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Simple questions for one hundred people. Welcome to the experiment. I'm Bill Correll, and this is my investigation. I'm researching to gather data from one hundred beautiful human beings for the sole purpose to see what actually happens across the interviews. Now, the questions are fixed and the interviews will remain consistent between with a variable being the actual participants themselves and their answers. So it's as if taren, I'm having you come sit on my porch to share your thoughts so
I can learn about people. I'm looking forward to what we're going to know or learn after we complete all of these interviews. But no matter what it is, I'm having a ball doing it. So now it's time for us to meet you. What is your full name?
My name is Taren Shane Evicta.
Tell me that middle name again.
Shana Shana. So Shana was just a name that my mother heard and absolutely loved, and so she included Taren Shana Victor. So people call me Taren Shana, but middle name Taren Victor. But my middle name is Shana.
So interesting. I wanted to ask you this, but I guess it's as good a time as any. You know. Props on Shana. I love that name too. We used to babysit a little girl named Shana about forty years ago. She's now the head of a she's the head of a cosmetic company, so she's that name has done really well.
For her, beautiful nice I love that.
So are you named for a Klingon character? Or is did they steal the name Taran from somewhere else?
They just love the name. I wish my mom was here so we could have that discussion. But originally I remember that there is they they watched the shore and they wanted Shana. But then then they decided on they heard Taran and they decided Arran sounded. I think in a way children name themselves when when you when they when they come into this world, and so it just it was just right. Tarn Shane a victim and it just fits it well. And and that's what they chose, My parents chose for me.
It's a wonderful name. Absolutely. So what's your favorite nickname that most people don't know?
Most people don't know that. My closest friends call me tests t a double z tes.
Yes, like a Tazanian devil.
There we go, and I do I do have my moments.
Oh, I can see that in you. You look at me like you've got wide, wide bandwidth in terms of what you can bring, and it depends on what the calls for.
Right, absolutely absolutely Excuse me.
Have you been to Tasmania?
No? I haven't.
No, Yeah, I want to go one of these days because I understand that it's quite beautiful and that there are you know, a lot of different kinds of animals and flora and fanna you know. So that's just me. Tell me a little bit more about taz What when did you first start getting that.
Tes was in so Tes was in primary school. Also in my family, my mum also just says Tes really just like we have a there's a car here, so that we go, a very very old model called Toyotatz. So I think the association with the name Teren automatically there's the name TZ. These terrens that I also know that have been called Tz. People with maybe their their names of tes mim end up being called Tz. So it just I was called it from primary school in
my family, and I kind of just stuck. Although I don't hear it a lot, but every now and again I get called Taz by somebody who knows me.
Well, there you go. So, so, Taz, when did you first notice what color hair you had?
This was a very This is a very interesting question because I've tried to remember as spot back as possible, and I realized what color hair I had when I looked at my mom and my dad, and my hair color was the same as these. So my hair is dark brown. And when I saw that my hair color when I was young was the same as my moms and dads, and that's when I knew that my hair color was dark brown because it was the.
Same roughly how old would you say when you when you became aware.
I think I think at the time when I could be aware about anything, so pretty much, I would take five years five years old.
Yeah, yep. Interesting. So what's your favorite thing to do to intentionally waste time?
I don't have one answer to this. So the first first thing would be I will scroll on social media to waste time. I use it as as a distractive mechanism if I'm stressed or focusing on something too much, and I'll use that. Or I will get up and down and I'll pace like I'll literally pace and procrastinate like it's the task. So I'm a working progress.
Interesting, So I'll ask you a different question along the same lines. What percentage of your waking hours do you think you are doing something like that to prepare for the next thing? Because I get when you say you're wasting time, you're actually not. What you're doing is you're reving up and supercharging that brain to get ready to go and get busy.
No, that's true. I love that question because that's a very good differentiation. I don't actually do anything to waste time because I'm always focused focused on what I need to do next. And when I can get it done. I kind of have a bit of a short temperament where if I can get something done, then I'm going to get it done. So I will actually those times that I said where I'll be on social media pacing, I'm actually using social media to prepare for the next thing,
as you just mentioned. Or my pacing will be when I'm getting content or things or puzzle pieces in my head for a brainstorming session or something together. But to waste time, I will spend time, for example the holiday season, doing absolutely nothing and reading a book. But to intention it, I don't ever intentionally waste time because I know time is a gift.
Mm hmm. And do you ever just notice that you are wasting time and go, Okay, that's enough of that.
Yeah, And I realized that because of overthinking.
Yeah, yeah, you got to let it cool down every once in a while, right, absolutely. So what's your favorite movie to watch alone?
My favorite movie to watch alone is Enough by Jennifer Lopez.
Yes, And what do you love about that?
The movie? For me, it resonates with me because she she went through something really horrible, which was abuse, but she took a stand and she fought back for her and her child. And I think that every woman, and it's not just woman, in any individual, there comes to points in your life where you take a stand and you stand up for yourself and you do what's right for you. And I just resonate with that, and I can watch that movie over and over again because it's so empowering just with the message.
Does it make you? Does it move you? You know, to happiness and to tears all in the same movie.
Not tears anymore. It's more, it doesn't not tears and happiness because obviously I know the ending. For me, it's just every time I watch it, it's just a reminder of with the gift of every single day, we have the power of choice, and that we can, you know, we can, with God's grace. We end by just be fighting back. I mean, let me summarize it like this. It gives
me hope. It's a beautiful story that just gives me hope and that I need a tigh of hearing, because hope is what we need in this world where there's so much happening.
That's great, that's really good. That's a really powerful message. And I hear what you say when you use the word hope. It's not like magical thinking hope. It's more
like positive intentionality hope. You know that you know you will be enough, and that that's very powerful for people to start off with that confidence in life, that when you set your mind to do something at the beginning, especially when you have no idea what the outcome is going to take, but you take it on anyway and you just kind of like go with it and you do finish it because you're that kind of person. That's what I get from you.
Yes, absolutely, all right, So.
Tarin, if you were to have an action figure made of you, what superpower would it have? What colors would its uniform to be?
What super power if I had an action figure made of me, and what superpowers it would have? It would be the power to move people that move around, movement or stop time? And what else is they?
Flying?
I would also, I would say flying, and the colors would be blue and red because there are two two beautiful colors that I love, And yeah, I think that that could be blue and red.
That's really wonderful. So first we'll talk about the colors, then we'll talk about the powers. So what what sort of shades or hues of blue and red? Would you want? So?
Not very dark red, like going towards that maroon red. No, just a nice red kind of in the sensor and blue. I absolutely love navy blue. It's the color of my brand for my business. It just represents royalty, but not royalty in the ego scenes, just kind of elegance beauty. I also love the midnight sky, so I just love the blue, and I think the two together just complete each other, compliment each other.
Yes, are you familiar with the term no bless obliege.
I know, it's the first time I'm hearing it.
The uh. It's a French term, and no bless obliege means that automatically, with power comes responsibility.
Wow. That is beautiful.
So having you know the notion of no blessed obliche, there are some things that people of royalty cannot turn down.
Wow, thank you for sharing that.
Beautiful. That would be the kind of blue that I would imagine that you're talking about.
I like it even just saying it just sounds very very awesome.
You can kind we could have a whole podcast just talking about no bless oblige.
That's could That's just like educational. That's going to be an educational podcast right there.
There you go, all right, So what did you want to grow up to be when you were five years old?
I wanted to be a model.
Take some more, what kind of model?
Kind of like a runway model, but not in the lingerie sense, but just a runway model for women's clothes or taking photos fors with for brands and clothes, and that that was something I wanted to do when I was a little girl.
Yeah, so are we talking Coco Chanel or are we talking Versagy or it doesn't really matter. Just get me on the right on the catwalk.
I think starting out I would have gone with whoever. But actually building myself up, like building myself up in the industry, to be privileged to read, to model those clothes. That was something that i'd practice at home. I'd like to have my struts and walk down a passage and just to have the little attitude as I walked.
It was.
It was fun. I had a crazy imagination when I was a child.
I'm getting a mind picture of you at five years old doing that and putting the powd on and looking right and looking left and.
Yes, and the turns and the looks and oh gosh.
Yes, good for you. So what's your greatest accomplishment? Taren so far?
So can that question be answered in a professional and a personal personal scenes capacity?
Is your time? You answer it any way you like, Okay.
So in a personal capacity, the greatest thing that I accomplished is being baptized. I'm very firm in my faith as a Christian. I love God. So being baptized on the nineteenth of March twenty twenty three, that was my greatest accomplishment. And in the professional sense, is that come the beginning of February, I will have my business for four years.
Fantastic. We'll talk about the baptism if you're willing. What was your baptismal ceremony? Like?
It was at my church and it was beautiful, beautiful baptism pool and just each one of us went in and got baptized by one of our pastors. It was a time of joy and just a very beautiful and churching moment in my life.
Were you wearing a white robe?
No, we wore black pants and a black shirt with beautiful, beautiful writing.
It's about and how many other people were baptism with baptized with you on that day.
Sure, I can't remember the number, but probably about thirty to forty people if I'm not mistaken. Wow.
Yeah, that's an assembly line.
It was the most wonderful thing to experience and have others and you know, being the line. It was adults and watched them and then they watch you and celebrate you. It was it was incredible.
Did you have butterflies?
I had tears. I had butterflies. I felt God's presence. It was an all a consisting moment. My mother was in the distance with friends, they were watching. Just a very very special moment in my life.
Yeah. Now, do you consider that this is a born again act for you? Or was it a coming of age? Now I'm a Christian without the whole sense of you know, you know, it's an important thing to do in life, but choosing God and choosing Jesus Christ is a different thing altogether.
So for me, it was it's it's it was just the next step in my journey of faith. I was saved in twenty nineteen when I accepted Jesus Christ savior and this was just the next stick. This was just the next stick in my faith.
So yep, I love how we language that you know that I accepted him. I've been toying with the phrase of asking him to accept me. Yeah, I think.
I think that's I hear where you're coming from. But he's always willing to He's always willing to accept you when you're willing to open up to him. That's what I believe.
I completely agree with you, But I do like to play with language and look at it from different points.
Of view, of course, which is what I absolutely admire about you, because you're very open minded and look things at different You open so seeing things at different points of view in that which is very very special, Yes.
And by talking about it openly and as candidly as you're willing to, we start to hear what your perspective was, what your experience was. And these are profound things, things that I don't know that anybody ever asked you these questions before, and if they did, I don't mean to be mundane and redundant. But the point is, I think in the minutia, you know, it is how we really learn not only you know what other people do and think, but how to love them more dearly.
You know, Yeah, you touched on that exactly. It's about communication and learning about the next person and accepting them for who they are and being open to learning. It's how it's going to make the world a better place. It would help resolve so many things if we just communicate it and open them more.
Absolutely I appreciate that. And now about your other greatest accomplishment four years in business? Can you tell us what you do, how you got started, what your challenges have been, maybe some of your victories.
Sure. So in COVID, I was working for a marketing PR company that came to an end, and I thought to myself what it is? In January, I was like, what am I going to do? And I had people contacting me in a freelance space and saying, could you help me with this? Could you help me with social media? Could you help me with some content? Could you help me with a strategy? And I thought to myself, you know what, there is something here. I think it's time that I'll start my own company. And so I started
my company, Phoenix Media. My friend said to me, use Phoenix Media because your journey you are rising from the ashes, you are rising into the person you were meant to become. And so I started Phoenix Media, and I help my clients to build brands that they love and also attrack their ideal clients through social media marketing, social media strategy,
and content creation. Challenges. Sure, as an entrepreneur, we faced so many challenges, but I think with me is the thing is that I keep going and I keep pushing and persevering, keep networking, meeting people, getting my business out there, just doing everything that I can and having wonderful conversations and collaborations with people. Challenges is whatever you are chopping.
You are faces when there are slow months. Obviously, instead of working a nine to five, there are some days you work a whole twelve hour day because as a solopreneur, you are putting everything into your business if you don't outsource. But I do believe that those challenges are actually are actually learning learning curves for me because it's helped me reach this four year mark that I'm approaching in that's a big deal.
I appreciate it. Being an entrepreneur. I started my business a long time ago, But the first five years they always say is the toughest. The first is the worst. But if you can make it five, you've got a fifty percent chance to make it to ten.
There we go. I've got one need to go.
There you go, So thank you for that. Now, who is your first favorite person to listen to?
My favorite person to listen to. So for me, it goes back to worship music and that will be Brandon Lake and Elevation Worship. I just find that it's encouraging. I love that music and it's just what I enjoy listening to and what's on my playlist.
I like it. I like it a lot. Is Are there any speakers or any orders that come to mind that you you know, either followed podcasts or or books on tape or or speeches in.
General in what oh not? In the musical scenes. I love listening to who is that? Joyce Meyer podcasts in South Africa? I love also listening to Lucy Timba Kuayo? He is an entrepreneur?
Who is it?
Tony Robbins. I love listening to things like that, anything that is either part of my Christian journey that or part of help me that will help me in some way to grow as an entrepreneur.
Yeah, very clear. You're a focused young lady, h and it looks to me like you're more working on being on rails than like covering the countryside. You know I like it, so please complete this sentence, Tarn. When I grow up, I'd like to travel the world, have all the world. Where would you go first?
That'serinely Grease.
Tell me some more about that. It's very precise.
Yeah, that's on top of my bucket list. Second in San Francisco in the States, and then London and Germany. The reason being Censorinie. First is the movie Mama PM. I fell in love with the beautiful white the cliffs, the beautiful white buildings, and the blue the blue roofs, and the beautiful ocean. I love Nate, I love the ocean.
I love the seaside. And every time I watch a movie and I see or somebody says they've been to Athens or they've been to Santorini more, I just fills with so much love because that's where I definitely wanted to go. And also in my family, my great great grandmother on my mother's side was Greek, so in a way there's a bit of family heritage in that direction as well.
Santorini. That's great. What are maybe some obscure places that most people wouldn't think of, but you really want to go there.
I think for me, I want to go to all the picturesque places that the touristy places, so really just those that are mentioned where else, I'd love to go to Brazil. That's where my first focus is right now. Where in Brazil, I guess weird Degenia.
There you go. Yeah, a lot to offer in Rio in every sense of the word, from the ocean to the mountains, to good food to great dancing, great people, beautiful language too.
I don't understand the language much, but you've ticked a whole bunch of boxes there that I'm like, yes, es, yes, yes, yes, you know it.
I call it a higher level of Spanish. Portuguese is also a you know, a boot language like French, and you know Italian and everything. And I think I spend quite a bit of time in Connecticut with people who are from Brazil and so beyond Aubergato. I don't know a lot more words, but I can get by with a couple of things.
Brigardo is thank you, Yes, beautiful.
So what is the most important thing in life to you right now?
The most important thing to en life to me right now is my walk with the Lord and that everything I do draws me closer to Him, and also making sure that I do the best that I can for my mom and I and just doing the best that I can in my business.
Interesting, do you do you have any aspirations vocationally you know, to possibly be a and which faith are you in? Christianity?
I am Intecostal and Tecostal.
Okay, if you're going to be a bear, be a grizzly, right, I love it. I love it. So can you see yourself ever being a preacher?
I don't see myself being a preacher, but there could be a points down the line where I could maybe play a part in the church in a leadership role in helping others in some scenes. But otherwise I'd really love to just on my walk and just strengthening the faith and all of that. That right now is my focus.
Yeah, good for you. And what would you like to live in the world after your life is done? Sure? Sure?
Shoo shoe shoe. Shoot? You know what I think what I would would what I would like to leave is that don't waste your life, live authentically. If there's anything that that people can take away from my time on this earth is love. Boldly, live authentically. Don't leave judgment of others or society depict how you should live your life. Live free, live abundant, love yourself, love your neighbor, be kind,
and just don't waste your time on negativity. Just just love your life, Love your life, don't compare your life to others. Love your life, because at the end of the day, it's it's you that it's your life, it's not the next person. So for me, it's just live your life, it's yours. Live it to the fullest, napologetically. That's what I hope that people will take away from my journey.
That's wonderful. There's so much in there, And how will you leave it? From a legacy standpoint, are you going to be writing books? Are you going to be doing public speaking and engaging people? From that standpoint, do you have a plan for what you're going to leave behind?
So really it's I think we impact every single person we speak to. We impact them in a way a person. The time that you spend with someone who's is already an impact that you're making, and that you'll leave a lost memory. But in that type of sense, I think for me, just building a wonderful business, being the best daughter brain that I can be to those closest to me. And to answer your question in a more broader scenes, I'm definitely diving into writing books. I'm definitely diving into poetry.
So in that sense, I definitely do hope.
To leave a leicacy good for you. Yeah, publishing has a way of being durable. However, you know, it's also important for people to read it, so you have to get out from among all of the other noise that's out there to be heard. I don't know. First of all, let's tell people where you're from.
I am from China's Books, South Africa.
Yes, So from a custom standpoint, do you have you have vakeries over there that you go to.
Excuse me?
Do I have bakeries place where they bake bread and cupcakes and cakes and all that sort of thing, doughnuts, what have you? Well? I have a really good baker here and for years, anytime I go in and buy a dozen of something, when we just completed your twelfth question, I get a free one. So here's your baker's question. What is the there? You go exactly? Look what you one? Okay, what is the thing that most people misunderstand about you.
This is a very nice question. What is the one thing that people missustain misunderstand about me? Would be that they mistaken my silence for weakness.
Bad idea, right, very bad idea.
I keep quiet because I believe in turning the other cheek, and there's time to respond and there's time to walk away. But my silence doesn't mean I'm weak. My silence just means that I value my time and I'm not going to waste my time and energy on met is that are not important to me. And I just prefer to being focused on where my focus is and spend time with those who matter. So my silence is not a weakness. It is a strength, but it can be misunderstood as a weakness.
I like that, And it sounds to me like you put some thought into this, and you're perfectly okay with people thinking you're a weak rather than taking minutes of your time that you will never get back.
Absolutely, I believe in the theory called that let them theory, So let them think what they want. It's really what they think of me has got nothing to do with me. I wish them well, but it's got nothing to do with me. It's my silence, it's my time, it's my voice, and those who appreciate it will they will hear it. And my silence is a strength, it's not a weakness. So I let them be. I let them think what
they want to think. If that's their choice to think that my silence is a weakness, that's okay, that's okay.
I have a feeling you'll be good with whatever happens and go from there.
It's I believe in controlling what you can and what you can't control.
Just let it go.
So yeah, that's one miscomposition, misconception. Where is my English today? That's one misconception that people have with me, is that my silence is a weakness, but it's actually my strength.
Excellent. I love it. So that completes our questions. Do you have any questions of me? I do.
My question to you is what is this beautiful? What is these beautiful interviews for?
So this is interesting, So we'll kind of get into it from a thirty thousand foot perspective.
However, whenever I see authority controlling the behavior of individual human beings, especially once they can't even see or interact with, it, breaks my heart, because I think that we're best when we are just who we are and we're not living into somebody else's view of what identity is.
So that's the thirty thousand foot overarching premise. About four years ago we started my other podcast, which is Lighting the Candle a World that Works, And I did that kind of in a response to people not playing nicely with each other when our West coast cities in Oregon and Washington were on fire, you know, in Minneapolis, and it just didn't make any sense to me, and they were really focusing on you know, individual things that were going on and allowing people to go crazy while saying
that the right way to be is this or that. So I wanted to do a little test, a little experiment, and find out what people are really like, you know, and whether or not they really do, either accidentally or intentionally or some other way, fall into these like groove categories that if you are this, then these are the things that matter to you. I'm not done yet, but so far I've found that that's pretty much what my
grandmother used to call hogwash. And I have a premise about life that if people are left to their own intentions and encouraged, they will amaze you, They will delight and amde you. So that's what I'm really interested in, is not only having this opportunity in the beginning, it was really to find out are people really does their identity have anything to do at all with you know,
what they're really like? And what I'm finding so far is is that there's another byproduct to that, which is, in many cases people hearing themselves answer these questions, something you know, wick up for them as well while they're doing this. And I can see it on your face and everyone's face that I've interviewed so far. Great question.
Thank you so much for sharing that and for answering it. Whether you chose to or not, I would have respected it either way, But thank you so much for that, because what is coming through is I'm getting a kind heart, a mind that just wants to communicate, some wants peace and love and join the world where we all live in harmony authentically. And I just want to say thank
you for doing that. Thank you for opening your heart and sharing these spaces with me and people over the world and just saying let's be open to one another and learn because we can learn so much from one another.
I completely agree, and there's one more aspect to it, and that is I consider myself an undountable champion for the possibility of all human beings, and that's undeniably.
You are doing.
All right. Great any other messages that you want to leave to our listeners, because you've been absolutely fantastic, Taran.
Thank you so much for the opportunity, And just again, just to everyone watching this podcast, be subscribed and just you nab it to live your authentic self and don't let anyone step on your toes. This is your life, your world. Go ahead and live it. And thank you for taking the time for listening to this amazing podcast and the amazing episodes to come.
Yes, thank you so much. Ladies and gentlemen. We are simple questions for one hundred people. I'm Bill Correll, and I'm going to leave you with this ask. We are heading into the high holiday period in most countries, and this time of year can be very daunting for some people. So please do me a favor, do yourself a favor.
Reach out to someone in your life by email, text, letter card, and just let them know that your world works because they are in it, and that if they ever need you in any dark moment that you be there for them. Thank you so much, and thank you miss Terran. It's been delightful.
Thank you so much and have your holidays. To you and everybody listening.
Thank you right back at you. Bye for now, y'all.
You've been listening to Simple Questions for one hundred people, part of the x Audio podcast network. You can catch every episode of Simple Questions plus the rest of the network at xvadio dot com, the Apple Podcasts app, YouTube, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Audible, Amazon Music, and wherever you find podcasts.