176. How One Class Changed My Life with Shannon Mulligan-Mayernik

You know how much I love plants; I’m so blown away by their power and how much they can support us, little humans, wandering around this planet. Shannon Mulligan-Mayernik is joining us to talk about the power of plants and how they can support our bodies. For Shannon, a class taken in a small herb shop in Chester, New York, in 2012 sparked her love for medicinal plants. Today, she runs Mayernik Kitchen, a Modern Day Herbal Apothecary in Pompton Plains, New Jersey. She continues to study and teach herbalism to her community.  This was not an overnight thing. Shannon’s journey happened over the years, even though she felt this amazing sense of excitement and urgency after that first class. She had the patience and the passion to keep going, even when it was a little bit slower than she would have liked. So for those of you who aren’t sure what your passion is, or you too have taken a class, read a book, or watched a video. You’ve felt that spark that’s left you asking, “Is this my thing?” it’s time to listen to Shannon’s story.  Shannon’s journey began when a co-worker invited her to the class in Chester. She said she felt connected to the women in the class and had a sense of community that night. She said she immersed herself in the experience of making medicine with plants and ran with it. That night she came home and told her husband working with plants was what she wanted to do. She says she felt an urgency to learn more. At the time, she was working in publishing and wasn’t happy. She says she was comfortable in her job and working from home (before remote work took over). It was a comfortable situation. She studied and took an apprenticeship while continuing her 9-to-5 job. She worked at a local farm for three years before eventually opening her retail shop in 2020.  Despite the immediate love, sense of urgency, and excitement, it still took time for Shannon. She says, on the one hand, there was excitement in building something new, but on the other hand, frustration in being stuck behind a desk. “I think that frustration is what really led me to say, “Okay, I need to leave this.” She says she still needed a buffer, which is why she went and worked on a farm for three years. It allowed her to connect everything and work with people enjoying the same things.  “So, it really brought it full circle. That bridge of working on a farm gave me more time because I was only part-time, and that allowed me the time to then say, ‘ I’m going to leave the farm, and this is going to be my full-time passion.’ ” Shannon says you could walk out to your backyard -- anyone listening or watching -- could walk out, and there could be 15 different types of medicinal plants that we consider weeds. Dandelions, violets – all of these plants are considered medicinal. Shannon says part of her job is teaching and making people aware.  As a business owner, navigating where a customer lands on herbal medicine gets tricky. She says some people will 110 percent only want to take pharmaceuticals. These people say, ‘I’m on this, but I don’t want to be,’ and others are completely against any pharmaceutical. Typically, she’ll suggest swapping in an herbal remedy and then seeing if the customer notices an improvement. Once they feel that worked, what else COULD work? For listeners interested in learning more about what Shannon’s cooking up, you can head to her website, which has an extensive library of information on plants, ailments, and products. Let’s get to it!   ===== Connect with Shannon Mulligan-Mayernik ===== Website: https://www.mayernikkitchen.com  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mayernikkitchen  Coupon Code: 10% off all online orders: GameOn2023 Other Game On Girlfriend podcast episodes you might want to check out:  Committing Until it Takes with Kimberly Spencer: https://sarahwalton.com/business-commitment/  Should You Close it Down or Keep Going? https://sarahwalton.com/close-or-keep-going/  How to Love Your Body With Marla Mervis-Hartmann: https://sarahwalton.com/marla/  Your Body is as Important as Your Business With Angelica Ventrice: https://sarahwalton.com/womens-gut-health-love-your-body/  You can check out our podcast interviews on YouTube, too! http://bit.ly/YouTubeSWalton   Thank you so much for listening. I’m honored that you’re here and would be so grateful if you could leave a quick review on Apple Podcasts by clicking here, scrolling to the bottom, and clicking “Write a review.” Then we’ll get to inspire even more people! (If you’re not sure how to leave a review, you can watch this quick tutorial.)