The Quiet Warrior Podcast with Serena Low

122. From Coma to Clarity: How Shannon Michelle Rebuilt Her Life Through Presence, Acceptance, and Inner Strength

• Serena Low, Introvert Coach for Quiet Achievers and Quiet Warriors

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0:00 | 44:42

What happens when everything you knew — your memories, your identity, your ability to read — is stripped away in an instant? In this deeply moving conversation, Serena sits with Shannon Michelle, author of Step Into Your Miracle, who survived a life-altering motorcycle accident followed by a two-month coma, multiple surgeries, and a breast cancer diagnosis — all within a span of years.

Shannon's story is not just one of survival. It is a quiet, profound testament to what becomes possible when we stop trying to fix everything and instead choose to be fully present in each moment — even the messy ones.

For the introverts and quiet achievers listening, this episode holds something especially resonant: the idea that your natural capacity to pause, listen deeply, and turn inward is not a weakness. It is your greatest strength.


What You'll Discover in This Episode

•         How Shannon navigated brain trauma, memory loss, and learning to read again — one present moment at a time

•         Why staying present is not about achieving a perfect meditative state, but about returning to this moment whenever you feel 'off'

•         The powerful mindset shift from 'I need to fix this' to 'I give myself permission to not know yet'

•         Shannon's Yes / No / Maybe framework — a beautifully simple tool for making decisions and reducing overwhelm

•         What it taught Shannon to receive help and care after a lifetime of being the strong one others leaned on

•         Why brokenness and strength are not opposites — and how your cracks are also your growth

•         The story behind her book Step Into Your Miracle, born from 300 voice notes spoken into her phone when she could not yet read or write

•         Shannon Michelle 2.0 — and what she is most excited about in this new chapter of her life


Shannon's Yes / No / Maybe Framework

One of the most practical gifts Shannon offers in this episode is her Yes / No / Maybe approach to uncertainty — a tool born directly from her recovery.

•         Yes — this feels right, I know this, I can move forward

•         No — this is not for me, not now, not this

•         Maybe — I do not know yet, and that is allowed

For quiet achievers who tend toward overthinking and needing certainty before acting, the Maybe is liberating. You do not need to force an answer. The answer will come. Stay present, and let it arrive.


About Shannon Michelle

Shannon Michelle is a Los Angeles-based author, trauma survivor, and advocate for healing. Before her motorcycle accident, she ran a thriving interior design firm in Southern California for 25 years. Following a two-month coma, brain trauma, multiple surgeries, and a breast cancer diagnosis, Shannon rebuilt herself — memory by memory, word by word.

Her book, Step Into Your Miracle, was written through 300 voice notes recorded on her phone during recovery when she could not yet read or write by hand. The cover was drawn by her daughter Grace. Her neurologist contributed a quote.

Shannon's mission is simple and whole-hearted: to help others find their way through trauma, one present moment at a time.

Connect with Shannon Michelle:

Step Into Your Miracle by Shannon Michelle — Website

LinkedIn 

Instagram

Work with Serena:

If you’re ready t

Work with Serena Low at serenalow.com.au. 

Loved this episode? Leave a review to help other Quiet Warriors find the show.

This episode was edited by Aura House Productions

A Life Reset Overnight

SPEAKER_00

Imagine waking up one day and not remembering the life you built, the faces you love, the dreams you had. For today's guest Shannon Michelle, that became her reality after a motorcycle accident left her in a coma, fighting to survive. And as she struggled to heal, life threw her yet another battle. But through unimaginable pain came something extraordinary. A rebirth of spirit and purpose. Shannon Michelle, welcome to the Quiet Warrior Podcast.

SPEAKER_03

Thank you for having me. Hello, everybody. Those are beautiful words. It's nice to hear somebody tell a little bit of your story. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00

You're very welcome. It's my honor. I know exactly what you mean. The things we write about ourselves, even when they are from us and they are true, when someone else reflects them back to us, they feel different. They feel more real somehow.

SPEAKER_03

I feel like they're a reminder or a reboot of our existence in our present moment in a way. You hear it with new words or new sound.

SPEAKER_00

Yes.

How To Stay Present

SPEAKER_00

So that brings us to the first important point about this conversation and why it matters. So a lot of our listeners are quiet achievers, quiet warriors, quiet leaders. And staying present in some ways it's a natural trait for the introvert, but it's also getting increasingly difficult in our modern culture to stay present.

SPEAKER_01

Can you talk to us more about that and how you stay present?

SPEAKER_03

I I learned to not get overwhelmed with my life, my changes, my different dramas, by reminding myself to just stay present. Saying each morning, you may not have remembered what happened yesterday, you may not know what's going to happen tomorrow, but if you can just wake up and stay present, that can bring you joy. And I had to keep reminding myself that over and over again through pain, breaks, all kinds of things. But I've found, and I still try to remember this constantly, when I question anything, when anything feels unknown, or if something feels shaky, or whatever words you want to put around it, I kind of stop myself and I do, okay, I'm going to stay present. And this moment is for right now. This moment is for a sip of water. This moment is for this podcast. And I have to remind myself to just be in each moment of each day. And that has brought me freedom and not feeling so taken by not remembering things with my brain trauma. And so that's that's what I do, and I still try to. Sometimes I I get I'm I'm back in the realm of getting a little messy with all of that as well. And I just I keep trying to remind myself first and foremost to just stay present because there's some so much beauty in staying present.

SPEAKER_00

Thank you. Thank you for sharing that. We read so much about all the practices for staying present, and yet we struggle. What does it really mean to stay present? Is it that I am not thinking about anything else? I'm only focused on one thing. Is it about focus?

SPEAKER_03

I think it's a combo. I think it's a combo of being able to stop focusing on other things. We spend a lot of time focusing on what we did or what we said or what the outcome will be. And that's not staying present. That's trying to solve something, that's time trying to, in a way, control things. And if if you can remember, at least this is what I do is when I when I feel a little off, I'm I know that I'm not staying present. I know that I'm not just taking in this moment. And I find that each moment kind of takes me to the next moment. And we we weren't taught, at least I was not taught that. I was taught if you do this, you get that. And there were certain roads to travel down to succeed or whatever again, words you want to put around it. But we're taught if you do the A, you get the B, you get to the B. And you know, there's a there's um there's a sequence to our lives, and there is. So it's not that I don't believe in sequence to everything that I do and say isn't important because it's so important, but it's important because I can stay present and I can talk about it with you today, and I can remind myself about how this moment is this present moment, and it's empowering and it makes me feel good, and it excites me to think about next steps. So it doesn't, it it's still moving in between again the words you want to put around it, the yin and yang of love, or what whatever words you want to put around it, it it it's it's like right now, take this moment. And if you you and I are talking and you just take a deep breath, and I say to you, how does this moment feel for you? This moment right now. And you and you think about what comes to heart for you right in this moment, that's you staying present within this moment. And I'm asking if you want to express how you're feeling in this moment, and then you you get to actually think about how does this feel? Me breathing, me talking about my own emotions, whatever comes to you when you get asked a question or you step down a different road, you think about how it affects you, right? And you and you work through it, and then you see how it feels, and that gives you direction. And that's that to me can be so empowering and give you such strength. Um, but if you if you want to answer, I rambled a little bit.

SPEAKER_00

I was thinking what you said there reminds me of the layers in the way we respond. So we the first answer might be, I'm feeling peaceful right now, or I'm feeling grateful right now. But then there comes in a second layer, it's like there's another voice that sort of critiques that response or thinks about that response. Is that the right response? Should I say something else?

SPEAKER_03

See, so let's pause at that and let's talk about that for a second, if you don't mind. So I have learned with my brain trauma and with our brains and how we process and how we rebuild and how we grow. I had to relearn all that because when I woke up, my brain was deleted. I could not remember how to do anything or do anything. So I've had to take the next steps to teach myself to do things. And just in that moment, you first told me how you felt. And then you went into the what I call the brain mode of sorting out what you just said. And I think if we can again more stay present in that moment of what you that the words that first came out, not what comes from people hearing that or from me hearing that, or is there more to be said? There always is more to be said, but stay within that moment. And I I again, it's it's it's sometimes hard to explain, but the simplest way is to continue in that moment by staying present. So you and I are continuing this conversation, we're gonna dive deeper. But ultimately, this feels like a safe space for me. And I hope it feels like a safe space for you. And that that's everything, you know. Whatever comes of this whole conversation, that's a gain. That I'm in a safe space talking about my chaos and my trauma with somebody who is willing to listen to my story and share my story. I mean, that feels great to me. Beautiful.

Life Before The Crash

SPEAKER_00

What was life like for you before the accident?

SPEAKER_03

That's a great question too. Um, my life. Um it was pretty miraculous because I my daughter had just left to start college and I was a single mom and I led my life being a great single mom. And I also um it's like to have the freedom to kind of let go of a lot of things that you're supposed to manage, let's say, um, is is it's feeling like I had accomplished something. I she she's a great, her name is Grace. Um, and she went off to college and I started having a lot more free time to myself. Um, I was a huge motorcycle rider. I it was my Sunday school, I rode on Sundays. Um, but I was at a place where I had been running my own company for 25 years, a very high-end interior design firm here in Los Angeles, very successful at what I did. People, you know, people were really always pleased with my work as a designer, helping them in the interior design world, building homes, did everything. I I I was a go-to for helping be creative within your home for so many different people and and so many um in so many ways, and but mostly here in Southern California. Um, and I had done that forever. And um that was that was the bulk of my life, was I was my work and my writing. Um and and then my accident happened and it changed everything. Yeah, it changed everything. Thankfully, today I can say in a good way, but it took me a long time to reboot and relearn and see myself again as this new individual that I became. Post a lot of breaks that some are so more obvious than others. Um, but it was, and I I still like anybody, I I have my days of struggle. You know, life doesn't get simple. Life is difficult for all of us on some level. It's processing through how we can be the best that we can be of being who we are. And I'm I'm I'm in such a beautiful place considering all my brokenness.

SPEAKER_01

How did it feel when you first realized the magnitude of what had changed? I was overwhelmed. I was sad.

SPEAKER_03

And I went to a place of feeling responsible for making other people feel bad about all the chaos. I that was my first place that I landed. How did I affect everybody? I had employees, my daughter, my friends, like I kept worrying way too much about how I was in a hospital for three months or two, two and a half months in the hospital and nursing home, and three months total. So my recovery, coma for two months, like everybody stopped their lives to try to make sure somebody was there to, you know, help me through my process, even though I was pretty much brain dead at that point. And um I I just got confused. I get confused occasionally, but we all do, I guess. Um, what was I saying? But what was the point I was getting to? Oh, um, when I woke, I remember taking too much responsibility for others. And that was the only thing that I could worry about is how I had hurt others and what how it affected people. And I had to come to a place where, within all my brokenness, that I had to start doing my self-care first. And I did not live my life that way. I loved caring for everybody else. I was good at what I did with my work. I'm amazing, mom. I'm my family, you name it. I I was the person who could show up, arms open, you know, and I was I was the person people leaned on. I was the person that people cried in, cried, cried, you know, they could cry to. And all of a sudden, I was the one needing so much help. And I was the one that had to do a lot of leaning and have and have to put all of my all my responsibilities on others. And that was really hard because I didn't know how to take that job. I was good at taking care of others, but I wasn't good at doing my self-care first. And so I it was a slow, it was a slow road, but I had to learn how to wake up and be okay with my brokenness and okay with the friends that stayed and the ones that didn't, and be okay with both sides of that. Um, so there was a lot of um moments of understanding the true me, because that we're all we're all, I think, people who sometimes need help, some some variation of it. But sometimes it's as a as a strong woman with my own company for years, and you know, I was this person, rode motorcycles, and you know, I had that strength. And I did not know how to be broken, vulnerable, you know, overly sad about sad things. I did not, I did not fare well in that arena at first. But now I'm like, I'm an open book. I love everything that it's shown me more about who I am and what I have to give to others, as well as how much I I have to give back to myself.

Learning To Receive Help

SPEAKER_00

So I think that's a huge revelation for people who have spent their whole lives giving and serving and believing that it is more blessed to give than to receive. And therefore the other side of it is then struggling to be that person that receives. There's almost a sense of if I'm the one receiving, then there must be something inadequate about me.

SPEAKER_03

Something wrong. Yeah, yeah. But that's I think that's I think that's um I think that's a place in which where we can understand ourselves stronger and better is if we can understand that the brokenness is just as important as the strong person that you know you are. The the the cracks and the breaks and the bad roads or whatever you whatever has made your life have a lot of inconsistency or troubles, that's growth too. And to learn how to grow from staying present and taking in each moment of each day, and then being okay with that, even when it's a bad day, because we get those two, and and learning how to just come from a place of gratitude for the good and the bad equally, because we learned from both. We we grow from both, we give from both. It for me, it it has created a a new me, you know. I I I always say I'm now Shanna Michelle 2.0, and I was I was Shanna Michelle 1.0. And that's what I had to tell myself. I that to be okay with being different, I put numbers on it. You know, I had to do something where I didn't keep worrying about getting back what I had before. I just stayed present on what I could do for myself in each moment of each day. And it it's working so far.

SPEAKER_00

I think I've had it described another way, and that is that you bloom where you are planted. And that makes me think we it's it's not easy to uh reflect on the thing that has happened that is not going in your favor, because you just said um to be grateful for the good and the bad. And usually we're grateful for the good, but with the bad, it has to be in hindsight. We need to have put some emotional distance between ourselves and the thing that happened, and then we can say, looking back now, I'm grateful. But I think you've taken a one level up. It sounds to me like what you're saying is even in this moment, even as I'm going through this messy middle, this unpleasantness, this inconvenience, this pain, I am grateful because there is something to be learned.

SPEAKER_03

Mm-hmm. You nailed it. Yeah, that's yeah, that's it. That's it. Yeah, there because there is, because all of us, you know, all of us, the good, the bad, the the thoughtful, the inthoughtful, whatever moment we have in our life teaches us to be a better US. And we keep growing and expanding, and we can make mistakes, or somebody can do something that creates a very terrible thing in your life. But you can grow from that. I mean, I I had to learn that, and I did learn that um post-my second trauma.

Breast Cancer During Recovery

SPEAKER_03

And um, I I write about this as well as I thought I had gone through so much emotionally and physically that nothing worse could happen to me. I thought I had gotten the worst of the worst that could be imagined for a human being had happened to me. And, you know, within a year and a half in into my recovery, and I was still in a lot of recovery and multiple surgeries needed, I got breast cancer. I got the call. You have breast cancer. I laughed at them. I thought that was funny the moment they said it to me. And then I called my daughter because she's in college, and she's like, Mom, this is not funny. You this is serious. You have to stop working on your brain recovery and your body recovery, and you got to take care of the cancer because that's more important now. And I had to learn that no matter how broken we feel like we have been and how much we've gone through, if we have, if we have this idea that that is that's it, that's the worst it can get, the moment you believe that that's the worst it can get, it might get worse if you let it. So just understand that we are we are here to learn. And if we think we're we've been broken enough, then we really haven't. We really we haven't we haven't learned enough of our lesson that we are always beautifully breakable. And and that that's hard to it's hard to say, it's hard to be, it's hard to imagine, but it's true.

SPEAKER_01

I think that's really hard to hear.

SPEAKER_00

When even though I know that there is truth in what you say, um, I'm just thinking that there might be someone listening right now who is already going through some kind of brokenness and would love to know that they are at the end of the tunnel and that things are going to get better.

SPEAKER_03

They will, though. There's a difference between knowing that things can get better versus thinking that nothing can get worse. There's, I don't know how to explain it, but there is a moment in which you know you can walk a new road, make another decision, and lead a different life and learn more and grow more. At the same time, you have to understand, you have to be aware and present to not break more. So stay kind to your heart. Stay kind to your family, your your loved ones, whatever brings you joy. Keep doing that. Don't worry about what will happen next. Stay present in your moment. And that is the best thing you can do for yourself in each of those moments. Um because I get that. I mean, it when it's when it's hard and when it's messy, it's hard to it's hard to see yourself out of that box. It's hard to envision it being different sometimes. But the most important thing is that you will grow and you will expand and things will get better. That's different than almost like don't take things for granted is the old saying. I kind of think I thought, you know, to me, don't actually a better a better way to put that would be I can't assume that more can't happen if I don't stay present and I just continue to stay present. So what whomever is listening right now, know that you can step out of trauma, you will get better, but continue to stay present and and and and and listen to your heart first, not how you can fix it, but to how you can do your self-healing first, because the bigger you grow, the bigger you get. And somebody said that to me in my in my recovery, and because I I just got so upset that I couldn't remember what I said or did, or because I couldn't know, do something like I was a really good cook and I couldn't, I didn't even know where cows and pants were in my kitchen. And all of a sudden, I I I felt I felt like it was it was so overwhelming and messy. And I just took these baby steps each day to stay present and do do the best I could do each day. And that's what I'd say to any woman out there, any human being out there, is if you can stay present with each moment, you will feel better. You will get there. That is that's that is a known. If you if you do your if you if you're living your life from staying present, I mean it will get better because you will make the right decisions for that day, for that moment. That will be that will be your next step. Your next step will be how does this feel? Okay. And oh, I also do this thing that I don't know if we talked about this.

Yes No Maybe For Clarity

SPEAKER_03

I have a thing that's very empowering to me that maybe this would be helpful to others is my yes, no, maybe. And basically when I question anything at all, and it might be uh as simple as, you know, what am I gonna make for breakfast? But whatever, whatever your question is that comes to you and you're unsure, all you have to do is think yes, no, or maybe. And yes is yes, and no is no, and maybe is you don't know yet. And it's okay to not know and have an answer yet. And give yourself the freedom to answer the uncertainty of what you're feeling or going through with a yes, no, or maybe. And when you get to the maybe, and the maybes happen often, just try to let that go. It'll come to me. The answer will come to me, the person will come to me. That will be the next step at some point. I just don't have an answer yet, and that's okay too. And that I think again, a part of staying present and allowing yourself to understand and try to look at things in a very simple way. The yes, no, and maybe is a very simple way. Um, you know, like I don't know, is there something that you could ask yourself right now that or ask me that feels like it could be yes, no, or maybe. If it comes to you.

SPEAKER_00

Well, it doesn't come to me quite so quickly because I think I tend to go into an analysis mode and think about yes, no. I think with the introvert, particularly the quiet achiever, sometimes we do go into this overthinking mode. And maybe it's not such an easy thing to say. We like clarity, we like certainty, we like to be able to give an accurate answer, and maybe belongs in the realm of ooh, I'm not sure. And if I'm not sure, how does that reflect on me? What will people think of me that I can't come up with an answer quickly?

SPEAKER_01

Mm-hmm. So I don't have a question for you right now.

SPEAKER_03

That's okay too. But see, that's perfect because you don't have a question. Your answer is no, I don't have a question. It's a yes, no, or maybe. Answer's no. And that's and that's okay too. And that's again, if we can simplify how we do our self-care and how we speak to ourselves internally, especially, that we can we can kind of get some softer answers that are from ourselves, which I think can again empower a lot.

SPEAKER_00

I love that you said softer answers. I think that's exactly what we're looking for. Something something that's more permission-based, something that's kind, something that's compassionate. Yes, and that gives grace, that gives us room to not be certain. And it's okay. We're still being held. And we may not have the answer right now, or the the thing we're going through right now is very messy. We don't know when it finishes, when when is the end of it, how long more we have to wait or endure. But you also said, you know, there is a a humility, I guess, in not having the answers, but in being in dealing with it moment by moment, baby step by baby step, and just accepting. I think acceptance is a huge part of what I've heard you say so far. That much as we may be frustrated or angry even or maybe bitter about things that have happened in the past and things that we can't change, but the moment we accept it, it feels it sounds to me like the journey of rebirth and rebooting begins from that point.

SPEAKER_03

It does. You you those were the perfect words. Yes, I have I have um, I personally have been literally reborn and rebooted on so many levels. Um, and we again have the strength without all all of what has happened to me, it it's whatever is personal for each individual that that you that you know that you know that you're going to eventually be told or know the answer. And everything will solve itself. And allowing that to be a freedom I think can be helpful when you're struggling. Um, at least again, these are things that I felt um as I was trying to like kind of find my way out of all the mess. I kept trying to search and do and and and make it okay. I spent a lot of time trying to make it all okay. And the minute I stopped trying to make it okay is when I gave myself the freedom to know that I may not have the answer today, but I'll have it tomorrow or the next day. And there's a freedom in giving yourself that space to live your life in a way that gives you hope, gives you desire for more things. Um, and it doesn't even have to be physical things that may not have been the right word, but just like, I want, you know, I want more sun in the sky. You know, whatever it might be. It can be something as simple as that. It's like let let your heart tell you what you want. Let it lead you, let your heart lead you.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

What I'm also picking up is it's okay to articulate what you want, and at the same time know that it may or may not happen. And that's okay as well. So not trying to fix it, not trying to solve it. And I think that's our natural tendency. We want the quick answers, we want the solution, we want the strategies, we want the techniques. How do I get over this? And we don't want to dwell in that in-between place where there are no answers and everything is uncertain.

SPEAKER_03

That's a hard place to be, you know. It's a hard place to be when you aren't staying present and you're sitting within the the chaos of whatever it might be. It could be, you know, a bad meal. It could be, it could be a lot, it could be anything that is affecting you at this moment right now. Like just breathe that in. Let that teach you, let that show you the way. Um, it will. It will. And kindness, like we're saying, just kindness to yourself. When you don't know, be kind to yourself. Don't worry about not knowing.

SPEAKER_01

Don't feel bad if you don't know. The answer is not the solution. That's interesting. I never thought of it that way.

Writing Step Into Your Miracle

SPEAKER_01

Tell us about your book. Step into your miracle.

SPEAKER_03

Yes. Um, so in uh all of this, I uh woke up to um a moment where it was like, finish your book, finish your book. I could hear it in my dream or in I I I think of it in a spiritual way that I was being spoken to. And I woke up and I started laughing. And then I called my best friend. I'm like, I can't even read yet. I literally, because I had to learn to read. I ran a company and I had to learn to read. I mean, it was like a juxtaposition, you could say. And I'm like, I don't understand that. Why do they keep saying, finish your book? I can't read a book yet. I will, I will eventually read a book, is how I said this to her. And she started laughing and she said, Shannon, have you looked in your phone? I said, Well, yeah, I do a lot with it because I at certain points, because I couldn't read, I could, but I could always speak. I words could come to me. I could speak into my phone. And I think my wrists were broken. So a lot of time I couldn't even write. So I could speak into my phone, the good and the bad. And she said, Look, look at your phone. You have like 300 notes in your phone. And I would just keep speaking into my phone to not forget how today went well or what what what was the wrong thing to do, or whatever it was. And that was the beginning of me looking into. I had already been writing a book while I was speaking into my phone because I was navigating how to get better. And that was what I wanted to share is I know that so many people, whether it be they're going through a personal trauma or they're holding the hand and caretaking for somebody who's going through a trauma, because there's both. Um, we all need help. We all we all need um simple ways to kind of move through trauma. And that's how this book came about. And I'll show you, it's really cute. My daughter drew the cover. My daughter is now 22, and she drew me on the cover and it's Step Into Your Miracle by Shannon Michelle.

SPEAKER_02

Yes.

SPEAKER_03

And um, even my neurologist who has baby stepped me through this, he's the one that he's he he I have a lot, a lot of beautiful quotes that people have already given me, but my neurologist gave me a quote about my book. Um, but yeah, and so it's um it's it's a beautiful journey. I I have a website, stepinyourmiracle.com, and you can take a peek at my story a little bit more. Um, but my goal is to help others, you know. That's my that's my single goal is like, how can I help others get through what they're going through, considering I learned so much getting through what I've been through. And that's that's it, that's the biggest goal is to help others.

SPEAKER_01

That's it, that's in my heart. So it's been yes.

SPEAKER_03

I was just I have to again, my short-term memory gets messy, but uh, the other thing I I want to remember to say is that I have my first official book signing event they that is in about a month here in Los Angeles. And my daughter helped me make little postcards for the event. And um, and so it's um it's it's it this is important to me, like being able to get to get the book out there to others and to share with others. And and I I think I think of myself as a good holiday gift. Like a lot of people who have read it, and I've gotten some beautiful responses, friends, but people outside of my life, is that uh they get inspired but by what I say and it inspires them in ways they wouldn't have realized. And so that's a goal. Like if this is inspirational to you, even though you're you're not looking for a certain fix, there's a lot in here that you don't even realize you can learn from reading my. But yeah, so I have this, I have this event, November 23rd. And um, it's a that's a big deal. I'm I'm excited, I'm I'm thrilled. I'm like, you know, a little nervous, of course, like, you know, getting in a huge room, like 50 to 100 people, and like being like, ask any questions you want. We'll see how that feels. Let's talk after that. Yes, yes.

Serving Others After Trauma

SPEAKER_00

Well, first of all, I want to say congratulations on the book and on the book signing event that's coming up and the beautiful postcards and the artwork and the way you have just turned what for someone else could just be, you know, something really difficult, challenging, unpleasant. And you've turned it around through a process of acceptance, uh being present, baby steps, uh a sense of um uh roundedness and uh the ability to uh to say that you don't know but things are going to get better and just by focusing on one moment at a time and being okay with those hard days, being uncomfortable with those hard days, giving yourself permission, being kind, being okay with the messiness of it, and not constantly trying to fix it or make things better. There is a lot for us to learn here. And so it's been three and a half years since the accident. What are some things you're excited for in addition to the book launch in the next three and a half years?

SPEAKER_01

Um that's a great question.

SPEAKER_03

And I think I think the thing that excites me the most about this new Shannon Michelle 2.0 is like helping others. And all I want to do is find a way to help others through trauma, and that excites me. Whatever whatever route this new life is gonna take me, I'm not sure how it's going to come about, but how I can help others is my goal. And I know that that is what brings me joy, and that is what brings me joy in this moment. And I'm guessing for quite a while it'll bring me a lot of joy when I can connect with others and support others and listen to others as well as I was listened to and guide and guide others to how they can help others, you know. It's like just the continuation of of that is my goal. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Beautiful. And what is one thing you want the introverts and quiet achievers who are listening to take away from our conversation today?

SPEAKER_03

I know that you know that you have strength. And I would say that you have to just keep reminding yourself that the strength is from within. And the fact that you can pause and listen so clearly and almost stay more present than most of us, there's strength there. And remember that. That's that's what I would say. Remember that there's strength within the pausing in life. What whatever pause you're taking, there's strength within there to know that you are building and growing to be a better you each and every day. That's all you need to know. That's all I would say. I I said to myself, it's gonna be okay. It's gonna be okay. May not be okay today, but it's gonna be okay. And whatever the words that suit you to hear are the words that you need to do yourself care with. Whatever words bring you joy, write that on a bunch of post-it notes and put them all over your house. That's what I did. I was writing post-it notes to remember things and to remember all kinds of parts of my life and and and part of that I still do. And I, whenever something comes to me, like something that brings me joy, I write it down. I put it on a post-it note. It goes in my mirror, you know. So if you if you find a way that you can reflect on what brings you joy, do that today.

SPEAKER_00

That is a beautiful way to wrap up this conversation. Thank you so much, Shannon, for sharing your time and your wisdom with us today.

SPEAKER_03

Thank you. This was lovely. Thank you for your wonderful, engaging questions. Thank you for sharing me and sharing with everybody that's that listens to you. I'm sure you have a lot of guidance that you give to others as well. And that must feel good. Because when you know that you are helping others, there's there's something that is so, at least for me, it inspires me. So I'm hoping it inspires you as well. Each time you, you know, pull pull, you know, take do a podcast and share everybody's stories. That's like it's brilliant. So you keep doing you.

SPEAKER_00

Thank you so much. We'll make sure to have the links in the show notes so that people can purchase the book and connect with you and read more about your story.

SPEAKER_03

Please, please. Thank you, everybody.

Invitation And Closing Requests

SPEAKER_00

If you're ready to be seen without having to perform extraversion, join the visible interview. I'm so grateful that you're here today. If you found this content valuable, please share it on your social media channels and subscribe to the show on your favorite listening platform. Together we can help more introverts thrive. To receive more uplifting content like this, connect with me on Instagram at Serenalo Quiet Warrior Coach. Thank you for sharing your time and your energy with me. See you on the next episode.