Meet the Cast

Jillian

I grew up in Florida with my family and loved being near the beach. I graduated from Florida Gulf Coast University with a double major in Philosophy and Communication. After graduating I was a creative director at a church for a few years, and then worked as an afternoon anchor for my local NBC news station. Several opportunities for local commercials and hosting have come from those experiences.

Apart from hosting Real Life 101 I work in communications for a network of clinics. I also do freelance graphic design. In my free time I love having coffee with my best friends, going to the beach, and working on creative art projects. It’s so important to stay active with your hobbies as a stress reliever!

I’m really not that old (I think), but I have had quite a few odd jobs and a handful of incredible jobs. Since I was fourteen I have done everything from being a coffee shop manager, a nanny, a traveling live video tech for conferences, a graphic designer, a social media manager, a news traffic anchor, and of course, a television host. I have basically pursued whatever interested me at the time. Now that I’m sort of settled with life I realize that what I’m doing now is what I want to do for the long-haul. Sometimes you have to dabble in a few things to find what your passion is.

When you wake up in the morning and look in the mirror ask yourself, “What do I feel like doing today?” Then do that. Find a way to make money doing whatever it is you’re interested in. Go and interview (or buy lunch for) a person who is successful in that industry. People always are willing to talk about themselves and how they got to be so successful. Be willing to take an entry-level position and work your way up; and of course, always pursue more education!

Thank you so much for spending time with us on Real Life 101. Your support means a lot! I hope that you watch an episode that sparks your interest in a career. Who knows? Maybe one day we’ll be interviewing you and your profession. 🙂

Shawn

I was born in Atlanta, Georgia and moved to Florida when I was about 11. Had lived in Florida majority of my life, met lots of people and experienced some awesome things up into my 20s. I wanted a slight bit of a change so packed up and move to the BIG City…NEW YORK CITY when I was 26 and have been here ever since! I’ve always been a really outgoing person and love to joke around and always had a strong passion to become and actor and/or dancer. Being that I have a very diverse background; I’m Puerto Rican, Brazilian and African American, dancing is a very big thing with my family and friends and with my culture and I love it! I think I’ve followed acting a little more, though! You meet awesome people like my co-host and production team and you just have the time of your life learning new things about the world and other people everyday! 

After living in Orlando for some time I had the chance to really get into my zone of adult life and really experience the different opportunities that are out there for me. Still a huge fan of acting and movies, etc., though my love of fashion has started to overshadow a lot. So took what I learn working in the fashion industry from Orlando with me to NYC. Working with top designer clothing stores while modeling at the same time has giving me a new found respect for fashion, different styles and trends. I must say I love throwing things together and seeing what I come out with! Living in NYC has open the doors for me in so many ways in the fashion world. I am now a full-time visual merchandiser and stylist for some of the biggest names and designer companies in the world. Mother always said find something you love and make it your career, and I’m happy to say I have. At the same time, me being a people person has its advantages also. Started school majoring in Marketing and Advertising mainly because I’m big into networking. Love meeting different people from different backgrounds and with the help of school it’s helped me into getting where I’m at today and hopefully takes me a lot farther!

In my spare time, I love just relaxing with my friends and going to the beach. My friends and family mean a lot to me and they’ve always been there and supported me in everything I’ve done – love you all!

This experience being involved with such great people while working on Real Life 101 has been amazing! The people we interview and the things I learn have opened up my eyes to lots of great jobs out there that people do every day! To our fans and devoted viewers… good luck in everything you do! I hope my co-hosts and I can help you decide where you want to be in life and inspire you to work your hardest to get there. The sky’s the limit and you can do whatever you want if you put your mind into it! Thanks a lot for the support and keep watching!