We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Shauna Casale a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Shauna, so many exciting things to discuss, we can’t wait. Thanks for joining us and we appreciate you sharing your wisdom with our readers. So, maybe we can start by discussing optimism and where your optimism comes from?
I inherited my optimistic outlook on life from my dad. For as long as I can remember, my dad always had a smile on his face, and a charisma about him that drew others toward his light. At the beginning of 2024, I was awarded a certificate that called out my “Eternal Optimism” by the corporate company where I was an employee. In that moment, I remember being thankful that I have a father I have always looked to make me the optimistic person I am today. My dad passed away in February of 2024 and I am determined to carry on his legacy with the same hopefulness he had every day. After all, he is my number one reason for taking my life into my own hands by stepping out of my comfort zone to create the life I once dreamed of living!
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am a Middle Tennessee-based Travel, Tourism & Lifestyle Content Creator! The platform I utilize is Instagram, and my handle is @615travelguide. I truly feel like I am living out my dream life as a self-employed content creator. It wasn’t a goal I’ve necessarily had for a long time, but when I realized it was something attainable for me, I knew I had to make it happen! I moved to the Nashville area from San Diego, California in October 2022. My vocational background in California is in Wedding Planning & Venue Management. When I moved to Tennessee, I shifted gears and traded in my wedding-planning shoes for corporate event-planning ones. My role in the corporate event planning world was as an Event Manager in a Nashville-based DMC (Destination Management Company). As an event planner, I was tasked with the opportunities of planning, organizing, and executing events throughout Nashville and surrounding areas. I had so much fun doing this, that I decided to start posting reels on Instagram to showcase the fun I was having at work! As I started to do this more consistently, I noticed that businesses began reaching out to me to collaborate. Fast forward to 2024, I realized that I was having to say “no” to many opportunities that were coming my way because I didn’t have the time for them, given my corporate schedule. Therefore, in October 2024, I decided to put my notice in at my corporate job and jump into full-time content creation! It’s been an incredible experience so far and I’m thankful that I took the leap. The thing I love most about what I do is the experiences I get to be a part of that I wouldn’t typically get to do if I weren’t in the field I’m in. I’m also a very social person and absolutely love meeting new people and hearing about their background stories. It’s so fun to learn about Tennessee’s history through the eyes of those who have lived it out themselves.
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. Creation over Consumption: being a content creator translates to a LOT of screen time. It can be easy to get wrapped up in the overconsumption of what others are sharing, but it’s important to remember your goals, along with what you have to share, and why you want to share it with your audience. I follow the concept of “creation over consumption”. This means that, every day, I will commit to creating and sharing my projects with the world more than I consume what others post. I want to contribute more than I consume.
2. Commitment: Every year, I choose a “word of the year”. My 2025 word is COMMITMENT. I carry this word with me in the back of my mind wherever I go. Each time an opportunity presents itself to me, or I seek one out, I refer to this word and what it means for my growth and success both professionally and personally. I ask myself a few questions: Is this something I want to commit to this year? Do I have the flexibility in my schedule to commit to this? Will committing to this propel me forward and get me closer to achieving my goals, or will it take away from the time I need to fulfill my goals this year?
3. Consistency: Above all, I’ve learned it’s important to be consistent. Regardless of my level of motivation on any given day, I have to stay consistent with my commitments! I know that every decision I make (or don’t) today will impact all of my tomorrows.
What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?
2024 was the most difficult year of my life. I lost my dad in February of 2024, so it has almost been a year since then. On top of my grief, I had a plethora of responsibilities in honoring my dad after his passing, along with getting his affairs in order. It’s been an incredibly difficult road to travel and even more difficult to navigate the intense decision-making process while processing the loss of my dad, my best friend. However, as I look back on the last year of my life, I can confidently say that I am proud of how far I have come. I worked through the most difficult time of my life in a way that would make my dad proud. Through it all, I made the nerve-wracking decision to leave my corporate job and venture out into self-employment. A decision I may not have been brave enough to make prior to losing my dad. But if there is one positive takeaway I can lean on from this past year it is this: take the leap! Life is too short to avoid the thing you KNOW will make you happy.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: instagram.com/615travelguide
Image Credit
Ella Joy Photography (@ellajoyyphotography) – Featured photo
