We recently connected with Mariana Wagner and have shared our conversation below.

Mariana, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

The idea for the ShamRockk Foundation wasn’t born in a brainstorming session or a boardroom. It was born from heartbreak. Our son, Remi, was a gifted ballet dancer—driven, passionate, and deeply human. He worked harder than anyone we knew, commuting daily to Denver from Colorado Springs for training, finishing high school early, applying (and getting rejected) from the San Francisco Ballet School three times before finally getting in. He never stopped pushing. He never stopped believing.

When we lost him in 2024, we were gutted. But within that grief, something sparked. We started hearing from other young men in ballet—from their parents, their teachers, their mentors. They told us what we already knew: this path is beautiful, but brutal. These boys are often overlooked, unsupported, or isolated during some of the most defining years of their lives. And nobody was really addressing that transition—from student to professional—with the kind of holistic, boots-on-the-ground support they actually need.

We couldn’t sit still. We knew we had to build something—not just in memory of Remi, but in honor of every hardworking, under-the-radar young man chasing this dream.

That’s how ShamRockk was born.

The logic was simple: if we could remove even one barrier for a dancer—financial, emotional, or logistical—we could change the trajectory of a life. But what really got us excited was the way we’d do it. We weren’t just writing checks. We were building community. Mentorship, wellness resources, scholarships, a space to be seen and supported—not just as artists, but as people.

No one else was doing that in a way that felt both personal and scalable. And no one else had Remi—his story, his resilience, his spark—as their north star.

This isn’t just a foundation. It’s a movement. And we knew from day one that it mattered.

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.

For those who haven’t met us yet, we’re the founders of the ShamRockk Foundation—a nonprofit born from love, loss, and the unwavering belief that every hardworking young man pursuing ballet deserves to be seen, supported, and celebrated.

Our son, Remi, was a dancer. Not just any dancer—he was relentless, humble, kind, and determined. He commuted from Colorado Springs to Denver for years just to train. He transitioned to online school and graduated early so he could give ballet his all. He was rejected from the San Francisco Ballet School three times before finally being accepted. And when we lost him in 2024, we knew we couldn’t let his story end there.

My husband and I have been small business owners for more than two decades, and I’ve spent most of my professional life helping people navigate life transitions—through real estate, teaching, coaching, and leadership. But nothing prepared us for the kind of transition young male dancers face when they step out of the structure of a ballet school and into the ambiguity of the professional world. There’s often no roadmap, no emotional or financial safety net, and no community that really gets what they’re going through. That’s the gap we decided to fill.

At ShamRockk, we do three main things:

We award scholarships to young men in ballet to ease the financial strain of auditions, summer intensives, relocation, or professional training programs.

We provide opportunities for mentorship through like-minded organizations, like Creative Generations, which is comprised of professionals, teachers, and older dancers who have walked this path and want to guide others through it.

We build community through our Ballet Brotherhood initiative, curated resources, and upcoming events and collaborations with schools and second companies.

But just as important—we’re bringing parents into the conversation. Too often, they’re left in the dark, unsure of how to support their sons emotionally, financially, or strategically as they navigate the ballet world. We’re closing that gap by creating resources, offering insight, and helping families become true partners in the journey, not just spectators. When parents are informed and involved, young dancers thrive.

What sets us apart is that we’re not trying to serve thousands—we’re trying to serve deeply. We don’t offer scholarships or opportunities to just anyone, but to young men who embody the hard work, character, and kindness that our Remi represented. We’re not handing out one-time checks—we’re investing in people. And we’re doing it with a whole-person approach, backed by teams of professionals—like Creative Generations, Ballet Brotherhood, and other organizations —to offer male-specific training and coaching, mental health, wellness, career-support, connection, and clarity.

I think what I’m most proud of is that we’ve taken one of the hardest things a family could go through and turned it into something that breathes life into others. We’ve created a space where boys don’t have to shrink themselves to fit in. Where hard work, kindness, and quiet strength are honored. Where parents feel less alone. Where teachers know they’re not the only ones fighting for these kids.

If you’re just discovering us, I want you to know this: ShamRockk is personal. It’s bold. And it’s here to make sure no young man chasing this dream—or his parents—feels like they have to do it alone.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

Absolutely—there are several books, courses, and ideas that have deeply shaped how I lead, build, and serve—both in business and through the ShamRockk Foundation.

On the business side, “The E-Myth Revisited” by Michael Gerber was foundational. It taught me that being good at your craft isn’t enough—you need systems, structure, and a repeatable way to deliver value. That mindset helped me transition from self-employed to true business owner over the past 20+ years.

“The ONE Thing” by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan has also been a guiding force—especially in this season of growth and rebuilding. In both real estate and nonprofit work, it’s easy to get pulled in a hundred directions. This book helped me refocus on what really matters—that one thing that makes everything else easier or unnecessary. It’s changed how I prioritize my time and decisions.

When we launched ShamRockk, “Building a StoryBrand” by Donald Miller became essential. We knew we had a powerful mission, but if we couldn’t communicate it clearly, we’d lose people. That book helped us clarify our messaging: the young men we serve are the heroes—we’re just the guide. That shift transformed how we write, speak, and show up as a brand.

In the nonprofit space, “Forces for Good” by Leslie Crutchfield and Heather McLeod Grant helped me understand how high-impact organizations scale—not just through programs, but through networks, advocacy, adaptability, and community engagement. We carry that mindset into everything we build at ShamRockk.

I’m also currently pursuing my degree in Nonprofit Management at Colorado Christian University, and the coursework has added a powerful layer to my entrepreneurial foundation. It’s one thing to run a business—but running a mission-driven organization that’s sustainable, legally sound, and deeply impactful requires a different toolkit. These classes have pushed me to align heart and structure, faith and action.

I’m constantly influenced by thought leaders like Brené Brown, whose work on vulnerability and courageous leadership reminds me to stay human in the midst of systems and goals. And as someone who’s walked through deep personal grief, that reminder is both grounding and necessary.

In the end, I think of myself as both a builder and a bridge—someone who creates things from scratch, but also connects people, stories, and ideas. That philosophy underpins everything I do, from real estate to the ShamRockk Foundation. We’re not just building a brand—we’re building something that lasts.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

One of the most defining moments of resilience in my life came in October 2024, when we lost our youngest son, Remi.

Remi was a gifted ballet dancer—passionate, humble, and fiercely determined. He had worked for years toward a dream that most people wouldn’t dare chase. He commuted daily for training, graduated high school early, and fought his way into one of the top ballet schools in the country after multiple rejections. He was just beginning to step into his future when everything changed. His passing shattered our world.

There’s no blueprint for that kind of loss. Grief doesn’t follow rules. But even in those early days, there was this quiet urgency in me—I knew that if we didn’t do something with that pain, it would swallow us whole. So we made a decision: we would build something in Remi’s name that carried forward his grit, his goodness, and his generosity.

That’s how the ShamRockk Foundation was born.

Starting a nonprofit while actively grieving is like learning to walk in the middle of a storm. You move, even when it hurts. You build, even when you’re broken. And you show up, not because it’s easy, but because it matters. Every resource we create, every young man we support, every parent we talk to—it all comes from that place of choosing to rise instead of retreat.

What’s kept me going isn’t just the memory of Remi—it’s the emails from dancers who finally feel seen, the mothers who say “thank you for helping me understand my son’s world,” the moments when I know we’ve made someone’s path just a little bit lighter.

Resilience, to me, isn’t about bouncing back. It’s about becoming something stronger, wiser, and more rooted because of what you’ve endured. And that’s the spirit behind everything we do at ShamRockk.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ShamRockkFoundation.org
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/shamrockkfoundation
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/shamrockkfoundation
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/shamrockk-foundation
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ShamRockkFoundation
• Other: https://www.ShamRockkFoundation.com