Meet Trailblazer Shelby Pine

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shelby Pine.

Shelby, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I believe my story is still being written, so I will tell you a little about how I got to where I am. I grew up in Mesa, Arizona and I went to college at Arizona State University. I loved my time spent in Arizona and I am certainly proud to call that my home. I graduated honors with a Bachelor of Science and was beyond thankful for my time spent at ASU. Once I graduated, I started feeling stuck and stagnant. I believe that every day you should be challenging yourself to grow and becoming a better version of what you were yesterday. So… I fell in love with traveling. My first time going to Europe, I was 22 and I went to 13 countries. I spent the first two weeks with a close friend and then the rest of the time I spent alone. Traveling alone can sound scary and a bit weird. I personally love it because when I am alone, I never truly feel alone. I always meet locals and fellow travelers on my journey. I started becoming obsessed with backpacking and taking epic trips for months to explore the world. Post-depression travel is a thing… I would go on these incredible trips and come home and only look forward to going on another one! I believe that if you are not happy you can change your life and choose your happiness. I applied for a visa to live in Australia and moved two weeks later. I arrived in Sydney, Australia, a place I have never been with two suitcases. I knew no one, had no job or place to stay. It was TERRIFYING but so empowering. I focused that year on traveling, meeting people, but mostly being content in your everyday life. I was in love with the world, its people and scenery. When you travel, you gain patience, understanding, empathy, and love for this world. I constantly craved that feeling. In Australia, I learned to find happiness in every day and to fall in love with life again. It’s easy to caught up in everyone’s lives instead of realizing how blessed you are with your own. After my visa expired, I moved to NYC to finally pursue the one dream I have always had, which is dancing. Every day, I go to auditions and sit for 5-8 hours in hopes to be seen. My job depends on peoples opinions of me. Some days are completely discouraging and other days, I know I am meant to be here. I know that if this doesn’t work out, I can’t say that I never lived out my dream. Which I would encourage anyone to do.

At 26, I have traveled to over 65 countries, mostly alone. I have volunteered in a disabled orphanage in Kenya, an elephant sanctuary in Thailand, taught English in Cambodia, worked with women involved with sex trafficking in Morocco, worked in hospital clinics for aboriginals in Australia, orphanages in Peru and currently spending my time in a homeless shelter in NYC. To be able to afford to travel, I sleep in hostels, airports and overnight trains/busses. I eat at grocery stores and walk everywhere. I have been to six continents and am determined to go to all of them by 30. I have worked as a server, stylist, photographer, editor, dancer, lifeguard, medical scribe, dance teacher, activities director for a hospice/assisted living and social media influencer to get to where I am today. I don’t think anything in life is forever, so I am going to keep pursuing this dream in NYC and dance my heart out. For now, I will dream about warm weather, my family, Arizona skies and burritos.

I would encourage anyone to live their life to the fullest. Tomorrow isn’t promised and there is SO much more to life than to just live to work. You have to be afraid to be brave.

Great, 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?
NO. But, I am so thankful for the struggles I have faced. Your life is full of highs and lows. The lows are what shapes you into who you are. I truly believe they make you stronger. People use work as their identity and measure success by a dollar sign. Living a life where you are defying societal norms and measuring success by your own personal happiness is what I try to live by. I am constantly judged for trying to pursue dance and not working a 9-5 job. I believe everyone serves a purpose in this world so I would never judge someone for what they did to provide for themselves. I would be lying if I didn’t feel pressure from society sometimes. Also, traveling alone to countries that do not believe in women equality is very challenging. I am a firm believer that you are not safe ANYWHERE so you cannot live your life in fear. I am cautious of my surroundings, but I also still like to believe people have good intentions. I think everyone has insecurities about their looks, but I think it is so important to learn to love yourself. Realize that you were made special and that you matter. Try to focus on how the world sees you, beautiful and radiant. Advice for younger women would be something I was given a year ago which is, “be good to you.” We never think that we are enough. You can make a difference just being unapologetically you. Live selflessly, love yourself and do not limit your abilities. The only person that is stopping you from succeeding is you. Life is never going to be perfect, but that’s the best part. All the important moments and everything in between. Don’t think that you need to figure out life right now. Live for today. Have goals, dreams, and aspirations, but focus on the now… the rest will fall into place.

Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
Right now, I am doing photography full time and pursuing my career as a dancer. I enjoy capturing hearts, creating moments and seeing the beauty in all. I personally love engagements and weddings. I think there are so many different forms of love and that everyone deserves someone. I also really enjoy fashion, travel and concept shoots. I like to believe that I am true to myself and that is what sets me apart from others. We live in a society that is constantly trying to look like each other, I think we forget how amazing individuality is. I like to post and create what brings me joy. I am inspired by so many people, but instead of letting that discourage me, I let it fuel my fire within.

So much of the media coverage is focused on the challenges facing women today, but what about the opportunities? Do you feel there are any opportunities that women are particularly well positioned for?
I’m glad that there is awareness of what women are facing and that does bring opportunities. I would never limit women in saying that some opportunities would be better than others since we are all different and are qualified in various ways. I believe women rule the world and that we are finally knowing our worth. Women can do anything they put their mind to and we are only going up from here.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.desertpineco.com
• Instagram: shelbypine

Getting in touch: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.