S2 Ep27. The Adventure Within: Laurie Shiell on Listening, Legacy and Leaps of Faith

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In this heartwarming episode, host Aderonke Bademosi Wilson welcomes Laurie Shiell, an adventurer, listener and advocate for growth whose vibrant spirit and candid reflections leave a lasting impression. 

Laurie opens up about how her adventurous nature was born in Bermuda, where she and her sister explored the island by bus from a young age. That sense of bold curiosity still lives on. She shares a recent escapade paragliding in Turkey, a thrill that left her exhilarated and her husband concerned. For Laurie, adventure isn’t just a pastime; it’s part of who she is.

As the conversation deepens, Laurie shifts gears to speak about the art of listening, an essential skill she cultivated throughout her career in human resources. While her family may teasingly say otherwise, Laurie knows the power of truly hearing others. She attributes her deep listening abilities not just to her profession, but to a family culture rich with humor and resilience, where lightheartedness helps her navigate life with grace.

Listeners are then treated to a few delightful surprises about Laurie. She never graduated from high school, yet went on to earn a master’s degree. She’s the youngest of her mother’s children, with a sister 17 years her junior. And perhaps most striking of all, she fears very little in life.

Laurie’s educational journey is nothing short of inspiring. She candidly shares her unconventional path, leaving high school early, enrolling at Bermuda College, earning her GED, and eventually finding her academic home at Spelman College. Along the way, she changed majors from computer science to a field that better aligned with her strengths and interests, highlighting her adaptability and self-awareness.

Much of Laurie’s strength, she says, is rooted in the influence of her mother, a young, single parent who raised Laurie and her sister with a mix of love, laughter and tenacity. The trio formed a close-knit unit, and the joy they found in each other’s company shaped Laurie’s perspective on life and relationships.

One of Laurie’s proudest moments came recently when her daughter graduated with a bachelor’s degree. This milestone filled her with immense pride and underscored the importance of family legacy and perseverance through generations.

In her professional life, Laurie reflects on a defining moment in her HR career, when she helped two colleagues move beyond a cycle of conflict through anger management support. This experience reinforced her belief in the transformative power of listening with empathy, withholding judgment and believing in people’s capacity for growth.

Laurie’s story is one of resilience and evolution. From overcoming early setbacks to embracing continuous learning and change, she reminds us that our past doesn’t dictate our future. Her approach to listening, with curiosity and compassion, emerges as a quiet form of leadership. And through it all, the humor and love within her family remain central, a steady force that has carried her through life’s many adventures.

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