From Solo Coach to Ecosystem Builder
How Shannon Bloom Used PopUpThinkTank to Grow Her Practice, Her Visibility, and Her Confidence as a Facilitator.
Client / Facilitator-in-Training
Shannon Bloom
Coach, Consultant & Founder, Radiant Firefly
Session
PopUpThinkTank | October 30, 2025 | 90 minutes | 30+ thinkers | Hosted on Zoom
The Context: A Coach at the Edge of Her Next Chapter
Shannon Bloom is an experienced coach and consultant who helps people bring more of themselves into their work—without burning out or shrinking to fit rigid systems. Like many independent practitioners, she knew her work was valuable. What felt less clear was how to scale her impact and visibility without slipping into performative marketing or hustle culture.
She wasn’t looking for a louder message.
She was looking for momentum with integrity.
Specifically, Shannon was navigating questions common to solopreneurs and consultants:
How do I get seen without self-promotion fatigue?
How do I move from 1:1 work into community and culture change?
How do I invite people into my work in a way that feels generous—not salesy?
Rather than launching a webinar or polishing a pitch deck, Shannon chose a different move: she convened her network.
The Decision: Facilitation as a Strategic Act
Shannon hosted a PopUpThinkTank—not as an “event,” but as a structured invitation for insight.
With one founder, one trained facilitator, and 30+ thinkers from across coaching, HR, leadership, and adjacent fields, the session was designed around a simple but powerful premise:
What if ideation itself could be a form of engagement, credibility, and relationship-building?
The 90-minute experience followed the PopUpThinkTank arc—story, reflection, small-group ideation, and synthesis—using three lenses:
Your Experience (lived reality)
Get Practical (tactics, partnerships, next steps)
Go Big (possibility without constraints)
The goal wasn’t answers.
It was movement.
The Turning Point: When the Room Started Working For and With Her
Midway through the session and immediately following, something shifted.
Participants weren’t just offering ideas—they were offering themselves. Introductions. Referrals. Invitations. Energy. Advocacy.
Shannon didn’t have to pitch.
The room made meaning on her behalf.
One recommendation, made live during the session, became a concrete opportunity almost immediately.
In Shannon’s words:
“From my PopUpThinkTank, I got to meet with Michele Smith, and she invited me to her podcast. I was also booked to do another podcast in January for a big audience in Portland. It happened because of my PopUp invites (and was a recommendation in my session from an attendee).”
This wasn’t luck.
It was designed serendipity.
The Outcomes: What Changed (Beyond the Obvious)
1. Visibility Without Self-Promotion
Shannon’s work traveled through trusted voices, not algorithms. Podcast invitations emerged organically because participants could clearly articulate her value—having just experienced it.
2. A Shift in Identity: Coach → Convener
Hosting the session didn’t just generate ideas. It repositioned Shannon as someone who creates rooms where insight happens—a subtle but powerful credibility shift for any facilitator.
3. A Living Artifact of Her Thinking
The post-session synthesis captured emerging insights around belonging, coaching culture, momentum, and “building bridges, not boxes.” This became reusable intellectual capital—not just notes, but narrative.
4. Momentum That Continued After the Call
The session normalized follow-up. People reached out. Conversations deepened. Opportunities surfaced without Shannon having to “chase.”
Why This Matters for Facilitators-in-Training
If you’re learning to facilitate—or considering it—this case highlights something critical:
You don’t need to wait for clients to “let” you facilitate.
You can practice facilitation as a way of growing your own work.
Shannon didn’t use PopUpThinkTank to look polished.
She used it to look real, relational, and in motion.
For facilitators-in-training, this approach offers:
A low-pressure way to practice real facilitation
A credible reason to invite smart people into a shared space
A path to visibility rooted in contribution, not promotion
Proof that hosting can be as powerful as selling
The Bigger Takeaway
Shannon’s PopUpThinkTank wasn’t about finding the perfect message.
It was about creating the conditions where others could see—and support—what she’s building.
That’s the quiet power of facilitation done well.
If you’re standing at the edge of your own practice, wondering how to grow without losing yourself, this case offers a clear signal:
Start by asking. Start by gathering. The rest often follows.
Design Your PopUpThinkTank —> Just 3 Minutes.
