Start Where You Are
A Conversation with Shantel Franklin
AUDACITY TO BE HEARD PODCAST • EPISODE 001
Shantel Franklin didn't begin with elected office. She began where she was.
Long before running for State Representative, Shantel moved into a West Side neighborhood and made an intentional decision to become part of the community she wanted to help change.
She listened. She built relationships. She learned from the people who were already there. And eventually, she began organizing alongside her neighbors.
What started on one block became part of a much larger journey into public service.
But when Mrs. G asked what she would say to a woman who sees something that needs to change but doesn't believe she has everything she needs to begin, Shantel's answer was simple:
“Start exactly where you are.”
Her story reminds us that meaningful change doesn't always begin with a title, a platform or permission.
Sometimes it begins with deciding that the place where you already stand is worth making better.
And sometimes, the first step is simply believing that you can be part of the change you're waiting to see.
WATCH THE CONVERSATION
FROM THE CONVERSATION
START WHERE YOU ARE.
Shantel reminds us that believing we need more—more resources, more preparation, more connections—can keep us from beginning at all.
The change you're waiting for can start with you, exactly where you are.
BECOME PART OF THE CHANGE.
Shantel didn't believe she could tell a community what it needed from the outside. She chose to live there, listen, build relationships and learn how she could add value.
Change began with proximity, relationship and participation.
THERE IS ROOM FOR ALL OF US.
Near the end of the conversation, Shantel speaks directly about collaboration over competition among Black women.
“There is enough room for all of us.”
The future we want doesn't require one woman to win while another loses.
There are things we can build together that none of us can build alone.
THE CONVERSATION CONTINUES.
SEPTEMBER 27 • AUDACITY MEETUP
You heard Mrs. G's questions. Now bring yours.
On September 27, Shantel Franklin joins us again—this time in the room with you—as the featured guest for our very first Audacity Community AMA.
Ask about leadership. Community. Public service. Finding your voice. Starting before you feel ready. Or what it takes to turn the change you want to see into something you're willing to help build.
And while Shantel may help us begin the conversation, the MeetUp is ultimately about bringing all of us into the room together.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2026
2:00 PM
BEGOOD Studios
1359 S Kildare Avenue
