Today we’d like to introduce you to Shanti McNeil.
Hi Shanti, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Hello, thank you so much for having me. It is an honor for me to share my story with you. Throughout my life, I have helped, advised, and guided others through their journeys, and find joy in sharing myself in this way. Simply put, I think I was born to facilitate change in the lives of others, and TimeOutWithTAE provided me with that opportunity.
One of the beautiful things about TimeOutWithTAE is that it evolved with me. The first Instagram “Live” session was just a public display of what’s been occurring in my life for some time, well before I applied for the business license, or designed a logo. TimeOutWithTAE was birthed in the middle of the pandemic during that time, I was at home with a 1 1/2-year-old and a 7-year-old who was virtual learning in second grade. My roles melded and I became the teacher, playmate, event coordinator (indoors only), and referee all while being a full-time professional and concerned with how to keep my family safe from this menacing virus – COVID 19.
One day I got a call from my best friend of 30 years. She is a stay-at-home mom of three boys, two of which are homeschooled and a newborn, her plate stays full. I knew it was an SOS because she doesn’t normally call in the middle of the workday. She was upset, deeply upset and I could feel it through the line. When I began to help her unravel the “what” that made her upset, she couldn’t tell me. She tried to put it into words, but all the words failed. The reason why was not just one incident it was everything and nothing at all. The problem she exclaimed through her tears while hiding in a closet was, she was just tired. I felt that in my soul, I had been there with her. My suggestion to her was simple, she needed to take a break. I followed with a question, “have you done anything for yourself lately?”, and the reply was “myself?” I could feel the internal chaos as that question riveted through her mind. She didn’t recognize herself as a priority of care in her life. As she came to this clarity, so did I. I could easily point it out for my dear friend, but I was at the same level of exhaustion in my own life. We’d both pushed past our own mental, emotional, and physical limits. When I took the time to reflect over the past three years, I realized without pause that I’d moved to a new home and suffered from a miscarriage within that same week and a few months later, we were surprised by the news that I was again pregnant. A lot of physical and emotional changes were rapidly occurring in a short span of time. I was terrified and scared this baby would suffer the same fate. The entire pregnancy, I held myself so tight, walking around on eggshells! After giving birth, I was diagnosed with post-partum anxiety. I acknowledged the diagnosis and coped. Shortly after, I went back to work in an entirely new career role! The shaky ground became the norm and then the pandemic hit! I with the collective of the world lost my way, to say the least.
It was a Thursday early morning at 3:00 am I woke up to the phrase “time out” in my heart. The words weighed heavy on me and haunted my entire day and as the day progressed…. the unction to take a break grew stronger. Not just a quick break, but a sustainable, planned effort to take a “time out” intentionally and regularly. Immediately I knew I was not the only person that would benefit from a space that could blend self-care and its related topics with music, dialogue, and community support. My intentions were to create a safe space for myself and others looking for accountability in the current or development of a self-care routine. Not a picture-perfect cookie cutter group, but a group that digs to the heart of their self-aware, self-love journey. Social media was the exact place I could bring all my love of community, helping, and sharing together and that day Dec 17, 2020, TimeOutWithTae was created on Instagram live.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road to community facilitator advocating self-care and diving into entrepreneurship hasn’t been easy but it is highly rewarding. In the beginning stages of developing TimeOutWithTae, I questioned my place in the Instagram/Influencer world. I battled against the images on display on the Instagram platform, you know, “the picture-perfect ideal!” In my research of Instagram pages that focus on self-care, I found most of the pages that promote selfcare are agreeable grey or mauve color palette. Very demure in aesthetic. Everything was uniform, from the icons to the textiles, and I knew wholeheartedly I would go in another direction. I’m a live-out-loud type of person and this characteristic had to echoed in the TimeOutWithTae community. Fitting in does nothing for me or my focus.
The next challenge was time. I’m passionate about providing a supportive guided journey to self-awareness and the TimeOutWithTae forum makes mental and physical well-being logical, and manageable to the TOWT Family. My very busy lifestyle was about to get busier! I couldn’t imagine how I could do it. How was I going to fit in all the new responsibilities of owning, managing, and operating a group of this magnitude and by magnitude not of size but of importance, and still be effective in my own journey through creating a self-care routine and obtaining my personal goals of self-awareness. I’ve had to adjust and change, focus, and readjust, but things have leveled. Through my exploration of healing and following my passion, the time keeps adjusting for this great endeavor.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I work as a Certified Treasury Professional (CTP) in the business sector, but TimeOutWithTae is my 24/7 inward and outward endeavor, so I serve in a multitude of roles. As the author of the e-book 5 Tips to Developing a Consistent Self-Care Routine and Self-Care Mistakes to Avoid how-to manual, live session facilitator, designer of the “timeout” wearables, and media manager. I guide individuals to formulate a self-care routine through self-care conversations, affirmations and providing wearable reminders that encourage all in their journey.
The TimeoutwithTae merchandise website was created deliberately to reiterate the mission to our community to take “time out!” A wearable expression of one’s inner journey. The merch is a tangible reminder to prioritize self-care and inspire all who wear it to pour into themselves.
TimeOutWithTae LIVE IG sessions take place every second Thursday of each month at 8:30pm eastern standard time. Essentially, we are an accountability group for self-care. We host guest interviews with subject matter experts on related topics, and we encourage community engagement so that we can all learn from one another. Daily you can find aspiring & informational-based self-care tips posts, reels, and stories shared with the #TOWTFamily on the @Shanti_TOWT Instagram page.
How do you think about luck?
It is debatable whether luck exists in the ultimate sense. My view on luck is neither good nor bad. I’m going to work with what I’ve got. The formation of the amazing community I have the privilege of guiding was a perfect storm of years of discounting my needs, finding my voice while going through my self-care journey, and a pandemic. Life is not easy; there is no shortcut to success. I believe my gifts just made room for me to succeed. We are all born with different talents, skills, and capabilities. When you begin the journey to identifying and developing your special gifts and capabilities, you can gain success! Call it what you may luck, divine timing, manifesting, it’s all working for your good. We must continue through the struggles to achieve success and our definition of our ideal self. Every moment in our lives the good the bad the ugly is a lesson and the test is to show that you have learned from the moment.
Pricing:
- E-Book: 5 Tips to Develop a Consistent Self-Care Routine $20
- Gratitude Journal Download (Free)
- TimeOutWithTAE Organic cotton drawstring bag $25.50
- Time Out! Unisex Hoodie $38
- Time Out! Stainless Steel Water Bottle $28
Contact Info:
- Website: www.inwardendeavors.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/shanti_towt?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
- Other: www.timeoutwithtae.com
Image Credits:
Kebriana Rogers – The 8th Frame photography
