About Me

My Company – True Life Coaching, Inc.

I am the CEO and founder of True Life Coaching in Seattle, Washington, and have worked with all types of business professionals from entrepreneurs to employees of Fortune 500 firms.

For over a decade, I have coached entrepreneurs, executives, professionals, and business owners toward defining and executing their mission, strengthening their communication, and upgrading their personal operating system.

Inside the corporate walls, I specialize in assisting the executive to first lead with awareness and integrity. Followed by developing high performance teams who are ready to improve communication, build trust, and optimize relationships. Leaders of teams are never disappointed with the ROI of the time invested and the teams reap rewards not only in the initial team building exercise, but the long term payoff in the bottom line results.

I am a Master Certified Coach who holds a Summa Cum Laude degree in Psychology. I am a Coach University graduate and hold certifications in Behavior Analysis, Professional Values Analyst, and Attribute Index Analysis. I am affiliated with the National Speakers’ Association, International Coaching Federation, The Graduate School of Coaching, Target Training International, and the Young Entrepreneur’s Organization. As an author, speaker, and coach, I have many tools to assist and equip you with principles and concepts that can take you and your goals and dreams to the next level.

I can be found many places, and here are a few of them:

• Facebook
• The City
• LinkedIn
• Plaxo
• Twitter

How I Got My Name

I love my name. Sometimes people don’t know how to pronounce it (it’s “Shawn-DELL”), or they might misspell it. But that’s OK, because I know who gave it to me, and why, and what it means.

My father was a pilot when I was born. He and my mother had planned to call me Julie Ann. Then Dad got an idea. “I was flyin’ along and in my joy, I said, “Wait a minute! My special baby should have a special name,” Dad told me. Then he thought of the chandelle, a flying maneuver. It’s the fastest way to gain altitude while turning 180 degrees.

Isn’t that cool? (Another cool tidbit: chandelle is the French word for candle.)

“Sounded pretty special for a little girl’s name, so with a little modification, Shandel got her name,” Dad said.

What a perfect name for a coach! Like a candle, I help shed light on their situation. I help people reach for their dreams, usually by helping them turn around and head in a different direction.

Thanks, Dad! (And Mom!)

Why the Sunflower?

Last summer I was driving in Italy with friends. Just as they gleefully announced “We’re in Tuscany,” we turned a corner and there was this flowing field of sunflowers. “Stop!” I screamed. “Pull over!” They thought I had been stung by a bee or something.

I unfolded myself from the back seat and stood in awe of this gorgeous site. As I raised my camera to capture the beautiful scene, I spotted one flower that was a foot above the rest. The significance of it hit me at once. I knew this would not be an ordinary photograph. It spoke deep into my soul. I gathered myself enough to capture the picture but in the end the picture captured me.

Why did this one sunflower grow a foot above the others? How did it become so magnificent, unique, and great?

I am not a sunflower expert, of course, and the biology doesn’t really matter here. The real question is, what does the photo suggest to you about your own life? I don’t particularly want to be a foot above everyone else. I want all the other flowers to stretch their happy little faces upward and grow strong and G.R.E.A.T. in ‘08 along with me!