The Big Pivot: Susan Shannon
This is the second in a series on the Big Pivot, women who make big moves after age 50.
When Susan Shannon was called to make the Big Pivot, it wasn't a surprise at all. She had always known she would return to Orcas Island, Washington—she just didn't know when. Born in Seattle, Susan grew up in Edmonds, Washington, on the northern coast of the state. Her family visited Orcas—a small island between the mainland and Vancouver Island—throughout her childhood. "It was my first love," she said. In the late 1970s, when Susan decided college was not for her and dropped out, she found her way back to Orcas, and stayed until she was called to California in 1980. But she always made a pilgrimage once a year to what she calls her "soul home."In 2018, Susan—by then a longtime Buddhist practitioner and teacher who served as a prison chaplain at San Quentin—was ready for a lifestyle change that would feed her inner being. The Bay Area had become crazy-expensive. Her so…
When Susan Shannon was called to make the Big Pivot, it wasn't a surprise at all. She had always known she would return to Orcas Island, Washington—she just didn't know when. Born in Seattle, Susan grew up in Edmonds, Washington, on the northern coast of the state. Her family visited Orcas—a small island between the mainland and Vancouver Island—throughout her childhood. "It was my first love," she said. In the late 1970s, when Susan decided college was not for her and dropped out, she found her way back to Orcas, and stayed until she was called to California in 1980. But she always made a pilgrimage once a year to what she calls her "soul home."In 2018, Susan—by then a longtime Buddhist practitioner and teacher who served as a prison chaplain at San Quentin—was ready for a lifestyle change that would feed her inner being. The Bay Area had become crazy-expensive. Her so…
