Thanks For Being Here - Shannon Watts' Letter to her Younger Self

Kelly Corrigan Wonders

Kelly Corrigan Show

Society & Culture

4.8 • 3.2K Ratings

🗓️ 22 June 2025

⏱️ 7 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Shannon Watts thought she had it all figured out - marriage, three kids, and a steady job. But by her mid-thirties, she realized she was living someone else's life. After leaving an unfulfilling marriage and career, she spent years asking herself one crucial question: "What do I want?" That led her to found Moms Demand Action at age 41 after a mass school shooting - despite being an introvert with ADHD and a fear of public speaking. In this episode, Kelly reads a letter Shannon wrote to her younger self, where she shares her "fire formula" for transformation, why pursuing your desires is a radical act for women and how living authentically became her greatest legacy. Check out Shannon's new book: Fired Up: How to Turn Your Spark into a Flame and Come Alive at Any Age https://www.amazon.com/Fired-Up-Spark-Flame-Alive/dp/0593831934 To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, everyone. Welcome to Thanks for being here, a short weekly pod to remind us of the many
0:05.4	essential and beautiful ways we affect one another. Every Sunday, I'll read a submission from a
0:12.1	listener of Kelly Corrigan Wonders. Could be wedding vows or a bat mitzvah toast, a eulogy, or
0:17.3	retirement speech. We believe this is probably the loveliest way to tap into our better
0:22.8	selves and remember our highest values. We encourage you to share this podcast each week with one
0:29.1	person you love. Maybe someone you miss and need to bring closer, someone you want to feel
0:34.5	your appreciation or admiration or both.
0:40.0	This is thanks for being here.
0:50.2	This week's thanks for being here comes from Shannon Watts.
0:55.7	She is the founder of Mom's Demand Action and the author of Fired Up, How to Turn Your Spark into a Flame and Come Alive at Any Age. Mom's Demand Action is one of the largest grassroots
1:02.3	organizations in the country and over the past 10 years they have passed over 500 gun safety laws,
1:10.1	stopped the gun industry's agenda in state houses 90% of the time,
1:14.6	elected thousands of gun sense candidates to office, and passed the first federal gun legislation
1:20.9	in a generation. This is Shannon Watts's letter to her younger self.
1:33.6	My dearest former self, today I stand before you not to mourn a life lost, but to honor a life lived.
1:38.5	A life that was once mine, though it now feels like the story of someone I once knew intimately.
1:40.6	The younger woman I used to be.
1:45.7	You were a curious soul, fueled by dreams that sparkled just beyond your reach.
1:50.8	You were impatient, sometimes reckless and often afraid, though you would never admit it.
1:56.6	You believed in the power of beginnings, in the magic of possibility. You loved fiercely,
2:03.0	laughed loudly, and cried without shame. You stumbled, but you always found a way to rise again.
2:08.8	I remember your optimism, your stubbornness, and your endless questions. As you got older,
	...

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