Keep It Positive, Sweetie
Episode: "A Life in Bloom with Shawn Finnie"
Host: Crystal Renee Hayslett
Guest: Shawn Finnie
Date: August 13, 2024
Episode Overview
In this heartfelt episode, host Crystal Renee Hayslett sits down with entertainment executive and producer Shawn Finnie to unpack the theme of "pivot season"—the idea of embracing life's transitions, allowing personal reinvention, and faithfully stepping into new chapters. Through vulnerable storytelling and candid reflection, Shawn details his unique upbringing, career milestones, battles with depression, and the power of letting go in order to evolve. The conversation is rich with insights on identity, value, faith, and what it truly means to “bloom” in life. The episode is both motivational and grounding, offering wisdom for anyone facing big life shifts or seeking deeper self-acceptance.
Main Topics & Key Insights
1. The Power of Authentic Connection and Being a “Light”
- Opening Exchange (02:03–04:45)
- Crystal expresses deep admiration for Shawn’s ability to uplift people just by being himself, both in person and online.
- Quote: “Shine your light on the road ahead and you are helping others see their way out of darkness.” – Crystal [02:04]
- Shawn recounts a moment when he comforted Crystal during her first panic attack, exemplifying his genuine care for people beyond surface-level interactions.
- Quote: “It's funny because I saw you for the first time on stage...and I beeline straight to you—and I was like, how’s your heart? How's your spirit? ... The assumption is you're good because you're there. But that's not always the truth.” – Shawn [04:09]
2. Navigating Duality: Childhood, Faith, and Formative Lessons
- Shawn’s Background (05:35–10:44)
- Raised in a household with a Muslim dad and Christian mom, coupled with a military upbringing, Shawn learned about choice, duality, and adaptability from an early age.
- The blending of faiths and frequent moves equipped him to pivot easily throughout life and understand the complexity of people and spaces.
- Quote: “It really taught me the duality of two things can exist at the same time... Allah. God. ...It could be two different things for me, I think, really helped me understand how to acclimate to people.” – Shawn [07:02]
3. The Evolution of Identity and Value, Especially in Hollywood
- On Social Media and Perceptions (10:50–12:06)
- Shawn reflects on how social media and the entertainment industry distort ideas of value and identity, making it easy to get “addicted to the identity” others see versus staying true to oneself.
- He emphasizes a mindset shift from scarcity to surplus, learning to let go so that greater things can come—even if that means stepping away from conventional successes.
- Quote: “If you had a surplus mindset, you wouldn't even be thinking about this. You would put this down because you know something else is coming.” – Shawn [11:46]
4. Early Career Struggles, Setbacks, and Resilience
- From Homelessness to the Academy (12:22–18:35)
- Shawn candidly recalls turning down a music deal to preserve his authentic image, which unexpectedly led to homelessness in LA.
- He describes working odd jobs, living in his car, and eventually landing a temp assistant position at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which set the stage for his historic rise.
- Quote: “When I had nothing, I felt like I had everything. As weird as that sounds. ... I had to let go of the identity of what was to allow something new to come. But we don't talk about that in between.” – Shawn [16:11]
5. Climbing the Ladder: Achievements at the Academy & Letting Go
- Making History and Moving Forward (17:36–20:45)
- Shawn became the youngest Black male executive at the Academy and navigated high-profile moments (e.g., #OscarsSoWhite), leveraging his impact to create meaningful change.
- He reflects on the tension between public success and private sacrifice, and how letting go—sometimes at the height of perceived achievement—is necessary for growth.
- Quote: "Some of your biggest blessings can also take a lot out of you, can also challenge you the most... But I've gotten greater before, so I want to get greater again." – Shawn [18:35, 18:45]
6. Facing Depression, Redefining Success, and Mental Health
- Battling with Depression (27:35–30:37)
- Shawn openly discusses experiencing deep depression—both before and during his time at the Academy—as he struggled to reconcile external accomplishments with internal fulfillment.
- Therapy and redefining personal success were pivotal in moving beyond people’s expectations and persistent self-criticism.
- Quote: “I've had an amazing childhood, and my biggest enemy was always myself. Super critical, super, very hard, super pressure on myself to excel, to succeed.” – Shawn [29:36]
- Quote: “I was too exhausted to dream.” – Shawn [22:02]
7. Working on Self: Rest, Reimagining Dreams, Multiple Streams
- Life After the Academy (30:50–35:30)
- Shawn explains his current focus on personal healing, restoration, and conscious dreaming.
- He shares his annual tradition of choosing a theme word; for 2024, it’s “multiple”—multiple streams of peace, income, love, and healing.
- Quote: “The biggest project I'm ever going to work on is myself.” – Shawn [31:24]
- Quote: “My year was illuminate... you can only see how bright something shines juxtaposed to the darkness.” – Shawn [34:11]
8. The Practice of Letting Go and Embracing Change
- Releasing Old Identities & Embracing New Growth (44:51–47:24)
- Both Crystal and Shawn talk about being willing to release not just people and things, but outdated versions of themselves, as part of leveling up.
- Quote: “We all want to be the space shuttle and we all want to take off... but the things you take off with aren't always the things that can go with you.” – Shawn [45:07]
- Quote: “Sometimes you're the thing you need to let go of.” – Shawn [46:34]
9. Peaceful Practices & Being Grounded
- On Achieving Peace (40:30–43:27)
- Shawn credits solitude, self-affirmation, and speaking love inwardly as main sources of his current peace.
- Fitness and self-discipline are foundational to his mental health and ability to operate at a high level.
- Quote: “I talk to myself a lot. I love you. ... I've been wanting a lot of other people to say certain things to me that I really needed to say to myself.” – Shawn [40:55]
Notable Quotes
-
“When you see people online, we see the accomplishments, we see the things we're doing, so our assumption is always that, oh, they're thriving, they're good. And they might be, but that doesn't mean that you can't have a bad day or a bad moment in the day.”
– Shawn [05:07] -
“Are you willing to leave the good to grasp the greater?”
– Shawn [17:16] -
“So in this season, just redefining what [success] means for me now.”
– Shawn [30:37] -
“If I love myself, if I really love myself, and by that, if I trust myself, if I believe in myself, if I value myself, would I stay here?”
– Shawn [24:44] -
“If it's from God, you may be tired, but it won’t be exhaustion.”
– Crystal [36:31] -
“Sometimes we're like, this is my intuition. Like, is it your intuition or is it insecurity that’s causing you to do that?”
– Shawn [37:35] -
“The project is me. The thing I'm looking at is Me, the thing I'm working on is me, me, me, me. Because I'm going to carry me everywhere that I wanted to go.”
– Shawn [31:26]
Listener Letters & Advice Segment ("Positive Outcomes")
[53:20–55:43]
- Letter from Sariah: On entrepreneurship and self-doubt.
- Shawn’s advice:
- Write down your truth when you’re in a good space to revisit when doubt creeps in.
- Allow yourself to feel your feelings and recognize them as passing.
- Note your progress and remember how far you’ve come: “Just look back in the rearview mirror and be like, I'm 24 exits past where I used to be.” – Shawn [55:41]
What They're Going/Growing Through (Self-Reflection)
[55:53–57:59]
- Crystal: Letting go of her timeline for God and moving toward more patience, trusting the process.
- Shawn: Accepting and embracing change, understanding that every level requires a new kind of faith and discipline, and recognizing it’s okay to miss parts of the past when evolving.
Final Takeaways & Memorable Closers
[57:59–58:39]
- Keep it disciplined, sweetie. – Crystal: Each new level needs a new kind of discipline.
- Keep it blooming, sweetie. – Shawn: Growth is about what’s happening beneath the surface, not just what’s visible.
Timestamps for Key Segments
- [02:03] – Crystal’s opening tribute to Shawn as a “light”
- [07:02] – Shawn on faith, duality, and military childhood
- [12:22] – Turning down a record deal and experiencing homelessness
- [17:36] – Career progression at the Academy, making history
- [22:02] – “Too exhausted to dream”: growth, exhaustion, and letting go
- [27:35] – Depression, therapy, and redefining personal success
- [34:11] – Theme words and reflections on purpose
- [40:55] – Achieving peace and the importance of self-love
- [45:07] – Letting go, growth, and the “space shuttle” analogy
- [53:20] – Listener letter and advice from Shawn
Tone & Style
The episode is deeply conversational, honest, and uplifting, filled with laughter, raw admissions, and practical wisdom, mirroring the mission of “Keep It Positive, Sweetie”: to inspire, empower, and heal with grace and grit.
Summary Usefulness
This summary captures the core messages and intimate moments from the episode, making it easy for non-listeners to absorb the hard-won lessons about resilience, change, self-worth, and the real meaning of “blooming”—no matter the season of life.