The Evolution of Stories: Shanna Benson Reflects on Life's Pivotal Moments

Hello, my friends.I just wanted to drop some special bonus episodes into the feed that you probably have not heard unless you are a part or an early part of the Patreon for the Life Shift Podcast. If you don't know, I do have a Patreon. It currently only has two tiers.One is a three dollar a month tier just to support what I'm doing, helps cover production costs. And then there's a five dollar tier which will get you episodes early and just the, I guess, warm fuzzies for help out with the Life Shift Podcast.But I used to have other tiers where people were so generous and were offering additional money each month to get bonus episodes and possible winnings of T shirts and all sorts of things.And then I realized a couple months ago that I wasn't able to deliver what I wanted to, especially for those of you that were giving me the extra money. So right now we're just kind of doing the early episodes. You'll always get those.So if you want to support the Life Shift podcast, please jump over to patreon.com forward/thelifeshiftpod podcast and you can find that information there. But I come on here because I want to share a series of these bonus episodes that I did early on in the Patreon journey.There are like 20 plus episodes in which I had bonus recordings with previous guests. So I would go back and we would have a conversation about the experience of sharing their story on the Life Shift podcast. Catch up on anything.And I think these are super important and I know most of them did not see the light of day from outside of the Patreon. So I'm going to be dropping these episodes. Whatever you're listening to now is another episode. So I'm going to use the same intro for all of them.But here is one of the bonus episodes with a former guest from the Life Shift podcast. And if you like this, let me know because I'm thinking of bringing some of this back and talking to previous guests as I go into year four.So enjoy this bonus episode that was once released on the Patreon feed. I'm Matt Gilhooley and this is the Life Shift Candid conversations about the pivotal moments that have changed lives forever.And this is a special one with my friend Shauna. Hello.

Hi, Matt. So good to see your face.

It's nice to see you. And Shauna, you were the first person that I ever recorded the Life Shift podcast with.And when it was still a class assignment, I didn't know this was Going to be a thing. And so thank you for trusting me with that.I know it was kind of hidden behind the, the firewall at first because we knew it was just going to be an assignment. And then here we are, 122 episodes into this journey. So thank you for that.

Thank you for thinking of me as somebody who would, you know, get you a good grade. Wouldn't say so many ums that you would have to, but you did. But I did. But yeah, just for even trusting me for something.I mean, that was a big deal back then. You were just really learning and getting everything together. So I feel like it was a big one.

It was a long time ago. We recorded that episode on February 11, 2022, which.

Oh, wow.

You know, we're in 2024 right now, and it just blows my mind. I listened to it again this morning because I was like, I don't like to listen to those early ones because they're early ones.And I think you can probably remember baking your first cake and what it might have tasted like.

I know, but, you know what's so funny is I think that it's important to go back and look at that, right? Like, I love watching, like, the TikTok trends where it was like, post your first cake you ever made and then what you're at now.And I don't think you realize over time, like, how much you've improved. So I think it's great to go back and like, listen to those and be like, man, you know, I, I think it's a good reminder of where you're at now.

You know, it was, it was quite a journey listening to that. And, you know, I think your story so resonates. I was like, I should have done things differently, but I didn't know, like you said.And so you were one of the two episodes that came out on day one, which was March 22, 2022. And that was like the testing ground.And since then, I've, I've done a lot and I've, I've referenced your story story many times and I kind of minimize it without.I don't try to minimize it in an insulting way, but I also bring it back to how significant and how specific your life shift moment was in the story and what stood out to me. And it was so much of you going to the mailbox that day and like literally getting a piece of mail.And so I referenced that a lot because sometimes people have this, like, they have a hard time trying to find that one moment. But yours Was just, like, so visual for me that I always go back to it. So maybe you can tell us a little bit about what your story was about.

Yeah. So, you know, it goes back to that moment where, you know, my life really shifted into the next phase.And I was in the middle of, you know, trying to go through a divorce, breaking up with someone I had been with for 14 years. And, you know, I knew that he was cheating. I knew something was going, and I just couldn't find it. I just couldn't pinpoint it.Finally did, and then, you know, was like, oh, I want to work on it. And, you know, all of these things. And all along, for all of this time, I had. I had had these hopes and I had had these dreams that we were.I was going to have this bakery one day, and I was, you know, I was going to do it. And just, you know, the goal was always his career, and it was always, you know, him putting himself first.And I guess that's probably why we didn't work out to begin with, looking back. But it was just, you know, that moment where I was looking for a sign, and I happened to just go to the mailbox.And when I went to the mailbox, there was a letter in it that he had started his own company that I didn't know about, and a credit card for that company. And it was the realization that I was still.Even after I had, you know, caught him cheating, and even after all of the things, I was still putting him before me. And it was in that moment that I was like, girl, what are you doing? Like, move on and do your thing.And I decided at that moment that was going to be it. And I called my divorce attorney and I filed the paperwork, and I listed the house for sale, and I quit my job.

And you went to Mexico.

And I went to Mexico and I. All of those things.And those were like, two out of the three of those might have been a mistake, but it was, you know, it was everything that I had to do to move forward.And I only say a mistake because I quit my job not thinking through the fact that I would need verified income to get a house, you know, like, so those types of things. But everything really played out. And, you know, I'm so grateful for that moment. And I've.I think I feel like in my healing journey after that, I've had so many life shifts. Even last year, even. I'm in, like, a completely different place today than I was even when we recorded this. Like, it's a crazy life is crazy.

Life is crazy. And I've heard so many stories from so many people and I think, wow, like, how do people navigate this?It's obvious that, like, most people probably have multiple life shifts. It's not like one and done. I mean, if, I guess maybe if you're lucky one and done, but maybe not because you want to continue growing.And it's fascinating.Although so many people have these varied experiences from like super traumatic to something maybe more internal fire lit and moving forward, so many of our emotions and our reactions to those are very similar. And I've kind of noticed that across the board from, you know, from the time we recorded, I didn't have a lot. I didn't have a big sample size.I just had you.And so it's so interesting to see though, even though your story is different from a lot of people, there's a lot of the same feelings and the things that you went through. So what I've learned over these hundred plus episodes is how alike we are.Despite all the things and all the things the world tells us that makes us different. I think we're all just trying to do the same thing. And it's just like, enjoy the time that we have and do it in a purposeful way.

I agree. I mean, I. I think that that's the big thing. Like, it doesn't. We're all on different journeys, right? But.And they're all those journeys are taking different paths and all of those journeys, you know, but at the end of the day, like, we're all just trying to get to continue on that journey, right? Like, wake up every day and like, the core of everything is the same.And I think that the interesting thing that you bring to light is, you know, there's a lot of different patterns of life shift, right? Like, there are, like myself that, you know, is kind of like the divorce is what started it.But then at Life shift was really like, who I started to become afterwards and starting my business and doing this and all of those things. And you've had a couple other people that have, like, similar, you know, similar things.But then there's people who have had real, like, emotional trauma or deaths or births or, you know, like so many different things. And all of those have just taken people on a different path. And it's how you react to that that is really your journey. It's.It's not the instance that happens. It's that reaction. And I think that that's important to, to take away.

Oh, for sure. And I've.I've had some guests on the show, and I won't say who, but there are some that you can tell that have not reflected on the moment or how it's affected them. And you can tell how some people that have. Are quite different. They're farther down the road. They really understand the value of it.Like you even pointed out, you know, like, I'm thankful that all that crap happened because it led me to who I am today. I'm the same. You know, I'm not thankful that my mom died, but I'm.I'm thankful that I've learned from that experience to bring myself to this point, because for so long, I hadn't learned from it. And I lived my life in this space of not being able to reflect on it, not being able to learn from it, not being able to move forward.And now that I have, it's like, oh, this is much more valuable experience.

Well, and. Yeah, and that's the. I think, like, I don't think I was in that place for a long time, right? Not thankful for it, not whatever it is.Like, you don't have to be thankful per se. Like, you know, but I kept stumbling down the bricks of that journey, and I, you know, I.I literally just told a friend this the other day, like, if you're not going to heal from that, from that instance, or if you're not going to heal from your trauma, you're going to just continue to stumble or you're going to escape from it. But when you're done escaping, it's just waiting in the. It's just waiting in the wings for you, right?And you're going to deal with it and it's going to be worse. So it's just a matter of, like, getting to that point.And when I finally accepted, you know, everything that had happened and, you know, just looked back and was like, you know, not only did I accept everything that happened in that. In, you know, in that immediate.I looked back and I was like, man, you know, whoever you want to believe in was sending me signs for years and, you know, was. And there was a lot of reasons that I shouldn't have been with that person to begin with.And over the years, I had seen so many different signs, and I was. When I looked back, I was like, man, it took an absolute rapture to pull me away from this person. And it, you know, I was like, man, I.So I had to heal back from, like, all of those things. And Covid was the best thing that ever happened to me.Like, I feel bad Because I know it wasn't the best thing for a lot of people, but if it hadn't been for those three months, quarantining alone by myself and really like, well, the only friend you have is yourself.

And TikTok.

And TikTok, exactly. Just those things. Like, if I hadn't done that, like, I don't know where I would be necessarily today. So I am super thankful for those moments.

You know, I don't know if you shared your story publicly with a lot of people before this. Did you hear from anyone, like, that may have listened to your episode or someone in your circle that you might have shared that they. They said any.Any feedback to you about your episode? I know it was a while ago, so I'm wondering if. If you remember any.

Yes. So I had. Actually, it's a really funny. I don't know. And it's funny that you asked that because I actually was dwelling on that this morning.I never told most people anything that happened between us when we went through the divorce.I got essentially threatened to keep my mouth closed and that nobody wanted to hear my side of the story and, you know, just basically to keep my mouth closed. And I did out of fear. I didn't talk about it. People knew I got divorced, obviously, and they knew that he had cheated and, you know, whatever.They kind of knew the outcome, but they didn't know a lot of the other stuff. They didn't know how I started my business.And I think the most interesting thing was that I got, like, messages and phone calls from people that I didn't even know paid attention to my social media. Like.Like people that I know in passing or people that, like, I had worked with back in the day or whatever, and they were like, I knew you went through something. I just didn't know what it was or it was just so funny how. I mean, people that I would.I'm like, I didn't even know we were connected on social media that you saw that and they had listened to it. And I thought that was so, like, eye opening. I was like, man. Because again, rem. Like, this is also your. The first.The second one that you put out, you released, you know, And I'm like, the fact that, like, all of these people were listening to a class project essentially was crazy to me. And yeah, it was just. And it was. It was, I guess, maybe like, freeing that, like, I actually got to like, say that story.So, yeah, it was really interesting. That's funny that I actually. I saw somebody's post about something like that and I group, I'm in.And I thought, man, if I could go back in time, I would have blasted my story.

Yeah, it's interesting the power that storytelling has for us, for those of us that have the story, that keep the story. Yeah, I think there's a lot of people that don't share their story out of, in your case, fear.My case, like, maybe a shame that, you know, I'm a guy shouldn't be sad. I shouldn't, you know, share this, these vulnerable parts because society says X, Y and Z. But once we do share them, there's so much. It's like a.Like you said, it's freeing in a way. It's like it's out there. It's not, you know, it's not as drastic as it sounded in my head.For a lot of us, like, things kind of build themselves up and then you say it out loud and you're like, oh, that's palatable. I can move forward with that. So I can, I can relate with that.

And I think sometimes when we speak, right. Like when, when we speak it, maybe we don't hear it per se. And especially with something like this where you can go back.Like when I went back and listened to was like an out of body experience because it was like two months later, right. Or a month later or whatever that it, you know, and I was on a walk and I was listening to it and I was like, who is that girl?Like, she's pretty cool. Because you do, like, you hear it. It's a different. Like I don't hear my voice every day. Right. Like in that, in that way.And so it was, it was a really interesting way of like hearing it back and being like, no, I did a good job. Like, I.

Do you feel validated in your experience?Like, when you hear yourself tell your story, do you feel like, yeah, I did that, I did that and I did it well and I'm working through whatever the next shift in my life might be. Do you, do you have confidence in that?

Yeah, a lot. Like, because, you know, I really think that, at least for myself, I can't speak for anybody else at this point in life.I feel like every year I have a shift. Right. Like, I have just. I'm a big believer in if there's an opportunity in front of you, take it.Even if that opportunity in, like my current situation was to relax a little. And so like life just constantly is, you know, bobbing and weaving and so being able to, to go back and listen to something that was two years ago.But talking about something that had happened, it's now almost seven years later, you know, and, you know, we, when we talk about things that are life shifts and like, that incident was very like, cut and dried to that moment. But I think so often it's like, you know, I would say to people who are feeling down, like, you know, are kind of going through the same thing.Like, you're, you're, you're looking for the mass. Like you're looking for Cirque du Soleil to come out of the ceiling, right?And if you really just looked at the little moments, like, that was how I got through a lot of whatever I stopped looking at. I stopped waiting for something major to happen.And I was like, okay, well, I got a front row parking spot at Publix in the middle of the rain, right? And that's a big win.

Like, perspective shift.

Yeah. Like, so it's like sometimes it's the little things that happen, right?And if you start to look at all of those little things, they do add up to something that's big and you're shifting, like, you know, over time, I think in perspective and in all of those things.So being able to go back and listen to kind of like that first cake, you know, it's like that first cake that you make and now where you are today, it's like that. Where was I at two years ago? And here's a life check in now. Completely different goals and everything.

I mean, at that point, we were talking about this Bake off, this like, Halloween Food Network Bake off thing that you were a part of that hadn't even come out yet. So maybe you can catch us up. Like, what's happened since.

Yeah, so I did Holiday wars on Food Network Season 4.

I think it was episode. It wasn't Halloween. You're right. Sorry.

It's the same.

I watched same thing.

But yeah, one's Christmas, one's Halloween. So I did that. And it was probably one of the best experiences of my life. I just thought that it was amazing had gone.And, you know, prior to doing that, like, my whole entire goal was, you know, I'm gonna open this bakery and I'm gonna, you know, I had put at this point, point pen to paper so many times right to where I found a space, kind of marked it out, had, you know, an idea, started putting together that budget, trying to figure out, you know, what I was going to do. I, you know, went into a commercial kitchen and then I went into, you know, trying to lease A couple different spaces.And every time I got to where I was literally right, writing my about to sign my name, something came up and I was like, I can't do this. Like, I can't, I can't, I can't do it. And I think that over and over and over I kept getting this. Like I, I was doing too much, right?Like I had a full time job and I was trying to do, I did this show and I was doing these events and I was producing events and it was just like all of these things and I kept saying to myself, like, I have to do this. The next step is this.You know, it's like people that are in a relationship and they're like, well, I'm going to get married because it's the next, the next step is that I have to get married, right? That's what, like that's the progression. And so I kept trying to do that and then something that happened and I'm like, no, I can't do it.I can't, I'm so sorry. Release the space. I can't do it. Whatever. And I did the show and then I realized, like, none of these people have stores.Like none of these people on these shows actually have a brick and mortar location. Like I can do this and not have the brick and mortar, right?Like I can be on shows and I could be a featured, you know, baker, chef, whatever you want to call it at food and wine events throughout the U.S. like, I could do whatever. And I just shifted my goals and I was like, you know, why, why do I have to do this?And then I decided that I was going to kind of go this other route. I had an opportunity with a catering company that's a very large catering company.And I started doing that and I got the licensing and I was baking and I ended up working almost two full time jobs. Well, really two full time jobs.I was working during the day that I would come home, start baking at 5 o'clock, and deliver their desserts to them at 2 o'clock in the morning, grab McDonald's on the way home, and then come home, go to bed. And that was my routine. Four to five nights a week. I gained a lot of weight and my thyroid went crazy.And just the stress I was putting on my body just wasn't good. And I learned in that, I learned from that two really important things. One, I cannot do it all, and I shouldn't do it all.And two, to never let somebody else drive your business because I made some mistakes in letting this catering company guide my business and had one big client that was paying. They were a very big client. But then when they weren't there anymore, neither was my business.And it was great to learn it at such like a small scale versus having really like built a business and then, you know, lost, you know, lost it at that point. So I just shifted a lot in what I decided to do and I no longer am planning on opening a space anytime soon. I don't know if I ever will.I went through the casting process again last, last year and I can't say for where because I'm under NDA again, but made it all the way to the end and I was supposed to be leaving to go film and the day before I was leaving, got told I wasn't going, they had passed, and then decided to go with somebody else. And that was another big blow.And again another one of those things where it's like, okay, I just learned that lesson twice because I didn't learn it right the first time. Right. Never to put all your eggs in one basket. And I did that again. And I think we just keep learning the same lesson until.Till it's beat into our souls. And so this year I have some new goals and working on doing that casting one more time, trying to make it for this year.It's been an interesting ride this last year.

Yeah. But I think you're at a space now.It seems that when these things are happening, you've had enough time to reflect on, you know, the value of, you know, of course they suck in the moment and they suck the couple weeks after. But then when you reemerge, you make new goals, you make new plans.It sounds like there's this, this evolution of sorts in which you're like, okay, yeah, that didn't serve me. And now I know that I wasn't chasing that for the right reason. Right, yeah, that's what I'm assuming.

Well, like I am just so I always say, like I'm task oriented. Right. I need to have a to do list of things and I need to have like, you know, daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, yearly, whatever it is.Like I kind of need to have a direction. If I don't have a direction of where I'm going, I will lay down and watch Netflix all day.

Which sometimes is okay.

Which sometimes is okay. But that's like it if you have. If I have no goal or no end path. Right. And it's.It was like after somebody told said to me, after I did that show, I said, okay, well, I hit the goal. I made it onto a show, and that was, you know, that was the big goal. Right? Now I want to host one or be a judge. And I think it was.My mom was like, you should slow down. Like, you were on one show and you lost. Like, maybe you should just set a goal to be on a show again.And I was like, no, I don't work that way because the goals are big. If you make baby goals, like, people will say, like, oh, you make baby goals to step up to it.I'm like, no, I make big goals because everything that's that baby goal will get you to that goal regardless. So, yeah, I made it onto a show. Well, now I want to judge or now I want to host one. So what do I have to do?I have to be on other shows and I have to continue cooking and creating content. All of that leads up to that big goal. But if I'm only working towards the baby ones, then I'll.

But there's more checklists, right? But that's more checks on your list.So maybe you should have 25 baby goals and then that big goal at the end, then you'll be checking things off all the time.

Well, I feel like I Like, you know, when people talk about, like, manifestation, right? Like manifesting your goals. So once I hit it, then that becomes my reality. So now I know I can be on the show proven, tried and true.So that's no longer the goal. That's a task.

Okay.

Like, so now I've created the big goal that's up here and now doing one to two other shows and then creating some content. Like, all of these things fall into task as tasks. So I already, like, in con, like, I already know I can do that. So now it's the next. And I sound.I don't know, sometimes I think it sounds egotistical, but, like, I already did it. I could do it again.

I don't think it is. I think for some people like myself who've. I've always had elements of self doubt.Like, no matter if I graduate with a 4.0 or, you know, whatever it might be, there's always that doubt. Like, oh, did I earn it? Did maybe just it was easy, or, you know, like, whatever it might be. And so for people that. That think, like me, it might.It might sound like, well, you did it once. Can you do it again? Whereas you. I love this mentality of, like, I did it once, I can clearly do it again.Which is like, kind of what I'm trying to work towards. In my. My confidence and. And then those pieces. But I love it. So it doesn't. I don't think it sounds egotistical. I think it sounds admirable.I think it sounds like a place that I hope to get to. And so I hope you get to judging the show and doing. Or hosting it and doing whatever you. Whatever's next. I think Jug. Judging and then hosting.Is that how that order goes?

Yeah, probably judging and then hosting or one or the other or however. I don't even know how it goes. I don't even know what the progress would be. But it's so funny.Like, like you said, and I always tell you this, like, we talk about this, and I'm like, you know, you have to get past your imposter syndrome. Like, that is something that, like, you just have to look at, like, the signs around you. Like, you know, in terms for you particularly, like, you.You. You're. You're winning awards and people are noticing you. And like, this. The Life Shift podcast has really kind of become its own thing.And it's really, like, growing and it's, you know, like, you sent me one of them and I'm like, dude, you're. You. You're on a list of 10 or 25 or whatever it was with, like, who is celebrity Drew Barrymore or Reese Witherspoon?

Amy Poehler.

Amy Poehler, my favorite. And I'm like, that's hu. Of everything that she had to accomplish in her life to get on, even noticed and put on that. And you started as a.As a class and have taken it to this. So think about that.

I regret how I responded to that because at first I was just like, oh, well, someone was like, how do you feel about this? And I was like, well, I feel like I'll just be overlooked because look at all these famous people there.And then they were like, no, Matt, look who you're on this list with. And I was like, oh, you're right. Like, I feel really crappy for. My first response was like, oh, I'm just going to be overlooked. And so you're right.I. I need to. I think a lot of people need to kind of just adopt that of like, this confidence and imposter syndrome is real and it's hard and it's.It exists, but there's a way through. And you're kind of proof of that. Like, I did it. I can do it again. No big deal. Here we go. I'm going to accomplish these tasks.

And we're. It's Just. It's just another side of the spectrum. Right?Like, there's imposter syndrome on this side, and then there's where I'm on the other side, where I'm. I'm always like, oh, I could do that. And it doesn't matter what it is. Like, I'm like, oh, well, if I had the education, I could be a doctor.You know, like, it's just education that smart. And it's bad. I don't know why I always think that.

But is it bad?

I don't know if it's bad. I mean, I guess because. And it's. It's funny because I don't think it's.I guess where I, like, play into it is I don't think of myself any better than anyone else, and I don't think of anyone else better than me. We're all either at different stations of life or different levels of education. Right.And there's other things that play into that, because there are people who, you know, like, there are people who just aren't as smart as other people or people who are more street smart than other people. You know, like, there's different things, but in terms of just the average person, we're all on the same playing field. It's just a matter of who.Who learned the books or, you know, who said yes. Right? Who said yes. Right. Like, so I know better than anyone else, and no one else. And no one else is better than me.I just feel like it's all down to opportunity that comes up and whether or not you take it or move forward.

No, I love it. I love this. This version of you because even listening to that episode today, you sound different.You sound like you're in a different confidence space. I mean, it wasn't like you didn't sound confident then, but it almost sounds like you're even more evolved into what you want to do and.And the direction that you go. And I could be completely delusional right now and just making that up, but really listening to that, it.I feel like we've matured, you know, like, there's. There's something in our lives as. Because you were just turning, like, 20 something in that episode. So you're like. Yeah, you're just.You're just like mid-20s now. And, you know, we went to high school together 25 years ago, but we'll just pretend that that doesn't exist.

I know. I don't know how we were in High School 25 years ago, and I'm only 32.

Yeah.

It's the math. Ain't nothing, but I'm with it.

Yeah. If.If someone was thinking about, like, sharing their story for the first time with someone, not necessarily on a podcast, because that's a big ask sometimes, but is there anything that you would want to advise people if they were, you know, kind of. They feel like they want to share their story, but they're kind of not sure just yet. Is there any.Any advice after sharing your story that maybe could be helpful to them?

Yeah, I mean, I think that for me, the.I would say that one of my biggest regrets, like I had said, was not telling my side of the story and, you know, letting somebody else make me live in fear over that side, over my. My story. Right. And I do, to some effect, think that there's, you know, depending on the.Depending on the, you know, how deep that is, if it's trauma, if it's, you know, whatever. Like, there are some. There are some pieces where it's like, sometimes sharing your story does really hurt somebody else. Right?But if you can put into words what your side of that story is that isn't maliciously intended to hurt somebody else, but is really, like, your truth, I think that you should share it, if for nothing else. Like, sometimes.Sometimes I think that, like I always say, like, with keyboard warriors, right, like, it's really easy to type something or it's really easy, like, write it, because you don't have to pay attention to somebody else's eyeballs and what, you know, how they're reacting to it and all of that. But when you are telling somebody, whether it's verbally, like one.On one or on a phone or in a podcast or, you know, any of that, I think you hear that side of the story from the perspective, like, the sound makes you think about it, and you're like, well, maybe I'm crazy. Or like, did that really happen? Or was that timeline. Like, is the timeline in my. In my head correct? Or.You know, I think you start to work through those things, which is why even. Even telling your stories in therapy makes such a big deal.It's why therapy, I think, works so well, because it's not necessarily what the person is telling you or the work they're telling you to do. It's. It's you solving your own problems. I have literally said things out loud to a therapist and been like, no, I'm good. I. I heard it. I heard it.We don't even need to go deeper. I heard it, you know, and I think that that's so important to hear those things.It does make a big difference when you're just like, thinking versus saying, I agree.

I've, I've had guests on the show that they'll be telling their story and they're like, I literally haven't thought about that. That, like, just popped into my brain.And so there's something about the, the action of, of saying that, you know, while you were saying that, like, sometimes it's easier to type it out or it's easier to, like, write it out than it is to say it out loud.You just think of, like, the first time you told someone that you love them to their face and how hard that the first time saying those three words was. Yeah, I think for a lot of us, we can relate to that. It's much easier to type it out or text it or something along those lines, saying those words.Right. And so I think, you know, thank you for trusting me with your story.So early on, before we really knew anything was going to happen at the end of that episode, I said, you know, this is the first episode and maybe there'll be a couple more. And you're like, there's going to be so many more. I'm like, yeah, right. Well, you were right.So thank you for trusting me and just believing in this journey and for sharing this update with the Patreon supporters. I really appreciate you.

Absolutely. Of course. Love it. Glad to be here.

I didn't give you an opportunity to say your, your name poem. So sometimes people call you Shanna, sometimes people call you Shauna.

So you tell them Charlotte also is.

Charlotte is a good one.

Yeah, always. Yeah. So my name is Shauna Benson. It's. It's spelled wrong, but it's like Russia, Shauna, without the rush.Except for I'm always rushing, so it's fitting. Just call me Rosh Hashanah.

I love it. So if people want to, like people listening right now, if they want to connect with you, is that something you'd welcome?And if so, how can they get in your world and see what you're doing?

Yeah, so they can always. I love sharing or talking to people that, you know, connecting with people in a multi. Multitude of ways.They can always get me on Instagram at the Shawna Benson or at no Regrets Dessert code on Instagram. Those are the easiest ways to get me.

Perfect. I'll put those in the show notes.That way, if any of the Patreon people are listening and they want to do that, they can just click on it and it'll be easy for them. So thanks again and for those of you listening, thank you for your support. It helps me.I'm a one person team, so it helps me cover software costs and hardware costs and all the things that come along with being an indie podcaster. So I appreciate you. Thank you so much for your support and I will be back next month with another bonus episode for the Patreon feed.For more information, please visit www.thelifeshiftpodcast.com.