In celebration of International Women’s Day, I’m interviewing some very strong and dynamic women on my site this month. We’ll be talking about empowerment (and a little tarot and intuitive arts as well).
A writer has the ability to create powerful change in the world with a stroke of the pen or a click on the keyboard. I’m always amazed at how they are able to string words together so eloquently (and in my mind, effortlessly). Writing can be challenging yet some make it look easy. Shanna Trenholm is one of those people who seem to spin ideas onto paper like a smooth word operator (cue Sade music). It’s only fitting that a writer have the last say on this series on Women + Power. You will love her words of wisdom:
Q: What does it mean to be a powerful woman?
Shanna: A powerful woman is one who is firmly grounded in her sense of self and the unique gifts and perspective she brings to the world. She speaks her mind, and takes action with an understated confidence. It’s not brashness, or loudness; power radiates calmly and, in this sense, is not hierarchical. It’s a personal quality—it’s magnetic.
Q: When do you feel most powerful?
Shanna: When I am feeling and being creative. When I feel at ease and happy and I am standing tall in my truth. When, through the creative spark, I am serving others—whether that’s through my writing or coaching—and I am helping my clients or friends activate their creativity and find their voice.
Q: Tell me about an experience in your life that made you feel empowered.
Shanna: This is tough—there are many. As a woman who runs her own business, an experience of empowerment that I can recall is when a group of university faculty members (all PhDs) respected me as a peer and listened to my ideas and advice.
This would likely not have happened had I been an employee without the same multiple external degrees (rather than a consultant).
The pecking order in an organization can be brutal and one of the reasons I am so glad I don’t work in that environment. That I am a respected consultant and writer is a powerful feeling. I know my stuff and I am not afraid to use it! I am most empowered when I create my own way.
Q: What inspires you to be on your path?
Shanna: So many things inspire me: ideas, renegades, thinkers, artists, and those who color outside the lines. My path is one of swimming against the stream, and while it can be challenging at times, I am happy to be a voice that speaks up against the status quo. I am guided by compassion for all living beings and the quest for personal truth—I can access inspiration through nature, writing, and meditation.
I know that others have benefited from my outspokenness and my willingness the live my life as an experiment, and I know that an essential part of my path is to be a leader and to be one who shows others that there are alternatives to a cookie-cutter life.
Q: How can tarot or other intuitive arts help women to feel empowered?
Shanna: Tarot and the intuitive arts are tools in an essential kit that all women can use to feel empowered. By tapping into the non-linear, creative side of being, women can experience the full range of the whole self. It’s empowering to take charge of one’s life, and using the intuitive arts can help all women know themselves more wholly and intimately.
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Bio:
Shanna Trenholm is a writer, brand visionary, coach, and traveler (among other things). She is dedicated to living an extraordinary life and works with people who want to do the same. Shanna helps creative entrepreneurs and businesses take their brands from dull to dazzling with dynamic copy and branding insight and brilliance.
Shanna’s latest program, Coaching for Writers helps writers get clarity around their goals and give them the support and accountability they need to complete their writing projects. Check it out here: http://shannatrenholm.com/coaching-for-writers/.
She is a dyed-in-the-wool nonconformist and loves to support others who want to grow beyond their self-imposed limitations.
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Big high fives and much gratitude to Shanna for sharing her thoughts!
Blessings,
Theresa
© Theresa Reed | The Tarot Lady 2013
I’m Theresa Reed (aka, The Tarot Lady). I’ve been a full-time tarot reader for 30+ years — which, in my industry, makes me pretty badass.
I’m definitely not your average Tarot expert — I drop the F-bomb, I quote rappers, and I’m obsessed with pop culture + reality TV. Folks come to me for straight-talk + tough-love — without the woo-woo fluff. 
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