We recently connected with Shaun Chaney and have shared our conversation below.
Shaun, thank you so much for joining us. You are such a positive person and it’s something we really admire and so we wanted to start by asking you where you think your optimism comes from?
We live in a world of negativity, from politics, to social media, to the local news. It seems like everyone is in competition with one another, trying to tear others down to pull themselves up. Being negative draws negativity towards you, so I make every attempt to look at the brighter side of things. I am a firm believer that you reap what you sow and the more positivity and optimism that I spread, the wider the audience that it will reach.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I grew up as the “skinny nerd”, lacked confidence, was bullied in school. I turned to the gym to build my body, hoping that it would make me less of a target and build my confidence. It did the former, but not the latter, as I still struggle with insecurity to this day. During the process, I developed knowledge around fitness and nutrition, started Break the Chains Fitness, LLC, and have helped over 300 people work towards their goals to live healthier, and happier. During the journey to “build my brand”, I had struggled with finding others in my field that I could relate with, as many top influencers are out of reach. This is where the Barbells and Bourbon Podcast was created, allowing “normal people” to tell their stories in hopes of inspiring others through relatable conversations and life experiences. “Barbells” represents the strength of vulnerability to share intimate parts of their lives, “Bourbon” is the warmth and comfortable atmosphere I provide for them to do so. I will be expanding my interviews to include the homeless in Pittsburgh, the segment will be called “Beyond the Bridges.”
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?
Before starting any new venture, do your research! Talk to others, join Facebook groups, watch videos on YouTube…arm yourself with as much knowledge as possible so you are as comfortable as possible with the process.
Second, do not be afraid to take risks. Will you fail? Of course. But eventually, those failures will lead to successes. Every failure is an opportunity to learn, grow, and develop thicker armor for future experiences.
Third, surround yourself with like-minded individuals and grow your network accordingly. It only takes one bad apple to ruin the entire bowl, so do not let others’ toxicity ruin your dreams.
All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?
As a content creator with a podcast on YouTube, my biggest challenge is growing my audience. There are tens of thousands of podcasts now, “everyone has a podcast”, and standing out in the crowd has been the biggest challenge. I am trying to stay true to myself, be authentic, and focus on my mission to help others thru others. I do feel like I’ve developed a unique brand, interview style, and I feel like with some patience and consistency, good things will happen.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barbellsandbourbonpodcast/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barbells.and.bourbon.podcast/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@BarbellsandBourbonPodcast
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