About Elizabeth Shannon

Elizabeth Shannon 'Blackrock'

Elizabeth spent her childhood on a rural property ‘Blackrock’ in the Hunter Valley, NSW, until she was 9 years old and the family moved to Sydney.

She managed an economics degree from Sydney University in spite of continuous partying, and later settled down into business consulting (KPMG, Kelloggs, Digital Equipment Corporation and the NAB).

In her ‘other life’ is a 28 year interest in personal development and alternative health modalities.

In the 1990’s, Shannon invented the Compatibility Blanket®, a dual-temperature blanket for hot and cold bed partners. In the process of marketing this unique blanket to individuals and exclusive hotels, Shannon realised how little people actually know about sleep and natural solutions for insomnia.

She decided to educate people about sleeping better without drugs. The fact that she wasn’t medically trained wasn’t a deterrent. She knew that average people were looking for quality information and products, without the medical jargon or marketing slant from the drug companies.

Insomnia is always a symptom of something else. Educated professionals and individuals know that sleeping pills don’t cure the underlying problems around insomnia, they are addictive, and their use is controversial.

But it was a surprise, even to her, when the mail order catalogue she published in 2004 found itself in doctors’ waiting rooms, physiotherapists, remedial massage centres, naturopathic centres, etc.

Elizabeth Shannon

In her role now as a sleep reporter, Elizabeth interviews experts on different sleep disorders and solutions. She is compiling a series of success case studies chronicling individual journeys through insomnia, depression, anxiety and other related challenges.

For 9 consecutive Wednesday nights in winter 2009 Elizabeth presented Sleep With The Experts, a webinar series, attended by insomniacs and health care professionals from the US, UK, Japan, South Africa, New Zealand, India, Europe, Cananda and all around Australia.

The featured experts were notably Sue Dengate, Nic Lucas, Domenica Papalia, Geraldine Gallagher, Andrew Verity, Angela Sciberras and Rod Sherwin.

Sleep With The Experts covered topics as diverse as the 50 + food additives and colourings that effect sleep, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, anxiety, emotions that keep you awake, the two nervous systems, melatonin and serotonin, neuroscience and Neuro-Training, detailed research on sleeping pills and anxiety medications, Bach Flower remedies, Sensitive Reaction Syndrome, micro-movements, Emotional Freedom Technique, and advanced music strategies.

This webinar series attracted national media attention when it featured on Network 10’s 9am with David and Kim in August 2009. The Sleep With The Experts Training Program is available online through http://www.SleepWithTheExperts.com, or if you prefer, a 6 monthly membership program at http://www.SleepTreasury.com

Shannon’s book What’s Your Insomnia Type? is due for release in March 2010.

Elizabeth is part of a growing group of professionals who are leveraging their knowledge and expertise online using ethical Web 2.0 marketing strategies. Her online penetration was recognised by Brett McFall (co-founder of the World Internet Summit) in his “Young Guns” interview with her at Dream Life, World Internet Summit, Melbourne 2009. She has had over half a million visitors to her http://www.SleeplessNoMore.com website alone.

Print Media

Elizabeth Shannon and her inventive sleep solutions have also been featured on the ABC New Inventors TV program, Mornings with Kerri-Anne, Radio 2UE, The Sydney Morning Herald, the Age, The Herald-Sun, The Good Weekend Magazine, Better Homes and Gardens, the West Australian, The Financial Review Magazine and numerous other publications.

Elizabeth lives in Sydney and combines her on-line expansion and product development with her speaking engagements. To book Elizabeth to speak in Australia or internationally please visit http://www.ElizabethShannon.com and email her at elizabeth@elizabethshannon.com

One day she’s hoping to squeeze some art back into her life. Backdrop painting, mosaics, wire garden sculptures, trompe l’oeil, paint finishes, party and interior decorating, gilding, weaving, felting, life drawing, furniture making, murals – all look like distant memories at the moment. And sorry, camping under the stars with a cracker fire hasn’t happened lately either.

Funny, irreverent, pragmatic, sometimes caustic, she’s guaranteed to wake you up about sleep.