We were lucky to catch up with Shauna Kennedy recently and have shared our conversation below.
Shauna, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.
There will be moments in life that rattle us to our very core, they will obliterate any sense of reality we carried with us up until that moment or moments and we will stand in a void of not knowing who we are or how to begin again.
At multiple points in my life I have found myself exactly there, standing in the void of the proverbial “now what” with darkness stretching out in all directions.
One was when my father unexpectedly and traumatically died. The sun rising the next morning was unfathomable and when it did I stood outside in disbelief that the world had the audacity to keep turning.
Another was almost exactly a year later when I left a 13 year marriage in which I had lost my identity, confidence, dignity, self worth, and hope. I stared at my three tiny children wanting desperately to give them a fuller, freer, beautiful life but could only see the darkness that surrounded us. It felt suffocatingly endless and another “now what” rose into my chest almost daring the earth to turn once more.
It once again did.
And I once again stared into the sky with disbelief coursing through my whole soul.
It took two more years until I finally felt my feet under me, but even then they were shaky and foreign, hope still seemed non-existent. Fear ran rampant and set up camp in my view of the world. A dear friend connected with a life coach who I began working with and you would think that is where the story turns around…
But it’s not.
Ten days after I thought hope was on the horizon my youngest daughter, then 5 years old, was diagnosed with Chriari Malformation, a congenital brain defect that causes the lower part of the brain to develop down the spinal canal resulting in drastically reduced quality of life that can ultimately be deadly.
Brain surgery would happen six weeks later and just 4 days after discharge she would contract COVID. It was the longest, darkest season of my life. Feeling completely abandoned by hope and without any light.
I hurled rage at the sky but also screamed into my soul a promise to never allow another woman within my reach to feel this alone, this far from peace, and this unloved by life. I knew there had to hope be somewhere in all of this.
THAT was the moment the story turned around. THAT was the moment I stepped into my purpose. I took everything I had ever been through and began making a proverbial map. I became certified, qualified, validated, proved, and official in every way I could to help women through their own darkest seasons in the most compassionate, gentle, sacred, and life giving modalities, approaches, and practices.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
My name is Shauna Kennedy, but you can call me Hummingbird, founder, owner, and head coach of SOAR Coaching. With us people will find a sanctuary for their hearts and a place to plant the seeds of hope in their souls. This is a place for anyone who has experienced the kind of heartache that makes it impossible to recognize the person looking back at them in the mirror.
We help people who feel paralyzingly defeated, isolated, lost, and hopeless due to complex trauma, abuse, unimaginable medical diagnosis, or catastrophic loss generate peace and feel accompaniment in their healing process, meet the most deserving, powerful, luminous version of themselves, and finally find the canvas to place on the easel of the life of their dreams.
At SOAR Coaching, we envision a world where every individual is empowered with the tools and techniques to unlock their fullest potential and live a life they love. Our commitment lies in providing unwavering support, guidance, and encouragement, while fostering communities and bridging connections among people. Through healing and the creation of safe spaces, our aim is to reignite people’s passion and help them in reigniting their love for life. Dedicated to nurturing the highest version of every individual we serve, we strive to cultivate environments where people can authentically be themselves, feel truly seen, valued, and infused with a profound sense of transformation, aliveness, purpose and fulfillment.
We exist to help people begin again, to walk along side them as they gently rewaken from the nightmare to the dream that they so truly deserve through 1:1 coaching, group coaching programs, seminars, workshops, and public speaking events.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
Going through so many different types of grief and mourning taught me quickly that our culture’s narrative, language, and support around complex trauma or even trauma in general is lacking at best and flat out hurtful at most.
I spent much of my formative education learning why and then immersing myself in modalities and approaches that provided authentically beneficial language and tools to help facilitate true, deep healing.
Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?
Life. The college of life required far more evolution and complete presence to navigate. Every event of my life led me to the exact schooling I would need to help those who would find themselves in similar situations. The lived experience of both the pain and the solution can never be replaced or mimicked by what is found in text books. Most importantly trusting the formation of both of those sides of the coin within me and the gifts that come with that trust is the greatest skill I could ever learn.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.soarcoaching.co
- Instagram: @_shaunakennedy
- Other: https://frankincenserising.substack.com
Image Credits
Self