Today we’d like to introduce you to Shea Faulconer.
Hi Shea, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Growing up in the age of revolutionizing technology, I started creating content at a very young age. Granted, it was not good at all, given how young I was, but I believe that is where my journey began, not only in creating content but in being creative. I began taking content creation more seriously around my sophomore year of high school, which is the time in my life when I believe my entire path shifted. I used to have aspirations of becoming a musician, writing and recording my own songs & covers, then posting them to YouTube, and then shifted to creating more content revolving around showcasing my personality. COVID-19 also hit during my Sophomore year, which confined me to my house for over a year.
Despite how rough that time was, I came out improved on the other end, finding new interests and hopes, such as fitness and politics. After graduating from high school is where I decided to truly start trying more. I had no clue what I wanted to do with my life, but I knew that I never wanted to live a life where I couldn’t be creative, passionate, and fulfilled in whichever career I pursued. There, I began creating fitness content. Admittedly, it was nowhere near good, but it gives me a good laugh now whenever I go back and look at the content I made then versus now. But after high school, I struggled immensely. I didn’t know what my purpose was, I had no clue what I was going to major in, or what career I wanted to pursue, and all my friends had moved away while I was stuck doing my freshman year of college in the same house I’ve lived in my whole life.
I was also struggling through the transition of being a student-athlete for the past 3 years. Before, I lived an incredibly structured life due to playing softball, so once I graduated, I was spending multiple hours a day in the gym trying to see what stuck. I had parameters, but it wasn’t until I transferred to Oklahoma State University that everything truly shifted into perspective for me.
There, I found myself, what I wanted to do with my life, and a great support system. At OSU, I majored in multimedia journalism, and I essentially documented my entire time there. I began creating more curated content in my sophomore year of college, but my first year was beyond difficult. I was dealing with living away from home for the first time and knowing nobody at OSU besides my cousin, in addition to being in an incredibly toxic relationship. I channeled most of my feelings into lifting and began my journey in bodybuilding there. I competed for the first time the summer going into my junior year and hit my stride in my senior year. I put all my energy towards being creative and striving to be the best creative and journalist that I could possibly be. It felt so amazing to finally feel like I had a place where I could combine both of my interests and feel like I belonged somewhere.
While at OSU, I had so many amazing opportunities, such as having a sit-down interview with ESPN’s Holly Rowe, connecting with OSU softball players, and with Head Coach Kenny Gajewski, reporting on so many softball games, in addition to anchoring our news desk for 2 years (No. 2 Collegiate Student Newscast in the nation now), conducting investigative reporting, and creating multiple feature stories.
I’ve been graduated 2 months now, and am back to the strange place of knowing I can hold my own, but also fighting tooth and nail to create a place for myself at the table. While I apply to countless jobs and wait with bated breath, I’m pouring myself into my creative endeavors, creating sports reporting content on TikTok and Instagram, as well as educational and entertaining fitness content on those same platforms.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Not at all. I’ve faced so many roadblocks along the way, either put there by someone else or by myself. I’ve faced verbal abuse from authority figures, a toxic relationship, professors belittling me and ruthlessly criticizing my work without providing constructive criticism, the constant fear of being behind, body dysmorphia, and so much self-doubt. In college, especially, I struggled heavily with imposter syndrome. I was surrounded by so many insanely talented peers at OSU, some of whom have gone on to work at top news stations right out of college. While these people heavily believed in me and were my support system, it was also in that circle that I found myself tearing myself apart with self-doubt. I constantly compared myself to every person I worked alongside, sometimes going into a separate room during the day so nobody would see or hear me crying, having a breakdown because I just felt so small and lost. I felt so behind and nowhere near the caliber I should be. And when someone tried to deliver comfort and uplift me, I couldn’t help but feel like they were lying to my face, because I was being consumed whole by my anxiety and doubt. I’ve also always dealt with the feeling that nothing I ever do is good enough. I could spend 24/7 working on something and somehow manage to pick it to pieces, comparing it to other people’s work, even though I knew that everyone has their own creative style.
I still struggle with some of these aspects, but now, when I find myself going back to that place of doubt, I’m able to give myself positive reminders. I know that everyone has their own path and timeline, and that there will always be a light at the end of the tunnel, even if it seems pitch black. I know that I have so many people who believe in me and my potential, and that many people cannot be wrong about me.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I have two accounts where I specialize in very different topics. One account is dedicated to fitness and bodybuilding, where I provide content such as tutorials, opinions, advice, and entertainment that caters to women in the sphere. My other account is where I specialize in sports reporting, covering mostly collegiate and professional softball, and sometimes professional wrestling. So, if you were to ask somebody what they know me for, most of my audience would say my fitness content, but I also have such a loyal following when it comes to sports reporting, who follow me because I primarily focus on highlighting softball, which historically gets less coverage.
When it comes to my content, I’m so proud of how vulnerable and honest I’ve been. I believe it’s inherently harmful, especially in the health and wellness space, to put on a false persona and pretend that you don’t face the same struggles that most women face. People want to have someone that they can trust and relate to, and to be able to have people confident and comfortable enough to admit that they face the same issues I do is incredible.
I’m so proud of the community I’ve created and how honest I’ve been, even when it’s incredibly difficult to do so. Facing criticism is something I’ve also had to deal with, especially when it comes to sports reporting, because everyone is going to have an opinion on what you have to say, but it usually turns very targeted and personal. So navigating those situations is something I’m also quite proud of myself for, because I’ve learned so much in the way that I take the comments, as well as deciding how to respond to them, even if I do. I’ve found that sometimes the best choice is to not respond at all, even if I want to, because not all comments elicit a response.
I believe it’s both of the aforementioned things that I’m proud of that set me apart. I’ve found that in a world of many uncontrollable circumstances, the one thing that I CAN control is myself. I’ve learned to carry myself in a very unique way, where I know that my words have value and can personally affect someone in a lasting, powerful way, but I also have enough self-respect to know that not everybody deserves my energy. I truly believe that if I’m candid in the way that I present myself online, I can change at least one person’s life by presenting myself online in an honest, raw, and vulnerable fashion. It gives me so much purpose and fulfillment to know that I positively impact someone’s life, or bring them joy, and I believe it’s that mission that sets me apart.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
The most important lesson that I’ve learned is to believe in myself and my abilities and maintain confidence, even if I don’t truly have it. I know that I’m talented, capable, and able to do whatever I put my mind to, but that if I don’t truly believe that I can do anything, it will become true. I’m a big believer that you receive the same energy that you give, so it would only make sense that if I want positive things to come my way, I should be positive toward myself. I’ve had so many moments of self-doubt, and when I think back on major events and situations where that factor played a huge part in the way I carried myself and carried out my work, I wish I could go back and believe in myself just a little more.
I have the confidence now that I wish I had always had, and it has drastically changed the way I carry and present myself. And my favorite bit of advice that I wish everyone could hear is that if the confidence isn’t there, fake it. If you don’t outwardly showcase that you’re nervous, nobody is going to know that maybe you’re less experienced or less qualified. If you walk into a room, act like you own it, because it’s that exact attitude that will carry you far. I’ve done exactly that in countless situations, and it has never worked against me. And if you believe that there is no room for you to sit at the table, make room.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sheafaulconer.wixsite.com/sheafaulc
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shealauren_/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheafaulconer/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@shealauren
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@shealaufit
