We were lucky to catch up with Shauna Golden recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Shauna, thanks for joining us today. Can you share a story about the kindest thing someone has done for you and why it mattered so much or was so meaningful to you?

Something that always sticks with me as one of the kindest and most supportive things someone has done for me is something my husband said to me. At the time we were engaged and not yet married and I was having a mental breakdown trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. This wasn’t the first time this had happened and it definitely wasn’t the last. But at the time I was trying to decide if I wanted to switch career paths (yet again) but it was going to be something in a completely different direction. I wasn’t sure if I should pursue it because I was so afraid I would change my mind again and I’d be right back to where I started. I didn’t want to waste more time and money hopping from job to job trying to figure it out. So my husband looked me in the eyes and said, “I don’t care if you want to switch careers every few months, if it makes you happy. At the end of the day our kids are going to think you’re the coolest mom ever because you’re going to know how to do so many different things.” This really hit me hard because I realized that’s all that mattered to me. It didn’t matter what anyone else thought of me as long as I had the support of my husband and for my future kids to think I’m the coolest mom ever. And most importantly, that I was happy doing whatever I wanted to do in that moment.

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?

As you could probably gather from that last question, I’ve worn a lot of different hats. I first got two bachelors in Theatre and Even Management. I then went on to get my Master in Arts Management. For a while I wanted to be an actress, then a theatre manager. From there I thought about being a wedding planner or owning my own music venue where I could promote up and coming artists. I made a HUGE switch into wanting to become a veterinarian and I am currently working at a vet hospital and am loving it. I want to continue doing this for a while but my ultimate goal is to open my own bookstore where I can really be creative with my own business. On the side right now I consider myself a booktuber and bookstagramer, trying to get more into the Booktok realm. I love making videos and discussing books with other people and enjoy sharing that love through all my social media platforms. I also love to write and the whole art of stroytelling.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson I had to unlearn is that there is only one career out there for everyone and that you have to pick that one thing and stick with it the rest of your life. This is absolute nonsense but something I’ve had to constantly remind myself of the opposite. We’ve always been told that we need to find that one thing we’re passionate about and make that a career and only do that for the rest of our lives. The problem with this for me is that I love so many things and I want to do all of those things all the time and there’s nothing wrong with that! I want everyone out there to know that no matter what you do, just do something that makes you happy and brings you joy, even if it means you jump around in careers or work three different part time jobs. If it brings you peace and joy then do whatever you want to do. It’s so unrealistic for people, in our generation especially, to think that you can only ever do one thing. I’ve met people who have picked their one thing and done only that and are miserable. On the flip side I’ve seen people who’ve had five different careers and been happy in all of them but just wanted to move around. Sometimes we can find the joy in the journey itself and that’s ok and perfectly normal.

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

Because I’m a book person I have to share a book that resonated so deeply with me on my personal journey. It’s called “You are a Badass. How to stop doubting your greatness and start living an awesome life” by Jennifer Sincero. This book was the first leap for me to understanding myself and to stop doubting every decision I make. It made me stand up and say I am powerful and confident and no one can tell me otherwise! I recommend this book to everyone I meet because there’s something in there for everyone. It helps you to find the confidence in yourself and makes you feel so empowered.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://shaunasgoldenjournal.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shaunasgoldenjournal/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLKfuZ0OxFgIaIWqMuOZOXg