Welcome back to the Anti Hustle Business Podcast. This season is all about storytelling, honesty, and letting real humans share what it actually looks like to build a life and business outside of hustle culture — especially when things don’t go according to plan.

In this episode, Shannon is joined by returning guest Jelan Agnew — licensed clinical social worker, award-winning keynote and TEDx speaker, and someone who is living proof that sometimes everything has to fall apart before it finally clicks. They talk candidly about what 2025 has been like behind the scenes, from business slowing down to identity shedding, sobriety milestones, and choosing purpose over performance.

Jelan shares how she’s leaned into university and college speaking after realizing her TEDx talk was already opening the right doors, why she’s stopped forcing offers that don’t want to exist, and what it really takes to land speaking gigs (hint: it’s not passive). The conversation also goes deep into sobriety, recovery, and the freedom that comes from finally seeing the life you built — and deciding whether you actually want it.

This episode is honest, funny, grounding, and deeply validating if you’ve felt like nothing is working the way it used to… and maybe that’s the point.

Press play to hear Jelan’s full story, what she’s creating now, and why trusting the unknown might be the most anti-hustle move there is.

Connect with Jelan & explore her work:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nalejofself/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jelan-agnew-lcsw-tedx-speaker-88053710/

TEDx Talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/jelan_agnew_black_folk_mental_health_generational_trauma_traditions_and_truth?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare

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