We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Shannon Adee a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Shannon, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.
In my youth, I was a competitive dancer that struggled with weight. Coming face to face with the judges’ comments about my size, I chose a disordered eating cycle of binging and starving. I started my first official diet at age 11 at a diet clinic, and my diet of choice became starvation and abuse of diet pills by the time I turned 16. As I moved into adulthood and became a mother, my body ballooned into a state of morbid obesity where society’s assumption was that I could not stop stuffing my face. The reality was that I had a horrible self-image and punished myself by avoiding food altogether. I typically ate one meal a day and restricted myself to small portions, yet my body continued to put on weight.
At the age of 34 in 2014, I attempted to walk a 5K with my teenage son. Halfway through the course, my 450 lb body gave up and I found myself sobbing on the front steps of a stranger’s home. Defeated, self-loathing, unrecognizable. At that moment, I decided I was not going to remain a victim to my biology. I was determined to establish healthier, more balanced eating habits and change the way I spoke to myself.
Over the next 5 years, I surrounded myself with a community of friends, family, and colleagues that encouraged me and lifted me up. They often reminded me of my goals when I was hell bent on quitting. They reminded me of my worth and applauded me for being “an inspiration.”
I began to change the way I spoke to and about myself. When I called myself a derogatory fat name, I would catch it and change my words. I wrote affirmations on sticky notes and placed them all over the house – the bathroom mirror, the refrigerator, by light switches, on the wall near my keys, the nightstand, everywhere. I developed a long list of positive affirmations and read them every day, twice a day, out loud and proud. In the beginning, it felt like lies. Eventually, I began to believe it was possible. And then one day, I woke up and knew with absolute certainty how special, beautiful, healthy, kind, and deserving I was. And I dared anyone to try and convince me differently.
How did I develop my confidence and self-esteem?
I shifted my mindset from low-vibe to high-vibe.
I used positive self-talk and affirmations to change my beliefs.
I acknowledged limiting beliefs and expanded my ceiling.
I visualized a target far beyond what I thought I could actually achieve and leaned into faith.
I vowed to never give up even when I hit obstacles and plateaus.
I surrounded myself with cheerleaders to remind me about the promises I had made to myself in the beginning.
I curated a medical team to treat the obesity disease.
I allowed myself to fuel with nutrition instead of punish with food, or lack of food.
I reframed EVERYTHING into a self-serving, self-loving perspective.
And as a result…
I lost 200 pounds.
I finally started loving myself.
I found confidence and pride.
This new found confidence empowered me to leave a job I was unhappy with and transition into entrepreneurship and I started a Google Ads and SEO agency. At times, I felt like an imposter. I worried about what people thought of me. I was scared I wouldn’t be able to provide for my family. But all the mindset work I had done in my weight loss journey helped me push through the difficult times in business ownership. Today, I stand proudly and confidently as we approach our 5th anniversary and $1M in cumulative revenue.
I used to say, “I can. I will. Watch me.”
Now I say, “I can. I will. I did.”
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself and your business?
I graduated from the University of Richmond with a concentration in Paralegal Studies. Garnering more than 15 years of progressive experience in Client Relations, including some years at a multi-million dollar company and later, a digital agency startup, I emerged as a Google Ads expert, operations and process improvement guru, and empowering motivator.
The road to Spark Solutions was cobbled with life lessons, however. For me, winning a trip to Hawaii was an inflection point that sparked clarity and action. While away, I realized that I was no longer aligned with my former employer’s long-term company vision and goals, and ultimately recognized it was time for a shift. From there, Spark Solutions was born!
I founded my digital marketing agency in February 2019. The name “Spark” embodies the marketing trigger that ignites business growth, increased revenue, brand awareness, and industry authority. “Solutions” represents what Spark Solutions offers our clients:: effective and powerful results, and relief of their business pain points. Simply put, from spark to flame, we help service-based businesses get discovered online, gain more quality leads with Google Ads Management and Search Engine Optimization (SEO), and ultimately, catalyze revenue growth.
In a span of 5 years, the Spark Solutions team has served approximately 165 Clients with 14 Agency Partnerships.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
1. Expand your target goal and remove limiting beliefs.
2. Build a go-giver mentality – give without expectation of receiving.
3. Lead with culture first – kindness, empowerment, growth, and integrity.
Who is your ideal client or what sort of characteristics would make someone an ideal client for you?
Spark Solutions has two ideal client avatars.
1. Service-based business owners. In particular, we find that multi-division or multi-location businesses with a small internal marketing person or team to be our very best clients.
2. Other agency owners looking to expand their service offering and revenue streams or who are looking to outsource Google Ads management for their clients.
Because we thrive in a collaborative partnership with our clients, we look for businesses that are engaged, provide good and bad feedback regularly, respond and interact when we proactively reach out with questions, and who know their numbers. Feedback on lead quality and industry trends helps us refine our strategies for a more targeted, quality lead flow.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sparksolutionsagency.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spark_solutions/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sparksolutionsagency
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sparksolutionsagency
Image Credits
Tina Thomas, Owner of Tina Take My Photo IG: @tinatakemyphoto (https://www.instagram.com/tinatakemyphoto)
