That Charming Woman is all about featuring inspirational women who showcase leading a fulfilling life. For a “That Charming Woman”, every moment is a chance to inspire or be inspired. She’s in this life to live it, and from big to small, she creates the charm in her every day. Today, I’m excited to feature Shannon Murphy of Channel 95.5’s “Mojo In The Morning”.
That Charming Woman – Shannon Murphy
I’m so honored to have Shannon Murphy – one of metro-Detroit’s favorite radio hosts – as today’s “That Charming Woman” feature.
As one of the most loved radio hosts of the metro-Detroit area, hundreds of thousands of us wake up with Shannon and the Mojo crew daily, and many have followed along with them for ages. When I hop into my car in the morning, Channel 95.5 pretty much constantly croons in the background; it’s hard not to love the mixture of hit songs and fun banter as I go about my routine.
Beyond listening to “Mojo in the Morning” on the regular, I’ve had the honor of getting to know Shannon personally over the past year since my family moved to the Detroit area. I first officially *met* her while she was speaking at a Mother Honestly conference. I remember her speech to this day — it was raw and vulnerable and had the entire room in *actual* tears as she opened up about motherhood, personal struggles, and how it’s okay to “Not be okay” sometimes. (Gosh, how true is that?! No matter who you are and what struggles you may be going through, I think we can all relate to this fact of life.)
I was fortunate to grab coffee with Shannon shortly after, where we chatted for hours about everything under the sun. Nearly a year later, I’m so honored to feature her and to have us all get some insight into the internal thoughts and workings behind That Charming Woman! Shannon Murphy is an example of creating your own charm as she’s shown continued grace in her refreshing, always-real approach, and continues to dazzle us all in how she balances her career and motherhood.
All imagery above via Shannon’s Instagram handle
That Charming Woman :: Shannon Murphy
Take us through the journey of becoming a radio host at Detroit’s most popular station. Any tips for those looking to break into the industry?
I had zero interest of doing radio. Zero. When I was in middle and high school, I was laser-focused on becoming a pediatrician, loading up on my science and math classes. It wasn’t until one of my drama teachers, Mrs. Schaller, sat me down and asked me if I’d REALLY be happy waking up and doing that every morning that I realized I needed to change it up.
I enrolled at Butler University in Indianapolis as a Journalism/Political Science double major. Went to my first political science class, and was so darn lost, I dropped THAT major, and instead added Public Relations. When I came back home the summer after my sophomore year, I did an internship at a radio station that no longer exists in Detroit (93.1 DRQ) and had a great time; but still no interest in actually doing that as a career. Fast forward to the second semester of my junior year, when I was given an internship with ABC Radio in Washington, D.C. I liked the radio business even more.
And the following summer, I did a third internship for Emmis Communications in Indy, a media company that owned numerous radio stations. After giving a presentation one morning, the program director for the Top 40 station in that cluster came up to me and offered me a job because he thought I had a “cool voice.” I’ve never gotten out of the business since that day, which is so crazy to me!
My advice for someone trying to get into this crazy business? Get your foot in the door. THAT is the hardest part. Do anything you can: Promotions, an internship, be a Sales Assistant, WHATEVER. And once you’re in, be available and willing to do everything you can to prove that you want it.
What do you love most about Detroit?
The people. I’ve lived in LA, Indy, Atlanta, Washington, D.C. and I’ve never been to another city where the people are so PROUD of their city. And Detroiters have each other’s backs, always.
What do you love most about your job? What are some of the biggest challenges?
I LOVE MY JOB. That sounds like such a suck-up thing to say, but I truly enjoy going into every morning because I know it’s going to be fun. I’m really close with everyone I work with, so it’s essentially like getting to hang out with your friends for 6 hours every weekday morning.
BUT … that also presents some challenges. We are very open about our personal lives, and so if there’s something going on behind the scenes, it’s stressful. I went through a divorce last year, and it was incredibly painful to live out in the public eye. And also, when sometimes critiques my job, they’re essentially critiquing my LIFE, which can be tough.
What’s your perspective on radio and its future? How do you see the industry evolving?
The industry is flourishing right now, which is so cool. Radio is not “just radio” anymore. Our show is heard by millions of people on all sorts of devices: Car radios, phone apps, home devices, computers, etc. People are still clamoring for local content, and still want to have that “friend” to listen to on their drive to/from work or school. And there’s always a digital component to it now. Social media is a huge part of what we do; It allows our listeners an even more intimate glance into our show and lives.
As a radio personality, you connect and engage with the community daily. What do you see as the biggest components of being engaging and relatable?
Being real and vulnerable, plain and simple. Talking about the good and the bad and having the capability to be self-deprecating. My listeners want to be able to laugh with me, but also cry when I’m going through something tough because chances are, they can relate to some part of it. One of my favorite authors, Lysa Terkheurst, said in one of her books, “Tears are like liquid magnets.” It’s so hard to connect with someone who has a perfect image because that’s just not realistic!
As a working mother, what are your biggest tips? Any time management advice?
Oh man, it’s TOUGH. Being a mom is the most fun, challenging, stressful, exciting job in the whole wide world.
But I do feel like I miss out on things here and there. I’m really lucky with my hours, because I go to work when my kids are still sleeping, and I’m home well before my kindergartner gets off the bus. So I do get extra time compared to those who work “normal” hours. I love finding ways to connect with my kids even when I’m not right in front of them: Writing notes to put in lunchboxes, Facetiming my 2-year-old during a commercial break, drawing “hug buttons” on their little hands, etc.
And quite honestly, I think it’s healthy to have HELP. I’m blessed to have an incredible woman who helps me every weekday until 2PM, which allows me to get some of the boring errands or a workout out of the way before I get home and put on my “Mama” hat. I have no shame in admitting I don’t think I could survive without her!
In thinking of your background and upbringing, what are the key elements that helped to shape you and your vision of the world?
My mom and dad both have huge hearts. My mom is a nurse, and just has a knack for helping others. And my dad is the kindest man; I’ve learned so much from watching how he treats people. And quite honestly, I’ve surrounded myself with a group of friends who are REAL PEOPLE. They’re not image managers: What you see is what you get. They don’t care what other people think of them. We all carry each others “messes,” and we’ve formed such a strong bond because of it. And I really, really appreciate and love that about each and every one of them.
Who or what are your biggest inspirations?
I am always in awe of people, particularly women, who are in constant states of growth. What I mean by that: They’re doing the growth that everyone sees, but they’re also doing lots of growth that’s invisible to everyone else. The inner building + rebuilding, the restoration, healing, persevering, forgiving, hoping, etc. Women who fail at something, but work hard to figure out what went wrong …. and then make it right. Women who aren’t afraid to start over, to give themselves more chances. And women who look in the mirror and are deeply, deeply proud of the person staring back, even if the journey to her was a long, tough one with lots of detours and points of course correction.
What has been your most proud accomplishment to date?
Hands down, being a mom to the two coolest kids ever. (They’re way cooler than me. For real.)
Huge thanks to Shannon for offering her insight and being a part of the “The Charming Woman” series! Be sure to keep following along with Shannon Murphy over on Instagram, and listen in on “Mojo In The Morning!”
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Next up on the That Charming Woman series: One of Chicago’s top boutique owners shares how she quit her job to follow her dreams, the importance of public relations for any company, leveraging social media to your advantage as a business owner, tips for building a strong following, and more. Be sure to check back in over the next few weeks for the feature!
