Meet Shannah Boone

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Shannah Boone. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Shannah below.

Hi Shannah, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
I developed this in a very peculiar way. I had a great head start because I grew up with a great support system and tons of affirmations daily. I was very fortunate in that way. The thing that solidified me in that top confidence position happened to me in college. I was up at SUNY Potsdam in Potsdam, NY. Getting my meal in the student union. I was at the little pasta shop style mini restaurant they had set up there, just got my favorite dish, the lemon chicken penne piccata. The staff there were amazing and always doing lil favors for us so this dish had the extra cheese and extra butter. I was getting ready to EAT DOWN, you hear me! Out of nowhere, I slip on a French fry. And It wasn’t just a little quick slip, miss a step, keep going. It was THE most cartoonish slip imaginable! The foot on the fry slipped, kicked up straight in the air. The other leg followed and my tray of food was thrown up and over my head like some sort of sitcom scenario. The way the union was set up, the exit of the pasta place was right at the front of the place, so this was in front of a packed student union, like a performance. And just like the end of a performance, everyone in the place clapped! I just got up and took a bow and received my applause with grace and dignity. I knew right then that I’d used up my lifetime limit of embarrassment and that from then on I’d never be embarrassed or low on confidence ever again, I’d used it all up in that moment. I had no choice but to feel great about myself from that moment forward.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I’m a singer/songwriter based in Elizabeth City, NC by way of Riverhead, Long Island, NY. Currently I’m one of the vocalist in an amazing band called CONNECTED. I also collaborate with my cousin, Da Sound Room founder, Kocaine Kay, a phenomenal musician and entrepreneur from the same town in NC. Every rehearsal, every gig I pinch myself in disbelief that I get the opportunity to perform with the musicians that for CONNECTED and with my cousin! It’s great and I’ve really been able to find my voice working with them because they trust me with artistic decisions. We respect one another and encourage one another and that fosters a cohesion necessary for a great musical experience. I’ve been very fortunate to receive a grant from the Color Me Country Artist Grant Fund! Color Me Country Radio is a show hosted by the incomparable Rissi Palmer that focuses on the contributions of Black, indigenous, and Latinx contributions to country music. It’s a show, but it’s more than that. It’s an electric movement and I’m so excited to see what’s coming for Color me Country and Rissi. The Color Me Country Artist fund is in partnership with the Rainey Day Artist Fund and they introduce artists of color to the world. It’s amazing and I encourage everyone to search Color Me Country and Rissi Palmer. Treat yourself! And consider donating to the fund! On the classical music end, one of the things I’m most proud of is having participated in the Gateways Music Festival which highlights classical orchestral musicians of African descent. I’ve been fortunate enough to participate twice and it’s made me feel so fulfilled as a classical violinist of African descent. This was something I wish I’d known about when I was coming up because I was often the only black person in ensembles with sometimes hundreds of musicians in them. This was the case for a lot of the participants. Being able to see each other and come together to make beautiful music was an amazing and new experience for so many of us. The festival highlights composers of African descent as well which is amazing because often their compositions weren’t regarded as meaningful just because of the color or their skin. Now they’re works can be introduced to large audiences world wide and the young ones coming up with see composers and classical musicians that look like them. Often, when asked why there aren’t more black and brown musicians in an ensemble, the answer will be that there just aren’t enough that play on a high enough level to be in these prestigious ensembles. Gateways answers that by assembling an ensemble of exactly that year after year! I’ve also been chosen to receive a full scholarship to attend The Academy for Lease & Finance Professionals – hosted by CLFP (Certified Lease & Finance Professionals) and sponsored by Cisco! This is also an amazing opportunity to be able to have CLFP credentials associated with my name and begin a new professional journey that I will enjoy alongside my artistic endeavors. Shout out to my HBCU, Elizabeth City State University and to Cisco for bringing such a great opportunity to HBCUs across the country!

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?
I’m glad that I learned early on not to take myself too seriously and not to look down my nose at others. I try to always lead with empathy and understanding because I really do believe that’s how you foster meaningful relationships. Even if you’re speaking with someone you’ll never see again, it’s nice knowing that I wasn’t a part of making their day suck and maybe we’ve left each other better than when we first met. My advice would be to be empathetic. Start with understanding others and see where there’s common ground between you.

To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
Constantly offering their unwavering support. I’m fortunate enough to have three spectacular parents, my mom, dad, and bonus mom, and I’ve never felt that there was anything off limits to me. They make me believe I can literally to anything! I was always told how beautiful I was, capable I was, strong I was. They affirmed everything about me as person so I never looked at an obstacle and thought that it was impossible to overcome. With me is always when I reach a goal, not if I reach a goal. I can pass that on to my children now, and give them a childhood they can enjoy instead of one they have to survive. Hopefully this can help them to be successful adults, no matter what success looks like for them.

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Image Credits
Kesha Williams, Harbor Snaps

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