Feb. 1, 2023

Shannon Tobin - Dare To Be Youth Charity | LAYC62

Shannon Tobin - Dare To Be Youth Charity | LAYC62

Dare To Be Youth is a movement dedicated to empowering high school students and young adults (14-24) in the Halton and Hamilton Regions, Canada, and beyond. Their model and ideals can and should be replicated everywhere.

DTBY believes in the power of community as a key component to thriving and wellness.

Through innovative core programs DTBY inspires, mentors, and builds the capacity of tomorrow’s leaders.

In 2021, DTBY launched a suite of impactful programs to empower and support young people as they begin to transition from high school to post secondary.

More information or DONATE to Dare To Be Youth Charity

ABOUT MY GUEST - SHANNON TOBIN

As an author, philanthropist, speaker, and mentor, my passion is leading and empowering others to grow both personally and professionally.

My core belief is that “success is not a skill, it is a persistent attitude”.

As a passionate leader, it is most important for me to lead and empower others to grow through my own actions and words.

While I continue to create the best version of myself, I'm committed to empowering others to grow from where they are to where they want to be - one day, and one step at a time.

This philosophy is the root of the Dare To Be Youth Charity, an organization which I founded as a passion project in 2012 to impact my community in a positive way.

Shannon's book: Transformation: Discover Your Own Flight Pattern

About the Host:

 

Isabel Alexander

Your Next Business Strategist and Transformation Catalyst

 

Dynamic, a self-made entrepreneur who overcame obstacles with an unrelenting positive nature, a farm girl work ethic, and a conscious choice to thrive rather than survive, Isabel Alexander cultivated an award-winning, $10+ million global chemical business and grew it from dining room table to international boardrooms.

Isabel’s strengths include the ability to initiate and nurture strategic relationships, a love of lifelong learning and talents for helping others maximize their potential. An inspiring speaker within both industry and community, she is a driving force behind those with the courage to follow her example of thriving against the odds.

With 50+ years of business experience across diverse industries, Isabel is respected as an advisor, a coach, a mentor, and a role model. She believes in sharing collective wisdom and empowering others to economic independence.

 

Founder:

Lift As You Climb Movement (www.facebook.com/groups/liftasyouclimbmovement)

and

Chief Encore Officer, The Encore Catalyst (www.theencorecatalyst.com) – an accelerator for feminine wisdom, influence, and impact.

also

Author & Speaker ‘Who Am I Now? – Feminine Wisdom Unmasked Uncensored’ (www.IsabelBanerjee.com)

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/isabelalexanderbanerjee/

 

Thank You for Listening!

It means so much that you listened to this podcast! If you know of anyone else who might find this show valuable or entertaining, please share it on your favorite social media platform.

If you have questions about this episode, please send me an email at Hello@TheEncoreCatalyst.com

 

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Link:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/womenreinventingretirementforinfluenceandimpact

Transcript
Speaker:

​ Isabel: Hello everyone, and I'm so

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because I'm gonna share a conversation and some tremendously inspiring

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information with a friend of mine.

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I'm so happy we reconnected.

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We had about a decade where we were kind of on different tracks, and in

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fact we were in different countries.

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But today, with me, ladies and gentlemen...

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is Shannon Tobin, who is the founder and the inspiration, the light behind

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Dare To Be Youth Charity,

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and we are this morning, in the snow here in Burlington, Ontario, Canada.

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But I know that what we are gonna talk about is gonna appeal

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to everybody, anywhere in the world, and any age and any stage.

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Shannon and I go back a couple of decades and we shared similar paths.

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We were both entrepreneurs, we were both leaders, we were both mentors.

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We worked with all kinds of people to help them increase their abilities,

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their capabilities, and their success...

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And that's why, there couldn't be a better bond, or connection for me with

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anybody, because she is so aligned with my philosophy of Lift As You Climb.

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We've both believed that the better we become ourselves, the more that we grow

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and develop and expand, the more we are able and capable and responsible...

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To help others build their own success ladders.

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And while I was out of the country doing other things for a while, I didn't

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even know, that Shannon had added one more amazing attribute to her resume...

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And that was starting a foundation, creating a charity.

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Really, and really, I will call it a movement too...

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Because it's an attitude really.

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It's an attitude about how we can start with the younger generation

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in our population and teach them those skills, that confidence,

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that mindset, and how that really supports all economies and all people.

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So without further ado...

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and I will be putting the details of Shannon's bio and her contact

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information in the show notes, of course.

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What we're going to talk about today is her legacy project...

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Which is called Dare to Be Youth...

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and DTBY...

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Which is the one that I usually stumble with...

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dot ca (.ca)...

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We're gonna have that information there for you, so you can learn more.

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Before I take up all of the time...

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Shannon, we were talking before we went on the air...

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That my desire is to help everybody, whether you're a baby boomer like me...

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Or whether you're younger...

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But who do really feel like there is a way that they can act on

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a desire, a passion project...

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To make a difference, to do something, and not be put off by concerns that

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they don't have a good enough idea, or they don't have enough money, or

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they don't have enough experience...

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But that once you get started, there is a process that you can follow,

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so that you can build on that idea, and really act on it, and attract

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the people that will support you, and also lift you in that process.

Shannon:

Mm-hmm.

Isabel:

So it's now, what is it?...

Isabel:

A little more than a decade since you started Dare to Be Youth?...

Isabel:

Take us back to how that became an idea in your mind, and what were the early

Isabel:

steps for you to make it a reality

Shannon:

Well, first of all, thank you for having me, and it's an

Shannon:

honor to be here and I'm so, so happy that we reconnected Isabel.

Shannon:

You're such a light in this world and, uh, it's just great to be here.

Shannon:

Yeah.

Shannon:

You know, I did not expect DTBY to come out like to, to, to be

Shannon:

what it is today, but it all started with a personal experience.

Shannon:

So we all have a journey.

Shannon:

We all have, uh, experiences in our life that have shaped us, that have,

Shannon:

uh, grown us, that have helped us.

Shannon:

And for me, I wanted to give back.

Shannon:

I wanted to create something that I didn't have growing up.

Shannon:

And so just a, a little example of that is I lost my dad when I was three years old.

Shannon:

Back then, we didn't talk about grief.

Shannon:

We didn't, we didn't have the support.

Shannon:

And so I grew, grew up in life, um, challenged, um, uncertain about

Shannon:

things not knowing and making, I would say some poor decisions.

Shannon:

And so through life lessons and with clarity, really understanding

Shannon:

kind of, wow, this is that one event shaped who I was at that time.

Shannon:

And you know, I'm a firm believer that.

Shannon:

Like, if we surround ourselves with people that help us grow and Lift

Shannon:

and elevate us, that is only gonna make us better in the process.

Shannon:

So for me, it was giving back, it was creating something that was a

Shannon:

way that I could say no, I don't wanna see any child or woman, uh,

Shannon:

go through what I went through.

Shannon:

So it kind of started off as.

Shannon:

It was a, a, my own life lessons and experiences that kind of put that burning

Shannon:

desire in my heart to do something.

Shannon:

That's when my book was launched, that's where I was able to support women.

Shannon:

And that's a whole other, uh, conversation.

Shannon:

Um, who have been struggling, who were in, uh, abusive, whether it's

Shannon:

physical, mental, emotional, or financial, um, marriages as that

Shannon:

is what I had, uh, been through.

Shannon:

And so it started off as just a, I gotta do something.

Shannon:

I can't just sit back and not do anything.

Shannon:

And something small turned into something bigger, and it wasn't even an intentional.

Shannon:

It wasn't intentional that we grew DTBY to where it was.

Shannon:

I actually fought the process of growing it to where it's today.

Shannon:

That's um, that's something I'd like to explore a little deeper

Shannon:

because I know that you're not alone.

Shannon:

In fact, I resisted for a long time doing what I'm doing too, thinking.

Shannon:

That's not possible.

Shannon:

It's a dream.

Shannon:

Mm-hmm.

Shannon:

. Right.

Shannon:

Uh, so talk about, talk about that resistance and, and where you think

Shannon:

it came from and how you overcame.

Shannon:

Well, it's like we always have the, we have faith and fear sitting on

Shannon:

our shoulders at all times, right?

Shannon:

The enemy.

Shannon:

And then there's that spiritual side that is like, you know, I'm, I'm a

Shannon:

faith build woman and I believe, you know, God has a plan for all of us.

Shannon:

When you listen to the fear and you, you know, you, you allow it to paralyze you.

Shannon:

I mean, that's, you know, operating out of a out a scarcity mentality.

Shannon:

And so for me it was always like reflecting like...

Shannon:

What am I here for?

Shannon:

Like, why am I here?

Shannon:

What is my purpose on this earth?

Shannon:

I didn't get what my purpose was until truly.

Shannon:

Um, in the last couple years, like this is what I was called to do.

Shannon:

Like I have goosebumps as I'm talking about it.

Shannon:

I'm gonna be 52 in a couple weeks, and so, you know, we think as, as

Shannon:

you know, young adults, my son's in his grade 12 year and getting

Shannon:

ready to, to go off to, to college.

Shannon:

and I said, you don't have to have it all together, like

Shannon:

your journey is gonna change.

Shannon:

Uh, but the one most important thing that I've learned over the

Shannon:

years is that you have to be happy.

Shannon:

And if what you're doing isn't bringing joy, it's not, you know, showing your

Shannon:

beautiful gifts and allowing you to just truly be happy, then that's where

Shannon:

you have to kind of sometimes sit back and go, is this it or is there more?

Shannon:

And it sometimes also means, Closing doors so that other

Shannon:

doors for the next can be opened.

Shannon:

And some doors were closed for me, not intentionally.

Shannon:

Some doors were, were slammed shut so that other doors could open.

Shannon:

And so there was a process of, I don't wanna open that next door.

Shannon:

I'm, I'm scared and a mentor, you know, shared with me many

Shannon:

years ago, "Do it afraid."

Shannon:

Like if you feel in your gut, we all have a.

Shannon:

. And if you feel in your gut, this is where you need to go.

Shannon:

You, you need to do it.

Shannon:

You need to do it afraid.

Shannon:

But if you feel in your gut that that's a red flag, I don't wanna go there, you

Shannon:

gotta honor your gut and how you feel.

Shannon:

Because truly, your gut, your intuition is never wrong.

Shannon:

It really isn't.

Shannon:

And so I really got in with my intuition and, and what I was truly meant to

Shannon:

do, not what I was comfortable doing.

Shannon:

So it was all about, Comfortable being uncomfortable and embracing.

Isabel:

You are so singing into the choir here.

Isabel:

My, my word, my mantra for this coming year, this period

Isabel:

in my, my life is "Tune In".

Isabel:

Mm.

Isabel:

That's what I'm, I'm holding very fast to that..., that I tune into my

Isabel:

gut and tune into my intuition, and I tune into those whispers that are

Isabel:

coming from our higher self, and trust.

Isabel:

And it's frigging scary as, as you said, right?

Isabel:

Like, wow, that's, that's not quite the script that I was led to believe or that

Isabel:

might possibly put me under the scrutiny and criticism of some people who expect

Isabel:

me to behave this way or be that way.

Isabel:

But, but I, so this definitely, there's going to be a, a, a

Isabel:

sequels to our conversation.

Isabel:

Mm-hmm.

Isabel:

, but keeping it today too.

Isabel:

Okay.

Isabel:

So you reached a point where, Maybe you were being pushed a little bit

Isabel:

by, by, um, forces greater than you.

Isabel:

Uh, and, but you had faith and you trusted and you, you got started.

Isabel:

Tell, tell us about, of course, in the intro we're, we're gonna talk

Isabel:

about Dare to be youth and, and what your purpose is and your core values

Isabel:

and the pillars of the organization.

Isabel:

But in your own words, tell me what DARE to Be Youth really is about.

Shannon:

It's a movement dedicated to empowering young adults 14 to 24.

Shannon:

Like when we say a movement, we are creating a movement.

Shannon:

And you know, we believe in the power of community as the key component,

Shannon:

the thriving and wellness, and through our programs, through our

Shannon:

innovative programs and initiatives.

Shannon:

We're inspiring and mentoring and building the capacity for tomorrow's leaders.

Shannon:

So I do believe that, you know, when we step back,

Shannon:

I've always been on the forefront, on the stage, um, in the spotlight and...

Shannon:

Came to a realization that I was done with that.

Shannon:

Like, it, it's not about me anymore.

Shannon:

I love being behind the scenes.

Shannon:

And so now you know what I do really, uh, encourages youth

Shannon:

to step in and we step back.

Shannon:

And so it's a very much youth led and youth driven.

Shannon:

Um, yes, it's driven by.

Shannon:

By myself and my team, um, which is small but mighty.

Shannon:

Um, but we really believe in, in allowing our youth to really step into their own

Shannon:

and, and develop that confidence and see where their gifts and talents are...

Shannon:

Which is, so beautiful, to watch.

Shannon:

And our programs really just launched in 2021.

Shannon:

So we took this pandemic we had, I had, again, listened to my gut.

Shannon:

It was like I had this gut burning desire to do something

Shannon:

to support our young people.

Shannon:

Cause I knew the beginning of this wasn't gonna be a two week thing.

Shannon:

Like they first initially said, oh, it's gonna be two weeks, you gotta stay.

Shannon:

Yeah, right.

Shannon:

Two weeks turned into three years.

Shannon:

Right.

Shannon:

And I just knew, I followed my gut, my intuition.

Shannon:

To walk through that.

Shannon:

And so it was either, you know, we do it or we don't.

Shannon:

And so I did it and we built a team of people who, who created our

Shannon:

programs and then we launched them in 21, which was really exciting

Shannon:

and just finished our second year.

Shannon:

Um, I can't believe that that's like, I, I, I, I don't

Shannon:

know where the time has gone.

Shannon:

Um, but based on the philosophy of me, we community, we offer three part

Shannon:

programs, uh, for high school students and young adults post-secondary.

Shannon:

So 14 to 24 to help them build important life skills and develop relationships with

Shannon:

others and connect with their communities.

Shannon:

So that's where the me we community, uh, comes into.

Shannon:

I

Isabel:

attended one of your fundraising luncheons, uh, couple of

Isabel:

months ago, and I, I had goosebumps, seriously, up and down my entire

Isabel:

spine because, uh, when, um, McKayla, I think was yours spokesperson.

Isabel:

Martina

Shannon:

Martinez.

Shannon:

Yes.

Shannon:

Got the, I got the M right?

Shannon:

Yeah, we do have a Mikayla too.

Shannon:

So you, you, you did have it right,

Shannon:

? Isabel: Well, the.

Shannon:

The grace and wisdom of that young woman sharing her journey,

Shannon:

her experience, and what.

Shannon:

How she was transformed by having that community that you've created

Shannon:

and the skills that they're learning.

Shannon:

I was so impressed.

Shannon:

I thought, oh, thank God.

Shannon:

Maybe the, maybe the human race can still survive.

Shannon:

you know, we're, we're, we're starting, we're creating these, um, these pods are

Shannon:

communities of, of young people that.

Shannon:

Understanding the value of, you know, relationships and

Shannon:

communication and fi, financial responsibility and uh, mental health.

Shannon:

Uh, I was just like, wow, this is phenomenal.

Shannon:

So thank you.

Shannon:

Thank you so much for putting that together and continuing

Shannon:

to drive it forward.

Shannon:

Well, it was, I was blown away by, by her story, and I had no idea

Shannon:

the impact until she wrote that, and so I don't even think she really did.

Shannon:

So again, giving those.

Shannon:

, the young people like that opportunity to share.

Shannon:

She, she wanted to share her, her journey, and it took courage.

Shannon:

Um, but it, it just, it was a confirmation to me mm-hmm.

Shannon:

that I'm doing the right thing.

Shannon:

And so we see signs all the time, don't do this anymore, continue doing this.

Shannon:

Or sometimes we're tested so you have this, you know, experience and is

Shannon:

this gonna take you outta your game?

Shannon:

Or is it gonna say, no, I'm not allowing.

Shannon:

To steer me in a different direction where I know I'm actually supposed to be on.

Shannon:

Right.

Shannon:

So, um, it's been a, an incredible journey and I'm just so grateful for the lessons

Shannon:

that I've learned and I learned from them just as much as they learn from us.

Shannon:

And I think that's where, you know, humility comes into play, where ego

Shannon:

gets thrown out the door and, um, it's just been such a gift to walk in

Shannon:

this journey with these young people.

Isabel:

Uh, I I thought it was, uh, also impressive that you were able to

Isabel:

engage the generation that, you know, we kind of say, oh, they all they are

Isabel:

interested in is a, looking at a screen.

Isabel:

These people weren't, these young people were not looking at the screen.

Isabel:

They were looking up and out of, uh, at their futures.

Isabel:

And again, as I said, kudos to you for.

Isabel:

Putting together the elements, uh, to help build the strengths for

Isabel:

them, uh, to do that, to pursue it.

Isabel:

Well, thank

Shannon:

you.

Shannon:

Kudos to our team cuz really it takes.

Shannon:

A village, right?

Shannon:

It takes, uh, it's not just one person.

Shannon:

Yes, it was my crazy, um, vision and idea, but it really does take a village,

Shannon:

so I can't take, uh, full credit for that.

Shannon:

But, and thank you for, for supporting us and being there as a volunteer.

Shannon:

You know, we love our volunteers, our, our volunteers, you know,

Shannon:

make such a difference in.

Shannon:

Our organization.

Shannon:

And so I wanna thank you, Isabel, for investing your time and supporting

Shannon:

us as well, because that, that's what makes an organization thrive as well.

Isabel:

So, well, I have a vested interest because I have, uh, a total of nine

Isabel:

grandchildren and to, to think about how.

Isabel:

What you do, the programs, the experience that you create would have supported them.

Isabel:

They're, they're all now, you know, rising up in their ages, but just to

Isabel:

think of all the children in the world.

Isabel:

Um, and, and I, I think what I seek too is that your.

Isabel:

Your model could work for any community, whether it's, um, moms that are in

Isabel:

relationships that are not supportive or relationships that are not, et cetera,

Isabel:

but, but staying on Dare to Be Youth and, and your journey because what, what

Isabel:

I'm hoping to do with this conversation and, and the Lift As You Climb podcast is

Isabel:

to give our listeners, um, Some sparks, you know, and maybe light a little

Isabel:

fire for them and how they could ac actualize, uh, an idea that like you did.

Isabel:

So in the, and, and I, you know, I, I think I indicated that you've

Isabel:

been doing this for about a decade, but, but that was a process of

Isabel:

building, if I understand you, Hmm.

Shannon:

Yeah, it started small.

Shannon:

You know, I was always taught build the foundation strong, right?

Shannon:

Think big, dream big, start small.

Shannon:

So many people try to do big mm-hmm.

Shannon:

right off the bat and they don't succeed.

Shannon:

And so it's that building that foundation and taking it one step

Shannon:

at a time, and not, not going fast, but just allowing the process.

Shannon:

, um, to happen.

Shannon:

So that, I mean, it was, that's how we did it.

Shannon:

And um, and there were times where we were just like flat, like when

Shannon:

I say flat, there was no growth.

Shannon:

There was no, like, it was just flat.

Shannon:

It was, it was consistent, but just, um, nothing more.

Shannon:

Right?

Shannon:

And then I got that next step or that next kind of nudge, like, you need to do this.

Shannon:

And, and that's where listening to your gut, . So often people ignore that and

Shannon:

they miss out on so many opportunities that were already burning, that

Shannon:

burning desire, like inside of them.

Shannon:

Mm-hmm.

Shannon:

. And, you know, I never wanted to be that person.

Shannon:

You know, when I'm on my deathbed like saying, why didn't I do that?

Shannon:

Why?

Shannon:

You know, my mom has Lewy Body Dementia and we recently had, you know, a tough

Shannon:

conversation cuz she can't travel anymore.

Shannon:

And, and, and she was, it was beautiful, but it was hard to

Shannon:

hear because she said something.

Shannon:

about I'm resenting the fact that you're living your life to

Shannon:

the fullest, and I never did.

Shannon:

In some areas where I wish I did,

Shannon:

regrets are a bitch.

Shannon:

They really are.

Shannon:

And, and I am, I, I said this, I'm in a, a new decade, you know, 52,

Shannon:

I'm in like my thirties was divorced.

Shannon:

My forties was growth and pain and, and, and transformation.

Shannon:

And now my, and, and being a parent, um, a single parent.

Shannon:

My son was five when his dad and I, um, divorced and, and now I'm in my fifties

Shannon:

and my son's 17 going to be 18 next month.

Shannon:

And it's like my time to live for me.

Shannon:

And do what I need, not to be selfish, but to honor my needs as well, where

Shannon:

we're always like, sometimes we have to sacrifice in different stages in our life.

Shannon:

Last five months, I cared for my mom.

Shannon:

, um, that was unexpected until we were able to get her into a home.

Shannon:

Um, cause she needed, um, she needs long-term care and, and, and it

Shannon:

was like, now I need to live for me and, and to do what brings me joy.

Shannon:

And the greatest example, you know, I, I heard a quote not that long ago

Shannon:

and I have to see if I can find it.

Shannon:

Um, but it, it's how we live.

Shannon:

Like it's, it's the example that we live that people.

Shannon:

and I think that's so, so important.

Shannon:

It's not, it's not what's, it's not what's taught, it's what's caught.

Shannon:

Right.

Shannon:

And the world responds to your example, not your opinion.

Shannon:

They, they respond to your example.

Shannon:

And Kale Black shared that recently.

Shannon:

I thought that's so true.

Shannon:

It's not your opinion, it's your example.

Shannon:

It's how you live.

Shannon:

Like what are your actions?

Shannon:

Like what are you doing?

Shannon:

It's not like talk is.

Shannon:

, right?

Shannon:

And so I wanna, I want to be a great example and embody what we wanna see in

Shannon:

the world, whether it's kindness, empathy, equality, whatever it might be, self-love.

Shannon:

So,

Shannon:

, Isabel: uh, thank you for the self-love

Shannon:

important element to this, that if you don't love yourself, you don't trust

Shannon:

yourself or support yourself to, to grow in the ways that are necessary

Shannon:

to be able to Lift other people.

Shannon:

Mm-hmm.

Shannon:

, and, and that's a.

Shannon:

You know, that's something that really connects me with you is because strongly,

Shannon:

from the first time I met you, I saw that you recognized that as you got

Shannon:

better and better yourself, you were able to reach back and give others

Shannon:

a hand up, uh, and other strength.

Shannon:

Um, you, you touched on something.

Shannon:

I thought was really, um, a cool thing in that it's that this whole journey

Shannon:

through our, our lives and each thing that we do, whether later we look

Shannon:

back and go, ah, you know, that wasn't a lot of fun, but it was, it's all

Shannon:

part of this building who we are.

Shannon:

Right?

Shannon:

And that.

Shannon:

I feel so passionate right now about encouraging people to think about living

Shannon:

their legacy while they are alive to influence and experience it and, you know,

Shannon:

increase the impact as opposed to, you know, Hoping that you have some money in

Shannon:

the bank when you die, and that somebody might say something nice about you.

Shannon:

Mm-hmm.

Shannon:

, I, I think, you know, for me that would be a great regret to not have been in

Shannon:

the driver's seat of doing what I feel can make a difference for somebody else,

Shannon:

even though, gosh darn it, I make such a, you know, a klutz of myself sometimes.

Shannon:

Uh, You know, may, you know, it's not as perfect as I would like it to be,

Shannon:

but I would rather look a little wrong, silly, whatever, than not have done it.

Shannon:

And that is so cool.

Shannon:

Like you said, you, you took time to build it, but you, and you had

Shannon:

days where it was tough slogging.

Shannon:

You must have questioned some things, but you kept going and da da.

Shannon:

Here you are.

Shannon:

And it

Shannon:

got messy.

Shannon:

. Isabel: Yeah.

Shannon:

Well, messy.

Shannon:

So give, can you share for the list of some examples of look

Shannon:

back, you know, rear view mirror.

Shannon:

One or two things, you know, you did right.

Shannon:

And one or two things you know, you didn't do right.

Shannon:

In this process of building the movement and building the charity

Shannon:

and building myself, right?

Shannon:

Oh, yes.

Shannon:

Because building a movement and building a charity actually came secondary.

Shannon:

Like it was secondary.

Shannon:

And John Maxwell has been a mentor of mine for many, many.

Shannon:

and he says, always says, you know, um, hurting people, hurt, people healed.

Shannon:

And I added the healed people.

Shannon:

Elevate and celebrate people.

Shannon:

Right?

Shannon:

So it, it was, you know, you can't teach what you don't know and you

Shannon:

can't leave where you don't go.

Shannon:

And so for me it was immersing in, in mentors and you know, I

Shannon:

always say, you know, we need a, a coach, a mentor, and a therapist.

Shannon:

You know, some all at the same time, some in different stages.

Shannon:

Um, so I think for me, learning as I grew myself, that there was one area in my life

Shannon:

where humility overrode, um, or sorry, where pride overrode humility and someone

Shannon:

once shared, um, with one of my best.

Shannon:

, her pride is overriding her, her humility.

Shannon:

And, and, and that was related.

Shannon:

Like my girlfriend who loves and adores me, um, cares about me,

Shannon:

had the courage to tell me that.

Shannon:

And she agreed.

Shannon:

And, and I, to this day, that was probably about nine years ago, I

Shannon:

remember where we were sitting.

Shannon:

I remember how it felt.

Shannon:

And the one thing I did was I didn't react, but I responded

Shannon:

and I said, I wanna fix.

Shannon:

and she says, well, there you go.

Shannon:

That's where the humility has come in, right?

Shannon:

And so I could have reacted and said, what?

Shannon:

That's not true.

Shannon:

You know, like I could have had like a total com apart.

Shannon:

And I was, so when the student is ready, the teacher will appear, right?

Shannon:

And so I was ready.

Shannon:

I knew that I needed to fix and heal and, and, and work on myself.

Shannon:

And so that was.

Shannon:

, I thought I had transformed.

Shannon:

That was the beginning of my transformation, was sometimes we

Shannon:

have to hear the things we don't wanna hear, but that are gonna

Shannon:

make a difference in our life.

Shannon:

And so for me, it became a lifelong learner.

Shannon:

I, I, I got the help that I needed.

Shannon:

I surrounded myself with positive, uplifting people.

Shannon:

You know, we become like the people we surround ourselves with.

Shannon:

So who we hang out with will make or break us.

Shannon:

Who we surround ourselves with will grow us or.

Shannon:

or shrink us.

Shannon:

And, um, you know, I, yeah, I can't say enough.

Shannon:

I, I thank that person to this day for, for sharing.

Shannon:

And, and the ironic thing is that person lives their life

Shannon:

with pride as the leading.

Shannon:

So it's, it's interesting how they, when you point the finger, there's three

Shannon:

point fingers pointing back at you.

Shannon:

So what they didn't realize is that's how they were living.

Shannon:

. But what they did don't, still don't realize, is that they gave me the

Shannon:

greatest gift because I was willing to hear that and take the steps necessary to

Isabel:

change.

Isabel:

I could never have forecast that our conversation would take this turn.

Isabel:

But how perfect is this for part of the conversation?

Isabel:

Because it's, it's recognizing that having.

Isabel:

Having that friend at the moment, whatever her motives were, uh, be the

Isabel:

tough love or the wake up call for you and the fact that you were willing,

Isabel:

you were willing to face it head on.

Isabel:

And you know, it's, there are days we're looking at ourselves

Isabel:

in the mirror is hard, right?

Isabel:

We don't like what we see behind those eyes, that soul, but we have a choice.

Isabel:

We have a choice.

Isabel:

We have a choice.

Isabel:

Um, uh, so wowsers, well, I'm so glad that you did.

Isabel:

I'm so glad you, you sucked it up buttercup.

Isabel:

Yeah.

Isabel:

And it was necessary.

Isabel:

Okay.

Isabel:

And

Shannon:

you know, we, can I just share one other thing?

Shannon:

I'm so sorry.

Shannon:

Please.

Shannon:

We are where we are.

Shannon:

Somebody said this to me many years ago.

Shannon:

A great mentor.

Shannon:

We are where we are today.

Shannon:

So I, I'm gonna say I, I am where I am.

Shannon:

January 13th, 2023 because of the choices I've made or the what I've

Shannon:

allowed others to make for me.

Shannon:

Yes, so.

Shannon:

Some people don't like that.

Shannon:

They don't want to admit that they are where they are based on the

Shannon:

choices they've made or they've allowed others to make for them.

Shannon:

But that is the reality.

Shannon:

And so every single day I say to myself, I am where I am today based

Shannon:

on the choices I've made or that I've allowed others to make for me.

Shannon:

What am I gonna choose today?

Shannon:

Am I gonna choose to for forward and not, you know, allow the naysayers or not allow

Shannon:

that negative, you know, thing sitting on my shoulder saying you can't do that.

Shannon:

Um, or am I going forward?

Shannon:

And so I think that's important thing to share too, that we have personal

Shannon:

responsibility of what happened to us.

Shannon:

Everybody has terrible things that they've gone through, but

Shannon:

we have a choice to respond to.

Shannon:

and how that's going to shift or, or grow us internally is up to us.

Shannon:

It's not up to somebody else.

Isabel:

Absolutely.

Isabel:

The truth.

Isabel:

Um, and I, um, I know that there have been periods in my life where I, I

Isabel:

was reveling in the pity party, and the blame and the indignation until

Isabel:

finally I got, oh, yuck, this isn.

Isabel:

Changing anything, and it's certainly not making it any better.

Isabel:

And so, yeah, getting out of that, climbing out of that hole in the

Isabel:

sidewalk as they say and do that.

Isabel:

So that's great to be and to be.

Isabel:

Surrounding yourself with the people that will help you grow.

Isabel:

Uh, reaching up like you and I both have had experience with, uh, peer advisory

Isabel:

boards for, for women business owners, and knowing the benefit of, of being

Isabel:

in a well curated group and being open, really open to the wisdom that is shared.

Isabel:

Um, sometimes it's just being open to listening to other people.

Isabel:

Who've made mistakes or either making them right now and, and saying,

Isabel:

okay, how, what do I learn from that?

Isabel:

How do I take away?

Isabel:

So that, that's, that's so awesome.

Isabel:

Thank you Shannon.

Isabel:

Um, and thank you for reminding me, uh, personally, I'm thinking

Isabel:

about this right now about, yeah.

Isabel:

Coaches and mentors, uh, advisors that, you know, having that our own

Isabel:

curated personal board of advisors is, is a really important aspect.

Isabel:

No matter how old you are, no matter how successful you are, uh, no matter

Isabel:

whether you've decided, uh, you know, I'm gonna take it easy for a little

Isabel:

while, it's in those quieter moments that I, that's when I've found I've really.

Shannon:

Absolutely.

Shannon:

Where we are still and we just pause and we reflect.

Shannon:

Yeah.

Isabel:

That's so important.

Isabel:

Is there something that comes to mind for you in, in sort of a best tip for

Isabel:

our listeners around when you wanna get, give your idea, uh, life, what not to do.

Isabel:

when you

Shannon:

wanna give your idea of life.

Shannon:

So like share, share your story.

Isabel:

Yeah.

Isabel:

I mean, they have an idea of, um, a passion project that they would

Isabel:

like to bring to, to fruition.

Isabel:

Mm-hmm.

Isabel:

. Um, are there?

Isabel:

Yeah.

Shannon:

Yeah.

Shannon:

Don't rush the Climb.

Shannon:

Like, think big.

Shannon:

Dream big.

Shannon:

Start small.

Shannon:

Um, so often we.

Shannon:

Fast is best and going, you know, go bigger, go home.

Shannon:

You know that saying, I don't believe that.

Shannon:

And, and I've, I've seen it in, in the, as an entrepreneur,

Shannon:

people going up real fast.

Shannon:

They come down real fast.

Shannon:

So I would say don't rush the Climb.

Shannon:

Mm-hmm.

Shannon:

, um, number one.

Shannon:

But, but surround yourself with people who have the skills that you don't have.

Shannon:

. Yeah, right.

Shannon:

Like, I, I think of my accountant who helped me, um,

Shannon:

get my, my charitable status.

Shannon:

It took us two years to go through that process.

Shannon:

I had no idea how that process was gonna happen, but I found somebody who did.

Shannon:

And so it's, it's seeking out the people who have the skills, who you respect.

Shannon:

Who are, are walking their talk, who are living their life.

Shannon:

Um, the example that they're, they're living is, is one that

Shannon:

you respect and that you admire and that you wanna learn from.

Shannon:

Mm-hmm.

Shannon:

You know, one person that I can, I can think of off the bat, who I reached

Shannon:

out to Lisa, president of FedEx Canada, and just, she emulates light,

Shannon:

but she's just, she's had the most.

Shannon:

Her, her life has, has been turbulent.

Shannon:

She's had great loss in her life, and but she, what she's doing because of that loss

Shannon:

is changing the lives of so many people.

Shannon:

And I reached out to her to, to sit at her at, at the table and have coffee and,

Shannon:

and learn and take her words of wisdom.

Shannon:

And she was open to that and, and met with me a couple times.

Shannon:

And so we have to not be afraid to.

Shannon:

, would you be open to having a coffee?

Shannon:

Um, mentoring someone is a lot of work.

Shannon:

So we, we shouldn't ask somebody, will you be my mentor?

Shannon:

Because that is like, that, that's almost like a full-time, you know, job.

Shannon:

But they're, they're a mentor in essence, just by having coffee with you.

Shannon:

But if you know somebody who you respect highly respect, don't be afraid.

Shannon:

You know, there is one, one example where my ask wasn't positive.

Shannon:

And I'll never forget, I was at a galli.

Shannon:

I had achieved, uh, a huge, you know, accomplishment in, in my, um,

Shannon:

business as, as an entrepreneur.

Shannon:

And I remember walking up to somebody who has, who achieved higher success in me.

Shannon:

And I just had so much admiration.

Shannon:

You know, we sometimes put people on a pedestal when we shouldn't, and I

Shannon:

asked her, and it took courage to say, can I have my photo with you?

Shannon:

And this was oh, 20 some odd years ago, and I'll never forget,

Shannon:

I wrote it in my book too, and she said, no, I don't have time.

Shannon:

And walked away and I'll, I'll never forget it.

Shannon:

It crushed me.

Shannon:

I was humiliated.

Shannon:

I wanted to just dig a hole and bury myself.

Shannon:

and it ruined my, I I allowed it, not it, I allowed it to ruin my night and

Shannon:

I was just, I was, and I was insecure.

Shannon:

I was still obviously insecure cuz now if that happened, I'm like, wow,

Shannon:

that's, that's a hurting person.

Shannon:

Like that is somebody who's really not in a good place.

Shannon:

But I didn't know that back then.

Shannon:

And I remember lying in bed going, why did this happen?

Shannon:

And again, faith is a big part of, of my, my life and, and I, I, I pray all the

Shannon:

time and, and it was like God just said.

Shannon:

, I just showed you what never to do to.

Shannon:

Greatest lesson I ever, ever.

Shannon:

And so there were times when I was at events and people would

Shannon:

say, can I have my photo with you?

Shannon:

Can absolutely.

Shannon:

We gotta do it quick.

Shannon:

Cause I've gotta get, you know, I'm teaching a a a A A workshop or a seminar.

Shannon:

Let's do it quick.

Shannon:

And I never, so I learned through that painful experience of.

Shannon:

What never did you?

Shannon:

And so sometimes we think, oh, I'm a victim, or Why did that happen?

Shannon:

And if we dig deep and we allow ourselves to just pause and reflect and really

Shannon:

ask for the answer, the answer was, I just showed you what never to do.

Shannon:

And it was a great, one of my greatest.

Shannon:

lesson that came with pain.

Shannon:

I

Isabel:

love that, that awareness.

Isabel:

And you mentioned it, it's in your book.

Isabel:

And I, I wanna bring that up and I'll be putting in the show notes, uh,

Isabel:

the name of your book, and also how they can find it and purchase it,

Isabel:

because it's a, it's a, a fabulous.

Isabel:

Foundational piece to where you are today.

Isabel:

And so I'd love our readers to, or our listeners to, to get that.

Isabel:

And of course we'll put everything in the show notes on how they can find Dare

Isabel:

to be youth and to connect with you and, and if they're, Chosen to, if they moved

Isabel:

to the ways that they could possibly support and help increase the impact

Isabel:

of this movement, um, you know, whether that's to make a donation or maybe to

Isabel:

volunteer or, um, I think we were having a little conversation about your ideas on

Isabel:

sponsorship, um, that helps them as well.

Isabel:

So again, lifting and climbing.

Isabel:

Could you talk a little bit about your thoughts on.

Shannon:

Oh, gosh.

Shannon:

Yeah.

Shannon:

I have, I have a, a lot of lot to say about that.

Shannon:

You know, I'm a firm believer that when we operate out of a out, a spirit of

Shannon:

abundance and generosity, that is what Lift As, You, Climb, you know, supporting

Shannon:

and celebrating others as they win.

Shannon:

When you don't, you know how many people will actually be happy for

Shannon:

someone when they're not winning.

Shannon:

and I, you know, that was right.

Shannon:

It's hard sometimes, right?

Shannon:

That jealousy and envy, you know, so it's, it's is living and, and, and acting out

Shannon:

of a spirit of generosity and abundance, but really, truly supporting one another

Shannon:

and, and elevating them and, and.

Shannon:

Just as you like, you do what you do, like you do this to,

Shannon:

to support and elevate others.

Shannon:

But you know, in the end what it's doing as well is it's lifting you up.

Shannon:

And when we help enough people get what they want, you will

Shannon:

get what you want as well.

Shannon:

And I'm a firm believer in that it's not about me, it's not about, um, self-focus,

Shannon:

it's about being others focused.

Shannon:

So I would say that is what lifting as you Climb looks.

Isabel:

You're absolutely spot on.

Isabel:

For me, the benefit in doing this program and interviewing people like yourself is,

Isabel:

Hey, I, I, I wanna put a spotlight on.

Isabel:

I wanna spread the message of the good work that you're doing,

Isabel:

and hopefully add, you know, to increase your influence and impact.

Isabel:

At the same time, oh my gosh, I am sitting at the feet of the teachers.

Isabel:

I am learning what I want to do.

Isabel:

I'm learning about how to increase my own impact, and I'm so grateful

Isabel:

to each of you that have gone before and who are generously sharing your

Isabel:

time now and sharing your wisdom with everybody who's listening

Isabel:

because that, I mean, that's what we.

Isabel:

Right?

Isabel:

And we, it's like the exponential growth when we, when we share wisdom

Isabel:

with each other, and you know, it doesn't mean that it has to be

Isabel:

a one-to-one reciprocity, right?

Isabel:

It's not that you do this for me and I'll do that for you.

Isabel:

It's that we are just creating abundance and we're all able

Isabel:

to draw from, from that.

Isabel:

I know that you have a really important meeting coming up shortly, and I,

Isabel:

and I wanna honor and support that and, and send you the most positive

Isabel:

vibes for success with that because I was thinking, you know, having a

Isabel:

charity, uh, creating a movement.

Isabel:

. It also has to be like running a business because if you're not successful, if

Isabel:

you don't have sustainability, if you don't have income to support the programs

Isabel:

and to grow and do the reach, then.

Isabel:

There's a lot of people getting let down.

Isabel:

Right.

Isabel:

And so I know that you, you have an important meeting around funding

Isabel:

and sponsorship and support, but that, that's the other thing I,

Isabel:

that I, I wanted to suggest to the listeners that building their own.

Isabel:

Or supporting your organization.

Isabel:

They can also start by creating small events and fundraisers.

Isabel:

Mm-hmm.

Isabel:

and contribute a portion or all of the proceeds to groups like

Isabel:

yours that are making such a positive difference in the world.

Isabel:

and the ripples just keep getting bigger.

Isabel:

Right.

Isabel:

And going out there.

Isabel:

Yeah.

Isabel:

And, and maybe, maybe someone else will be inspired in another community or another

Isabel:

country to do to replicate your success.

Isabel:

Mm-hmm.

Isabel:

And um, and I hope for that as well.

Isabel:

Thank.

Isabel:

Any parting thoughts you'd like to share with us, Shannon?

Isabel:

Yeah,

Shannon:

I just wanna share, you know, when we started in 2020 with our

Shannon:

first uh, program, it was all virtual.

Shannon:

And so I know that you have an audience in the United States.

Shannon:

Mm-hmm.

Shannon:

. And the beautiful thing about our event, our annual event that we hold in

Shannon:

November, our Youth Inspired Community Day, is that it is a hybrid event.

Shannon:

So students 14 to 24 can register no matter where they are in the world.

Shannon:

And so I wanna.

Shannon:

Anyone who listens to this, who knows a grade nine, you know, 14 to

Shannon:

24, who they feel would benefit from plugging in to something positive.

Shannon:

You know, we have a three time Olympian who is our group mentor, uh, to our

Shannon:

community youth council, and she's one of our keynote speakers and we

Shannon:

have R bbc, um, as a huge sponsor.

Shannon:

We have so many community sponsors that enable us to be able to offer

Shannon:

these programs at no cost to.

Shannon:

. So it is absolutely free no matter where you are, what socioeconomic background

Shannon:

you come from, like it, it doesn't matter.

Shannon:

And so that's why we count on our supporters to help us.

Shannon:

Um, but I just wanna open the invitation to anyone who hears this that say, I wish

Shannon:

my my child or my young adult, um, niece, um, would, would, could be part of this.

Shannon:

Well, they.

Shannon:

Go to our website and, um, put in, you know, sign up for our E-news and

Shannon:

you'll be, you know, given information.

Shannon:

But our youth Inspire community will be again in November and it will be hybrid.

Shannon:

And so anyone can join as long as you're in that 14 four age group.

Shannon:

I'm so

Isabel:

glad that came out even if we were almost at the end of the show.

Isabel:

Cause to all that, are listening to this show and hopefully soon watching it if you

Isabel:

want to on YouTube, we're working on that.

Isabel:

. If you're listening, then that means that there are people in your life,

Isabel:

in your circle of inferior influence, um, that this type of support

Isabel:

could really make a difference.

Isabel:

You know, whether you're a grandparent or a parent, or you are a business

Isabel:

owner and your staff have children, tell them about Dare to Be Youth.

Isabel:

Get them to sign up, follow the programs, get them to participate.

Isabel:

I mean, they're just absolutely generosity, flowing from you.

Isabel:

Shannon, thank you.

Isabel:

Cuz you're offering to share the good work that you're doing and

Isabel:

the positive influence you're doing with anybody anywhere in the world.

Isabel:

And, um, That never stops happening, right?

Isabel:

Mm-hmm.

Isabel:

, Shannon: It's an honor.

Isabel:

It, I would love to have the more we want this to be a global thing and,

Isabel:

um, yeah, it's, this has just been such a gift to me and I thank you.

Isabel:

Creating this space to share, um, people's stories.

Isabel:

Um, So many of the things that we talked about today weren't even on our list . And

Isabel:

that's the beautiful thing about organic conversations, you know, the real raw,

Isabel:

authentic, vulnerable conversations.

Isabel:

Um, and I'm just grateful for this opportunity, Isabel.

Isabel:

So I wanna thank you for, for reaching out and encouraging me to do this with you.

Isabel:

Thank

Isabel:

you.

Isabel:

Thank you so much.

Isabel:

And uh, please.

Isabel:

We need to have a sequel,

Shannon:

right?

Shannon:

We will.

Shannon:

Yes.

Shannon:

Absolutely.

Isabel:

All right.

Isabel:

Have a great day.

Isabel:

Best of success with your meeting in a little bit.

Isabel:

Thank, and I look forward to talking to you again soon.

Isabel:

Yes, sounds good.

Isabel:

Alright!

Isabel:

Bye for now.