A Raw Update on Life, Business, and Finding My Flow Again

Hey there, and welcome back to How It’s Really Going! After a long break, I’m here to share what’s been on my mind and what’s next for this podcast. If you’ve been around since the early days, you’ll know this space has evolved over the years—from Girlfriend’s Guide to Network Marketing to Keeping It Real with Shana Recker, and now to this version: a mix of life, business, and everything in between.

The Journey So Far I started podcasting back in 2016, aiming to share honest and vulnerable conversations about business, life, and personal growth. It’s been a rollercoaster. Over the years, I’ve shifted from network marketing to online business coaching, to doing done-for-you services in graphic design and Kajabi, which has been my primary focus for the past year and a half. It’s been refreshing to work behind the scenes, supporting amazing clients without the constant pressure of social media.

Why I’m Back Even when I’ve stepped away, I couldn’t stop thinking about this podcast. It’s like therapy for me—a way to connect, share, and help others feel less alone in their journeys. I’m feeling more stable and ready to commit, even if it’s just once or twice a month. This podcast is going to be a space for real talk: about business, entrepreneurship, life as a midlife woman navigating hormones, parenting adult kids, and even the ups and downs of creativity.

What’s Next Moving forward, you can expect a mix of:

• Business tips for service providers and clients
• Real talk about life and entrepreneurship
• Personal updates and reflections on navigating midlife challenges
• Whatever feels relevant—because that’s what How It’s Really Going is all about.

A Special Thank You To everyone who’s stuck around, subscribed, and supported me through all the changes—thank you. Your messages and feedback remind me why I love this so much. I’m excited to dive back in and share this journey with you.

Links Mentioned

• My business Instagram: @iamshanarecker
• My art Instagram: @shanarecker_art
• Kajabi Experts Platform: Kajabi Experts
• Podcast Inspiration: Chalene Johnson

Transcript

Shana: 0:00

Oh, Hey there. Welcome back to how it's really going with Shana. Recker and I am still here. I have been thinking about this podcast. Nonstop, for the last few months. And as you know, has been a bit since have uploaded an episode of this is the first time you're catching me. Just know that I have had zero consistency with this podcast in the last couple of years. And I don't like that, but at the same time, For me where I've been in the last few years, just with everything that's been going on. That's all I could give. That's really all I had and I couldn't commit, I can't, I'm not even sure if I can still commit to any kind of real consistency for this. But the thing is, is I can't stop thinking about this podcast and what to do with it. I've had a podcast since 2016. I started my podcast with girlfriend's guide to network marketing back when I used to be a top network marketer, I had a big team. And I started doing a bit of network marketing coaching, and then that led to me doing business coaching. And then my podcast turned into keeping it real with Shana. Recker talking about just online business and stuff. And keeping it real was the podcast name, I think for a good, at least a couple of years. And then I switched it to how it's really going with Shana. Recker. And it's funny because when you think about keeping it real and how it's really going. And even girlfriend's guide to network marketing. At the base of all of that. And this has always been kind of how I feel about having a podcast and why I wanted to have a podcast was too. Bring real true. Honest. Vulnerable conversations. To the world. About business and marketing and all of these things. And since has evolved to even now just being a hormonal, almost 50 year old woman navigating life, plus being an entrepreneur, all of these things, bringing those real honest conversations to the table and helping other people feel normal, in what they're going through because. For this podcast, even back down to girlfriend's guide to network marketing has always just been about like, I know. In the online space, everything looks shiny and pretty and perfect, and people have do a really good job of making you believe that. Everything in their life is going, just so great. And not that I want to have a podcast. That's a Debbie downer talking about all the things that are going shitty, but. I do also want to be real and talk about some of the struggles and talk about some of the things that you go through and grow through as an entrepreneur and even as a female, as somebody who's, in that stage of even menopause perimenopause and. Talking about all the things, kids life, you know, all the things. And bringing it all to the table and having those real. Vulnerable conversations so that it helps people know that they're not alone. And that we're all kind of in this, doing this together, and it's not perfect and it never will be, and there are going to be struggles, but that's normal. And that. In order to have, whether it be a successful business or fulfilling life or whatever, that it doesn't come without the struggles and without these vulnerabilities. And to bring some of that to the table so that people can relate and keep moving forward because they know they're not alone. I guess that's really at the core. I didn't, I didn't intentionally. Set that for my podcast. When I first heard it created, I just wanted to help people, build network marketing businesses, give them their tip, my tips and stuff. And then when it evolved to business marketing, same sort of thing, you know how to start online business. Here's what I've learned. And. Then, you know, and, and even with how it's really going with Shannon wrecker was the same sort of thing. It's like, Hey, I'm an entrepreneur, I'm a female. I'm midlife. Here's how it's really going, how I'm getting through the day, with all of these things. And so I love that and I don't want that to change. And so I share this with you because I'm in this place where I can't stop thinking about this podcast. I love podcasting. I love talking. I love sharing. Sometimes I overshare. Sometimes I say word things. Sometimes I ramble. Sometimes I have really good fucking points. And I love it all. And I love the feedback that I get from it. I love it. When you guys message me and say, I've listened to your podcast, I can totally relate. I feel that, I love that because that that's the whole purpose of me being here and showing up and doing this. And so I can't stop thinking about that. And, and as much as I've stepped away from this podcast, for times like months at a time, I want you to know that I'm, even though in those moments, I just don't have the capacity to do the podcast. I still think about it and I still want to be here. And so I, I've had multiple conversations with Jason. My has been about. You know where I'm at in life. And I'm going to give you a bit of an update here in a second and what I want for 2025 and the growth of my business. And so the podcast, this podcast. In all of the years I've been doing this. It just is the one thing I can't give up. And I don't know why. I don't know what it means. I'm not sure if there's something here for me. But it's the thing that I'm most drawn to get back to consistently and regularly. And I feel like I just didn't have the capacity for that over the last couple of years, because there's been a lot happening in my life. But I'm starting to feel like I'm better. I'm starting to feel like I'm in more in control of my hormones and my feelings and my life and everything, even though it's still not perfect. Cause really nothing is, but, it's definitely better. And I feel that I'm at a place now where I could at least consistently, even if it was just once a month. Come to the table and just talk with you guys. The other struggle that I have with the podcast is feeling like. I need to have a, uh, a specific purpose or a specific sort of topic for this podcast to make it make sense. Like, why is somebody just going to tune in to listen to me ramble? Right? Like, why is somebody going to just going to, to have a podcast? That's about nothing. That's just about, Hey, here's where I'm at in life. Like. To me that just didn't feel like it made sense. I feel like my brain wants it to make sense as to why I'm showing up here. And talking with all of you. Part of me says, who gives a shit? Like you just come to the microphone when you have something to share and you feel it's relevant and don't worry about a specific purpose or topic or whatever. For your podcast. Cause that's one of the reasons why I called this podcast, how it's really going, because I want to share with you how it's really going in my life, whether it's business related, whether it's, uh life-related whether it's hormone related, whether it's kid related. This is just, these are the things that I'm dealing with Dan and day out as an entrepreneur, as a wife, as a mom, as a mid-life. Perimenopausal woman. This is what I'm dealing with. And if it helps somebody by hearing that, then, then great. And my, but my brain is fighting that it's like, if you're going to have a podcast, it needs to have a specific purpose. Like when I had, girlfriends guides, network marketing. Well, yeah, I'm here helping girlfriend. I'm helping my friends, girls out there who are like me, who are starting network marketing. Become successful. And so it made sense. Like my that's why I did the podcast. And now I don't like I am in this conflict where I, my brain is like, you need a purpose, you need a specific reason. Why are you showing up? But then the other side is like, you don't fucking need a reason. You can just show up and talk about whatever the hell you want. It doesn't matter. You can do whatever you want. It's your podcast. And if people like it, They'll sh they'll stay and they'll listen. And if they don't. They'll go. Who cares? You're not doing this. You're doing this for you because this honestly is therapy for me, like to be able to just sit here and talk. And tell you whatever the frigate is that I want to tell you. I think my last podcast that I did was about. How I was feeling with my adult friendships. Now, adult friendships were hard. And that wasn't not an easy podcast to record, but it was something that was really on my heart. And when I shared that episode and I spoke those words and I got it out of my system, I felt so much better. I even had some friends messaged me about that podcast, which made me feel really,, positive about it. I realized like this is an outlet for me, as much as it is a space to bring people together so they can feel like they're not alone. It's like it's, it's a give and take. And for whatever reason, my heart is just drawn to come back to this in a regular capacity. And make it. Whatever it is like not, not to try and make it something, but just let it be and just talk. So with that being said, I'm going to give you a little update on my life and business and all the things. But I am. Going to loosely commit. I don't want to make any kind of major commitments, but I am going to really work on coming back consistently to this podcast. And even like I said, if it's once a month or twice a month, And see how it goes, because I feel like I'm in a place now where I am more stable and ready to. Get my toes back in the water. And this is so as part of the updates. as you guys know. And if you haven't, I mean, you can listen to some of my back, my last few episodes to kind of get a handle. If you're new to this. As to where I'm at. just even saying I'm a 49 year old hormonal paramount, a menopausal woman. My life in the last couple of years, just feel like it, it got flipped upside down where I was doing online business coaching. I was doing that for a good while since, you know, solidly since 2020. So at least three to four years. And, well, actually, I guess it would have been three years because I shut it down in the beginning of 2023, because I just was at a place where I was burnt out from being on social media, selling coaching programs. You know, having to show up every day on, on, on Instagram. Cause that's, if, if you're anybody who's trying to make it in online business coaching, you gotta be on Instagram, you know, that kind of deal. And to be honest, it was just, it was so much for me that I just. I think it was like a combination of hormones and just me feeling like I couldn't do it anymore. I was forcing it. And I was not happy. And I was starting to feel resentful with the work that I was doing. And even though I created some really amazing programs, I do say my client attractor program. I love it. I actually had an old client reach out. And say, do I still have access to this? Because that program was really great and I am, I've got to get back in, I'm doing some new things and I want to go back through the content. And I was like, looking back at that program, I was like, damn, this was really good. Like I loved working. I love business. I love. Online business. But I didn't love marketing myself and using social media, do that, feeling that feeling of having to show up every single day and share something on stories and make a post and all that kind of shit. So. I backed away from pretty much everything. And, some of you guys know, I also started doing some art on the side. Which then I tried to turn that into a business, which I just learned. That those of us who have ADHD, we have these amazing brains. That just want to turn everything into a friggin business. And I heard that. I can't remember where I heard that from, but I heard that from like some ADHD. Psychologist or something like that, that, that ADHD is are there. They're really great entrepreneurs. But we also have a tendency to turn every hobby into a business. And when I heard that, I was like, oh shit. Yep. That's me for sure. And here I had this art hobby that I was loving and sharing on social media and sharing that on social media was wasn't hard for me because I wasn't trying to sell anything. I was just sharing my process and like, even to this day, I mean, I stopped selling my art. I just do it for fun. But I turned that into a business or I tried to but then I realized that I was turning it into a business. I could feel myself getting back to the old ways that I used to sell on my coaching business, where it felt like I started having to show up. If I was going to sell a piece of art, I had to be online all the time. I have to be painting all the time. I have to be showing my process all the time. And it started to feel like work again. And it wasn't a hobby that was just for me. So I did stop selling my art and I just do my art for fun. And it's just for me. And I'm going to keep it that way. Because I don't need to turn every hobby into a business. So by doing that though, because here's the thing, like, I just, I'm thinking out loud, as I'm saying this. When you want to turn everything into a business, what ends up happening is you get yourself so busy with all of these businesses that you don't give yourself time. To recharge to rest, to relax, to not be working. And I can say I am somebody who can easily say I've been addicted to work. I do love what I do. I do love working, especially as an entrepreneur. I love working on my own business. I love working with my clients. But when you work from home, It's so easy to work on a Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, like it all just every day, turns into workdays. And you don't give yourself that time to recharge. So by stepping back from actually having my art be a business, I gave myself time again. To have time away. So I have been in the past, I would say probably a year and a half ago is when I really started doing the done for you services. So I got away from business coaching, but my background, that I went to school for and my, my skillset is graphic design. And so I went back to my roots and I started offering some of my past coaching clients. The opportunity to use my skills. If they wanted me to build their websites or do graphic design work for them, logos, all that kind of stuff. I was like, Hey, I'm just reaching out because I'm not sure what I'm going to do with my life. But. I can do this work and I'm happy to help you if you need some stuff. And I actually had clients reach out to me saying, Hey, would you be open to, doing some Kajabi work for me or whatever. And Kajabi is the platform that a lot of my clients in my business coaching world, Use to build their courses and their websites and all that kind of stuff. And I had used that as well. I really spent a lot of time in that software for my own business. So I just started. Doing some work for other people. And that was about a year and a half ago and it really took off and I just was doing it to do it because I didn't know what else to do. And I really actually enjoyed the work because it didn't require me to be on social media because I had people coming to me. And work was just coming in and then Kajabi, uh, started a Kajabi experts. Um, Platform for they were, they vetted some of their Kajabi designers. And if you got vetted and approved, you were considered a Kajabi expert. You got put into the expert. Um, portal and people who use the software. Can go to this portal and find an expert to help them with their design stuff. And so that was really good for me. I became a part of that. So I, I didn't really need to advertise. So my Instagram that I was using for business coaching, I kind of winded that down and just let it sit there cause I didn't need it. I was still doing some art stuff for sure. On my art Instagram. And just using that for fun, but my done for you services business really took off and it's, it's been a great year. I'm not going to lie. This past year. I've worked with some amazing people. I've created some, some great websites, how people build their businesses. I still got to do a bit of business coaching with a lot of my clients because a lot of them. Need advice and tips and I get it. I know what they need. So it's been great for me because I've been able to keep my, my foot in the. Coaching side of things a bit, but yet being able to be, quiet and in my own space and just working on the things and not having to be out there on social media so much. And that's been the last year and a half, and I feel like. I've given myself space to develop that without any pressure and. I think because in the business coaching space, I always felt pressure. Like I needed to be at a certain monthly income I needed to. Cause you know that in that space, they, they promote that like, They drill that into your head that you're not successful unless you're making. 10 K 20 K a hundred K months and all this bullshit stuff out there. And that was exhausting and it's exhausting as a business coach to think that if you're not doing that, that you're failing. And so when I let go of that and I let go of. Of trying to be something. and trying to push for something that just wasn't really working. And I let myself just, I dunno. Fly by the seat of my pants and just figure things out as I was going and not putting any pressure on myself. That's when things really started to work. And I didn't know it for the first, probably six months that this was, this was working and that things were happening. But looking back now a year and a half later. I can see, I can see it. It's so clear. I've I released. My need for. Needing to be successful at something. And just allowed myself to do what felt right in the moment. And that's, I believe that's why things started to come together because I, I released the pressure. And allowed what was going to flow my way, flow my way. And so today I am. Done for you services. That is my main business. I feel now that because I've given myself the space to really discover. What was right for me. I am feeling more like I want to make not, not make, so I gotta be careful with my words here. I want this. I want to protect what I've created and not that it really needs protection. Cause I'm just letting it flow still. I'm still in that, that, that nice space. But I want to make it something that is solid. And I. I have been underground doing this work and it's been great. But now I feel like I want to have a bit more of a presence. I want to create. I want it. I want my outer business to reflect what's going on. Inside my office day in and day out. If that makes any sense. And I feel like I could help more people. If I did put myself out there. A bit more and without pressure, without feeling like I need to show up in every day and be in stories and all this stuff all the time, because here's the thing, even though that was hard for me in the end, I felt the pressure was too much for me. I did enjoy creating content. I did enjoy putting out posts. I did enjoy talking to my stories because it's much like talking on this podcast. It's it's you getting on there saying something that you feel is relevant and, hoping it helps somebody kind of thing. So it's same, same but different. But I did enjoy that. I just feel like for a couple of years there, I just didn't have the capacity to do it because when your hormones are fucked up, Like they are in perimenopause. there were days that I couldn't even talk to anyone in my family. Because I would wake up with anxiety and what felt like depression. And I just wanted to cry. I just wanted to just have my coffee and not be around anyone. And. Those days were really difficult. And those came and went on a consistent basis. It would be like two or three or four days of that. And then I get some relief for a bit, and then that would creep back in again. And sometimes I'd be angry. Sometimes I'd be sad. Sometimes I was just nothing. I didn't feel anything. Some few days I might be happy. And it's really hard to show up on social media. When you feel like that when your emotions are all over the place. And then when you've got that added pressure of feeling like if you don't show up. You're irrelevant. And here you are like ready to cry your eyes out at any given second. And now you feel like if you still have to go online and show up, because if not your business is going to die, that is not fun. And, and for me, I needed to close it all down. In order to figure out what was going on. And I'm grateful that I have a very supportive husband who. did his own research for where I was at and understood. What was happening and was able to., help me maneuver through this and take care of the family needs and stuff. While I was going through all of this. And I'm grateful that I advocated for myself. I struggled getting hormonal support in the beginning with my doctor and continued to push, push, push until someone I did find a doctor who did get me on, on hormones and. I finally feel like I'm at a place where I am in control of my emotions, even though I still have days don't get me wrong. I know Jason's probably listening to this and he's like, Probably thinking, wait, what. I do still have my moments, but there it's not as intense. And I feel like I can control it, or I notice it more so I can. I just better manage it. And we're for a while there I was, I feel like I was out of control. I had no control. I just would wake up and it would be like rolling the dice, what hormones are lacking today and how does it make me feel as am I sad? Am I angry at my neutral? Am I nothing? What is it? And so. You know, it explains, I look back and I go, okay, well, it makes sense why I wanted to shut my business down. Why I didn't want to show up on social media, why I was, you know, feeling like nothing was right. Because when you, when your hormones are out of whack, like that, Nothing. Nothing seems right. And so it makes sense. Now do I regret any of that stuff? No, I've said it before. I don't regret shutting that down. I feel like everything happens for a reason and I really like the place I'm in right now in my entrepreneurial journey. Like the done for you work that I'm doing. I like that. It still allows me to do a bit of business coaching. I feel really confident in the work that I do and the support that I give my clients. Where, when I was business coaching, I would question myself a lot and like, am I any good at this? Am I. You know, am I actually helping people? And I can see the results really well and what I'm doing right now through my clients. I couldn't necessarily always see their results before, because. You know, a coaching client, it's, it's what they do with the information. And if they're not successful, you don't feel successful. And sometimes they do the right things with the information and they, they can build something out of it. And a lot of times they just don't. And so you can't be responsible for their results if they're not implementing what you're asking or what you're sharing, you know what I'm saying? So. We're here. I'm the one doing it for them. I mean, they still have to take what I do for them and, and implement it. But at the end of the day, my, my business I'm responsible for making something look good function, do what you needed to do. It's your job as the client to take that and then go out and do whatever it is you do. And so I feel like I'm really delivering on what I'm saying. I'm delivering and it's working I feel a lot more confident in what I'm doing now, and I feel a lot more stable and I feel. I don't want to over hype this because sometimes I'm like, okay, you're feeling really good today, but you don't know how you're going to feel next week. But I feel like I have consistently felt like things are more stable and I'm ready. Too. Start. Dipping my toe back out into the branding social media podcast space. And building back up my brand externally and seeing what happens and. Again, coming back to this podcast. I don't know how this podcast fits into this whole equation., I feel like I have more capacity. To be more consistent and not only to be more consistent with podcasts and all those things, but also in like my personal life, like I got away from meditation, journaling, reading books that are feeding my brain and just some of that stuff that I really got away from, I got away from all the personal development stuff for a while. Cause again, it was just like all too much. And I think I'm ready to even bring back some of those positive habits and into my life and bring some, a little bit more structure, a little bit more routine. And really work on. This next level of, of me and this next level of this business that I'm now in and being really proud of the work that I do and the business that I've created. And. See where it takes me and. This podcast, I feel like will be a combination of. Sharing business tips still and sharing. So business tips for service providers, business tips for clients who need to work with service providers. Also life stuff, entrepreneurship stuff, being a midlife. A woman dealing with hormones and entrepreneurship, and also potentially talking about being empty nesters and having kids who are grown and what that's like that probably will sneak into the podcast somewhere because. The whole thing with this podcast and calling it how it's really going was I wanted a name and a vibe for this space to be like, Hey, I'm going to come to the mic and I'm going to tell you how it's really going. And that could be a variety of things. And some positive, some not everything's going to be a, Hey, here's a vulnerable, this sucked moment. Some of it's going to be, Hey, I've had a really good fucking year financially. I might talk about those things. I might talk about my kids. I might talk about my dog for that matter. I don't even know what I'm going to say. But I do want to have some consistency here with this. I'm feeling called to it. Um, I listened to one of the podcasts that I've been listening to a lot is Shaylene Johnson. And she has the same kind of vibe. She just talks about whatever's going on in her life. And I love that. I relate to a lot of things that she says, and I'm like, I can do this. I can do this. And we're going to see where it goes. And so that is a bit of a whole lot of updates. A whole lot of ramble, a whole lot of where I'm at. If you resonate with any of this, I'm always here for you. I have re. Invigorated. My Instagram. so I do still have my art Instagram, which is Shana Recker underscore art. That's going to be more of my personal Instagram. I will be sharing our more personal things on there. The business. Instagram is the, I am Shana Recker and that is the one that I've going to reinvigorate. I actually did a, my first post there the other day, and I was so pleasantly surprised by all of the. Love and support that I got on the first post of, of that account. In a long time. And so it was made me really happy to see people were excited that I would be coming back to that platform. So thank you guys for all of that. And if you're listening to this and you got to this point, thanks for listening. Thanks for being here. Thanks for subscribing. Thanks for staying subscribed. Even though I have been. Very erratic with my podcast schedule. I really look forward to doing more episodes and just sharing how it's really going. And I hope that my stories of how it's really going help you. And your journey to keep going. To keep moving forward to grow through these things and to know that you're not alone. And that's really what this is about, and that's really why I want to be here. So. Thank you. Guys so much for listening. I appreciate you all. I love you all and we'll see you in the next episode. Bye for now.