Unlocking Impossibly You

“My calling is to help people believe, internalize, and live out the truth that they are created on purpose, for a purpose. My work is all about creating space for people to recognize they belong in their own story – and ultimately in God’s greater story. It’s amazing to me that each person is impossibly themselves. No other person has had your experiences, your gifts, your personality. There’s such fulfillment for me in guiding others to find intentionality and purpose in their lives.”

Through her work as a writer, researcher, and coach, Dr. Stephanie Shackelford helps people identify and take hold of their purpose. She is a Senior Fellow at Barna Group, where she has researched and written for a variety of nationwide research studies on Gen Z, mental health, purpose, calling, and discipleship. She is the author of You on Purpose: Discover Your Calling and Create the Life You Were Meant to Live and a contributing author for Know, Be, Live: A 360 Degree Approach to Discipleship in a Post-Christian Era. Her most recent Barna report is Gen Z Mental Health & Well-being: Six Practical Ideas for Christian Leaders and Parents.

In 2012, she founded a career coaching company and has since helped hundreds of students, recent graduates, and working professionals live into their purpose. Stephanie received her Ed.D. from Northeastern University and her M.Ed. and B.S. from Vanderbilt University. She lives with her husband and three children in Georgia.