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

Shannon, appreciate you joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

I wrote my new book, Oh Hi, Hello Motherhood, for any women and new mothers who were struggling like me. I wrote the book, to talk about all of the things I learned along the way as a new mom. All of the things I wish I had known or had heard more women talking about. That I didn’t fully understand how much of a shift it is for us as mothers. That it’s not just you with a child in tow but it fundamentally changes who you are slowly as you progress through motherhood. That even though there are so many joyous amazing moments, there are also a lot of hard moments too.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a done over perfect person. I believe in big dreams and that we have to be our biggest permission slip givers. I am a mom of two based out of British Columbia, Canada. I have been in the apparel & footwear industry for almost 20 years, starting out as customer service working my way up to top sales rep in my region. I started coaching and hosting workshops online after covid started. I had to work through a lot of life lessons, especially after I became a mother, and I wanted to share what I had learned with other women who were struggling like I had. I have always enjoyed writing since school, have really enjoyed journaling as a part of my self care. As a way to get my thoughts out of my head. And writing this book was something that just came out of me one weekend. I had thought about it for a long time, and finally I just started writing. Now, even thought it was written in a weekend, it took over a year of editing with my editor and lots of rewrites. And I hope this book gives any mother or woman a chance to be seen or understood in some way, shape or form.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Although, it’s not always instantly lucrative, I think being creative is so important for us as humans, for us as souls. Being creative allows us to use other parts of our brain. It can allow us to relax or find joy through creating. It can feel very satisfying to create something tangible, such as a poem, a piece of art etc. It allows for play and fun. For patience or learning a new skill. It can allow us to tap into parts of ourselves we sometimes ignore.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

For me, Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert has been a huge inspiration. I lover her view on creativity and writing. She encourages us to try and release perfection and allow ourselves to simply create. She gives so many different examples and scenarios of famous creatives and how they struggled and or were able to bring their work to life. She talks a lot about imposter syndrome and the feelings of inadequacy that a lot of creatives deal with. She inspires us to try and gives personal examples that sometimes it’s just a matter of timing and to not take it all so personally. That we just have to keep swinging and eventually something will hit.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.shannoncairney.com
• Instagram: @shannoncairney
• Other: @shannon.cairney (tik tok)
  https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/from-martyr-to-magic/id1548617939 (From Martyr to Magic – podcast)

Image Credits

@grinningweaselphotography
Cheryl Voigt