her life in a more balanced way. In an entertaining end to the show Shannon shares some hilarious mom hacks guaranteed to make you smile! This was a fun episode, check it out!