Social Media and Me: A Love Story (Just Kidding, It’s Mostly Hate)

Let me just come right out with it:

I’m terrible at social media. And I don’t enjoy it.

There, I said it.

I’m the kind of person who will spend two hours agonizing over a 90-second video… only to never post it. Or worse, I’ll post it, then panic, and delete it because I suddenly decide I sound like a caffeinated robot who hasn’t slept in three days. Honestly, I’d rather sit down and write a blog post any day. Writing feels like a conversation. Videos and photos, on the other hand, feel like invitations for people to zoom in, critique how I look or how I said something - and that’s just not where I want to live.

If I had a dollar for every time someone said, “You should really post more!” I’d probably invest that dollar in your 457(b) just so I could prove what compounding actually looks like. (Spoiler: it grows a whole lot faster than my confidence on Instagram.)

Part of the problem is this: I overthink everything. I’ll reread a caption ten times, worrying that I’ll say something the wrong way, or worse, that I’ll offend someone without meaning to. Mark Twain once said, “I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.”  That’s me with social media. Except replace “letter” with “caption” and “long” with “endless drafts I’ll never post.”

But here’s the truth. I don’t show up online because I love hashtags, filters, or trending audios. I show up because real people, people like you, are overwhelmed by retirement decisions. They’re worried they’ve missed something. They’ve been so focused on serving their communities and families that they haven’t had the time (or the energy) to focus on their own financial future.

That’s where I come in.

And yes, sometimes that means I have to post a reel (or podcast episode), write a blog, or (ugh) take a selfie at a seminar. I’m even awkward when someone else takes the picture! But if someone scrolls past my less-than-perfect attempt at a video and it makes them stop and think, “Wait, do I even know what happens with my pension if I leave early?”  - then it’s worth it.

I’m not here for the likes. I’m here for the firefighters who are six years from retirement and have no idea how to coordinate their DROP, pension, 457(b), Social Security, and health insurance without breaking out in hives. I’m here for the folks who know they should be saving more but feel stuck.

I’m here because clarity changes lives. And clarity doesn’t always show up in a perfectly filtered feed.

Remember that scene in Jerry Maguire when Tom Cruise looks at Cuba Gooding Jr. and says: “Help me help you.”

That’s how I feel on social media. I don’t want to “market” to you. I want to help you. And to do that, I have to show up. Even if that means fighting with Instagram captions like it’s a hostage negotiation… or treating a simple “post” button like it’s a bomb-defusing wire and I’m choosing the wrong color.

So if you see me online, fumbling my way through stories, writing blogs that sound like conversations (because they are), or posting yet another photo of my dogs (who, by the way, consistently get better engagement stats than I do), know this: I’m doing it for you.

And if you’ve ever looked at your retirement plan and thought, “I have no idea what I’m doing,” - good news. You don’t have to figure it out alone.

Whether you’re a firefighter, public safety professional, or just someone who wants to feel like you’re finally on track, I’m your person. The same way you’ve got everyone else’s back - I’ve got yours.

And yes, I’ll probably post about it. Begrudgingly.

But with heart. Always with heart.

– Shannon

Retirement translator, financial therapist, and reluctant social media user