We were lucky to catch up with Shannon Colleen recently and have shared our conversation below.

Shannon, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Almost all entrepreneurs have had to decide whether to start now or later? There are always pros and cons for waiting and so we’d love to hear what you think about your decision in retrospect. If you could go back in time, would you have started your business sooner, later or at the exact time you started?

Oh, the synchronicities! If I could go back in time, I truly wouldn’t change a thing.
The backstory- In 2010, having graduated with a BA in Psychology, I found myself meeting my future husband (Brian), discovering Occupational Therapy, and moving across the country to Kansas to pursue a second degree and career in OT.
In 2014, I was a fresh graduate and was simultaneously pursuing a passion project in photography- starting from scratch with a camera I knew nothing about.
In 2015, I married the love of my life, Brian, my endless supporter, the one I asked God to send to me, the one who is ready for any of life’s adventures as long as we are together, my opposite- yet with God, the one in which everything makes sense.
In 2017, I became a mom to my first child, my beautiful son, Laken. In 2020, I was blessed with my second child, my beautiful daughter, Jillian. In late 2020, I returned from maternity leave to work full-time in healthcare during the pandemic.
All the while, life was happening- 6 years full of learning, growing, & building a photography business from the ground up, maintaining a full-time job, becoming a mom, priorities shifting, perspectives changing, dreaming of what life could be, becoming misaligned in my healthcare position, feeling the pull to search for something more. I drew a line in the sand and took a huge and faithful leap into self-employment. It was the best decision I ever made at exactly the right time.

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.

I had been growing my business, Shine On Photography, in portraits (Maternity, Newborn, & Family) for those first six years, which I loved and still love in so many ways. Getting to know families, becoming close with moms/women, helping them feel seen and beautiful. Bringing out so many candid moments- laughter, silliness, love. It’s been truly magical. Seeing the miracle of newborns within just weeks of entering the world. Seeing new parents and the beauty of figuring out life with their new little love is something that will never cease to amaze me.
At almost the exact moment I decided to step away from healthcare, I had a call from my sister with an opportunity to shoot listing photography for a handful of real estate agents at her brokerage. This was exactly what I wanted and needed, and I had no idea at the time how much it would impact me. In 2021, I began my Real Estate Photography business, Luxe 3D Cincinnati. The glove fit. I fell in love. Just like taking care of those new moms, families, and newborns- it lit me up. Now I was also taking care of real estate agents, homeowners, & home-builders. At the end of the day, each of these clients has so much pride in what they do. They are looking for loyal and trustworthy service providers that will put the same effort and passion into their homes as they do, as it is a reflection of their own business. That is where I come in (along with my new and wonderful team member, Logan)!
My goal as a real estate photographer is for my client to know that when I walk into a home, I am here to help. I am going to represent that client and their business in the best possible way. I am going to make sure I make that house look the best that I can before photographing it, and I want it to be shot in its best possible light.
It’s been interesting, as I feel it has all been coaching in a sense. I am here to help. I am here to bring beauty, confidence, and peace, I am here for you. This sense of building people up, bringing out the best… It’s truly a gift to be able to do this work. I am so grateful to have the kindest people in my life as clients, who have become friends, who I have known and worked with now for years.
I know there are more wild and wonderful things coming. I am so inspired for the future.

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

With self-employment comes an incredible sense of joy, pride, determination, inspiration, drive, and ambition… but also comes with things like pressure, urgency, perfectionism, stress, rigidity, obsession, overload.
In 2022, I had made a habit of getting little to no sleep daily- performing job services during the day, mom/wife life in the evenings, and finishing up all the work after everyone was asleep to try to keep up.
In April of 2022, I had an incredible health scare. I had been getting debilitating migraines- something I had never experienced. Within a couple of weeks, I was in the middle of a photo session and started to lose my ability to speak properly, followed by a disruption in brain processing altogether. When I arrived home, I remember looking at the clock in my living room and having no idea what the numbers meant. Thankfully, I was able to convey that I needed to go to the ER, and from there, I became completely unable to process thoughts, speak, or understand at all. Thankfully, after being in and out of the hospital for a couple of months, it finally seemed to be behind me. I was back to myself and took a hard look at the pressure I was putting on myself and my business. The hardest part of those couple of months was being unable to lift my babies, play with them, or be an active part of our family. I never wanted to feel that way again.
As a business owner, prioritizing time and taking care of yourself is number one. Not only time blocking out the most important things in your life first, but prioritizing health, self-care, and setting boundaries and non-negotiables around what you and your body can handle is essential. It’s a very hard lesson to learn.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I have experienced many “pivots” in life. There sometimes comes a point, at least for me, when I can feel deep down that something isn’t aligned in my life anymore. When I have clarity that something needs to change, I set my intentions to change it. Change can be so good. Refreshing. Invigorating. When a situation like this arises, I work through the different paths in my head and my heart until there is a clear path and a defined goal that I feel aligned to. Then, I take inspired action toward that goal. I have always been good at identifying these feelings and creating something new with purpose and meaning.
I am actually experiencing a pivot right now in life and business. I would call it more of an expansion, really.
Supporting and empowering women have always been a huge passion throughout my professional career and the highlight of the work that I do behind the scenes. I plan to take it all to the next level- supporting female entrepreneurs and helping them to bring abundance, clarity, and peace to their own lives. I am currently in the research phase- just meeting and speaking to women who are not only inspired in their business but who want to live in abundance- I want to hear their story.
I am very much looking forward to the future.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shannoncolleen_
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShannonColleenCo/

Image Credits

Shannon Colleen