Meet Shana Terry-Kennedy | Vet Tech & Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Shana Terry-Kennedy and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Shana, what do you attribute your success to?
Community! It’s the parents, it’s the kids, all the fur baby clients. It is the individuals themselves that make this successful. The minute we as humans start taking better care of each other, the more success stories, the more positive thoughts, encouragement, direction and support will ignite strength. It will also ignite power and love and to be our best selves for this world and each other. Trauma starts as a child and by recognizing that we can change the trajectory of a child’s life into adulthood will make not only the brand successful but “US” successful as well.

What should our readers know about your business?
I created this non profit because I felt there was an opportunity to do better for our children of color and this community. I also felt that animals are mistreated in the same ways and suffer from their own traumas as well. Children already have a hard time expressing themselves vocally, so why not give them tools and a space to help them communicate those feelings and grow from them. We as a community tend to hold a lot inside because we are taught to be “strong”and to just deal with it internally. Then as an adult we wonder why we have emotional issues, relationship issues, social anxieties and some even suicidal thoughts. The comfort comes from healing together without judgement and with a consistent support. Furrpanion is here to start now at a young age expressing yourselves and experiences and turning that darkness into light.

Starting a business of any kind is never easy but I’m most proud of just the success it’s had this far. Even the small steps to setting things in motion, changes are made daily to see what will be the best direction to go to make this project the best for everyone. You have to be patient with yourself and not be afraid to be creative or change gears. If something doesn’t work out its ok. Trust yourself enough to make a correction and a new opportunity to be stronger and more efficient. My non profit is also different because it provides pet sitting as well, which has also been key to getting certified emotional support animals to join Furrpanion. It’s all still a work in progress but I am looking forward to the long term benefits.

As a kid I loved animals. I played with toads, cats, dogs, toads and even squirrels,  basically anything that didn’t have a voice and needed my love. I was happy to be well rounded and experience different kinds of people by having two different school experiences, one being Christian the other a public school. You meet so many people from different backgrounds and see that we all share similar traumas even if we grew up differently.

At a young age of 14 my mom a 4th grade teacher was diagnosed with a severe case of Menangitis that led her to being in a coma and fighting for her life. At this time one of my best friends also committed suicide. These two experiences set me in motion to who I am today. I didn’t know it then, it was later I realized my purpose and knew I wanted to help others and animals in whatever capacity that I could. Life has a way of showing you who you are truly meant to be.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Oh this is easy! 😉 My favorite spots in the city to hang out would be ponce city market during the day. Great local shopping, food, and the rooftop fun. My favorite place to eat would be Atlanta fish market, Harolds Chicken and Thumbs up Diner. Dance party at MJQs or My Sisters Room in Midtown and a cute little bucket ride to see the city on the Ferris wheel at night with drinks and chocolate. We would absolutely have to go to the zoo and the aquarium because we both love animals. We definitely would have to go let off some steam at Bury the Hatchet for some awesome ax throwing. Piedmont park is my favorite place to journal and relax where we could have a afternoon of sunshine and play with our fur babies. To continue the relaxation we would head to jeju for a massage and hot sauna. I also would take her to little five points because she loves to shop trendy and fun. Also a sip and paint for a cute girls night. Seriously I could keep going but we don’t have enough time for that!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to shoutout my beautiful wife for keeping me grounded and believing in my vision. I want to shoutout all of my friends, supporters, clients, coworkers and doctors in vet medicine who have all inspired me to continue on this journey. You’re love and dedication to this project has made me believe in humanity again. It truly takes special people to see the bigger picture. A special shoutout to Jacquelyn and Jazzy who is our mascot for Emotional Support for Furrpanion Incorporated.

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Image Credits
Photo credit: @Djksquaredqse Logo credit : @jellybinzkyart On Instagram