I'm Shauna.

I'm a 5-books-published writer, James Beard award-winning author, and deeply experienced writing teacher.

I'm also an exuberant goober.

When I was diagnosed with ADHD at 55, everything changed. Now I move my pen forward every day, capturing the beautiful mess of life, reimagining who I am with each story I write.

I guide women over 40 with ADHD to create a 15-minute daily writing practice. Together, we discover our voices and learn to trust ourselves again.

Because your stories matter. The details of your life matter.

Let me show you how to reimagine the stories you tell yourself.

My path to writing this newsletter began in 2015, when a mini stroke stopped me in my tracks. Lying in the hospital, I realized I had been carrying stories that weren't serving me — stories of not being good enough, stories born from a traumatic childhood and the silence so many women learn to keep.

So I began to write my stories, for myself, not for publication. Every day, I showed up to the page and let my stories emerge. Without judgment, without trying to make them pretty, I wrote about the experiences that shaped me. This daily practice became my memoir, ENOUGH: Notes From a Woman Who Has Finally Found It, published in 2019.

The book touched thousands of women who heard their own stories in mine.

And writing the book changed me.

After I turned in the first draft of the book, I was diagnosed with complex PTSD — a revelation that helped me understand my past with new compassion.

But my story wasn't finished yet.

At 55, I received another piece of the puzzle: an ADHD diagnosis.

Suddenly, so many patterns made sense.

Once again, I turned to writing — 15 minutes a day, letting my experiences land on the page exactly as they came.

This newsletter is where I share that journey. It's where we explore how writing our stories can help us:

• Unlearn harsh self-judgment

• Discover the gifts in our different minds

• Create daily practices that ground us

• Find community with women who understand

Every Wednesday, I share stories and recommendations about living with ADHD, useful resources, and community updates (free for everyone).

Every Sunday, paid subscribers receive deeper personal essays and writing prompts designed to help you discover your own story.

Join me as we write our way home to ourselves.

This is the structure and pace of this newsletter.

Wednesdays (Free for everyone)

• A brief story with insights about living with ADHD

• Book recommendations and resources

• Community updates and inspiration

• A preview of Sunday's theme

Sundays (paid subscribers)

• Deep-dive personal essay about how I am reimagining my stories

• Writing prompts designed for our ADHD minds

• A space where we can write together to discover our voices

• Community reflections and connections

  ---

Paid subscribers, you also have additional benefits, aside from the Sunday newsletter:

• Comment and talk with other paid subscribers

• Read quick quips and recommendations through the week on the Substack chat

• Receive 25% off all my online writing workshops

This is a space where our racing minds are celebrated as gifts, where our real stories matter as they emerge, and where our different way of seeing the world is understood.

Your stories matter.

The details of your life matter.

Let's reimagine our stories together.

With warmth and joy,

Shauna