F*ck, I'm Nearly 50
"F*ck, I’m Nearly 50” is a no-filter dive into the messy, brilliant chaos of midlife. From career pivots to sagging eyelids, I’m here to share the wins, the WTF moments, and everything in between—because whoever has the most fun, wins. Fuck, I’m nearly 50… and isn’t it amazing?”
F*ck, I'm Nearly 50
F*ck, I’m Just Getting Started! with Shannah Kennedy
🎙️ Episode 2: F*ck, I’m Just Getting Started! with Shannah Kennedy
We often think of midlife as a time to slow down, but what if it’s actually the perfect moment to reinvent ourselves? In this episode, I sit down with Shannah Kennedy, a master coach and best-selling author known for her expertise in life planning and wellness. Shannah has transformed her own life from battling chronic fatigue and depression to guiding others in designing lives filled with purpose and vitality.
🎧 What You’ll Hear in This Episode:
🚀 Reinventing Midlife – Shannah shares her philosophy on viewing the years between 50 and 75 as a period rich with potential for personal growth and new adventures.
🛤 Building a Life Plan – Insights into creating a personalised roadmap that aligns with your core values, ensuring that your daily actions lead to a fulfilling life.
🔥 Overcoming Burnout – Drawing from her own experience with chronic fatigue, Shannah discusses strategies to recognise, manage, and recover from burnout.
🔄 Embracing Change – Practical advice on how to navigate significant life transitions with resilience and optimism.
❌ The Power of ‘No’ – Understanding that saying yes to one thing means saying no to another, and how to make choices that truly serve your well-being.
🎯 The ‘Try This Before I’m 50’ Challenge
Each guest on this podcast leaves me with a challenge—something to shake things up before I hit 50. Shannah’s challenge is all about embracing a new adventure that aligns with my core values.
📍 Where to Find Shannah Kennedy:
🌍 Website: shannahkennedy.com |
📸 Instagram: @shannahkennedy |
💼 LinkedIn: Shannah Kennedy
🔜 What’s Coming Up?
Every guest on this podcast has taken risks, redefined what matters, and found their own way through midlife. Each episode will leave me (and you) with something to think about—or maybe even something to change. So if you’ve ever questioned the career you built, the expectations you’ve carried, or what’s next for you, hit play.
🎙 Because f*ck, we’re nearly 50—and isn’t that amazing?
🔗 Listen now, subscribe, and share with a friend who needs this!
🔥 Let’s keep the conversation going! 🔥
📺 Watch the episodes on YouTube – Subscribe here!
💬 Join the community – Follow me on Instagram @fckimnearlyfifty and share your thoughts on this episode. Or connect with me on LinkedIn.
🎧 Never miss an episode – Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
📢 Spread the word – If you loved this episode, share it with a friend (or 10). Because midlife is better when we figure it out together.
Because f*ck, we’re nearly 50—and isn’t that amazing? 🚀
Hi, I'm Dom Hind and f*ck, I'm nearly 50. Actually, I'm 47 in one month. But who's counting? The thing is, Time moves fast. One minute, you're deep in the hustle, building a business, chasing goals, feeling like you've got all the time in the world, and then suddenly you look up and you're here, asking yourself, what's next? That's exactly where I found myself. Back in 2017 we just sold our business, this thing i'd poured years and my heart and soul into, and instead of feeling free, I felt completely lost, like I'd let go of something massive, and wasn't sure who I was without it. And that's when I found today's guest, Shanna Kennedy. I heard her on ABC Radio One night talking about designing your life with intention, and I instantly got in touch with her. Over the years, she's helped me redefine what actually matters, shaping a life plan, getting clear on my values and making sure I was actually living, not just doing she was the one who made me stop and think, what do I really want? That's when I realised my core values are health, family, happiness, pleasure, adventure and fun. And now every decision I make, big or small is about holding true to those values. They are my compass, helping me say yes to the things that align and no to the things that don't. Shanna also gave me two of the biggest lessons I carry with me every day tomorrow starts today, because if you want something to change, you have to take action now. And saying yes to this means saying no to that, because every choice is a trade off, and learning to say no is just as powerful as saying yes. But the thing about Shanna is she doesn't just teach this stuff. She's lived it. She's faced burnout, battled chronic fatigue and fought depression. She had to rebuild herself from the ground up, and that's why her work isn't just theory. It's real, it's lived and it's powerful. Now she's helping people rethink midlife, not as the start of slowing down, but as our prime years. So let's get into it. Because fuck, I'm nearly 50, and isn't it amazing? Some people come into your life at exactly the right time. And for me, that person was Shanna Kennedy. She's a master coach, an expert in helping people get clear on what they actually want. And the person who made me stop and think, hang on, what do I want my life to look like? Her work is about intentional living, helping people create a life plan and act that actually aligns with who they are, because let's be real. This isn't the time that we need to start slowing down. She's now focused on something that so many of us are thinking about, how to make the most of our midlife the years between 50 and 75 and there's so much more to explore, and Shanna is here to show us how she knows this firsthand. After years of pushing through and pushing herself to the limit, she hit a wall, chronic fatigue, burnout and depression took over, and she had to completely rethink the way that she was living. That's why she teaches the life plan and not just as tools for success, but as a way to protect your energy, your mental health, and the thing that I love the most your joy. So today we're talking about life plans, reinvention and how to step into the next phase of your life with excitement rather than fear. Shanna, welcome to fuck I'm nearly 50.
Shannah Kennedy:Oh, I'm so excited to be here and actually have this incredible conversation with you, because we've had a lot of great journeys along the way, and now we get to share a lot of it, which is wonderful. It
Dominique Hind:is, it's, you know, I think it is absolutely amazing that, you know, you came into my life in 2017 when I really needed someone to kick me into gear, and you did absolutely that. But before we get into that, how would you introduce yourself in the most shanaway possible?
Shannah Kennedy:Well, I am a lover of life and collecting beautiful moments on this playground called Earth every. Day, and I just keep my life that simple. So I'm a I've been married for 21 years. I've got two kids, 19 and 20, um, I've been a life coach for 21 years. And so I've heard it all from everyone, male, female, old, young, any, any gender, any crisis. I've heard everything, and it's just been the most fascinating playground to play in. And I, I'm just actually really excited about sharing some of the concepts with people around how exciting life can be if you change your mindset in and turn it into the playground of life. And we've got the zipper, and then we've got the, you know, we've got the Ferris wheel and the slides and the swings, they're just jobs that you do, and but we are not our job. We really are the people in the playground. And we're here to collect joy. We're here to enjoy what we've got, and we're here to have a great plan for the and a road map for the brain so it becomes really excited and has direction every day. And keeping it as simple as that is my passion for life and what I want to do and serve for life for
Dominique Hind:Yep, and I think you do do such an amazing job of making it simple for people, like it's not, you know, so many people get so scared about what do I need to do next? But you just make it easy, really? Yeah, we've gotta
Shannah Kennedy:cut through all of that stuff and just make a beautiful, simple plan, and then you can let go of a lot of the baggage that we keep or carry. Yeah, and
Dominique Hind:there's a lot anyway you've worked with so many people to help them get clarity on their lives. What's the first thing you ask someone when they come to you feeling lost?
Shannah Kennedy:I would say to you, so you're feeling lost, is it your motivation is lost? Is it your energy is lost? Or are you lacking clarity? A lot of people just don't have a clear path, and so it's like they're driving around the roundabout and they're just feeling lethargic. They're probably languishing. You know that nice word, where we're just existing, really. And a lot of it comes down to, well, do you have any clarity on how you want to feel and what your next decade looks like? And if you don't, well, we need to build a beautiful base for you.
Dominique Hind:And I think that's, you know, when I after selling with collective I think both Justin and I came to you because we were lost. We'd lost our identity. We thought we'd invested so much time and effort and love into this thing, and then it was gone. Yeah, yeah. And we were like, what do we do now? Like, how do we actually define our purpose and reclaim that joy? And a lot of
Shannah Kennedy:people don't know their own values to start with. And I think that's where, you know, it's the biggest problem of all.
Dominique Hind:And I think that was one of the things that you gave me the most clarity, and I still use it every day in defining of your values, because I know you say you can only have three, but I've increased mine to five, but it's like the health, family, happiness, pleasure, adventure and fun, because that is my compass for absolutely everything I do and every decision I make. Because if you don't know what your values are, how can you know what the right way forward actually is? Yeah, well,
Shannah Kennedy:you can't. So, you know, the first question is, is, who are you without your job? And so that usually stops everybody in their tracks. And it stopped me in my tracks too, because when I got sick with chronic fatigue before 30, I was the high flying sports executive, flying around in helicopters, buying and selling athletes. Now it is the ultimate dream job, and I married the job. I loved the job, seven days a week, and when I got sick, I got myself a coach. So no one had coaches back then except athletes. And I was like, Well, I'm around all of these high performing hymns. I want one too. So I got myself a coach, and that was a life coach, and I'd never heard of them before. And the first question was, Who are you without this job? And I had no idea, and went into a Great Depression. And I was like, but I am this job, you know, this, this company revolves around me and like it doesn't. So, you know, it was a big reality check. And she said to me, we need to build you the person who turns up to work and goes home. But it doesn't matter what ride you get on. You're going to you need to be the solid person first. And I think for women, where wives were mothers, where daughters looking after parents were juggling degrees and work all at the same time. And Bucha, I'm nearly 50, you're in perimenopause. There is so much. Juggling going on that we really do need to reclaim who you are without it all. Yeah, and
Dominique Hind:I think that's it's such a critical thing to think about, is that we get into the mindset that we are our job, and, you know, you need to start thinking, what am I actually without my job? And who am I as a person, or what, you know, we just get caught in that career focused mindset instead of looking at that bigger picture. And I think without that plan or that vision,
Shannah Kennedy:it's hard because it's external. So society talks to us and and we portray our external life, but we all know that happiness is an inside job, but nobody's sharing the inside bit, and nobody wants to look at the inside. You know, I always say it's like the soil of the tomato plant. It's it's in the soil that it's where the greatness is, not spraying the plant with something nice on the outside. So when you work with a coach, it's really about going inside and getting clarity from the inside, not just creating something externally.
Dominique Hind:Yep, I definitely agree with that, and what with that, like we did talk about values. Why is defining values? And I mean, I know this because I've done it and I live by it, but why is it so important for people to actually understand what their values are and their you know the core for making those decisions
Shannah Kennedy:Well, values are your internal compass, so to speak, or the lighthouse that's going to guide you when you make decisions. It's actually the base of your emotional intelligence, and it's the gateway to your authentic self. And so if we're going around life without that clarity and confidence on the inside of this is what's most important to me, and this is actually who I work for. Is my value. So we just had yours. Mine is health. Health doesn't mean am I healthy? It means what am I doing for my physical health today, my mental health training today, my emotional health and my spiritual health. So I got four big buckets to work on every day, and then family, how I show up for my family, and then achievement, because I'm an achievement junkie. But the achievement isn't, oh, did we sell 10,000 more books? The achievement is, what did I do to protect the asset today, which is, if we don't have values, then you are just, it's like you're driving around and just reacting to wherever the traffic takes you. When you've got values, you're very clear about I'm going to make a decision because it actually works towards my values. You know, when people make decisions and they've got that sick belly feeling, they know they should be saying no, but they're saying yes, and it's your values talking to you. And when you've got them, and you can see them every single day like a big sign. So mine are on the bathroom mirror. They were on the car dashboard. My coach made me put them there when I was 30, and they're still on a sticky note next to my computer, because as soon as we put visual away, we forget, yeah, but if it's your screen saver, or you see it on the mirror for the last 20 years, you cannot forget that that is the order of how you make decisions and and, and it gives you Like purpose. What am I going to study next? Or what job am I going to do next? And you'll find it usually in your values.
Dominique Hind:And one of the things that I love that you just spoke about, was protecting the asset. And I think this was something you drilled into, both Justin and I when we were going through our transition. And it was, you know, you don't really think about you as being an asset, but it is your biggest asset that you have in your life.
Shannah Kennedy:Yeah, you work for the business of you. So it's, it's like, I always say, it's like the oxygen tank, and we put on the mask and we go and help everybody, but who fills the tank first. So if you don't actually work for the business of you first, we can go around and do all of these things, but we have resentment. We get exhausted, we feel betrayed. We burn out because we forgot to fill the tank every day, we just keep burning it on that smell of oxygen, and keep putting the mask on. So when we fall in love with self and we build that beautiful relationship of care, like you would care for your best friend or care for the tomato plant that's feeding your whole family, life does become quite simple and joyful and fun because you're doing it in the right order, and the asset is you, and no one is going to care for you as much as you can care for yourself.
Dominique Hind:And I think that is a big thing. We, like so many people, look for external validation, or that external way of making sure that they're protected. But it has to be you like. It has to be you do. It?
Shannah Kennedy:Yeah, no one's going to do it for you. And that's where we get really resentful, especially women. My husband lying on the couch watching sport all day. Well, that's his meditation. You know, he's feeling his oxygen tank. What are you doing that brings you joy? That fills your tank? And no one's going to schedule that for you, except for yourself. No one's going to say, Hey, I think you need a massage. Or, yeah, why don't you go to that breath work class? Or, why don't you do some painting? They're not going to do that. So we really need to step into our power and give ourselves permission as not selfish, but coming into our best, amazing selves,
Dominique Hind:yeah, and I think that the thing that we do need to remind ourselves is, you know, what is that that is sparking that joy? And how can we make sure that it's part of every day? You can't just once every so often, it has to be every day,
Shannah Kennedy:or you don't water the tomato plant once a month. Could be every day, right? So finding things that give you joy, or finding the joy in things that are in your situation at the moment, or the the colourful lens, rather than the black and white lens, especially as you go through midlife, where everything is changing around you and you are in a big washing machine and you need to let go of a lot of things in order to become the new you we if you're not doing it with some beautiful colour balloons in your brain going, I'm going to let that one go and bring that one in and make it fun. It's a very daunting time of life to get to navigate. Yeah,
Dominique Hind:I agree. And which is, you know, one of the things when we spoke last, you were telling me how you've changed a little bit of your coaching focus to be really focused on that midlife, the 50 to 75 and you know, it really can be, well, I'm hoping, I'm really hoping it can be the best years of our lives. Why do you think we've been conditioned to see this phase as winding down instead of stepping into something bigger.
Shannah Kennedy:I think because in generations past, you retired at 60, you know you were deceased by 70. So you got your golden handshake, and you left and you passed away. What's happened over the years is we're living a lot longer. So we're living into our mid 90s. Now. We've got incredible pharmaceutical companies keeping us alive. So if you retire at 60, that's 35 years of playing golf. It's like too boring. We also need to want to work on our health a lot more, so that our 80s and 90s are the best they can be. So once you hit 50, it's about taking control and saying, How do I want to prepare my second act in life? And it's a time of reinvention. It's a time of excitement. It's the chrysalis, you know, Chip Conley calls it the chrysalis, which is, you've been a caterpillar up until now, just accumulating and doing and doing and doing midlife means, pause, menopause, pause. We go into the chrysalis. We let go of a lot of that mentality of achievement junkie and proving ourselves, and we come out the butterfly, bigger, better version of ourself. So the narrative is really changing to it's called the lifestyle era, where we actually keep working until we're 75 because we've still got another 20 years to go. So thinking about, what do you want that second act before the third act to look like where we're freer. We've learnt a lot of hard lessons. We're financially in a good position. We can focus a bit more on our health and our hobbies and our joy activities, yeah, but it does need a plan, otherwise we just carry on being the caterpillar. And
Dominique Hind:something that I thought was really interesting was the work that you're doing, it's, you know, quite evenly split between male and female, which is great,
Shannah Kennedy:oh yes, yes. I mean, men have a menopausal crisis as well, a midlife crisis where, you know, their identity has been racked up in their job the whole time, and they've all of a sudden thought about the word fulfilment, where is the purpose in this? I've got my Ferrari, I've got my houses, I've got my share portfolio, I've got my crypto I've travelled the world. Where is the fulfilment? And because they've never done the internal work, yeah. So it's so joyful for me to have my business as 50% male and female, because men are starting to say in their 50s, there's got to be more to life than this. And we start unpeeling that onion, and it's just glorious, because we just find what really gives them the joy.
Dominique Hind:And what do you think is I mean, with how we are? Changing now and more people are thinking about getting the most out of midlife. Why do you think people were getting it so wrong before?
Shannah Kennedy:I think because, number one, nobody talked about menopause before. That was, I don't know, just a word which meant nothing. Our mothers, my mother never talked about it, so we never really heard about it, but I think women are finding their voice now and really understanding that I do need a plan, because it's a long marathon if I don't have one with beautiful Gatorade stations to stop at and re check in with myself and really own the roadmap. I think we're finally giving ourselves permission, whereas generations before did not. And I think
Dominique Hind:it's interesting, a friend of mine was telling me the other day that her husband was at tennis with all of his man friends, and they were all talking about their wives going through menopause, which, you know, in the past, that would be definitely a discussion that was not had, and no one would talk about it. I
Shannah Kennedy:know I flick my husband podcasts all the time, so I'm like, you just need to listen, just so that you're a little bit educated of what's going on in my body at the moment and how my brain is changing and my body is changing and and he's actually been like, I just didn't know any of this. And I'm like, Well, neither did I So, so we're sort of going on that journey together, and it's actually been, you know, we've put a bit of a joy on it as well. Like, it's a fun trip. We're going on a trip where I get back to reality. So I think it's, it's the way that we frame things, you know, talked about the playground, and it's, it's, let's go on this little walk detour over here while my body changes and learn and upskill and think about, you know, what's important to us in the future? Yeah,
Dominique Hind:I think that's a great way like it does, like everything does come back to that reframing and making sure that you are thinking about it from totally different way. And
Shannah Kennedy:to be Debbie downer, like, actually laugh at the whole thing and just say, Wow, I am. I'm in the chrysalis turning into a butterfly. Like, this is amazing, and the butterfly has to struggle to get out of the chrysalis. Like it pushes and pushes and pushes, and it's in the pushing, the hard work, the uncomfortable work, the the pain of change, the pain of the pushing, that makes it strong enough to fly. Yeah, yeah. Don't go through it. We're not going to fly. Or if we go through it without really understanding, and I think we don't come out so well, yeah,
Dominique Hind:but see in that it is that's the opportunity to go, how can I actually have some fun and find the joy in it, rather than being that Debbie Downer and, you know, yeah, reading, oh,
Shannah Kennedy:I would, I would say to my husband, Mary's in the house, Mary menopause, like, if you read The wrong way, you know your life is in danger, so. But he just laughs, and I laugh and, and it's, it's, it's the way that you play the game, yeah. And it can either really add to your marriage and to your household and to your mental health, it can really destroy the whole lot,
Dominique Hind:yeah, a lot, yeah. And, I mean, one of my favourite things in the world is the thing that keeps me sane, or as sane as I can be, is whoever has the most fun wins. And, you know, whatever phase in your life you were in, if you just think about that, it's such a good thing to try and change your mindset and focus on the fun. Absolutely,
Shannah Kennedy:find the colour. I always say, find the colour. Like, where is the magic? The magic is, I'm driving my little mini, you know, because I don't need a family car anymore. Or, Oh, I just had the most amazing coffee. Or, you know, we keep showing up to our classes and just high fiving yourself, just finding little bits of joy that we've got fresh air in this country. Yeah, got beautiful fruit. We've got amazing produce. We've got a bed, we've got a pillow, we've got a douna, yeah, when we actually go into the minutia of, you know, I'm looking at a beautiful leaf out the window, the joy is sparked, and we're not even looking externally anymore. We're just so awake. We're living wide awake. And that's a really beautiful place to be, and it's a beautiful game to play every day.
Dominique Hind:Yeah, it is that. It is amazing. And one of the things I love is you say that this phase is really about that reinvention and excitement, and what are the things, or what are some of the things people should be embracing rather than just retiring into nothingness?
Shannah Kennedy:Well, I think for me, coaching people, and I've asked you this many times, is the brain will just do nothing, because the brain. Is really lazy, Mm, hmm. Like to work very hard, right? So it just likes to be comfortable, sit in the corner and not do very much. So we need to bring it out of the corner, and we need to create a visual for it. So that's why we do vision boards, which is what brings you joy, what creates challenge for you? What would you love to learn in the second half of your life? What are you interested in? What's on your bucket list? Like we need to start creating a picture for it to look forward to, otherwise it gets lost in the day to day and your hormones and the weather and what's happening with the kids and the husband and the job and we actually just needs to cut through all of that to think about what is the purpose of this chapter of my life.
Dominique Hind:And I think one of the things that you do really well is your seasons planning. And I love the seasons planning because it's not new year's resolution start of the year. It is. Every season you've got, what are the podcasts to listen to? What are the books to read? What am I going to learn? What's something that's going to bring me joy? What are the experiences we're going to have? And just reframing it from seasons is such a great way of doing it. Yeah,
Shannah Kennedy:because if we start January and say, right, this year, I'm going to be like fit, and I'm going to be strong and, you know, I've got to have a growth mindset, and, you know, I'm going to approach life this way. It doesn't last. It's too much for the brain. If we say to the brain, let's just think about autumn. We're recording this now at the beginning of autumn. So let's just think about the 12 weeks of autumn, and what that means. The weather's changing. The leaves are changing. It's a time of change. What do you want to change? The way you eat? What's one habit that you want to change for 12 weeks? The way that you think? What's something you can put up on the free Joy your car dashboard for 12 weeks? 12 weeks doable? Yeah, really doable. These are the two books I'm going to read in autumn. So when you give it a beautiful map, and the map's up on the wall, it's got, it just focuses in, and it gets rid of all of that inner critic confusion, washing machine feeling, because you go, I got focus today on what doing and why I'm doing it, because this is how I want To feel. And
Dominique Hind:it's I mean, and I love that, because autumn is about the change winter. You would always tell me it was about the hibernation and getting, like, the big projects, the boring stuff, done, and then spring was when you can actually come back out, be with friends, and actually really enjoy it. And Same, same with summer, like it's, it's just a great way of reframing, especially
Shannah Kennedy:winter. You know, people say winter, it's so boring. I'm like, oh gosh, my list is so big for winter. You want to do your tax, you want to go through all your insurances. You want to get all the boring, horrible things done in that 12 weeks. Because if you're doing your tax at Christmas, oh, summer vacation that is not fun. So it's it actually gives rhythm and ritual to your year where your body says, I don't have to be like this all the time. You know, summer we set no goals. We're free, we we're spontaneous. We want to be outside. We want to be at the beach winter, right? Let's get serious and knock off all the admin for the ear. You know, it's just a beautiful way of thinking and gives the brain purpose.
Dominique Hind:And also, I think it is, it gives the like. Why I used to love doing it with you was you would give me permission in winter to get all the boring stuff done, and I can actually just do it. And I loved it,
Shannah Kennedy:I know, because you're not going to a barbecue. So it's either more Netflix or get stuff done and feel really great about it, because it's all done when we do things, our confidence in our internal confidence, elevates to a whole new level. So when you've got the whole year up on the wall in four pieces of paper, which is just the 12, the 12 weeks, you know, one sheet per season. You know, you've got this beautiful visual for the year. It's not overwhelming, it's real. It's fluid. It changes a bit, and it acts as a blueprint, then for the next year. So I look at last autumn and the autumn before, on the autumn before, and, oh, I listened to that podcast. I remember that book. Oh, that was really good. And these were my affirmations, and these were my goals, and these were my habits. So success leaves clues. And you know how we always say, you and I stick in your own lane, yeah? Who cares what Sally next door is doing? Yeah, the way to stay in your own lane and stay focused and to stay confident is not to compare. Yeah, is comparison. Itis is a thief of all joy. And if you've got this beautiful year mapped out, you don't need to look sideways, and so we can stay on point. And it's a creative project, and it's, it's, really is a beautiful soul. Nourishing, grounding exercise.
Dominique Hind:Yeah, I love it. I love it because, yeah, you can it's you focused on you. You're not focused on anyone else. It's just you, yeah,
Shannah Kennedy:and in midlife, you're going to have to really knuckle down and do that, because everybody is going to experience it very differently. And comparison doesn't work at all.
Dominique Hind:Oh, compare it and it's the best anyway, the absolute worst. Okay, one of the things that I loved with you was in that planning was you taught me to focus on the big milestones with my kids and to make the most of our travel time together. So I think you would always say, work out in your 25 year. Plan what year they'll be in at school, when the HSC is coming, when they're big years that they can't actually do anything is and actually plan all the trips that you want to go on, the safaris, the you know, whatever you wanted. Why is this so important? And what advice do you give the parents about being truly present.
Shannah Kennedy:Well, I can very much clearly say, as my kids are 19 and 20 now that it worked, yeah, it is the most powerful, beautiful family document that we own, where we can actually now look back on it and see everywhere we've been everything that happened with the kids, when they broke their and when they got their braces on, and, you know, when they did that camp. And it's all there. All the trips are there. It's recorded. You know, how our careers unfolded. So it acts as a document to say, let's look at the map moving forward for the next year. So mine now goes till I'm 74 because I'm 54 so I'm so excited that there's all these blank boxes that I can start populating with ideas and dreams and goals. But once you've even done 20 years, and you look back, you go, wow. You know, we have had a great life, and sometimes it doesn't feel like it right, but when you see it written, you say, actually, we're rock stars. It's been incredible. So I think planning is crucial. There's three stages. One is having a baby to getting them to school. Stage One, you're not going to do too much primary school years, what do we want to solidify as a family, and what life experiences do we want? And then the secondary school years, we know that a lot of the girls and boys will be going through puberty at the same time that we're going through menopause. So it's really nice to prepare for that the house for that. It's it's not going to be that pleasant for a couple of years. So, and then you sort of see the other thing, which says both kids have finished school, which is where I'm at, and it's like, Whoa, oh gosh, where did that go? But you get to look back and say we didn't waste a moment. We were so present because we were so intentional, so doing a life plan, it actually allows you to live wide awake with your kids on purpose. Because, you know, it's a very short time in your life, Yeah, feels like it's going slow, but all of a sudden it's over, yeah? And then you're in the next stage, yeah,
Dominique Hind:the wide awake with purpose is such a big thing, because I think we just sometimes just get caught up in the stuff. And at least if there's purpose, it's, yeah, it means that it's and how
Shannah Kennedy:do you know? Because you've done it when you when you've got it printed, and it's sitting on the on the desk all the time, and you're looking at it all the time, you can't forget your purpose. No, you can't. Yeah, that the landscape is going to change. Because if you add 10 years, if all the listeners just add 10 years to how old they are now, then add 10 years to how old their kids are and their pets are and their parents are, you have a very different landscape. Your life is going to change quickly. Yeah, so how do you want to manage the drive? I think
Dominique Hind:it was really confronting when I did it, because we've just lost our beautiful dog, Gertie, and when I was going through, you know, when she was getting older and older, I was like, Oh, this is, you know, we're going to have to plan for this.
Shannah Kennedy:Mm, very confronting. It is really confronting. Also. It's also empowering, because people decide, yeah, we'll get another dog, you know, earlier on or no, we're going to be pet free for a while, because we're going to do a lot of travel. So it allows you to be the driver in life. Still.
Dominique Hind:Yeah, true. It does. How do you help people design a life that prioritises what actually matters to them rather than what they think they should be doing? That's a
Shannah Kennedy:great question. So that's where we tap back into your authentic self, and I would always challenge them, is that what you think you should be doing, or is that really coming from your own value? Use of joy and creativity and adventure, because your plan doesn't look very joyful or creative or adventurous to me. So really, the coach's job is not to do the plan. It is to challenge them. Challenge their thoughts. Help them design it. Give them some great ideas. Show them where the milestones are when you want to be planning for retirement and having a financial plan starting at 50 so you retire with the money you need to get to 95 it's really about giving you that beautiful base, which becomes a chess board. And
Dominique Hind:I love that even now, just to be able to go, okay, so many people do not think about what they need when they do retire. It's like you've still got time. You can still make the plan today and still be happy
Shannah Kennedy:and kind of about having the visual. So if you think about yourself in 20 years, or my 74 year old self, well, I do want to be having massage. I want the naturopath. I want the acupuncture. I want to go to the gym. I might have a PT personal trainer. These are kind of holidays I want to have finished, or my hiking of Camino and everything, and I'll be a bit more leisurely. But there's purpose. There's why we're saving today what for, because I know what I will want in the future.
Dominique Hind:And even that just reminded me, and I it still rings true in my head every time I have like a chocolate bullet, which is my one weakness. I'm always going, always going, you're in my head saying, what would your 80 year old self say? What would your 80 year old body say when I eat this, I'm like,
Shannah Kennedy:just saying, she's probably saying, enjoy it, yeah. But you know the days that you don't feel like going for to exercise, or you don't feel like going for a walk, when you think about your 20 year old herself, she is calling you and saying, can you just show up? Yeah, show up even though you don't feel like it. You might not do a great workout, but can you just show up and and it's so powerful when we've done that kind of inner work that you carry around forever.
Dominique Hind:Yeah? And it is the only workout or the only thing that you don't regret is the one that you didn't do. So it's better off doing it, yeah.
Shannah Kennedy:And midlife is we maybe need to change the plan. So you might have been a huge runner. You might go, Okay, well, how long do I want to run for before it starts really costing me? I might change that to weights, yoga, Pilates and for the second act in my life, because that's going to be much better for me as a 75 year old.
Dominique Hind:Yeah, absolutely, for someone who thinks or feels that time is slipping away. What's one thing they can do today to start making the most of their lives?
Shannah Kennedy:I think the first thing to do would be to go to the mirror and become friends with yourself and and ask yourself you or tell yourself you've got time. Got Time. Time slips away when you're not living on purpose and you're not living wide awake, it slips by super fast. You're awake and you're on plan and you're ticking things off and you're challenging yourself, and you've got clarity and direction and purpose. Every day it doesn't go as fast. It actually has fulfilment and meaning to it and depth to it. So every day is an incredible playdate on the planet, and you go to bed with that mentality going over what you did that day. If you don't have that, the day will slip by. You'll go to get exhausted, and you wake up and repeat tomorrow, so there's nothing for the brain to hold on to.
Dominique Hind:No, I think that is it. It is that's a great way of thinking about it and making sure that it does that. They do do it. I do think, though, that so many people cannot actually have that look in the mirror, I think they get probably so uncomfortable with looking at themselves in the eyes and actually starting thinking or having that conversation with them, yes,
Shannah Kennedy:because you're looking at your best friend, which is yourself that you've probably ignored for a very long time. So you know, Mel Robbins often talks about mirror work and high five in yourself. But think about your life in decades. And you know, your first decade, you loved the mirror. You were dancing in front of the mirror, you were kissing the mirror, or, you know, high fiving the mirror. And you didn't have lots of friends when you were five. You were your own best friend. And then eventually, we keep moving away. Midlife is really the opportunity to come back and to go, Okay, what did I learn out of my first decade, my second decade, my third decade, my fourth decade, I mean, my fifth what's my intention for this fifth decade? I'm a lot of knowledge now. People have read a lot of books. We can listen to audio books, podcasts we're getting. Experts in all the time. Now it's just such a great exciting time to be alive, because we have access to so much information. Yeah, so much. So much, you know, much even, yeah, too much. We can listen. If you pick a topic, you can go the best X, you can hear the best in the world. So it is such an exciting time to be alive and to look at the tapas menu out there and be really intentional with what you want your 50s to be about. Yeah,
Dominique Hind:so you've helped so many people transition from one phase to the next phase. What's the hardest part for people? For them letting go of an old identity.
Shannah Kennedy:The hardest part is not having thought about the new one. So if you can't visualise a butterfly, it's hard for the caterpillar to let go. You know, it's like if you haven't got the plan, it's impossible to let go, because it's all you know. So I think the hardest thing to let go of is the stories that you told yourself. And when you've got a new plan, you can create new narrative and story that you're going to repeat, which is far more positive,
Dominique Hind:yeah, and I think that is it's it is like it comes to always back to your mindset and making sure that those stories are ones that are actually positive and can take you forward as well. With that, what are some of the biggest mindset blocks that hold people back from fully stepping into who they're meant to be?
Shannah Kennedy:I think a lot of people lack confidence, self and that self belief, and when your hormones are shifting, we quite often feel invisible. Yeah. Say, Yeah, I feel invisible. And the change is so radical in the body that we lose a lot of confidence, huge confidence. So making the shift is about saying, okay, I can see that I'm in a change phase at the moment, like the change of seasons, so I do need to flow with it, but I also need to educate myself and create something that brings me a bit of joy whilst I'm going through the transition. And I think it's important people give themselves permission to do some work self. Yeah,
Dominique Hind:I do think as well, so many people still worry about what other people think, and it's just like no one actually cares about you. They're so worried about themselves that it doesn't matter.
Shannah Kennedy:Well, as I said to you many times, who is thinking about you at the moment, and who is thinking about me while they're sitting on the no one. I'm pretty sure no one's thinking about me right now.
Dominique Hind:Well, I am, because I'm looking at you and you, but
Shannah Kennedy:no. Nobody is. Everybody is so caught up in their own worlds, no one is thinking about you. So it's that comparison, itis. It's that fear of judgement that can definitely stop people and worrying about what other people think. And most people, if you step into your greatness and your authenticity, will actually think, Wow, that's impressive, and actually be motivated and inspired by you, yeah,
Dominique Hind:and the ones that aren't, who cares? Who really cares? Yes, yeah.
Shannah Kennedy:Podcast, it's awesome. It's so fun. It's a futurist. It's a playground for you. It's incredible. It brings your personality to life. And if other people are judging that well, but I need to listen. Who cares? I
Dominique Hind:actually don't care, like they can go back to their own drama that they're creating. I'm sure. If someone feels stuck, what do they need to do to try and just shift? But if they're scared of not knowing where they're starting, what's the first step for them to actually try and make that change?
Shannah Kennedy:I always say, what is this small action you can take today to create change now that can create that can be tiny, like I'm going to drop one coffee, but start creating change. Yeah. So nothing changes. If nothing changes, we need to take an action. So I always say, what action after speaking with me, do you want to take to kick start that new that new you? Yeah, just one action. Because I never make bold change and never ask my clients to make bold change. It's always What do you want to stop doing that's not serving you? So Caterpillar, get rid of what do you want to start doing you, serving you, which is like a butterfly. So what is the action that you would love to take after listening to this podcast? For example, just one action that you can write. Put on the fridge, stick your note somewhere that creates momentum.
Dominique Hind:Yeah, and I think that's it is like it's coming back to just knowing it doesn't have to be a massive thing. It can just be that one coffee, which wouldn't be for me, but it could be, you know, that one walk, or that one workout, or even though
Shannah Kennedy:it could be brushing your teeth straight after dinner, so you don't eat bullets on the couch. Like one question that you think is powerful. That's what I did after lockdown, after COVID. I was like, you know, I like chocolate bullets too, especially the raspberry ones. And I thought, after dinner, I always want something. So what action could I take? And it was if I brush my teeth after dinner every night, Mm, hmm, but I'm home every night, that is going to save me a whole lot of heartache. Oh yeah, I'm not going to beat myself up for having chocolate on the couch and brush my teeth. It's all over and the brain's shut. So just helping the brain by by giving it a very clear directive, is how we create momentum. Yeah,
Dominique Hind:it's funny. I've, I've started, or started having a magnesium collagen hot chocolate so that I don't actually eat chocolate. And I'm like, Yeah, it's so much better. I'm still having that sweet hit, but that's it.
Shannah Kennedy:Yeah, yeah, great. But I still have my bullets during the day, after dinner.
Dominique Hind:Um, you've, you've worked with so many high performers, athletes, CEOs. What's the one thing they all have in common when it comes to designing their life?
Shannah Kennedy:Lack of clarity. And the clarity sometimes doesn't come from words. It comes from pictures. So if they show me, I get them to do a bit of a vision board, and they put pictures up, and they're not sure really why, but they like them. Then we can unpack. What do you love about that picture? You've got a guy in the forest. Oh, I like that picture. But what is it? Do you like fresh air? Do you like nature? Do you like hiking? Do you want to walk the world? Do you what kind of holidays Do you want? So if they can show me even a picture of something that's appealing, we can create story and clarity around that whereas, if they're trying to verbalise, sometimes it's quite difficult. The other thing is, when people type all of their answers to me, they often type different to what they can speak. They can be a lot more broad with their answers. Different language even comes out than the language that they speak. So there's lots of different ways that I can help them. Yeah,
Dominique Hind:and I think that was one of the things. Like, I always would be like, What do I have to do? This the vision board. But when you go through your ridiculous stack of magazines that you had, it was great, because you could actually visualise and go, Oh, yeah, I actually would like to go there, or, Oh yeah, I do love being at the beach, and I love the sand between my toes, and it grounds me, and it's a great way of just bringing it to life.
Shannah Kennedy:And it's a reminder. So, you know, I've got the girl on there on the Pilates bed, and it reminds me she didn't get a body like that by sitting on the couch like go to Pilates. And then I've got the the picture of the really old, couple lots of wrinkles, few teeth missing, laughing. And I'm like, find the joy. So seriously. So when I look at the pictures, I look at Roger Federer picture, and he reminds me to breathe. And Matthew McConaughey picture reminds me to my role model is my 10 year older version of myself, which was part of his Oscar speech. I never forget anything, because it's all visually in front of me on a vision board.
Dominique Hind:And what happens when people say I don't have the time or I'm too busy to actually spend the time on me.
Shannah Kennedy:Oh, that's okay. Then you're not important.
Dominique Hind:Which, when it comes back to, you know, protect the asset, the company of you, all that stuff it, it literally is. Yeah, it's
Shannah Kennedy:not important to them. So they, they, I always say, if it's important to you, you'll make it happen. Getting to the stage when it's important, usually is a, is a breakdown or a, you know, they're burnt out. We don't want to get to that stage and actually show people that you don't have to get to the brink to realise things are important and to jump on the horse and see how exciting it is to drive your own life and how colourful it can be and how purposeful it can be, rather than waiting for your retrenchment or your retirement or your health crisis, yeah,
Dominique Hind:and I think one of the things that you taught me was that so many women do put themselves. Off last, or they put kids first, husband, house, work, everything in front of themselves. But if you are suffering in whatever way, whether it's mentally, emotionally or physically, you can't actually show up and be the best version for your family or for the people around you, or for your friends. And I think that's it's such a good way to think about it, is you have to actually become the priority,
Shannah Kennedy:yeah, otherwise, you're the martyr. And martyrs have a lot of resentment in their life, which is poisonous to your body. It's like, I I'm happy walking around with my phone on red all the time calling people like that's how you're living. So when you plug the phone in and the phone is fully charged, you're you have a very different day than running around with it on red. That's our that's us. We're the same. We need direction, we need clarity, we need purpose in our day for that to be full and all green and and it's self care is not selfish,
Dominique Hind:yep, no. And I think that was something that you really helped me realise, is that you have to protect yourself and make sure you are doing self care, which I am extremely good at. Now,
Shannah Kennedy:the best, isn't it? It's amazing, guilt attached
Dominique Hind:to that, oh, I've got none at all investment, right?
Shannah Kennedy:It's investing. It's an investment into the quality of your fuel, like the oxygen tank and the phone. It's like an investment into, you know, I can give so much more if my tank is full. Yeah, I can also handle curve balls, and that's a big one, because when you're running on empty, exhausted, tired, and you get a curve ball, you will not cope very well. You don't have the structures in place. You don't have the mindset in place. You can't see on your 20 year plan. This is just a little bit of a detour. You actually think the whole thing's gone and it's just a detour. Yeah,
Dominique Hind:and the resentment and the way that you react when your tank is empty to versus when it's full, are two totally different reactions. Yeah, yeah, completely.
Shannah Kennedy:So we lose all perspective instantly, or we keep perspective and we deal with what's happening. So it all depends on how much work you've done on yourself as to how you handle the curve ball.
Dominique Hind:And if you had to give one piece of advice to someone about to hit them mid life, what would it be?
Shannah Kennedy:I think it would be if you had a month now of unlimited resources, unlimited what would you do?
Dominique Hind:Wow, that's a good one. Yeah,
Shannah Kennedy:it's a blank piece of paper. What would you create for your month ahead. If you had no responsibilities and you were free with unlimited resources and scared yourself, wow,
Dominique Hind:that is where the colour is. Mm, and that's a good one too, because it it's everything it is getting you to think about everything. It's you know, if you could go travel, if you could go be with your friend, if you could go experiences
Shannah Kennedy:something that you think you can't study because you don't have time. Or you might start growing vegetable. You might start making your own candles, like it doesn't matter what it is. It doesn't have to be big, yeah, but giving yourself permission and seeing it on a piece of paper, written down is the power, yeah, yep, start your own podcast. Get out of your head and onto paper.
Dominique Hind:Okay, okay, that is, that's a great I'm actually going to go and do that now. Well, not now, but yeah, yeah, soon in the
Shannah Kennedy:next and onto paper. And when you see it on paper, it's like, actually that really excites me, or actually that's not what I really want, but your brain has to see it on paper. Yeah. And
Dominique Hind:I think that is like from everything that we've worked on together, but also from today, it is if you do not spend the time thinking about you and planning, you just don't have that clarity so that you can actually take that step forward. And I also think that without that clarity, you don't have the confidence to do it either. And I think the clarity gives you that confidence,
Shannah Kennedy:yes, at 100% and if you don't have a plan for yourself, you're living someone else's plan. Yeah,
Dominique Hind:yeah. And something you always say is you're a human being, not a human doing. And I think by having that plan, it puts you back in that human being mindset,
Shannah Kennedy:because without a plan, we panic. So you get in the car and you think you're driving to Brisbane, but you haven't put it in the GPS. Business. You're driving. You're panicking. You are not enjoying the journey. You're not noticing the sights. You are so trying to survive the moment of or I don't want to miss the turn off, you plugged it all into the GPS. You would relax. You would enjoy the view. You would sit back and enjoy the drive. You would take things in. You would be checking in the GPS all the time, life would be very awake and different. It's exactly the same. So when we do the plan, it's a GPS map that you can change, yeah, and you can detour, but you can relax, yeah, enjoy your life, because you know that you're not going to have
Dominique Hind:regrets. Yeah? And I, I do think, like any of the systems the process, it does. Some people feel restricted by it, but I think it gives you freedom, because you know what you're doing. Oh,
Shannah Kennedy:huge freedom. Because imagine if you're driving along and you've got your GPS and you go, actually, I just want to stop here, or actually, that's not on the GPS at strawberry farm, but let's go there and you just pivot and you just detour. But if you're so busy trying to survive and concentrate on where you're going, you'll miss all of that anyway. So people think I'm more spontaneous without a plan, but I can tell you, after coaching 1000 people over my 21 years, that the people who have done the plan are far more spontaneous and confident joyful. Yeah,
Dominique Hind:I, I can absolutely agree with that, that the before you versus the after you, it's two totally different things, and it has given me that clarity and also the confidence that I can actually do what I want, but know that everything else will get done too
Shannah Kennedy:everything will get done. It all works out in the long run, always
Dominique Hind:okay, as always, I absolutely love talking to you, and you do give me so much clarity in what I should be doing, and also me pushing others to try and get that clarity COVID, everything from life plans, midlife values, purpose and how to stop just existing and living. But before we wrap up, I've got one last question for you. If I could try one thing before I hit 50? Something, fun, bold, something that shakes me out of autopilot. What should it be?
Shannah Kennedy:It's such a tough question. Well, I think you're actually doing it right now with your podcast, because it is fun, it is bold. It's going to shake you up, and you're going to learn things, and you're going to get out of autopilot by doing this. So I think you're already doing it for everybody else. It's what's the one thing that you would do that frightens the daylights out of you? Yeah, just do it. Just try it. Just jump. Just have a go. Who cares if we fail, succeed or somewhere in between, we're going to become better people for just trying. Yep, I
Dominique Hind:agree, like, you've just gotta try. That's my favourite thing. Is just, well, I don't say try. I always just say, have a crack
Shannah Kennedy:in gold. You know, I just tried paint by numbers, and I'm addicted, because I need it to look perfect, but I feel really creative, and it's colourful, and it's mindful, and I'm like, Oh my God, this painting looks amazing on the wall that I painted, but it was my numbers. But, you know, it's filling up my soul, and it's my office is full of amazing pictures, and it's great. It doesn't have to be scary, like, try something
Unknown:Yeah, and see if you like it, yep, yep, absolutely
Dominique Hind:have a crack. That is, I love it. Love it. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for sharing your wisdom, your journey, and all the practical ways that we can start stepping into midlife with the joy, like I just love the joy rather than the fear. And if there's one thing that I'm taking from this, it's that midlife is definitely not about slowing down, and it's about choosing how you want to live and and making sure that you plan and have that clarity so you've got the confidence to do it. And if you love this conversation, make sure you check out all of Shannon's work. It's It's amazing. I've got all of her books. I've listened to all of them. I prefer to listen rather than read, but I've listened to them all. They're all amazing. And every time I read them, I take something out of them. So all the links will be in the show notes. And if you're feeling stuck, you're looking for clarity, or you just want to start designing a life that actually excites you, then she's the best, best person to help guide you through that. And you are amazing. So thank you. You've changed. You changed. My life in a point of time where I definitely needed someone to give me that push, so I can't thank you. Enough. Amazing.
Shannah Kennedy:Thank you. And it's great to share all of this with everyone, because you know what, we've got to find the joy and every day, because we are all really lucky. You know, we are all living a fantastic life, and our hormones and our mindset and things get on top of us, but we need to flick the switch and find it as a bit of a fun adventure that we're on, especially in midlife, where we can change and become the butterfly, and it's going to be the best second act ever.
Dominique Hind:Yeah, and I love this second act, because we've, you know, we've been programmed so much for the first act that the second act is something that we've got the freedom to be able to do what we want.
Shannah Kennedy:Yes, the first act is all society based, grow up, go to uni, get married, have kids, get your career, pay off your house, go on all the holidays. Second Act, there's no there's no tick list to create your own. And that's why people get very lost. So it's a time for people to take action, get a coach, read books, get the pen and paper out and create a beautiful plan, because there one does not exist for life after 50, you need to create it. I always
Dominique Hind:enjoy talking to you. It's been amazing. And before we go, if anyone wants to try take on something that scares you or even just something that you know, take a take a small step to do something different. You should definitely give it a go. See how you feel. Let me know, because fuck, we're nearly 50, and isn't it amazing? You?