Career Resilience in Action | How One Conversation Launched Shannon's Podcasting Path

Career transition and authentic leadership don't always look linear. Two and a half years ago, Shannon Gomes sat down with Amy Boyle for an episode about adapting your story as you go. Last week, she sent a message: that one conversation changed the direction of her career. She has since launched The Gomes Guide. In this bonus episode, Amy revisits Shannon's original insights about resilience, growth, and what it really takes for female leaders to thrive, this time with a full view of where that conversation led.

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Speaking of Phenomenal is created and produced by Amy Boyle. Podcast artwork by Amanda Eich. "Woman" by Tiffany Villarreal, used with permission. Be sure to subscribe, rate, and review and share the podcast, and stay tuned for more inspiring conversations. Support the show with on Patreon.

Transcript

Introduction: The Power of Listener Feedback

0:01

Every host says listener feedback matters. Most of the time, it lives in a five-star review or a comment that scrolls by in a feed. This one did not scroll by. Two and a half years ago, a woman named Shannon Gomes sat down with me for an episode about adapting your story as you go. Last week, she sent me this.

Amy Boyle's Podcast and Its Impact on Shannon Gomes

0:24

Amy Boyle invited me onto her podcast, Speaking of Phenomenal. I didn't know it then, but that one conversation would change the direction of my career. Amy pushed me to use my voice, share my ideas, and eventually start my own podcast. I listened back to that episode recently, and the ideas still hold up. Gen X isn't the forgotten generation. We're the adaptable one. Life gets better as we get older because we become more of ourselves, and there's room for everybody. We just need to lift each other up. Amy, thank you so much for encouraging me to take that leap before I even knew where it would lead. If you haven't listened to Speaking of Phenomenal yet, you need to start now. Amy has a special gift for pulling out ideas you didn't know you had in you.

The Significance of Revisiting Past Conversations

1:22

I want to sit with that for a second because it's not a small thing to say out loud. Shannon now hosts her own show, The Gomes Guide. She didn't have to come back and say any of that. She could have moved on the way most guests do once an episode airs and the moment passes. Instead, she went back and listened to her own words from two and a half years ago and found out that they still held up. That's the whole reason that this show exists. Speaking of Phenomenal started because I wanted a place where women could say the true thing out loud on the record before the world told them to wait for a better time. Shannon did exactly that in season two, episode

Rebranding Gen X as the Adaptable Generation

2:03

one.. Gen X, which we both are, if you look up what the description of Gen X is, it's known as the forgotten generation, which is such a shame because we are such an incredible generation. I would love to, rebrand Gen X as the adaptable generation because we have seen and experienced and adapted through so much change in our li- lifetime, um, and it continues to change every day./ I, feel like we need to embrace who we are and our age because I think life, gets better the older we get, right? We become more of ourselves. We trust ourselves. We speak our minds. We don't care what people think anymore./ There comes a point where you really just have to- Believe in yourself believe in yourself, understand what your gifts are, because I think kind of the whole purpose of life is understanding what our, our natural, unique gifts are, and then sharing them

Embracing Age, Self-Trust, and Personal Gifts

3:02

with the world. I believe we need to lift each other up, not tear each other down or be competitive. There's space for everybody, but especially when it comes to women. We all know that women make incredible leaders. Incredible. We are natural communicators. We naturally lead with empathy. The list could go on and on. there's so many industries that need female leaders in this next generation.

Women as Natural Leaders and Change Makers

3:35

Shannon is living proof of her own idea. She's found her unique gift. She's shared it with the world, and now she has her own show carrying it forward./ Here's something worth saying plainly. Many independent shows never find out whether an episode landed anywhere behind a download count. The feedback loop is thin by design. You put out a conversation into the world, and most of the time, that is the last time you hear of it. Shannon's message closes that loop. It's proof that one recorded conversation with no guarantee that anyone would ever hear it changed

The Impact of Independent Podcasts and Community Support

4:14

the direction of someone's career. That is the bet behind every episode of this show and behind most independent shows like it. You never know which conversation is the one. It is also a reminder of what keeps a show like this running. Speaking of Phenomenal has been solo funded for six years, supported in part through a Patreon, through listeners who take the time to write in. Every one of those threads, big or small, is what it takes to make six seasons possible. Shannon, thank you for coming back and telling me your ideas still hold up. If you wanna hear the full original conversation, it's linked in the show notes, season two, episode one, Adapting Her Story As She Goes. And if an episode of this show has ever struck you, the door is open. You can find Speaking of Phenomenal on Patreon. Or send us a message through our voicemail in the show notes. Either way,

Closing Remarks and How to Connect

5:13

we're listening. This has been a bonus episode of Speaking of Phenomenal. I'm Amy Boyle.