14/06/2026
Meet Shannen 🙌
With a history far from the norm, it seems when you speak to Shannen, every layer you peal back leads to surprise and more questions, like “What made you do that?”.
Shannen lost her dad at a young age and later attended Lynfield College. She doesn’t recall being particularly sporty, left home at just fifteen and got in with what might be described as ‘the wrong crowd.’
But Shannen knew that there was more to life and developed an adventurous spirit. This led her to a job landscaping on Waiheke Island. Some time later, Shannen found herself flying to Dunedin where she became part of the crew on a commercial fishing boat – not for the faint-hearted.
Now wanting to get ahead, and to earn a better income Shannen heard others discussing the rich incentives for working in Australian outback mines. She soon ventured to Aussie and became a heavy truck driver. Shannen heard about the high wages and openings for diesel mechanics and trained to become one.
As many have reported, the culture in mines is one of rough diamond workers and heavy drinking at the end of a typical fourteen hour day. Shannen quickly caught on and became a regular drinker herself as she became employed as a ‘heavy machinery diesel mechanic. This included the new robotic machinery. Yes, there were a lot of ‘macho’ attitudes on the job, but Shannen says that she learned to give as good as she got.
“I found, because of my drinking and lifestyle that I wasn’t strong enough to carry things like 80 kilo turbos up a flight of stairs. So, I gave up the alcohol and grew an interest in eating healthily and working out”.
“The money was great and I managed to accumulate three houses. Yet, somehow, I was lonely and somehow, the monetary success didn’t help.”
“I met a guy and not long after we decided on a planned pregnancy” she said. “I was living in his house at the time. We shared an interest in pig-hunting in the outback. I was five months pregnant and expecting him to come home on a Friday night. But he never returned. My friends and I went searching for him over the next few days. Finally, we discovered that he was now living at his mate’s place. He had decided to leave without telling me! This was one of the worst times in my life. I felt extremely vulnerable and insecure.”
“I made the decision to sell the houses and to return home to New Zealand. I rented a flat for me and my beautiful baby boy, Kace, in Te Atatu. And I joined Club Physical. I quickly discovered that working-out is the best FREE antidepressant available.”
“The experiences I’ve had have caused me to change, my life goals and my attitude to wealth has changed. I learned that money doesn’t make you happy. My aim now is to ‘slow-down’ and to develop greater physical and mental strength to bring up my boy Kace.
I’ve also decided to seriously challenge my fitness level and I have some staunch goals in mind for that.”
Shannen is also currently studying to become a qualified Personal Trainer, and we know that she will be in great demand when available.
