Draft:Shannon McNamara

Shannon McNamara (born May 26th, 1993) is an American podcaster. Born and raised in New Jersey, she is known for founding the nonprofit SHARE in Africa and hosting the podcast "Fluently Forward".

Early life
McNamara was born in 1993 in Basking Ridge, New Jersey. She is of Irish, German, Polish, and Italian descent. As a child, McNamara briefly lived in Ireland and New Zealand. She attended Ridge High School in Basking Ridge, NJ. After high school, McNamara attended Rice University, where she majored in Sociology and minored in Poverty, Justice, and Human Capabilities. During her time at Rice University, McNamara took improv classes at the Upright Citizens Brigade, and later taught improv classes at Rice University. She was also accepted into the Comedy Studies Program at The Second City in Chicago, where she trained for five months.

Career
In October 2021, McNamara created the podcast "Fluently Forward". The podcast covers celebrity gossip, blind items, and lighthearted conspiracy theories, as well as analyzing celebrities through a sociological lens. "Fluently Forward" has featured notable guests such as Perez Hilton, Taylor Lorenz, Caroline Calloway, and Amy Chan. The podcast has garnered over 6 million downloads and charts weekly in the top 5 for entertainment news podcasts.

McNamara has also been an invited guest speaker at the United Nations, the White House, and the Podcast Movement Conferences.