I Pressed Record at 51 and It Changed the Direction of My Life

At 51 years old, I did something that scared me.

I started a podcast.

Travel Time Stories with Shannon wasn't supposed to become anything big. There wasn't a grand business plan, a carefully mapped-out strategy, or a vision of listeners around the world.

It was just me, a microphone, and a story I felt like I needed to tell.

My original idea was simple: I would tell stories about my personal life and my travel adventures.

And I remember thinking:

Who is actually going to listen to this?

Maybe a friend or two.

Maybe no one.

But I pressed record anyway.

Not because I thought people needed to hear my story.

Because I needed to tell it.

Then Something Unexpected Happened

There were times in those early months when I thought about quitting.

Podcasting was completely outside my comfort zone. Growth was slow. I questioned whether what I was doing mattered.

But every once in a while, someone would listen.

Someone would send me a message.

Someone would encourage me to keep going.

And those few listeners were enough.

I also noticed that many of the podcasts I listened to had guests. So, mostly for fun, I posted on LinkedIn and Facebook asking if anyone wanted to come on my little show and share a personal story about travel or life.

I wasn't expecting much.

People started replying almost immediately.

They wanted to be on my show.

My little show!

So I started interviewing people.

And that's when everything changed.

The Guests Became Part of My Story

I thought I was inviting people onto the podcast so they could tell their stories.

I didn't realize their stories were going to change mine.

Some guests inspired me.

Some challenged the way I thought.

Some became friends.

And a few completely changed the trajectory of my life.

One of those people was Anthony Scott, esq.

Anthony helped me confront something I had been carrying for years: imposter syndrome.

But our conversations went much deeper than that.

He challenged me to look at the difference between passion and purpose and somewhere in that process, I began asking myself a deceptively simple question:

Who am I?

Not who am I as a wife.

Not who am I as a mother.

Not who am I in my job.

Not who am I according to all the roles, responsibilities, expectations, and labels I had accumulated over more than 30 years.

Who am I?

I didn't realize how difficult that question would be to answer.

Somewhere along the way, I had lost pieces of myself.

The podcast that began as a place to tell my stories became one of the places where I started finding my way back to myself.

And slowly, my passion and my purpose began to align.

One Year Later...

Today, Travel Time Stories looks very different from the podcast I nervously started at 51.

My best friend, Ann, is now my co-host, and together we have conversations with people from around the world.

We've released 67 episodes.

We've reached 3,000 downloads.

We've been heard across North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.

But those numbers aren't what I'm most proud of.

It's the messages.

It's hearing someone say:

"I needed to hear that story."

It's knowing someone felt less alone because another person was brave enough to be vulnerable.

It's watching strangers discover that someone halfway around the world has experienced the same grief, fear, transition, dream, uncertainty, or hope that they have.

Because Ann and I believe something very strongly:

Stories and travel have the power to heal.

Travel Time Stories has become a safe, nonjudgmental space for real people sharing real stories and real journeys bringing about healing one conversation at a time.

And here's the part I never expected:

While we hoped the podcast would help other people, their stories have helped us too.

Every story has woven itself into our lives somehow.

We've made incredible friendships. We've met some of our guests in real life. We've laughed, cried, learned, questioned ourselves, changed our perspectives, and been inspired to do things we might never have done otherwise.

What started with me alone behind a microphone has become a community.

The Doors Keep Opening

Part of the show's growth has come through PodMatch, which introduced us to guests with stories and perspectives we might never have discovered otherwise.

We've spoken with TEDx speakers, award-winning authors, fellow podcast hosts, experts in their fields, travelers, survivors, dreamers, and everyday people who have lived extraordinary chapters.

The topics vary wildly, but there's a common thread:

What happens when life changes and what do we do next?

We've talked about adversity, grief, travel, reinvention, relationships, identity, healing, pursuing dreams, finding alignment, and starting over.

And now the show is growing again.

This month, we launched a limited bonus series called The Author Spotlight Series, running from September through December.

We're interviewing indie authors across genres, giving them a space not only to talk about their latest books, but to tell the story of the person behind the pages.

We read each featured book and provide a review because we want this series to do something tangible: support authors and help readers discover voices they may not otherwise find.

And somehow, while all of this has been happening, the microphone has started turning around.

Ann and I are now being invited onto other podcasts to share our story.

I'm writing two books of my own.

I'm developing a 1:1 guided rediscovery experience for women navigating life transitions. A space to help women reconnect, reclaim, and reinvent.

And I'm working toward another dream: speaking on stages and helping women wrestle with the same question that changed my life:

Who am I?

Passion. Purpose. And That Third P...

Recently, my friend Anthony Scott, esq.—yes, the same Anthony who helped me confront my imposter syndrome and begin thinking differently about my purpose—published his book, Passion, Purpose, and Paycheck: The Three P's to Career Fulfillment.

It's an amazing book.

Although I might be slightly biased because a small piece of my story made its way into one of the chapters. 😊

But I believe deeply in the message.

Find your passion.

Follow it until it reveals your purpose.

Stay committed to that purpose.

And eventually, the paycheck can follow.

I'm still waiting on that third P.

And that's okay.

Because right now, I get messages telling me that something we created helped someone.

I watch a guest realize their story matters.

I see friendships forming.

I see authors getting another opportunity to talk about their work.

I see women questioning who they are beyond the roles they've spent decades filling.

And I see the woman who nervously pressed record at 51 becoming someone she hadn't met yet.

So Anthony, I have one tiny suggestion for the next edition:

Maybe we change the subtitle.

The Three P's to LIFE Fulfillment.

Because I've learned that when your passion and your purpose finally align, they don't just change your career.

They can change your entire life.

And if you're sitting on an idea right now because you think you're too old, too inexperienced, too late, too small, or that nobody will care...

Press record.

Write the first page.

Start the business.

Take the trip.

Ask the question.

You don't need to know where it's going yet.

Sometimes the thing you start because you need it becomes the very thing that helps you discover who you were meant to become.

At 51, I thought I was starting a podcast.

I had no idea I was starting my way back to myself.

Shannon Lamkin Host, Travel Time Stories with Shannon Real Journeys. Real Stories. Real Healing. traveltimestories.com