Interview with entrepreneur Shauna Brittenham Reiter

Writer Shauna Brittenham Reiter chats with me about her new self-help book, You Are the Boss of You: Cultivate the Mindset and Tools to Live Life on Your Terms.

Bio:
Shauna Brittenham Reiter is an entrepreneur and author dedicated to the empowerment and healing of herself and others. In 2019, she founded the wellness company Alaya Naturals based on the principles of holistic health that led her from a life limited by overwhelming ailments to founding a multi-million-dollar wellness company before the age of forty. Diagnosed with a plethora of autoimmune conditions, Shauna has cultivated a vast understanding of what the body requires to thrive. And while her focus on natural medicine has made radical healing possible for herself and hundreds of thousands of others, it is Shauna’s exploration of the world within that has cultivated true miracles. Shauna wrote You Are the Boss of You to empower others to take control of their lives and claim the emotional freedom that leads to abundance. Prior to founding Alaya Naturals, Shauna was a Montessori school teacher and singer/songwriter—her album Dreamer’s Dream was releasedin 2017. She currently resides in Los Angeles with her husband and two children.

Welcome, Shauna. Please tell us about your current release.
I wrote You Are the Boss of You to empower people to heal, live life on their terms, and build an incredible future. 

After reading this book, people will understand how to:

·Soften boundaries and embrace positivity
·Re-parent yourself with vulnerability and compassion
·Let go of perfectionism and unrealistic expectations
·Establish your true identity with awareness and care
·Prioritize the value of sleep for emotional and mental health
·Take brave steps towards healing from potential trauma
·Celebrate the full spectrum of human emotions
·Create flow and productivity in your life
·Advocate for your soul’s dreams and desires

You Are the Boss of You creates the scaffolding for you to be your authentic self and honor your deepest desires.

What inspired you to write this book?
I first wrote a memoir in 2020 that unpacks the childhood trauma and stress that was at the root of my autoimmune struggles. After completing my memoir, I realized how incredibly privileged I am to be on a journey of healing that has allowed me to cultivate a deep sense of peace from a starting point of immense anxiety and pain. Understanding how much access I’ve had to different therapeutic methods as well as the time and spaciousness to befriend my body and mind, it felt almost imperative to write a book that empowers others to do the same. I would still like to publish my memoir, but timing is everything and it was clear that You Are the Boss of You needed to be the first offering.

Excerpt from You Are the Boss of You:
“Our goal is not to become a better version of ourselves. It is to peel away the parts of ourselves that have learned to be fearful and full of shame so that we can experience our essence unencumbered.”

What exciting project are you working on next?
I’m working on another self-help book about my experience with tinnitus, a collection of poetry, and a screenplay. Words, words, and more words!

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I probably first considered myself a writer in high school when I began to write poetry then not again until I wrote a novel when my son was four months old. I don’t intend to ever publish that novel but writing it transported me to worlds that made me feel alive and I knew at that point that I was going to be writing for a very long time.

Do you write full-time? If so, what’s your workday like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I have a wellness company called Alaya Naturals that I founded in 2019, so my days are a mish mosh of Alaya, my two young children, writing, and snacking. Lots of snacking in the mix; I consider it a part-time job. Often, I wake up at 5am to write. But often, I steal the moments between the moments and find creative ways to get it done. This includes voice memos that I dictate while driving, sentences I form while cooking dinner, and words that I scribble into a tiny notebook while watching my children play catch. When you’re a working mother, curating the perfect moment to write is like waiting for aliens to land in your backyard. It would be cool if it happened, but most likely it won’t. I am also a singer/songwriter, so every now and then I’m called into a studio to co-write a song. These are my favorite days.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
When I’m writing, I try to have a candle and bar of chocolate nearby. Cozy, yummy things make everything better.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be three things: a teacher of young children, singer, and poet. The common thread was hoping to communicate in ways that spoke to the heart.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
It doesn’t have to be perfect ever. Anything you do, everything you do, should be done because it lights you up inside. If what you create makes you sing, there’s a good chance it will make others sing too. Focus on the experience of your body while you’re writing and if it feels tense or stressed, get up and take a walk. Move. Ask yourself why you are putting so much pressure on yourself to create. Creativity is most abundant when we’re not overthinking or trying to get it right. Let it be light. Let it be fun. If you’re stuck, think of something funny. Everything you want to write and need to say is already within you so take a breath and just let it pour out. You can always edit later on. But the seeds of your ideas are pure and raw so plant them without judgement.

Links:
You Are the Boss of You | Website | My Wellness Company | Facebook