Woman Crush Wednesday.

We love to celebrate female movers and shakers who are successful locally, nationally, internationally, and most importantly, personally.

This week, we are so excited to highlight Michelle Menaker aka "Showbiz Shelly," entertainment reporter and co-host of the The J Show on Chicago's B96 Radio!

We asked her to share with us her story and her thoughts on success.

My love for media started while I was attending New Trier High School in Winnetka, IL. I had a radio show there all four years and I eventually went on to become Program Director of the station. While attending Northwestern University, I was very involved with the television station. As a sophomore in college, I started interning at B96 Radio as a promotions intern. From there, I moved to a programming intern for the night show. I would get them food and answer the phones. After about a year, the jocks saw my love for pop culture and entertainment. I started doing an entertainment report for their show once a week and eventually the bosses asked me to join the morning show. It's been almost twelve years now since I've been doing mornings on B96.
I've encountered several challenges along the way. Everything from having to work and create chemistry with new co-hosts to having to learn how to handle things on the fly during a live radio show. The most important thing I've taken away from these lessons is to not be too hard on myself when mistakes happen. It's a part of the process. I think it's also so important to constantly grow and learn. I started on the morning show doing two minute segments. Over time, I've moved up to full co-host. It's been quite the journey!
Some of my favorite celeb interviews along the way have been Drake, Pitbull, Backstreet Boys, Jennifer Lopez, Joe Jonas, Britney Spears and Justin Bieber. I don't have a mentor per se, but I very much admire Oprah's career. With all her fame, she still maintains such grace. In the beginning, some of my mentors were my first co-hosts. I listenened to them growing up and then to join their show and see how they made it work; I learned more than I could have learned in any radio school. Now, I have lots more I want to accomplish and blaze my own path. Be sure to follow me on social media (I'm ShowbizShelly on all platforms) or my website ShowbizShelly.com to see where I'm headed next!

Showbiz Shelly is the entertainment reporter and co-host for The J Show on B96 Radio (96.3 FM). At 7:15 am, every weekday morning she also takes on listeners in a pop culture quiz: The Showbiz Shelly Smackdown. Growing up in Chicagoland, Shelly would listen to B96 while driving to New Trier High School. She later graduated from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism with a degree in broadcasting. It is at Northwestern where she discovered her passion for entertainment news, being head of the Arts and Entertainment division of Northwestern’s television station. She started as a B96 promotions intern her sophomore year of college and worked her way up to the morning show. During her last twelve years as an entertainment reporter at B96, she has met celebrities ranging from Kim Kardashian to Michael Jordan. Shelly has also contributed entertainment scoops to ABC’s Windy City Live, CBS and more. When Shelly isn’t watching one of her favorite reality tv shows, you can find her playing beach volleyball or doing yoga. She’s very passionate about living a healthy lifestyle. Learn more about Shelly by heading to her website, ShowbizShelly.com!