Excellent work only gets you so far.
The rest is a different set of skills: knowing what you do best, making it visible, and asking for what it’s worth. I coach accomplished professionals and business owners in developing them, toward the work they want next.
40 minutes. No prep needed.
A career spent with
“Not only is Shannon a joy to be around, she is hard-working, honest, focused, and full of integrity. She has a great eye and a creative mind. I highly recommend her.”
Does this sound like you?
Your work isn’t the problem. What’s in the way is harder to see.
Something has to change, and you know it isn’t more effort.
You’ve been doing the next role’s job for a year. The title hasn’t changed.
Your project is decided in a meeting you weren’t invited to.
Answers take weeks, and then it’s “next quarter.”
You quote a rate you outgrew two years ago, because raising it feels risky.
Your work gets praise, but someone else gets the opportunity.
Why me.
I built my career on the skills I now coach: reading a room, building trust, creating opportunities, and making my contribution visible.
No degree, in rooms where everyone else had one.
With no credential to lean on, I learned how to get my work understood and valued.
Fifteen years creating things people want to be part of.
Commercial photographer, magazine founder, then Head of Copy and Marketing Director, where I built a department and merged three legacy brands into one.
ICF-accredited coach training, and seven years as a coaching client.
My training is through Accomplishment Coaching and i4 Neuroleader, both ICF-accredited programs.
More background
Honest Magazine, which I created and published, has been stocked in 93 locations, including internationally. They range from regional chains to university bookstores and iconic bookstore destinations such as Powell’s Books. Featured by PBS and the International Culinary Fair. Approached with buyout offers by two nine-figure companies.
Photography clients include: Hearst Media, Vox Media, Simon & Schuster, and Penguin Random House. Contributor to multiple bestsellers and a Nautilus Award winner. Profiled by Offset and Wonderful Machine.
Member of The PR Collective, House of Her Seattle, and The High Vibe Community.
Find me on LinkedIn, or learn more about my marketing and creative career.
What clients have reported.
- Gained speaking opportunities
- Filled events, with overflow
- Filled classes, with waitlists
- Brought in higher-paying clients
- Gained national-level clients
- Made more room for connection in personal and family life
How it works.
A through-line is the thread that connects what you’ve done, what you’re good at, and where you want to go.
Define the objective and what is in the way
What you want and the patterns and blind spots holding you back.
Find your strengths, and see the opportunity from their side
Learn to use your strengths, including the ones you haven’t noticed, to meet the need in a way that works for both sides.
Put it into practice
Speaking up, pitching, negotiating, setting boundaries, and making your case clear to the people who can open the next door. We rehearse it, then you do it for real.
Each session is a private 90-minute conversation, with specific actions in between.
You leave with clarity on your blind spots, a plan built around what you do best, and the skills to ask for more. Success shouldn’t cost you the rest of your life.
What people say about working with me.
From clients and collaborators across my career.
“Brought so much artistic talent and professional integrity to our shoots, while at the same time being extremely human.”
Janis Howes, Designer & Creative Collaborator
“It is rare that I find personal gratification in something we sell but your magazine is just what I needed. Thank you for the reprieve.”
Weston Table, Retailer, Honest Magazine
Working together.
Two ways to begin. Choose one below, or start with a free call.
Begin with one session
The Essence Session
$250
One 90-minute session to name what you do best and decide your next step.
What’s included
- One 90-minute private session
- A clear statement of your core essence
- First steps to take right away
- $250 credited toward the Through-Line Engagement if you continue
Or begin with the full engagement
The Through-Line Engagement
$1,800 three months. $600 a month, or save $150 paid in full.
Six private 90-minute sessions over three months, built around one goal you choose.
What’s included
- Six 90-minute private sessions, every two weeks
- Specific actions to take before we meet again
- A closing review of outcomes
What happens next. After you book, I’ll email you within one business day to schedule your first session and send the coaching agreement.
Not sure which to choose?
Start with a free call, and we’ll talk through which fits.
Past clients can continue with ongoing coaching. Coaching is not therapy or mental health support. For teams and organizations, see Speaking.
FAQs.
How is this different from consulting or mentoring?
A consultant or mentor tells you what to do. I help you work it out, so the thinking and the decisions stay yours.
What if I don’t know what I want?
That’s a common place to start. Defining it is the first stage of the work.
What happens in a session?
We work on your goal, look at what’s limiting progress, and agree on actions before the next session. Then we review and adjust.
What can I count on from the work?
You build skills that are yours. A promotion, raise, or contract also depends on other people’s decisions, so I don’t promise one. At the start, we agree on how to measure progress.
Is what we discuss confidential?
Yes. What we discuss stays between us, in line with the ICF Code of Ethics.
How does payment work?
The first payment is due before we begin, by card through Stripe. Pricing is under Working together, and the pay-in-full savings can’t be combined with the Essence Session credit. Sessions can be rescheduled with 24 hours’ notice. If your employer is paying, I’ll invoice them directly. Many companies cover coaching from a professional development budget. Full terms are in the coaching agreement you sign first.
Start on your own.
Free download
Find your through-line
A one-page guide with space to write. 30 minutes, written by hand. No sign-up.
With a free subscription
The pay or title conversation kit
The evidence file guide and template, the pay or title conversation checklist, and a one-page worksheet.
Subtext is my free newsletter on the unspoken parts of work. Unsubscribe any time.
Start with a free call.
If the next step isn’t clear yet, start here: a free 40‑minute video call.
Not ready to talk? Get Subtext, my newsletter, in your inbox.
Or send me one question and I’ll reply within two business days: Shannon@ShannonDouglasCareerStrategist.com
Looking for a talk or a team workshop? Speaking and teams.
