We recently connected with Donna Shields and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Donna, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
Resilience is one of the 4 Rs my mom taught me since I was a kid. My parents were from the Great Depression era, so you pick yourself up by your bootstraps and soldier on, no matter what. I grew up in a warm, loving Italian family, but you did what needed to be done in school and around the house. As a teenager, I was pretty self-motivated and my mom started to talk more about the importance of the 4 R’s; they have stuck with me for a lifetime. Resilience is certainly one of life’s important attributes because we will all have curveballs thrown our way. But there’s also being Resourceful; the ability to figure out a way when there seems like there isn’t one. Being resourceful can be about finances but also about how to create the life you want with the resources and talent you’ve been given. Then there’s being Responsible; you do what you say you’re going to do, and always follow through. I find the lack of follow-through in today’s world to be a real detriment for people in their relationships and careers. Being responsible can make you stand out, among your peers, because so few people seem to practice it. Lastly, there’s Relentless which doesn’t need much explanation. You simply don’t give up on your goals, and you know when to shift gears to try something different. So there may be several versions of Relentless, but in the end, the combination of Reslience, Resourceful, Responsible, and Relentless can get you to the life you want.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
Looking back over a 40-year career which has been primarily self-created, I notice a few recurring themes. Those themes are diversity, flexibility and curiosity. While my content areas of expertise have been health, food and nutrition, I’ve been able to practice them in many different ways. Nothing could have been more traditional than starting as a registered dietitian in the US Army. But I quickly saw new career opportunities appearing for nutrition experts that had previously not been around; working in food marketing and communications. Wow, what a change from clinical hospital life! Because I’m always curious about “what’s next” and not afraid to tackle something I’ve never done before, I moved into writing cookbooks, developing recipes and got to teach at the most prestigious culinary school in the US, the Culinary Institute of America, New York. That teaching experience was a lesson in diversity because I was one of only three female instructors in what was a male-dominated industry, at that time. I quickly found my voice to stand up for salary equity as male instructors earned more than me and yet I had a master’s degree. I’ve spent most of my adult life living a flexible lifestyle at the end of the road in Key West, Florida, commuting to all those corporate gigs before remote working was ever a thing. As I’ve backed off full-time work, I’ve discovered a new passion: riding adventure motorcycles. After 11,000 miles through Mexico, I’m making Oaxaca, MX a semi-permanent home and launching the inaugural Oaxaca Food & Wine Festival, February 20-23, 2025.
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?
As described in a prior answer, those 4 R’s of resiliency, resourcefulness, responsibility, and being relentless are invaluable life attributes. Those have allowed me to have a diverse and exciting life, not just in my career but in my personal journey. There’s a fine line between playing it safe and taking foolish risks, but the only way real growth happens is when you take on the unknown. Taking a risk is critical to building confidence, learning a new skill, and communicating to the world that you’ve got what it takes. Not every risk will be a home run; I’ve had plenty of ventures that went nowhere, but I wouldn’t make those same mistakes again. I was a co-founder of an online cannabis education business, teaching health professionals the therapeutic value of cannabis with nutrition. This was a risk, in several ways, and although the business was not a success, it was a tremendous learning experience. These qualities are important for career development, but from a personal development perspective, the best advice is to see the world. Traveling to countries with completely different cultures is what teaches you how to appreciate people, understand their challenges, and see how you might help them. My idea of travel is to live with a family, sleep on their floor, shop and cook with them, and help the kids with their English. I recently did this in a small Mexican village and found this to be one of the most rewarding travel experiences. As a result, I’m sponsoring a high school education for one of the children, and watch how it will make a difference in someone’s life. Empathy for others and being able to change their lives is the icing on the cake.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
Mexico is an under-appreciated country in terms of its varied culture, cuisine, landscape, and the sweet disposition of its people. Mexico is misunderstood because the first question is always the same: Is it safe? I plan to change that perspective, through a series of food and wine festivals that include cultural activities showcasing indigenous people and their ancient crafts. Mexico has such a varied cuisine and a wonderful emerging wine industry; most people don’t even think of Mexico when it comes to wine. Our guests will be educated and entertained through these Mexican culinary experiences. To build a year-round business, I will sell Mexican wines and mezcals as an online retailer. The inaugural event is the Oaxaca Food & Wine Festival, February 20-23, 2025 with plans to repeat the festival several times yearly. Oaxaca is considered the culinary capital of Mexico so it’s the perfect place for food and wine lovers to gather. For those with products or services that align with my demographics (high-end travelers, food and spirits enthusiasts, cultural travelers) and promotional goals, I would love to hear from you. Please see https://oaxacafoodandwinefestival.com/ for the full festival agenda, and our brand and media partners. My contact information, and that of co-event director Mark Certonio, is on the site. We have produced the Key West Food & Wine Festival for the past 15 years, so this isn’t our first rodeo.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://oaxacafoodandwinefestival.com/ https://openmindadventure.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oaxacafoodandwinefestival/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OaxacaFoodandWineFestival
Image Credits
Donna Shields
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