Meet Shereen Campbell, former corporate retail executive, freelance writer, and successful entrepreneur. Shereen also holds the titles of Astrologer, Reiki Master Teacher, Akashic Record Practitioner, Shamanic Practitioner, Crystal Healer and Timeline Meditation Healer.
By combining her love for alternative healing modalities and her extensive experience in retail, Shereen created My Little Magic Shop. My Little Magic Shop makes it easier for those looking to find and create self care rituals based on ancient practices. Shereen’s goal in creating My Little Magic Shop is to share practical, self empowerment techniques and tools so that others can create their own magic within their lives and easily manifest their dreams.
Our team got the amazing opportunity to connect with Shereen to talk about her experience as a female entrepreneur, building her brand and advice she has for those looking to create a little magic in their day to day lives.
On top of being a writer at StyleCaster, you’re also an entrepreneur. What inspired you to start My Little Magic Shop? What has been your proudest accomplishment since starting your own company?
So, I’m a freelance writer for StyleCaster, I write 2-3 articles for them a month :) It’s super fun and my editor rocks. Yes, I am an entrepreneur. The word still feels weird as I type it in reference to me. LOL. I created My Little Magic Shop as a way to avoid the arduous journey to self-love and self-care I experienced. When I turned 30, I had the typical freak out about my life and trajectory. I had this fantastic corporate retail career but felt completely uninspired and burnt out. I also had this LOVE for astrology and metaphysical practices. At the time, I had been practicing Astrology as a hobby for about 10 years but could not see a career in the Mystical Arts.
Well, the universe had other plans because when I lit a candle asking for clarity in my professional and life path, I was gifted with the message that I am to help others go through exactly what I was going through now. I was to help them navigate their own self-care journeys and empower them with the tools they needed to find the guru within themselves. I was to merge my extensive retail and e-commerce background with my love for self-development using alternative practices.
Honestly, I’m just proud that I’m still at it. It’s been almost 7 years on this magical journey and I haven’t run out of ideas or inspiration. I feel really, really, really grateful for that. I still get so excited when I think about our mission and all the things we can create and ways I want to help others. I’m proud I am lucky enough to find something I’m so passionate about, even though there are days when it’s f**king tough.
What advice would you give someone looking to start a journey into spirituality? It can be quite overwhelming, where would you suggest someone start? Astrology, meditation, crystals?
This is a wonderful question and one of my favorite ones to answer. First, I would say, yayyyy you! Deciding to start to ponder the bigger life questions is HUGE. Often we can get trapped in the monotony and expectations of life, and don’t take the time out. I totally resonate with the overwhelming part. I was sooo confused. I started by reading books by folks like Don Miguel Ruiz, Brian Weiss and Michael Newton. I also studied Kabbalah briefly until I rediscovered my love of Astrology. Then I committed to Astrology exclusively for a number of years. Finally, I just started experimenting with Crystals, Meditation, Reiki and Shamanism. I am a lifelong learner. And, I’ve found that whatever I needed at the moment came to me exactly when I was ready for it. So my advice is ask the universe what you should start with. Then wait and be open to whatever shows up. Let your joy and excitement guide you into this magical world. Trust your intuition and don’t let anyone try to convince you to go against anything you feel off about.
Lastly, remember you are your own guru. If anyone is trying to get you to worship or put them or their practice on a pedestal, then maybe it's not for you. Feel free to try something and then if it doesn’t resonate anymore, that’s okay, try something else. I say just try all the things until one sticks. There is so much value in experimenting. For me, I started pretty general and then digged in when I found my thing.
Can you talk more about your personal experience with magic and spirituality? How did you begin your journey and in what ways do you think it’s contributed to your personal growth?
Sure! I've always been an overachiever, which also means I'm a perfectionist and can be high strung when I set my sights on accomplishing a goal. On the positive, this means I often do get what I set out to get, BUT, it also means I am susceptible to anxiety, depression and imposter syndrome. When you know this about yourself, you realize that taking an active part in maintaining mental health has to always be a priority. That coupled with when I was 10, I slipped into a depression so deep, I don't think I was ever the same after that. When you see the dark that way so young, and come back to the light, you never want to go back. So when I was 21 and had my heart crushed, I knew that I was headed that way and did not want to feel so low again. This made discovering tools and practices to pull me out of that pit imperative. I had to learn to tackle the heavy emotions that come with adulting and honestly, I was broke, so therapy wasn't in my budget and that meant I needed to be more self guided. This caused me to study and gain certification in Astrology, Reiki, Crystals, Shamanic Practices, the Akashic Records, all while navigating the world of corporate retail (more on that later).
Although my journey through the mystical world was fun and impactful, it didn't need to be so complicated, time consuming or costly. I want to make this journey for others easier, more fun and really impactful. I really believe that my journey was exactly what I needed. I was able to learn things about myself and view myself in a way I couldn’t before. I was also able to bounce back from setbacks a little more quickly and just believe that life is fair and just. I think this journey made me the woman I am now.
Since creating My Little Magic Shop what are some of the challenges that you’ve faced? How were you able to overcome these challenges?
OMG, so many challenges. :) Starting a business is probably the most difficult thing I’ve ever done. It’s hard financially, emotionally and physically at times. BUT, it is by far the most exciting and rewarding thing I’ve ever done. I think the two main challenges are closely tied for me. I bootstrapped my business, so having to invest in it could make my budget tighter than I would like at times but most challenging is probably managing a full time job with the business. It requires a lot of flexibility, long nights and pep talks. I’m still working on trusting my journey, knowing that it will get easier (or some new challenges will come my way soon).
The thing is, I have a passion, something that is growing and that I am deeply committed to with my entire being. I, with the support of the universe, will make sure it comes true and that more people will have access to all this magic. So I will do whatever I need to do to support myself and the business until it can support me. I think that when you start a business, if you are not passionate about it, this is where discouragement comes in. There will always be challenges but if your passion is there, you will be able to get through them.
Happy Women’s History Month! Can you tell us what makes you feel empowered as a woman?
Happy Women’s History Month! Ohhh, I’ve actually never thought about this before. As I reflect on the moments I feel most in my feminine energy, I think it is when I am laughing, hanging around folks I’m super comfortable with and more specifically when I’m talking about magical things. I think those are the times I feel most empowered in general. When I get to share my thoughts, feelings or passions I feel sooo good! Also, when I get around a bunch of other like minded women and we get to chat, that makes me feel even more amazing.
If you’re comfortable, would you be able to talk more about your experiences being a black woman in the fashion industry / lifestyle space and now as an entrepreneur in wellness?
Sure! I worked in fashion from 2007 until 2021. Honestly, I have such mixed feelings about my experience and I’m still trying to process those 14 years. It was filled with some fun, exciting and amazing times. I made some of my closest friends, learned so much and would not be able to manage my business without those experiences. But, I will say that I’ve noticed that it’s sooo much more difficult for black women to rise in fashion. The expectations of you are sometimes just unrealistic and it’s exhausting. What’s more, when looking at the trajectory of my BIPOC friends compared to my white friends, there is such a disparity in seniority. My white friends are promoted more often, allowed more room for mistakes and are often given the chance to grow into a role. I hear from my BIPOC friends that they are held to a different set of standards, and still not promoted or elevated as often. And, I’m confident in saying that it’s not due to one having more intelligence or being better at their jobs. I think a lot of this is probably due to people generally having closer relationships with people that look like them or just being more comfortable in a room that’s homogenous.
Being the only black person in a room, a lot in my career, really exposed me to this. Either way, I am grateful for my experience in the fashion world, as it played a huge role in my desire to run my own company. At some point in my career, after being passed over for another promotion because I was just too valuable in my current role (ie no one else could do my job), I realized that corporate america will probably never see me in my full potential. What other reason could I be operating at a Director level for 4 years (this was on my review 9 months into my manager position) but never actually get the title? What other reason could there be for senior management quietly turning down more senior opportunities on other teams behind my back? I’ve had way too many horrific experiences to write off the feeling that I’m not valued the same way my white peers are. At some point, that type of energy really can start to erode your confidence and worth.
Either way, after another experience that left me disenchanted, it finally clicked that the only way I would actually be seen and rewarded for my magic was to commit to creating my own thing. I understood that I had two choices, I could continue to kill myself trying to climb the corporate ladder for people who are content with seeing me as less than or not deserving of whatever title, or I could work my ass off to build a company that values people no matter their race, gender, religion, disability, sexual orientation or whatever. So I released the pressure of rising professionally in a traditional sense and focused on my dreams, thoughts and passion on building something for me and for those who have ever felt disenchanted with life. As for my experience with the wellness industry, that is for a whole nother time. I will say its a similar dynamic, as many fashion folks have made their way over to wellness, but now I march to the beat of my own drum and trust that the universe is guiding me to my tribe, which is all that matters.
What advice would you give to someone thinking about starting their own business? Or what has been the best piece of advice you’ve received that has resonated with you during your entrepreneurial journey?
Commit to a passion and a vision, not a business. Being an entrepreneur is really fucking hard. Emotionally, physically, spiritually. It is one of the most difficult things i’ve ever taken on. It costs a lot of money, a lot of time and a lot of sacrifice. It’s a rollercoaster of emotions that will have you crying and dancing for joy all in the same 5 minutes. The one thing that gets me through, helps me stay focused, is my deep passion for my mission. I know that the things, rituals, tools, resources that we share at My Little Magic Shop really, truly inspires hope in others. I know that whatever we produce is capable of changing someone’s entire trajectory and make them believe more deeply in not only the power of the universe, but their own power and inner wisdom. I believe that what we are lucky enough to do at this little shop can change the world, one little heart at a time. The more people that trust and are connected with their inner wisdom, the better our world will be.
The world is how it is because so many people are just disconnected from their heart, from others and from the earth herself. So many folks think they are alone, stumbling through this thing called life and that whatever happens to them doesn’t affect others. It’s not true! We all have something special and magical to share with the world, and when we do, the world changes. It is this mission that keeps me from just giving up on the bad days, or taking a shortcut when I don’t know how we will pay the bills.
My advice to anyone starting a company, is first start a mission, then create a vision as to how that mission will change the world, then start the business. Starting a business to start a business never lasts. And frankly, it’s not really worth the blood, sweat and tears you will pour into it before you realize an idea is not enough. Spend time and really connect with that vision, keep it front and forward and in your heart. Then trust the universe to direct and guide you.
Check out My Little Magic Shop here!
