We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Shauna Van Mourik. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Shauna below.
Hi Shauna, thanks for joining us today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.
Trusting your gut and having faith in yourself and your abilities are some of the biggest perceived risks that you can take.
I know it was terrifying for me.
I had followed what others told me was the “right” path all through adolescents and well into adulthood (took the courses, attended the schools and did the things that would give me a “good” career/relationship/etc) before I started to realize why I felt unaligned with the reality that was a life created FOR me, not BY me. Present me realizes that the choices I made were mine all along and I own that now but at the time it certainly didn’t feel like it.
The real sensation of taking a risk for myself happened when I finally started to lean into my ability to create my own destiny: I chose to go back to university for writing. This started a snowball of empowered decision making which allowed me to grow personally and professionally in a way that I never thought was possible.
In fact, it probably wasn’t possible with the way I had been choosing to live. I took additional qualification courses that drove my passion, started freelancing and turned that into an amazing entrepreneurial career. I met people who did things I didn’t know were possible – My mind, world, and life were expanded exponentially!
Taking a risk on myself by trusting that I had it in me (whatever “it” is) all along was definitely an adventure in the making. The way I see it, there are two sides to taking risks like this: 1. The higher you climb, the further you have to fall & 2. The greater the risk, the greater the reward – – Both of these experiences are beautiful. Yes, the falling too. Life’s supposed to be filled with ups and downs; it’s only through taking a chance on yourself that you can truly, fully live.
Take the risk. Do the thing.
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?
An advocate for making a positive impact on the world, I use my skills to create a space where ambitious women feel comfortably confident leading authentically and inspiring ripples in their communities.
Using custom organic content marketing, I help female service-based entrepreneurs to attract aligned clients who are ready and excited to invest. I do this by digging deep into their purpose, asking tough questions, inspiring them to step into their authentic power and leveraging their unique personal brand.
Psychology-based, Goal-oriented and People-focused, I believe that marketing confidence makes a difference and that it not only has to convert but feel good too.
Have you ever had to pivot?
Interestingly, I started my entrepreneurial journey long before I knew what it meant to be an entrepreneur. In my late teens, I would go around to local businesses and design their blackboards and other signs using chalk and/or paint. I also did custom pieces of fine art like detailed paintings and portraiture. At the time, I had no clue how to market my skills so these side hustles only lasted a few years before I dove headfirst into my post-secondary education.
Around the time I went back for my second degree (this time in English: Rhetoric & Professional Writing), I learned about freelance writing. This quickly evolved into a full business as a professional copywriter. My journey taught me a lot about marketing – the likes of which I had no clue about many years before – and my passion for research & the human condition (likely stemming from my first degree in Developmental Psychology) brought me to a point in my business where I found a hiccup in the success of mine (and many others) clients.
Although they were getting higher conversions with a copywriter on their team, they weren’t necessarily achieving their bigger financial goals. In the end, it all came down to marketing – they weren’t driving traffic to the amazing marketing assets they already had. It was time for me to dive into education mode once again to expand my knowledge and subsequent services to better serve the true needs of my clients.
What a game-changer!
Now we get to see success through – getting to the root of the issue and making a difference, long-term.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
Words are so powerful!
No, this isn’t what I had to UNlearn – rather, it’s HOW I unlearned the silly self-talk that was holding me back from success.
This story is pretty basic but it applies to sooooo many different aspects of life and business.
I used to say (verbatim), “I’m a writer, not a speaker.”
What nonsense!
After learning about mindset, affirmations and the power of the spoken word, I started saying, “I’m working on my speaking ability.”
This changed EVERYTHING!
What used to be obstacles turned into opportunities – for growth, learning and challenging my perception of self.
Now I actively seek opportunities to show up and SHOUT about the importance of raising your voice and making waves (not just ripples) toward creating a better world.
I encourage you to walk through fear and step into your authentic power.
Wave your freak flag!
There’s someone out there waiting to hear what you have to say as only you can say it.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.shaunaleighartistry.com
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/sla.marketingconfidence
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ownyouroriginality
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shauna-van-mourik-copy-content-strategy
- Other: Speaker Sheet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Fu6rhlRUoxsNmxV-1L7BlIgLa4kuCwGY/view?usp=sharing
Image Credits
Chantelle Zurbrigg, Clikz Boutique