Meet Shakira Shenee’ | CEO & Co-Founder of The Unzipped Podcast

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

Hi Shakira, what inspires you?
I am inspired by my journey. The younger me has always known that she wanted to become an entrepreneur inspiring women to go after the thing that keeps them up at night. The intense passion to create. So as a young girl I went out chasing that dream daily, and I failed a lot on the way. But what I realize in the present moment is all those moments were stepping stones for where I am now. I learned so much back then that I utilize in my life today. I am also inspired by the future me. I see her living and experiencing all the things that she worked hard for, and the present me won’t let her down. So my journey past, present, and future inspires me daily.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
The Unzipped Podcast is a lifestyle podcast for ambitious women who are creating the life they truly want, manifesting, and going after their dreams; from family to career. From the beginning, our approach has always been about keeping it real and unapologetic. In a world that is all about microwaveable success, we love interviewing women who talk about the highs and lows of being an entrepreneur and their real journey to success. We are so proud of where we are today and the community of women that we have built so far. Has it been easy? Hell no lol! But nothing worth having comes easy. We have a brand and business that have gone through the toughest year, we sadly lost our co-founder and my best friend to gun violence. It brought us to our knees literally. There were days that I couldn’t even imagine going on with this business. But the passion inside me and the passion she had as well wouldn’t let me walk away. It has been the biggest pain but also the biggest lesson, that no matter what life may bring to your doorstep never turn away from your passion and goals in life. Continue on your journey, you may move slower, but keep going. Our brand is stronger, our community is stronger. We are women who look fear, adversity, pain, loss, and more in the eye and keep the journey going. We are coming after everything they said we couldn’t have!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Atlanta is filled with so many great places to chill with friends whether you want to do something low-key or enjoy the city. To be honest there are still so many places that I want to visit lol.

For breakfast/Brunch;
The Atlanta Breakfast Club is AMAZING! The food is everything, I also love Bread & Butterfly the aesthetics is super cute.
Toast on Lenox is such a vibe and the food is great.

For Dinner & Drinks; The Select is beautiful and the drinks and food are really good. Jojo Beloved is the cutest bar, it’s a 70s inspired bar and they have the cutest cocktails. The Garden Room is great if you’re looking for an instagrammable vibe. They have great drinks but if you’re really hungry I would try somewhere that will offer more food.

Rooftop Hangouts; I love the ambiance of Rooftop bars and Atlanta has some great ones.
Drawbar Atl is a tavern-inspired restaurant that has great views. Hotel Clermont Rooftop is a great place to hang up with friends and grab drinks. The Roof at Ponce is cool if you want to have kid life fun while enjoying some drinks.

These are all places that my friends and I were excited to visit and we had a great time once we went!!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My family is the most supportive bunch of people I know. They have always supported me even when I wasn’t sure of the direction I was going in. Their advice holds so much weight in my life because their want for me to succeed is as great as my own. At moments where I’ve felt like giving up, they are always there reassuring me and reminding me of my why. I am so blessed and appreciative for each of them (Mom, Dad & Sister) They are there for every event, launch, episode, feature, sponsorship, everything.

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