Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Shawna Brioux. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Shawna thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with 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.

The biggest risk I’ve ever taken was to not take a risk at all. My life goal after high school was to enroll in film school and be able to have a flexible, fast paced career. I loved the idea of being able to choose what projects that I could work on and when. Unfortunately, I was convinced that it was too risky of a career choice and ended up pursuing nursing school. Fast forward, I became a registered nurse and became very unhappy in the hospital setting. I knew that I was destined to be in control of my life and that I had more to offer. I decided to take a major risk and invest into started my own clothing brand. This turned out to be only a stepping stone leading into my major risk taking journey!

Shawna, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I suppose I am a serial entrepreneur at this point in my business career. I am most known for being the founder of Smokke Show, an eco-friendly designer swimwear line. I would say that my swimwear line is my most fulfilling business achievement because I can provide awareness about the importance of sustainable swimwear, while helping save the planet. It may be just a small impact, but well worth the investment of my time. What most people don’t know about me is that I am also a co-founder of an IV infusion clinic, Aqua Sol Infusions, and a home healthcare company, One Call Nurses Home Healthcare. This is where my nursing degree has played out for me because I get to assist people on a professional level in the healthcare industry. I strive to innovate and offer services to the community, services that have not been offered before.

Have you ever had to pivot?

When I first started Smokke Show, it began as a drop shipping e-commerce store selling many different styles of women’s clothing from oversees. Eventually, I began to really understand how damaging this was to the environment and no longer wanted to support this type of business. I made a major pivot in the brand and changed my message to consumers. I then personally designed all of the swimwear out of sustainable materials. Smokke Show now represents earth friendly choices and no longer promotes fast fashion.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

I met my business partner, Casey, for Aqua Sol Infusions and One Call Nurses, in nursing school. We became friends almost instantaneously and both shared many business ideas but couldn’t find the right fit. After our travel nursing covid runs, we were tired of seeing the darker side of nursing and wanted to make a change. We wanted to make a real difference as registered nurses. We started both companies, pretty much at the same time, and the rest is history!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.smokkeshow.com
• Instagram: @shawnabreezzyy
• Linkedin: Shawna Brioux
• Other: @officialsmokkeshow @aquasolinfusions www.aquasolinfusions.com www.onecallnurseshomehealthcare.com

Image Credits
@maxvisualmediastudio