My friend Jen recently wrote in her newsletter something that totally shook me, “Don’t let anyone trick you into chasing a dream that isn’t yours.” Wow, Amen.

When I decided to start the podcast I knew I wanted it to be a place for entrepreneurs to hear the real behind the highlight reel, the messy middle moments that aren’t often shared publicly… and as soon as I wrote down the name, I knew…

I’ve been blown away with how much the name has struck a chord with you all as well.

“the name of the podcast, it’s so perfect it made me tear up a little”

“Brought me to tears”

“The name is perfect” 

“Love the name”

“That name though 🧡”

Since so many of you have asked, I figured it’s time I spill on how the name came to be.

Consider the Wildflowers : Behind the Name

There is something beautiful in the way a flower grows.

Many of my childhood days were spent walking the garden with my grandmother. She taught me about seeds and bulbs, the importance of proper sunlight, water, and tending the soil.

She taught me about being nurtured and about nurturing.

As an adult I still have a love of the garden. God uses the garden to teach me. The way a tiny seed becomes a flourishing plant, the importance of tending the soil, the importance of letting the soil rest, the purpose in the changing seasons.

There is hope in the garden.

There is a lack of control.

There is faith.

Life wisdom gleaned from a plot of dirt on the land.

Why a Podcast?

One in a million, right?! I read an article the other day that stated there are now more than 1 million podcasts. Wow. It seems like a totally bad marketing idea to add another podcast to an already quite saturated market.

↑↑↑ One of the many reasons why I truly never thought I would start a podcast! TBH, historically I have *not* been a podcast listener. I know, I know. Everyone is shocked! When I work I need quiet, I typically don’t even listen to music and sadly haven’t found a way to be productive with the sounds of Gilmore Girls reruns humming as background noise.

So what changed?

This past Spring, I started commuting 30mins each way, sometimes 2xs a day, to drop off and pick up my daughter from childcare! That’s 1-2 hours in the car 3xs a week. I GET IT NOW! I get why all my mom friends/ entrepreneur friends / artists who listen to podcasts friends …. Love podcasts!

The Premise

For the past 15 plus years I’ve had the honor to hear thousands of stories from entrepreneurs around the world. As a former Fortune 100 financial advisor turned business consultant, I have a unique opportunity to see the real behind the highlight reel (I’m talking P&L statements, unpaid taxes, moments of burnout and those of utter victory). Or as my husband says “the content everyone is wondering about but not many are talking about.”

I’ve met amazing people from around the world and have heard some pretty incredible stories (and some that may completely *shock* you). Over the years I started to see patterns, repeatable steps echoed by many of the most successful entrepreneurs I have met. Now I spend my days coaching 1:1 clients and teaching thousands of students the exact processes and strategies I have seen work time and time again.

And while yes, I have a knack for the numbers, my true passion is seeing entrepreneurs build radically fulfilling lives.

Talking to entrepreneurs about business and life and money, like a coffee date that you don’t have to get out of your pjs for… Count me in! *raises hand!* Sounds perfect!

Behind the name…

Achiever may be my #1 strength on the Strengths Finder Assessment but for many years now I’ve felt anything but ambitious. While I absolutely love what I do and I’m so grateful to work for myself (and with my husband!), I knew long ago that hustling without rest would lead me straight to burn out. I had to design a business that aligned with the life I wanted … and TBH, I am still shocked that people have that backwards.

Back in my days as a Fortune 100 financial advisor, I had a mentor tell me, “if you say you don’t want more money, you’re just lying to yourself.”

For a long time I operated that way. I shamed myself for not selling more, for not pushing harder, for taking time off. I compared myself when I wasn’t walking across the stage, getting the same awards, hitting the same milestones.

Actually, I believed my success wasn’t success at all because it didn’t measure up to someone else’s.

I drank the koolaid, and believed that more was better.

But I think if we’re being honest, the six-figure business (and here lately the seven-figure business) everyone keeps talking about may not be your dream.

It wasn’t mine 🤭

Many days it feels like I’m swimming upstream against a strong current of so called “success” and “should-dos” when I hang my hat on the philosophy of “defining enough” and letting that be my barometer for success. Don’t get me wrong, I do not believe ambition is bad, if it’s not channeled toward a pursuit of your own definition of success, well …you may just find yourself feeling even more discontent.

A Perfect Contradiction.

I can set “reach for the stars” goals or aim to cover my bare bones need. My measuring stick depends on the season of life I’m in. “Enough”, for me, means harmony. The place where ambition meets contentment.

As Brene Brown so eloquently put it, “the opposite of scarcity isn’t abundance, it’s enough.” 

Consider how the wildflowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you.

Luke 12:27-28

Wildflowers. They don’t have to be planted, they grow where the wind takes them. They thrive in the most adverse conditions and they seem to do so effortlessly. They are resilient and tender. They are steel magnolias, beauty and strength.

Entrepreneurs, much like wildflowers, are passionate and strong. Emotional and resilient. Ambitious and Content.

A perfect contradiction.

“You are allowed to be both a masterpiece and a work in progress, simultaneously.” – Sophia Bush

That. That is who we are. We are the wildflowers.

You Belong Among the Wildflowers.

My hope with this podcast is to provide a platform for entrepreneurs around the world to tell their stories and in doing so give others the courage to believe they can define success and build a business that aligns with their personal values and life goals!

To borrow the words of Tom Petty, “you belong somewhere you feel free.” 

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Hey Wildflower. I’m so glad you’re here.

xo.

Shanna

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