“I'm waiting for people to take accountability and say, ‘Listen, I messed up,’ or ‘I'm so sorry that I judged,’ or any of that. I don't think that's really ever happened. . . . It's just like, poof, it's gone, and everyone's supposed to get back to their normal lives. And there's no normalcy for those of us who lost our careers. Some people have lost their homes. The connections that I've lost, and having to work to build again—it’s really, really sad.” - Hilary Shawn
In this episode of the New York Mandate Podcast, I talk with Hilary Shawn. She’s a hair and makeup artist with over 22 years of experience who works in the entertainment industry as well as with private and corporate clients. After her request for a medical exemption to COVID-19 vaccine mandates was denied, she lost most of her entertainment industry and corporate work.
Hilary talked with me about how she has handled the financial and professional hit by pivoting to pursuing her other work as an intuitive coach, moving from a Brooklyn brownstone apartment to an RV in Pennsylvania, and creating new opportunities to learn and explore the world for her young daughter.
Hilary also gave me a tour of the RV she and her daughter are now calling home. You can check it out at the end of this episode.
More from Hilary Shawn:
Healing with Hilary Shawn
Hilary Shawn’s healing website.
Hilary Shawn on Instagram:
@healingwithhilaryshawn: healing
@hilaryshawnhmua: hair & makeup
Here are some links related to things we talked about during the episode:
Order of the Commissioner of Health and Mental Hygiene to Require COVID-19 Vaccination in the Workplace
This is the order that former Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi issued on December 13, 2021 requiring all workers in New York City who work in a workplace or interact with other workers or the public to be vaccinated. It went into effect on December 27, 2021, covering nearly all private-sector workers in New York City, and was lifted on November 1, 2022.
Mandatory Vaccinations On Productions An Option Under Return-To-Work Protocols – Update
This July 2021 article in Deadline reports on the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccine mandates in the entertainment industry.
82 Teachers Accused of Using Fake Vax Cards Ordered Back on City Payroll
This New York Post article covers the case of public school teachers who were accused of using fake vaccine cards. Some were later reinstated after legal action.
About the New York Mandate Podcast
The New York Mandate Podcast is an ongoing series of conversations exploring the costs and consequences of vaccine mandates in New York City. I talk with workers, students, and parents who have been directly affected by the mandates, as well as legal and policy experts.
In late 2021, the City introduced a series of requirements for workers to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. These requirements were put in place through executive orders issued by the administration of former mayor Bill de Blasio. They covered nearly all workers in New York City, in both the public and private sectors. They also barred unvaccinated adults, including parents, from schools.
Current mayor Eric Adams kept the mandates in place until November 1, 2022 for the private sector and February 10, 2023 for City workers, and has encouraged private employers to put their own vaccine requirements in place.
The views expressed in the New York Mandate podcast are the personal opinions of the people speaking, and are not intended to provide medical or legal advice.
Join the Conversation
Have you lost your job, been put on leave, or lost opportunities to work as an independent contractor as a result of your decision not to comply with a vaccine mandate in New York? Did you take a vaccine against your wishes in order to keep your job? Please get in touch with me at NYMpodcast@protonmail.com.
New York Mandate Podcast, Ep. 43: Hair & Makeup Artist and Intuitive Coach Hilary Shawn