A conversation with the CEO of Experience Olympia & Beyond

There's a certain kind of leader who doesn't just manage an organization — they're drawn back to it. Shauna Stewart has returned to Experience Olympia & Beyond for the third time, and by her own admission, it's not the job description that keeps pulling her in. It's the people.

In a recent episode of Business Class, Shauna sat down for a candid conversation about destination marketing, intimacy coaching, building great teams, and the surprising health benefits of vanilla ice cream.

First Things First: Olympia Is Not the Olympic Peninsula

If you've ever mixed up Olympia with the Olympic Peninsula, you're not alone — and Shauna has made peace with that. "The word Olympia is very close to Olympic," she says with a laugh. But Olympia is its own destination: Washington State's capital city, nestled at the South Sound, rich with creative small businesses, farm culture, and a famously opinionated, fiercely passionate community.

"There's a lot more here to do than politics," she says plainly.

Work as Play — and Why That's Not Strange at All

Shauna's definition of creativity might surprise you. When asked how she expresses her own, she didn't mention painting or travel. She said: work.

"My version of play is work, and that sounds very strange, but it is a fun way for me to be challenged, connect with other people, brainstorm, and put ideas into action in a meaningful way."

It makes sense when you consider the other hat she wears: intimacy and relationship coach. Shauna launched that practice in 2020, and while the two fields might seem worlds apart, she sees a common thread running through both.

"The big question that drives me is: what helps people feel most alive? I believe that travel is one of those things. And from an intimacy perspective, when we understand what really lights us up and how to be in relationship with others in a healthy way — that helps us become more alive, more present in our everyday lives."

The Identity Shift That Changed Everything

2020 wasn't just the year Shauna started intimacy coaching. It was the year she got sick and was forced to confront something she'd built her entire identity around: being a high achiever.

"I had identified as a high achiever up until that point. And while I still love winning and achieving and creating things, I no longer identify with achievement creating my worth or my identity."

It's advice she'd give her 20-year-old self without hesitation: Work doesn't define you. You can still go after big things — just don't let them be the source of your worth.

Hire for Delight

Ask Shauna about building a strong team and one word comes up immediately: delight.

"Anybody can post on social media. Anybody can write good content for a visitor guide, especially with AI at our fingertips. Who's gonna be the person I'm gonna light up when they walk in the door?"

After 20 years of hiring, she's learned to cast a vision and then step back — letting her team bring their own energy and imagination to it. "Usually their ideas are far better than anything I could come up with."

The thing that finally convinced her to stay permanently after returning as interim CEO? Looking around the table at a team meeting and thinking: Nope. I need to stay.

The Ice Cream Revelation

No recap of this episode would be complete without the ice cream story.

When Shauna was at her sickest — dealing with severe inflammation and having lost 20 pounds — she started having intense cravings for ice cream sundaes. Counterintuitive, given that sugar and dairy are both inflammatory. But her doctor eventually told her to just eat.

"I went and had a big, huge sundae with the whipped cream, chocolate, nuts, sprinkles, all the things. And I actually, for the first time in six months, felt better the next day."

Turns out, Harvard has since done studies showing that people who eat vanilla ice cream once or twice a week have higher overall health markers — linked to endorphins, dopamine, and nostalgia. The joy itself is part of the medicine.

"The next day I'm back at it," she says. They keep vanilla ice cream on hand at home now.

On Connection, Community, and What Stays the Same

As technology reshapes nearly everything about how we travel and how we market destinations, Shauna believes one thing will remain constant: the human desire for connection.

"People who are drawn to this work are drawn to connection. You go to conferences, you meet other destinations, and they quickly become your best friends and biggest allies. You can call them in your darkest hour of need, and they will be there for you."

She's not just talking about the tourism industry. She's talking about what's at stake culturally right now — in small communities, in workplaces, in how we show up for each other.

"Humanity is desperate for humanity right now."

Listen to the Full Episode

Shauna Stewart's story is one of homecoming, reinvention, and leading with both head and heart. Whether you're in the destination marketing world, navigating your own identity beyond achievement, or just curious about the science of ice cream — this episode is worth your time.

🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or watch the full interview above.

📍 Plan your visit to Olympia at experienceolympia.com