Meet Shannon Dolan | Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, Behavior Change Specialist & Nutrition Grad

We had the good fortune of connecting with Shannon Dolan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Shannon, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I started Health With Shannon as a business with a mission to make sure that people feel supported, heard, and valued in their healing journey. It was through a combination of my own healing, continued education in Nutritional Therapy, and conversations with friends and personal training clients that I realized how little education people are given about their body’s and how to take care of themselves. The alarming rate of burnout, hormonal imbalances, and gut dysfunction that is happening in this society demonstrates the tremendous need for change to be made.

In Health With Shannon I get the opportunity to teach people about topics such as menstrual health, gut health, and nervous system regulation, while also being able to provide effective, and approachable ways to support their body in the busy world we live in.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
The work I do is centered around holistic well being. While I’m not the only person who does this, I think what sets me a part is I provide a approachable, realistic recommendations that can be integrated into a person’s life that best suits their needs. I focus on the uniqueness of each individual and the bio individuality that comes with it. I think my blend of science, nature, and intuition helps clients feel supported in a variety of ways that they haven’t experienced before.

I want the world to know that my business exists because I have felt the hopelessness, frustration, and negativity around my body when I was looking for help with my health. From the age of 13-28 I dealt with symptoms that were ignored. I later went through major issues with my gut health and hormonal health that left me feeling completely isolated and at war with my body. I have experienced the harsh reality that many people think you’re being “dramatic”, “high maintenance”, or that your symptoms are “all in your head.” . It’s through this first hand experience that I have such a fierce dedication to make sure people don’t feel alone in their health journey and recognize that the symptoms you’re experiencing is simply your body trying to communicate to you. I want to help people understand this language so they don’t feel at war with their body, but can recognize what their body needs and treat it with more compassion.

So far in my business, I am most proud of the community I’ve built on social media, winning #1 Nutritionist in Austin, TX in 2021, and seeing the continued results of my clients after working with me. I am most excited for the growth of Health With Shannon in the corporate wellness setting, and plans for a future farm location where I can host retreats and expose people to the healing powers of nature, horses, and animals.

I have been able to get to where I am professionally with a lot of courage and stepping outside of my comfort zone. Even before I officially started my business I was always trying new things, following my passions, and putting myself out there. My current business is where it is now because I have continue to try, don’t get bogged down in failures, and trust myself when I sense it’s time to pivot. It hasn’t been easy. Some days are better than other’s. Being an entrepreneur is a constant learning curve, not only for business, but also, for yourself. To me, the biggest obstacle and challenge in being a business owner is working through your own limiting beliefs and recognizing when you are self sabotaging yourself. Majority of the issues you have in our business boil down to your mindset, and that’s a hard pill to swallow. To overcome these types of obstacles takes continuous reflection and awareness. To help me work through any mindset limitations I often reflect on what my patterns are, what I’m thinking about certain situations, and bring conscious awareness back into my thoughts. When I’m stuck in a self sabotaging pattern that is hard to break, I elicit outside help from healers, and coaches that I’ve worked with who help me work through it.

Along this young path of entrepreneurship I have learned many valuable lessons. Aside from recognizing that your mind is often your biggest limitation, one of the lessons I have loved learning is the power of being yourself. Early on in the development of my business I realized that people wanted to work with me not because of how pretty the filter I chose on Instagram was, but because of who I was. When I stopped trying so hard, and started sharing who I truly am, that’s when the magic was able to happen!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If I had someone coming in to Austin, TX here’s what we’d do:

-Start the day with a walk around the lake
-Hit up Casa de Luz for some lunch and a juice at Alchemy Juice
-Hang out at Zilker Park and relax under a tree
-Later we’d hit up a fun restaurant on South Congress like Aba, and walk around to a couple stores
-Then we’d cap the evening off with a show at ACL Live (aka Moody Theatre)

If I had more time with my friend in town I would absolutely be taking them out to the stable to hang out with my horse, hit up some Texas BBQ, paddle board, and probably take a dip in Barton Springs.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would love to dedicate my shout out to my fiance, Will, who always reminds me of my purpose and helps me see the bigger picture when I’m stuck in the details. I’ve been lucky to learn from many incredible mentors, coaches, and fellow entrepreneurs throughout my journey and am forever grateful for the continuous teachings they have to offer.

Website: www.healthwithshannon.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/healthwithshannon

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/healthwithshannon/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/healthwithshannon

Other: Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@healthwithshannon