Shannan Mondor · 73 min
Born into four generations of addiction and abuse, Shannan Mondor hit rock bottom at 44 drinking six bottles of wine a day, then chose to break the cycle forever and turn her pain into a platform that has since kept people alive.
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Shannan Mondor was born into four generations of addiction and abuse. Her father lost his childhood at twelve and turned to alcohol to numb the pressure of raising his siblings. When Shannan was two or three, he took his own life. Her oldest brother then became the source of her trauma, physically and verbally abusing her throughout her childhood, telling her she was dumb, stupid, and would amount to nothing. By grade twelve, she was so depressed she couldn't graduate. She spent her adolescence planning her own death.
At forty-four, Shannan was drinking six bottles of wine a day, waking each morning with flashbacks to childhood trauma she couldn't verify. A psychiatric nurse friend told her directly that she was going to kill herself. That stark moment broke through her denial and led to eight weeks in treatment. She emerged determined, but transferred her addiction to competitive bodybuilding instead. A year later, triggered at a wedding in New York City, she relapsed for eighteen months. On August 17, 2019, she woke up and decided to stop forever. She realised she had to break the cycle for her children and their children.
Shannan began sharing her story on social media during COVID, not knowing that people were staying alive because of her daily posts. The weight of that responsibility pushed her to tell the whole truth. She wrote a book, created a podcast, and built a community of people around the world who refuse to be alone with their struggles. She learned to love herself, invested heavily in her own growth, and now speaks with the conviction of someone who has chosen to become the leader her younger self desperately needed. Her children see drinking as neither positive nor desirable. Shannan lives in her end result every day, teaching others to do the same.
⚠️ Content advisory: this episode discusses abuse & exploitation, addiction & recovery and suicide & self-harm prevention, which some listeners may find distressing.
If you need support, you're not alone. Help is available: • Blue Knot Foundation (complex trauma): 1300 657 380 · blueknot.org.au • 1800RESPECT (family, domestic & sexual violence): 1800 737 732 · 1800respect.org.au • SMART Recovery Australia (addiction): smartrecoveryaustralia.com.au • ReachOut: au.reachout.com • Lifeline (24/7 crisis support): 13 11 14 · lifeline.org.au
“I wonder if anybody would even notice if I actually turned the car on and I killed myself because that was the state I was in because I never felt that I was protected”
“we're already into the fourth generation of addiction there's my dad then there's me and my siblings then there is my nephews and nieces then there's my great nephews”
“I just woke up on August 17th of 2019 and I was like I can't do this anymore and it was from that point on that I decided I will never ever ever touch a drop of alcohol ever again”
The hero, today
Shannan's biggest lesson was learning to love herself, which she describes as the foundation for everything else in her life and the core message she now teaches others. Breaking the cycle of generational addiction required Shannan to sit down with pen and paper, trace the patterns in her relationships back to their roots, and recognize the cycles repeating in her own life before she could stop them. Shannan invested heavily in coaches and courses because she views investing in herself as the only true path to growth and expansion, spending as much as $150,000 with a single coach because she believed she was worth it. Shannan's children have learned to see drinking as neither positive nor desirable, and she credits the visible change in herself with showing them what it looks like to refuse to conform to what others expect. When Shannan was at her lowest point feeling alone and debilitated by isolation, she realised other people were staying alive because of her daily posts, which made her feel like a hypocrite and pushed her to stop hiding and tell the whole truth instead. Shannan now lives in her end result every day, visualizing who she wants to become and asking herself whether each choice aligns with that version of herself, teaching her children to do the same rather than drifting along hoping for rescue.
Yes. Shannan Mondor is a real person who shared their own story in their own words. Kintsugi Heroes is a not-for-profit that shares first-person stories of overcoming adversity, told with the person's consent.
Kintsugi Heroes, a registered Australian not-for-profit. Every story is shared with the hero's own consent and reviewed under Kintsugi Heroes' trauma-informed content standard before it goes public.
Shannan's biggest lesson was learning to love herself, which she describes as the foundation for everything else in her life and the core message she now teaches others.
Breaking the cycle of generational addiction required Shannan to sit down with pen and paper, trace the patterns in her relationships back to their roots, and recognize the cycles repeating in her own life before she could stop them.
Shannan invested heavily in coaches and courses because she views investing in herself as the only true path to growth and expansion, spending as much as $150,000 with a single coach because she believed she was worth it.
Aveline Clark (Host) · 00:00
Kintsugi Heroes acknowledges funding and was made possible with support from the Community Broadcasting Foundation. Find out more at cbf.org.au. Welcome to the Kintsugi Heroes podcast, where we share inspirational stories of everyday people going through different challenges and how they overcome them. Please be aware that the story you're about to hear may have moments of deeply felt emotions and personal experiences. If anything you hear has a triggering effect, please reach out to someone who can help keep you safe. If you love this conversation, we'd love you to like and share it with your friends so we can continue to share more inspiration and hope to as many people as possible. Now listen up for our next hero story. My conversation is with Shannon Mondor. Coming from a dysfunctional family where there was generational addiction, she was born into that, carried that generational addiction without realizing it until a time where she just couldn't live with it anymore because it was so destructive. She tells a story of how she navigated moments and events with family, with friends, and, you know, what brought her to the point of letting it go. It's tough. You know, she's faced, like many people, the other side, or peering down the wall of, well, what have I got to lose? It's either my life or it's living. And, you know, Shannon's a beautiful human who came out the other side and has created a number of resources and tools and a whole business around helping people now to live their best lives, come into themselves. And at the core of all of that, it's teaching people how to love themselves because it's the biggest lesson that she had to learn herself. And the power that comes with that is massive. And this is what Shannon is all about. She's a beautiful human. She's got a lot to share and give, and I know you will enjoy this one. With Shannon Mondore. Uh, thank you, Shannon. It's so, so good to have you here on Kintsugi Heroes. Thank you for joining me.
Shannan Mondor (Guest) · 02:33
Well, thank you for having me. I'm so excited. This is, this is amazing, especially I'm in Canada and you're in Australia. So, um, I must say the biggest thing for me is I am being asked more and more to to be a guest on podcasts literally all over the world. So, um, this is a real honor.
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Shannan's children have learned to see drinking as neither positive nor desirable, and she credits the visible change in herself with showing them what it looks like to refuse to conform to what others expect.
This conversation includes born into a family already broken by addiction, her father's suicide when she was two or three, growing up terrified in her own home, grade twelve: chronic depression and suicidal thoughts, running from her last name and everything it meant and becoming whoever anyone needed her to be.
Aveline Clark (Host) · 02:51
It's an honor to have you. Thank you. Thank you for joining with me and, and being willing to share your story. And this is what Kintsugi is all about. And I know, you know, it's— it takes sometimes bravery and, and vulnerability and effort to go back there, you know, and, and to open up the, the storybook. But, uh, so I just want to honor you for that and Thank you for being willing to share so that others can learn and listen and understand and be understood as well. That's why we're doing this. So I just want to thank you. You mentioned that you're in Canada. Whereabouts in Canada are you?
Shannan Mondor (Guest) · 03:26
I live in Alberta, Canada, and it's, it's a western province. Um, so our, our province is absolutely beautiful because we do have the mountains, but yet we do have the grasslands and yeah, the, the wheat fields and we got a combination of all the different agriculture within our province. So it's very beautiful here.
Aveline Clark (Host) · 03:46
Sounds really lovely. Really lovely. Well, let's get started, shall we? I'm going to invite you to take us away and take us back to the beginning of your story and take us through your story.
Shannan Mondor (Guest) · 03:59
So I could say that my story begins with me, but it really doesn't. That my story, um, begins even before I was born because I was born into a family of addiction. My father, uh, he is the one that started the addiction within our family. Um, so when he was about 12 years old, my grandfather passed away. So my father was left to help raise his younger brothers and sisters and also help his mother, which was deaf. Now, if you can imagine being back in like the 1940s and basically your childhood is absolutely ripped away from you, you're left with the responsibility of raising your siblings and then and having this farm as well with a deaf mother, like that's a lot of pressure and stress on a 12, 13-year-old boy. So he lost his childhood instantly overnight. Then as the years progressed with him, he, um, got into his early teens and he met my mother. And then my mother, uh, ended up getting pregnant. So my father probably would've been about 19, 20 in there, and You know, he's got a, a 15-year-old girlfriend who is now pregnant. So back in those days, as we all know, not acceptable at all. So he, uh, married her. Then as the years went by, um, the stress and everything started to really get to him. So what do we do with stress is we numb our pain. And so the more children that they had, the more numbing my father had to endure. And so I am the youngest of 8 children, and I also have a half-brother. So, um, I am very lucky that I did not see any of the, of the abuse from my father. So as the years went by, the addiction got worse and worse. And what happens with addiction, you also, um, end up having mental illness. And so that was very common in our ho— household with the abuse. The— all my brothers and sisters were abused in some form or another, and my mother and my oldest brother were the ones that did take the brunt of the abuse. So what ended up happening, when I was about 2 to 3 years old and my father was in his early 40s, he decided he was going to end his life, so he ended up committing suicide. What happened in our household then actually repeated itself. It was just a replay. So my oldest brother, who would've been about 18 to 19 at that time, became my father. He helped my mom raise us girls that were at home, and there was 4 of us at home. So that was where I received my abuse from. So I can remember from the earliest memories, I have no memories of my father at all, but my memories of my childhood were not good at all. Because my brother continued on with the abuse and also he had a really bad addiction to alcohol and also drugs. Um, so I was brought up in an environment where I was always scared. I don't remember hardly any happy times. He was always over. And when he was over, I was scared because I knew that if I ever walked by him, that I would always be thrown into the wall. I would be thrown down on the floor. Um, I would either be slapped upside the head or something. I, I would be physically abused in some way. Not only was there physical abuse, but he also— and I also endured mental abuse from him as well. Um, I don't ever really be, you know, ever called by my name. Um, you know, we were always told that we were dumb, we were stupid, we were never going to amount to anything. Um, basically we were losers. Um, and you know, when you grow up in that sort of environment You actually believe that because that is a belief system which is instilled into your subconscious mind. I had such low self-esteem. I had no self-worth. I did not value myself in any way because I didn't know that I would— that's what I was supposed to do, or that I was supposed to have those values about myself because I was always drilled in that you are good for nothing and you're never gonna amount to anything. So my Adolescent years, of course, rolled into my teenage years, and I could remember looking back at my teenage years, especially my grade 12 year. Back in 1987 was when my grade 12 year would've been where that I would've graduated. I look back then and I had such chronic depression that grade 12 year. But of course, back in 1987, nobody really talked about depression. Nobody even really knew what that was. So I can remember then I was so tired. I was tired all the time. Like I could easily sleep 16 hours. I had no goals, no aspirations, no, like I couldn't even see a future. And, um, I did make it to school, but I did not graduate because I was always late for school. My marks were never there. Um, so of course that even instilled in me even more that I am good for nothing. So I had lived a life that my brother had created for me, and I believed every word that he had said, which caused even more depression. And, um, you know, all those feelings of not being good enough throughout my whole entire life. I did continue on with the schooling. I did finish the grade 12 year, but I never got the marks that I needed. Um, I was short, you know, a couple classes or whatever. But that's just, you know, besides the fact, the fact was is that I, I believed everything about myself that I was told from him. So then I can even remember my grade 12 year. I was extremely suicidal. I can remember, um, staying at, I, I lived with my one other brother, um, in grade 12 because I just couldn't handle being around my mom's house anymore because, um, Um, my mom never showed us any love or any affection. She never protected us from my brother at all. And I can see now why she didn't was because that was all normal to her because she was abused from my father for years and years. Then when my brother took over, my brother actually mentally abused her as well. He didn't physically, but mentally abused her as well. So when he was mentally and physically abusing us, she just sat there. She never said anything because that was so, so normal to her. And I resented her and I hated her for years and I hated my brother for years. So when it came to my grade 12 year, I couldn't be around it anymore because my brother in grade 12, actually in grade 11, he wanted me to start to pay rent. So he was, get out and get a job, blah, blah, blah. Right. You know, so I always felt that pressure that I always had to be working. I started supporting myself when I was probably about 15 to 16 years old. Paying for my own clothes and all of that. And it was finally about in grade 12 when I had really started to speak up to my mom because we were on social assistance, which is government support, because my brother had basically taken everything from my mother throughout the years, right? There was big inheritances which my father had left each of us kids and my mother, but my brother manipulated my mom. Into taking all of the money. So basically my, my mom, uh, was left with nothing, which also in turn left all of us with nothing because we were to inherit $10,000 each of us children when we were to turn 18. But somehow my brother had manipulated my mother out of the will and he ended up getting everything. So when I was in grade 12, that was when I started to speak up and I was like, and You know, I was emotionally not there anymore. So I had actually went to the government assistance and I told them everything that was going on. So I was taken out of the home and I was placed in my other brother's house. Now with that being said too, like my mom just lost it. And of course my brother, he said if he ever seen me, he was gonna kill me. And you know, I, I truly believed that, truly believed that because of how I was brought up and I wouldn't put anything past this man either. When all of this was going on, that was when I was really becoming suicidal. And I can remember because I was so tired all the time and there was always constant noise or whatever around me, right? I can remember going into the garage one time and I was in my brother's car and I was in the front seat and I, I just wanted someplace to sleep. But I can remember laying there and thinking to myself, I wonder if anybody would even notice if I actually turned the car on. And I killed myself because that was the state I was in because I never felt that I was protected. Um, I never felt that, you know, I, I even had a voice or anything like that. And those were thoughts that were going through my mind constantly. And I think back now and I just think, wow, like nobody talked about anything like that. Even in my grade 12 year when I didn't graduate, No one in my family even noticed. They didn't even notice that I didn't graduate. And I, I think back now and I'm like, oh my God, like we are dysfunction of dysfunction. But that was normal to me. So when I was done school, like I said, I didn't graduate, but I finished the school year. I couldn't wait to get the heck out of there. I packed up and I left about 2 days after. And let me tell you, I wanted absolutely nothing to do with my family at all. I had such resentment and anger towards my mom and my brother, of course, but also towards a lot of the members within my family. And I disliked my name, my last name so much. I, I, I just hated it so much for the fact of the reputation that, um, our last name had, not only because of my father, but also because of my older siblings, because of the, the learning experiences that they, that they had went through in their younger years as well, because we all felt the same. And I, I didn't notice it back then, but I realize it now. You know, my older brothers, they had just as much lack and self-worth and devalued themselves just as much as I did. But with them, they wanted to prove themselves. And I get that now. I tried to prove myself in so many different areas, but how they wanted to prove themselves was by using their fists. So they were known as fighters. They were known as tough guys. So people would come to me and they would be, oh, you're such and such's daughter. Or, oh, you're such and such a sister. And I'd be like, yes. But I disliked the fact that I was associated with that in any way whatsoever because my whole entire life I tried to run from that name. I tried to run from who I was. I tried to run from, you know, being told that I was dumb and stupid and ugly and I'm never gonna amount to anything, right? So that just really added fuel to the fire. So 2 days after I was done school, that was when I was like, out of there. I was like, I'm, I'm so done. So of course, starting over in a new area of my life, um, I didn't realize it then, but I definitely see it now, is I became a really good people pleaser and I conformed to be whatever anybody wanted me to be just so I would be liked and I would be loved. One area of my life that I can honestly say, um, which I'm not very proud of either, um, now that I look back, is the fact that because I was such a low vibrational being and I devalued myself so much, you are what you attract. So what did I do? I attracted men into my life that basically manipulated me and were narcissists. And, um, at that point in time, I didn't have a lot of men in my life in my 20s and 30s, but the men, like I said, the men that I did have were not men that were good for me at all. Um, my relationships were always, um, you know, anywhere from 3 to 7 years. So between my 20s and 30s, I had like 2 long relationships. And then it was in my latter 20s, early 30s is when I met my husband. But even with that, um, you know, I look at those relationships and I would do anything, anything to keep them in my life. So they were always my first priority over anything, absolutely anything. They came first all the time, and I would let them walk all over me. Some of them I let walk all over me financially as well, because that was my way of feeling that I was doing something and I was providing for them and I was taking care of them, but it should have been the opposite. And, uh, so that, that really, um, affected me, um, in so many different ways and areas in my life as well. But like I said, I would have done anything to be loved, anything to be accepted. And just even the individuals, you know, that I had back in my 20s and 30s, I conformed to what they wanted me to be. One thing that I can honestly say about myself is I have always been a very, very strong and a hard worker. And I always had manager positions or some sort of leadership position. That, that was also based because of survival mode for me as well. But that was also something that nobody could ever, ever take away from me. And I knew that. So I always took pride in everything that I did, especially when it came to work. And it's so funny because a lot of these individuals, once they found out my story, you know, the different areas of my life that I've progressed or whatever, and I've, and I am so forthcoming and so open about my story. People are beyond shocked because they would've never ever guessed in a million years that I had all these negative feelings towards myself because I never showed it. I never ever showed it. I was always such a leader and all of these people looked up to me as a mentor. When I was finally in a, in a relationship with my husband and we have our children and all of that, right? Um, then a whole different dynamic starts to play out, right? Because I love my husband with all my heart, and we are still married, and we, you know, raising our 4 children together. But even back then, when he did come into my life, we were 2 totally sides of the tracks. Like, here's me. I come from a family of addiction, abuse, lack of education, struggled for finances, no love in our family. Lots of jealousy, lots of anger. I can remember even in my younger years, I prayed that we would have such a loving family and different areas like that. Right. That was what I longed for so much because I had friends that had that. So I could see what they had. And I always was like, why don't we have this? We used to have Christmases back in the day, but they always ended in fights and it, it always in chaos. So of course all of that ended up, you know, stopping as well. And then it wasn't until my older years when I started to have my children that I started to bring my family back together because I wanted that for my children. So I did, I hosted Christmases and different things like that. But you know what, just looking at the whole family dynamic, I knew that it was never possible. It, it, there was just too much that had gone through over the years. And now it was to the point where I was looking at my children and it was like, no, this is, this can't happen because now I have to get into my mama bear mode and I have to start protecting my children. So that ended up stopping. But then there's my husband's side of the family. And my husband's family is, they're well-educated, they're pillars of the community. Everybody looks up to them. They're all well-educated. They love each other. They support each other. Like it's two totally different opposites of the spectrum, right? But then I can also see, you know, how me and my husband, we actually fed off of each other. Looking at my husband's side of the family, you know, they're amazing people, you know, and they're good people. But when you have that much power and that control and, you know, people look at you, you know, in a society where you're looked up as, There's, there's also that self-image that you have to uphold, right? And that was a big thing that played within me and my husband's relationship. So I actually started to conform to what the expectation was of me and me coming from my background, you know, that was really hard for me to do. So what did I do even more? I became more of a chameleon. And I, and I, and I really even lost myself even more and more and more. So what happened was I started to play the role. You know, I was my husband's wife. I had this last name. I, I had a reputation to uphold. And that was where I think the real bad breaking point to me actually became because within my, you know, with the relationship of how I seen things. Now, this is me. These are my feelings and my emotions, right? This is how I viewed it, was it was always my husband, his family, the business, the children, and then me. And because that was how my belief system was always brought up, that you are nothing, you're never gonna amount to anything. So that actually really played a huge role within my relationship in our marriage as well. So when I hit the really bad breaking point, this would've been in my early 40s. So I would've— I'm 54 now. So this would've been when I was about 44 years old or whatever. I was finally at a breaking point where whatever you suppress your body, it will always come out. No, no matter what. You have no way of hiding from any of this, right? So basically my body was telling me in my 40s, you can't hide it anymore. I had been drinking for years. But what it started out, my younger years, I started when I was 14 years old, small town. Um, you know, I binge drank like just like everybody else. Lots of drinking. Drinking is normalized. Uh, the 14-year-olds partied with the 60-year-olds. I'm in a small town, about 700 people. There's a house party, everybody goes. Then when I got into my 20s and 30s, it was more like a binge drinking then. But once I got into my late 30s, then it was becoming almost every single night because I was drinking. I, I was making my own wine. So I was, uh, feeding my own addiction is what I was doing, but I didn't realize it then because that was like everybody around me, all of our friends, our family members, everybody drank. There wasn't an occasion or a weekend that we didn't drink. Then when I did end up, um, finally coming to the brink where I could not handle it anymore was I would've been, like I said, I, I was around 43, 44, somewhere in there. And I started having flashbacks and I did not know whether or not my flashbacks were real or not from my childhood. And if you can imagine, like, I would wake up and I would have these flashbacks and I'm questioning myself. I'm like, are these true? Like, are they true? And that's all I could think about all day long. Are they true or aren't they? Am I going crazy? Am I going insane? Like, I can't tell anybody because I'm afraid that they're gonna look at me like I'm completely frickin' nutso. And so what did I do? I just drank and I drank and I drank. And I would literally drink from the moment I would get up in the morning and I would take my kids to school. And by then I've probably had like 3 glasses of wine, take my kids to school. I would drink all day long. Then in the afternoon, I would literally basically pass out, but I would, I would, I would say I'm having a nap, but what I was doing was actually passing out. So I would be awake when my kids got home so I could run them to their dance or whatever it was. Then I would make supper, then I would start drinking again. And it got to the point, like, I am 5'1½", I weigh about 122 pounds, and at that time I was drinking about 6 bottles of wine a day. And it got to the point where I didn't even want to get out of bed anymore because I, I couldn't stand having those waking hours because I was, I, I didn't know whether my flashbacks were real or not. I was literally starting to go insane is what was happening. Then I can remember a girlfriend of mine, um, a lifelong friend, um, had come through our city. And she had given me about 24 hours notice or whatever it was. And this was when I was at like the worst of my life, like bad. And, um, I'm thinking, okay, I can get my shit together. Um, you know, for 24 hours or however long she's gonna be here, I can do it. I can fake it. I can do it. So she comes and she stays with us and she's with us for about, you know, in my presence for just a couple hours. Now her background is a psychiatric nurse, so she knows about addiction and, you know, all of this. And she's looking at me. And then after a couple hours, you know, um, she goes to me, you're gonna kill yourself. And I'm like, you're right. I am. And so that was when I told her my whole and complete story. She is probably the only one. Well, she is the only one that I've told about everything. And she looked at me and she said, we've gotta get you into a treatment center. And, uh, she also said that to my husband. And a lot of people will say at this point in time, like, why didn't your husband ever do anything? Well, this is why my husband didn't do anything. Um, he tried. Um, he would. Talked to me in the earlier months about my drinking. And because I had so much resentment towards this man, because I had, I had felt that I had let him walk all over me for 10+ years. I disliked him so much. I knew that he hadn't respected me from the moment that we had met, and I was taking all of my anger and my resentment out on him. But at the same time, I knew that I was responsible. For letting him get away with this for so many years. And so I was, I don't know if I was more angry at myself or if I was more angry at him, but that my husband had definitely talked to me about my drinking and I would just lash at him and I was not a nice person. So what I basically had turned into was I turned into my brother, the person that I hated the most in this world, I turned into. And I hated the fact that I had actually turned into that because I had ran from it for years and years and years. And now I had turned into him. And so when it was brought up about me going to a treatment center, I was so thankful. I wanted to go so bad. And, um, my husband of course was extremely happy that my good friend, um, was there to help and give us guidance as well. With that, um, then I went to treatment and I was at the treatment center for about 8 weeks and I learned so much in treatment and I am so thankful that I went to treatment because there was a lot of things that I didn't even know. I didn't know that addiction was, you know, generational and I didn't know all of these resentments and all these things were happening inside of me. Like I was educated from the moment I got up to the moment I went to bed. And, um, you know, I realized all the different areas, you know, that it touches people with addiction. And so with that, I was there for 8 weeks. I came out and I was good. Like, I felt that I was good. I was, I was on the right path again. And, you know, I was in an environment that I, I could control. But what I didn't realize is what I did was I transferred my alcohol addiction then to exercise addiction. Because after I left, when I left treatment, um, they kind of want you to have these goals to set, right? So mine was like, okay, I've always been extremely physically fit. Now I can actually go and bodybuild, what I always wanted to do. So that's exactly what I did. I focused all my energy, everything on, onto bodybuilding, cuz I had no reason not to anymore. Right? The alcohol was no longer gonna be getting in my way. So that's what I did was I transformed now into a physical activity addict is what I did. Right? But I'll tell you, best shape of my entire life. Um, you know, 47 years old stepping onto that stage and looking like I'm a, I'm a 10. It was the best experience I've ever had in my entire life. And I do not regret it at all. Absolutely not. Loved every minute of it. I did 3 competitions. Then it was a year to the date that on my husband's side of the family, we were invited to a, uh, wedding down in New York City. And, um, um, what had taken place was this is the first time that I'm actually out from my environment and I can no longer control my environment anymore. Right? So what takes place is I, um, am brought to all my triggers. One thing they did not treat me in, in, in the treatment center is the fact that what triggers really are. I didn't know what triggers were, and I did not know what anxiety was either, because anxiety was always a part of my life. Anxiety and fear, always a part of my life. So that was just a normal feeling that I always had. So I'm brought into this environment that I no can no longer control. I'm with my husband's side of the family and all of these feelings come back, you know, the abandonment issues that I felt all throughout my life, because of course you gotta remember how I felt, you know, it was my husband, his family, the business, right? All of these triggers are starting to come back in my life because I didn't deal with them. I didn't know that I hadn't dealt with them. I thought that I did, but I obviously I didn't. So there I am and I'm, I'm just like going crazy. I, I don't know how to deal with these emotions or anything. And I put up with these feelings and emotions for, um, 3 days. Finally, I can't handle it anymore and I leave the hotel and I go down to the, uh, liquor store on Times Square and I grab, I don't know in Australia, but we've got these little teeny tiny bottles of wine that you can buy in a 4-pack. And I was a wino. That was my alcohol of choice. Was wine. So I went to the liquor store and what I did is I bought that little 4-pack. I go out Times Square and I sit on the sidewalk and I take that first sip. Actually, I downed that whole bottle. And I'll tell you, the calmness that came over me was just amazing. I'm telling you, it just, everything was so relaxed and I could literally feel that alcohol go through my bloodstream. And anybody who knows addictions, the pain, peace, whatever you wanna call it, subsides for about 20 minutes. But what ends up happening is within that 20 minutes, the serotonin levels kick in, and then of course everything skyrockets. And that's exactly what happened to me. My anxiety was tenfold. And so what do you wanna do? You wanna drink, drink, drink. So that's what I did from that moment on. I kept drinking. And I drank for probably about 6 months in secret, if you wanna call it in secret. I was in denial. People around me knew, you know, that I was drinking privately because you could smell it on me. Then I started to, you know, bring my old drinking buddies back in. They were not my friends. They were my drinking buddies. They were my excuse to drink because of course I didn't wanna drink alone at that point in time. And, you know, I started to go back to my old way of life. Is what was happening. Then the next thing you know, I'm starting to get cocky, confident, whatever you want to call it. And, you know, then all of a sudden, you know, all these feelings of resentment are popping up again towards my mom and my brother and my husband. And it's just like, oh my God, you know, and then I could feel that my mental health is starting to, you know, decrease. I'm starting to get all these suicidal thoughts and everything again. And I continued to drink for a total of a year and a half. Then I just woke up on August 17th, 2019, and I was like, I can't do this anymore. There's literally no way that I can do this anymore. And it was from that point on that I decided I will never, ever, ever touch a drop of alcohol ever again. Because I'm looking at my whole entire life. And that was when I really started looking at the story of my life. And I liked how the fact that you had said at the beginning of the interview that this is a story, because I do truly believe that our life is a story. And that was when I really started to look back at my story. And it was like, I don't like this story anymore because we were all like, in my family, We're already into the fourth generation of addiction. There's my dad, then there's me and my siblings, then there is my nephews and nieces, then there's my great nephews. And I'm looking at my children and me and I'm like, no, no. Like I'm looking at my brothers and sisters and what's happening to their grandchildren. To their children and their grandchildren. And I'm like, no way. Like this, this cannot happen. I have to be the mother that I'm meant to be and the individual that I am meant to be. And I'm looking at my children and I'm like, oh my God, if I don't stop this with me, they're going to end up being like all my nieces and nephews. And I'm not going to have that happen. I'm not going to subject this to my grandchildren, my great-grandchildren. And I'm like, no. So that was when I came to the realization that, uh-uh, this isn't gonna happen anymore. So what I started to do, well, number one was self-awareness, right? And then from there, I have always, always, always loved mindset and personal development. And I started practicing and kind of diving into that after, um, my first daughter was born. So this would've been about 24 years ago., and who my big attractors were in that area were like Dr. Wayne Dyer, uh, Louise Hay, Deepak Chopra, um, like all, all these different personal development mentors. So I thought, okay, if, if I'm gonna do this, how, how, how am I gonna, you know, get myself to where I need to be? So that was where I started to create that individual inside of me that I wanted to be. I wanted to see myself at the end result. I wanted to be strong. I wanted to be confident. I wanted to be a great mentor for my children. You know, I want it to be a success. I want it to be a success story. So that was what I started doing, watching all the YouTube videos of my mentors, and I started listening to podcasts, and then eventually I started to take courses and all of that, right? And I'm doing good. I'm setting healthy boundaries. I'm not hanging around with people that drink at all anymore. And, and I'm, I'm doing good. Like, life is great. I can, I can see a light. I've got goals, something that I hadn't had for a heck of a long time. And then COVID happened. And, um, your, um, country would've been the exact same way as ours where of course everything is shut down and you guys would've been homeschooling as just as, you know, we were as well. And what I'm seeing is all of these people that, um, are going onto Facebook and these are, these are mothers. That, that I know, um, because I'm very involved with the school system. I was at that time volunteering. And so all like, I'm seeing all of these mothers that I know and they're posting on Facebook and what they're doing is they're having their children pour their wine for them and they're laughing and they're making a joke out of it with, with the, with their children. Is it too early to be drinking wine and homeschooling? And I'm looking at them and I'm thinking, oh my goodness, you have no idea what you're doing. You are creating a hole so dang big and you won't even be able to get yourself out of it. But what upset me even more is that they were normalizing it for their children. And this is what we're creating in Canada, in society, normalizing drinking. And so that actually really really ticked me off because I've been there. I know exactly the road that these women are going down and they're thinking it's funny. And what we've created within our culture is we've created a culture of whine mumps. Well, you know what? That's, that's the one of the worst things that we can possibly do. And I'm, I'm just sick, right? I'm just sick. And I'm thinking, oh man. What can I do here? What can I possibly do to change things? Not only with that suicide within our area, within about a 2-week span, there was approximately 8 men that had committed suicide. Now, these men are in their late 30s, early 40s, and it was devastating for our community, absolutely devastating, because these men have young families, you know? So that really affected our community. Then we're seeing, um, domestic abuse skyrocketed, which would've been the same, you know, in Australia. And of course the liquor sales absolutely go outta control. And, you know, so what's happening is our whole society is literally falling apart because now we are stuck with ourselves sitting at home and we have to look inwards of who we are. Hate to say it, but it's the truth. Most of us don't like who we are. That's why we would rather numb our pain. Well, we're forced now to sit with ourselves. So I know this, right? Because I'm, I'm already on my road to, to healing and I can see everything. I understand everything. I comprehend it. I can read people like a book now, right? And I'm like, okay, if there is one thing I can do, What is it that I can possibly do? So I thought, well, I've got these thoughts, feelings, and emotions inside me that I'm confused about or whatever. If I talk to people openly about them and how I'm dealing with it, maybe it's gonna help one person. So what I did is I went on social media every Wednesday and I, and I put a video out about what I was feeling at that point in time because I knew there's gotta be one person out there that's feeling the exact same way that I am. Then what I was doing is I was putting my quotes out every single day, inspirational quotes. I, you know, created my own quotes. So I was doing that every single day. And be damned if I'm getting this huge following, you know? So I started doing this in middle of March when we shut down. And then, you know, it's December and I'm getting all these followings and I'm getting like all these messages and people are emailing me and texting me and they're saying, you know, good for you, Shannon, you know. So proud of you. You're so inspirational. And, you know, we're allowed to go get groceries or whatever, like minimal. But I'm running into people there and they're like, God, like, we absolutely love your Facebook. Like, you are such an inspiration. Now, the more I'm hearing this, at first I was like, well, thank you. But then the more I'm hearing this, the more I'm actually making— I'm getting sick to my stomach. And where I really started to shift with this was, um, I had two individuals that contacted me and they had said to me that I basically saved them from committing suicide because what was keeping them alive every single day was going to my Facebook to see what I was gonna post. So they were always excited to see what I was going to do the next day, the next day, the next day, and that that's what was keeping them alive. And I was like, oh my God, I had no idea the impact that I was having on all these individuals out there, which made me even more sick to my stomach because I was like, I'm lying. I'm such a hypocrite. Nobody knows out there what I've gone through. So they're looking at me on social media and thinking I am just better than sliced bread. And I'm just like, oh my God. Like, I'm sick to my stomach because I'm, I'm, I'm feeling like an absolute hypocrite. So I was to the point, now this is at the end of December, I'm thinking, I can't do this anymore. I cannot do this anymore. And I thought, I'm gonna do a live. I'm gonna go on live on Facebook and I'm gonna spill the beans about everything. I'm gonna tell them the truth about everything because that is the only way that I can set myself free and I can stand myself. So that's what I did. I went onto Facebook and I actually advertised it a little bit just prior, you know, saying I'm coming on Facebook Live, you know, this date, this time, blah, blah, blah. So I did. I went on Facebook and I talked for about 35 minutes, something like that. And I told everything about my upbringing, my abuse, my addiction, my relationships, like me losing a baby, like everything that that brought me to the place where I had addiction. And, um, oh God, I was scared. I was so scared. Let me tell you. And I was shaking and you can actually go onto my YouTube channel, Shannon Mondor, and you can scroll back and you can, and you can see me talk. And after I was done, I was, I was free. I just couldn't even believe how free I felt. And I had all of these people come up to me that had known me all my life. And they, they were like, well, we knew, we kind of knew what your upbringing was like and your family reputation and stuff like that. But they had no idea the impact that it had on, had on me. And of course, because everybody viewed me as a leader or whatever, right? They, it just blew them away. They just could not believe it. But the more I shared my story, the more people had come to me. And they were like, thank you. Thank you for sharing your story. Now, at that time when I did my live, there was like over 700 people that viewed it, that, that were watching me, you know? So could you imagine if I was in an auditorium like that, that, that would've been a full house, right? You know, can you imagine? Anyways, so then I thought, okay, I am making a difference here. What else can I do? So what I ended up doing is I actually wrote a book and this is my book. It's called How in the Hell Did I Get Here? Forever Changing the Genetic Blueprint. And the reason I picked the title How in the Hell Did I Get Here is because so many of us in our lifetime, and I know you have thought it too, how in the hell did I get here? Like, how did I get here? Like, how? And then I picked Forever Changing the Genetic Blueprint because that's where it ended with me and it's not gonna happen to my children and my grandchildren. And that was very, very huge for me. Then after I wrote my book, I'm thinking to myself, okay, how am I gonna market my book? You know, I, I've always got ideas clicking in my little brain and I'm like, okay, I'm gonna do a podcast. So that's what I did. I created a podcast called Fulfillment in Faith. The first, I don't know, I think in 15, 16 episodes, what I do is I go through the, my book. And, um, that's the first part of my book because my book is, uh, two parts. The first part of my book is all about my whole life journey. And let me tell you, I don't, I, I tell everything like it's raw and it's real. And then the second part of my book is all about my, like, my healing, you know, how I had to forgive myself and the process that I went through that, because I had to do that in order to forgive my mom and to forgive my brother and to forgive my husband. And I also talk about the different relationships in my life, because whatever I don't like in somebody else, it's because it's a reflection of what I don't like within me. And I go into detail of all of that because my whole book was based upon not about me. I actually, When I wrote my book, I wasn't even thinking about me. I was thinking about how can I help people through what I've gone through? And that was my whole intention with this book. So that's what I wanted to, uh, have within my podcast. So anybody who clicked on it, they, they would be like, oh, okay, I, I can resonate with that. Oh, that's happening in my life right now. Right? So the first episodes are me reading each chapter. Then I talk about what it is, um, my thoughts, views, and emotions at that point in time. But I also talk about what my new perspective is because I'm not even the same person at all anymore. Like, not even close. So my views change because of the expansion of who I am now, right? Then I'm like, oh my God, I can't talk about my book anymore. Like, I'm seriously sick of my book. You know, I thank God for everybody that's listening to my podcast. You know, I'm I'm so thankful, but I can't talk about my book anymore. Now, one thing about me is I have learned throughout my journey that I totally trust and believe in the universe because I have no reason not to. And anything I've asked for, whether it be good or bad, I've received it, right? And I understand that. I understand law of attraction. I understand law of vibration. I've been studying it for years, but now I finally actually put it to use. So I asked the universe, please, universe, you need to guide me. There is so much more. There is so much bigger happening within my life, and I need you to guide me now to my next step, especially in my podcast, because I can't talk about my book anymore. Like, this is crazy. So it was less than 2 weeks after that, I was actually going to a, uh, concert that was sold out with my oldest daughter. And what had happened was she got sick. So I ended up taking her back to the Airbnb and I went to the concert to myself. And as I'm at the concert, I'm looking around and I'm kind of looking at it like, like the stadium is like the world. And then there's little me. Now there's one thing you need to understand. After I wrote my book, I was at the lowest time of my entire life because I was beyond lonely. Because there was many people that did not like my truths that I had said in my book. They didn't like the fact that I spoke so openly about everything because then they had to deal with their truths, which they did not want to. And that's fine. But I was told, I sure hope that you can handle the consequences of what you've done. And I was really super taken aback by that because My book was written out of love. My book was written to help others. That's what the whole point of the book was. It wasn't about anybody's ego. It wasn't even based upon my ego at all. So I took a real offense to that. And as, as I think anybody would, and I, I was beyond shocked. So that was where I really, really knew who loved me and who supported me. And that was when I literally had to set my healthy boundaries. But that also pushed me even further to have the determination to become the woman that I am now. Because I was so frickin' angry. Believe me, I was angry. And I was at the point where I was no longer going to take shit from anybody anymore. So that was my final straw. And then so as I'm at that concert, Like I said, the stadium's the world, and then there's little me. And I was at a crossroads because I was feeling sorry for myself, really feeling sorry for myself because I was really debating whether or not did I make the right decision? Have I made the right decision? Because there's no more family Christmases. There is no more family birthdays. There is no more nothing with any family. Who's left in my life is my husband, my children, and I have two friends. And, and to have all of that taken away or me pushing it away was really hurtful because I realized then what I meant to these people, which really was nothing. My whole life basically did not matter to so many people. And for the amount of work that I had done to become the person that I wanted to be, it was so much easier for them, for me just to be conformed and to go back to my old ways because then they didn't have to face any of their truths. And that was so hurtful. So I'm at that crossroads and I'm like, wow, okay, I've got two choices here. Choice number one is I can bring all these people back into my life. I won't be lonely anymore. I can tell you that. But I can tell you, I will become a people pleaser again. I will become a chameleon. Sure as hell, I'm gonna start drinking. And number 4, I will definitely commit suicide. Why? Because I don't wanna be lonely anymore. And then all of a sudden, it was like this big, huge frickin' light bulb came on, right? And it was just like this surge of energy came through me. And I'm like, I get it. I get it why so many people go back to their old ways is because they don't wanna be alone. They do not want to be alone and they would rather have all these toxic people and environments and everything around them so they're not alone. And it was at that moment I thought to myself, no way am I going back to that. Absolutely not. And I'm like, uh-uh. And it was at that moment that I said to myself, I am going to start telling my story and I'm going to start speaking my truth and I will be a leader. I am gonna be a leader for all of those individuals out here because there's not only me in this stadium that's feeling like that. There are hundreds of other people in this stadium or in this world that are feeling like that. And I'm not the only one. And by this time I'm pissed off, right? I am mad. I am not the only one. And then I'm like, I'm not the only one. And then it was like, I'm not the only one. That is the series of my next podcast. So now what I've done is I've created that particular series on my podcast, You Are Not the Only One. And I have people from all over the world that come onto my podcast and they talk about their moments of silence and what they've learned and how they are changing other people's lives. And I know I do not believe in coincidences. And I know that I was meant to be at that stadium all by myself so that the universe could give me the gift of that. Now, to go back approximately 4 years when I pretty much quit drinking altogether, and this was when I was starting to make videos during COVID I had this vision and this vision was so, so strong. And with this vision, I know everything in this vision that I know what I'm wearing. I know my shoes. I know my makeup. I know my lipstick. I know my earrings. And on, and I go up these 3 steps onto this back of this stage. And to the left of me are these thick, thick black curtains. And then to the right of me I see 3 individuals and I know them, but I don't know them now, but in my future I know who they are. And so I go over there and they're prompting me and they're talking to me and I'm very comfortable, very confident. Then my name is called and I go out on stage and I am a motivational and a public speaker. I am talking with such passion and conviction. Eviction, and my hands are going, and I can feel the energy that is surging out of my body. And I know that whatever I'm saying, these individuals are resonating with what I'm saying. Now, I'm not talking in just in, you know, a couple hundred people. I'm talking to hundreds of people, and I can see the stadium, and I can see the tears on these people's faces. But the problem is I didn't know what I was saying. But now I do know what I'm saying. I'm talking about my life journey. I'm talking about my book. I'm talking about my podcast. I'm talking about my podcast guests. I'm talking about the, uh, mindset and personal development program that I have created, which is a 6-month program. And What's even more exciting is now I'm training to be a TED Talk, to go on my first TED Talk, which is a worldwide venue. The progress of where I was to where I am now is just overwhelming. And I'm so excited because I look back at my life now and I see how everything was all divine guided, absolutely everything. And I was given that gift 4 years ago as seeing what my end result was. And it's so funny because now I can just kind of look at everything and I'm just like, wow, everything has happened for a reason. I don't regret anything from my past at all. I actually embrace it because that has taught me to be able to teach hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people out there. And I'm so, and I'm, you know, I'm, I'm very thankful. Very thankful. And I can look at people and I can read people and I can understand where they're, you know, coming from because I've experienced so many things within my life. So I just look at everything as a real gift now. And that's me. That's Shannon Mondor.
Aveline Clark (Host) · 56:12
Sorry for the interruption. This is Ian Westmoreland, the founder of Kintsugi Heroes, and thank you for listening to story from one of our amazing heroes. Our mission is for these stories to provide hope and inspiration to people experiencing life challenges and to also educate the broader community on how best to provide support. If you would like to help us to continue to produce more hero stories and cover more adversity themes, we would welcome all donations. These can be made via our website kitsukiheroes.com.au. Au. The donate function is at the bottom of the homepage. We'd also welcome any feedback. You can email me direct using ian@kintsugiheroes.com.au. Now let's get back to the story. Wow, Shannon, thank you, thank you, thank you. You speak, oh, so passionately and eloquently and I think everyone who's listening to this story would have been right there with you at every point. And I know I was totally captivated. So you speak really well, and I can't wait for the TED Talk. It sounds to me like you've had to consciously reinvent yourself a few times along this way.
Shannan Mondor (Guest) · 57:31
Oh, there's no question. But, you know, I look at all these I'm gonna say bumps in the road, and I really look at them now and, you know, the most angriest and upsetting times in my life is what got me to my next level, right? When I get so angry, it's just like, like I can hear, I can hear, like there was one particular time where I was so upset after I wrote my book and things were starting to pop up. Right? You know how people didn't like my book or whatever. And you know what? Uh, I don't care if people don't like my book. Like, this is my story. And people that don't understand addiction probably won't like my book because they're just not going to understand that aspect of people's lives. Right? But what upset me the most was being disregarded. And that is what really upset me because I'd been disregarded my whole entire life. Now, no one was going to disregard my book and me. Because that was coming to an end. And I can remember being so angry, like to the point of livid. I'm in the shower when this is happening and I'm so angry. And all I can hear is this little voice. And I'm telling you, I heard the voice. This is what's gonna get you on stage. This is what's getting you on stage, taking you next level. It's next level. It's next level. And that's what pushed me even more. And so now I am so thankful for those moments. Those, that's why those people were put into my life. Was to take me to that next level for me to stop the cycle of these things happening over and over and over in my life. And that's what was happening. These cycles just kept on appearing and appearing and appearing. And I needed to recognize that it was a cycle and I was the one that had to stop it. I was the only one that could stop these cycles. And that's why it's so important when you come into your life and you wanna make those changes within your life and have that self-awareness, I strongly suggest that you sit down with a pad and paper and you write your life out. You don't have to write a, you know, 200-page whatever. But you know what? If there's an area in your life that you wanna change or that, that's whatever's causing you grief, say for example, a relationship, go back to the beginning of time when you started having relationships or start looking back, you know, where you've had that relationship with your mom or your, your dad or whatever, because that's probably where it's stemming from. And then look at that relationship and other relationships from there on in. And that's, that's what I'm talking about. And you're going to see that there's a cycle. You have to be aware of that cycle that's happening in your life before you can make changes.
Aveline Clark (Host) · 1:03:52
Love it. You demonstrate that so strongly and powerfully, Shannon, and not just from the way you speak.
Shannan Mondor (Guest) · 1:04:01
Well, you know what it is too? I've learned so many things within my life. And no one is ever gonna love you as much as you love yourself. And once you love yourself, like truly love yourself, you are gonna bring so many bright and beautiful things into your life. And the impact that you have on other people is beyond amazing. Like, I look at the fact at that time when I talk about when I was in the stadium and I was at the loneliest time in my life, like that devastated me. Devastated me. But now, because I've grown into this individual that I am now, oh my God, you wouldn't believe the people that I have in my life now. Like, my best friends are all over the world now, and we communicate through Zoom, and it is just a bright, beautiful life that I've created for myself. And now also, like, with my podcast as well, because, um, you know, I've created that platform, You Are Not the Only One. And every single guest that comes on to my podcast, they are brought and invited into the private Facebook group. So now I have created a community of friends all over the world. And that is the most amazing thing because they see me for who I am and we all have that common bond and we share that common bond that we want to share our stories. We want to help people all throughout the world. And that is such a strong bond, and they will be public speaking with me on my platform. I know that already because I can see it. I was gifted that end result. I seen that 4 years ago. And you just don't have a vision like that if it's, it's, you know, so strongly. You just don't have a vision like that if it's not placed in, in your path and it's meant to be. And it's so funny because I thought about it the first couple years here and there, and you know what I mean? Oh, I had that vision. But now it's been about the last however many months and it's like, oh my God, because I've become into alignment with everything and it's just, it's there. I see it. You know, everything is just coming to me quickly and easily and it's just like a life of joy, a life of, and that's because I've, I've really learned to love myself. You know, I've given myself the greatest gift, which is loving myself.
Aveline Clark (Host) · 1:06:17
Beautiful. I could keep talking to you, Shannon, um, and I know we have gone over time, um, but I need— there are a couple of things that I really want to ask you, and the first one is what has been the impact on your 4 children of you going through this journey? You've mentioned your daughter's 24, and you've obviously got, you know, old adult children, maybe, you know, teenage children. Tell me if you can or if you want to share, but I'm really fascinated to know because part of your, like you said, your goal is to cut off that genetic passing on of the addiction. So how is that going and how do your children see you?
Aveline Clark (Host) · 1:00:14
Absolutely.
Shannan Mondor (Guest) · 1:00:15
And that's, that's, that's really what I did. You know? Um, yeah.
Aveline Clark (Host) · 1:00:21
Did you have a mentor? Or coaches or— yeah.
Shannan Mondor (Guest) · 1:00:27
Yeah, I did. So all throughout my years, starting probably in about my 30s, I'm going to say that was when I was like really questioning things. So I did actually start to have therapy. But what I found with therapy is, you know, therapy is there for a reason. And therapy did help me out for my first years, for sure, just for me to actually talk and express my feelings in that because I didn't express my feelings for so long. And, but what I found is that it was always the same old, same old, same old, right? And I wasn't, they, they weren't helping me to dig deep into my self-awareness or, you know, come up with, um, you know, productive solutions or anything like that. Right. So that after probably, I'm going to say 15 years, you know, that the whole therapy thing was just not working for me, but I knew with the mindset and all of that, that was where it was a big difference. And that's where those courses and everything really kicked in. Then I, then I did, I, I hired a spiritual coach, which started to teach me on different levels of energy. Like I do energy work as well. Like I do, I'm a Reiki practitioner and I also do the Yuen Method and all of that. And then I started to really understand about the body and, and, you know, the different energies and all of that. Right. But then I did, I, I've had coaches absolutely. And, um, I, yeah. And I have a coach right now., a mentorship coach, and I've actually got 2 coaches, right? Because I do believe there's always something more to learn. And, you know, I've had coaches in the past. I've learned amazing things from them. And then, you know what? I, I got what I learned from you, and then I hired another coach because something resonated with me that I was really attracted to. Had them for 6 months or whatever, and then there was some— something has always come to me. Right? That's how I kind of look at life is you never wanna be the smartest one in the room because there's always something to learn. And because I see my end result of who I wanna be, there's so much more that I need to learn. I would be doing a disservice to myself if I stopped learning or if I thought that I was, you know, that I was the smartest one in the room. Um, so there's always constant learning with me. And so I'm just finishing off with my one coach now, and now I'm starting on my next coach. And I will be honest with you, I've spent a lot of money on coaches. My one coach, I just, I've paid within the last few months here, I paid $150,000 US. And the reason I did that was because I am worth it. I am worth it, and I love myself, and I will do anything to become the person that I am meant to be. Yeah, sure. I could have went out and bought a brand new vehicle for $150,000, but what is that vehicle going to teach me? Absolutely nothing. And that's how I view life. And, you know, my other coach, you know, I've spent anywhere from $7,000 to $30,000 to $40,000, you know, and I will continue to do that. And I strongly advise people, if you want to make a difference in your life, you will invest in yourself because that is the only way, only way that you will have growth and expansion. Absolutely. Yeah.
Shannan Mondor (Guest) · 1:06:59
Well, I can honestly say with my younger children, they were too young at that time because they would have been in like when I was at my worst, they would have been in like grade kindergarten, grade 1 and grade 3. So they, they, they were still too young to really realize what was happening to me, but it really did affect my oldest, which at that time would have been in grade 11, and then my other daughter, which would have been in grade 8. But I can honestly say now that my, my kids, do they look at drinking as a positive thing or anything like that? No. They literally have no desire to drink at all. They will have a drink here and there or whatever, but it's nothing major, you know? And so they're definitely learning in that aspect, for sure, for sure. And they respect that about me. They do see, of course, a huge change within me, but they're really, you know, they're also at that age where they're trying to figure out who they are, you know? Because my oldest daughter is 24, and then my second oldest daughter is 19. So they're kind of, you know, trying to figure them out where they fit in life with school and everything else. But I do got to say, like, my language as a mother has totally changed altogether, completely. You know, I talk in vibration and I talk in energy and stuff like that, right? And then they just look at me and they roll their eyes or whatever, right? And they're like, you know, but I don't know any way to talk to them because I understand it. That's who I am now. Um, you know, but I do see for sure that our, our family unit, um, definitely is becoming a very strong family unit for sure. Um, and you know, just looking at my husband and where we were to where we are now, um, you know, we've had to totally rebuild our relationship totally and completely because I'm not the same Shannon at all to who I was before. So that's a real huge adjustment. Because I don't take shit. I know who I am. I know where I'm going and I know what I want, you know? And this, this is how it is for me, you know? Um, I've settled, I've conformed to whatever anybody wanted me to be. That's not happening anymore. No, I'm conforming to what does Shannon want? What does that end result Shannon look like? Does she accept this or does she not? You know? And I live in my end result every single day. Every day, right? And that's what I wanna teach my children, you know? And I want them to visualize what they want. And that's the biggest thing. You have to know, you have to see where you're going. That's what the problem is, is, is with this world. No one sees where they're going. They're just walking along the path, you know, hoping they're gonna bump into somebody that's gonna help them along the way. No, you have to create that on your own. And that's what I wanna teach my children the biggest thing. Right? Whatever you create, it comes with inside. And if, and if whatever you have inside, the outside is a reflection of it, right? So yeah.
Aveline Clark (Host) · 1:10:06
Nice. I'm so pleased to hear that. Congratulations. So many people could have just given up. So many people do give up, fall back. It's just easier to go back to drinking, to go back to the comfort zone and conform.
Shannan Mondor (Guest) · 1:10:20
But And that's why, that's like I said, that's why when I was, I was like, no, I'm not the only one. I want to be their leader. I want them to hear my story. And then for them to realize that holy smokes, like if she can do it, you know, if she can do it, then I know I can. You know, I want all these hundreds of people out there that are listening to this podcast that you are not the only one. And if you need guidance in any area of your life, believe me, I can help you. I can help you. I've been there and I know exactly what it's like. And I can get you to wherever you need to be. I will help you find your greatness within just exactly how I've done it. And the biggest thing is I will teach you how to love yourself because that's what you need the most.
Aveline Clark (Host) · 1:11:09
Couldn't agree more. Thank you, Shannon. I got one last question for you, please. And this is what I ask all of our guests who've shared their story. And that is, if there's someone listening to this conversation who resonates, that maybe they can see themselves in any part of your story, is there something you'd like to say to them right now?
Shannan Mondor (Guest) · 1:11:29
Oh gosh, I could say so many things as you already know, but, um, there is a reason why I called my podcast and my business Fulfillment in Faith. Because I truly, truly believe that if you have faith and belief in yourself, you will have fulfillment in every area of your life. And that is my whole purpose to teach people, is to teach them to have faith and belief in yourself. That's what I would tell them right there.
Aveline Clark (Host) · 1:11:58
Beautiful. Thank you, Shannon. I so appreciate your time and energy and the gift of your story today.
Shannan Mondor (Guest) · 1:12:04
Well, I gotta say thank you for having me. This was amazing and I loved every minute of it. And yeah, beautiful.
Aveline Clark (Host) · 1:12:12
So did I. Thank you so much. We hope you've enjoyed this episode of Kintsugi Heroes. Please like and share the show to your friends so we can get this out to even more people. If you have a story you'd like to share with us, please reach out using the contact details below. And join us next week for our next hero's story. Until then, keep being you, and remember that we are all heroes in our own unique way.
Shannan Mondor (Guest) · 1:12:46
Only when it's broken, only when it's broken, when it hits you in the middle of the night and the truth burns so bright. Only when it's broken. Only when it's broken. Take pride in those cries. It's only for tonight, and then you rise. Only when you're broken. Only when you're broken. Only when you're broken.
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