This Thing Called Wellness
This Thing Called Wellness Podcast: Inspiring Wellness Journeys, One Conversation at a Time is an inspirational conversational series about Shannon Martin's 11-year journey navigating depression, anxiety, and panic disorders. Now in its second season, Shannon, a mental health advocate, candidly shares her personal stories and insights around living with mental illness. Through open discussions about her setbacks and triumphs over the past decade, she aims to reduce the stigma around mental health issues, foster understanding, and empower listeners on their own wellness paths.
Each new episode, released every Wednesday, explores practical self-care strategies and coping techniques for improved mental wellbeing. From mindfulness meditation exercises to boundary-setting tips, Shannon covers actionable mental health tools to build resilience, manage stress, and live more intentionally. Through her vulnerability in her struggles with depression and anxiety, she hopes to inspire others to prioritize their mental health, understand it's a lifelong process, and realize they're not alone in this journey.
Welcome to the next phase of "This Thing Called Wellness Podcast: Inspiring Wellness Journeys, One Conversation at a Time" for an authentic take on mental illness recovery. Find new episodes every Wednesday on all major podcast streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more.
This Thing Called Wellness
Crossing the Bridge from Social Fear to Empowerment
Ever found yourself surrounded by a sea of faces at a networking event, your heart racing, palms sweating, unsure of how to bridge the gap between professional ambition and personal comfort? That's the tightrope I walked at the Behind Her Brand Conference in Dallas, Texas, and I'm thrilled to share the insights from this game-changing experience. As I, Shannon Martin, recount my journey alongside my dear friend Janis, we uncover the vibrant fusion of camaraderie and empowerment among a group of inspiring women. This episode is more than a story; it's a lesson in rediscovering the joy of connection while confronting the ghosts of social trepidations past.
During our intimate and candid discussion, we explore the complexities of maintaining personal well-being amid the buzz of professional engagement. I dissect the lingering impact of scars left by my first business venture and how they unwittingly followed me into present-day interactions. This is an episode for anyone who’s ever felt like an introvert in a world that celebrates extroverts, for the entrepreneurs who question the cost of networking on their inner peace. With heartfelt reflection and a few laughs along the way, Janice and I tackle the transformative journey of stepping out of our comfort zones. Join us for an empowering conversation that just might reshape the way you navigate your next networking event or social gathering.
Thank you for listening to today’s episode! If you enjoyed it, please take a moment to share it with a friend, rate, or review the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, YouTube, or wherever you tune in. Your support helps others discover our community and keeps us inspired to bring you more empowering content.
Stay Connected & Join the Conversation:
📸 Instagram: @thisthingcalledwellness_
📘 Facebook: @shannondmartin
📧 Email: shannon@thisthingcalledwellness.com
🌐 Podcast Website: podcast.thisthingcalledwellness.com
Want to go deeper on your wellness journey? Be sure to follow us on social media for updates, inspiration, and resources that help you heal, empower, and connect.
We appreciate you – let’s keep growing together!
Hell Beautiful Welcome to today's conversation where we're going to talk about getting out, socializing and networking while protecting your peace. Let's talk about it. I am your host, Shannon Martin and Welcome to today's episode of this Thing Called Wellness. Hello and welcome back. I hope you are doing well on this Wellness Wednesday. I am still recuperated from our trip to Dallas. Well, on this Wellness Wednesday, I am still recuperating from our trip to Dallas.
Shannon D Martin:I attended the Behind Her Brand Conference and it has been a long time since I have been outside y'all networking with other positive women and soaking up information and fellowshipping. And the best thing about it was that my girl went with me. I was so excited to see her y'all. We spent the weekend together laughing, catching up on each other's lives and really just talking about what we wanted to gain from the next couple of days. We were talking about where we were in our entrepreneur lives, you know, and just stuff like that, you know, catching up. The night before and really before I left, I couldn't sleep. I didn't know what I wanted to gain from the conference or anything like that. I just decided that I was going in being a sponge and just letting it do what it do, because I'm also working with the host that gave the conference. I work for the magazine Behind the Brand magazine, so I knew most of the ladies that were there, but I never met them in person. I only know them, you know, behind the scenes. So this was great to get to know them and say hi, meet them in person and just give them a good old hug. And I was also going to my hometown, Dallas, Texas.
Shannon D Martin:As time went on and we were on our breaks, I started to feel a little closed off. It had nothing to do with what was going on. It was an amazing atmosphere great conversation, laughter. The speakers were amazing and preaching some great things. I just caught myself being a bit reserved. So later that evening I sat down and I talked to my friend, janice, who was there with me, and I told her how I was feeling. And that evening I sat down with my emotions. I was really beginning to see and noticing that I was beginning to shut down, beginning to set back, and I was feeling tired and I was kind of tuning out. And I didn't understand why. Because this was such a great time for me. I was traveling, I was meeting new people, I had my bestie with me, and you know why was I feeling this way? But as I was talking to my friend, I realized that I was thinking about past events, past things that left a scar that I didn't know was still there and it really left a bad taste in my mouth for networking and socializing. And I didn't even know that I still had that and was carrying that with me, and this has been about over five years ago. So I didn't even know why that was still there. But I said, okay, so this is what is going on. Let me really dig deep into it.
Shannon D Martin:So years ago when I first started my first business, it was in gifting and so I started networking. I really didn't know what it was. I was very green with it and a lady introduced me to how to network here in Georgia and so I started to network and just really get into it. And this was at the beginning of when I just was beginning to heal from my breakdown. So I was getting out there getting the word out about my business and just jumped in. So I just wanted to learn and wanted to get to know other businesses and just get to know meet people.
Shannon D Martin:But what I was beginning to notice is that a couple of times I should have left these events. They weren't healthy for me, they weren't good for me and I just should have been better at protecting myself. Don't let others make you feel something. You are not Anonymous. At one particular event I went to, they did a thing called speed networking. Now, I'm an introvert, right, so I really didn't want to have anything to do with it. But I said, okay, you know, I'm a businesswoman, let me get into my CEO Mindset, let me get out of my comfort zone anything to do with it. But I said, ok, you know I'm a businesswoman, let me get into my CEO mindset, let me get out of my comfort zone and let me try it. But it was horrible and I would not sign up for anything like that again.
Shannon D Martin:But what was happening as I was switching from person to person and I was explaining to them what I was doing at the time, which was gifting, and I know I explained myself well. They were thing, and I know I explained myself well. They were giving me this perplexed look like they didn't understand what I was talking about. What is that? You know, like, what are you doing? Why would you do that? What made you go into that and you know all these things and you know, and also at other events, um, other people were were suggesting that I do different things with it. I would go in a different way. You know that's not really tangible. So why don't you do like I noticed someone's not really tangible. So why don't you do like I noticed someone? They did like a coupon basket. Why don't you do that? And you know, go into different markets and have this. What the heck are you talking about? That was nothing that I had envisioned for my business, just insane stuff like that. So I just said you know what, that's okay.
Shannon D Martin:So I kept going on with, with my spill and kept having those doubtful things. So by the time we finished and we were on the break, I was beginning to doubt myself. I was beginning to doubt that this was a viable business, all those things. I was beginning to feel it and I began to feel small and I began to withdraw and shut down. Now, at this time, I still didn't know how to handle my all of these things because it was still new to I. Still didn't know how to handle all of these things because it was still new to me. I didn't know how to snap out of it.
Shannon D Martin:So what I did was I just walked away and I found myself in this little corner and I was looking at this great little marketing. It was an old fashioned Coca-Cola bottle with the name of the conference on it right. And all of a sudden this lady walked up to me and she said I've been looking for you, you know, and it must have been my angel watching out for me. And she said I know what you're doing. Don't let these people doubt what you're doing, because they're not really trying to understand it. They're not even asking you questions of what it is you do. So don't let that hinder you for continuing on your path. And the thing is, y'all I know it's a viable business. I've gone to conferences to get better at that craft, to understand it and to know how to make it a viable business. I've met women who make this business into millions of dollars, so why was I allowing these people to make me feel less than so She gave me her card and she said if you need anything for me, because I was kind of like what she worked in. She was like an agency or had an agency or something like that.
Shannon D Martin:And after that that was just like my confirmation of saying you know what, I think this is it for me. So I didn't do any more networking in my area for years. So this was like the first time in like years about six years I had ever went to an event. So all of that I think it brought up all those emotions for me. So I sat with that for one night. We had another day. So I said to myself the next day I'm going to reset myself. So I went back to the conference the next day. I got up that morning, listened to my praise music and I just realized that I was imposing those past experiences onto this event and it wasn't fair to the positive experiences I was feeling that day. It had nothing to do with what was happening in Dallas, that happened here in Georgia. Texas had nothing to do with that. This whole space was light and airy and everyone was just supporting and loving on everyone else. So it wasn't making any sense to me. So I just said you know what? Let me just tune into what is going on now.
Shannon D Martin:And as the speakers were talking, you know the speakers talked about having front row people support you in all that you do. Those will speak the truth to you and be there for you, no matter what you know. And I looked around and they were there at the conference. One was with me there. She came from North Carolina to be there with me. She's always been my cheerleader. There are ladies in that room that pray for me, that are there for me with my support, me, my dream, my goals. They've also supported me doing my podcast, so I know that that's not the same as here. Right Another speaker talked about being a middle woman, meaning referring people to other people or helping you reach your goals, your dreams. Those ladies were also in that room. Right Another speaker talked about being where your feet are.
Shannon D Martin:I wasn't being where my feet were at that time for like short periods of time because I was having those flashbacks of here. So once I reassessed my emotions and I reset, I came back. I planted my feet right where I was and I was in that moment and where I needed to be and what I needed to hear. The messages I needed to hear were there and where I needed to be and what I needed to hear. The messages I needed to hear were there. I was able to hear it because I just had to reset myself and say, girl, you're going to be sitting right here and you're going to hear these messages that you need to hear today. And I heard them all. And lastly, one speaker talked about your core values and your non-negotiables, and that hit me like a ton of bricks Because if I had my non-negotiables back then, I would have walked out of a lot of events back then and kept my inner peace. I was allowing others' opinions and values to be pushed out for me without my knowing it, making me feel small and undervalued. I'm so glad that I was in that room at that time, meeting the women that I needed to meet.
Shannon D Martin:I feel so lighter now. It's hard to explain, but I feel like the James Brown. I feel good. You know I'm in a better place and I can feel it. I'm catching those thoughts and emotions and ideas that kept me from being present and I'm loving this. I know that I'm healing. It's taken me some time, but I know that I'm healing. Have you had those some time, but I know that I'm healing.
Shannon D Martin:Have you had those moments where you felt out of sorts and didn't understand why You're looking around like? This is such a wonderful time. Why am I not enjoying myself? Why do I feel exhausted all of a sudden? Make sure to take the time to sit with yourself and ask yourself why Keep asking yourself? Why Journal it out if you have to, but get it out until you find the solution, like I did, and then reset yourself, set your feet and be in that moment because you're there for whatever. That reason is Mindful Moment when you find yourself in a situation where someone is making you feel something you are not, especially if it's at an event or something social where you have the power to leave. Leave. Be like me staying because you paid for the event parking. You know all that stuff that comes with it. Staying to get photos and staying to get to know people which, in that situation, they probably didn't really want to get to know me anyway.
Shannon D Martin:During this time, I bought so much stuff, y'all.
Shannon D Martin:I bought books I haven't even read yet. I won free things. I don't even know if it's helpful to me, not even sure if it would work for me. Anyway, I was placing myself into rooms that weren't meant for me, but they were Meant for me to learn how not to treat people. Meant for me to learn how not to treat people.
Shannon D Martin:These rooms were meant for me to know what to look for in people who don't have my best interest at heart and will never be my front row people. These rooms show me that not everyone is going to be or has it in them to be the middleman or middlewoman. These rooms taught me to be where my feet are planted and that I am enough. You are enough. We only feel small or something else when we allow ourselves to make us feel this way. Know your core values, what you want bend on, and stand tall in them. You have come a long way, girl, to let anyone make you feel any kind of way. Know when you are not well enough to be in a space and be strong enough to leave. Don't people please leave. Protect your peace at all costs and remember to smile. That's half the battle. Love you, girl. Thank you for joining me. I hope you found value in today's conversation when we talked about getting out, socializing and networking while protecting your peace. I'm your host, Shannon Martin. Be sure to join us next Wednesday. We will hold another discussion about protecting our peace. Until then, stay healthy and well, take care.
Shannon D Martin:If you enjoyed today's episode, please take a moment to rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen. It really helps new listeners find us and join our wellness community. Don't forget to stay connected with us all across our social media platforms and share with your friends. We've got plenty of exciting things in store, so be sure to join us on this journey towards a healthier, more vibrant you. Thanks for tuning in. Disclaimer I am not a licensed mental health professional. The information provided here is for general informational purposes only. It should not be considered a substitute for professional mental health advice, diagnosis or treatment. If you need help, please consult a qualified mental health advice, diagnosis or treatment. If you need help, please consult a qualified mental health professional.