Shannon Vogel

Hi! I'm Shannon Vogel. 

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The basics: Raised in a small Southern town, youngest of two siblings, Catholic Mom, Baptist (non practicing) Dad, food was our family's love language. 

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I started out with a clear career path of being a writer in New York. No reservations and no doubt. In high school, I applied to the South Carolina Governor's School for writing to do everything I could to help me achieve my goals. The interview was outstanding and I was given an off-the-record, verbal green light. At the last minute, I was called and found out that I was not accepted because of a phrase I will never forget. They could not reconcile the end of my story with the person they interviewed. At that moment, I lost the clarity of who I was and what I thought was my purpose. Assuming I was not good enough to write for the state of South Carolina, how could I be good enough to be a writer in New York?

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This changed my career path to psychology at Clemson University. Again, with a clear path of being a therapist. On graduation day, my father suggested I not pursue the path of a therapist. He asked me what I would do if someone took their own life because of the advice I gave them. When I asked what I was supposed to do now, his answer was that I could move back to small town, USA and work for the family flooring and construction business. As a good girl in the South, I stayed small, quiet and agreeable and did just that. I spent five years married to the “perfect” Catholic boy and both of my parents were perfectly pleased. I left the family business and abusive marriage five years later. I stayed in the flooring business because it was good to me and it was all I knew.

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I met a woman, Kerry, in Denver who encouraged me to take a hard look at my career and keep a calendar notating the days I was unhappy and unfulfilled by marking the calendar with a red “X”. When it was clear I needed a change, she offered me a job to start the first blog in the floor covering industry.

This was the start of my career in social media in 2007. The blog was incredibly successful and this led to offering social media services to clients on each of the different social media platforms. Kerry and I worked together for 13.5 years until the company was bought by a start-up in New York. After all this time, I briefly ended up writing for a company in New York.

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My father died around this time and on my first trip back to SC, my mother admitted that 25 years ago, she changed the end of my story that was submitted to the Governer’s School for writing. She didn’t want anyone to know that her child “could write something that dark”. This news and the death of my father led to a rebirth and awakening that I would no longer stay small, quiet and agreeable for the sake of pleasing others. I rediscovered my voice, started a social media company focused on giving a voice to businesses on the platforms people spend their lives on.

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Along the way, I could never let go of finding my true passion and joy which is public speaking, coaching and helping others see who they really are. I often ask people..."What's your superpower?" because it is a seemingly simple question that really can get introspective. My superpower is helping people see themselves and opening the door to really getting the most out of this life by being the best version of themselves while also loving the worst parts of themselves.

 

In 2023 my husband, Kevin joined the business and continues to be my biggest cheerleader and trusted advisor. He's been on every part of this journey with me, doing his work along the way. We have created a life together that is better than my 8 year old self could have ever imagined.