Meet Anna Shull | Social Worker & Content Creator / Influencer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Anna Shull and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Anna, what do you attribute your success to?
The most important factor behind my success as a social worker is my strengths-based approach. I have seen first-hand not only how people’s environments impact them, but also how empowered individuals can bring positive change to their communities. It would be easier to put quick band-aids on problems people face when they come to me, but it is much more effective to sit with people and work to understand where they have come from, where they are, and where they would like to be. By focusing on and amplifying the strengths individuals already possess, it is even more rewarding to witness all they go on to accomplish.

As a content creator, the success of my brand can be attributed to the same mindset. Each video I create, I show the true life of a relatable twenty-something navigating both ups and downs. I’ve shared times I felt I would not overcome what I was facing, but eventually did. I’ve created educational content to share with others what I wish someone had shared with me. As I was completing school to become a social worker, I filmed the videos that I was searching for but could not find because I knew if I was seeking community, others like me had to be craving it, too. The success of the community I’ve created online shows in the connection my viewers have with both me and each other. My heart always warms when I receive comments from viewers who have found comfort or inspiration in my journey.

Ultimately, in both my roles as a social worker and as a content creator, my success boils down to always seeing humans as humans first. No matter my progression as a professional, I will always be a human working with humans. No matter my growth as a content creator, I will always be a human connecting with other humans. To me, that will always be what is most important.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
In short, I am a social worker whose side hustle inspires others to become social workers, too.

Professionally, I am a pediatric medical social worker. Specifically, I work with families of children born with congenital heart disease while their child is admitted to a hospital. My days include identifying strengths and potential psychosocial barriers across a child’s continuum of care, assisting families in coping with admissions and diagnoses, creating plans for discharge, connecting families with available resources, and more.

People are often shocked when I tell them how I entered my role, but in all honesty, I never planned to become a medical social worker. During my job search, I did not feel confident in my ability to ace an interview. No matter how much I practiced, I still got extremely nervous when thinking of actually completing an interview for a job I really wanted. In an effort to “do hard things,” I decided to go to a job fair for a role I knew I was not interested in. At the job fair, I clicked well with the leadership I met and quickly became smitten with my organization and their mission. Discussing the opportunity with who is now my manager had me so excited, I forgot to be anxious. For this reason, my top advice is always to push yourself out of your comfort zone. If I had stayed in the box of what I thought I wanted, I would have missed out on a life-changing opportunity.

On the other side of the same coin, I lost count years ago of the amount of times I thought about quitting social media. Being an influencer is fun and rewarding, but there are also sacrifices involved. Going through college, grad school, and the corporate world while dedicating 20-30 hours to editing videos each week is tough. Additionally, social media constantly throws numeric values of worth at you as you are working to grow. YouTube will remind me any time one month’s views are lower than the month before it. Not only that, but comparison traps are waiting for you around every corner when you spend time on social media. Creating content by no means is the hardest job out there, but it is not the easiest. The reason I have been able to continue the longevity of my brand on social media is that I always circle back to my “why.” Getting lost in numbers is tempting, but getting grounded in my purpose is more important. For me, I started making the videos that past versions of myself needed to see because I know there are other people out there who will benefit from them. Keeping this motivation in the forefront inspires me to never stop sharing my story.

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?
Creating itineraries for any friend or family member who is visiting the city is my favorite! Though if I’m honest, my partner and I have become so loyal to businesses we love that when our friends and family come to visit, we take them on “Anna and Zach’s Tour of Atlanta” trying to hit as many of our favorites as possible. I do love exploring somewhere new, but sometimes I cannot be pulled away from the places I already know I love.

My favorite coffee shop is San Francisco Coffee in Virginia Highlands. I have never had a drink I don’t like and I have worked my way through most of their menu. They always have seasonal specials that the baristas have poured their creativity into and the atmosphere is so cozy whether you just want to sip your coffee or if you want to stay and work.

For brunch, we always go to Bantam and Biddy in Ansley Park. They have just about any southern breakfast food you could want and the friendliest staff! My go-to (though it is hard to pick just one dish) are their chilaquiles. There is also a location in the airport! Even when I don’t have business in Terminal C, I have business in Terminal C.

When in need of a sweet treat in the morning, we go to Hell Yeah Gluten Free in Decatur. When in need of a sweet treat in the afternoon, we go to Sugar Shane’s in Dunwoody. HYGF offers donuts, pastries, quiches, breakfast sandwiches, cookies, and brownies that are all entirely gluten-free. Sugar Shanes offers thick, flavorful cookies that are in a league of their own.

Getting dinner in Atlanta is never just dinner, it’s an experience. We love getting tapas and sangria at Barcelona Wine Bar in Inman Park before hopping on the BeltLine. A visit to Atlanta is not complete until you hear roller-skating Kevin’s voice zooming past you on the Eastside BeltLine.

While probably nobody needs me to tell them about the Georgia Aquarium, I always use a visitor as an excuse to go back. Getting to see the beluga whales, whale sharks, and octopi who live just a few miles from me will never get old.

Atlanta has such a special place in my heart and I love sharing it. Everywhere you look, there is somewhere to go, something to do, or someone to meet. While these recommendations are the ones I return to often, I love exploring the different neighborhoods of Atlanta and finding the gems they have to offer.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
From the bottom of my heart, I owe every ounce of my success to my fiancé. I feel blessed to have a partner who speaks positivity to me, dreams big for me, and boosts me to keep going every single time I have needed it. Clichés are said so often for a reason and it is true that you cannot pour from an empty cup. In roles that can be cup-draining, I truly believe that I could not have accomplished all I have so far if I did not have the unwavering support from my partner who fills my cup before it can ever go empty.

Additionally, I would like to give a huge shoutout to the members of my online community. Without people watching the videos I pour my heart into, my channels would have never grown in the way they have. There are viewers who have been following me for more than four years and have celebrated every win with me along the way. Having people who have never met me be invested in my little life is a blessing I will never take for granted. Every view, like, comment, and DM has given me strength to continue investing in my brand and reason to do so!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/a.bea.s/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@annabea

Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@.annabea

Image Credits
For the picture with my partner: Breana Lynn
For the graduation picture: Takeisha Smith