Sometimes the smallest act of kindness can stay with someone longer than we ever realize.

In this episode of Not Too Late with Shannon Michaels, Shannon shares a personal story about an unexpected encounter with a stranger and why it got her thinking about the way we move through the world. We never really know what someone is carrying, what kind of day they’re having, or how badly they may need one person to simply notice them.

Shannon also talks about what she’s learning at 53, pushing through anxiety, getting outside of herself, and becoming more intentional about how she treats the people she meets along the way.

Because kindness doesn’t have to be complicated. Sometimes it’s a smile. A conversation. A helping hand. Or simply making another person feel seen.

You may never know what your kindness meant to somebody.

And maybe that’s the point.

Kindness to Strangers, a new episode of Not Too Late with Shannon Michaels.

Watch on YouTube and listen wherever you get your podcasts.

@nottoolateshannon

It’s not too late. 💗

Every woman who has spent a few hours in a salon chair knows… sometimes you leave with more than a new hairstyle. ❤️

On this episode of Not Too Late, I’m sitting down with my hairstylist, my HAIRAPIST, Ashly.

Yes, HAIRAPIST. 😂

Because somewhere between the braids, the laughs, the tears and “girl, let me tell you what happened,” that chair can become a safe place.

Ashly and I talk about what women really share when they sit in her chair, relationships, children, work, anxiety, starting over, confidence, and those days when you don't even feel like talking at all.

But I wanted to turn the chair around on her too.

Who listens to the woman who spends all day listening to everybody else?

We talk about Ashly’s own life, her children, her dreams, what her clients have taught her, and why she says one of the things I taught her is that it’s never too late. 🥹

And yes, we talk HAIR too. Braids, starting fresh, letting go of what needs to be cut, and why sometimes changing your hair feels a whole lot like changing your life.

This is sisterhood. This is the beauty shop. This is Hairapist.

Featuring Ashly, @braids_by_Ashley on IG & TikTok.

🎧 Watch and listen to Not Too Late with Shannon Michaels, streaming across all major podcast and social platforms.

@nottoolateshannon

Because sometimes you sit down to get your hair done…and get reminded that you're still becoming. ❤️

#NotTooLate #NotTooLateWithShannonMichaels #Hairapist #BlackWomen #BlackHair #BlackHairSalon #Braids #BraidedStyles #Sisterhood #WomenSupportingWomen #SelfCare #StartingOver #StillBecoming #RealTalk

Sometimes a message finds you exactly when you need it.

In Part 2 of Stop Doubting Yourself, Shannon opens up about one of the hardest chapters of her life, losing her mother, the grief that followed, and what it feels like to keep living when somebody you love is no longer here.

Then something happens.

Shannon hears Mel Robbins talking with Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, and suddenly she hears the words that have become the heartbeat of this podcast:

“It’s never too late.”

Shelly-Ann talks about people saying she was too old. About becoming a mother and coming back to win a world championship. About becoming the oldest world champion in her event at 35. About refusing to let somebody else’s clock determine what was still possible for her.

And Shannon couldn’t ignore the connection.

Because isn’t that what Not Too Late has been about from the beginning?

Going back to school when somebody thinks you should already have life figured out.

Starting again after loss.

Living with anxiety and still showing up.

Grieving somebody you love while discovering there is still life left for you.

And realizing that maybe the clock you’ve been afraid of… isn’t counting you out at all.

Shelly-Ann said, “Time will honor your greatness.” She reminded us that your age is not the finish line, and the only dream guaranteed not to happen is the one you never start.

For Shannon, hearing those words felt bigger than coincidence.

Maybe you’ve been seeing signs too.

Maybe something keeps reminding you of the dream you buried, the life you wanted, or the woman you thought you waited too long to become.

Listen.

Your story didn't end because something painful happened.

You’re still here, still becoming and maybe that means there’s still time.

Stop Doubting Yourself, Part 2.

Watch the full episode on YouTube and listen wherever you get your podcasts.

It’s Not Too Late with Shannon Michaels. 💗