Shannon [00:00:00]:
It was just a literal, like, soul-sucking job. It just, like, hit me, and I was like, I need to quit my job and do something that I love. I knew something had to change, but I didn't know what. You know, I had been studying herbalism for a bit while still in the publishing world. So if you're ever out and about with me, there's a good chance I'm gonna be pointing. I'm always looking down, like, at the ground, and there's a good chance I'm going to teach you about the weeds that are growing everywhere.

Christiane [00:00:33]:
Well, hello there. Welcome back to the Happy Healthy Hustle podcast. We have a special guest here today. Shannon, why don't you introduce yourself?

Shannon [00:00:41]:
Don't worry. Thank you so much for having me. I'm Shannon. I am an herbalist and plant medicine maker. I live in New Jersey, and my husband and I run Mayernik Kitchen, which is a herbal apothecary. We also have a herb farm where we are growing medicinal herbs to make our products with. So it's a full, seed to harvest company. So we're starting seeds in February.

Shannon [00:01:06]:
We're then harvesting throughout the season and making product throughout the season also. So it's a you know, we have our hands in it from the very beginning of, plant to harvesting to making the products. Awesome.

Christiane [00:01:20]:
So fun and then because I am a marketing professor in a certain way, you're fully vertically integrated, right?

Shannon [00:01:28]:
Yes, that we are.

Christiane [00:01:30]:
Tell us a little bit about your superpower.

Shannon [00:01:33]:
Oh, well, I think my superpower is being able to, and this kinda goes along with what I do, but people are always fascinated by it, that I could literally walk outside, whether it's in a park, in the forest, on a city street, and Point out plants that could be used medicinally. So a lot of us think of these plants as weeds or we want them out of our lawn or out of our gardens, But a lot of them have medicinal properties. So if you're ever out and about with me, there's a good chance I'm gonna be pointing. I'm always looking down, like, at the ground and there's a good chance I'm going to teach you about the weeds that are growing everywhere.

Christiane [00:02:15]:
That's amazing. And actually, my mind started thinking a little bit because I think today is something that's called green Monday, that we need to think a little bit about How can we live a more sustainable life? Yeah. And, that sounds to me like a super sustainable approach to Yeah. Leading your life because you would just discard this that as actually having this amazing plant power for you. Right?

Shannon [00:02:40]:
Mhmm. Yep. I mean, it really can't get any more sustainable than picking the weeds either, like I said, from your lawn, from the Apart from, you know, the forest, anything like that. So we make sure we're certain on what plants we're harvesting to then ingest just because there are ones that have look alikes, you know, especially like, in the mushroom world. Mhmm. So it's we like to be a 100% before really teaching anyone too.

Christiane [00:03:06]:
It sounds like it's quite the place where you live right there. It's a farm. How large is that farm where you're growing everything?

Shannon [00:03:12]:
So we don't live on the farm. We lease land. It's about an hour north of us still in New Jersey, and it's on a pretty small piece of property. It's about A little over a half an acre, but we have over 5,000 plants in the ground. So herbs don't take up as much space as you would think of if you were vegetable gardening. So herbs are much smaller. They could be planted much closer together so that's why we could really Pack them into a small space. And right now, that's really all we could physically handle to keep up with throughout, you know, the 10 months in which growing.

Shannon [00:03:50]:
So it's a good it's a good space for us. We'd love to expand one day, but right now it's perfect for us.

Christiane [00:03:59]:
Well and I like that again because there's that sustainable aspect again. So we don't need large pieces of land. We're really limited with land anyway, but it is more really something that could be condensed. And, of course, I'm always In favor of you could maybe even grow that indoors all year round in your own kitchen, having like a little herb garden right there and add those herbs as you're cooking or maybe making get to you or anything like that, which is super fun.

Shannon [00:04:26]:
You could grow in a pot on your patio. You could grow on your fire escape. If you're in an apartment building, you could you could really grow anywhere and you don't need a ton. You know, 1 sage plant could really get you through the full year because it's gonna continually come back every year. So We like to encourage that you don't need all of these raised beds or lots of land in order to, you know, start incorporating herbs into your everyday life.

Christiane [00:04:50]:
Woah. Amazing. I like that. So many different pointers for that audience right there. And, of course, it's always nice, especially as we're moving into the new year, new year's resolutions. Mhmm. I think a little bit like these are, like, small little changes. But at the same time, if you think about all these Spices you have sitting at home, what a big difference that's going to make versus using something dry that you can actually use something fresh.

Christiane [00:05:15]:
And along that will already kick start your wellness a long ways to go. So let's maybe talk a little bit about wellness and health and the background of you being an herbalist. And I would like to go maybe back a little bit in time. Sure. Where was a point in time where you feel you struggled with a challenge and how did you overcome that challenge?

Shannon [00:05:36]:
So for me, I think it was What I was doing as a career, I was in publishing for many years. It was just a literal like soul-sucking job. I sat at a desk all day. I didn't go outside, and I knew something had to change, but I didn't know what. You know, I had been studying herbalism for a bit while still in the publishing world. One day, I just went to a local farm to pick up eggs. And as I was driving out of like their driveway, it literally just like hit me and I was like, I need to quit my job and do something that I love. So I think the challenge was really, like, for years, I'm comfortable on my job.

Shannon [00:06:20]:
I have a steady paycheck, you know, and it's a common thing I think a lot of people face that, You know? I'm comfortable here. I know what I'm doing. It's mindless work, but I knew I had to change. So it was it was literally like a Tuesday or Wednesday morning. I came home and I just said, you know what? I need to make a change. And because I had been studying herbalism for some time before that, it was a nice transition. I actually got a job at that farm I had been picking eggs up from. I worked there for 3 years before turning Mayernik Kitchen into a full-time job.

Shannon [00:06:58]:
So it was a, you know, a lovely transition from Desk work all day to being out on the farm to then 100% doing

Christiane [00:07:13]:
job. Was that at the point before you started a family? Because, of course, for everybody else, that is right now, and I love how you express this. Right? Being in a soul-sucking job, these these are the words you use. Right?

Shannon [00:07:25]:
Yes.

Christiane [00:07:26]:
Yes. For Everybody else that's in the soul-sucking job, we're just thinking, yeah. I can't do this anymore, and she's so inspiring right now. Yeah. But they might have family. They might have to pay a car and blah blah blah blah. At what point did you make that

Shannon [00:07:42]:
So I worked I got the job about 3 weeks after I graduated college. So it was right out of college and I had worked at the publisher for 12 years. Woah. So yeah. And it wasn't the that wasn't my attitude towards it the whole time. I was able to or we were able to, you know, kind of substitute my salary that I was getting, cut back on a lot of things. And then, you know, I did have a part-time job at the farm, so I was bringing in some money, but it definitely was a leap of faith to give up, you know, benefits and a salary and all of that stuff, but best decision I ever made.

Christiane [00:08:23]:
Did you have a plan b in case that wouldn't have worked out? What would you have done?

Shannon [00:08:28]:
No, I didn't because, you know, we were growing Mayernik Kitchen for a few years while I was still in the publishing world. It was kinda just like my side hustle. And so that was always the goal to make that my full time. Plan b would have been maybe to do it a little sooner, but I had like a 3 year transition working part-time on the farm while building Mayernik Kitchen to, you know, where it is now that we were able to have this be my full-time job and, you know, help provide for my husband and I.

Christiane [00:09:00]:
Love it. And very inspiring, of course, the audiences now. I'm sure the wheels are spinning in their heads, especially if they kind of consider a career change or maybe Making a side gig, a main gig, or anything like that. Mhmm. So I know that you pointed out to me, and I saw this really vividly in front of my eyes. You were leaving the farm, and it all of a sudden hit you. I would like to hear a little bit more though about The influence that led to that. Was there a certain person that talked to you about it? Was it you were driving out, and all of a sudden, it was just like this wound this is happening? Or was there a point in time to where you now remember? That was like when lightning struck, and you're like, oh.

Shannon [00:09:44]:
I feel like that's kinda how it was. It was literally like I knew I was unhappy in, you know, my full-time job. I had been studying herbalism and I was doing thing you know, we had Mayernik Kitchen established already. And I just knew, like, if I didn't take that step then, I think I would've been stuck in the publishing world for a lot longer. Like, I knew I just had to do it. And it was just literally, I was driving down their driveway. It was early in the morning, I saw the greenhouses, and I was just like, this is what I need to do. Like, I have to try it.

Shannon [00:10:18]:
If I'd never try, I'll never know.

Christiane [00:10:21]:
Oh, perfect. So what's your recommendation to somebody that say there would be Paula in Publishing. And she tells you the same thing. She's like, here I am, Shannon. Not happy. I work in publishing. What's your recommendation to Paula right there? Do you have, like, 3 things to think about? Or, like some little tips, you should ask yourself some soul-searching. Yeah.

Shannon [00:10:49]:
I mean, I think it was maybe a little bit of an easier transition for me because I we had Mayernik Kitchen already started. It wasn't like we had nothing, and it wasn't just quitting and, you know, having nothing to fall back on. I also knew what my passions were. So I knew if I followed my passions, I think it would fall into place. And you do have to look at you have to look at your finances, you have to look at, you know, just your home life or if you have a partner or Children are you know, it it's just Matt and I, so we don't have we didn't have kids to worry about or anything like that, but it was I don't suggest just doing it on a whim. Like, I definitely had thought about it, and it was just constantly in the back of my mind stating you know, telling myself, I need to get out of this because I would come home and be miserable. Like, I would sit at the kitchen table and like cry about the people I had to deal with and it was just, It wasn't healthy for me either or my husband. You know? He would sit there and be like, okay.

Shannon [00:11:52]:
Something's gotta change. So, you know, you definitely have to Think things through before just acting on it. But I encourage if you do think through it and you are a 100% do it, I think there'll always be a way for you to kinda recoup if it doesn't work out, you know, your plan a.

Christiane [00:12:13]:
If it's a feeling that you have, We always want to live our lives leaving a legacy. That's, like, the ultimate human goal that you feel like I'm I lived a full life. Mhmm. And when I'm gone, I'm leaving this legacy about my my life and what I created on this earth, in my little Corner of the Earth, so to speak. Right? And that's really something that I always encourage people to think like, you don't need to think about changing the world. That's a very ambitious and big goal. But maybe just think about changing your little corner of the world. And what is it there that you're actually Doing in your little corner of the world where you're feeling you're creating change and where you're really bringing out your superpowers.

Christiane [00:12:54]:
Because it sounds like the superpowers you have, I don't have Those, right? You are really utilizing them on a daily basis now.

Shannon [00:13:01]:
Yeah. Yeah. And I think that goes for anyway, you know, if like, if it's something you're passionate about, something you wanna put your time and energy and focus into, I think it'll be tenfold to Whether you're teaching someone else or you're providing a service for somebody or anything like that, I think that really shines and It comes through that, okay. You know, she's really passionate about this. She knows what she's talking about. I could tell she loves what she does kind of thing. So, Yeah. I agree a 100% where if you work, you know, within your community or in your little space like you said, you could do a lot of Really good things.

Christiane [00:13:41]:
Amazing. Well, I'm sure that the audience might have follow-up questions for you. And let's maybe start with your main or Favorite type of social media. How could we get a hold of you?

Shannon [00:13:53]:
I would say Instagram is my number one. We I post I try to post a couple times a week. We also have a weekly email that we send out, so you could find that information on our website, which is mayernikkitchen.com. And on Instagram, you could find us @Mayernikkitchen. What's your favorite product? I made ginger and lemon tea this morning. So I've been on, like, a fresh ginger kick, and it every week changes and especially when we are growing. Yeah. What I could grow and just grab from the garden.

Christiane [00:14:25]:
We have 3 little things I want to remind everybody of because, of course, this is a a work of love, so to speak. So first of all, show her some love. Hit the little like button down there. Secondly, also subscribe on the YouTube channels. And thirdly, go to Apple Podcasts and leave us a review. So with that, thank you so much for being here, Shannon. Thank you. Love it.

Christiane [00:14:47]:
And it's so amazing how we can connect with people across the United States and have them here as guests. And I felt, like, for just a little bit, I was standing on that farm right there and looking over your a beautiful garden Thank you. And those herbs. Thank you.