Today we’d like to introduce you to Shannon Anderson

Hi Shannon, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.

I grew up in a small town in Indiana.My favorite role is being a mom. My oldest daughter is a first-grade teacher. My youngest is a zoology major in college. After college, I became an elementary teacher and currently teach at the college level.

While I was teaching, I began learning about how to write books for kids. I have now written over 20 books and travel the country, presenting at author visits, conferences, and events.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?

Just like many people, I traveled a bumpy road to where I am today. I’m thankful for all of my trials, as they helped shape the person I am today. My mom was a young, teen mom and dropped out of high school to raise me. We didn’t have much. Because of that, I learned to be very resourceful and creative from her. We made and repurposed a lot of things.

I had the opportunity to tutor her through her GED process when I was in high school so she could get a full-time job. When I saw the power of an education, it made me decide to become a teacher. This meant I needed to work really hard for scholarships because we couldn’t afford college. (No one else on either side of my family had ever attended college.)

I became the salutatorian of my class and earned enough scholarships to go to college without too many student loans.

I also had a job in high school working at the public library. I worked in the children’s section each evening. It made me fall in love with children’s books and I wanted to write them. I wrote in my senior year diary that someday I was going to be an elementary teacher and a children’s book author. I don’t know if either would have happened if it weren’t for my life journey.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?

After teaching for 25 years and learning how to write children’s books, I decided to leave teaching to write and speak full-time. Over my years of teaching, I witnessed all kinds of personalities, struggles, successes, and heartbreaks. My goal is to empower kids to be brave, creative, strong, and positive.
I wrote several books about growth mindset. I’m fascinated by neuroscience and how people learn. I have taken so many neuroscience classes that I’m now a certified brain coach! Understanding our brains and how we can develop healthy habits to become our best selves is important.
I’m also a big fan of figuring out how you can live out your purpose. Many people aren’t living the life they want to live or doing work that feels fulfilling. I studied IKIGAI – a Japanese term that means: reason for being. I share all about this in my TEDx talk. If you can figure out what you love to do, what your strengths are, what you can be valued for, and it all ties to something the world needs, you have discovered something worth pursuing.
For me, that is writing books for kids, speaking, and teaching.
I love Maya Angelou’s quote, “When you get, give. When you learn, teach.” I try to live by this.
After you discover what you are meant to do, you have to know how to set goals and set yourself up for success with good habits. I recently contributed a story for the Chicken Soup for the Soul: 101 Stories about Stepping Outside of Your Comfort Zone. My story is entitled, “Switching Gears After 25 Years. It is all about my journey when I took a leap of faith to pivot my life.
Another important life skill I like to teach is perseverance. It is through our struggles that we grow the most if we don’t give up. A book I wrote about perseverance is I LOVE Strawberries! The story is about a girl who wants to grow her own strawberries, but has to stay determined to make her goal a reality. This lesson on determination was meant to be about the character, but ended up being about the author too! I LOVE Strawberries! was rejected more times than any of my other books, but ended up winning more awards and accolades than all of my books combined. Ryan Reynolds even read it on his TV show, Bedtime Stories with Ryan! I’m so glad I didn’t give up.

What was your favorite childhood memory?

I have fond memories of playing outside with friends until the street lights came on. I also remember writing in my diaries, writing stories and poems, drawing, making dollhouses out of boxes, and playing school with my little sisters. We took bike rides, golf cart rides, and played kickball with the neighbors. We didn’t have cell phones or computers. We used our imagination and came up with creative things to do.
This upbringing was the inspiration for my upcoming book, Do-It-Yourself Dollhouse. It’s about a girl who doesn’t have much, but she is creative and resourceful. She creates an amazing dollhouse that is WAY more fun than the store-bought dollhouse of her wealthy friend.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.shannonisteaching.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shannonisteaching
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorshannonanderson
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/shannonteaches