Hi. I'm Shannon.
Risk consultant by trade. Creative by soul. Connection worker by calling.
I spent over two decades in high-consequence environment risk consulting — assessing what could go wrong, building systems to prevent it, and learning how to see patterns that other people miss. It turns out those same skills translate beautifully into holding space for women who are navigating the messiest, most beautiful parts of being alive.
I'm a mom of six — five adopted as teenagers — a veteran, a third-time bride, and a woman who has rebuilt herself enough times to know that the rebuilding is the point. Once Upon a Connection grew out of that knowing and what I know is that LIFE IS GOING TO HAPPEN - DON”T EVER LET ANYONE OR ANYTHING SHAME YOU FOR THAT.
It started as a meditation practice, evolved into a boutique, bloomed into a studio, and became what it was always meant to be: a space where women come to be seen without shame, without putting on a show, without performance. Where women come to freaking RECLAIM - to fall in love with themselves again, or maybe for the first time. TO KNOW THEY ARE PART OF A SISTERHOOD.
I create art through a practice I call Reverse Ekphrasis — I write first, then translate words into visual art that becomes wearable. I facilitate restorative experiences that combine QiGong, guided meditation, creative restoration, and somatic work. I curate retail that makes women feel like themselves. I receive your story, I write it, I provide a personalized shopping experience that allows you to WEAR YOUR STORY WITH PRIDE - WITH CONFIDENCE -that is STORY SHOP. WE ARE DONE SHRINKING LADIES.
And I believe, with everything in me, that INTIMACY BEGINS WHEN YOU ROMANCE YOUR OWN SOUL FIRST - SO, LET’S GET TO IT.
Credentials
Trauma-Informed Integrated Wellness Practitioner - advocating for and affirming inclusivity:
Certified Human Rights Consultant — U.S. Institute of Diplomacy & Human Rights: Helping communities understand and apply human rights principles in real-world settings.
Trauma-Informed Parenting & Attachment Certification — Because They Waited™ (15 hours, Hague-accredited). Training in brain development, sensory processing, nervous system regulation, and attachment — completed as part of Shannon's adoption journey and foundational to all connection work at OUAC.
QiGong Level 1 Certification (completing Spring 2026) — 200 hour teacher certification training
Integrative Wellness Certifications — Somatic Healing, Nervous System Regulation & Trauma Literacy, Foundations of Meditation Certification (completing Spring 2026)
Ordained Wedding Officiant, State of Maryland • 20+ years in risk assessment and program development • Quality Assurance Lead Auditor • Masters of Arts, Global Security Studies, Johns Hopkins University.
