Meet Shannon Montoya | Director of a Spay Neuter Program with a SoCal Based Dog Rescue, Karma Rescue
We had the good fortune of connecting with Shannon Montoya and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Shannon, as a parent, what do you feel is the most meaningful thing you’ve done for them?
I am the proud mother of a 17-year-old, graduating high school senior daughter. Like most parents will say, my daughter is the best thing that has happened to me in this lifetime, and I am grateful for the woman she is becoming. So, let’s get to the answer to the question. What do I think is the most important thing I have done for her as far as impacting her life? Easy, I LISTEN to her! Listening is truly the key to any relationship, especially a parent child relationship. A parent and child go through so many different life experiences together that if the parent does not take the time to listen to their child, navigating these changes often become very challenging.
With my daughter, I have always embraced and accepted each change as part of our exciting journey together. We have been able to make it through each with little disruption. Why is that? I chose to listen to her needs to better understand what she was going through and then provided the guidance. Many parents I encounter immediately respond with guidance based on their own personal past experiences instead of truly understanding what their child through listening.
Listening is consistent work, and I can say that my daughter and I are not always perfect when it comes to this, but we focus on strengthening this skill not only to benefit our relationship, but to also benefit all our relationships, personal and professional. Through listening to my daughter, I have allowed her to experience life in the way it was intended for her not how I thought it should be.
Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I have landed my dream job as of January 2022. Not to say that I have not loved other jobs in my life, but to do what you are passionate about is amazing. Since 2013 I had volunteered in the animal rescue world and devoted many hours to this cause all along working a full-time job, usually 50 hours plus, in the hospitality industry. I have been in operations, sales and training but to now be employed full time by the organization I fell in love with as a volunteer is beyond what I could have wished for.
It has taken many years to get to this point in my life and of course there have been ups and downs but what has been a constant in my life, that drives my passion to push forward to my successes, is remaining positive, optimistic and always accepting change in a positive way. Accepting what life puts on your plate and making the best out of any and every situation has set me apart from the rest. Life is too short to let anything ever consume you, even those darkest of times, so I have vowed to never let that happen. I keep my intentions strong and know that everything will always be as it should and that is exactly how life is now. Exactly as it should be.
Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Favorite spots in LA, that is always a challenging question because with so many things to do, it really depends on how I feel when I wake up in the morning! I am mostly a homebody, so this information is coming from someone who loves the city she lives in and is happy to spend time in her cozy home. I live in El Segundo, so when my bestie comes to town, we put on our walking shoes and head out to downtown to enjoy the quaint community I call home. So many restaurants to choose from cute boutique shops to visit. It is nice to be able to walk to these. Next on our agenda would be to visit my favorite beach city which is Hermosa Beach. Laid back and fun, we can grab a yummy drink rooftop and watch the world go by. After all the eating and drinking we will do, it will be time to do some hiking so perhaps a visit to Kenneth Hahn Park or Griffith Park with one of my pups in tow for a day of nature and exercise. Of course, a visit to LA would not be complete without a drive down PCH from Santa Monica to Malibu to enjoy the breathtaking views and a quick visit to Hollywood Blvd to check out the Walk of Fame and street performers. LA has so much to offer this is just a snippet of what is available, but this snippet is what I truly enjoy.
Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I have two Shoutouts if you please. The first is to the hospitality industry for which I spent most of my career in. The skill of listening was a huge key to success since hospitality is all about building relationships and you cannot do that without listening. I must also give a Shoutout to Karma Rescue for providing the opportunity for my daughter and I to engage in volunteerism together and uncover our love of animal rescue which has only strengthened our bond as a pair and has had a major impact on how we listen and understand one another.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shan_kath_mon/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shannon.montoya.77/
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