diff --git a/.travis.yml b/.travis.yml
index aca7a0f..7d64a27 100644
--- a/.travis.yml
+++ b/.travis.yml
@@ -1,6 +1,10 @@
 sudo: required
 dist: trusty
 
+os:
+  - linux
+  # - windows Can not use windows at this time as secrets are not supported yet
+
 language: node_js
 node_js:
   - "8"
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index bc01b8f..2f9c2d4 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 - **Change**: Update package-lock.json file
 - **Feature**: Added support for asyncronous .env and .rc files
 - **Feature**: Added support for a programmatic API
+- **Feature**: Added --use-shell option
 - **Fix**: Keep newline (`\n`) characters intact when parsing env files
 - **Change**: Added node v10 and v12 to build automation
 
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 5461ad7..ca7daf8 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -89,7 +89,6 @@ later environments overwritting earlier ones.
 
 Prevents overwritting of existing env vars on `process.env`
 
-
 ### `--fallback` file usage option
 
 You can specify a `.env.local` (or any name) env file, add that to your `.gitignore` and use that
@@ -97,6 +96,16 @@ in your local development environment. Then you can use a regular `.env` file in
 with production configs that you can commit to a private/protected repo. When `env-cmd` cannot
 find the `.env.local` file it will fallback to looking for a regular `.env` file.
 
+### `--use-shell`
+
+Executes the command within a new shell instance. This is useful if you want to string multiple 
+commands together and share the same env vars.
+
+**Terminal**
+```sh
+./node_modules/.bin/env-cmd -f ./test/.env --use-shell "node run lint && node test"
+```
+
 ### Asynchronous env file support
 
 EnvCmd supports reading from asynchronous `.env` files. Instead of using a `.env` file, pass in a `.js`
@@ -151,7 +160,8 @@ Executes a command in a new child process with the given options
       - **`environments`** { `string[]` }: List of environment to read from the `.rc` file
       - **`filePath`** { `string` }: Custom path to the `.rc` file (defaults to: `./.env-cmdrc(|.js|.json)`)
     - **`options`** { `object` }
-      - **`noOverride`** { `boolean` }: Prevent `.env` file vars from overriding existing `process.env` vars
+      - **`noOverride`** { `boolean` }: Prevent `.env` file vars from overriding existing `process.env` vars (default: `false`)
+      - **`useShell`** { `boolean` }: Runs command inside a new shell instance (default: `false`)
     - **Returns** { `Promise<object>` }: key is env var name and value is the env var value
 
 ### `GetEnvVars`
diff --git a/lib/env-cmd.js b/lib/env-cmd.js
index 2730e26..8768475 100644
--- a/lib/env-cmd.js
+++ b/lib/env-cmd.js
@@ -50,6 +50,7 @@ function EnvCmd({ command, commandArgs, envFile, rc, options }) {
         // Execute the command with the given environment variables
         const proc = spawn_1.spawn(command, commandArgs, {
             stdio: 'inherit',
+            shell: options.useShell,
             env
         });
         // Handle any termination signals for parent and child proceses
diff --git a/lib/parse-args.js b/lib/parse-args.js
index 3d029be..0338708 100644
--- a/lib/parse-args.js
+++ b/lib/parse-args.js
@@ -15,27 +15,23 @@ function parseArgs(args) {
         .option('-e, --environments [env1,env2,...]', 'The rc-file environments to select', utils_1.parseArgList)
         .option('--fallback', 'Enables auto fallback to default env file location ./.env')
         .option('--no-override', 'Do not override existing env vars on process.env')
+        .option('--use-shell', 'Make env variables available to multiple commands and as command line arguments')
         .parse(['_', '_', ...args]);
     // get the command and command args
     const command = program.args[0];
     const commandArgs = program.args.slice(1);
     const noOverride = !program.override;
+    const useShell = !!program.useShell;
     let rc;
     if (program.environments && program.environments.length) {
         rc = rc || {};
         rc.environments = program.environments;
-    }
-    if (program.rcFile) {
-        rc = rc || {};
         rc.filePath = program.rcFile;
     }
     let envFile;
     if (program.file) {
         envFile = envFile || {};
         envFile.filePath = program.file;
-    }
-    if (program.fallback != null) {
-        envFile = envFile || {};
         envFile.fallback = program.fallback;
     }
     return {
@@ -44,7 +40,8 @@ function parseArgs(args) {
         envFile,
         rc,
         options: {
-            noOverride
+            noOverride,
+            useShell
         }
     };
 }
diff --git a/src/env-cmd.ts b/src/env-cmd.ts
index 5b4bef3..3be4926 100644
--- a/src/env-cmd.ts
+++ b/src/env-cmd.ts
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ export async function EnvCmd (
   // Execute the command with the given environment variables
   const proc = spawn(command, commandArgs, {
     stdio: 'inherit',
+    shell: options.useShell,
     env
   })
 
diff --git a/src/parse-args.ts b/src/parse-args.ts
index a527674..220587d 100644
--- a/src/parse-args.ts
+++ b/src/parse-args.ts
@@ -15,20 +15,19 @@ export function parseArgs (args: string[]): EnvCmdOptions {
     .option('-e, --environments [env1,env2,...]', 'The rc-file environments to select', parseArgList)
     .option('--fallback', 'Enables auto fallback to default env file location ./.env')
     .option('--no-override', 'Do not override existing env vars on process.env')
+    .option('--use-shell', 'Make env variables available to multiple commands and as command line arguments')
     .parse(['_', '_', ...args])
 
   // get the command and command args
   const command = program.args[0]
   const commandArgs = program.args.slice(1)
   const noOverride = !program.override
+  const useShell = !!program.useShell
 
   let rc: any
   if (program.environments && program.environments.length) {
     rc = rc || {}
     rc.environments = program.environments
-  }
-  if (program.rcFile) {
-    rc = rc || {}
     rc.filePath = program.rcFile
   }
 
@@ -36,9 +35,6 @@ export function parseArgs (args: string[]): EnvCmdOptions {
   if (program.file) {
     envFile = envFile || {}
     envFile.filePath = program.file
-  }
-  if (program.fallback != null) {
-    envFile = envFile || {}
     envFile.fallback = program.fallback
   }
 
@@ -48,7 +44,8 @@ export function parseArgs (args: string[]): EnvCmdOptions {
     envFile,
     rc,
     options: {
-      noOverride
+      noOverride,
+      useShell
     }
   }
 }
diff --git a/src/parse-env-file.ts b/src/parse-env-file.ts
index c4683e2..e217d11 100644
--- a/src/parse-env-file.ts
+++ b/src/parse-env-file.ts
@@ -80,4 +80,4 @@ export function stripComments (envString: string): string {
 export function stripEmptyLines (envString: string): string {
   const emptyLinesRegex = /(^\n)/gim
   return envString.replace(emptyLinesRegex, '')
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/src/types.ts b/src/types.ts
index 546d1e9..a7fc9a4 100644
--- a/src/types.ts
+++ b/src/types.ts
@@ -14,5 +14,6 @@ export interface EnvCmdOptions extends GetEnvVarOptions {
   commandArgs: string[]
   options?: {
     noOverride?: boolean
+    useShell?: boolean
   }
 }
diff --git a/test/env-cmd.spec.ts b/test/env-cmd.spec.ts
index 2eabf29..221f706 100644
--- a/test/env-cmd.spec.ts
+++ b/test/env-cmd.spec.ts
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ describe('EnvCmd', (): void => {
     assert.equal(spawnStub.callCount, 1)
   })
 
-  it('should if noOverride option is false/missing it should override existing env vars',
+  it('should should override existing env vars if noOverride option is false/missing',
     async (): Promise<void> => {
       process.env.BOB = 'cool'
       getEnvVarsStub.returns({ BOB: 'test' })
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ describe('EnvCmd', (): void => {
     }
   )
 
-  it('should if noOverride option is true it should not override existing env vars',
+  it('should should not override existing env vars if noOverride option is true',
     async (): Promise<void> => {
       process.env.BOB = 'cool'
       getEnvVarsStub.returns({ BOB: 'test' })
@@ -106,4 +106,29 @@ describe('EnvCmd', (): void => {
       assert.equal(spawnStub.args[0][2].env.BOB, 'cool')
     }
   )
+
+  it('should should spawn process with shell option if useShell option is true',
+    async (): Promise<void> => {
+      process.env.BOB = 'cool'
+      getEnvVarsStub.returns({ BOB: 'test' })
+      await envCmdLib.EnvCmd({
+        command: 'node',
+        commandArgs: ['-v'],
+        envFile: {
+          filePath: './.env',
+          fallback: true
+        },
+        rc: {
+          environments: ['dev'],
+          filePath: './.rc'
+        },
+        options: {
+          useShell: true
+        }
+      })
+      assert.equal(getEnvVarsStub.callCount, 1)
+      assert.equal(spawnStub.callCount, 1)
+      assert.equal(spawnStub.args[0][2].shell, true)
+    }
+  )
 })
diff --git a/test/parse-args.spec.ts b/test/parse-args.spec.ts
index f875cd9..54aa526 100644
--- a/test/parse-args.spec.ts
+++ b/test/parse-args.spec.ts
@@ -36,6 +36,12 @@ describe('parseArgs', (): void => {
     assert.isTrue(res.options!.noOverride)
   })
 
+  it('should parse use shell option', (): void => {
+    const res = parseArgs(['-e', environments[0], '--use-shell', command, ...commandArgs])
+    assert.exists(res.options)
+    assert.isTrue(res.options!.useShell)
+  })
+
   it('should parse rc file path', (): void => {
     const res = parseArgs(['-e', environments[0], '-r', rcFilePath, command, ...commandArgs])
     assert.exists(res.rc)