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Written By: Jessica Reed | Photos By: James Cant
Shonda Scott is many things; none of them idle. Over the course of her lengthy and prosperous career, Scott has worn many hats: CEO of the major consulting firm 360 Total Concept, one of President Biden’s appointees on the U.S. Advisory Trade Policy and Negotiation Committee, formerly President Obama’s appointee on the Platform committee, entrepreneur, advocate and mother. Her various roles have all been intense as they have been impressive. But it wasn’t until 2019 that Scott finally tackled a more personal and daunting challenge: self-discovery. In this interview, Scott discusses her 12 New Things challenge and how this individual path to wellness became an internet phenomenon.
Background
Scott shares that her family, especially her mother and grandmother, heavily influence her outlook on personal growth and spirituality. Her grandmother lived to 104 — “Well, 103 years and 348 days,” she joked during our interview, “But we’ll count it” — and still remained active in her community, retaining her faculties and spirit. An active member of her church for 80 years, her grandmother passed this faithfulness down to Scott’s mother, who then passed it on to her. She finds the rootedness of faith to be indispensable, both in her business practices and in her self-care, citing that her support system — populated by family members, mentors, and even an ex-therapist — helps her grow. Still, mixing personal and public life can be difficult. “I am conscious of what I share,” said Scott. “People feel like they know a lot about you when you share anything.” Her ability to compartmentalize her private life while still sharing her own 12 New Things adventures speaks to her commitment to this project. “Since I am so busy, the whole concept of self-development and self care is very important. Some tools I’ve received in coaching and therapy that I’ve gone to [have taught me that] if you’re taking care of other people and not taking care of you, you’re missing the first step.”
12 New Things Online
Since its conception, 12 New Things has evolved into a thriving community far beyond its original intention as a personal, exciting way to embrace change. Scott herself started with karaoke on her birthday in 2019, but emphasizes the power of simple changes too. “Start with something light and fun, that embraces your inner child,” said Scott. “Take time to laugh and have fun and enjoy life; it can be as simple as taking a different route to work, or taking the stairs instead of the elevator.” 12 New Things is accessible for any age as participants from all walks of life share their experiences on the 12 New Things website and social media. The feedback from participants has been helpful not only from a business perspective, but personally too. “One of my followers knew that I was trying to be a [sommelier,] and they told me where to go. I took my family and we all made our own separate bottles of our own special wine,” said Scott. As participants share their own experiences, the community, and the associated encouragement, grows.
Personal Testimony
Travel is central to Scott’s 12 New Things experiences, with her family trip to Yosemite being the most impactful place she’s visited. “It was right in my backyard. People from all over the world came to the place that’s in my own backyard that I had never been to,” said Scott. “The beauty and vastness, how God had created this place… I didn’t know that was going to be the experience.” She reveals that her and her family went camping there for a weekend and made some of her most treasured memories right there in her home state. She expresses that this journey has forced her to carve out time for herself, something that her busy schedule allowed her to neglect for too long. “I didn’t realize some of the 12 New Things would be as fun and fulfilling to my soul; I didn’t necessarily think of it as a wellness platform until mental health professionals told me, ‘That’s such a great concept. Do you know how hard it is to get people to change?’” When asked if any of her experiences have gone wrong, Scott pauses and thoughtfully rephrases in her answer, citing an experience organized by the UCLA Alumnus Society organization in which she hosted 12 random UCLA alumni for dinner. “I’ve felt challenged. The 12 strangers dinner at my home — like I said, I’m private. I didn’t realize this would cause me social anxiety. But we have more alike than we have different. We came as strangers, but we left as friends.” Her advice for those who want to participate but feel too busy is to make the time that they need. “You realize you have more time when you carve out time. You can always find that kind of time - and you should, to prioritize yourself.” She points out the irony that not engaging in self-care actually limits the productivity that people are so afraid to lose: “You’re draining yourself in order to maximize all this other time.” In terms of staying motivated through the year or longer, Scott advises, “Start and end on your birthday when you’re going to plan something anyway and can have something to look forward to. And then your community and family will encourage you [as well].”
Politics and 12 New Things
Scott’s lengthy engagement in politics is intrinsically linked with the philosophy of 12 New Things. She explains how politics was always a natural part of life for her as a child and college student; even when she knew she did not want to be an elected official, serving the community remained important to her. “I was one of those little children that was always at political affairs with my parents. Politics and policy have never been separated from my life. I always saw the intersection between community, politics and business, so when my parents were involved in political affairs … I matriculated and always was part of something political.” Her undergraduate experience at UCLA exposed her more to the field, and helped narrow her career goals. “I studied political science and business at UCLA, but at some point I decided I didn’t want to be an elected official. I didn’t want to always be involved in my civic duties, so I do what I can to support elected officials, and I serve where I can as a business leader and as a civic leader in these different areas.” In fact, Scott uses her political experiences as some of her 12 New Things. “The first meeting I went to with a U.S. Ambassador [as part of the Advisory Trade Policy and Negotiation Committee] was one of my new things; I had been to D.C. all these times, but I had never been to serve in this capacity… so it all ties into the 12 New Things for me. So I don’t have any separation in my life that way… you can say you’re not political, but in essence, you are.”
The Future of 12 New Things
Scott shares her exciting plans for the future of 12 New Things. “We partnered with Alaska Airlines and did a twelve days of Christmas giveaway… The website is where I will share other special opportunities and features that we’ll do as the brand grows.” She also explains the benefits of having a membership, which is currently free, to the 12 New Things website, and how its presence on social media has intentionally grown to foster community since its conception in 2019. “The website was intentional to grow the community… I want to do more things based on that website, and if you’re not there, you’ll miss it!” This upcoming VIP or A-list group would increase the sense of community, and the 12 New Things social media presence as a whole.
For Scott personally, she looks forward to countless more experiences, particularly regarding travel. Internationally, she’d be thrilled to finally visit Japan and Singapore, adding these two countries to a list of 30. On a slightly more local level, she also looks forward to visiting Mount Rushmore here in the U.S., emphasizing the beauty of what we can do and find in places already close to us. “This one woman had lived on a golf course all her life and didn’t know how to play golf; at 80, she started taking golf lessons as one of her 12 New Things.” Like this participant, and like Scott’s own experience at Yosemite, the beauty of 12 New Things can be an increased appreciation for the beauty and excitement that lives right under our noses.
The 12 New Things website can be found here, and you can learn more about Shonda Scott on her website or on her social media, @shondascott360.
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