Life & Work with Shannon Korvin of PHOENIX

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shannon Korvin

Shannon, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Helen and I became fast friends two years ago when she moved to Phoenix from Germany. We both quickly realized how much we had in common with being recently married, originating from CA, and our love for travel and adventure. About a year ago we were out with another mutual friend and it came up that I was told I should start a podcast because I have the voice for it. I had thought about it before but never seriously. It was more of a down-the-road kind of dream, plus who would want to listen to what I have to say? But that was the first seed planted that eventually led to our Life After Hours Podcast.

Then about 6 months ago, Helen and I were at Happy Hour with another friend and I brought the idea up again. Like most of our friend group, I loved listening to podcasts, but I was struggling to find one that related to the things we were going through. There are many about fitness, true crime, and bachelor nation, but what about things 30 somethings are dealing with? – Moving to new cities, deciding whether to have kids, transitioning between going out weekly to not at all, making new friends, etc. I wanted a lifestyle podcast where people were relatable, not living in NYC or LA making millions and dating NFL or MLB players.

At the time all three of us decided we wanted to actually do this and started coming up with names, topics, and episode ideas. But then life happened and we put it on the back burner, again. I finally reached out to the group after a dream I had about us actually starting it and a frustrating day at work and said “Hey, I’m starting this. Here is the time commitment. Are you in? Let me know because I’m buying equipment.” Unfortunately, our other friend has a pretty demanding job, so she decided she was going to be a frequent guest rather than a cohost, but Helen and I set up a time to meet and went for it. We started with our favorite topic, Y2K trends, and since then have been pulling from our personal lives for new topics we think our audience can relate to!

Our friends have been phenomenal in their support and feedback, and we are having so much fun with the podcast! We really want to connect with other women to support each other and we have tried to structure it in a way that it’s like having a conversation with your friends about Life After Hours!

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
This is one of 3 businesses I’ve started/continued this year and it is never easy to get something new off the ground. As other business owners can attest, there are good days where you’re motivated and days where you want to sit in a corner alone. Also, working with friends poses its own challenges. Our friendship is the priority and if there are differences in opinions, management style, ways of working, etc., you want to exercise extra caution while navigating those tough conversations. Thankfully, Helen and I have similar priorities and mindsets, and we work very well together and independently!

Our other initial struggles were mostly technical. Neither of us had recorded a podcast before and we struggled getting the sound right and working with our two mics and we hit some glitches transferring files between computers. Now that we have worked out some of that, it’s more a question of getting the word out about our podcast and creating a community!

Our motto, more Helen’s than mine, is “We got this!”. I’m not sure if it’s her convincing herself or convincing me, but it really helps to reframe my thinking and most of all it helps to break up the tension.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Shannon – I’m currently on the Operations team at a Big 4 Accounting Firm and I actually received my degree in Accounting so I’ve always been involved in the accounting space. I have experience in operations, recruiting, HR, resource management, and people management and I feel that my experience gives me a well rounded background for problem solving.

I would say I’m proud of how far I’ve come in my career with the different turns I’ve taken and setbacks I’ve had especially considering I started in the Tax field and two years later pivoted completely. I think my resilience and not taking no for an answer sets me apart because I usually find a way when I’ve been told there isn’t one and I keep pushing and looking for different avenues even when things seem impossible.

Helen – I am currently a Chief of Staff for a Compliance Officer at a health insurance company. I have spent most of my career in health care legal, and regulatory compliance roles and completed my master’s degree in public health. I briefly left health care while living in Munich, Germany, where I was a consultant focused on international insurance and financial industry compliance.

While I love my day job, I have recently been expanding my horizons outside of work after spending so many years focused on formal education and career growth. Our Podcast is one of the places where I am learning and growing outside of my traditional career and am absolutely loving the challenge!

What was your favorite childhood memory?
Shannon – My family and I would go to the lake during the summers and go tubing, wakeboarding, or water skiing and it was such a great time to disconnect from the world and just connect with my family (immediate and extended).

Helen – I mention on the podcast a few times that I spent the first 30 years of my life in the same place. This means I have known many of my friends for a very long time. I have great childhood memories of playing outside on our street with my three sisters, neighbors, and friends, many of whom I am still close with today!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @lifeafterhourspodcast
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/show/6aqq96cSwMuapouCoQuGuu?si=69d7cc91cf7b4cb5