We will be doing things a little differently on today’s show, meaning that instead of being the interviewer and host, Cassandra herself becomes the guest! There can’t be a podcast without a host though, and so we welcome Janelle Lara from The Part-Time CEO onto the show so that she can shoot all the burning questions Cassandra’s way. Stacked Against is devoted to telling the stories of brilliant humans who stood up in the face of crises, and that is exactly what our beloved host does in this episode too. She shares her own life story, and by the end of the show, you will have so much more insight into some of the personal experiences that lie as the inspiration and vision behind this podcast. Cassandra speaks about an incredibly sad and challenging home situation which she got out of as soon as she could. Hustle, grind, blind determination, and self-reliance factor in hugely throughout Cassandra’s story, and we hear how she put herself through college, doing whatever it took to keep up with her schoolwork and the countless different jobs she worked at to keep afloat. All the way through, Cassandra opens up about how her childhood trauma was triggered by different scenarios, and the many kinds of recourse she took in these moments. We hear about a number of other life crises that Cassandra went through as well, but end off on a hugely positive and empowered note when we learn about the many achievements she has accomplished since. Everybody has moments where the odds seem stacked against them, but by listening in you will learn that dreams can still come true despite them.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Coping mechanisms and the turbulent childhood Cassandra had with an abusive father.
• Realizations Cassandra had about her mother’s victim mentality after giving birth.
• How the need to survive influenced choosing to study entrepreneurship.
• Cassandra’s path of dropping her corporate job to follow her passion with Tola.
• How Cassandra’s coaching business grew organically out of her marketing one.
• More businesses Cassandra started: a prenatal yoga studio and cookie company.
• The core vision behind Cassandra’s work: to prove that women can do anything they want.

Tweetables:

“In my mind, I said, ‘I have one of two options. I can either stay in this household, where I am at, and die, or I can leave and see if maybe I won’t die.’” — Cassandra Shuck [0:15:08]

“I would love for every woman that I come in contact with to take that piece that’s in the back of their mind that says they can’t do it because someone said they can’t and actually prove that wrong.” — Cassandra Shuck [0:46:51]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Cassandra Shuck

Cassandra on LinkedIn

Cassandra on Instagram

Janelle Lara

The Part-time CEO

Johnson & Wales