When Shannon Warren graduated high school in Terry and went to Holmes Community College, she had no idea what she wanted to do in life. What she did know was that school was not her thing. “I did not like it!” But a friend convinced her to go to dental assistant school, so Shannon enrolled in the Hinds Nursing Allied Health Center. “I really liked it, and I was offered a job during clinicals with Dr. George May.”

For 17 years, Shannon assisted Dr. May day in and day out with oral and maxillofacial surgery. But the Monday through Friday grind was getting to her, especially since she got limited time off and she had two active girls. “I was at a standstill. Every day was so routine, and it wasn’t challenging any more. I knew I needed to do something else, but I wasn’t sure what that would be.”

Real estate broker Clay Parker and his wife, Kristie, are close friends with Shannon and her husband, Zach. “Clay convinced me to get my real estate license and go to work with him.” It was a big leap of faith for Shannon to leave a steady job with benefits. “Zach has a good job as a nurse and marketer for Infusion Plus, plus he owns a videography company called Warren Brothers Media. I knew he could support us financially, but it was still scary to give up the income from my job.”

Shannon and Zach had purchased a lot and had plans to build a home, but they decided to wait. “Instead we bought a smaller house.” And what they realized is that they enjoyed the simplicity of scaling back. “We sold the lot and we are still in the small house. My two girls, Annalee (13) and Reese (8), each have their own room, they choose to share a room. We are happy here, and we love the financial freedom we have.”

Shannon hit the ground running in real estate. “I was motivated.” And in two short years, she has been able to make up the income from her previous job. “I know it’s a God thing,” she says. “Faith is a huge part of my life, and God has provided.”

She started her career at Weichert Realtors in Brandon, and she is still there today. “I am never going to move,” she says. The thing that surprised her most about her job is how important her role would be in the emotional well-being of her clients. “I feel a huge responsibility to try to take as much stress as possible away from my clients. That’s one part of the job I was not expecting, but I love helping people in their home journey.”

There is a phenomenon known as the “Monday Blues,” where people get depressed at the thought of going back to work on Monday. “I have never had the Monday Blues,” she says. “Real estate does not feel like work to me. I love the flexibility of it and I can work from anywhere as long as I have my phone and laptop.”

Shannon is very involved in the youth group at First Baptist Brandon. “I work with the ninth and tenth grade girls and I love it. We go on three trips in the summer, and I can take my computer with me and not worry about a thing.”

She is also involved with an organization called Radically Against Dystrophy which benefits people with muscular dystrophy. “My cousin is the president of the organization. I used to be a counselor at a camp for kids with muscular dystrophy, so it has an important place in my heart. I’m proud that Weichert Realtors is very involved with the organization as well.

When she isn’t working or volunteering, Shannon says she enjoys going on trips with her family. “We travel a lot. It’s a great way for us to spend quality time together.”