Life coach and strategist
Shannah Kennedy - Life coach and strategist, International Speaker and Bestselling Author.
Shannah has become one of the most sought-after strategists in Australia after working with a range of senior executives, elite athletes, entrepreneurs and organisations. Shannah’s unique insights, and emphasis on the need to find real balance and purpose in work and life, challenges the traditional definition of what it means to be successful and happy.
Some of Shannah's bestselling books include The Life Plan, Chaos to Calm, and Shine.
Verbatim from the transcripts — each quote links to the moment.
“I always write the list the night before. I think that's imperative.”
“Resilience is all about moving forward. It's not— it's about not letting yourself get paralyzed.”
“It's a bit like running the marathon and stopping at the drink station. I become the drink station.”
“Your platinum status doesn't really matter at the moment, does it? It's not going to help you.”
“You're actually with yourself 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.”
“I think you need a daily plan.”
“That's just what you do. That's not who you are.”
“A good life coach shouldn't be telling you what to do. They are the lighthouse and you're the boat.”
How can I create structure while working from home during a crisis?
Write your to-do list the night before so your brain has a map for the next day, and exercise for an hour before even turning on your phone; also use your old commute time for meditation, journaling, and meal prep, and build a wind-down routine (journaling, gratitude, meditation) before bed.
How should a leader communicate when they don't know the answers?
Acknowledge uncertainty honestly, communicate that everyone is working through it together, give extra support to those struggling with mental health, and focus on what can be done today rather than trying to predict everything.
How do I stay resilient during an extended crisis?
Keep taking small forward steps rather than freezing in panic, and protect your mental, emotional, physical and spiritual health daily as the foundation that allows you to keep moving.
How do families stay aligned while confined together?
Use calm, clear communication to set boundaries (like who sits where to work), treat each other with respect, and accept that the old way of living fast and separately is being replaced by a need to coexist better.
How much news should I consume during a crisis?
Limit yourself to checking the news in short chunks two or three times a day rather than watching breaking news all day, since overconsumption is addictive and paralyses your ability to act.
How can a coach or business owner respond to clients right now instead of selling?
Listen more than you speak, let clients be heard and grieve if needed, avoid prospecting for new business too early as it can seem insensitive, and consider offering free sessions or trading skills with people who are struggling.
Kennedy recounts a coaching client who covered the small red standby light on her bedroom TV at night because it reminded her of the red imagery used in virus news coverage, illustrating heightened anxiety during the crisis.
Kennedy describes waking at 3am with a flood of new business and book ideas after a week of coaching clients through the crisis, saying a 'whole new freeway opened up' in her brain.
Kennedy explains that she and her husband keep a running household list of small tasks and walks to pull him away from constant crisis-related work thinking, comparing herself to a marathon drink station that gives his brain a break.
Kennedy describes buying just three bread rolls for her kids' lunch at a bakery while a woman next to her bought 20 pies, 20 sausage rolls, 15 croissants and 6 loaves of bread to freeze, illustrating hoarding behaviour.
Kennedy describes starting in a stockbroking firm's filing 'dungeon' before becoming the first woman on the trading desk within two years, in a male-dominated, Wolf-of-Wall-Street-like environment.
Drawn from the episode transcripts.
Shannah Kennedy recommends writing a to-do list the night before so the brain has a 'map' for the next day, and exercising for an hour before even turning on your phone, plus structuring the start and end of the day with meditation, journaling, and gratitude practice.
From episode 646→Kennedy advises calm, confident, clear communication, acknowledging uncertainty while focusing on what can be done today, listening more than speaking, and ensuring the strong support those who are struggling.
From episode 646→Kennedy suggests first allowing time for acceptance and grief rather than panicking into the next move, considering upskilling or an online course, and reassessing whether a previous career path ('the wrong wall') was even the right fit before jumping into something new.
From episode 646→According to Shannah Kennedy, psychologists work through a client's past and unpack what has happened, while a life coach focuses on the present and future—drawing a line in the sand and building a strategy and habits to move forward.
From episode 451→Shannah Kennedy describes full-blown chronic fatigue as being unable to move, needing sunglasses indoors due to light sensitivity, burning ears and eyes, and lingering nerve pain, distinguishing it from general tiredness or burnout.
From episode 451→Kennedy recommends self-reflection exercises like looking in the mirror as your 3-year-old self, asking who you are without your job, and identifying a personal set of values (she lists health, family, and achievement as her own) as a baseplate for decision-making.
From episode 451→Every episode featuring Shannah Kennedy on The Daily Talk Show.
Shannah Kennedy joined Tommy Jackett and Josh Janssen on Episode 646 (22 March 2020) — "From Chaos To Calm With Shannah Kennedy". Shannah Kennedy is back! We chat about creating a structure to work at home, communicating as a leader, community and supporting those around you, and what sales and ambition look like in a time like this.
Shannah Kennedy joined Tommy Jackett and Josh Janssen on Episode 451 (9 September 2019) — "The Life Plan With Shannah Kennedy". Shannah Kennedy - Life coach and strategist, International Speaker and Bestselling Author. Shannah has become one of the most sought-after strategists in Australia after working with a range of senior executives, elite athletes, entrepreneurs and organisations. Shannah’s unique insights, and emp...