Today we’d like to introduce you to Courtney Shaw.
Hi Courtney, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Growing up, I was always on the move. If I wasn’t running cross-country in the Jr. Olympics, playing travel soccer, or dancing, I was running my mouth. From a very young age, I loved to talk, share, and tell vivid long stories. My parents would always endure my epic tales but eventually tell me to get to the point. During my junior year of high school, I had a near death experience that changed the whole trajectory of my life. It led me down a path to seek out my purpose and grow in my faith journey. My passion for sports led me to become a certified personal trainer the summer I graduated from High School. I fell in love with weight training my senior year when I took a class. I loved how it transformed my body and taught me the process of breaking down to build strength. It was a perfect metaphor for life. I eventually started my own personal training business and helped a lot of clients become healthy from the inside out. It was during that time that I met my future husband who I would later marry right after my 22nd birthday. We both had a passion to mentor youth and love for living a healthy lifestyle. Later on, we would co-author a national health and wellness curriculum called The FIT 2B FREE Movement. We became members of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition. We partnered with the Let’s Move Initiative and helped over 1 million Americans earn their President’s Active Lifestyle Award. We had Freedom Ambassadors all over the US leading groups through a 12-week journey to get a healthy spirit, soul, and body. We were interviewed on a local TV show about our mission. This opportunity led to a new avenue for me in media. I was asked to come back and be a guest on another show called Let’s Chat and eventually asked to come back as the main host of the show. I had no prior experience hosting but that didn’t stop me from stepping out on faith and trying something totally new. I had some incredible mentors that helped show me the ropes. By this time, our son Kingston was five and I just had our daughter Carrington who wasn’t even 1 when I started hosting this show. I fell in love with media and what an amazing tool it can be to tell life-changing stories.
I also found strengths I didn’t even know I had. I became a co-producer, writer, booked guests, and promoter of the show. After filming a season, we were all taking a break. It was during this time that my TV mentors encouraged me to run for Mrs. Florida America. Honestly, I laughed at them and the idea of entering a pageant as a married woman with two young children. I knew at this time I wanted to take FIT 2B FREE to another level but didn’t know what that looked like. Out of curiosity, I checked into the pageant. It forced me out of my comfort zone once again and made me get in front of sponsors to support my journey to the crown. I was shocked by the amount of support I received to cover all of my expenses. Pageantry is not a cheap sport. There is so much that goes into competing for a state and national title. I have a whole new respect for women who compete. Many do it for different reasons. I fell in love with the idea of how it can help you promote your platform. Four months later, I competed in my first pageant in Orlando, FL and was crowned Mrs. Florida America 2014-15! I saw it as a platform to get our message out in a very unconventional way. The crown and sash became a powerful tool to open up all kinds of opportunities. I became a spokesperson with Amerigroup and partnered together to speak from schools across the state. They purchased copies of our curriculum to give to local students and brought their medical mobile units out to help kids get checkups with doctors. I went on different tv/radio shows, met with the governor in Tallahassee, did infomercials and countless other appearances throughout that year. I went on to compete at Mrs. America in Tucson, AZ and connected with incredible married women across our country who I’m still close friends with today. I didn’t receive the crown but I was given the publishing award on stage. It was a once in a lifetime experience I will never forget.
During my reign, I was offered an opportunity at a local TV station to be an on-air personality and head up their community outreach. I had learned so much during my reign. I didn’t have a PR person and used the power of Facebook to network and plan out all of my appearances during that year. As my reign came to a close, I reflected back on a whirlwind year that my young family got to be a part of. I’m forever thankful for my families support. We did it together and grew closer as a family. I immediately transitioned to the TV station and helped produce a women’s inspirational show, made tons of new connections for the station, and grew in my interviewing skills. We addressed tough topics on human trafficking and told life-changing stories that inspired millions of viewers. After three years at the station, I knew it was time for me to spread my wings and fly solo. It was scary at first but I got back to my roots of networking and started connecting with some powerhouses in the Orlando area. Arlene Blake(Founder of Women on the Rise) reached out and asked me to host the 1st awards gala. I was all in for celebrating women across Central Florida. I’ve been connected ever since and love how her vision to empower, educate, and celebrate women has honored her mom’s legacy. Over the years, I’ve hosted countless charity events supporting local non-profits. Time for Tea, Guys with Ties, and other organizations have made a big impact in our city. I love coming alongside local go-getters who are living for something bigger than themselves. It’s a joy to lend my voice, time, and energy to organizations that are doing things with a pure heart and excellence. After leaving the TV station, I was offered an opportunity to have my own radio show. Here I was once again doing something I had zero experience in. I didn’t go to school for journalism or broadcasting.
In fact, I never completed my college degree. I love the saying, “God never calls the qualified. He qualifies the called. That statement has been so true throughout my life. He has a way of faithfully putting the right mentors in our lives when we’re willing to just say yes to new territory. Thankfully, I had an incredible mentor at the station who handled all of the technical sides of the production so I could flow in my gift to write, speak and connect with others on air. Let me tell you, it’s not easy to write an hour long show. I had so many amazing friends in the community that made themselves available to tell their stories and share their voices. Radio taught me the art of the interview is about asking the right questions and the importance of listening. I’ve always been on the side of sharing and the lessons I learned while doing this show were priceless. The show was called Authentic Living. It was a great platform to continue my work impacting the surrounding community. I get so much joy and fulfillment bringing value to others and loved sharing great things on air. During this time, we were also filming the interviews and developing a Youtube channel. Eventually, I would partner up with my producers to launch a family-friendly streaming platform called 24Flix. We filmed two seasons of the show. You can visit 24flix.com and get a free trial to check out the shows. One of my favorite episodes was filmed in St. Pete sailing with my dad. One year before the pandemic, my dad got his captain’s license and we’ve sailed as a family across the Gulf, British Virgin Islands, and in the Keys down to the Dry Tortugas. When the world shut down, I shifted gears from being out in the community speaking, hosting events, and working in TV/radio to being a full-time stay at home mom with a 6th and 1st grader. Like many parents during that season, we all had to make the most of each day and re-invent ourselves. It was during this time that I was able to slow down enough to write my second book. It’s called New Dawn, New Day, New Reign “Awakening the Kingdom Within.” It’s all about activating the power of a new beginning and living with our legacy in mind. The pandemic is teaching humanity many valuable lessons. Life as we know it has forever changed.
Prior to March of 2020, the world was going at such a rapid pace that no one could really keep up. An implosion happened of epic proportions and for millions, it served as the biggest pause of our generation. Many people were forced to slow down enough to address things they had been running from all of their lives. Mental health, racism, hatred, and division came to the forefront of the media. We were so busy doing that we forgot how to just be! Be still, breath, be present, and open our eyes and hearts so we can start to heal. We are human beings not human doings. So much of our value is tied to what we do, degrees we hold, titles we have, houses we live in, cars we drive, and the latest accomplishment we posted on social media. The raw reality is that we can’t take any of that with us when we leave this world. Many of us lost loved ones, co-workers, and dear friends to this pandemic. My prayer is that the words written in this book will serve as a manual and guide to encourage the reader to go on a quest and do the deeper work. Life isn’t meant to happen to us but flows through us. I ask the question at the beginning of the book, “How will you reign?” Will you allow bitterness, hurt, disappointment, and pain to paralyze you or let it propel you into a deeper purpose to serve humanity? You can get bitter or better. It’s your choice. You have free will to respond or react to the chaos, crazy pace and pressure we face. You are not powerless but full of power to respond to life’s devastations with courage, faith, kindness, and grace. I think we all need a lot more compassion, empathy, consideration, and genuine care for ourselves and others around us.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
One of my favorite quotes is, “A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.” Our family sailing crew has faced some extreme conditions on the high seas. We’ve learned so much from going through the storms versus staying in the safety of harbor. Life’s journey is full of opposition, heartbreak, disappointment, resistance, loss, rejection, and setbacks. Anyone who would tell you otherwise is lying through their teeth. You don’t grow in life without opposition and struggles. Resistance is what makes us stronger, more rooted, and grounded to weather life’s storms. In my lifetime of now 40 years, I’ve gone through depression, low self-esteem, self-sabotage, eating disorders, wrong treatment, death of loved ones, anger, suicidal thoughts, family trauma, and so much more. Never believe that anyone’s life is Pinterest perfect on the outside. Behind every pretty picture is a painful story. Trust me, I don’t look like what I’ve been through. To me, that is a trademark of God’s faithfulness in your life. You can go through the fire but you don’t have to come out smelling like smoke. I believe that when you can share unashamed of what you’ve been through behind closed doors that you will experience a greater level of freedom over the chains of your past. How else would we have authentic compassion and gratitude if our lives were left untouched by tragedy or struggles?
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’ve come to understand and fully embrace that it’s in my blood to write and speak. Over the years, I’ve done research on my family history and I’ve learned that I come from a long line of female authors and journalists. In fact, my great grandmother Hannah Rosebrook was recorded as the oldest living female journalist in America and the world. She was 104 years old when she wrote her last article in the Lakin Independent one month before she passed away. She was a pioneer that came from Sweden and landed in Kansas. She was hired by the local newspaper to write a social column. She used that platform to share her beliefs, perspectives on government, current world events, and the economy. She was a woman before her time yet honored her faith and core values. I have a copy of a book written on her life and a personal handwritten daily journal of hers from 1949. It’s one of my greatest treasures of family history. My Mimi (my mom’s mom) who just passed right before Christmas at 92 is also an author. She has a published book of her poetry called: Poems: Mundane to Ridiculous. We went to visit her back in June and she handed me a tablet full of her unpublished work. I knew in that moment she was passing the baton to have her work documented for the world to enjoy. I’m currently working on that project as I’m gearing up to launch my book in the spring of 2022. My mother is very influential in my life and gave me my first journal when I was 17 after I almost died and I haven’t stopped writing since. Nothing excites me more than a journal filled with blank pages to fill with hopes, dreams, and the daily moments of life. I have accumulated quite the collection of the years and will pass them down to my children one day. I pray they serve as a reminder of God’s faithfulness in my life and He will be there for them every step of the way too.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
My encouragement to anyone just starting out on their journey is to always stay open. You don’t have to be locked into one thing. Doors close, companies shut down, pandemics happen. Life is just a series of new beginnings. We can get so locked in to doing one thing or staying in one place that we can miss out on the most incredible opportunities. I’ve done things and been places and spaces I could’ve of never dreamed of as a young girl. Don’t limit yourself based upon your current state. Just say Yes! Humans are the most diverse and multi-faceted creatures. Like a diamond with time and pressure, you will shine with new dimensions, facets, and a deeper level of brilliance. The teacher will always show up when the student is ready. Stay humble, pliable, moldable, and ready to receive. Don’t beat up on yourself. Be kind and learn to appreciate, celebrate, and value your uniqueness. There is and will never be another you. When you know you are loved, you feel safe, confident, secure, and ready to contribute in a lifegiving way. If anyone hasn’t told you today or ever that you are loved, precious, priceless, and hear on purpose for such a time as this, I am doing that right now. I pray you believe, receive, and walk in that truth. You are loved!
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.courtneydawnshaw.com
- Instagram: courtneydawnshaw
- Facebook: courtneydshaw
- Youtube: Authentic Living Show
