She Is A Leader - The Podcast

Yvonne Heimann [00:00:00]:
In this eye opening episode with Shannon Russell, we discover how this former TV producer for MTV transformed her career to become a business coach, helping women transition from employee to entrepreneur. Shannon shares how, despite living her childhood dream on television for 16 years, working celebrity red carpets and producing shows like MTV Spring Break, everything changed when she became a mother of two. The constant travel, the missed birthdays, and sacrifice became too much. What makes Shannon's story so powerful is her realization. I'm going to produce my own life. I've done it for multimillion dollar shows. I can figure out how to do it for my own life. Our conversation explores why women often stay stuck in careers that no longer serves them, how worthiness plays a critical role in making changes, and how Shannon's straightforward advice for those feeling ready but uncertain about their second act.

Yvonne Heimann [00:01:17]:
For anyone questioning if they should remain in a situation that feels misaligned with their true desire, this conversation offers practical wisdom from someone who successfully navigated that exact journey and now helps you do the same. And with that, I want to introduce you to Shannon Russell. And seriously, ladies, everybody listening. I already can tell you, by all the things that just happened in the green room, Shannon is amazing. Not only that, and by all the green room issues I had today, that just means it's going to be the most interesting episode ever. Now, you're gonna hear about that here in just a second. Let me introduce you to Shannon first before we dive into all the fun that we already had behind the scenes. Shannon Russell is a career transition and business coach.

Yvonne Heimann [00:02:17]:
You also author of the book start your second act girl, I feel you on that one, talking about how to change careers, launch a business, and create your best life. You are also the host of the Second Act Success Career podcast. And after spending 16 years as a TV producer, Shannon has pivoted to open her own business and her coaching practice. You support women who are unhappy in their 9 to 5 and want to pivot into their second act, building a business they love. And Shannon provides really that exit strategy guidance and helps her clients transition from entrepreneur from employee to entrepreneur. Entrepreneur is the goal. With all of that, it is to no surprise that Shannon had a great laugh with me in the green room as pretty much anything and everything went wrong. But fortunately, with you being a host too, you know that sometimes things just go wonky and we end up getting to tell the story of it.

Yvonne Heimann [00:03:27]:
Shannon, I am so happy. First of all, you got to entertain me with everything going on that could go on and coming on today. Thank you so much for joining me.

Shannon Russell [00:03:37]:
It's already been so much fun. I'm telling you, we're going to have a great conversation. Thank you for having me.

Yvonne Heimann [00:03:43]:
We had. We had some amazing laughs. And one of my favorite questions is, did little Shannon ever think she's gonna end up here? What did she think she's gonna be when she grows up?

Shannon Russell [00:03:56]:
Oh, that's a fun one. Actually. She wanted to be in Hollywood, so she just wanted to be an actress or be in tv, but never an entrepreneur ever. So my first act, I was in tv, so that accomplished. But, yeah, never here working from home and being a business coach.

Yvonne Heimann [00:04:14]:
Yeah, I think it's. It's often so interesting, which is why I love this question. It's like, so many of us didn't ever. I'm like, I never thought I'm like, gonna be an entrepreneur. I'm like, do I really want to? Till I then realized that I don't do well with bosses. So there isn't much of a different chance for me here. And just see how. How it comes together, how we pivot.

Yvonne Heimann [00:04:40]:
And I'm curious how. How did that change happen? I'm like, TV production, I can think of multiple. Different way. This is. That TV production is. Is a stressful job. I'm like, I've. I've just got a little bit exposure to this, but to not put words into your mouth, how, slash.

Yvonne Heimann [00:05:04]:
Why did you make that transition?

Shannon Russell [00:05:06]:
Yeah, like I said, it was my dream since I was really little, so I was very blessed to actually get into the industry and have a successful career for 16 years. But. And it was amazing. I mean, dream job for sure. I loved it all, but it's a lot of travel, really long hours. You miss things in your personal life. Weddings and, you know, going to see your family. There's just a lot of sacrifices.

Shannon Russell [00:05:28]:
And I think for me, when I had my first son, I was still living in Los Angeles, and we were the first of our friends to have kids, and it was quite a shock. So we ended up moving back to the east coast to be closer to my family and continue to work in New York City. But still, when I had. When I had my second son, that's when everything changed. I realized, okay, no more missing birthdays or Halloween. Like, I need to stop sacrificing and start being a present mom. And I started having that mindset shift of, okay, I've done it. I can check the box.

Shannon Russell [00:06:02]:
I accomplished it. What's next? What's that next adventure? And once I did that, I. I was ready to let it go and try something new.

Yvonne Heimann [00:06:10]:
You mentioned, I love the wording where you were like, I was ready to let go. Do you. Do you think some of us might just get stuck in the. It was my dream. It's supposed to be my dream. I'm supposed to be doing this. This is right. I can do the trade off.

Yvonne Heimann [00:06:29]:
It's okay. I can make it work. Do you. Do you think we as women have a tendency to just go with something even if it doesn't align?

Shannon Russell [00:06:36]:
I think whether we like it or not, we just want to stay complacent because it's easy for everyone around us. Right. Because we take care of everyone around us and we're in charge. And so, yeah, absolutely. I think staying stuck because it's the easier route and it's more comfortable is what keeps a lot of us in the same place, even if we're unhappy.

Yvonne Heimann [00:06:56]:
And I think part of this. And here comes our green women. We were talking about me. Me feeling stuck in San Diego. And by the time I finally made a decision, it only took two and a half weeks to pretty much pack everything up and get out of there. I think that's where. Where I'm personally also a little bit different. And I see you being different because you made the same decision.

Yvonne Heimann [00:07:20]:
It's kind of like human nature of staying where it's comfortable. And comfortable is what we know.

Shannon Russell [00:07:28]:
Oh, yeah.

Yvonne Heimann [00:07:29]:
What's your take on that?

Shannon Russell [00:07:31]:
Yeah, and it's. But it's, I think when we have a chance to sit and talk to ourselves, and I'm sure you experienced that even in San Diego, of saying, wait a second, am I happy? Is everything okay right now? Am I where I want to be? And when we have that conversation and we realize that we're not, it's okay to say, well, what else is there? And explore that. Whether or not you ever make that change, at least allow yourself to explore what else you could do. Because there couldn't be a lot of joy on the other side of that fear if you're willing to push through. Right.

Yvonne Heimann [00:08:02]:
How do you bring all of that perception and experience into your business nowadays?

Shannon Russell [00:08:10]:
You know what I think, because I. I mean, there was a year when I left television before I opened my first business, which was a franchise business, and I was doing lots of the wrong missteps. I say, I mean, learning lessons now, looking back, but I was getting the 9 to 5 job because I thought that would be stable. I was getting going for a master's degree because why not be a teacher? Those are really that's a stable career. Stuff that just didn't feel right. But I was trying to make it fit. And I think I take all of that experience and really say like, okay, I was able to not grieve my first act or my first career, but say I accomplished that. I'm still the same person.

Shannon Russell [00:08:50]:
Our career is not our identity. I'm going to take that experience and I'm going to see how I can make those skills and experience transition into something else. And because I was able to do it with that first business, I said, woo, I want to start another one. And now I'm going to help other women do it. Because I saw in friends and customers and everyone just felt like, well, I'm going to stay stuck. I'm going to wait until a perfect time. And I just wanted to say, there is no perfect time. Like, just give yourself the credit you deserve and try.

Yvonne Heimann [00:09:23]:
And I'm so bad for everybody that's just listening. I couldn't help but giggle here a second ago. If you're watching the video, you saw it because it's like, I'm, I'm, I'm guilty of it. I'm guilty of the, oh yeah, I'm happy when. Oh yeah, I'm fulfilled when.

Yvonne Heimann [00:09:43]:
I'm like, it's not how this goes, unfortunately, where it's like, ah, so yeah, it's like another episode I just recorded comes to mind where it's like, I wish we could relay those lessons we've been through without the pain of getting there. And sometimes it's just, sometimes people just have to learn their own lessons and on their own time and unfortunately can't learn from ours. However, fortunately, there's also a lot of people that do learn from our lessons. So tell me, tell me about that transition. I want to hear a little bit more about coming out of being TV producer. I'm like, I, I imagine the whole. Not like, not like the whole Golden Globe and Oscar and all the thing, red carpet, but a lower version of it. I'm like, I was involved in the, in the B movie scene and a little bit.

Yvonne Heimann [00:10:48]:
So I'm like, that's a lot. There's a lot of traveling going on. There's a lot of peopleing and going on. There's a lot going on. And then you move into this franchise business and then moving into your own business. What I'm assuming there was probably A Shannon version 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 in there. A lot of lessons, a lot of mindset work and all the things going on. I would love to hear about that time.

Yvonne Heimann [00:11:20]:
How did you change? Who was Shannon at that time?

Shannon Russell [00:11:25]:
Yeah, so. So when I was in television and I still like to say to people, I'm still a producer. Right. I could produce tomorrow if Oprah called. Right. We are still what we've done in the past. But yeah, it was, I worked in reality, I worked at MTV most of my career. I worked in entertainment news.

Shannon Russell [00:11:42]:
So I did do a lot of the red carpets and fun. So it was all that fun. That celebrity, that travel, I mean, stories for days that I could tell and that, you know, and it was before the MeToo movement. So you can just imagine, like some of the things are really crazy experiences, but really just an incredible time. But then, you know, you become a mom and you've got two little kids and suddenly producing an MTV spring break in Cancun just seemed a little wrong or a little different. And so I started thinking there's gotta be. I want to figure out my next act, be present with the kids and not be that 56 year old, 50 or 60 year old on the beach doing spring breaks. Like I wanted to make my change before someone else pushed me out the door.

Shannon Russell [00:12:34]:
So I, I just started thinking about what else I could do. But I had my husband and my friends that were all in the industry and looked at me like I was crazy. So I had to say like, no, guys, like, let me figure this out. I'm going to figure out what was next. And it took this one moment, I remember just sitting. I was at that 9 to 5 job that was super toxic and awful and I was sitting in my car to get away during lunch, just crying and going, there's gotta be more. Like, I cannot do this for 16 more years. You know, like, this is not so it was then that I really was like, you know what? I'm gonna produce my own life.

Shannon Russell [00:13:10]:
Like I've done it for multi million dollar shows. Let me figure out how to do it for my life.

Yvonne Heimann [00:13:15]:
I'm like, I didn't. Oh my God. Yeah, I swear, if you guys are just listening to the podcast, you need to see my faces on video. Because it's like, yeah, I've done. My late husband was a producer, right? So it's. I, I know what you are talking about. Physically, I've lived part of it. And the moment, if everybody, anybody listening and didn't see my face, the moment you said I'm gonna produce my life, I was like, holy fuck.

Yvonne Heimann [00:13:46]:
I didn't even think about it like that because that's what you do. That's what manifesting is. You are producing the reality you want.

Shannon Russell [00:13:57]:
And knowing you're worthy to do so. Right. Giving yourself. Go.

Yvonne Heimann [00:14:01]:
You with the mic drops today.

Shannon Russell [00:14:04]:
Oh, sorry. Yeah, I know.

Yvonne Heimann [00:14:06]:
Good one.

Shannon Russell [00:14:07]:
Thanks. Yeah, true though, right? We don't give ourselves that permission.

Yvonne Heimann [00:14:13]:
Damn. Okay. Yeah, we're gonna. We're gonna have to pull some damn quotes out of this one. Holy cannoli. You'll be. Did I mention she's gonna bring the fire? I told you guys. It's.

Yvonne Heimann [00:14:25]:
I'm literally sitting here with goosebumps right now because. Yeah, that's. That's first of all, what manifesting is about. You decide what you want, and you produce it accordingly. And, yeah, we are worth it. Now, here's. Here's my question. Here's my question.

Shannon Russell [00:14:43]:
Keep them coming.

Yvonne Heimann [00:14:44]:
Shannon might hate me after this question. Oh, did you always think and feel like you deserve it?

Shannon Russell [00:14:54]:
Yes. Is that bad?

Yvonne Heimann [00:14:56]:
No, it's not. It's not. I celebrate everybody that. That had this assurance I'm somebody that had to do a lot to get to the point. Point of getting that feeling, so. Girl, there is no. There is. We are not feeling guilty about this.

Yvonne Heimann [00:15:12]:
Oh, hell no. We celebrate this because

Shannon Russell [00:15:16]:
My parents have always been the people that are like, you can do it. And I was the black sheep of the family, the first to go to college, the first to leave my hometown and do all these crazy quote unquote things. And so I feel like they instilled that in me, and I just said, well, all right, like, let's. So, yeah, I think I've always had that. I. I just feel like the glass is always half full and anybody can do what they want to do. I just have this very probably annoying optimistic side.

Yvonne Heimann [00:15:45]:
Oh, yeah, girl. I'm like. I'm. I'm optimistic to a fault at times. Let's be honest. We can. We can take that over the edge. Unfortunately, I grew up with parents that I felt I'm never good enough, so that's where the I don't deserve came from.

Yvonne Heimann [00:16:04]:
And I love how you. How you brought up the. The connection of it, where it's so much of the outside and so much happens within, like, our first five to seven years. We take so much in from everybody else, and then it becomes the work of cleaning that up and actually figuring out who we are and what's. What's our reality. Now, let's be honest. Their reality is not our reality, is potentially not even the actual reality. So I love.

Yvonne Heimann [00:16:37]:
I'm Like, I'm happy for everybody that had the upbringing and didn't have to do the fight of, yes, I deserve that. Because I'm pretty sure too, you and your work with other women now potentially become that voice of, you do deserve this, and you become that peer that reminds them when they need it.

Shannon Russell [00:17:01]:
I've never thought about it that way. But yeah, there is that correlation and I, I am that person. And sometimes clients just can't get over that, you know, that ledge to really think that they can do it. And it, you know, and they just crawl back to where, where they started. But yeah, you want to be that cheerleader and that accountability partner as much as you can because, I mean, I did it all by myself trying to figure it out. And like I said, I made those mistakes. So I want to try to stop other people from doing it and, and to be that role model like you are as well for women to see, like, oh, if she can do it, I can do it. And there's something really powerful in that message, I think.

Yvonne Heimann [00:17:39]:
Yeah. For everybody being in the middle of this, in the middle of this is not right. And that might not have the, screw this. I'm, I'm selling my furniture, I'm packing everything in storage, and I'm jumping in the car driving border to border. What would you recommend for the women out there that are like, okay, I'm ready for my second act. I'm. I'm done doing what everybody else thinks I should be doing, or maybe that I thought I should be doing, and it's just not my truth anymore. What would you recommend for them when.

Yvonne Heimann [00:18:17]:
Because I have similar conversations, right. And I often see this. I don't know what to do. I feel stuck. There is nothing I can do about it. Do you have a tip for them when they feel ready for their second act, but they don't feel ready for their second act?

Shannon Russell [00:18:33]:
I say learn before you leap. Do that research so that you can feel that. I feel like research equals confidence. And maybe you share that with your clients too. It's, it's the idea of saying, well, I have these couple ideas now let's write them down and let's dive, dive into it. See if it's a realistic goal. Or sometimes you think about opening a business and then you look into someone who's already doing it and you say, I don't think I like the day to day of that. It doesn't feel aligned with me.

Shannon Russell [00:19:02]:
And you can cross it off your list and start looking into something else. So I think that that research, even if it's 15 minutes a day, 15 minutes a week that you give yourself to look into it, consider that option is the best place to start. And then you'll start being confident. Then when you start talking to other people about what you want to do, that confidence is well displayed.

Yvonne Heimann [00:19:23]:
I think it's that research brings knowledge, and knowledge brings confidence. It's like it's now suddenly. Suddenly we get the circle around to the beginning where we were talking about human nature is staying stagnant because it's what we know. So the new thing feels all crazy because you don't know, because it's something new. Now doing the research gives you the knowledge for it to not feel as crazy. And, yeah, similar to me, maybe that's one of the reasons why I search so much and to the point of where my business is literally called AskYvi, because I was googling everything with a friend at some point. So I like how you brought this together to do the research, play through it, envision it, write it out, feel it out so that it's not like, oh, my God, this is crazy. I don't know what this is.

Yvonne Heimann [00:20:27]:
And it feels uncomfortable. Now you have the knowledge, and it. It suddenly does become comfortable. Now with this idea of changing and shifting and getting potentially uncomfortable. What's your goal for the future? Who. Who is Shannon gonna be in a year or two? What is she gonna do?

Shannon Russell [00:20:49]:
Ooh, I love that. And I. I can see it manifest it too. I have my book coming out. This May start your second act, and I'm just so excited. Cause it's. It's my. A little bit of my story, and then everything that I teach on how to pivot and get unstuck.

Shannon Russell [00:21:05]:
And I want to start bringing my message to more stages. I've been speaking, but I want to start speaking more nationally, internationally, and just getting that message out there. So a year or so from now, I can see myself doing that more and just getting out there and making more of an impact and getting some more women in stock, if I can.

Yvonne Heimann [00:21:23]:
Now, that leads us to the question to what's the kind of leader you are? How. How are you leading? How are you showing up for everybody?

Shannon Russell [00:21:36]:
I think in. I've been told a lot from other people in the industry and friends that I'm very much the girl next door. And sometimes I'm like, oh, that seems boring. But I'm like, you know what? No, I think a lot of women can relate because it's not very often that we look at ourselves as anything special or out of the ordinary. So if someone can come to me or see me speak or read my book and say, wow, she really is like me. And I see what she's done and what she's still creating for herself and her family, like, I can do that too. And so I like the idea of, of that, of just being, you know, that relatable girl next door, you know, person that someone can relate to or just want to have a conversation. Like you and I are.

Shannon Russell [00:22:23]:
We just met and we're like talking. Like we could talk all day.

Yvonne Heimann [00:22:27]:
And that's, that's kind of the. The picture I had when you said the girl next door. The first thing that came to my mind, it's like with social media and a lot of public facing. Oh God. Especially the last few years, paying dearly for the lessons that. And we know it. Theoretically, we know it. Social media is not real life, right?

Shannon Russell [00:22:53]:
No.

Yvonne Heimann [00:22:54]:
Yet I still find so many people where it's. Suddenly you have this public face and you meet them in person and it's something completely different. So I do see the Girl Next Door as an amazing compliment because it means to me you show up online the same way you show up in person. You are who you are, not just a public Persona. And suddenly you want to know who are you? I. What?

Yvonne Heimann [00:23:25]:
And just being. Being relatable and living by example rather than do as I say, not as I do, which we've seen way too much over the last couple of years. So, yeah, I'm. I'm happy that the initial reaction of kind of kind of went away because, yeah, I do. I do think it's a really, really great compliment. Now for everybody wanting to find out more for you, for everybody maybe ready for their second act and taking action on this. Where can people find you? And do you have a wait list for the book?

Shannon Russell [00:24:07]:
Oh, yes, thank you for asking. Yeah. The book is Start yout Second Act. So you can go to startyoursecondact.com and you can get on the wait list. The pre sale should be open in just a week or so. Or should I say that? Which means.

Yvonne Heimann [00:24:20]:
Which means, guys, everybody listening by the time, the week or so. We'll have the link in the comment section. You'll have it perfect. Everybody knows we are recording. So this is perfect timing. Wasn't even planned that way. Perfect timing.

Shannon Russell [00:24:33]:
Perfect. Yeah. So that's a perfect way. I have a freebie there, a second act journal that you can download for free and just get your ideas down onto paper. I think that's the best way to start.

Yvonne Heimann [00:24:43]:
I love it. And as always, you guys know all the links are in the description easily for you to click on and go and grab all of those. Shannon, thanks so much for all the loves and all the damn mic drops. So thanks for joining me. And everybody, remember, hit that follow button because Shannon is one of many amazing women on this podcast and I don't want you to miss even one of them. Thanks everybody.