Shannon Ivey, MFA, AEA, PCC, is the founder of the #whatshesaidproject.  Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, she is a professional actor, director,  author, TEDx speaker, ICF-certified coach, and podcast host. She holds a  BA in Theatre from Mississippi University for Women and an MFA in Acting from UNC Greensboro. After graduate school, Shannon moved to  Washington, D.C., where just before her thirtieth birthday,  a chance karaoke night would land an invite-only audition at the Kennedy Center, and then a national tour. Ms. Ivey taught theatre at the college level for 15 years before finding Theatre of the Oppressed and taking a TO troupe to TEDx ColumbiaSC.  In 2015, Shannon produced the first Story Slam Series in South  Carolina, which is the basis for the #whatshesaidproject podcast.  In 2016, Ms. Ivey premiered a solo show, “Natural Disasters of the Human Kind,” at Indie Grits Film Festival. She followed this with a multimedia installation called The Dirt Project in 2019.  Her work blends applied storytelling, self-development, creative nonfiction, memoir, performance art, and testimony. Shannon lives in Columbia, South Carolina, where she grows cucumbers,  a middle schooler, and a Chi-gle named Buster.

Connect with  Shannon at www.shannon-ivey.com.