Today we’d like to introduce you to Shannon Lea Pickering.
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?
My life has truly been a journey. Coaching is my third and final profession, the magical career where my talents and passion collide. But I came very close to having a disability, and possibly even death, rob me of the opportunity to live my purpose.
I am hard-wired for achievement and for many years, I worshiped at that alter. I reached every goal I set my sights on attaining, achieving great success in both the clinical and corporate worlds. On the clinical side, I have been a practicing psychologist and career counselor and an adjunct professor of psychology at a four year university. While this was a fulfilling career in many ways, it wasn’t satisfying enough in terms of achievement. So I jumped into corporate life and for the next 15 years, I held roles in sales, national training, and management for a Global Fortune 500 company. Yet while my inner Achiever was being fed with this second career, my inner Empath was suffering. And yet, what no one knew was that I had been suffering from a very serious illness for 30 years. I had learned early on in life how to hide chronic pain and illness.
You see, by the time I was 44, I had been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, Lyme disease, chronic EBV, endometriosis, asthma, narcolepsy, gastritis, gastroparesis, colitis, rosacea, IBS, Restless Leg Syndrome, Periodic Movement Disorder, Autoimmune thyroiditis, psoriasis, and eczema (that I can remember). I had endured many surgeries, hospitalizations and procedures, and I had too many doctors and prescriptions to count.
As my health continued to spiral out of control, I was diagnosed with systemic lupus. My hair was falling out in clumps, my throat and mouth were covered with ulcers, I was intolerant to any exposure to daylight, I had face and body rashes, I ran a daily fever, my joints were deteriorating and I was becoming progressively more disabled. By 2014, I was completely disabled as lupus was impacting my heart and lungs and finally my DNA. I remember the day my rheumatologist said, “I can give you a heart and lung transplant but not a DNA transplant.” He said I was facing a lifetime of chemo and steroids to slow the relentless but ultimately inevitable progress of the disease. There was no cure.
What I discovered the hard way during my pursuit of success at any cost is that if you don’t take care of your mind and body and soul, your body will shut you down for maintenance. And by 2014, my body was trying to shut me down permanently. My defining characteristic is perseverance: My motto has always been “obstacles fear me.” I prided myself on pushing through any adversity. So I just keep pushing my way through illness after illness, living in fear of anyone finding out that I had a weakness in the form of health issues. Illness was synonymous with shame in my book.
And do you know what happened when my doc gave me zero hope for recovery? I said, “To heck with that!” If there was a way out of the inevitable, I was going to find it. So started the next chapter of my life: I spent the next five years studying mind-body-spirit wellness and I successfully clawed my life back from the abyss. After four years of healing, I was negative for autoimmune symptoms or antibodies, a true miracle. I was ready to begin my new coaching career!
Which is when I was diagnosed with Stage 3 cancer. And the rug was once again yanked out from under me. I was falling down the dark and disorienting well once again. But I accepted the next challenge and I am happy to say that as of 2021, I am free of both cancer and autoimmune disease. And what I treasure today is very different from what I treasured in the past. I am truly grateful for my journey. Facing death has allowed me to truly blossom and release my gifts to the world. During my illness, I obtained several life and health coaching certifications and I am now in my third and final career as a Performance & Wellbeing Coach, the magical career where my strengths and passion collide.
My mission is to help people have hope for healing and to help them adopt a practical plan to live their life without limits. My belief is that the foundations of healing are not to be found in expensive gadgets, gizmos, pills or potions, but are found in resources that are largely free and readily available to everyone.
As a coach, I help people reach greater levels of performance and wellness in their critical work and life roles through improved self-regulation, interdependent communication, and radical health restoration. My passions include helping people unleash their authenticity, transform suffering into purpose, and achieve true mind-body-spirit wellness so that they can release their unique God-given genius into the world. My journey has taught me that having mental, physical or spiritual illness will prevent you from becoming who you were created to be.
I also run a very special business with my husband called Austin Muscle Restoration. AMR started as a muscle restoration and fitness studio for athletes. However, based on my journey, for the last ten years, we have focused on helping people with chronic, catastrophic or complicated conditions begin to move and exercise again. We believe those with illness and injury are underserved by the fitness industry. AMR is an Austin original. An alternative wellness studio space where we are all welcome to get fit without fear of judgment.
My passion and purpose is to help others achieve holistic wellness so that they are free to pursue their passion and their purpose – because the world craves each of our unique contributions. I believe bodies can and do heal given the right tools.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I own two interrelated businesses with the same mission: to spread hope for healing and men to help people live life without the fear and frustration that comes with chronic pain or illness. As a wellness and performance coach, I help people with chronic illnesses create and adopt a practical nutrition and lifestyle plan designed to help them heal. I believe that the foundations of healing are not to be found in expensive gadgets, gizmos, pills or potions, but are found in resources that are largely free and readily available to everyone.
I especially enjoy working with women diagnosed with autoimmune conditions who are determined, successful and intelligent but are drowning in the fear, frustration and fatigue that accompanies serious illness. Fear and illness do not make us helpless or hopeless. I don’t “fix” people. I don’t believe people are broken. What I offer is empowerment, adopting a healing mentality, restoration of body self-trust, and practical research-based wellness plans. My areas of expertise include biohacking nutrition, sleep hygiene, movement, mental/emotional/spiritual wellbeing, and intellectual/financial/environmental/social wellbeing.
My husband and I also own a special business called Austin Muscle Restoration. We are an inclusive unique alternative wellness studio offering pain/Movement rehab and personal training. We specialize in serving anyone with an injury, chronic illness, cancer, or autoimmune disease. Because of my story, we pivoted our business to help people Exercise who are underserved by the fitness industry. We believe in providing a safe and non-judgmental space where all can feel at home getting fit. We help people from age 12-92 live life without limits of pain or movement limitations. My husband Brandon is a muscle system specialist and I enjoy running the business, providing coaching services and Irlen screenings, and interacting with customers daily.
We are launching our new space and new website in August. We want people to keep workouts weird and #LiftLocal. We hired an amazing local mural designer to paint our new studio. It’s such a wonderful mix of Austin originality and a comforting wellness space.
Our passion and purpose with both businesses is to help others achieve holistic wellness so that they are free to pursue their passion and their purpose – because the world craves each of our unique contributions. We believe bodies can and do heal given the right tools.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Interesting question. My answer has changed dramatically based on my journey. In the past, I defined success as achievement, degrees, certifications, measurable accomplishments. Today I define success as Balance. Achieving balance in life is incredibly difficult. It’s a constant intentional tinkering. For me, ultimate success is balancing your critical roles in work and life. Balancing your time and resources to ensure you are living the life you really want to be living. Using your time as you desire. Ensuring your purpose is being unleashed. Balancing all of those foundational areas of wellbeing – purpose, physical/emotional/spiritual/mental/ social/environmental/financial/intellectual health. Ultimately we are here to serve. So living a balanced life where wellbeing is preserved and purpose is realized the ultimate success to me.
Contact Info:
- Email: Shannon@AustinMuscleRestoration.com
- Website: www.shannonlea.guru, www.AustinMuscleRestoration.com
- Instagram: @AutoimmuneFoodie @AustinMuscleRestoration
- Facebook: AutoimmuneFoodie
- Youtube: Austin Muscle Restoration
Image Credits
@jasimsphotography
