In this YouTube interview, host Shellee Howard talks with a guest (identified as Shellee Howard, a travel writer, breast‑cancer survivor, and mother) about her passions, advocacy work, and the experience of raising a daughter, Caitlin Kohlberg, in Orange County. The guest explains her love for travel writing and her commitment to breast‑cancer awareness, highlighted by a virtual "50 for the Cure" campaign she organized for her 50th birthday. She describes the intense academic and athletic pressures faced by Orange County students seeking admission to elite colleges and recounts how her family enlisted the College Ready program to create a structured roadmap for Caitlin’s college search. The discussion details Caitlin’s senior‑year journey, including applications to top schools, a wait‑list at NYU, and the ultimate decision to attend UC Berkeley based on financial considerations, fit, and personal growth. The guest reflects on the emotional transition to an empty‑nest life, noting newfound freedom to pursue full‑time travel writing and personal projects. The conversation concludes with the guest sharing her website (sharael.com) for travel articles and expressing a personal philosophy that one should "be the change you wish to see in the world," emphasizing following one’s passions and serving as a role model for children.
Chapters
I am so excited to introduce to you my next guest. Shellee Howard is not only an entrepreneur, not only a writer, a world traveler, she is also one of my near and dear parents. She and her daughter Caitlin Kohlberg have been a part of the College Ready Plan, and I brought her on today so she can share her story of what it was like raising a young woman in Orange County and preparing her for college. So welcome, Cheryl.
Hello, so good to be here. Thanks for having me, Shellee Howard.
My pleasure. So I always like to start off the podcast with 2 questions to help, um, set the stage for what we're going to discuss. So the first question I like to ask is What are you passionate about?
Well, I am passionate about travel and writing. I love to entertain, educate, and inspire people to see the world through writing for various outlets and exploring different places that bring a new sense of wonder to myself and others who read my writing. Outstanding.
Ah, kin of my own heart. So the second question is, what are you an advocate for? What is something that's really important for you and something that you stand for?
So as a recent breast cancer survivor, I advocate for, um, really keeping up on top of your mammograms and doing your self-exams because that's the the number one way to catch breast cancer early. And with catching it early, the survival rate is very high. So I have done several events and fundraisers for Susan G. Komen, and I continue to advocate for breast cancer awareness.
That is so huge. I know, didn't you do something interesting like run with somebody in every state. What was that all about?
Yeah, so for my 50th birthday, which was almost 2 years ago, I decided to— I was going to do it in person first, but then the pandemic hit, so I had to pivot a little bit. I wanted to run a mile in every state, all 50 states, for my first for my 50th birthday to promote breast cancer awareness. So, since I didn't get to do it in person, I started something called 50 for the Cure, and I ran virtually over Zoom 1 mile here in Laguna with someone from each state. They ran a mile in their state, and I did that for 50 days straight. So, I ran 50 miles in 50 days. For my 50th birthday in all 50 states. It was really fun.
I love that. Way to, way to advocate. So let's, let's jump into life as a mom. So you are in Laguna Beach, California, a beautiful destination, and your daughter Caitlin, um, tell me about what it was like raising a daughter in Orange County.
You know, I mean, it's a beautiful place to raise kids. Um, it's also, um, I would say there are a lot of very high, um, standards that, that kids want to achieve, which I think is great that they kind of put the pressure on themselves. I mean, we were always, you know, as far as getting into colleges and things, whatever she wants to do was fine with us. But there is a certain pressure here for kids to get into very outstanding colleges, um, and it's interesting that they put that pressure on themselves. There's also very, um, it's a very big sports-driven, um, area. So a lot of kids try to get into college through sports, and that takes a lot of time, energy, and money to put into the sports to try to get into college. And as you know, that doesn't always work out. But then the academics, there's the, the need to get the high test scores, and it's just, it's kind of a lot of pressure. I mean, I don't know that it's, it's not necessarily an unhealthy pressure, but there definitely is, is the need here for kids to want to get into top-notch schools.
Yes, so I know when we first met and you decided to hire, um, College Ready to help Caitlyn through this process, do you remember how you were feeling before and then, um, once we started working with Caitlyn and your family? Maybe you can talk about that.
So, you know, I think Caitlyn was a freshman when we started working together and We had, you know, during middle school talked about colleges and, you know, what she might have a passion in and try to set the groundwork to get started on thinking about college. But then by the time she was a freshman, at the time she was playing water polo and wasn't sure if she wanted to play water polo in college or not. She's an amazing academic, you know, has always been getting good grades and very determined and successful with her academics. But as far as getting into colleges, we didn't— we really didn't know where to start. We didn't know how to pick the best college for her. We didn't know, you know, what would be the best fit, whether it was athletic or academic. You know, what, what was involved with getting into those colleges, what the colleges were looking for. So I think as you say, you don't know what you don't know. I think that really rang true for us because once we started working with you and putting together a plan and being able to follow it step by step, it was really clear and easy to navigate the admissions process. So I just, I don't know how parents do it without your help because it is very daunting and there are so many questions and to not have someone to go to, to, to ask those questions. I don't know how people do it. So it just was nice to have that roadmap and to have someone other than a parent for Caitlin to go to for advice. And, um, to have that leadership to help her and encourage her and really be her cheerleader and her advocate was really instrumental.
I love that. Let's talk about what it was like, um, when Kaitlyn was going through her senior year, the schools that she applied to, her acceptances, how she finally decided How was that year, the senior year?
Well, outside of COVID she graduated in 2021, so it was a bit daunting. But I will say, just again, having laid the foundation through the work that we did with you made her senior year much more enjoyable and easier to navigate the college process because when it came time to actually applying to colleges her junior year, she had worked with you to find out, okay, what are the top 10 colleges or top 12 colleges that would be the best fit? Whether, you know, taking into account the financial, the educational, the social, the, the geographical, all the things that resonated with Kaitlyn, and then going and visiting some of those that we could really helped her to have a clear understanding and excitement for the colleges that she was applying to. It wasn't just like a shot in the dark, like, oh, I think I'll apply here. And then going into those applications, knowing that she was— she had a very strong application because you had guided her on, you know, what to do for leadership and what to do for, um, you know, extracurricular activities and AP classes and just all the things that colleges are looking for and how to write a good essay. And just knowing that she had worked for 4 years to really build upon her resume and when it came time to applying and accepting, you know, she had a very strong resume. Um, so her senior year, it was a bit interesting. Her number one choice was NYU. Um, and she, when she was finding out where she got in, she got into, I believe, 10 of the 12 colleges that she applied to. The 2 that she didn't, um, I think was Cornell and Stanford. Um, but she— one of the ones that she did get into was UC Berkeley. Ironically, she didn't get into UCLA either. That was the third one. But she did get into UC Berkeley and was thrilled with that. She wasn't sure that she wanted to stay in California for college, but she was absolutely thrilled with getting into UC Berkeley. And then, um, she had gotten waitlisted for NYU. So the chances of getting off a waitlist are usually not very good. So she committed to UC Berkeley and then literally a week later got into NYU. So it was a real conundrum because both amazing schools. And once she really thought about it, she decided to go with UC Berkeley. It was just financially, it was half the price. From an educational standpoint, one of the best schools in the country. And just being in California, she, you know, realized that maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing to stay a little bit closer to home, yet have a completely different experience because Berkeley and Orange County are totally different. So that's what she chose.
I love it. I remember those phone calls back and forth, like How, how can we tell her no when she got into her dream school? I mean, the whole time we worked together, it was NYU all the way. I do have a feeling she'll end up there for her MBA or some kind of master's program because I know how much she loves that city. But I think what a wise decision when we got to talk about return on investment to your family and she got it, the light bulb went on. When I helped her to understand that she would be getting a great education at Berkeley, like you said, for half the cost, and she can still go there if that's something that she wants to pursue. So it's been great. So what's it been like being an empty nester?
Yeah. So since Caitlin is our only child, um, it was very difficult the first few weeks. I'm not gonna lie. But like anything, we've gotten into our groove as well as Caitlin. And, and luckily, the fact that she is in California, I mean, we pretty much see her once a month. We have a lot of friends in the Bay Area, so we, we are happy to make the trip up there anytime. But it— the best part is really seeing her grow into her own. She has embraced the the diversity that is offered in Berkeley. She loves meeting new people from all walks of life, all different parts of the world. And for me, it's kind of been a little bit of a, you know, reinventing myself. I have always worked part-time while raising Caitlin, but she was my number one job and happily so. It's really been nice for me to kind of finally have the time to pursue some things that I've been wanting to do more on a full-time basis. I am a travel writer and I am now able to travel without having to worry about only being able to travel on school vacations. So it's been a wonderful blessing for me and my husband, Jeff. Who luckily works from home. And it's, it's taken some getting used to, but we're, we're all in a good place right now.
It is so refreshing. I remember walking through that path with you and encouraging you, and, and I knew Caitlin would be fine. That's just definitely— I was more worried about you and maybe a little about Jeff, but I was more worried about you and just watching you really step into something that you love. And I do know that you see her probably more often than a lot of families do. And what a, what a great opportunity. So in hindsight, looking at that whole fit for a college, talking about the academic, social, and financial fit, I really think and believe that Berkeley was absolutely the perfect choice. It just took a little bit of time to get there because Caitlin's heart was in New York. And once we figured— and she was so mature about it, I got to give her a lot of credit. She really listened to the advice that we shared with her, thought about it, and ultimately it was her wise decision. So it has been my pleasure. Now, if somebody wanted to maybe read some of your travel articles, how might they find you?
So my website is Shellee Howard, which is spelled a little differently. It's sharael.com. So yeah, I'm happy to share my travel adventures with any of your listeners. And I do want to say also, you know, with Caitlin making her final decision, we all left it up to her and we were prepared to support her in either direction. You know, it's interesting 'cause she didn't think she really needed that traditional college experience. She was perfectly fine with going to the big city, but now that she's in that ultimate college experience with the Greek life and the football games and the vibrant campus, I can't imagine her having gone any other direction. She's just really, embraced it and is thriving and definitely has her sights set on New York when she goes to get her master's degree. And I think it is a better fit at a more mature age to go in that direction. And I feel like she might have missed out if she wouldn't have gone with, you know, a California school and, and the just quintessential college experience. So thank you for, again, guiding her and us, and we couldn't be happier.
So I always like to end each of my podcasts with, or what I sign my books with, and that is, um, you can be the change you wish to see in the world. What does that mean for you?
Well, I think it means for one, just following your heart. I know it sounds cliché, but, um, you know, doing what you are passionate about and I think for Caitlin, ironically, she's going into media studies, which following in my path a little bit. But I think as a parent, it really is important also to do what you love and be an inspiration for your children and showing them that you can be successful and you can be a great parent and still have, you know, your own thing as a career, or even if it's just a hobby that you really enjoy. And making time for that for yourself. And through doing so, you do inspire, inspire others.
Thank you so much, Shellee Howard, for being on the show today. Thank you.
It's been a pleasure. And again, it's been so great working with you, and, and I'm so glad to have met you and have you be a part of this journey.
