Dare to Be Great, Dare to Be You Hosted by Shawn Langwell

We get to choose and create our own definiitions of success. And when we take ownership of what we think we want and begin to focus our attention and energy toward our goals and desires, great things happen. 

It all starts with a decision and a dream, and the willingness to do the uncomfortable work of personal growth and change.

Lasting and meaningful change begins on the inside—with our attitude and belief about what success really means to us and what we can do to flip the negative self-talk chatter between our ears.

When we stay committed to a goal, success is inevitable.

1 - Do Your Best Always

The more time I spend with this book, reading it aloud for you and the world, the more I realize what a tremendous blessing and gift my pain and suffering have been. Had I not been brave enough to ask for help to stop drinking over forty years ago, I likely never would be doing what I am now.

It has now become a personal responsibility to share what I know for the primary purpose of making it OK for others to lean in and say, even if privately, yeah me too!

These chapters and the entire book are specifically designed to help you rebuild your self-esteem and self-confidence.

Those who are already doing deeper work in recovery, whether in AA, Al-Anon, ACA, CoDA, or scores of other counseling, coaching, and psychotherapy resources, should find some of the reflections in these chapters, and the whole book, not only helpful but approachable without adding to our already stressed, crazy, neurotic lives.

This book was literally a 45-day download from my own Higher Power after I had written Ten Seconds of Boldness. I wrote Today’s The Day not only for others, but as an easy pocket guide to return to for myself whenever I feel spun or stuck.

I am sharing every single chapter here because this was a gift to me, and the greatest gifts are those that are shared.

I hope you find what you're looking for here, or wherever you are led to look.

A disclaimer and a word of advice:

I am not a therapist or doctor and strictly share my experience, strength, and hope as I have known and lived it from nearly four decades of recovery in 12-step programs.

I do not offer this or any of my books as a solution for those with challenges, mental, physical, or otherwise, that I am not qualified to diagnose or solve.

What I do offer is what has worked for me, and I encourage any and all to continue the hard work of being honest with yourselves and becoming bold and brave enough to believe in yourself, which may require seeking other advice. I am available as a Gap Mindset Coach and marketing mentor for those who need those services. I do not offer CBT or any other forms of therapy.

Please call others who may be qualified to assist.

Lastly, my word of encouragement for this book, and all I teach and do and live:

Be bold.

And check out my new kick-ass website that just went live last week!

https://shawnlangwell.com/

ABOUT THE HOST:

Shawn Langwell is an Author, Speaker, Teacher and Gap Mindset Coach & Consultant. He has written several transformational books including, Beyond Recovery, Ten Seconds of Boldness and its companion workbook, Today’s The Day, Morning Motivation, and Chill. He’s also the Past President of The California Writers Club (CWC), Redwood Writers, Past President of Toastmasters of Petaluma. Find him at www.shawnlangwell.com.

Visit my new website to download a free helpful guide for defining what you want and why you want it: Free Guide: From Here to There.

If you like the show, please follow and share, because sharing is caring and the world needs a lot more of it!

Until next time... Dare to Be Great, Dare to Be You

Love, Shawn

Are you being intentional about connecting with others or do you tend to isolate?

Join me and first-time podcast guest Paul Hamel as we uncover his walk in recovery while being a dad and running s small business, writin his first book and more.

Paul Hamel  is a Northern California native, entrepreneur, author, and lifelong student of personal growth. His path hasn’t been a straight line. From working in restaurants and bartending across the country to facing periods of addiction, self-doubt, and losing sight of himself, Paul has experienced both the highs and the hard realities of life.

Today, he approaches life with a different perspective. He’s deeply interested in the power of the mind, self-talk, spirituality, and the process of becoming the person you were meant to be. He’s also a hands-on person who enjoys working with his mind as much as his hands—from building businesses to working on vehicles and creating new ideas.

At his core, Paul is curious, resilient, introspective, and constantly evolving. His goal is simple: turn his experiences into something that can help others find their way forward.

Find his book Can I Take Your Order here:

ABOUT THE HOST:

Shawn Langwell is an Author, Speaker, Teacher and Gap Mindset Coach & Consultant. He has written several transformational books including, Beyond Recovery, Ten Seconds of Boldness and its companion workbook, Today’s The Day, Morning Motivation, and Chill. He’s also the Past President of The California Writers Club (CWC), Redwood Writers, Past President of Toastmasters of Petaluma. Find him at www.shawnlangwell.com.

Visit my new website to download a free helpful guide for defining what you want and why you want it: Free Guide: From Here to There.

If you like the show, please follow and share, because sharing is caring and the world needs a lot more of it!

Until next time... Dare to Be Great, Dare to Be You

Love, Shawn

More from Today's the Day, personally narrated by me.

Today we cover three short chapters that are all about Presence and Action.

1 - Practice Daily Acts of Kindness 

The more time I spend with this book, reading it aloud for you and the world, the more I realize what a tremendous blessing and gift my pain and suffering have been. Had I not been brave enough to ask for help to stop drinking nearly forty years ago, I likely never would be doing what I am now.

It has now become a personal responsibility to share what I know for the primary purpose of making it OK for others to lean in and say, even if privately, yeah me too!

These chapters and the entire book are specifically designed to help you rebuild your self-esteem and self-confidence.

Those who are already doing deeper work in recovery, whether in AA, Al-Anon, ACA, CoDA, or scores of other counseling, coaching, and psychotherapy resources, should find some of the reflections in these chapters, and the whole book, not only helpful but approachable without adding to our already stressed, crazy, neurotic lives.

This book was literally a 45-day download from my own Higher Power after I had written Ten Seconds of Boldness. I wrote Today’s The Day not only for others, but as an easy pocket guide to return to for myself whenever I feel spun or stuck.

I am sharing every single chapter here because this was a gift to me, and the greatest gifts are those that are shared.

I hope you find what you're looking for here, or wherever you are led to look.

A disclaimer and a word of advice:

I am not a therapist or doctor and strictly share my experience, strength, and hope as I have known and lived it from nearly four decades of recovery in 12-step programs.

I do not offer this or any of my books as a solution for those with challenges, mental, physical, or otherwise, that I am not qualified to diagnose or solve.

What I do offer is what has worked for me, and I encourage any and all to continue the hard work of being honest with yourselves and becoming bold and brave enough to believe in yourself, which may require seeking other advice. I am available as a Gap Mindset Coach and marketing mentor for those who need those services. I do not offer CBT or any other forms of therapy.

Please call others who may be qualified to assist.

Lastly, my word of encouragement for this book, and all I teach and do and live:

Be bold.

And check out my new kick-ass website that just went live last week!

https://shawnlangwell.com/

ABOUT THE HOST:

Shawn Langwell is an Author, Speaker, Teacher and Gap Mindset Coach & Consultant. He has written several transformational books including, Beyond Recovery, Ten Seconds of Boldness and its companion workbook, Today’s The Day, Morning Motivation, and Chill. He’s also the Past President of The California Writers Club (CWC), Redwood Writers, Past President of Toastmasters of Petaluma. Find him at www.shawnlangwell.com.

Visit my new website to download a free helpful guide for defining what you want and why you want it: Free Guide: From Here to There.

If you like the show, please follow and share, because sharing is caring and the world needs a lot more of it!

Until next time... Dare to Be Great, Dare to Be You

Love, Shawn

In Shawnan's Spirit Speaks, Elizabeth Denison shares how healing grief and death, loss and love can be when we learn to accept it as a natural part of life.

Trigger Warning: we talk about suicide in this eposode.

This interview offers a glimpse of months of intimate conversations between Elizabeth and her deceased son, Shawnan.

Captured in notebooks over months and painstakingly crafted into a book, she shares her inner journey from loss to love with the poise of a polished sage.

About Elizabeth:

Elizabeth Denison is an emerging poet, author and career wellness educator.. Her transformational memoir, Shawnan Spirit Speaks: Love is the Forever Adventure begins with a tragedy and ends with a miracle.  Her passion is for weaving her gifts of presence and intuitive witnessing into words to unite the visible and invisible worlds. When not writing, she may be found with the horses, on the pickleball court, hiking the Northern California coastal trails, singing, weaving or enjoying a second childhood with her husband and grandchildren. 

Find her here:

https://elizabethdenison.com/

Instagram: denisonelizabeth 

FB: Elizabeth Denison (Simply Wonderful Words)

YouTube: Elizabeth Denison “Love is the Forever Adventure” aka Shawnan Spirit Speaks

ABOUT THE HOST:

Shawn Langwell is an Author, Speaker, Teacher and Gap Mindset Coach & Consultant. He has written several transformational books including, Beyond Recovery, Ten Seconds of Boldness and its companion workbook, Today’s The Day, Morning Motivation, and Chill. He’s also the Past President of The California Writers Club (CWC), Redwood Writers, Past President of Toastmasters of Petaluma. Find him at www.shawnlangwell.com.

Visit my new website to download a free helpful guide for defining what you want and why you want it: Free Guide: From Here to There.

If you like the show, please follow and share, because sharing is caring and the world needs a lot more of it!

Until next time... Dare to Be Great, Dare to Be You

Love, Shawn

Join me and my new sister form another mister, Mary Alice Stephens, in this enligtenting and inspiring conversation about addiction, reality TV, and breaking the cycle of alcoholism.

Something About Mary...

Mary Alice Stephens is an award-winning storyteller. In her instant best-seller, Uncorked: A Memoir of Letting Go and Starting Over, she shares her raw, funny, and ultimately inspiring journey from alcohol-fueled chaos to clarity, connection, and self-acceptance. Uncorked was an Amazon #1 new release in alcoholism recovery and reached #4 on the Amazon best-seller list in midlife self-help. It won the 2026 PenCraft Best Book Award in Inspirational Nonfiction and the 2026 International Book Award for Addiction/Recovery. Mary is a former television writer-producer for HGTV, Food Network, and other media outlets. She earned her Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from Dominican University of California and lives in Marin County, California.

Get Uncorked wherever books are sold: Uncorked: A Memoir of Letting Go and Starting Over

Find and follow Mary here:

ABOUT THE HOST:

Shawn Langwell is an Author, Speaker, Teacher and Gap Mindset Coach & Consultant. He has written several transformational books including, Beyond Recovery, Ten Seconds of Boldness and its companion workbook, Today’s The Day, Morning Motivation, and Chill. He’s also the Past President of The California Writers Club (CWC), Redwood Writers, Past President of Toastmasters of Petaluma. Find him at www.shawnlangwell.com.

Visit my new website to download a free helpful guide for defining what you want and why you want it: Free Guide: From Here to There.

If you like the show, please follow and share, because sharing is caring and the world needs a lot more of it!

Until next time... Dare to Be Great, Dare to Be You

Love, Shawn

We become brave as soon as we stop overthinking and overplanning, tying to get everything perfect before we start.

Success doesn't work like that.

The true test of couarge kicks in as soon as we decide to step into our fears, especially the vast unknown, and take our first bold step forward.

That is where real personal power happens. 

And the good news is that you have 100% control over what you chose to do or not do.

More from Today's the Day, personally narrated by me.

Today we cover three short chapters that are all about Courage, Clarity, and Conviction.

1 - Courage to Change

The more time I spend with this book, reading it aloud for you and the world, the more I realize what a tremendous blessing and gift my pain and suffering have been. Had I not been brave enough to ask for help to stop drinking nearly forty years ago, I likely never would be doing what I am now.

It has now become a personal responsibility to share what I know for the primary purpose of making it OK for others to lean in and say, even if privately, yeah me too!

These chapters and the entire book are specifically designed to help you rebuild your self-esteem and self-confidence.

Those who are already doing deeper work in recovery, whether in AA, Al-Anon, ACA, CoDA, or scores of other counseling, coaching, and psychotherapy resources, should find some of the reflections in these chapters, and the whole book, not only helpful but approachable without adding to our already stressed, crazy, neurotic lives.

This book was literally a 45-day download from my own Higher Power after I had written Ten Seconds of Boldness. I wrote Today’s The Day not only for others, but as an easy pocket guide to return to for myself whenever I feel spun or stuck.

I am sharing every single chapter here because this was a gift to me, and the greatest gifts are those that are shared.

I hope you find what you're looking for here, or wherever you are led to look.

A disclaimer and a word of advice:

I am not a therapist or doctor and strictly share my experience, strength, and hope as I have known and lived it from nearly four decades of recovery in 12-step programs.

I do not offer this or any of my books as a solution for those with challenges, mental, physical, or otherwise, that I am not qualified to diagnose or solve.

What I do offer is what has worked for me, and I encourage any and all to continue the hard work of being honest with yourselves and becoming bold and brave enough to believe in yourself, which may require seeking other advice. I am available as a Gap Mindset Coach and marketing mentor for those who need those services. I do not offer CBT or any other forms of therapy.

Please call others who may be qualified to assist.

Lastly, my word of encouragement for this book, and all I teach and do and live:

Be bold.

And check out my new kick-ass website that just went live last week!

https://shawnlangwell.com/

ABOUT THE HOST:

Shawn Langwell is an Author, Speaker, Teacher and Gap Mindset Coach & Consultant. He has written several transformational books including, Beyond Recovery, Ten Seconds of Boldness and its companion workbook, Today’s The Day, Morning Motivation, and Chill. He’s also the Past President of The California Writers Club (CWC), Redwood Writers, Past President of Toastmasters of Petaluma. Find him at www.shawnlangwell.com.

Visit my new website to download a free helpful guide for defining what you want and why you want it: Free Guide: From Here to There.

If you like the show, please follow and share, because sharing is caring and the world needs a lot more of it!

Until next time... Dare to Be Great, Dare to Be You

Love, Shawn

Join me and Korie as we share insights on helping people navigate the messy middle of our third acts of life.

One thing is abundantly clear, going through job changes or deciding what we want to do with the rest of our lives is much easier when we decide to work with a coach or trusted guide. The benefits of encouargement and accountablity are well worth the investment.

If you want help to stop overthinking everything and find the courage to take a chance on yourself, you'll love this episode.

About Korie:

Korie Pelka holds a B.F.A. and M.A. in theater directing and began her career as founder and artistic director of By Popular Demand Theater Ensemble. After starting a family, she transitioned into executive communications, spending 25 years supporting C-suite leaders at prominent Silicon Valley technology companies. In 2015, she made another bold career shift, volunteering to be laid off and embracing what she calls her “third act.” Today, Korie is a certified career coach who has helped hundreds of clients navigate meaningful career transitions. She is also an avid traveler in search of the perfect gelato and the author of the recently released career planning book, Get Unstuck. Get Clear. Get Going: A Guide to Discovering and Planning the Next Stage in Your Career Journey.

Find Korie Here: 

If you’d like to take a free career assessment quiz with actionable next steps, contact Korie via her website,

 LinkedIn

 Facebook

ABOUT THE HOST:

Shawn Langwell is an Author, Speaker, Teacher and Gap Mindset Coach & Consultant. He has written several transformational books including, Beyond Recovery, Ten Seconds of Boldness and its companion workbook, Today’s The Day, Morning Motivation, and Chill. He’s also the Past President of The California Writers Club (CWC), Redwood Writers, Past President of Toastmasters of Petaluma. Find him at www.shawnlangwell.com.

Visit my new website to download a free helpful guide for defining what you want and why you want it: Free Guide: From Here to There.

If you like the show, please follow and share, because sharing is caring and the world needs a lot more of it!

Until next time... Dare to Be Great, Dare to Be You

Love, Shawn

Join me for this inspiring conversation for writers at every level to tap into the storoes within and become brave enough to tell them. Jordan is one of my favroite wrting teachers because she truly strives to help other improve the skills of their craft.

Jordan Rosenfeld is author of the forthcoming writing guide: Writing Through the Pause: Mining Midlife for Powerful Writing, the novels Fallout, Women in Red and Forged in Grace and seven other books on the craft of writing, including The Sound of Story: Developing Voice and Tone in Writing and the bestselling Make a Scene, to name a few. Her freelance essays and articles have been published in hundreds of publications, including: The Atlantic, The New York Times, Publisher’s Weekly, Scientific American, The Rumpus, Writer’s Digest Magazine, and many more. Learn more about her freelance writing, developmental editing and writing coaching at: Jordanrosenfeld.net

Also, follow her here: 

@Jrose30 instagram

https://www.facebook.com/jordansmuse

Jordanwritelife.substack.com “Writing in the Pause”

ABOUT THE HOST:

Shawn Langwell is an Author, Speaker, Teacher and Gap Mindset Coach & Consultant. He has written several transformational books including, Beyond Recovery, Ten Seconds of Boldness and its companion workbook, Today’s The Day, Morning Motivation, and Chill. He’s also the Past President of The California Writers Club (CWC), Redwood Writers, Past President of Toastmasters of Petaluma. Find him at www.shawnlangwell.com.

Visit my new website to download a free helpful guide for defining what you want and why you want it: Free Guide: From Here to There.

If you like the show, please follow and share, because sharing is caring and the world needs a lot more of it!

Until next time... Dare to Be Great, Dare to Be You

Love, Shawn

More from Today's the Day, personally narrated by me.

Today we cover three short chapters that are all about choice.

1 - Upstream

The more time I spend with this book, reading it aloud for you and the world, the more I realize what a tremendous blessing and gift my pain and suffering have been. Had I not been brave enough to ask for help to stop drinking nearly forty years ago, I likely never would be doing what I am now.

It has now become a personal responsibility to share what I know for the primary purpose of making it OK for others to lean in and say, even if privately, yeah me too!

These chapters and the entire book are specifically designed to help you rebuild your self-esteem and self-confidence.

Those who are already doing deeper work in recovery, whether in AA, Al-Anon, ACA, CoDA, or scores of other counseling, coaching, and psychotherapy resources, should find some of the reflections in these chapters, and the whole book, not only helpful but approachable without adding to our already stressed, crazy, neurotic lives.

This book was literally a 45-day download from my own Higher Power after I had written Ten Seconds of Boldness. I wrote Today’s The Day not only for others, but as an easy pocket guide to return to for myself whenever I feel spun or stuck.

I am sharing every single chapter here because this was a gift to me, and the greatest gifts are those that are shared.

I hope you find what you're looking for here, or wherever you are led to look.

A disclaimer and a word of advice:

I am not a therapist or doctor and strictly share my experience, strength, and hope as I have known and lived it from nearly four decades of recovery in 12-step programs.

I do not offer this or any of my books as a solution for those with challenges, mental, physical, or otherwise, that I am not qualified to diagnose or solve.

What I do offer is what has worked for me, and I encourage any and all to continue the hard work of being honest with yourselves and becoming bold and brave enough to believe in yourself, which may require seeking other advice. I am available as a Gap Mindset Coach and marketing mentor for those who need those services. I do not offer CBT or any other forms of therapy.

Please call others who may be qualified to assist.

Lastly, my word of encouragement for this book, and all I teach and do and live:

Be bold.

And check out my new kick-ass website that just went live last week!

https://shawnlangwell.com/

ABOUT THE HOST:

Shawn Langwell is an Author, Speaker, Teacher and Gap Mindset Coach & Consultant. He has written several transformational books including, Beyond Recovery, Ten Seconds of Boldness and its companion workbook, Today’s The Day, Morning Motivation, and Chill. He’s also the Past President of The California Writers Club (CWC), Redwood Writers, Past President of Toastmasters of Petaluma. Find him at www.shawnlangwell.com.

Visit my new website to download a free helpful guide for defining what you want and why you want it: Free Guide: From Here to There.

If you like the show, please follow and share, because sharing is caring and the world needs a lot more of it!

Until next time... Dare to Be Great, Dare to Be You

Love, Shawn

Today we discuss simple tools and practices to help us clarify and define our motives and priorities.

1 - Finding Our Why

Folks, if you've been following this series, you'll see how we start to dive deeper into the heart of what it takes for personal growth and transformation to start sticking.

Two words: Willingness and Work.

Nothing will ever change until we become willing to change and become brave enough to take a few scary steps forward despite not knowing how things will turn out.

The more time I spend with this book reading it aloud for you and the world, the more I realize what a tremendous blessing and gift my pain and suffering have been. Had I not been forced to change, I likely never would be doing what I am now.

It has now become a personal responsibility to share what I know for the primary purpose of making it OK for others to lean in and say, even if privately, yeah me too!

These chapters and the entire book, are specifically designed to help you rebuild your self-esteem and self-confidence.

Those who are already doing deeper work in recovery, whether in AA, Al-Anon, ACA, CoDA, or scores of other counseling, coaching, and psychotherapy resources, should find some of the reflections in these chapters, and the whole book, not only helpful but approachable without adding to our already stressed, crazy, neurotic lives.

This book was literally a 45-day download from my own Higher Power after I had written Ten Seconds of Boldness. I wrote Today's The Day not only for others, but as an easy pocket guide to return to for myself whenever I feel spun or stuck.

I am sharing every single chapter here because this was a gift to me, and the greatest gifts are those that are shared.

I hope you find what you're looking for here, or wherever you are led to look.

A disclaimer and a word of advice:

I am not a therapist or doctor and strictly share my experience, strength, and hope as I have known and lived it from nearly four decades of recovery in 12-step programs.

I do not offer this or any of my books as a solution for those with challenges, mental, physical, or otherwise, that I am not qualified to diagnose or solve.

What I do offer is what has worked for me, and I encourage any and all to continue the hard work of being honest with yourselves and becoming bold and brave enough to believe in yourself, which may require seeking other advice. I am available as a Gap Mindset Coach and marketing mentor for those who need those services. I do not offer CBT or any other forms of therapy.

Please call others who may be qualified to assist.

Lastly, my word of encouragement for this book, and all I teach and do and live:

Be bold.

And for the love of all, DON'T QUIT BEFORE THE MIRACLES HAPPEN.

And checkout my new kick-ass website that just went live last week!

Love ya,

ABOUT THE HOST:

Shawn Langwell is an Author, Speaker, Teacher and Gap Mindset Coach & Consultant. He has written several transformational books including, Beyond Recovery, Ten Seconds of Boldness and its companion workbook, Today’s The Day, Morning Motivation, and Chill. He’s also the Past President of The California Writers Club (CWC), Redwood Writers, Past President of Toastmasters of Petaluma. Find him at www.shawnlangwell.com.

Visit my new website to download a free helpful guide for defining what you want and why you want it: Free Guide: From Here to There.

If you like the show, please follow and share, because sharing is caring and the world needs a lot more of it!

Until next time... Dare to Be Great, Dare to Be You