We were lucky to catch up with Shannon Allen recently and have shared our conversation below.
Shannon , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?
We were in LA for the 2008 NBA Finals (Lakers/Celtics). This was the moment we had all prayed for, and the thing my husband Ray dreamed of and worked for his entire life- the NBA Championships. Everything seemed perfect- except for one thing- our 17 month old son, Walker was suddenly not himself. He was lethargic, peeing thru his diaper, he taught himself how to say “Juice Mommy” between Monday & Friday because he was excessively thirsty and then, suddenly, he started vomiting.
I remember Ray saying to me the night before Game 5, “Shan, something’s wrong with Walker.” This is the night after he scored more three pointers in a finals game than any player in NBA History- after he went on a virtual rampage and helped his team come back from a massive deficit to win game 4- this is where his mind was. “Shan, I think something’s wrong with Walker. Promise me that when you wake up tomorrow, if he’s not himself, you’ll take him in.”
The next morning, I woke up in a pool of Walkers urine, he had soaked through his diaper and our hotel bed. I put him in the bathtub and within seconds it was obvious; Walker was not himself, he was lethargic, almost limp, like a wet noodle. I called the concierge in the hotel to see if there was a physician on call and they connected me via phone with a doctor whose name I don’t remember; but, whose words will forever be etched in my brain. “Sounds like a virus, maybe a flu, could even be food poisoning. A word of advice, take him in, get him checked but don’t leave there without a blood test.” Ok, I said, “what am I looking for?” “That’s the thing, he said, an examination is good; but, to rule out anything really scary, you have to have a blood test- do not leave there without it.”
I took Walker to the hospital and after many attempts by the physicians on staff to convince me that Walker was “not a sick kid”; I finally stopped asking and demanded a blood test. Twenty minutes later the doctor came in to the room- she was white as a ghost and tears were streaming down her face. “Oh my God”, I said, “You have bad news for me.” She said, “Your blood sugar is supposed to be between 70-120; Walkers is 639. He has Type 1 Diabetes and has entered a phase of Diabetes called ketoacidosis which means his blood sugar is poisoning him to death; if he doesn’t get insulin soon, you are going to lose him.”
This was the moment that changed everything.
It was as if the rug had been pulled out from underneath me and I was hurdling thru space. In an instant I became a warrior for my son- an activist, an advocate. I threw myself into a life of intense focus and advocacy to raise awareness and money for research for a cure for my Walker and the millions like him, champions living with Type 1 Diabetes. It changed the course of our lives forever, and like his initial diagnosis, what happened next was the thing I never could’ve anticipated or prepared myself for.
I was on my way to buy groceries for dinner and Walker, who was in his car seat, was suddenly suffering from an extremely low blood sugar. My plan of the casual schlepp to the grocery store was out the window- I needed real food and I needed it NOW. I frantically scanned the highway in search of what I wanted- a delicious, freshly prepared meal made with organic ingredients and the convenience of a drive thru- for Walker and my sons who were all in tow.
What I quickly discovered was that what I was looking for did not exist and that simple realization left me feeling powerless, defeated and broken.
For the first time since Walkers diagnosis; I felt the tears welling up in my eyes.
It also empowered me to action.
After racing down RT.9, leaving my kids in a running car (not a proud moment), hurriedly grabbing take out from a mom & pop restaurant then dashing quickly home to feed my boys and making sure that Walker was safe and his blood sugar was at a stable number; I found myself sobbing on my shower floor. I was exhausted. I was depleted and defeated and resigned to the fact that no one was going to fix this for me.
I got up, dried off, looked in the mirror and thought, “no one is coming to save you Shannon. And, if this is a problem for you, it’s just a problem period, and you’ve got to solve it.”
This was the moment that grown was born.
I called my husband Ray and told him that if no one had big enough balls to reinvent fast food, we had to do it. It took eight years to get our doors open and 18 months to successfully complete our organic certification process…but, we did it…we created the thing we wished existed and it’s growing!
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Shannon Allen (née Shannon Walker Williams) is a mom of five, singer/songwriter, actor, entrepreneur, business owner, philanthropist, content creator and devoted wife to 2x NBA Champion, AllStar and Hall of Famer, Ray Allen. She was a member of Motown Records “shades” and has appeared in TV & film (“girlfight”, Blues Clues, Century City, “Sex and the City”, “Sesame English”) and can be found on instagram at both @grown and @swalkerwil.
In addition to her work creating and building the grown™️ (real food, cooked slow for fast people) brand, Shannon has also appeared as a food/health/wellness expert and thought leader on:
Celebrity Sweat
Chef’s Table
Chopped Jr
Foodable TV
Michelle Bernstein’s Check Please
NBC’s In the Mix
As a panelist and keynote speaker, Shannon has spoken at:
Balance: Health + Wellness
Baptist Health Florida
Better Food Movement
Fancy Food Show
Female Founder Collective
Organic Produce Council
Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science
Seed Food and Wine
Lee Shrager’s South Beach Wine & Food
S.H.E. Summit Bacardi
Slow Food Miami
World Happiness Summit
Logline:
Shannon Allen teaches you how to cook tasty and healthy meals for you and your family. Featuring stand alone episodes focused on one theme – from the best organic baby food to optimizing your farmers market visit – Shannon hosts a celebrity guest in her kitchen and shares recipes, tips and tricks.
Background
Originally produced when the Allen family was living in Boston, the Pre-Game Meal was filmed in the Action Kitchen and aired on NECN (New England Cable News). Guests included then Celtics stars Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo, Glen “Big Baby” Davis, Kevin Youkilis of the Boston Red Sox, Wes Welker of the New England Patriots, and Chefs Lydia Shire and Ming Tsai.
Since the original episodes aired, the Allens have relocated to Miami with four of their five children, and started the organic fast casual restaurant, Grown™️. Grown started as one location in Miami, and has now expanded to locations throughout Florida.
Let’s talk M&A – we’d love to hear your about your experience with buying businesses.
I purchased “lunchology.co” (a subscription Mealplan company) from a dear friend during COVID.
Can you open up about a time when you had a really close call with the business?
Every damn day. Lol
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.grown.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CzehYf5uXFQ/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannon-allen-4014581a1?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app