#WCW: Mamie Shepherd

Mamie Shepherd is a female role model for every age and every walk of life. She has uplifted thousands of sick and injured children throughout the years as a Program Coordinator for Seacrest Studios. See how she got to where she is today and her career/life advice:

1. What's your story? What makes you unique?

My name is certainly unique! Mamie is definitely a quirky moniker, but it's a conversation starter, and I like it.

As far as my story goes, I'm a native Texan, a proud UGA grad (GO DAWGS!), and a radio/TV host in a most unique setting. My audience is not a typical one. In my primary job, most of my listeners are under 5 feet tall, and in various stages of compromised health. I operate a broadcast media center in a children's hospital through the Ryan Seacrest Foundation. My work came about as a result of an internship in college with RSF. After graduation, I helped open Seacrest Studios in Charlotte, NC. My path has been a bit unconventional for a news junkie, yet incredibly rewarding! I am involved in providing entertainment for sick and injured children who are in the hospital. It is fascinating, heartwarming, and unique work!

2. What motivates you?

I am exposed to people who are constantly putting the needs of others before their own. My motivation comes from that force of service to others, and the sweet faces that I see at the hospital. I am encouraged by a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson - "To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived, this is to have succeeded."

3. Who is a hero of yours?

I see so many of the tiniest heroes every single day at Levine Children's Hospital. They are real overcomers who are bravely fighting so many issues. I am constantly in awe of them. Even when these young patients are at their lowest point medically, their thoughts are focused on others. I have witnessed bravery in the face of what seems like insurmountable odds.

Some of my heroes outside the hospital are people who have helped me along the way in my career - those who have mentored me, and cheered me on - including my professors, advisors, and colleagues from the esteemed Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia. Their efforts, and those of others I have worked with, are dear to me. And of course, there are my first two heroes, my mom and dad.

4. What's your future plan? Your goals?

Looking towards the future, I hope that I will be able to use my training in broadcasting to continue to give back to others. I will always be connected to a children's hospital. Love abides there.

We all want our lives to count for something bigger than we are. I think my efforts will be centered around communications. I love the on-air side of broadcasting, but I also really enjoy the production, and management side. Nationally syndicated radio host, Delilah, once told me that she doesn't think there are enough women in media management. Maybe that is a gap that I can fill one day! I try not to get too far ahead of myself (it's easy to do!). Instead, I try to soak up everything that is happening in the moment, and I make a big effort to be grateful for how far I have come, what I have accomplished, the people I have met, and the experiences I have had.

5. If you could give one piece of advice, what would it be?

Work really hard! There is no exception, and no substitute, for hard work. So many of the people I admire, and the careers I hold in high regard, are the product of blood, sweat, and tears - emphasis on sweat! Work hard, take advantage of every opportunity, and ALWAYS believe something wonderful is about to happen!

6. What is something you feel strongly about (a cause, belief, etc.)?

The Ryan Seacrest Foundation (RSF) is at the top of my list! RSF is an incredible organization run by the Seacrest family. It's primary mission is "to inspire today's youth through entertainment and education-focused initiatives." Those initiatives include providing a place for sick and injured children to enjoy entertainment and stimulating experiences that help promote the healing process. It includes music, movies, celebrity visits, games, and activities. I have watched RSF grow from one hospital to eight across the country! This foundation serves a compelling demographic - families, children, and teens in the hospital. RSF helps children in pediatric hospitals find their voice. It is empowering, and inspiring, to be a part of that effort! http://ryanseacrestfoundation.org/

7. What's one of the coolest things you've ever done?

Well, I wore a cherry pie costume on TV once, was part of an improv team in school, sat on the Dallas Cowboys' star in Texas Stadium, and met a man who didn't learn to read until he was 98 years old! I played a crucial role in the "off-stage" nuns chorus in the 7th grade production of The Sound Of Music (truth!). I went to a fashion camp in Los Angeles, was in Seventeen Magazine when I turned 17, and met Jennifer Holliday after seeing her in Dreamgirls - fangirl moment! I interviewed a real astronaut, and I once had the honor of co-hosting a radio show with an amazing patient who was born without eyes or a nose. That radio show helped her realize a lifelong dream of being on the air. What a thrill that was for her - and for me!

I heard Oprah once say, "Very few regrets means a life well-lived." I love that!

8. Anything we haven't asked that you'd like to talk about.

I work heavily in radio (Kiss 95.1 in Charlotte on the weekends) and in music, so that usually means I have at least one song stuck in my head at any given moment! Here are the top 5 songs sung in my shower, and on my playlist right now:

1. Elastic Heart - Sia feat.The Weeknd & Diplo 2. Stitches - Shawn Mendes 3. Dancing to the Radio - Adanowsky 4. Holding Out - Andy Grammer 5. Adore - Cashmere Cat feat. Ariana Grande

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