Shannon Snow

Biography

Hi, I'm Shannon. I hail from the Atlanta Georgia area and I am in love with my hubby, our daughter and our kitty Meeko! I also love all things personality and psychology- especially when it comes to neurodiversity. Ever since I discovered that I am neurodivergent (or “neurospicy” as I like to say), the spectrum has become my special interest/hyper fixation playground! I’ve been coaching for 5+ years and before coaching I wore several similar hats for a few decades. I’ve been a middle and high school guidance director/counselor, a high school psychology teacher, a middle school life skills teacher, a mentor, a yearbook advisor, and a swim coach. I am thrilled to be a part of Life Skills Advocate and support neurospicy individuals like myself.

What are some of your special interests?

I love to crochet! My grandma taught me when I was about 8 and I was terrible at it (teaching a lefty is hard!) so I quit after 1 granny square. But about 15 years ago I picked it back up feeling sentimental after she'd passed- and became obsessed. I started with blankets because the brain tickling stim of crocheting the same stitch over and over and over is amazing. But recently, I love creating cute tiny arugami critters. I've taught several people to crochet over the years- had to learn how to crochet right-handed to do that, but it's worth it to spread the joy of crochet!

I also love dragons and the entire fae world. What's interesting to me, is that the dragons and fairies that live in my head are very different from the ones we know about from lore. I don't know why they're different. They just are. So the ones we see in drawings don't match the ones in my head. Still. Dragons are awesome.

I am a Trekkie- have been since childhood. When Jean-Luc Picard and Data came on the scene, they truly solidified me as a Trekkie for life. Don't fret- I love Star Wars as well. My absolute favorite of all time, though, is actually Firefly/Serenity.

What does executive functioning mean to you?

Executive functioning is the doing part of thinking and the ease in which a person can start, continue, and finish the doing without having to use unsupportive tactics like anxiety, shaming, or excessive/continuous willpower to accomplish the doing.

What is a strategy you use with clients and use personally?

Grounding is so helpful for me! But wait, is “breathing” boring for you? "Looking inside" makes you feel anxious maybe? That's ok! We can find the grounding tool that works for you. What matters is getting free from whatever has you stuck so you can move forward. Getting connected with ourselves, recognizing and responding with compassion to what our mind and body need (which used to be so foreign to me!), is the fastest most effective way I've found for myself and my clients to get unstuck so we can do the work to reach our goals.

How has your personal experience and professional development impacted your coaching?

My training for my coaching certifications really started me on my journey of discovering that I am neurodivergent. (I’m on the spectrum and late diagnosis ADHD.) What I realized is that living by unsupportive neurotypical culture norms was actually detrimental to my life and even my body. I saw that each individual has a unique map of what truly thriving looks like for them. Being neurospicy means having an exceptionally unique map that often doesn’t overlap with “normal” and may not (probably won’t) respond favorably to typical motivation methods. I like to dig into the uniqueness of each client and meet each person right where they are so we can figure out together what their most supportive, spicy-friendly tools look like specifically for them.

How would you describe your personal approach to coaching?

I believe in compassion first, middle and last. I assume my clients already have their own answers (because they do) and by creating a comfortable, safe conversation where clients can experiment with tools without fear of judgement, they can get unstuck from the coping mechanisms that no longer serve. It is my favorite thing in the world to build trust with my clients so I can encourage and hold space for them. Authentic support is absolutely vital in order to overcome barriers and make lasting shifts toward any goal.

Which of LSA's core values resonates the most with you, and how do you incorporate it with your clients?

I resonate most with the value of being a Courageous Contrarian. Nuerospicy minds like ours are gloriously unique and different and the tools that work for the "norm" just don't cut it for us. We have to be able to experiment with radical ideas and tools that seem counterintuitive to what we've already been taught to find what works for our individual brains. I LOVE creating a safe environment so that exploration is possible.

Do you have an area of coaching you specialize in?

I specialize in mindset, EQ development, intuitive eating, academic support, career and/or life transition, and executive functioning support in general.