IOLA, Texas — An Austin family is leaving behind the country club lifestyle for true country living, and they’re sharing their story on a new reality television show called “Only in Iola".
- In 2020, the Sharboneau family decided it was time for a lifestyle change — in four days, they were packed and leaving Austin, Texas.
- Moving to Iola — a small town with a population of 330 — was a big adjustment, but the small town feel is exactly what they loved about it.
- The show premieres next Thursday, May 9 on Amazon, Fire TV and Roku.
- For anyone who wants to meet the Sharboneau family in person, they’re hosting a launch party at the Mercantile Store in Downtown Iola this Saturday, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Broadcast Script:
Giving up a luxurious city lifestyle for the simple life on a ranch — whether that sounds like a dream or a nightmare, it’s a big adjustment. One family is sharing their story in a new television show, “Only in Iola".
“It's a slice of heaven here, it really is,” says Perry Sharboneau.
“When I married Perry, he made me promise him two things — one of them was, ‘One day, I'm getting a ranch’ — snd I'm like, 'Sure!', thinking life would not go fast, And it went very, very fast. And I think we kind of hit an age where we started to realize if we don't do it now we're not going to do it," Shanalee Sharboneau said.
Meet the Sharboneau’s: Shanalee, Braydon and Perry.
For decades, they were living the high life in Austin — they say they were in the "first class but not quite private plane" tax bracket.
“I think anybody would not be telling the truth to say at that moment, it was goo — but once 2020 hit, our priorities shifted," Shanalee said.
"Really we started to begin to seek out what's more important in life."
For the Sharboneau’s, that is summed up in three things: God, family, and Texas.
“We quickly moved out of Austin in four days — I mean, when we made the decision, we left — we were done," Shanalee said.
From Austin, to Iola, Texas — population 330.
“I thought we were coming out here to disappear and God said, ‘No, not just yet’ — and here we are," Perry said.
Shanalee is the author of an award-winning childrens' book series and when her publicist heard of their ranch adventure, she was hooked.
“She said, 'The world needs to see what you guys did — the transition and because they were so extreme, you know, at least for me', and we told her no," Shanalee said.
Eventually, they gave in and everything just worked out, kind of like the name of their show.
“Did y'all come up with "Only in Iola" or was that a producer?”, 15ABC asked.
“When we first met the community, you know, someone would knock a soda off the counter and it would be perfectly fine, it wouldn’t spill or break, and they were like — 'Only in Iola'," Braydon said.
"It's a community where things seem to just work out," Perry said.
The show premieres next Thursday, May 9 on Amazon, Fire TV and Roku.
For anyone who wants to meet the Sharboneau’s in person, they’re hosting a launch party at the Mercantile Store in Downtown Iola this Saturday, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
