Shannon Vaughn

Kindred Folks are real flesh, blood and bones humans that we feel a kinship with. They often do rad things. Typically, they have a bit of rebel in them too...you know, question everything and follow their heart type of stuff. We think people's lives would be a bit brighter knowing more about them. So here goes....

Say hi to Shannon Vaughn. There are certain people you meet in life that when your paths cross you get all head-noddy and agreeable because you just can't believe how much you get them. Shannon is that person to me. I get what she is doing, why she cares, and why she's trying to change the world and make it better. Shannon completely embodies what a Kindred Folk is. She's making magic happen, challenging the status quo, and asking the hard questions. Besides being the Founder of Pursoma, a brand paving the way to reshape our definitions of true beauty by keeping people well from the inside out, she's a foxy mama-to-be who's about to enter the sisterhood of women entrepreneurs balancing raising a child and growing a business. Mighty mamas unite! 

Name three items you cant live without: There is nothing I can’t live without. I have lived in so many different countries and environments around the world at various ages, that I have learned that I can always adapt. But if I had to list a few essentials that feel really important to me they would be (1) an excellent natural lip balm, (2) high quality green tea, and (3) my Pursoma Floral Defense which is a homeopathic remedy for living well in today’s modern world (not released yet, coming soon!!!!)

If you could go on a road trip with your best friend tomorrow, would it be more Thelma & Louise, PeeWee's Big Adventure, Easy Rider, National Lampoons Vacation, or Sideways? Definitely Thelma and Louise, anyone that knows me would agree…but it would have a better ending.

What did you do the last time you unplugged? I unplug daily, but when I do it for longer time periods, I get all my work done so that I feel relaxed when I totally disconnect.  I usually do this when I spend time at my farm because there is a terrible internet connection there (a good thing) and once I am outdoors it feels intuitive to me to not be connected to an electronic gadget; out there, technology just instinctively feels out of place, like being totally overdressed for a casual party.

Best hangover cure? I used to have hangovers but that was quite a while ago, best treatment was…steam room and water. Years ago when I was first living in NYC, my roommate and I would take a liter of water each and go to the steam room at the gym (the only reason we went to the gym). She would drag me there around 9:00 am after we had just come in around 6:00 am— that was fun!!

What do you miss most about your pre-internet brain? My pre-internet brain made me commit more information to memory, especially planning and scheduling. When there were no emails and EVERYONE did not have a cell phone, you had to have a preplan, write it down, stick to it and usually you couldn't cancel last minute cause you couldn't reach anyone. So my pre-internet brain made much better use of my memory.

When, where and how are you when you are the most present? When I sit in meditation. I studied meditation originally to overcome the side effects I suffered from PTSD from some experiences I had when living in the Middle East.  Once I learned the practice I have never had to use anything else to get re-centered and become present, plus meditation can be done anywhere, any time.

Describe the most memorable night of your life. I am about to have a baby so let me get back to you; I am hoping that may be it.

What's your spirit animal and why? The owl.  Owls represent wisdom and the ability to see what others do not. I am constantly driven to seek out wisdom because of my incessant curiosity. I try to observe situations in a positive aspect, but have a good capacity to see beyond deceit and masks. I have a photograph of an owl in my bedroom by Nine Francois who records the image of the animal on film and then prints stills.

Best album cover of all time? Ohh album, this is dating me because I don't know the last time I actually saw or owned an album. But, one of my favorites was Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon, just to clarify I didn't own albums I had CD’s (I think those came after tapes).

What keeps you up at night? Ideas, I have a very hard time shutting off. The best thing that I ever learned was yoga nidra, it’s a technique for relaxation that allows me to totally calm down and shut down so I can sleep.

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