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Who I Am
Hi! I am Shannon and, like you, I have always been on a journey of growth and resilience, shaped by hardship and the slow, steady work of coming home to myself.
Most of my teens and twenties were spent in active addiction — a period that nearly shattered my life. I’ve struggled with mental health for as long as I can remember, carrying a deep fear that something was wrong with me that no one could name.
Yoga became my lifeline. It taught me how to live inside a body marked by trauma and offered moments of quiet in a mind that rarely rested.
In my early thirties, while finding sobriety, I was diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. That diagnosis came with both relief and grief. I learned that FASD would be with me for life, and I had to understand what it meant to navigate the world from that truth. The healing process took emotional labor, grief work, various therapies, and oceans of tears. With the support of the people who loved me, I moved out of addiction, out of poverty, and into a life where I finally felt safe.
Once I had that safety, I knew what I wanted to do: help others in the ways I once needed help—from a place of compassion, care, and enormous love.
See What I Do & How I Can Help
The Work That Grew From My Story
My Work Today
Everything I do circles around one purpose:
Creating spaces where people feel brave enough to take off their masks and simply be.
I work as:
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Mental Health Peer Supporter in Lanark County
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FASD Mentor for young adults
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Movement + Meditation Guide
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Facilitator of Moon Circles & Energy Work at a clinic in Perth
Across all roles, I support the slow excavation of suffering and the gentle turning toward healing. I know this work doesn’t always fit inside traditional systems, and so my approach prioritizes community over commerce, connection over productivity, and humanity over performance.
My Lens & Commitments
My work is shaped by:
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Lived experience with FASD, addiction, and sobriety
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Neurodivergence
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Movement and meditation
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Queerness
I also acknowledge the limits of my perspective.
I am a white, cisgender woman, and this means I don’t see every side. I am committed to continual learning, examining harmful narratives I’ve absorbed, repairing harm where possible, and grounding myself in honesty and humility within every community I serve.
Sobriety Support
Walking beside you, not ahead of you.
Sobriety is one of the hardest and most beautiful things I’ve ever claimed for myself, and it has reshaped the way I walk beside others on their own paths. I don’t believe in “fixing” people or in pretending that recovery is simple or linear. I believe in honesty, in compassion, and in meeting people exactly where they are — even when that place is messy, painful, or uncertain.
My work in sobriety support is grounded in lived experience. I understand the fear, the shame, the loneliness, and the quiet bravery it takes to choose a different life one day at a time. I offer space that is judgment-free, pressure-free, and rooted in human connection. Whether someone is curious about sobriety, actively struggling, newly sober, or long into their journey, I walk alongside them with care, tools, and support that honour their nervous system and their story.
If sobriety is something you’re exploring, you’re welcome here — exactly as you are.
Yoga & Movement
A practice that helps you feel at home in your body
Yoga was my first doorway back into my own body after years of trauma, addiction, and disconnection. It taught me how to breathe again, how to listen to my system, and how to find small pockets of calm inside a brain that rarely slowed down.
The way I teach reflects this lived experience. My classes are not about performance or perfection. They are for real people with real bodies and real nervous systems — people who may feel anxious, tender, overstimulated, or new to the practice. Everything I guide is trauma-informed, invitational, and grounded in nervous-system awareness.
My goal isn’t to get you deeper into a pose. It’s to help you feel brave inside yourself.
Join My Classes
You can practice with me through Heritage Community Fitness in Carleton place, ON, where I teach gentle, grounding yoga designed for accessibility, softness, and nervous-system care.
Peer Support
A place to be seen, heard, and held.
Peer support is at the heart of my work — humans sitting with humans, without hierarchy, judgment, or pressure. I offer support as someone who has walked through addiction, mental health challenges, poverty, trauma, and neurodivergence, and who understands how heavy the world can feel when you’re carrying more than people can see.
In my peer support role, I walk beside people through their hardest moments, helping them feel grounded, seen, and not alone. I don’t tell people how to live. I help them understand themselves, their needs, and their nervous systems so they can make choices that feel possible and safe.
Where to Find Me
Peer Support:
Through ConnectWell
Mentorship
Where understanding becomes empowerment, and small steps lead to real change.
I mentor young adults with FASD, holding space for their growth in a way that honours who they are — not who the system expects them to be. This work is intentional, relational, and rooted in trust. Together, we focus on real-life skills: building routines, navigating emotions, communicating needs, and creating structure that actually works for their brains and bodies.
Mentorship often means being the steady person in their corner — someone who listens without judgment, celebrates the small wins, and helps them feel seen in a world that often misunderstands them. I support them in finding confidence, independence, and a sense of belonging, while also guiding them toward resources and practices that can help them thrive.
This is heart-work: consistent, compassionate, and focused on helping them build a life that feels supportive, empowering, and uniquely their own.
Where to Find Me
FASD Mentorship:
Through the Rural FASD – Rural FASD Support Network
Book A Session
Energy Alignment Sessions are offered in partnership with Flourishing Families in Perth, Ontario. All bookings are made directly through their system.
If you feel called to reconnect with yourself, ease your nervous system, or receive intuitive support, you can schedule your session through Flourishing Families’ booking page. Once your appointment is confirmed, I’ll be there to guide you through a grounded, restorative experience tailored to what you need most.