Have you ever had one of those moments where you think to yourself something along the lines of, “this is so weird. I never thought the different pathways of my life would cross and somehow bring me to this exact moment.” That pretty much sums up a lot of how I feel with this interview series, sitting across from (or chatting on the phone with) thought leaders such as Frommer Media’s Pauline Frommer, the Travel Channel digital contributors Catie Keogh and Colleen Kelly, and Inc. Magazine’s Top Digital Marketer to Watch in 2017 Jessica Zweig. That is also exactly how I felt when I found myself sitting next to Michelle “Showbiz Shelly” Menaker not that long ago.
Growing up in a suburb of Chicago, I used to listen to Showbiz Shelly on the radio on a daily basis. Little did I know I would be conducting an interview with her about her career in journalism and a shared passion for travel some years later.
But as fate would have it, our paths crossed a few times and I realized how unique Shelly’s background is – not to mention, how hard she’s had to hustle to get where she is now. Check out my recent chat on journalism and media, saying yes to opportunity and tips on staying sane in a life that is seemingly always “on the go”.
Megan Zink: To start, I’d love to give you a little bit of a background on this series and this interview in particular. Reading about your background, and growing up listening to you – this is really hilariously awesome that I have the opportunity to talk with you. Knowing your story – reading your bio and discovering that you started with an internship, and were taking on any opportunity that came your way, (hustling your ass off, basically) really resonated with me – because that’s what I’m trying to do too.
So! With that being said, tell us a little bit about yourself.
Photo courtesy of Michelle “Showbiz Shelly” Menaker.
Michelle “Showbiz Shelly”: Sure! I am originally from Chicago (Chicagoland). I grew up in the north suburbs in Wilmette and went to New Trier high school, where I had a radio show on their station, WNTH. Freshman year, a couple of girlfriends and I decided to audition and we ended up getting a time slot – one period during the day. I did the show for all 4 years – although it was with different people over that time period. During my senior year I became program director at the radio station, but wasn’t really expecting anything of it after that.
After that, I went on to Northwestern. I really wasn’t sure I wanted to go, initially, because it was so close to home, but once I got into Medill – which is a fantastic journalism school – I knew it was what I wanted to do. During the summer before sophomore year I ended up getting an internship at B96 in the promotions department. I liked it but because I had done the radio show in high school and was at Northwestern studying broadcast, I knew I liked the on-air side better.
So that’s when I asked the night show – Stylz & Roman at the time – if they needed an intern… and sure enough they did. It was only supposed to last a quarter, but we got along so well and I had so much fun that I interned with them for my entire sophomore year. They knew I enjoyed the on-air stuff and I think they saw something in me, because they asked if I wanted to do an on-air entertainment segment – and of course I said yes. So once a week I started doing Shelly’s Street Talk, every Monday night at 7:45 PM. After doing it for 6 months or so, the boss, who was looking to add women to the morning show, ended up hearing it and asked me to join. And I’ve been doing on-air radio ever since!
MZ: So it’s kind of a mix of hard work and breaks along the way, it seems?
SS: Yeah! I would say it’s a mix of working really hard, but like you say, getting that break every now and again and being open to whatever opportunity presents itself.
MZ: That’s a big thing, I think, having that open-mindedness to not shut down opportunity. But the thing I find really hard to balance is not burning myself out saying yes to everything, being that optimistic person.
Photo courtesy of Michelle “Showbiz Shelly” Menaker.
SS: Totally – it’s something that I’ve actually had to learn to balance over the years – saying yes to everything. I did too; I’d say yes to everything to the point where I would have 24-hour days – sometimes even 36-hour days. I got my job on the radio when I was a junior in college, so at one point, I was doing the show in the morning, and then I would go to class all day, and then on Fridays, in particular, I would go to events. It was just insane. So I had to learn to reel it in and control things – and pick and choose what was really important to me.
MZ: Not to skip ahead too far, but do you find that you have any personal practices that you really hone in on when you feel like you’re burning out? Burnout is such a buzzword – but it’s a really common thing right now.
SS: Totally – and I think it’s becoming more and more important, given this sort of life that we have that’s so attached to our phones and social media. Yoga has becoming a big thing in my life recently, so I try to do that at least twice a week.
Also – and people are really surprised to know this – but even though I do radio and I’m out all the time, I’m very much a natural introvert. I get my energy from being alone and I need my alone time. So if I’m out doing a lot of things, I find that it helps to just go home and chill. Watch my favorite show, eat food – do whatever I want. And I love to take walks – especially when it gets warmer – and listen to music or podcasts. I find that rejuvenates me. I’ve even gotten into meditation here and there. So very simple things, but I find them to be very effective.
MZ: Do you have any favorite podcasts that you’re listening to? I’m trying to get into listening to them more!
SS: I would say one of my favorites right now is Lewis Howes. He is an entrepreneur/ author and is also a motivational speaker. He has what’s called the School of Greatness, where he interviews people who have done really amazing things.
MZ: Sounds like it’s up my alley!
SS: It really is – you would like it! And he was in Chicago in November, so I actually got a chance to meet and interview him – that was an honor. He’s interviewed hundreds and hundreds of people who have done amazing things – everyone from doctors to athletes to musicians, all kinds of people, and creates takeaways during every interview – something really core to that person, what makes them special. He gets a lot out of them; it’s really great advice.
MZ: So, you’re a household name, by this point in Chicago. You’ve shared your background – but what is the biggest takeaway from your journey to getting to becoming Showbiz Shelly and where you are right now?
SS: Good question. I think it’s just to be constantly growing and evolving. And I think it’s also staying true to who I am and knowing what is going to make me feel like I’m accomplishing the most that I can with my life. I know nowadays we are now constantly comparing ourselves to everybody else – especially given social media. I try to remember what’s right for somebody else might not be right for me. The right interview for another person might not be right for me. Like I said, early on in my career, I was trying to do everything – but I learned a lesson in that you can’t do everything because you’re going to burn out.
I think the people that really cut through are the ones that stay true to themselves and are authentic. It’s what I try to on a daily basis. I think, “is this something I really genuinely want to do, or am I doing it because I feel obligated or because someone wants me to do it?” And that goes for everything – whether it’s an interview or something happening at work – whatever it might be. Remembering this is what I’ve learned along the way and what’s helped a lot with my success.
The other thing is remembering that every time I’ve stumbled, not considering it a failure, but more of a lesson. Like Oprah says, there are no failures, only lessons learned.
MZ: Yes, I’m a huge believer in that – it’s like, don’t beat yourself up – well, maybe, if you want to beat yourself up for a minute – and then move on.
SS: Yep, for a minute, and then let it pass, and just keep moving forward, and think about what can you take away from that to help you do better the next time.
MZ: So you’re creating all this content as Showbiz Shelly, both personally and for the show – what is your creative process like? Whether it’s for content, or for a feature, or a product?
Photo courtesy of Michelle “Showbiz Shelly” Menaker.
SS: Thank you for saying that – I do consider myself a content creator. The reason I got into journalism in the first place is because I felt like there was no better job than being a part of what’s happening in the world. Even in a small little way. To be a part of it and talk to an audience about it, that’s always what I wanted to do.
I think journalism is a very meaningful profession that way, so for me, that’s what I’m always focused on – what’s going on in Chicago? Who’s going to be coming into town? What events are happening? I’m a pop culture fanatic. I love it! My creative process is to always be thinking about what’s happening, how I can cover it and share my take on things and present it to my audience. And so I’m always looking for that idea of who or what is interesting to me – because I think when it’s interesting to me, it will just naturally be interesting to my audience as well.
MZ: That’s a good way to look at it!
SS: I think it cuts through – if you are passionate about it, your passion will show. It will shine through whether you realize it or not, just because you are genuinely into it – if it’s something you’re not passionate about, I think people can kind of see that.
MZ: The entertainment industry is so interesting to me. It’s not something that I think personally I would get into, but I’ve always been fascinated by it, and obviously, journalism. What’s the hardest thing about being in the entertainment industry?
SS: I think there are a lot of hard things. For one, anybody and everybody can be a part of the entertainment industry, especially if you have a phone. At a concert, Snapchatting, or doing an Instagram story – everybody’s kind of covering entertainment, nowadays. I think this idea of comparison makes it hard, constantly thinking, “have I done enough with this?” or “should I have asked this question?” You can’t focus on it too much because you’ll go crazy.
Again, the important thing is to stick to what really interests me, and know that if I’m passionate about it, that passion will come across to my audience. That’s really what I’ve found most helpful, is just kind of staying in my lane with what I like. And that could be an entertainment figure, or a musician, or an actor, or Louis Howes. He’s interesting to me because I love his podcasts, I think he has really good things to say, so if my audience doesn’t know about him, hopefully I exposed some people to him.
MZ: I don’t know if this is part of being in the industry, but I’d imagine trying not to take things personally would be a challenge too?
Photo courtesy of Michelle “Showbiz Shelly” Menaker.
SS: Yes – and that’s something I’ve had to really try and get better at is not taking things personally. You have so many different ways that people can reach you now – Twitter and Instagram and other social channels – that stuff you can’t really even filter through anymore. Not letting that get to can be a challenge. But if you do see people saying nasty things, try to put a wall between yourself and that negativity. I think to myself, maybe they’re having a hard day, or maybe something is going on in their lives that would make them attack.
MZ: So moving over to the travel side of things - it seems like you do a lot of travel, with all the events and awards shows you attend. What’s the most recent or favorite place that you’ve been to?
SS: Iceland was one of my favorite trips because it was just so different. There’s nothing like the Blue Lagoon anywhere, so that was fabulous. And I went to Greece last summer – it was so fun – to experience the beauty and history you see in books and pictures in person was amazing.
One of my favorite trips of all time was a cruise I took throughout the Amalfi Coast. And I’m going to a wedding in France this summer – I haven’t been there in years. I think the last time I was there I was 13 with my family – so I’m looking forward to doing that. I want to make it to every continent – but taking the time to do it is a challenge. But yeah, I love to travel.
MZ: How do you find inspiration from travel?
SS: I find so much joy in travel. The excitement of getting off the airplane, into a new airport, there’s no other feeling like that – the rush that you get when you’re going somewhere new. I love it. Sometimes I think we get caught up in our own little worlds – travel reminds me that there is so much more happening in this world; there is so much to see.
MZ: So Moderately Excited focuses on travel, but also on Chicago. This is really fun, because not everyone I’ve gotten to interview has been from the city. Where is your favorite place in Chicago?
SS: I’ve lived in a couple different neighborhoods – I’ve found that Old Town is my favorite just because it is close enough to all the craziness of the city, but it’s just far enough removed so that it’s a bit quieter too. There’s a great park, and I love to walk by it, and by the lake.
MZ: So branching off of that – where is your favorite place to find inspiration? Like if you’re feeling stuck in a rut or need to shake things up – is there a place you go?
Photo courtesy of Michelle “Showbiz Shelly” Menaker.
SS: I think there is a saying along the lines that motion creates emotion. So if I’m ever feeling blah or like I really need to get my energy going, I try to do something active. Even if it’s calling my girlfriends to meet up, or a yoga class, or beach volleyball along the lake when it’s nice out – I find when I get going, it creates this momentum that gets ideas flowing and things start happening.
MZ: So this is another open-ended question – but it’s my favorite, because it’s so unique to every person. Is there anything related to career, travel – anything else in general that you want to share with our readers?
SS: I’m glad you picked up on the fact that I’m a content creator, because I still feel like I have a lot more coming and a lot more things left to do, so be on the lookout for those things. I also want people to know that if you see me on the street, don’t be afraid to say hi, or take a selfie with me! And the other thing is to remember to be yourself. That’s what’s interesting about radio – you’re being yourself on-air. So I decided I want to be the best version of myself – I’m trying to do that every day.
And finally, not being afraid to really put ourselves out there. I think because of social media, we all put this “best” version of ourselves out there. We see the highlight reel of everybody. There are very few people who put all their flaws on social media – myself included – because it’s terrifying. But while we may not want to display it to the world, I think we need to accept those flaws within ourselves – that’s just as important.
More on Shelly
Shelly is a lifelong Chicagoan who attended New Trier High School and Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. She later went on to do mornings at B96 for more than 12 years. She is currently the midday host (10 AM - noon) and entertainment reporter at 103.5 KISS FM. You can also hear her every weekday morning on Fred and Angi at 7:45 AM for the Showbiz Showdown, a pop culture quiz game.
When she’s not on the radio, Shelly enjoys playing beach volleyball and yoga. You can check out her website here and follow along with her on Instagram here!