.png)
When I met Shannan I was taken aback by how present she is. Normally when we meet people or talk to people it's done while doing other things or thinking about multiple things. Not Shannan. She smiled openly and looked directly into my eyes, making a real connection. The second time we spoke I asked her what type of work she did. When she answered, "I'm a Soul Coach." I did a double take. I've been around meditators, spiritual seekers, gurus and spiritual seekers in my life, but had never heard of a Soul Coach. I was drawn to this work, and to Shannan because she feels good to be around. I'd say it was a soul connection. When you work with her, and I highly recommend you do, you'll see exactly what I mean.
What exactly is Soul Coaching and could it be exactly what you need?
According to soul-coaching.com, it's a system that helps to clear away mental, emotional and physical clutter so you can hear the messages from within. It also helps you discover your purpose so you can design a life that supports that mission.
Shannan Renee is a soul coach in, Austin Texas who works with people in person or remotely. Working with Shannan is a gift to your soul. She is a perfect guide to shift your perspective and change your whole world through discovering what your soul is presenting in everything you are experiencing. You’ll gain clarity, confidence, tools, and a plan for creating and living the life you really want.
I knew I wanted to highlight Shannan on my website because I love sharing spectacular remedies, therapies, and tools for healing with as many people as possible. Shannan is one of the best in that category so I had her explain what it is that you have to gain by working with a soul coach.
Question
For those that don’t know, what is the difference between a soul coach and a therapist?
Shannan
As a soul coach I work with healthy functioning individuals who are seeking to achieve their goals, enhance any aspect of their life, and increase their experience of love, success, abundance, purpose, and well being through connecting with their soul perspective. Together we clarify what it is they really want in their life now, identify what patterns and beliefs are in their way, and work directly with the source to shift their perspective, clear those obstacles and develop a path and a plan to becoming who they came here to be. Therapists typically deal with deep wounds and dysfunctional patterns through a long term process of reviewing and analyzing one’s past, allowing the client to fully talk through and process the experiences, emotions, and traumas of the past. Soul coaching is a form of Life Coaching that focuses on what a person wants now and how to get there, with the unique twist of considering the fact that you are a soul who came here with a purpose and a plan and that everything in your life is here to help you fulfill that purpose.
Q
When you first meet a client, what is it you’re listening for to better understand what’s going on in their soul?
A
I listen for the truth behind the story. We all have our “stories" about what is going on in our life. Most of the time when people come to me they are caught up in their mental and emotional understanding of something that is happening in their life that they would like to change. I am always listening with the perspective that everyone is a soul on a journey and everything in their life is happening “for” them not “to” them. I am intensely and intuitively listening to the words they use and the expressions they make to clue me into what beliefs and attitudes they are holding that are contributing to their experience.
Q
Do you believe everyone has blockages that could benefit from a soul coach?
A
Absolutely! We are all working through various aspects of our personality in order to grow as a soul. The “blockages” that we all experience are the sign posts to what I call our “growing edge”. They bring us to the point in ourself that wants to experience, express, and expand. The blockages we encounter are really just the edge of what we have been so far and they inspire, motivate, and even force us to go within, meet our soul, and develop the qualities we decided as a soul that we wanted to bring to the world. Working with a soul coach gives you the space, the support, and the perspective you might not be able to access on your own due to how our brains work. Often just saying something out loud to someone who allows you to fully express yourself without judgement or a need to fix you opens up the channels to your soul and you hear the answers that are in you but have been hidden behind your story and your fear.
Q
To give us an example of your philosophy, how do you apply your advice to your own life?
A
I apply it to everything, from getting cut off in traffic, to my computer not working, to having an argument with my 13 year old daughter, to the chronic pain in my neck and shoulders. One of the greatest example is with my husband. There was a point when I didn’t think we would make it. After 20 years of marriage I literally could not find one thing I liked about the guy. I would stew in what a jerk he was and how unfair and unfulfilling our relationship was, and I’d fantasize about leaving. But I knew that a bitter divorce and broken family was not what I really wanted. So I started asking myself questions like, What is this relationship here to teach me? Why have I called this man into my life? What qualities is he here to help me to develop? What belief am I holding that is creating this unhappy marriage? What do I want? How can I be what I want him to be? What is our soul agreement? That shifted my perspective from being a victim to being a conscious soul taking responsibility for my life and experiences. As I disciplined myself to focus on my own growth and what I wanted instead of what was, I gradually became open to the insights that then flowed to me. Low and behold I was not as amazing as I imagined myself to be. I had some growing to do. It was then that our marriage took a turn. We agreed to start our conscious journey of owning our individual paths while building a bond that I believe will last for lifetimes. Today I absolutely adore him. We call each other on our stuff and hold a space for one another to work through the growing edge. Now we recognize that we both signed up for exactly what the other is bringing, good, bad, ugly, and beautiful. It’s not always easy and I forget and even rebel at times, but going the soul route always gets me to where I really want to be.
Q
Would you say your practice is rooted in spirituality? What is to be gained from incorporating that spiritual perspective?
A
Yes. I emphasize spirituality not religion. Spiritually just means the connection to who you really are at your core, the essence of your true being. The world is a dense and busy place. There are countless opinions, expectations, judgements, and energies constantly bombarding us from the moment we arrive, whether we are aware of it or not. When we connect to our own truest essence we access wisdom, knowledge, and freedom that can keep us from getting lost, falling off path, and being beat down or torn apart by the world around us. We are meant to be free, create our heart’s desires, and live a life of love, joy, and purpose. Knowing the language and power of your soul makes all of that so much easier!
Q
Do you find there are any obstacles many of your clients share? If so, how do you generally go about guiding them through?
A
It’s amazing to have the privilege of holding a sacred space for people who are willing and ready to go deeper and create their life. I tend to attract people who are ready to wake up to the fact that they are a soul and their soul self has something to say about what they are doing with their life. The details of my client’s concerns and goals varies greatly. However, they all have limiting core beliefs that have established recurring patterns that create consistent unwanted results in their life. Most have hit a wall in one area or another that they are tired of hitting and are ready to break through. Every time I work with a client we discover some hidden belief they were not even aware of. We can almost always follow the trail from where they are now to some core belief, which I call a “limiting lie’ that was created in childhood. It doesn’t take long or much effort to identify the moment or moments in their childhood, I call “critical episodes" that imprinted the lie and started a whole sequence of events and experiences that became the norm. Even though most current unwanted experiences link back to some childhood story, it’s not necessary to relive the trauma to heal it, shift their perspective, and move forward. There are a number of tools and techniques that I share with my clients to help them acknowledge, clear, and reframe the hidden beliefs that hold them back or keep them stuck. Then we identify specific actions they will take to embody the new belief and new patterns that create the new results they crave.
Q
What would you say to people who feel that living without fears, insecurities or vices is a pipe dream for them?
A
I would agree. Without fears, insecurities, or vices there would be no need for growth. A lot of spiritual leaders refer to our planet as the Earth School. We come here to learn, to grow, and to create. Fear is a part of being here. It’s what drives us to develop the qualities of courage, faith, compassion, communion with others, our self, and our spiritual allies. Insecurities are the launching pad for developing the qualities of confidence, honesty, perseverance, and grit. Our vices help us develop the qualities of humility, acceptance, and integrity. All of this is part of the game so to speak. They are just motivators to help us expand and create, which is what we came here to do. Life can be so much more fun when you know the hard stuff is on purpose and you came here with the intention and the resources to use it for your highest good.
Q
Was there any one teacher or “guru” that put you on the path to guiding others, or have you sourced your wisdom from a variety of sources?
A
I don’t believe in guru’s. I believe we all have it all and the answers are within. There are certainly different levels of knowledge, experience, and wisdom and we all have things to learn as well as to teach. But to say anyone is a guru for anyone else goes against the nature of soul coaching. Having said that, I study anyone who has something to share what feels like truth to me. I’m intensely interested in anything soul related. I am eager to learn realistic applicable tools and techniques I can use and share to help my clients be true to who they are, release all aspects of themselves that do not serve them, express their greatest qualities, and expand their soul. Some of my favorites are: Louise Hay, Sonia Choquette, Sue Frederick, John Van Praagh, Eckhart Tolle, Elisa Romeo, Karl Dawson, and Abraham/Esther & Jerry Hicks.
Q
Can you explain what a “life path number” is and how you use it in your coaching?
A
Yes! A Life Path Number is a component of Numerology. It’s based on the concept founded by Pythagoras that numbers not only represent a quantity but that each number holds a particular kind of energy. Your Life Path Number, which is calculated by adding all of the digits in your full birthdate and reducing it to a single digit, represents the primary intention and purpose your soul chose to focus on in this lifetime. Your Life Path number never changes and can offer a ton of insight into who you are, as well as what your gifts, challenges, and lessons are. I love using this tool to start off the soul coaching processes as I find clients always resonate with the aspects related to their Life Path Number and it gives them a sense of relief, validation, understanding, and self acceptance. It’s also fantastic for gaining insights about everyone else in your life as well!
Q
What feedback from clients makes you feel most gratified or like you did your job well?
A
There are several testimonials on my website www.shannanrenee.com that warm my heart. My most fulfilling experiences are when clients say they felt heard, they feel like I’m on their side, they have changed the way they see struggles in their life, and that they now have tools to deal with challenges more effectively and the courage and confidence to dream and go for what they really want. I love it when I see a client and they start off complaining about what is going on in their life, then they stop, smile, and say I know, what’s the mirror, how is this helping me expand? Then I know they get it and life is going to be a whole lot more fun for them!