Shannon Sisney’s Path to Entrepreneurship

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When Shannon Sisney first joined Georgetown’s Pivot Program, she was searching for a job. What she found was stability, confidence, and a way to redefine her future. The program provided her with the tools to rebuild—not just professionally, but personally.

Before Pivot, Sisney explained, “I functioned in a state of desperation. Now, for the first time, I have a safe space where I can take time for myself. Just knowing that I can do it, that’s the biggest thing I have gained from doing this – confidence in myself.”

From Survival to Stability

Since returning home in 2021, Sisney’s life centered around her son Demetrius (DJ). He is now 26 and a film school graduate. She dedicated herself to ensuring he had every opportunity to succeed.

DJ speaks of his mother with admiration: “Tough times never last, tough people do—that’s how I would describe my mom.” 

Now that her son is thriving independently, Sisney has turned her focus inward, cultivating the confidence to build the stable, entrepreneurial future she has long envisioned – a vision rooted in the resilience she developed from an early age. 

Growing up in Montana, Sisney described herself as an “outdoor kid,” surrounded by cowboys and a menagerie of animals. Her early years were marked by instability—moving between foster homes— shaping her fierce independence. Even as a teenager, she showed remarkable initiative. A tireless worker, she knocked on neighbors’ doors offering to shovel snow, clean yards, garden, deep clean homes, and provide childcare. In college, she taught aerobics and even ran a tanning bed business, charging just $4 per session. Later, she carved out a niche as an esthetician specializing in anti-aging treatments.

This relentless drive toward self-improvement eventually led Sisney to the Pivot Program, an experience she credits with helping her rediscover her potential. “I’m becoming a completely different person,” she shared. “I realized I could have chosen a different life, you know?”

Calling the program “everything I needed,” Sisney emphasizes the emotional support it provides. 

“I’ve never had an opportunity so big—and you can’t even realize how great it is until you’re in it. And they’re just giving and giving and showing and teaching.”

Pivot is also equipping her with practical skills. Through the Negotiation Works course, she has learned to assert herself and effectively advocate for her needs. “I’ve always been a people pleaser, and now I’m not doing that, and that has been the result of just a few months.”

She has also gained financial literacy, learning how to manage money effectively. “Because I didn’t come from money, I have the tools to know where to put money for the first time in my life.”


Beyond the coursework, Sisney has found a strong support system within the program. “We are all collectively working on making sure that every one of us comes through it. Without even saying anything, everybody’s lifting each other. It’s a family.”

Sisney has recently begun an internship with LINK Strategic Partners, a consulting firm specializing in social impact. “I know that I can do it and that nobody can tell me differently.”

With her sights set on the future, Sisney is laying the groundwork for Full Circle Creations, a wreath business that merges her love for interior design and event planning. She dreams of owning a boutique or launching a subscription service and is taking steps to secure her business’s patent.

Through it all, Sisney remains humble and determined. “I’ve never really felt like my situation was harder than other people’s. It was just mine.”

Her story is one of perseverance, transformation, and the power of second chances.