Today we’d like to introduce you to Heather Shannon.
Heather, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
It’s been a long, winding road! I had an astrologer tell me when I was 21 that I would wind up working in a field that didn’t exist yet and I think that’s come true. At the time, I was getting an undergraduate degree in Finance. I knew I didn’t want to go into corporate Finance, so after college, I worked as a market research analyst for a year. I thought it would be more psychology related and I’d get to analyze consumer responses to ads and products. It wasn’t really that. From that experience, I realized I didn’t mind working hard, but I needed to do work that was more mission-driven. So next I got a master’s degree in school counseling and was a high school counselor for 6 years. That was a much better fit, but eventually the beaurocracy of the educational system got to me–I didn’t feel I was using my talents to their fullest potential. During my 5th year as a school counselor, I started a private practice on the side and loved it, so I went full-time with my private practice the next year. I knew there was no going back for me.
In private practice, I had clients who talked about their sex lives and a couple of them really drove home for me how important sexuality was to how we feel about ourselves. I learned that not feeling sexually aligned could lead to substance abuse and other mental health problems. On the personal side, I ended a long-term relationship and realized part of me was relieved that I wasn’t stuck in a sexually lackluster monogamous relationship the rest of my life and it was time for me to do some exploring and figuring out myself. Becoming a Certified Sex Therapist is a big investment though, so I thought about it 4-5 years before learning that the demand for sex therapy was really there, which was encouraging. So then I took the leap and did the Sexual Health Certificate Program at the University of Michigan, got the supervision hours and applied through AASECT to get certified, all of which I finished in 2020.
In the last few years, I’ve pivoted even further! I switched from taking insurance and offering hourly sessions to offering a more comprehensive coaching package that still includes 1-on-1 sessions, but also includes access to me between sessions, an online course and a workbook to apply what you’re learning. Instead of being confined to insurance company guidelines, working as a coach has allowed me to put the focus on what’s going to work best to get clients the transformation they want in the fastest time possible. I can now work with people across state lines too.
My journey to hosting the “Ask A Sex Therapist” podcast was similarly winding. Some entrepreneur friends suggested they could see podcasting being a good medium for me. Then I heard from some people with podcasts how time intensive it was and that it was more of an expensive hobby than a business venture. A business coach also advised against it. Finally, I moved to Puerto Rico for 14 months and while I was there, I met a couple of people who made their living podcasting and were wildly successful with it. Realizing it was possible and realizing it would help me get my message out into the world, I decided to go for it.
So, back in 2021 when I had that astrology reading, neither online courses nor podcasting existed–I’m actually fulfilling that prophecy from 21 years ago! Had I stuck with finances, market research or school counseling, that wouldn’t have been the case.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Oh gosh, rarely smooth! I don’t think entrepreneurship tends to be a smooth journey in general, but I am someone who likes to pivot and make changes. They’ve all been good, but they all come with new challenges too, so there’s no resting on your laurels.
I went from solo practitioner to group practice owner pretty quickly in my entrepreneurial journey. Then I let go of all my employees and just rented out my office space to other providers, so I was kind of a landlord.As mentioned, I also stopped taking insurance as a therapist, started working as a coach and shifted to offering packages rather than 1-off sessions.
Some of the struggles along the way were managing people and being the only owner and boss and realizing it was truly lonely at the top. Even when I had great employees, it was difficult always thinking of others and how they’d be impacted and not just what was best for me and the company. Adding more people to the team multiplied the level of systems we needed to have in place too. At one point, I had two employees violate the employment contract–one solicited the other to leave and start a practice together so that was tough not only financially but emotionally since it felt like a betrayal. I also experienced legitimate trauma dealing with the insurance company, which not only doesn’t give providers a raise for years of experience or advanced training . . . but also does something called “clawbacks” where they ask for money back months or even years after they pay providers. With clawbacks, insurance companies automatically take that money out of the next check a provider gets from them and then tells the provider to go find the client and ask for the money from them. Additionally, when I changed my tax ID, the insurance company made a clerical error that resulted in my employees being on the new ID number but me not getting transferred over. As a result, I wasn’t able to collect income from working with my clients for 3.5 months until they fixed it. And then there was the time I had to get back on the insurance panel after quitting because those two employees left. It was supposed to take me 30-45 days to be added back–that’s what they quoted. It took six months and I had no income during that time either. The other big challenge is learning how to do marketing when you operate as a coach and don’t take insurance. The good thing about it–the thing I really love–is that it forces me to keep thinking about how I can help people more and more effectively. And I feel proud of the package I offer to people now and the transformation it helps people experience. It’s about sex, but it’s also about much more than that.
And while all these business challenges were truly tough, each one helped me get more in sync with my strengths as a provider. I learned from the struggles and refined my business model so that I’m now at a point where I’m the most aligned I’ve ever been in my career and helping clients at the highest level I ever have helped them.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a Certified Sex Therapist and host of the “Ask A Sex Therapist” podcast. I work with singles and relationship partners to help them answer the questions “Who am I as a sexual being?” and “How do I want to show up in my intimate relationship(s)?” I’m all about authenticity when it comes to sex and letting go of the “shoulds.” As a society, we get a message that we should be straight, cis-gender, monogamous and vanilla. The more we can start questioning the standard narrative, the better. Maybe you find out the standard narrative is authentic for you and you become more intentional and conscious about it. And maybe you discover an alternative path that lights you up inside and makes you feel like your best self. What I’m really good at is helping people find the deeper psychological obstacles that are getting in the way of them living their best sex life. No topics are off limits with me and it’s a judgment-free zone. Plus, we have fun! Deep emotional work is hard, so I make sure we can laugh a little and focus on the wins while we’re at it.
My brand is about a combo of a few things: 1. Bringing consciousness to sex–let’s take it out of the shadows! 2. Keeping it super approachable and fun while taking the growth & healing work seriously. 3. Using a holistic approach. I’m trained in meditation instruction and am a certified holistic health coach in addition to being an IFS therapist.
I’m one of fewer than 1,000 AASECT Certified Sex Therapists (CSTs) in the country. And I’m one of only a handful of CSTs who uses IFS (Internal Family Systems) to help people do their sexual healing and growth work. IFS is an amazing psychospiritual modality that centers around Self Energy or higher consciousness. We access the Self Energy and use it to help our “Parts” (think Inner Child, Inner Critic, Perfectionist, etc.) shift and heal.
I am the host of the Ask A Sex Therapist podcast. It’s ranked in the top 1.5% globally just seven months after launching, which is pretty cool. I’ve gotten to interview and connect with some pretty successful and badass guests (including Kimmy Seltzer and Evan Marc Katz from L.A!). And most importantly, listeners have told me it’s been helping them heal, which is the whole reason why I’m doing it! I’m very excited to have a platform to get this message out there about becoming sexually intentional and authentic.
What are your plans for the future?
I’ve love to do more public speaking for organizations that are looking to become more sex positive or groups that want to learn about a specific aspect of sexuality. And I’d love to do a TV show of some kind–maybe be a guest expert on a dating show or turn the Ask A Sex Therapist podcast into its own show. But beyond that, I’m happy to be staying put geographically and focusing on my coaching program and podcast. I’ve done a lot of reinventing over the years and it’s time to stick with something and just refine it and master it for a bit.
Pricing:
- 3-Month Intimacy Infusion Coaching Program for Individuals – $2500
- 3-Month Intimacy Infusion Coaching Package for Relationship Partners – $3500
- Sponsoring “Ask A Sex Therapist” Podcast – $100+ per episode (4 episode minimum)
- Emcee & Keynote Speaking – $3k+
Contact Info:
- Website: https://HeatherShannon.co
- Instagram: @AskASexTherapist
- Youtube: https://YouTube.com/@AskASexCoach
- Other: https://podfollow.com/AskASexTherapist
Image Credits
Jennifer Kathryn Gaudreau
