What If Your Dream Is Still Waiting - What Finally Clicked for Shelley Irwin

A single decision can change everything, but most “overnight” stories are built on years of quiet persistence. We’re joined by Shelley Irwin, a longtime public media voice in Grand Rapids, to unpack how a practicing physical therapist became a broadcaster, journalist, interviewer, and emcee who’s helped shape a community’s conversations for nearly 25 years. She shares the real mechanics behind a second-career pivot: training that fits your life, starting with internships, doing the unglamorous work, and trusting your readiness when it’s time to take the next step. 

We also get into the mindset behind consistency. Shelley connects running, triathlon routines, and goal setting to professional endurance, from making a daily list to protecting a true day off. She explains how exercise helps her process heavy interviews, why treating people with respect is a career advantage, and what community means when you walk into a room and recognize the faces. If you care about women’s leadership, mentorship, confidence, and building a meaningful career in broadcasting or public media, her lessons land fast and stay with you. 

Then we go deeper on legacy and presence. Shelley talks about awards, the pressure of being “the messenger,” and the public speaking rituals that calm nerves and create instant connection. You’ll also hear her best advice from mentors, including the “sizzle book” practice that builds evidence of progress one day at a time. If this conversation sparks something in you, subscribe, share it with a friend who’s considering a career change, and leave a review so more listeners can find Finally Clicked.

Transcript

Welcome And Meet Shelley Irwin

Speaker 1 0:00

Welcome to Finally Clicked, the podcast where we have real conversations with women who lead, mentor, and don't hold back. Each episode is a chance to slow down, reflect, and talk honestly about the moments that shape us, the lessons, the challenges, and the breakthroughs that change how we show up in our lives and in work. And I am joined today with Shelley Irwin. Shelley is one of my mentors. I'm glad to call her my mentor. But Shelley, tell me a little bit about yourself and your journey to here.

Speaker 0:30

How long do we have? Sarah, thank you for this opportunity. It's not often that the tables are turned, but uh, when they are, I don't take it for granted. And you have one of the better views uh of the whole community of Grand Rapids. Congratulations on you.

Switching From Physical Therapy To Radio

Speaker 0:45

Well, I will keep this in glyph note form because this job of hosting and producing a radio show with some dabbling in television as well for WGVU Public Media is a second career. So I spent my first career as a practicing physical therapist. So you have any neck to back issues, uh, we can uh you lay on the ground and tell you the correct exercise, which I loved and worked very hard at. But I've always wanted to be in broadcasting. And that means since the age of 12, 13, did, you know, monologues, did did acting, but yet life steered me without mentors into the healthcare field, which was fine as an athlete and as a person who loved science and math and the body. Uh that just took me to to that profession. But in my late 30s, after my boyfriend broke up with me, I knew perhaps I could revisit that dream. So cut to the chase uh with a lot of planning and studying and learning and and thinking and and talking to those in the profession. I made the choice. I was over on the other side of the state, found Specs Howard School of Broadcast Arts. Truly didn't feel like I needed to get back to uh another four-year institution. I needed to cut to the chase and studied there, hooked up with WJR, the ABC radio station, did my paid my dues, poured coffee in the host up, cup, and two and a half years I was able to say, I need my wings are ready and I need a real job, and found WGVU. That was almost 25 years ago, my friend.

Speaker 1 2:19

Wow. So was that the moment, would you say, where you realized you wanted to become in broadcast, or would you say you always wanted to be into broadcast broadcast?

Speaker 2:31

I would say deep down, I always wanted to be perhaps in the entertainment field. The first time I truly felt, wow, I I could be in journalism. I mean, we can use to now obviously uh what I do is entertainment, but there's a serious side to it as well. One of my best friends uh in when I was a practicing physical therapist was a news anchor. So I would hang out with her on the set. And I had no idea at that at that point that that would be my turn, but I always thought I could do this. And then life took me to a different uh area of physical therapy in Raleigh Durham. That's when I got into some stage acting, was in several shows down there, and then uh moved back to the Midwest originally from Indiana, and that's where things started turning. So I guess I always thought I could do this. It just never was the right time. And I felt maybe a little later in life I could make those changes, and that's when I did, and I haven't looked

Becoming The Messenger For Community

Speaker 3:32

back.

Speaker 1 3:32

Why is this important work for you?

Speaker 3:35

I am the messenger. I have a platform that I've worked very hard for, and I continue to work hard for to be able to take in your information and have that opportunity for it to go out into whether it's a Grand Rapids type of an interview or a national interview that entertains, informs, educates our community. So yeah.

Speaker 1 4:00

And you've inspired so many, just through the kindness and and just your community impact. And can you talk to me a little bit about just what it's like in in Shelley Irwin's life to to have impacted so many people?

Speaker 4:15

Well, I practice the golden rule. I would like to think that uh I treat you as perhaps you would treat me. And uh, we all know an ideal way to be treated and a non-ideal way to be treated. So if I can make you feel like you're pretty important as you are, then you'll you'll do the same for me. So I I always try to place that on the table as soon as you walk in the room, no, knowing that you're you're very important, pretty blessed with some good energy. So, you know, you talk about the word balance. I am very work-oriented, which is important to me, but I also believe in the power of uh raising three dogs and also the power of exercise and making sure that's in my life almost almost every day. So so that hence inspires me to inspire others.

Running Goals And Daily Lists

Speaker 1 5:05

And you talk about exercise. If if you're in the Grand Rapids community, you probably saw Shelley Irwin running down the magnificent mile over here. So tell me what's that journey been like to you and why is it so important for you to be a runner?

Speaker 5:22

Number one, we all want to live forever, so maybe that'll give me a couple years. You know, it's it is the running triathlon movement community, is uh is a small yet growing community. It is such that there are some things true as endorphins, as uh having a routine before a race. I get to eat pizza and having a routine after a race, collecting a medal. I I've always been athletic to the point of you know high school and and and and running for recreational purposes. But when I moved here, and again, just a comment conversation, it's never too late at 30. Where was I? Well, I was 41 when I moved here. I saw there's a riverbank run on the second weekend of May, and that's 15 and a half miles. And I don't think I've ever competed at 15 and a half miles. So therein lays the lies the goal setting and achieving, and then it just built up from there into mountain biking until I hit a tree, the triathlon world, and now it's basically everything.

Speaker 1 6:29

And how do you train your mindset, especially in your career, and then in in your your personal life and and setting those goals and achieving those goals? What kind of mindset does something like that take?

Speaker 6:40

Starts with the list every morning. You know, what's gonna be what's gonna be taken care of? The calendar is very important to me. We know all, we know that I'll come be thrown off in in an instant. But uh, you know, it it's just it it goes back to that that goal setting and that that balance and uh learning how to shut it off. Now, maybe on a Saturday I might not look at my calendar and I might might not make any scheduling for guests. Maybe that's my one day off, but it is uh it is such that I've found both an avocation and a vocation that truly drives me. And then again, those three young dogs. Yes, of course. Uh what kind of dogs do you have? One is a Jack Russell, Bubby, one is a mixed terrier, she has some pity, found her on the internet, she needed a home, and then the other's a mini Aussie that is crazy. I had had three do three Jack Russell's uh until I lost my last this past year that all lived to be about 15, 16. So we're we're back to the full family again.

Speaker 1 7:45

So and do you feel like they also motivate you, run with you, and and just keep you going?

Speaker 7:51

You know, we haven't run together yet. They are all three of the uh qualifications too, especially the little mini Aussie that needs needs hurting in her life, but but they're active enough in that I have to get up and walk. I have to get get a break during the day to let them out. They are my evening, evening fun. And and yet there might be one that might train with me. The exception of is my running, is my music, and my time. And even uh even the the little ones may get in the way. So we'll see.

Speaker 1 8:24

Yeah, and speaking of time, I want to bring us back to when I first got started and just look how far you've come, my friend.

Taking The Lunch That Matters

Speaker 8:33

Congratulations.

Speaker 1 8:34

Well, thank you. And I I wanted to bring you here because it's been such an incredible journey. And I remember meeting you for the first time at WGVU and being so impressed. Like, wow, Shelly is just everything. She's the community, she's you know, just has it all together and someone that I really looked up to. And I remember I invited you out to lunch being an intern. And I was like, there's no way she's gonna say yes. Of course, yes. I I was just an intern. I'm like, there's no way she'd want to have lunch with me. And I would love to like just get to know her brain and how she works. And I remember one of the things that I thought was so great is you took the time and really talked to me about the industry and what it took to be a journalist. And it was something that really set me on the path in my career and really encouraged me to continue on my journey. And and so I just wanted to revisit that moment where you had so much impact at such an early time. And can you talk to me about what some of your mentors are and and also just why what why did you take that meeting, I guess?

Speaker 9:43

Yes.

Chasing Mentors With Bold Asks

Speaker 9:44

Take that meeting with you? Yes. Well, because sometimes you see a spark in somebody else that first of all, it's hard for me to say no to anything, but uh, especially lunch, but my goodness, you did all the work in in reaching out, so that that's uh that that's pretty much a no-brainer. You know, and and yet I remember and you took a risk because I could have said no. And yet I'm certainly glad I didn't, or I wouldn't be sitting right here, right? I remember in my early days of of of perhaps where you were at that point. I was it was before my WJR internship. It's funny how things move. You you look for for for those who you would like to not necessarily be, but wow, that would be cool if I sat in her chair. And there was journalists who's still practicing at WJR, does uh morning news. Maria Osborne, she was speaking. Oh, I have two stories, and of course I went and attended, and I forced myself to go up to her afterwards and say, hi, I'm a budding journalist. And and I was a little older, so she probably looked at me as probably halfway serious. And darn if she didn't invite me to sit in with her a couple weeks later. So that was a big coup. The other opportunity that I stretched myself was when I was actually attending Beck's School of Broadcast Arts. As we all know, sometimes it's who you know. So I not every class, but a couple of our classes were were taught by one of the vice presidents, Dick Kernan. May he may he rest in peace. But I would force myself to come up with some type of question to ask him after class. And again, I stood out because I was older, but and that was hard for me, but I made that happen and and it it proved proved successful. In my later career, when I had had two or three years at WGVU, Diane Reem, who was had the Diane Ream show with the the national NPR, she's just doing podcasts now, but she was untouchable. But she actually, I was able to interview her on the um phone, yeah, on the phone before she came. And she said, as if you're ever in DC, come visit. Well, I took her seriously, and two weeks later I jumped in the car and drove to DC and sat in her studio. So that is a long way to answer. I found some mentors, I chased them, and it proved successful.

Speaker 1 12:13

And what would you tell those young professionals who, you know, are still starting out and and looking to find out where where their place is in the world?

Speaker 12:23

Well, look at yourself in the mirror and say, what do you, you know, what's the dream? If the dream is, you know, to be on the radio and have perhaps your own show, how do you get there? What what are the what are the goals? Talk to your people. Do you still have that dream? Is it chased away? No. No. So what's the next step? How are you gonna be qualified for that that dream? And avoid the naysayers. I mean, you hear that a lot. You know, my parents still say, What happened to physical therapy? You can still probably practice. Well, this is because I'm following the dream.

Speaker 1 13:02

And uh was there a moment when things didn't go as planned for you starting out early in your career?

Early Career Doubts And Setbacks

Speaker 13:12

In this particular career, I don't think I was well I'll I'll say two things. So as I interned, I don't know if I was taken seriously. I I had one director did say, I don't think you have a broadcast voice. Obviously, that set me into motion and and hence my reason here. I I wasn't I wasn't given opportunities early, and perhaps I didn't ask for them. I remember when the the time changed over from 1999 to 2000, WJR had a big broadcast. I wasn't asked to report, I was asked to help feed the reporters. And just a couple, you know, I would go get food after the show. So I just wish I perhaps was a little more respected than that, well, why don't we send you out on an and I was able to do some of that. I one of my first gigs there was uh to go out. This is before one uh 9-11, but I would go out to the airport every morning from five to seven and call in on the following flights are delayed from uh from Phoenix, Arizona to go to Detroit, Michigan, flight 949 out of Seattle. I love that because I was on the air. But those were just, I think if I coulda, woulda, woulda, coulda, could I do more reporting? Could I, could I move up a little faster than perhaps the two and a half years it took?

Speaker 1 14:40

If you could go back in time, what what are the questions you would have asked? Speaking of that question, how would you have approached your boss to ask that question?

Speaker 14:50

I probably would have said, um I guess I would have been direct, which is difficult for me. I would love the opportunity to be able to share more hours with you. I had already gone part-time physical therapy. I'd I mean, I was all over the map. I was interning it at Channel 7, and that's another story too. That was television, where I pretty much just was making copies and and being the doer. But I probably would have said, I, you know, I'd here's where I am in life. I'd like to move up to to the next stage. And at that point there were, quote, no openings, but and that also may have been the time when I was told I didn't have a broadcast voice.

Speaker 1 15:33

Well, we know that you proved them wrong. So you certainly have one of the best proadcast voice.

Speaker 15:38

I'm sure they're kicking themselves now. And again, that as a teaching advice or as a maybe I didn't have a my own confidence at that point. Maybe the confidence wasn't there to ask that question and to just stay the course until either someone gave me that opportunity or I knew it was time to go.

Speaker 1 15:59

And you've interviewed hundreds and thousands, maybe uh probably uh throughout your career, right? Um and uh is there a moment that stuck out to you during that time where you knew that this was your place in the world?

Interviews That Change How You Work

Speaker 16:15

Oh boy. You know, I've I've interviewed, yes, some celebrities, but just um the the opportunities to to tell the stories, like there was this playground fatality probably been 10 years ago, where one child killed another. And it was here in Grand Rapids, and a year after the grandmother of the child that was killed befriended the young killer and she wrote a book. And so I was able to invite her in and kind of talk about that story. Another story was sometime after the Columbine shootings. A lot of times I'll get national stories on the phone from from national uh newsmaking people, and they offered one of the mothers of one of the killers. And that was like, wow, I I can't believe I'm you know, I mean, it was obviously a serious conversation. So it's just those opportunities to, and then, you know, then I can sit and ask the expert. There was a bear. We he brought a baby bear in. I've held alligators, you know, I talked to Mr. Monopoly, and and so I always have the fun, I've got the fun gigs too, where it's like, you know, I'm having fun.

Speaker 1 17:32

Yeah, and when you have those hard stories, how do you not take it home with you?

Speaker 17:38

Probably that goes back to the exercise that that kind of flushes out that that sad energy. I do have a job to do, so I'm not saying your your emotions can't be with you on that conversation, but I think coming home to that time, you know, uh my animal family and and and staying uh I I am known for my busyness. And some say that busy is not always your best, but uh staying busy has gotten me through some some challenges.

Speaker 1 18:13

And what does community mean to you, especially the community that you're in?

Community Roots And The Legacy Question

Speaker 18:19

Community means uh physically walking into a room and seeing eyes meet. Hi Jeff. Hi, hi Gary, hi Sarah. Oh, I'm so excited. All my oh I see good friends. And yet walking into a position where I don't know too many people here. How do we get to know this community? So I mean, community is such that it's a small city where we're gonna know somebody in the in the room. But I just love it when I just recently where I just I just was seeing all these wonderful eyes. It's I guess it's like being at a wedding where you know you wanna you wanna be able to to talk to everybody. And then the community that gathers and recognizes people and yeah.

Speaker 1 19:07

Yeah, and speaking of community, uh you're an award-winning journalist. And one of the awards we can talk about you're up for is the legacy award with West Michigan Women. So what I mean, how does that feel?

Speaker 19:23

You know, it it I have been been very blessed with the awards from the Athena to the Meyer Service Above Self to the Michigan Women Forward. But there's something about the Legacy Award with uh under the brilliance awards that's that's number one, I guess I'm a leg I guess I'm practicing this art of legacy, and and that's okay. I still feel like it's day one when I walk in the office. That's kind of scary. But I mean West Michigan Woman is is an outstanding, credible, obviously, magazine, their whole serendipity. But put you're putting the word, and again, congratulations for your finalist award as well. Putting the word legacy and brilliance, I mean, where do you go from there? So it'll be a great journey uh to that April event with uh having those speak about me on a on a video and certainly uh having to give some comments and and start thinking about what is my legacy. I haven't really thought about that, Sarah. You know, I'm I'm still doing.

Speaker 1 20:25

What when you think of legacy, what is a legacy you would like to leave behind?

Speaker 20:29

Oh she made me feel comfortable. You know, I'm she meaning myself. You know, I made I made a first-time experience comfortable. That is another pleasure I get in my opportunity to invite in most that ask. I want it to be a good experience, and and when I get that feedback of, wow, this was my first interview and you really made me feel comfortable. So how do you make a person feel comfortable? How do how does well how how have I touched perhaps a bit of the community with uh either words given from uh an award given or I love to MC and sometimes we make the audience laugh. So I I guess it's just making sure that someone's been touched in, you know. I mean, I had a gentleman say, You always pass, pass me by on a race. I'm like, I can't help that. But uh those are those are some of the the the fun opportunities for this legacy I'm now involved in.

Speaker 1 21:38

And when I think of legacy, I think of what an honor it is to just celebrate you, especially because you have touched so many lives, including my own. And so I think it's not that, you know, you're leaving anything. It's not a legacy. Yeah, no, no, no. I think as a as wow, this is someone who's touched so many lives in our community, which is why I I was so interested to learn why community is so important to you and how you engage and how you mentor others and how you lead others. Because I often looked at wow, like Shelly is just she you're an icon. You're an icon and and now you're a legacy. So could you tell us what is that moment when it finally clicked for you? Being just being in this world.

Speaker 22:35

But you ask that to all your interviewees, don't you? Ha! Because it's a wonderful name for your podcast. You know, I I guess A being invited to the table is when you know it's clicked, being in able to share my story, being able to continue to be asked to emcee an event. I don't take that lightly. It it's an important responsibility to make sure that that event starts on time, ends on time, and the audience leaves touched. So I I I guess that's that's kind of what where I leave

Public Speaking Prep That Calms

Speaker 23:10

that.

Speaker 1 23:10

And and you have such a gift for public speaking. How for those that are, you know, a lot of people struggle with public speaking. So how how do you manage and what's some advice you would give to young professionals?

Speaker 23:24

It's all about practice. You have to do it. I I still am very scripted. I mean, I did one TED talk that was a little bit out of my comfort zone. We we we we managed, but I didn't have notes in front of me. So what is what is something that you have to have for that public speaking? And I have to have my notes, but preparation is key. It's you'll see a habit of mine. I'll get up to the podium, and I it's not about me, but one of the first things I do is I gotta connect with the audience. So I'm gonna take a picture of the audience and say something cute like, I hope I'll see you next year or who's missing. We get the laugh that calms me down. What's gonna calm you down as soon as you get up there? Take your picture. Round of applause to our servers. That lets me breathe. That lets so how do you connect right away instead of oh my gosh, I have 500 eyes on me and they're all judging me. And we all know that no one wants you to fail on stage. So a lot of it is just it goes back to the confidence, goes back to your preparation, what's going to bond you right away with that audience and having your notes.

Speaker 1 24:43

Yeah. What's the best piece of advice you ever received?

The Sizzle Book Accountability Habit

Speaker 24:49

One of my mentors, this takes me back to my early years because I would have mentors, one Beverly Wall, rest in peace, would meet uh quarterly and uh discuss goals. So the piece of advice there is find someone we talk about mentoring, but that you consistently be uh accountable to. The other mentor, Nancy Skinner, she's thus she's moved away, but uh we would get together two or three times at the most a year, and she said, get your sizzle book out. So sizzle book journal and uh as often as you can write down what did you do today that sizzled. I met with Sarah Marilyn, that's going in today's journal. And I'll never and I'll never forget she called it a sizzle book. And it's just a way to keep yourself accountable for what you've done well that day. Some days there might not be anything, but Nancy said, get yourself a sizzle book, and then Beverly said we need to meet. And she also believed in me. You can do this, you can do this, even though maybe I didn't.

Speaker 1 26:02

And when you have a challenge, how do you prepare yourself to overcome it?

Speaker 26:08

Uh you you just you just do it. You uh you prepare, you you you think about that challenge and what's you know, what's gonna get you uh across across the finish line on that challenge. You know, there might be a I had a I had a work challenge well probably ten years ago where there were some man management changes and I think there were were to be some changes with the show and it it ended up never happening, but it was I was a little bit taken back and not really led positively through. So I just I gathered, I called my board of directors and kind of said, is this where I need to stay? Is this where I need to go? And obviously we stayed. So you you you gather those around you in a challenge. If you can't make it on your own to give you your advice, and then you just have to do

New Studio Move And Closing

Speaker 27:03

it.

Speaker 1 27:03

What's next for Shelly Irwin and the Shelly Irwin show?

Speaker 27:06

Tomorrow's show.

Speaker 1 27:08

Yeah, that's true.

Speaker 27:10

You know, we're we're we're going through if you want to get into the dirty laundry, we are moving our studios from our Eberhard Center to the DeVos Center on campus because the Eberhard Center is getting gutted. So I am forced to do something new and hopefully uh not push the wrong button. But as we are journeying into this, it's actually quite exciting because there's a new desk, there's a a new studio, which is kind of cool. You know, remind me not to spill any coffee. Yeah. So it's it's I guess just buckling up, and I also always like to think to take these new opportunities as is there anything unique I can do with the show? You know, I always start with with quotes from those in the in the field, you know, why do you work, live, and play in the in the in West Michigan? Then I always end with here's your inspiration for the for the day, some quote. So, but what do I what am I gonna tweak now that I'm yeah, kind of in a new place for the next two years. So I'm I'm gonna stay the course, hashtag more to do. You know, I'm not allowed to adopt another dog, and and yet there will be plenty of runs this week this uh this season.

Speaker 1 28:22

Will we see you in the Amway Riverbank run this year?

Speaker 28:24

Yes, you will. 25k, second weekend of May. You're gonna line up next to me. We're gonna try.

Speaker 1 28:30

We're gonna try. Might be out of breath, but we'll try.

Speaker 28:33

Well, first of all, you you would just say yes and don't even think about trying because you will. But you have to sign up. It's the mindset.

Speaker 1 28:42

Well, you gave me the tips, so I feel like I'm ready.

Speaker 28:44

Yeah, you you really, and it's like anything, you know. This is it's like anything. You're gonna try, but you're gonna succeed. So don't even, don't even go. We're gonna try. Yes, you are too.

Speaker 1 28:57

Exactly. Well, Shelly, thank you so much for being here with me today. It was so insightful. Your legacy, and so I'm glad that we could relive the past and talk about what we can look forward to uh moving into the year.

Speaker 29:10

Great. I'll interview you in about 20 years for your legacy. How's it?

Speaker 1 29:14

Well, look, we'll get there, right? We'll get there. Uh, if this conversation resonated with you, I hope it reminded you that growth isn't always loud or linear, and that your moment may be closer than you think. Thank you for listening to what finally clicked. Until next time, stay curious, stay honest, and trust what's meant to click will. Thank you, Shelley.

Speaker 29:39

Thank you, Sarah.