Cut The Tie | Own Your Success

“Failure Isn’t Who You Are. It’s Just Something That Happened” — Shannon Coulter on Letting Go, Starting Again, and Leading With Impact

• Thomas Helfrich

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Cut The Tie Podcast with Shannon Coulter

What happens when an idea fails before the world is ready for it? And what happens when you carry that failure for years? In this episode of Cut The Tie, Thomas Helfrich sits down with Shannon Coulter to explore what it really takes to return to a calling you never stopped believing in.

Shannon shares her journey from corporate America to entrepreneurship, the painful pause after her first venture didn’t work, and the mindset shift that allowed her to come back stronger, clearer, and more grounded. They discuss why play matters, how technology has reshaped childhood and adulthood, and why success rooted in impact lasts longer than success rooted in approval.

This conversation is especially relevant for founders and executives who feel they waited too long, failed once already, or are carrying old narratives that no longer serve them.

About Shannon Coulter

Shannon Coulter is the creator of Planet FASSA, a platform designed to help families and communities move kids from tech-centered childhoods back to play-centered ones. Drawing from her background in corporate wellness campaigns and behavior change communications, Shannon blends psychology, habit formation, and rewards-based systems to encourage healthier offline behavior.

She is also the founder of Break the Chain, a coaching program that helps adults reclaim focus, intentionality, and time in a screen-driven world. Shannon’s work is rooted in impact, joy, and helping people reconnect with who they are meant to be.

In this episode, Thomas and Shannon discuss:

  • Why failure should never become your identity
  • The long-term cost of tech-centered childhoods
  • Cutting ties with old labels and other people’s expectations
  • The difference between being right and being happy
  • Why play builds better adults, not just happier kids
  • How to return to an idea after years away without repeating past mistakes
  • Redefining success as impact rather than validation or metrics

Key Takeaways

  • Failure is an event, not a definition
    If you tie your identity to failure, you never fully stand back up.
  • Impact outlasts approval
    Success rooted in helping people endures longer than success rooted in recognition.
  • Play builds resilience and leadership
    What kids learn through play shows up decades later in adulthood.
  • Timing matters, but belief matters more
    If you cannot stop dreaming about something, it is not finished.
  • Being happy beats being right
    Growth accelerates when ego steps out of the way.

Connect with Shannon Coulter

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/s-s-coulter-a437b86/

🌐 Website: https://sscoulter.com
🎙️ Upcoming Podcast: The Joy of Living

Connect with Thomas Helfrich

🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/thelfrich
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomashelfrich
🌐 Website: https://cutthetie.com
📧 Email: t@instantlyrelevant.com
🚀 https://instantlyrelevant.com

Support the show

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SPEAKER_01:

Welcome to the Cut the Tie Podcast. Hello, I'm your host, Thomas Helfrick, and I'm on a mission to help you cut the tie to whatever it is holding you back from success. But you have to define that success for yourself. Otherwise, you are chasing someone else's dream. Today I'm joined by SS Colder. Shannon, how are you?

SPEAKER_00:

I am doing well. It is so good to see you. I hear about you all the time from my husband. We'll say it's good.

SPEAKER_01:

We met on the internet. I'm kidding. We didn't. We met on, I think we met on a golf course, but I don't remember because we were drinking for nine or ten straight hours.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes. That's not me, everyone. That is my husband. Yes. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

But we're not here to talk about Anne. We're talking about you and your journey.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes.

SPEAKER_01:

Take a moment, introduce yourself, who you are, where you're from, and what it is you do.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay. Well, I am SS Coulter, uh, but otherwise known as Shannon. And um, I am the creator of the Planet FASA. So when people enter into the Planet FASA, they enter into a place with fun activities, stories, service, and awards. And so what does that mean? Basically, I am extremely passionate about helping today's parents and adults in general move our kids back from a tech-centered childhood into a play-centered one because we have seen the results of what's happening to, let's say, the 20-something year olds right now, who were the first group of people to go through uh puberty on social media, and it has had a terrible effect. And so I really am passionate about giving today's parents tools to help them give their kids the childhood that I had. So, what I mean by that is I'm Gen X. So I uh go out there, and I'm sure Thomas too, that we're like, oh, we were drinking out of the hose and we were doing this. And they look at us like, what the heck are you talking about? And the reason they're doing that is because they didn't have that experience. And so we cannot expect them to be able to give it to their kids because they don't know it. So uh I came out of corporate America. I was, I did wellness campaigns and behavior change communications. That's part of the stuff I did. And so I took the knowledge I had that um how much we get jazzed by points and rewards, and I have applied that to creating tools for parents to give their kids offline activities and then give them points and rewards for doing them.

SPEAKER_01:

I see the irony that just use technology to get them off technology.

SPEAKER_00:

Uh-huh. Yes, because you know what, and it and it's not a tech free movement, it's a tech light movement because technology is not going anywhere. Technology is awesome, but like dessert, you can't have it all the time, or it just goes out of control. But what bothers me is, and I and I say this very boldly, but bothers me that I believe social media and screens right now are like the cigarettes of the 2020s because we know they're bad for kids. Uh, they're purposely addicting. And so I think as together, we need to stop giving them to our kids.

SPEAKER_01:

And just think about this, right? It's nascent. So this is just new tech. I can't imagine 50 years from now, like just how your eyes are looking at something and the neural link of your thoughts of what it, what it's gonna, it's gonna really. Um, I do believe you'll have a backlash at some point where people are like, hey, I use the tech as needed to for life, but everything else in parts of your home or your life is there's no tech here. Like, I don't want to be seen, I want privacy.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes.

SPEAKER_01:

Um I think I think movement to that.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, well, that's what I said. And I I've I've compared what I'm doing to other uh apps and things that are coming out with this. What I'm doing is I'm building good habits versus restricting bad ones. So I'm I'm getting the kids out playing again. I'm teaching them things that they want to do. Kids actually want to play. And if they don't play, they're not building things like critical thinking. Let me let me take a step back. People think I'm just talking about play. Oh, you know, that's nice. You know, that's fluffy Shannon. No, kids need to play to grow up to be socially functional adults. Because when you're playing, you're not thinking about it, but you're learning critical thinking, you're learning problem solving, you're learning healthy expression. So that's like you're out there playing, you know, you and Leah in the golf course when you were little, let's say, and he does something mean and you get mad at him. You have your little fit, but you do it in a healthy environment so that when you're in the the corporate world, you get constructive criticism, you don't break down and have to have your parents come, you know? So our kids are missing out on that. And then also they actually want to play.

SPEAKER_01:

They do. That's right.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

We uh we we have a neighborhood, and when we first moved, there's like we were the only kids, and our kids are the adventure type. So we did we we send them out, right? And now we we today it's like, holy cow, there's like you know, kids everywhere in our and it's like wow, and and yesterday, just a great example of this. My neighbor comes over and he's like, I'm home solo with the kids right now. So, like for a few weeks, and and he was like, That all the neighbor kids were at our house. And I got texts from parents, hey, I'm picking some and so at six, and I'm still in my office. I have no idea. I have a soundproof studio, right? I have no idea there's even people here, there's not another adult anywhere to be found. And and I found out later they had gone to all these houses, all these other things, and the parent comes and picks up and was like, Hey, um, you know, I hope that wasn't too much of a burden. I go, I'll be honest, I have no idea anybody was even here. Insulted me. I don't care. And that's what I'm going for.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

And they were like, What do you mean? I go, Well, their kids are supposed to run around the neighborhood, they're supposed to play, they're supposed to try to burn popcorn. I don't care. Like, it's like the most burn out. I don't know.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, and I bet you people will be listening to this and go, Oh my gosh, you know what? They weren't safe. This might have happened. Well, here when I say this, a lot of parents are more worried about what their kids are doing in their backyard than what they're doing online.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, 100% true.

SPEAKER_00:

Watch course online. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

They don't want to go outside. Or I I understand sleepovers, maybe there's there's some you know, boundaries. I understand why some parents want to do that. But we we let our kids uh uh online, and and I, you know, I I agree with you. There, like, and you don't know, even in like little fun things like Roblox or something like that, there's like the chat and it's just oh yes, and there are creepy people out there.

SPEAKER_00:

So that's why I don't want to be tech free because kids do need to learn how to be on these devices, what to look for, but we really need to take, give them back play and give them back childhood. Because I always say this to people when I'm on talking to them. If everybody listening right now shuts their eyes and thinks about their favorite memory when they were a kid, it's not gonna be something you were doing on technology. It's gonna be something you were doing outside with your friends. And so I am just adamant and saying to people, like, we need to give those memories back to our kids. And it's hard.

unknown:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

It's well, it and this is like very analogous to exercise and sport. Um, it's really hard to get a kid to go exercise because it's boring, it's work. But you get like, you know, my sport was raccool, right? So you give me a racket and a ball, and four hours later, I'm like, oh, it's closed, the club's closing, and you have a call.

SPEAKER_00:

And oh, you're exercising.

SPEAKER_01:

Like I'm cheating exercise by having fun. You cheat learning by having fun too. So exactly. Let's dive into your journey a little bit. Uh yeah. Before we do though, I want you to define on your terms what is success.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay. I was thinking about this before I got on here. You know, the reason I'm so passionate about getting kids playing again, and as I've been doing this, I now have uh coaching for adults too. It's called break the chain, because I'm trying to give parents and actually just all of us some habits away from our screens. And what is successful to me is if I can be talking to someone and I can see that I've had an effect on them that they are realizing who they are and what their light is inside of them. That is absolutely like that's it for me. Uh, as I've been calling people and telling them about my adult coaching class, I've had a couple people say, Man, I haven't been doing this, I want to do this. And I could hear the hope in their voice. And that to me is success. I just, ugh, I love that.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, it's impact, right? And it's impact. It's not monetary. Uh, you know, you you got to make money and do things to have life and make things work, but the the real success measure isn't downloads, views, right? It's impact. It's impact. The mission you have, um, which is beautiful. And and everyone's definition of success change throughout life, right? And but you guys have been doing this a while. So, you know, when I first uh met you all, let's call it 17 years ago. It's a while. Um I put the math behind that, right? Um it is a while ago. Um you had started this journey, you were way ahead of your time on what you were trying to do, uh, and you're back into it, which is fantastic. So talk about your journey a bit and some of the ties, you know, the metaphoric one, so to speak. Um you've had a cut along the way.

SPEAKER_00:

For sure. One of the biggest ties I I had to cut when we started this 17 years ago. That's really funny, that's the exact uh number. Um I long story short, we came out with a website right when after came out. So terrible timing. And then also uh my stuck kids came to live with us. So I couldn't be an entrepreneur and raise these kids um right. So I ended up quote unquote failing in this business the first time around. And I walked around with that being a wait forever. And then um, I want to say a couple months ago in April, uh, I was still kind of hanging on to that. And I was hanging on to stuff that people had said to me for 40 something years. Um, you know, everything's about you, this, that, and the other thing. And I just was like letting it weigh on me. And I was talking to a friend and she said to me, How long are you gonna hold on to that?

unknown:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

And it just like was a slap across the face. And so um, I I would say that I had this like bucket over my light, Tom. Like I was just sitting there like not wanting to shine because I wanted to prove everything that everybody ever said about me. I wanted to prove them um wrong. And that's just silly. Um, because with without me coming out and doing this gift that I've been given and this, I say my assignment from God, I I'm gonna lose people. So it was very interesting. It's at that moment, I was like, okay, this is time for me to shine. It doesn't matter. No matter what you do, people aren't gonna like you. It just doesn't matter. So if you're doing something that has integrity that you feel is walking right, you're not being mean spirited, you're being kind, don't worry about the naysayers because they will not like you no matter what. It does not matter. But um, you stick to your why and that's great. And the other thing is the failure, quote unquote, that I had before is now a giant lesson. I am so glad that we did that because this second time around, I am coachable. I am doing things that my coach said 17 years ago, um, which I wasn't ready to listen to.

SPEAKER_01:

But other other people, people you just met. Why are you no? Don't know. You don't know shit. Janet, I know her. I got Lee. He knows more.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. So then I don't listen to Lee.

SPEAKER_01:

He's like By the way, Lee's Garthman, he's a friend of mine, and I love trash talking to him. He cannot respond. Because if he gets to respond, it'll be a four-hour podcast. So here we go.

SPEAKER_00:

It's true. Um, but yeah, so and then the other thing that was really great for me, uh, when I started this, I was this new, new stepmom, and I ended up getting 17 years of parenting experience. So now I'm coming back at you with not only empathy, but sympathy about being a parent because I know what the battle is like against technology. And I also get to say, hey, I used Planet Fossa on my kids and it worked. So really huge. It's been an awesome journey, but taking the the basket off the light has been awesome. Like, and I highly suggest it for everybody.

SPEAKER_01:

And just as a frame it up, you like when you say failure, it wasn't like we tried. Like you guys raised money and like investors, like, yeah. Talk about that. I mean, that that and the reason I say that because I want to give perspective on where where you're coming from, where there's reputation, there's money, there's trips, there's family, there's loss, and people like, well, you know, screw you, you lost my money. Like, there's a that happens in a in a failure.

SPEAKER_00:

So, so talk to that a little bit because I think Yeah, I I think the biggest lesson there is you can't tie who you are to your successes or your failures, because if you tie to your success, then you become egotistical. And if you tie to your failures, you can't get back up again. So that was huge. Like this is just something I do, not who I am. And then with the investors, you know, when you go out and sell something like this to an investor, they know they should know if you tell it to them, right? Hey, this might not work. Um, but so that was hard. And I always felt like, man, we've lost these people's money. But I have to say, most of the people, actually, all of them were just so supportive. And I want to say to the people listening to this, this happened to me. It was painful, but I never stopped dreaming about this. So here I am 17 years later. And as Tom said, I was way ahead of the game back then. Now there's books written about what I was worried about. So this is the right time for it. But if you have something that you can't stop dreaming about, it's not over. You have to keep going. Um, and and and those people will forgive you. And that's business. It sucks. It's business.

SPEAKER_01:

Now here's a question wasn't on the list. If I had asked you this question 17 years ago, how would you have answered it? Would you rather be right or happy?

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, 17 years ago? Right. That was the problem.

SPEAKER_01:

What about today?

SPEAKER_00:

Happy. Except when I'm dealing with Lee, I'd rather be right.

SPEAKER_01:

No, just makes me happy.

SPEAKER_00:

But um, no, I'd rather be happy. And that's the difference now. The reason this is the reason this is happening better for me and quicker. Yes, there's uh support for what I'm doing now, there's research behind it. But this is more about passion and my success of impact versus we have to raise money and we gotta do this. It's a completely different thing.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, and what you raise money for before cost a ton, hundreds of thousands, right? To try to shoot something. But now there's click and drag, and you can hire someone for like 10K and you can get a prototype built.

SPEAKER_00:

You know what? You just yes, you know I'm doing this. We we built this hundred thousand dollar website before, and now we have these awesome app guys that uh Todd or just used to. They're amazing. And because we tried to build the world before, now you can build the world with plug and play. But it's it's it's phenomenal. And I have to say, and this is people are gonna go, what? But you also have AI now. Uh, and now you can tell I'm not tech-free. AI can really much help in this stuff. It can't take over who you are, but it can help you think through things. It can be your assistant. Yeah. What I always say, good people, have it, have it enhance, you don't enhance it.

SPEAKER_01:

Absolutely. So it's Shannon led. And and when and and I I think this is a I like these reflective points as entrepreneurs. You'll find things that you'll have good ideas for and you'll look into them and you'll be like, holy shit, how am I? It's too expensive. That's it's a how question. And yeah. And then sometimes you do have to pull back until the until others have solved that, right? So people like, I look at the moon. Well, you can't because we ride horses.

unknown:

Right?

SPEAKER_01:

That's the bet we the horse can't jump there yet. But eventually somebody figured it out. And and in yours, right, and anything else, even the app itself can embed an AI to make it even better. Yes. But the same principles apply, so you don't reply, which is which you guys don't make the mistakes, right? You still got to build the minimal thing to test the the idea out. Otherwise, yes, there's AI, but you it may not still work if you go or so. So talk about that shift of we were trying to build the world, wow, super expensive. Now I have all these technologies. How are you avoiding not repeating the same mistake?

SPEAKER_00:

That is great. So the first thing I think a lot of entrepreneurs do this is that you have this 25, 30 page business plan and you think everyone's gonna understand it. They're not. You got to pick one thing, pick the one thing and prove that thing. Uh, so that's that's a huge difference now. The other thing is test it. We built this huge website in a vacuum. I didn't go and test it with anybody. So now we're building the protocol of this app, and then I'm gonna have beta testers in it and say, hey, this works, hey, this doesn't work, and see if they want it. Because what's the point of building this thing if it doesn't match, if if my if my audience isn't wanting to use it? So it's it's focusing on the one thing and testing that thing first and then going from there.

SPEAKER_01:

Hey, everybody, listen, there's an open application if you want to be a master beta tester. I thank you. Okay, next question. Moving around. I had to do it.

SPEAKER_00:

You you just said a bottom later. I I appreciate you for it.

SPEAKER_01:

That that is the clip that will get played over and over on again right now. Um we're not cutting that. No way.

SPEAKER_00:

We're not cutting a tie. No.

SPEAKER_01:

No, we're not cutting a tie. All right, so okay, I think this is really important. Uh I'm gonna come back to the tie you cut about uh people's perceptions because you had to you have to overcome that. You had to go you had to go away and come back. Uh since doing that, you know, well, I should say since identifying it. And you described the how because you just did it, you you know, you took it on the chin, and you've gone from being right to being happy, the mindset shifted. So you're the same person. So today, what is that impact for what's maybe it could be let's focus maybe more on the business on the impact. What's the impact on how you're approaching then this, you know, V version 2.0 of this?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. Well, I had the coolest coaching advice given to me two days ago. And I'm doing this pilot program for my new coaching. Um, and I said, you know, they say it's a numbers game, they say it's a numbers game. And this man looks at me and he goes, You're a people person. This is a people's game for you. And he goes, and if you if you realize everything you're doing is having such a huge impact on people that is going to drive you. So it's my why is just so big for me right now. Uh, that, and just knowing it's kind of funny, but like I have books that I've written, you know, some of them. And I, and I used to be like, oh my gosh, what if someone doesn't like them? Of course, people aren't gonna like them. That's fine. There's people who will like them, and they're my people, and they're who I'm meant to help. So I think it's that. I think it's sticking to your why and realizing you're going after your niche, your people, and just staying on that and just brushing off if people are always, I'm I'm really serious. People are always gonna be meat, and there's always gonna be some people who just don't like you. I've had people tell me they don't like my hair. Like, what are we talking about? Thank you. I thought so. But that's that's a weird thing, and that helped me be like, okay, that's bizarre, but we're gonna get past that. So yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Who voices that?

SPEAKER_00:

I mean, anyway, somebody who's on the AV.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, somebody who's on the someone projecting there, uh, for sure. Um what do you think the uh you know let me ask you differently on this. So uh what would you just say is your what are you most grateful for in this moment?

SPEAKER_00:

Wow, I'm grateful for the chance to do this again. I'm grateful that I didn't stop dreaming about it and that I have an opportunity to have this impact that I wanted because it hurt when it failed the first time because I knew it's something that was needed. So I'm I'm grateful for the opportunity. I'm grateful for the people I've met and the lessons I've met along the way. I'm grateful for being older and more um more tough. And I'm I'm grateful for the people around me. I'm grateful for you because you know, Lee and you knew each other and you led me to this awesome app developer. So I just think if you keep your head up and you show up every day and you take steps, you will get where you want to go.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I agree. Yeah. Now, is there anybody in your life you cannot forgive? No. That is a beautiful thing. I will tell you, there's a lot of people who cannot answer that that fast or without lying. Good. So you are crept for success because there's nothing holding your back now. So if but if you could go back in your timeline anytime you want, when would you go back? What would you do differently?

SPEAKER_00:

You know, that's it. That's here's a real personal. I would go back to my early 20s because I drank too much then. And I don't everything's fixed.

SPEAKER_01:

Not even big point. I stopped drinking.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. But um I was kind of mean to people because of that. I had a I have kind of a harsh personality come out. And I I I that is something, you know, I I maybe I did like I still am forgiving myself for that. And I know that's a long time ago, but yeah, that would be something I switched. Everything else, all the heartaches have led me to this exact moment, so I'm good with it. I like the path that I've been on.

SPEAKER_01:

That's great. Uh that's uh that's a happen for me, not to me, mindset. Uh though in the moment of like, you know, the the first uh run at the app and other things, it was definitely happening to you. But uh it's in the feel good. But it's like happened for me. It's a lesson. It's gotta go back to read that book.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, I I I love the quote your past is not um, your past doesn't uh dedicate your past doesn't make your present, your present makes your past. So it's how you are in the present, is how you're looking at your past. I love that.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, it's true. I mean, that's the uh that's the mindset that allows you to accept and forgive and move forward, right? And it is not an easy one to adapt. Uh unfortunately, sometimes you just gotta like get space from it, you know. To quote another one, funny how some distance that makes everything seem small.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

That's from Elsa from Let It Go. Just go. She was saying it. You know I was going to try to work in a little diamond song during this at some point. I even um I even brought a guitar to go do it. So uh let's first I'm just kidding I'm no first time ever the guitar is come on the on the podcast.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh we could have started see I was actually ready I was prepped over here. Um what's the worst business advice you've ever received oh man that's a tough one I flipped it on you. It did flip it on me. But it makes it more fun for the oh I got it go on the cut the tie podcast. Oh yeah you're gonna be editing that part out people it's a terrible no gosh I don't know I think for me because I'm a heart centered person it was the numbers game because then it took it took my who I am out of it and I was very uncomfortable so I'm going to try to quote unquote sell stuff and it didn't feel real. As soon as that was flipped into this is people your impact, I can pick up the phone and call anybody. So yeah that's a a slight touch but you have to know who you are.

SPEAKER_01:

You that you you giving that advice right now just to be completely transparent is uh I I just took that to heart because I didn't realize for me personally like I I I have an unscalable marketing agency because it's so centered not intentionally but my involvement with the client and the more I'm involved with the client the longer they last and it's like because it's a personable piece because I really get into the weeds with them and understand it. And every time I've tried to operationalize it to a numbers game it doesn't work and and or it doesn't work in a way that I found comfortable with because it feels dirty doesn't actually deliver value enough and and so I I didn't even realize it but that but the downside of that is shit it's gonna be hard to scale so maybe maybe just a sidebar is you look at your app which is is that is a volume scale play typically you have a coaching component how are you bridging the one to many many to the point of personalization is it AI is it I mean like how how are you bridging that because I because that's a that's a really hard one to get over do you mean like how am I doing the coaching and then moving that into yeah so if you're trying to get the app and the things you're gonna go build to allow for many parents to be able to figure it out there's a personalization piece that is going to be inherited because of now is that what AI is going to allow you to do well we're I think for the personalization I'm I'm not sure I'm answering this correctly but we are going to have groups that people can come in and that they can they can share with each other.

SPEAKER_00:

I think for me this is coming to me what I would dream of is that is that I have five five families on the block using the Fossa Nuggets a fun app and I can picture them because they're doing it their kids are outside and then their kids become friends and I can picture a street full of laughing kids that's the personalization I need from it. So it's gonna be my impact has to be personal because I this needs to scale if it's gonna work.

SPEAKER_01:

So yeah the impact knowing that occasionally we go to solutioning on the show but I will tell you like from a marketing standpoint bringing a community together around hey you guys download this and you guys set up your own community someone just owns it and everyone joins in for whatever 10 bucks for the year or whatever the number will be right and now it'll work because everyone's doing it and the kids can be like hey we're gonna go do this game today treasure hunt you know whatever exactly just individually the kids just fight like I'm not doing that with you but if the neighbor gets involved now we got a whole exactly and we have the whole fossa village built in Tom but that's phase two stop pushing me to get get on it people I mean I don't know what you guys are doing over it. What's your favorite book? My favorite book like business book or book in general anything anything that has it's had impactful meaning in your life beside the Bible we've had that it's the Bible like I read it every I eat it every day.

SPEAKER_00:

Huh?

SPEAKER_01:

Every day you read it yeah yeah that's why I can forgive people I keep trying to read it and I and it's it and you people have to realize I don't think because those who don't read the Bible should realize they are all it's just like a bunch of little books put in one big book.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes.

SPEAKER_01:

And they're telling the same story over and over.

SPEAKER_00:

So you're thinking like why I like it is because it's it's stories of when the supernatural hit the natural and I think that is cool. I mean I like it for a lot of reasons but that's cool. So if you like sci-fi you'd like the Bible yeah but the best business book I've recently read that really had an impact on me was The Gap in the gain. Oh I haven't heard of that is it is so good. It's uh Dr. Benjamin Hardy and Dan Sullivan that one was amazing. I highly recommend it. It um it really opened my eyes it's very simple to implement but uh do I have a minute to tell you kind of what's in there? Okay. Um it's basically when you look at your goals your big goals it's like the horizon in front of you and that's never attainable. So if you match if you measure yourself against that unattainable goal every day you're always in the gap. But if you measure yourself from where you began in the day that is the gain. And if you can stay in the gain, you are wonderful. So before you go to bed at night you're like what did I do? What did I gain today? And then the morning you say what am I going to gain? And if you can stay there, you can stay in the gain and not the gap, it keeps you motivated and it's it's an awesome buck.

SPEAKER_01:

It's funny my own analogy of uh defining your own success is that success is nothing but a sun and the the the more you do you sway from that direction, the darker the shadows will get and and and and it's true because you'll never actually land there should be a place you're heading towards that you enjoy the journey of and yes in and and I love that. And Dan Solomon you know 10x is easier than 2x is another great one which tells you basically focus on one thing and only one thing otherwise you're gonna be an atra mah newer there. All right how could people properly stalk you by the way what would where would you go?

SPEAKER_00:

I would like them to go to ssculter.com so s shannon s sue or like to say solar system culter c o l t e r and on there you'll see the planet fossa. Do you see how I did that there's solar system and planet and then I have a podcast that's coming out soon called the joy of living so we're just gonna talk all things joyful and then my coaching just like cut the tie is called Break the Chain um and it's dear phone it's not me it's you so if you so if you just need it and it's not it's not quitting. It's just intentionality. So if you I'm gonna equip people to and empower them to get an hour back in their day and uh by the time they leave they will be equipped to get an hour back of productivity every day. And I believe if I can get the parents off their devices we can get the kids off the devices. So that's why I'm doing both things. Awesome.

SPEAKER_01:

Now there's one question I should have asked you day and I didn't what was that question? And how do you answer it?

SPEAKER_00:

Oh my gosh. Uh how do you how do you keep going every day I think and I I may have I may have answered it but um every day wake up and think of your why um yeah I just really want entrepreneurs to just know that like it's hard because you don't have a boss sometimes you know it's easier to work for well it's weird. It's easier to work for a boss because you have like to hand something in but none of us want to work for a boss that's why we're entrepreneurs. But um yeah just every day think of your why look at it and just keep marching forward and know you the more the more you get paid the more people you can help. So if you ever feel bad about asking people for money, the money just know you can help more people with it. So that's how I have to frame it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Give uh what is it? Give save spend right so thank you Shannon for coming on today I appreciate it.

SPEAKER_00:

Thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_01:

Appreciate it listen anybody who made it at this point in the show, you rock if you've been here before thank you for coming back. And if this is your first time I do believe you'll come back and be the first of many times. Get out there go cut a tie to something holding you back. Be sure to first though uh define your success in your terms and own it. Thanks for listening

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Thomas Helfrich

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