Hi there! I care, and you matter.

And I’m glad you’re here and want to get to know me better.

Simply put, I am someone who clawed her way out of a very dark place—and sometimes still fights to find the light.

But if I can’t find it, I light a match and make my own—and you can, too.

In a world that shouts the importance of being fearless and hustling hard, I take a hard stand and say that sometimes, just managing to cope effectively amid hardship is the real triumph. After all, we can’t get to a better future if we don’t effectively survive our now.

And while I love a good party, pity isn’t my strong suit. (I don’t enjoy receiving it, and it’s rarely helpful.) Instead, no matter the circumstance, I prefer to be an opportunist, strategically exploiting resources and possibilities to transform potentials into probabilities—stacking the odds in my favor. (You can learn to do this, too.)

So, hi! I’m Shannon, a former teacher, current mom, and accidental writer, a career that found me when I had to leave the classroom to become a caregiver to our adoptive son with a mountain of special needs.

As a creative life strategist, I’m always looking for ways to go beyond just “making do” in order to make better. Whether it’s developing new ways to make living with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) easier, innovating different approaches to managing my son’s many special needs, or just creating new strategies to make those two proverbial ends meet, I enjoy being a hack master at life. (And I enjoy sharing my journey, strategies, and insights even more.)

In my books, videos, and printable resources, I share everything I’ve learned, developed, and now use to make my life better—no matter what. I hope they help you, too!

Looking to a brighter, better future is great. That’s where we find our motivation. But first, we’ve got to get through the now, and that can be tough. Life’s hard. Help shouldn’t be.

So, here’s to learning how to improve your now,