Jamaica Marshall (@lifeofjaymay_) takes the host seat and interviews Anna Laura Sommer, founder of Shine Studio in Charleston, SC, in the very first episode of Behind the Shine.

Anna Laura talks about co-hosting the SHE x SHINES podcast with her friend Alex for 125 episodes, how it was picked up by Comcast RISE as a TV show, and why she opened a physical studio so other women do not have to figure out production alone.

In this episode:

Why she only works with women-owned businesses and how that niche took shape

Opening a studio in Charleston with two-year-old twins

Turning a storage room into the podcast room

How assisted booking works and what comes with the room

Why this show exists and the big goal of more Shine Studio locations

Shine or Dare, plus her favorite podcasts recorded in the studio: Becoming Her with Melissa Thompson, Off the Shelf with Susannah Dellinger, and Horse and Phee

Timestamps:

00:00 Why Behind the Shine exists

01:18 Welcome and what this podcast is

03:00 Why the studio needed a podcast

05:18 Meet your hosts

06:19 Back in the host seat, postpartum

07:04 From SHE x SHINES to a Comcast RISE TV show

09:28 There is no such thing as balance

10:48 Starting brand photography and only working with women

13:18 No one is going to do it like you

15:15 The risk of opening Shine Studio with two-year-old twins

17:28 The hardest season: building the podcast room

20:05 How booking the podcast room works

22:38 What is included, plus photo, video, and events

24:08 Why this show, and why now

26:49 Who has recorded at Shine Studio

28:38 The big goal: more Shine Studio locations

30:43 Shine or Dare

32:04 Favorite podcasts recorded in the studio

34:25 Outro

Ready or not, let's shine.

Behind the Shine with Anna Laura Sommer | Filmed at Shine Studio, Charleston SC | theshinestudio.com

The best things in my life have come from jumping in before I felt ready.

Behind the Shine is a podcast hosted by Anna Laura Sommer, founder of Shine Studio in Charleston, SC. Every episode pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to show up, build something meaningful, and keep going before you feel ready.

We talk to women entrepreneurs, female founders, and small business owners about the real story behind their success, not just the highlight reel. Solo episodes go deep on pricing, community, motherhood and business, content creation, and the moments that actually change things.

This show is for the woman who is building something real and keeps finding reasons to wait. You don't have to have it all figured out to start.

Ready or not, let's shine.

Hosted by Anna Laura Sommer | Shine Studio | Charleston, SC | theshinestudio.com