From Coma to Comeback: Shannon Michelle’s Story of Resilience

What if your life changed in a single moment and you had to learn how to become yourself all over again?

In this powerful episode 36 of The Influence Exchange, J.V. sits down with author, speaker, and trauma survivor Shannon Michelle for one of the most emotional and inspiring conversations on the podcast so far.

After a devastating motorcycle accident on Pacific Coast Highway, Shannon was left in a coma for months with severe brain trauma and life-changing injuries. Doctors weren’t sure if she would ever fully recover. During her healing journey, she had to relearn how to walk, remember, and rebuild her life step by step.

But Shannon’s story doesn’t stop there.

From surviving a traumatic brain injury to later battling breast cancer, Shannon shares how faith, resilience, self-kindness, and staying present helped her keep moving forward, even through the darkest moments.

In this episode, we talk about:
Surviving a near-fatal motorcycle accident
Recovering from traumatic brain injury and memory loss
Learning how to rebuild your identity after trauma
The importance of staying present during difficult seasons
Her “PATCHwork” method for healing and self-awareness
Turning pain into purpose
Her book Step Into Your Miracle
Why kindness to yourself matters more than perfection

This conversation is raw, emotional, honest, and deeply human.

If you’ve ever struggled with trauma, loss, anxiety, healing, or trying to find yourself again after life changes unexpectedly, this episode will stay with you.

Shannon's Website:
https://stepintoyourmiracle.com/

Buy Shannon's Book:
https://amzn.to/4l7pisZ

Contact Shannon:
https://stepintoyourmiracle.com/contact-me/

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:01

What if your life changed in a single moment and you had to learn how to become yourself all over again? Today's guest has lived through exactly that. Janet Michelle survived a devastating motorcycle accident that left her in a coma for months with severe brain trauma and life-changing injuries. During her recovery, she had to relearn how to walk, remember, and rebuild her life step by step. But Shannon's story is not just about survival, it's about resilience, healing, faith, and learning how to stay present through even the darkest moments. Today, she uses her experiences to inspire others through her book, Step Into Your Miracle, and Her Message of Hope, Self-Kindness, and Inner Strength. Please join me in welcoming Shannon Michelle. Let's get into it. Hello, Shannon, and thank you for joining the Influence Exchange today. How are you?

SPEAKER_01 1:13

I'm great. I'm great. How's everybody else?

SPEAKER_02 1:17

Fantastic. I'm super excited to have this conversation with you today.

SPEAKER_01 1:22

I I am too. I I'd like to um be able to get excited about every day not quite remembering the day before. True.

SPEAKER_02 1:36

No, Shannon, for the audience members that may be watching or listening to this episode, your journey is inspirational to myself. And I'm sure once the audience starts to listen and watch this episode, they will take away so much from today's conversation. So I'm excited to talk to you today.

SPEAKER_00 1:59

Yay.

SPEAKER_02 2:01

So Shannon, you had a major accident. And I would like to start from the beginning, please. And how did that accident occur, please?

SPEAKER_01 2:12

Okay. Um it was approximately four years ago, my um severe motorcycle accident. I was traveling on Pacific Coast Highway, and um a tourist hit me with an illegal U-turn from and this is the I think the important part, but the also the empowering part is I've only been told this because from my accident, brain trauma, I don't remember any of this, which I'm grateful for because from what has been explained to me and the severity, I don't, I don't want to wake up each morning with with that um just that sadness because I it was horrific. I mean, they thought, so car hit me on my motorcycle doing an illegal U-turn, threw me up in the air from what I've been told, 30 or 40 feet, crashed back down. And that's when I say that the blessings started because there happened to be an EMT on the beach with his wife, and he ran up. And then he did his thing. And then there was somebody in the car that saw it happen that rides motorcycles that stopped everybody from rolling over me. Because Pacific Coast Highway is a it's a highway. It's always it was a Sunday, uh, always busy. And um, those were the first steps into me knowing or not knowing, but knowing from the story that I'm still supposed to be here. And so, yeah, throw it up in the air, uh 30 to 40 feet, crash back down all on one side. The eye patch gives you a sense of that. But this is honestly like the least severe part of it, like my brain trauma, toma for a few months. Um, every body part was broken, um, you know, uh everywhere. And new hips, new putting me back together. Um, that's how severe the physical part of the accident was. And um, and then I was in the hospital for three months on what I was told. And they really weren't sure what was gonna happen or what they were gonna get back because there was moments where they, because of the severity of the brain trauma, that they thought I'd maybe be looking out a window the rest of my life. And I'm I'm glad that I'm not yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 4:44

Me too, Shannon. Before we continue, you have a passion for motorcycles. What is your passion? Why do you like to ride motorcycles?

SPEAKER_01 4:58

For me, it was it was like my Sunday school. I worked really hard all week, and I had a very important interior design firm and employees and clients, and it was my way of doing almost like my self-care in, you know, on a Sunday, is I could get on my motorcycle and get out into the fresh air with a group of people that I really love and and just and go, go kind of look at the world, like look at it from being really existing in it. And there was long rides. It wasn't it wasn't from getting from here to there. It was, you know, traveling for hours and stopping and spending time with people. Um, and it was just there was a freedom with it that I really enjoyed um for myself. And I think we all find freedom in different ways, like the the f the feeling of, you know, joy or freedom, whatever words you want to put around it, we each find a way to step and find our way in our lives, you know, in a different way, I think. But that's what it was for me. Writing was uh a huge release, um, freedom to my everyday from my everyday.

SPEAKER_02 6:20

Sure. And how many years have you been riding motorcycles?

SPEAKER_01 6:24

I had been riding personally on my own. I was on my fifth or sixth year. I had been on the back since I was 16. You know, I I I was a rider with somebody, and then I learned how to ride to to um ride on my own. And um, so I was on year, it was five or six of me riding solo.

unknown 6:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 6:49

So pretty much it's it's a passion of yours that you really, really enjoyed.

SPEAKER_01 6:54

Yes. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 6:55

Right.

SPEAKER_01 6:56

I had yeah, let's put it this way, I had more bikes than the one that got crashed. Sure. I had to, you know, yeah. So yes, I was very passionate about my riding and you know, the experience of what it gave me, you know. Yeah. Sure.

SPEAKER_02 7:16

And you worked in designing, interior designing. Talk to us about your passion for designing.

SPEAKER_01 7:25

Well, um, that's what I refer to as my 1.0 Shannon Michelle versus my 2.0. I kind of feel like I'm a 3.0 now because I keep leveling up on my abilities. And so Shannon Michelle won. Um I had an amazing firm with great clients and did it in a way that I helped people create an environment for themselves that they felt good about. Not how I wanted to see it, but how I wanted them to be able to feel in it. And I had a huge, um, a huge career. And I had been doing it for gosh, 25, 30 years. I did it since I was almost a child. What felt like it, you know, when I started my first store, it was a little antique store in on Melrose. And it I did well, and then it grew and I expanded from there. And so yeah, I that was my world previous to my motorcycle accident. Um I was very good at what I did and I loved doing it. Um I was very, very passionate about that as well. But that but just like anything, uh if you kind of even when you succeed in something, you can overdo it and get and get like an overload by by anything in life again.

SPEAKER_02 8:46

So, yeah. That's amazing. Um, interior designing. You know, I think I spoke to you prior um off-camera about how my wife loves designing as well. It's something that she, if that could be her career, she would definitely quit her day job to designing. She loves it. And um I I could relate because I see the passion that she has when she is decorating a room or or buying something. Yes. You know, right now we just got it's springtime almost in New York, and we just got a new outdoor patio set. So it looks so chic, so colorful and awesome looking. And I leave it up to her. That's what she loves to do.

SPEAKER_01 9:32

And it's but that's great because again, within whatever you can do for yourself in a creative way, and your wife does that, and it brings you joy. Like it it she brings in what is abundant to and she does feels good about, and it brings joy to the whole family. And that is, I think that's important that people understand that about themselves, what they can bring to, you know, any situation. Something as small as moving a lamp on the side of the table in a different direction for some people, or you know, the right shirt, you know, it's different for all of us, but that's how we, you know, get creative and show ourselves.

SPEAKER_02 10:13

Yes, for sure. It's it's lovely. Shannon, so Shannon 2.0. Yeah. So after the motorcycle accident, you went to the hospital and you were in a coma. I know there's a lot that you don't remember because of memory loss. Traumatic. Can you please can you please walk us through what you do remember of part of the recovery?

SPEAKER_01 10:43

I'd say mostly what I remember is having to learn that I couldn't remember anything. I remember waking up and not knowing where I was over and over again because I would wake up in the hospital in a bed, looking out, going, what what happened, and not understanding what had happened to me at first. Um, and then I went through a phase of they were able to bring me home after three months and had to go through a phase of relearning everything. Again, the physical obvious thing is I had to wait a period of time before I could even learn to walk again or drive or read. Um, so go so coming from a place of being able to run my own company for 25, 30 years and then waking up and not knowing where I was and not understanding what had happened, but also not knowing anything and having to learn to regain some brain, some brain by doing things on repeat and being okay with you might not remember this, Shannon. Yeah, you you might have to learn this 300 times before you actually retain it. Um, so that was a big part of my recovery is learning, relearning how to do everything, um, finding my way with the newness of waking up and making decisions about a cup of coffee or being able to walk myself to the kitchen or whatever each day brought. And I it it kept evolving. Um, but it was it was that part was really difficult, you know, not not truly having any short-term memory. Sure was really, really, I mean, and I was broken into so many pieces and it was very painful. So it's not like that wasn't a part of my recovery, because it was, but the part that the repeat of not knowing what to do and not knowing what had happened, um, and getting comfortable with waking up and just being good with what I felt in that moment and that day and what I could keep achieving by not knowing much. Um it was it was big.

SPEAKER_02 13:15

Yeah. You are a mom and you have a daughter.

SPEAKER_01 13:22

What was I love her name, my grandma's name?

SPEAKER_02 13:29

Right, right, right. Walk us through some of the exercises after trying to regain your memory loss to even remembering your loved ones, your family. That was hard.

SPEAKER_01 13:46

Um thankfully, my daughter, from what I've been told, I remembered the whole time. Now I didn't remember where she was or if she'd been there or not been there. Meaning in my recovery part, but I knew I always knew who she was, um, which brought a lot of comfort in my recovery. Um but there were people that I had known for oh gosh, more than 20 years that that walked into my hospital room and they would look at me because they were told like she may not remember you. And I remember um knowing that I couldn't remember somebody, but they looked familiar. And I would it at the beginning, I would just find my way into responding the way that I could respond. Um but it was hard because to not remember somebody that you've known, a friend, for how many years with how many experiences, um that part was that part was difficult for both of us, you know, for my for my friends and family and for me, because they had to see me in a new way, just like I had to see myself in a new way. Um you know, I get a little lost. So if that answered your question, then good.

SPEAKER_02 15:20

Shannon, it's absolutely okay. We could continue, you know, it's I'm just passionate that we are talking today because I'm sure there's so many other people that's listening or watching that's been in the same situation. And what you have to speak about your journey from the accident to coma, then to cancer, it's inspiring. And your message will push others to be motivated. I again is absolutely okay.

SPEAKER_01 16:01

That I and that I, you know, I feel like I have so much to share and to guide and to be insightful for people who get a little lost. And I had to do that for myself over and over again and understand what that feels like. So no matter what type of trauma or hardship somebody goes through, I understand it in a in a in a way that we all understand that none of us are perfect, none of us are always happy, none of us are always satisfied with ourselves or with others. I mean, we all go through the kind of light and darkness of of who we are as human beings. And it's important to to for me, it's important that I can share as much about what I've gone through so that I can help others. That is my top goal um in this new life of mine.

SPEAKER_02 17:09

Absolutely. Yeah, and Shannon, your support system is in so important. Speak to us about the people, the family, your friends that supported you through this journey. What ex inspired you to move forward? That's a good one.

SPEAKER_01 17:30

Um I was I was loved probably more than I realized. I think all of us are. Sometimes we don't understand how important we are and how we're able to help and show up and give to others as much as they can give to us. And I know that for me, I was a big giver. I wasn't a good receiver previous to my accident. And I thought that that was honestly the right way to live. Like, don't be too needy, don't ask for too much. And that's how I built my career is like I've got this. And in a way that was a good thing, but in a way it wasn't because finding the balance of the give and take of anything with my employees, with my clients, with my furniture store. Like there, there, there was always I knew how to give and give and give and not and not receive in a way that I think it's healthy for our hearts. And I think um with my friends and family, they had to show up and not know what they were gonna get back and be comfortable with the new me because I am different. And to have a best friend to respond in a certain way and look a certain way and do certain things, you depend on that friend. And then all of a sudden, that friend is new and different, and you have to like the new person, you have to decide to like the new person. And so sometimes, as a person that's been in the trauma, that's going through the brain mess, if you're on the other side, just remember that that new person has there because they want to be there, not because of what you've done. And acceptance of of whatever you need to accept is so empowering to understand that give and take in a in a in a friendship and family. Um it can empower you, but if you're doing one side, it's hard to uh appreciate it as much as you could if you can do it from both sides, the give and take part.

SPEAKER_02 19:56

So, Shannon, how long were you in a coma? And what was the time frame of you regaining your memory?

SPEAKER_01 20:08

Oh, that's a a little bit of a messy question, but uh they kept me in a coma for two months at UCLA. And then once they, I think they had to kind of bring me in and out to see if they if I if I could if they could completely bring me out of that. Um and I personally don't remember any of my hospital visits or who it came and saw me. I remember my memory started a little bit better when I was in the nursing home because I they until I could walk again, they needed to keep me in a certain environment. And so I remember little tidbits of a nursing home because there was always, you know, another, generally another person in the room. Um and they also had to do something sometimes, like I know it's gonna sound awful and silly, but it was necessary. They they would have to tie me down, like my like restrain my arms, because I would wake up over and over again, again, not knowing where I was and not understanding that I couldn't get up, that I couldn't walk. Because if I could move my legs, why why couldn't I walk? Like I didn't even understand that. So I remember those moments of them having to tell me, you know, you have to just stay put. And I remember also getting to points where I thought I was remembering more, and I really wasn't, because a nurse would come in and say, What would you like for lunch? And I said, Oh, I already had lunch. And she goes, You haven't had lunch today. I'm like, No, I you you asked me I wanted the chicken or whatever I would say. And they're like, That was yesterday, or that was, you know. And so that taught me as well that I wasn't retaining much. I I I thought I remembered somebody coming in and trying to help me, and I couldn't remember. If that was that day or that week. Um, and so I remember some of that, and that to me was the beginning of my regaining some capabilities in my brain. Um, and then I remember being beg begging to be home for my birthday, which was which was May 12th, and I'm like, can I just be in my own bed? Can I be home for my birthday? And they're like, you can't walk yet. You can't just go home if you can't walk. And I said, please. And then, you know, they had to go through all the bells and whistles for them to allow me to say it's okay. She'll, she'll be, you know, I had I had to get nursing help and, you know, uh, friends and family who would come, my uncle would come and spend the night and until I couldn't, until I could walk again and I could have people there. Um, there was transition. Also, my daughter was in college for the first year. When this accident happened, she had just started college at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and she was maybe six months into college, and all of a sudden she has to process through possibly the first few days losing her mom, and then her mom maybe never coming back, and and then slowly seeing me return. Um, that's a big trauma for a kid. And she's not a kid, but she was she was 18, and and that taught her as well that things can change, and she's had to learn how to adapt to the new mom. So um, yeah, that that was some of the the stuff I remember um more clearly because it was more on repeat. Um, and I also know that she was just so kind with knowing that I didn't remember anything, knowing that I didn't know much. Um and again, as a parent, you you want to fully show up and you want to be there for your for your children, and um you don't know that your brain can be deleted and come back and be a different person with different capabilities. I mean, not many people thankfully will go through anything near what I've been through, but understanding that life can change in a moment is empowering to know like how I can be the best I'm gonna be today, and to try to do the best that we can do in each day instead of what has happened or what will happen. That's that is a goal that I would say to everybody who's listening, stay present.

SPEAKER_00 24:52

Yeah, stay prepared.

unknown 24:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 24:54

It's amazing. Shannon, there's people that's dealing with trauma and don't know how to move forward. What motivates you today to move forward?

SPEAKER_01 25:09

Today, I know by sharing my story, I can help others. Sure. And that's that's my goal. Um, but I would say for somebody who is searching for some hope in their life, the first thing that I would tell everybody to do is to stay present. So when you wake up, whether you wake up feeling sad or happy, whatever it is that you are comfortable with where you are in the present moment, and let that teach you how to make your next steps. And let it be okay to wake up and not have all the answers because we don't. We don't have all the answers, even though we try really hard to find solutions to everything. If we can wake up and be present and then be guided by what our present moment is saying to us and how we should engage in this day, I'll give you a perfect example. I live in Los Angeles. I was at a music festival yesterday. I knew I had to come home because I sometimes I can't, I can only do so much in a day. And I came came home and I generally look at my phone to know what I'm supposed to do the next day. And I didn't. So when I woke up, because I I wake up very early, I woke up and then I saw, oh, you and I are gonna talk, have fun. Yeah. But I I but yesterday I I didn't know that. And last week I didn't know that, even though I'm sure it's in my phone. But I have this ritual where every day I wake up, or I go and before I go to bed, is I look at what I have tomorrow, and then I wake up and I proceed with my next day. So perfect example is this moment right now was me forgetting that we were gonna be sitting here talking and having having this comfort in have I talked to this gentleman before? What, you know, and like and just showing up and being like, okay, let's talk. Let's let's let's figure this out. And we're figuring this out together with me, not preparing, not knowing, just being and engaging with you in a conversation that I know my brain is really, really smart, even though it can't retain much. It's it really it works really well. And to give myself the kindness and the patience to not worry about doing it wrong or having the right answers, just being me is what you get today. And that's that's what I get every day. Is this me right now? Yeah. So, you know, it it inspires me. It inspires me to give myself the patience and the kindness to be okay with things not working out, things working out, doing the best that I can do in each day, each moment.

SPEAKER_02 28:16

Yeah. Shannon, I love that. That's great. So, Shannon, from a motorcycle accident to a coma and breast cancer, for God's sake. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 28:32

I know. I mean, I laugh at it. I laugh at it because I have to find humor with certain parts of my brokenness, you know. Um, but yes, I went from being broken so severely and then being told that I had breast cancer, I literally laughed. I was like, huh. I thought to myself, yeah, if I was gonna die, I would, you know, it would have been by this, this, and this. And I had to learn that just because you've been through so much trauma doesn't mean trauma stops. It still is, it still happens. Things do adjust, things change, and we can only, again, be good to ourselves with each moment. And so my daughter's the one that had to call me out on that. She said, uh, mom, you, because I had more surgeries that I needed at that point on my body, my eye, my my wrist. And she's like, You I I understand you want your brain to get better. I understand you want your body to work more, but we're gonna focus on the cancer now. My daughter is telling me this. And I'm like, but that I won't forget. I won't forget that it took my daughter, who had already been through all this trauma with me, to show me, oh, Shannon, you've got to put aside this other stuff, and you need to pay attention to this new stuff so that we can keep you. And and again, you can think about that in any part of your life, a relationship, children, a job, like know that things can adjust and change, and things can feel phenomenal and amazing, and then they can adjust and they can be really awful and messy. And how can you adjust through the bad stuff and the good stuff gives you and can empower you and give you such strength if you let it? Yeah. So please, anybody, give yourself the strength of staying present um and finding the answers as they come. And if you're not, if you're not getting answers that you feel like you're trying to solve something, be patient. Stop, pause, quit trying to solve. Just be. And you will, things will speak to you and you will get answers to questions. Oh, and I do the yes, no, maybe, which I always forget, but I try to remember. I do this, I do this process. Like come right now, I'm gonna have you say, if you want to say it out loud or say it with from within, a question you have um for yourself. And again, you can say it to me or you can think it. And once you do, we do the yes, no, maybe.

SPEAKER_02 31:20

Yes, no, maybe, yes. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 31:23

So, okay. So do you want to try it?

SPEAKER_02 31:25

Yes, absolutely. Yes, let's do it together.

SPEAKER_01 31:29

So again, from your heart, something that you have a question that you're searching for an answer, what whatever that might be, some some something that is is speaking through you that you are trying to search for something within. And and once you have that question, you can either say it or think it. And then try to simplify the answer for yourself, being a yes, a no, or a maybe in this present moment.

SPEAKER_02 32:01

You think about that, Shannon.

SPEAKER_01 32:04

And don't, and that's the other thing, don't overthink it. Just what come what came to you right this minute. Oh, I'm gonna get lunch at an hour, whatever it might be, and let the answer yes, no, or maybe, come from just the present moment.

SPEAKER_02 32:19

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 32:20

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 32:22

What came to my mind right away, Shannon, is prior to jumping on this interview with you, um, my son asked me, Are we gonna play baseball today? And I told him, um, he's nine years old. So I told him, Yes, but first I have to meet with Shannon. And he asked me, Who is Shannon? And I explained to him. And he said, Okay, Daddy, I could wait. So that was the first thing that came to my mind when you spoke to me about this exercise.

SPEAKER_01 32:54

Yeah. So the answer came to you, yes, right. And then, and also it's it's allowing and and also teaching anybody around us, if you have a question, simplify it to a yes, no, maybe answer. Yes. A yes is yes, a no is no, and a maybe is I don't know at this moment. And and it will the answer will come to me. But that means kind of put it aside. The maybes allow yourself to put that question aside if you don't have a distinct answer and be comfortable with not having an answer. And so that is again how I process through my days sometimes, because I still get confused. I still kind of overjudge. I love that my brain is working better. I try to stop myself from thinking like the previous Shanna Michelle, because she was, you know, very, very good at a lot of what she did, but she was terrible at receiving. So I'm trying to lim uh eliminate the the give take that I do both, or not not eliminate, but get again a game that I I do both. I I give and I receive.

SPEAKER_02 34:04

So Shannon, um patchwork. Yeah. It's talk to talk to us. Yes, yes, talk to us about it. Please, first of all, I love for the audience members that is not watching on YouTube, you gotta check out Shannon's um patch. It's awesome. I love it. Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 34:27

You won't take a peek at my website if you want to see it um in person. Um but yes, it is I for me, I had to learn to see things differently. And the most obvious is I had to see through things through one perspective, which I had not for my whole life. Two eyes would look at things, and I learned how to balance out how I could be by thinking about things in a kind of in a more simplified way. And the so the patchwork was a process of pause and stay present, P, right? Pause and stay present. We talked about that. And then once you're able to pause, truly pause and stay present, then you can take action, A for action. Um, and what that action means to you in that pausing and stay present moment. So in your present moment, you're going to take action. And then T is for thoughtfulness, being thoughtful to yourself and to others within your actions. C is care, oh care, self-care. Be kind to yourself, care, care, care. And because the more that you can be kind to yourself, the more you have to give others. And after all of that, with whatever part of your life you're processing through, you can heal.

SPEAKER_02 36:11

Sure.

SPEAKER_01 36:12

And it's just like for me, um things that I did in my multiple recoveries to feel comfortable, to understand that I'm doing the best that I can, and that I have so much again to give others. If I can fill this heart and, you know, uh get comfortable with this one eye, then then I can then I can expand and share and grow and help the world. And um that's that's my patchwork.

SPEAKER_00 36:48

I love that. I love that.

SPEAKER_01 36:51

Yeah, and I I'm I hope to we're in the midst of creating a monthly class. So as soon as that arrives, where people can log in and we can do some of this processing together through the patchwork, but also by staying present and trying to, you know, allow people to ask anything that comes to them. And um and talking through, you know, how that helps all of us.

SPEAKER_02 37:19

Yeah. Absolutely. Please share that information when you do have it so I can post it on the episode description.

SPEAKER_01 37:26

Okay. Yeah. Um, yes. So and please, everybody take a peek at my website. They made me a beautiful website. It told you tells you a lot more about my story. And there's some interesting shots of me at the hospital because you know, they so many tubes and there was so much. And then and then they made me a beautiful, like a whole wall. They put pictures up of me and my family and my life. Um, because I kept saying when she gets out of the coma, for her to see that would be helpful. And it was. Yeah. I don't remember it other than I've seen it in pictures. But with me, uh it worked.

SPEAKER_02 38:10

Good, good. I'm glad it did. Jenning, you are an author. You have your new book Step Into Your Miracle. And by the way, the um the artwork, it's beautiful.

SPEAKER_01 38:28

I know, and my daughter drew that. My daughter drew the cover, which I again I'm so proud that she's been obviously a part of this journey with me, but the fact that she's a part of this next step of my career, and she drew that picture for me. She's just she's so part of my story and that that she took the time and drew the cover. And she's I think she's an amazing artist, but she doesn't do that for a living. She just does it for fun, and she does it, you know, on as probably her own self therapy. And she drew that. And I, you know, I'm very proud of that.

SPEAKER_02 39:05

Beautiful. It really has been.

SPEAKER_01 39:08

Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 39:09

Yeah, you're welcome. Talk about your book. What's the book about?

SPEAKER_01 39:15

Oof. Um I mean it's it's I'll I'll tell you that it started because I because everything was broken, both my wrists, my hips, my, you know, my whole, my whole like reboot process, I couldn't write, so I spoke into my phone so that I could remember what would work or not work about a day. Okay, remember that not to do that or to do that, or sharing honestly, the the sorrow and the joy that was coming daily through my recovery is part of that. Um, the beginning part is tells a little story of how it happened. And then one of my favorite chapter two, um, I talk about the one thing I do remember is being mid-state. And I woke up talking about Bill, my father figure. And I was just, I thought he was basically sitting right next to me. And he had already read recently, within about eight months, had passed. But I remembered him with me. And I remember him kind of calming me down in a way, and um showing me that and talking to me. I know you don't want to go back into that, like it was from what I remember. We were talking about the ebbs and flows about me coming back. Sure. And and so I talk about that in the book, um, about how having faith in ourselves uh matters, and I did, and I also was handed this beautiful, these beautiful moments of why I should come back and I have come back. And so I talk a little bit about that, and then I get into what worked and what didn't, and I get I have a whole chapter that's my journaling that gets very personal and very uh authentic and real about my bad days and my good days, and um and how to kind of step through that and find yourself again. Um so yeah, it's it's basically how to turn any type of trauma into a triumph is my goal. Like it doesn't, it doesn't matter, well, it doesn't matter what your story is, but don't don't uh don't think that your story isn't isn't um isn't you don't believe that you can't navigate through your traumatic story. And how can you find your way to see yourself and and move through something that seems unbelievably painful? Um something that's taken. I mean, again, you can put a lot of words around it. I I was broken, I was deleted, I was um, I was a lot of things, but I slowly could see myself again and like myself again and remember who I was. And that's what all of us have to do as well, is remember, remember who you are at the at the soul and at the at the heart of who you are. Remember that person. Not the not the broken person that you feel like you are from the outside. Think about the inside person. Think about from your heart, get the answers from your heart, not always from your heart.

SPEAKER_02 42:56

Yeah, yeah. Right from the exercise we did earlier from the heart.

unknown 42:59

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 43:00

From the heart.

SPEAKER_02 43:01

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 43:02

You got it.

SPEAKER_02 43:04

Shannon, I usually like to ask my guests one final question. Okay. What final thoughts or message would you like to share with the world?

SPEAKER_01 43:20

I think telling each and every person that they have the inner strength that they need for this day. And they need to remember who they are by being kind to themselves. To me, that's the message that came to me. Um and it's different. You know, for me, it's today is a good day, you know, tomorrow may not be. And I I get comfortable with that. So if you're the person that today isn't a good day, just be kind to yourself, whatever that looks like. Be kind to yourself.

SPEAKER_02 44:02

I love that Shannon. Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_01 44:05

Oh, and then also, you know, the book. It's there's um you can purchase it's all kinds of things through my website. And there I'm also, which I should have put near me, but um, I just created these um affirmation cards about basically it's a deck and it can and it's I was so inspired that I don't even know how inspiring I am that I spoke into my phone. Quote cards or flip book that they're um in the midst of beginning to be able to release. So you'll have to check back in about a month. But um yeah, the book and the the cards and and and email me. Everybody just email me if you have a question, a simple question, ask it. Um yeah.

SPEAKER_02 44:52

And I will be putting your email, your website, the link to purchase your books on the episode description. Absolutely. Great, Shannon, you've been an amazing, amazing, amazing person to talk to today. I'm inspired, I'm motivated from our conversation.

SPEAKER_00 45:13

Good.

SPEAKER_02 45:14

And for anybody, again, any audience member that's listening and watching, Shannon's message is powerful. Hopefully, you could take away so much from it and learn how to move forward and be motivated. You shared so much today, Shannon, and thank you again.

SPEAKER_01 45:32

Thank you. Bye, everybody. Thank you.

SPEAKER_02 45:35

Enjoy your day.

SPEAKER_01 45:37

Bye, thank you. You too. You're welcome.

SPEAKER_02 45:40

Before I go, I just want to say thank you. Thank you for pressing play. Thank you for listening. Thank you for watching on YouTube. I truly appreciate you taking the time to be here with me. And if you're watching this on YouTube, make sure you hit the subscribe button. And if you're listening on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other platform, follow the podcast so you don't miss out on the next episode. Because we're going to keep having real honest conversations like this. And remember, your influence grows every time you choose courage over comfort. Um JV, stay curious, stay consistent, and keep influencing others.