Today we’d like to introduce you to Shannon Dolan.
Hi Shannon, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
A turbulent health journey, deep curiosity and fascination with the human body, plus over a decade of experience working with a diverse population on their health, is what ultimately led me to where I am today. I started my career as a Personal Trainer and a Health Coach. I love being able to have a positive influence on a person’s day, and seeing transformation in a person’s health is what lights me up.
However, it became increasingly obvious how fitness is just a small factor in someone’s health. That’s when I started to incorporate Nutritional Therapy to help support people on a deeper level. By providing nutrients to support various systems of the body that are trying to communicate the need for support through various symptoms, I have been able to witness incredible results. From there, I started to recognize how fitness and nutritional therapy are wonderful tools, but if chronic stress is not addressed, the results will continuously be lacking. This brought me to zoom out even further, helping clients support their nervous systems to allow for deep transformation.
All while I was building Health With Shannon to where it is today, I was also dealing with my own health struggles that helped me learn firsthand how powerful these tools are. In 2020, I went through burnout, mold toxicity, and hypothyroidism all at the same time. That experience taught me so much about the nervous system and helped me uncover vital skills to not only help myself out of that difficult time but also to be able to help others who find themselves in a situation where it feels like everything could go wrong going wrong.
I will forever be a lifelong student, and studying the wisdom of the body has continuously left me with immense appreciation for being able to help others bring out and honor their own wisdom. Whether I’m working with a large corporation or I’m working with women 1:1, I am always amazed at what can happen when people learn how to truly take care of themselves through a variety of modalities.
Please talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned. Looking back, has it been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has been a challenging road! As mentioned earlier, I went through burnout in 2020-2022, but I started my business in November 2019. In that experience alone, it felt like once I got started, I crashed and burned. I also have dealt with various personal struggles throughout this journey that left me questioning everything I was doing and caused me to pause my business while I found myself again. There have been additional challenges like technical difficulties, opportunities I was excited about not working out, and negative comments on social media, but going through a personal struggle while building a business is the hardest. I think there’s this hard mentality to “suck it up” when challenges arise, but sometimes, you do have to pause because it’s what you need at the time. I wish that were more normalized when it comes to business.
Let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Health With Shannon specializes in helping high achievers avoid burnout. High achievers are at such a massive risk of experiencing burnout because they will often do anything to reach a goal. This can usually look like sacrificing their needs to check off something on their to-do list. Helping high achievers recognize that they can support themselves, honor their needs, rest, and still reach their goals (often with additional energy to spare! Through Health With Shannon, I work with female leaders worldwide and teams from various companies and businesses in corporate wellness. What sets Health With Shannon apart is the approachable way information is delivered and recommendations are given. I love to meet people where they are and help them in a way that doesn’t feel like an added thing on their to-do but something that makes sense for them and can quickly drive up confidence and results.
Since starting Health With Shannon, I’m proud to say I’ve won Best Nutritionist in Austin, TX, for 3 years in a row, I’ve been published in a variety of magazines and articles around the US, and I’ve gotten to work with substantial brand names that you would recognize! I’m just starting, so I’m thrilled to see what happens in the future! To work with me in Health With Shannon 1:1, you can start with the Nourished Nervous System Assessment to see your body’s needs and get a customized roadmap of recommendations to see results. Suppose you’re looking for Corporate Wellness Offerings. In that case, I host transformational programs, workshops, and keynote presentations that will leave your team inspired and with tangible tools to help them enhance creativity, boost productivity, and avoid burnout!
What changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
In the next 5-10 years, there will continue to be an increasing need to help people avoid burnout and approach work in a more supportive way. According to a statistic published by Gall, “burned-out employees cost $3,400 out of every $10,000 in salary because they are disengaged in their work.” This impacts the business’s bottom line, and those experiencing burnout also have trouble in various areas of their life as they become increasingly disengaged with things that once brought them joy. Employers who want to retain and attract a talented team will be employers who have burnout prevention integrated into the culture of the business. This will look like having regular support for their team, normalizing things like mini breaks throughout the day to support productivity, and flexibility with work location for those that need additional help. I also think that with the uprising of the “slow living” approach and the backlash against hustle culture, people will continue to look for ways to achieve their goals in a way that doesn’t cause them to sacrifice their health to make their dreams come true. This will look like the integration of nervous system support, cycle syncing, honoring individual biological needs, and allowing space for rest. We’re at an exciting time where there are about to be some shifts that will help people. However, just like any change, there may be resistance at first, but those who integrate early will be the ones who will set themselves apart from the rest.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.healthwithshannon.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/healthwithshannon
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/healthwithshannon/
Image Credits
Marina Instagram: @Marinawanders
