Here’s What I Know…

People love to say, “They just need to get a job,” “They just need to stop using,” “They just need to grow up.”Cool. With what tools? In this episode, I talk about how we learn (or don’t learn) basic life skills: coping, showing up, respecting people, self-regulating, making decent choices even when no one’s watching. We act like those are automatic, but they’re taught. By someone. On purpose. Over years. And a lot of people just… never got that. We get into: Why “just try harder” is useless

A lighter Friday run-through of the things I actually use and love — from my 15-year-old Shark vacuum and a no-knob GE Café cooktop to EGO lawn gear, Gorilla Carts, dehumidifiers, and one tragic pendant-light rant. Oh, and my girrrrl Beula. Zero sponsors. Just honest yays (and a couple nays).

Today’s episode is an origin story with the edges left on. I pick up a chapter I once wrote called “Being Born,” and talk through the real beginning: born out of wedlock, a name that wasn’t my father’s, in and out of foster care, a near-adoption, and a kind, brilliant mother who didn’t have the tools. I share how a steady farmhouse (thank you, Beverly), a big-hearted sister (hi, Denise), and a stubborn streak of resilience kept me from breaking—and how early trauma twisted my sense of worth until I

A candid catch-up after a long pause: career pivots, idea overload, and the messy middle of not knowing. I talk anxiety, dopamine chasing, cutting projects, and choosing focus—plus why home “sanctuary” matters when life feels uncertain.

You don’t have to have it all figured out to begin. In this premiere episode, Heather Shampine introduces “Here’s What I Know” and briefly opens up about her life experiences—from foster care to disaster response—and touches on what it means to start from nothing and still build something incredible.