Media influencer Stephanie Tonneson came to Shippensburg on Monday to speak with students about difficult topics like success, addiction, mental illness and self-reliance. She is known for her podcast “Sit on the Floor,” creating content for different brands and herself, and interviewing strangers about who they truly are. 

During the beginning of the event, Tonneson read a script that elaborated on hardships that she’s had, how she overcame those complications and how others can learn from those issues. She spoke personably about how watching loved ones battle with addiction has affected her life, how she coped with the loss of her father to cancer and the way she made a name for herself in the content creation world because her goal is to help as many people as she can. 

She made a podcast episode with her father before he passed away, and he requested that she share it, as he believed it showed great parts of her life. 

“This, I realized, was the path,” Tonneson said. “Not a camera, not a piano, not a podcast or a short story or a social media clip; the path was simply to help someone.” 

Tonneson is based in Los Angeles, California. Privately, she discussed the impact California has had on her life because of its sense of creativity. She believes that it is important for people to go where they believe they will benefit the most, and in her case, California was the proof of independence that she’s capable of. 

She created an interview-based video, encompassing students from Shippensburg University who have experienced loved ones battling addiction. The emotional video shed light onto how important it is for people to remember they are not alone, that they can heal and have the ability to make a difference in others’ lives. The video showed that the people who were affected by addiction were looking to go into psychology and fields that encouraged mental and emotional wellness in hopes to help individuals who are struggling with addiction, or they have personally experienced it from others in their lives. 

During the Q&A period of her event, several audience members felt comfortable opening up about their exposure to addiction, battles with mental health, lack of motivation and feelings of loneliness. Additionally, Tonneson gave advice on how to manage the unpredictability of life. 

“The life I want is both the life I have and the one I build, even if it took me years to climb my way out of what everyone told me I could be,” Tonneson said. “Welcome to the real world.”

Tonneson made a name for herself in the world of media a long time ago, but this time, she made a name for herself at Shippensburg University. 

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