It's not often you get to have a deep and meaningful conversation with a novelist, who, only three years into their professional career is currently writing their 17th book - and they're only fourteen. Shanti Hershenson embodies the word wunderkind and then frankly, blows the label out of the water. Her commitment and passion for writing genre-focused novels will not only inspire you to get off your butt and start creating, it will also school you on how to time manage and couple the writing and work itself with a hefty dose of business acumen. We're also wildly grateful that Shanti was open and willing to wade into some heavier waters with us - we talk about bullying in school and how gun violence is an omnipresent stress when you're a young person these days. And how important it is to channel all of that into the art itself. 

In her own words, her first two novellas were published when she was in the sixth grade, although her writing journey started long before then. Ever since she could hold a pencil, marker, or crayon, she was creating stories. They started from pictures, mere scribbles, and eventually, turned into captivating tales.

We're not shy to say this is without a doubt one of our favorite episodes, not only because Shanti is so inquisitive and inspiring but because these are the types of conversations that we hope will light a fire under everyone in our audience. Dig in this week and enjoy this incredibly talented and brilliant writer and get to say you knew her before she created and helmed her inevitable media empire. Ladies, gentlemen, non-binary humans - the barrier-breaking Shanti Hershenson.