Meet Heather Schultz | Intuitive Tarot Reader & Music Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Heather Schultz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Heather, how do you think about risk?
I’ve never been a play it safe type of person and I’ve always flown more so by the seat of my pants. When I graduated high school most people followed the societal standards of going to college, getting a degree, finding a normal 9-5 job, get married, buy a house, have a family, etc. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with any of those things, especially if those things make you happy. But that wasn’t the path for me. For me, I followed my passions to the city of Angels and pursued the starving artist path as I decided to blaze my own trails working in the music industry. When you’re an artist you wind up wearing many different hats: singer, songwriter, performer, social media intern, nanny, dog walker…. the list goes on. Los Angeles isn’t exactly known for it’s stability as it’s a very transient city. During the 15 years I lived there I saw many people come and go. I had highs attending red carpet events and Grammy parties. I had lows where I was literally sleeping in my car, homeless and suicidal. Tinsel town is a place of extremes, so if you’re adverse to risk, it may not be the place for you. I do consider myself extremely fortunate in the fact that I have a good support system around me with friends and my mom. Without that my own risk taking very well could’ve done me in. Not everyone is blessed with that. There’s always been this insatiable hunger inside of me, where the status quo was never enough. I’ve never been one to settle in life or love. So with that natural mentality, risk comes naturally for me, in fact I would say I could be a little bit of a risk junkie and almost kinda thrive off of it. I would rather fall flat on my face and fail at something I cared about than simply play it small and get it all. If I go out big and even get half of it, that’s something major to be grateful for in and of itself and I certainly don’t want to be that person looking back on my life years down the road saying things like “What if?” or “If I had only…..” As a creative person, I’m all about a good story, and those come with a lot of drama. Eventually I did leave the music business, but it wasn’t because I was done taking risks. I just felt that chapter of my life had reached it’s conclusion, so I was satisfied. Nowadays I assist people in their spiritual journeys doing intuitive tarot readings. It was something that randomly found me as it was never something I set out to do intentionally. It’s not your average job, still just as much something I’m passionate about, and even has risks of it’s own simply because I do have my own business out of it and I feel any business owner of any kind usually has to be a little friendly with risk. But similar to what I have told many clients in many readings – with great risk, comes great reward. And that is something I definitely live by even for myself.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Having a background in music I feel I’ll always be an artist first and foremost and that has definitely helped set the stage for where I’m at today. Running a business goes hand in hand with that. After all, bills still have to be paid. Being an intuitive tarot reader you have to be open and receptive to what may sound a little “crazy” as you tap into your gut instinct. Logic has to take a backseat in this line of work because there is no mathematical, one size fits all, equation to help people. Overthinking and overanalyzing is actually the enemy of going with the flow, trusting your intuition, and tapping into that magical creative side. 2015 I had pretty much closed the door on my professional life in the music industry and at that time I just didn’t know what to do next so I joined the dog walking app, Wag, as one of the original dog walkers on their app. I’ve had dogs my whole life and could definitely fall into that category of “crazy dog lady,” so it was a fun gig and as someone who likes to make their own schedule, it made sense from that perspective too. In 2019 I decided I wanted to try my hand at blogging because while I loved working with dogs, I was missing that creativity in my life. I named the blog Shadow N Shine, which is my brand name today. It’s a double meaning. The surface meaning is Shadow (after my dog child, Shadow) and Shine because I love all things glittery and sparkly. Then there’s the deeper meaning. In life, we all go through shadowy, dark, difficult challenges. We all have shadow work to do. But it is in those challenges we can learn to really shine through and make a difference! That is how Shadow N Shine came to be! That same year I actually had reconnected with someone from my teenage years, 20 years prior, that was definitely a major part of my love life. At the same time I was reconnecting with this guy, YouTube’s algorithm kept throwing at me tarot readings and information about twin flames (which I had never heard of prior to this). The timing was impeccable and the story that was unfolding between me and this teenage dream from the past was aligning with everything I was learning about twin flames at the same time. Before I knew it I had fallen down the twin flame rabbit hole, getting readings for myself, joining twin flame Facebook groups, etc. Just for clarity, a twin flame is a specific type of soul connection. We all have different types of soul connections from lifetime to lifetime. Some of the big three that are discussed in the spiritual community are 1. Karmic – a soul connection that is basically just a lesson. This is a difficult connection and at times can involve difficult issues like narcissism and abuse of all kinds. It’s typically an unhealthy connection where you find yourself spiraling downwards most of the time, rather than seeing self improvement. 2. Soulmate – most people know what soulmates are. They’re pretty common knowledge. They can be both romantic and also come in friends, family, or even our pets. We can have many soulmates of all kinds, This is usually an easy breezy connection that goes with the flow. There are lessons to learn, like with anything in life, but it’s a healthy connection. There is an undenying bond of familiarity. And finally 3. Twin Flame – there is only one of these. It’s extremely passionate and magnetic. It can be very karmic in nature as the person who is your twin flame will be your soul’s mirror image, reflecting back to you all the good and all the bad within yourself, which can be triggering. It is a very challenging connection because in a sense it’s like dealing with yourself. However, it is never abusive, which is what sets it apart from a regular karmic connection. A twin flame is always divine as you should find yourself rising higher and improving for the better in terms of your soul’s growth. All of these terms are in short just labels and I feel all connections are unique in their own ways, but as human beings we kinda like packaging things in their own little boxes. As I grew spiritually and was learning on my own journey I actually found myself helping people more and more often in these online twin flame communities rather than being the one seeking out assistance for myself. Then 2020 happened and the world stood still as we all dealt with the fallout from the pandemic. At this time dog walking took a backseat since all of my dog walking clients either lost their jobs or were working from home and no longer needed my services. So I had tap into my creativity and try something new from home and that’s where doing intuitive tarot readings on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok were born. This was never something I planned on, but my own chaotic twin flame journey led me to help others with theirs and even beyond that in really being able to do readings for people in just about any topic. My background in the music business, working on social media, I found to be an asset in just applying the marketing skills I knew from the music business and applying it to spirituality and tarot. Today I’m still doing readings for people privately online and I created my own oracle deck called Written in the Stars, which is messages in life and love with a pop culture theme. I’ve found the more I overthink things the less likely I’ll do what’s right for myself. But following my gut and what lights me up on the inside is where I’ll find success every time, even if it takes a little patience. If it’s not a hell yes, it’s a hell no, and that’s proven to be true every time.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
The wonderful thing about Colorado is that there is so much do to do, even beyond just Denver itself. For starters we’d hang out in Golden, my absolute favorite area. We’d explore downtown Golden and drop by the Golden Rock Shop, because being in the metaphysical business myself, that’s definitely in my wheelhouse of fun and expertise. For food, drinks, and even dessert, we’d hit up the Golden Mill. I love that there’s so much variety there so if I’m in the mood for tacos and they want burgers, that can easily be arranged. Plus the alcoholic beverages there are a major plus. I would also take any of my dog owner friends there since it’s a dog friendly hot spot. One of the many reasons I love Colorado as a whole, so many dog friendly places! And as someone who considers their chihuahua their child, that’s a super important aspect of the city for me. We’d also drive down to the Garden of the Gods and spend a day exploring the park, hiking, and checking out all the amazing rocks. Once again, perfect from the dog friendly aspect, and even the metaphysical perspective as well. I must admit the Garden of the Gods gift shop is pretty decent in terms of crystals! A day on the cog train up to Pike’s Peak and back down would definitely be in order. It’s not a visit to Colorado without feeling like you’re on top of the world at the top of a 14er. I prefer a cog train over car any day not only for the unique experience, but it comes in handy in case of bad weather and also it’s smart for saving your car’s breaks on the drive down from the mountain top. For breakfast, brunch, or lunch on any given day I would take them to the Denver Biscuit Company. No need to eat almost the rest of the day because it’s so incredibly filling! Recently I took some old family friends who have lived in the Denver area for almost 50 years to the Denver Biscuit Company and they had never been there before! Funny enough we ran into friends they knew there as well and for their friends it had also been their first time eating there as well. So I think it’s really cool how people who have lived in Denver for decades are still discovering new and amazing things in the city, which goes to show there is wonderful creative growth happening every day. Heading more so into the mountains a day in cute and quaint Georgetown is a must. It’s like a hidden gem, almost taking you back in time to the Wild West. Finally a day in Breckenridge. Breckenridge and I have a very long and special history. I’ve kinda been everywhere. Born and raised in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, eventually moved in Los Angeles and lived there for 15 years, a brief bounce back home to the Chicago area, and now relocating to Colorado. When I left Los Angeles I was a combination of burnt out and simply felt I had accomplished what I was meant to do there. I love LA and I always will. It will always have a piece of my heart and there are certain aspects of it I miss. However, it is chaos country out there and I was ready to slow down a little bit. Returning to Chicago helped ground me and reevaluate where I wanted to be long term. I knew I was meant to be back out west, but wasn’t sure where. Was I meant to return to LA? Or somewhere else in California? Perhaps the Pacific Northwest (I did enjoy visiting Forks Washington many years ago)? Or Colorado? Colorado has had a constant theme in my life since I was a child, long before even in living in LA. As a child, my family and I made yearly spring vacation trips to Breckenridge for spring skiing. We’ve always had many family friends all over Colorado and as an adult today I even made friends during my time in LA with people who were from Colorado. There was always that magnetic pull back to Colorado, but it wasn’t made 100% evident to me that that was where I was meant to be until after I left LA to return back to Chicago temporarily. I think I figured out I was always more of a mountain girl than a beach/ocean girl. I can safely say Colorado is what my heart says is home of all the places I’ve lived between the midwest and west coast. In Breckenridge, if it’s during the summer I would take them on the gondola, but if it’s winter we’d go skiing! And of course we’d hit up the downtown area regardless of season, and there are a lot of great crystal shops in Breckenridge’s shopping area. I feel most importantly, we would do things in nature, because why be in Colorado if you’re not going to take in the beauty and splendor of all it’s glory in the wild outdoors.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My mom indefinitely deserves an award for how she’s been there for me. My dad passed away from cancer when I was 13 years old and I’m an only child, so it’s basically just been me and her for majority of my life at this point. She is my biggest cheerleader, my backbone, she challenges me to be better, she encourages me, she loves me unconditionally, she supports me and understands me when most people don’t, and I don’t think there is anything I can do in this lifetime to repay her. She is my ride or die. As a kid and a teenager she drove me crazy, but as an adult I can safely say she has become my best friend (with the exception of my chihuahua, Shadow of course too). I’d also like to include 98 Degrees, yes that’s right, 98 Degrees as in the boyband from the 90’s. They’re a huge and instrumental part of my story, especially when I was a young artist just trying to navigate and understand the ins and out of the music industry. I feel very fortunate to have met and gotten to know them over the past two decades, dating back to 1999. I’ve always considered them to be like my “big brothers” of the music business and they have inspired my own journey. I’m so grateful for their kindness and guidance.

Website: https://shadownshine.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/heatherschultz

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HeatherSchultz

Facebook: https://facebook.com/ShadowNShine/

Youtube: https://youtube.com/c/heatherschultz/

Other: TikTok – https://tiktok.com/@shadownshine