We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Shannon Panszi. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Shannon below.

Shannon , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

My dad was born and raised in Mexico City. He came to this country in his early 30’s after marrying my mother. My mom was born in Germany and raised in the U.S. They both had humble beginnings with parents who did not have the opportunity for traditional education. My parents were raised with the belief that knowledge is power, because nobody can take it away from you. They raised me to value education, hard work, and compassion.

Raising my sister and myself, the one thing they did right was to instill the belief in us that we could do whatever we set our minds to do. They taught us that hard work and dedication were the keys to success. They let us know that no matter what happened, you don’t stop trying. They never told me that I could not do something. They just told me that I may need to work harder to achieve it.

They set me up for the greatest success with these values. I know that failure is not when something does not turn out the way I hope. Failure is when I give up trying to find my way around it. More than anything, they taught me that whatever I did should help humankind. This has made me who I am to my core today.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Ten years ago, a loved one had the courage to tell the family who their true self was. My husband and I are the doctors in the family; although I was no longer practicing Ob/Gyn. We went to work educating ourselves on gender to help this child and family navigate health care. We quickly realized the multiple gaps in knowledge within health care when it came to gender. I started doing education at various hospital systems that wanted to learn more about gender. As people learned about not only my knowledge but my ability to explain it clearly and concisely, I got more requests to talk or consult with people. I helped a journalist write an article. I helped a national medical institution evaluate its medical bulletins for gender-inclusive language. I began to help school districts to make their human growth and development curriculum (what I had known previously as “S*x Ed”) more inclusive for all bodies.

Everything I did was with the permission of my loved one. Even though I rarely told their story, we knew that people may get curious about where this all began for me. At some point, they did not want me to talk anymore, so I stopped.

In recent years as he has gained confidence in himself, he has let me know that although he wishes to remain private, I may go ahead and help others learn more about gender. He wanted me to go back to doing what I do best.

So, with 10 years of experience, 2 years of a transgender advocacy fellowship completed as the only non-transgender fellow, I am using my skills and voice again. This time, I am helping parents and guardians of gender-diverse teens learn how to support themself and their child while creating greater bonds of love.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I started my business coaching parents to start talking to kids about s*x. I had worked teaching s*xual education for almost 30 years; however, there was something missing.

I was asked to talk to middle school students about gender because I have been a gender educator for almost 9 years. I have worked with healthcare providers, educators, parents, and communities. Even so, I never pursued a career doing it for various reasons; however, if someone reached out to me for help, I would help. This was one of those situations. When I finished talking to the classes that day, I felt an energy I had not felt before. That energy was a calling. I had ignored it before for lots of reasons. After that day, I sat down and reflected. I knew I was good at educating people about gender and meeting people where they are in their understanding. I also saw such a need for education when I read or listened to media.

After some self-reflection and coaching, I realized my deep sense of purpose to start coaching parents of gender-diverse teens. It allowed me to educate and support those who needed help, especially at a time when people are afraid to speak up and ask. The other reason for starting with parents is there is no fiercer army for change than loved ones.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

As I pushed “Start Webinar” on my webinar, I remember pausing to let people in. I smiled and waited while watching the number next to “Attendees” remain at 0. I had been in business for 6 months and had one speaking engagement to show for it.

After a few seconds, when I realized that nobody was coming, I started talking. I had promised those who had registered a free recording of the call, so I did just that and created a recording. I smiled and did my thing, and when I hit “stop record,” my entire body deflated. I had to sit for a little while and decide whether or not this is working and did I want it to work. What was I going to do?

I had been a successful contract coach. I considered finding more full-time employment working for others. I knew that the entrepreneurial track had risks, and it had a great payoff as well. It was at that moment that I realized I had to be willing to experience these disappointments and failures if I was going to succeed. That meant that my “why” to continue on in business had to be worth the pain to develop that resilience.

Contact Info:

• Website: engenderlove.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/engender_love_sp/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Shannon.Panszi.SRC
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannon-panszi-a6780322a/

Image Credits
Jamie Robarge Photography