Author, Motivational Speaker and Life Coach
“Hearing Shelly Breen present to our staff was nothing short of transformative. Shelly’s authenticity was palpable from the moment she took the stage — no gimmicks, no fluff, just real, heartfelt stories that connected deeply with every educator in the room. Through sharing her own personal experiences, Shelly inspired us to find our own courage, embrace our strength, and lead with compassion both in and out of the classroom.
What truly set Shelly apart was the way she blended emotional insight with practical strategies we could immediately apply in our daily lives. It wasn’t just motivational — it was actionable. Every word was grounded in truth and purpose, encouraging us to live our best lives and to show up as our most authentic selves, not only for our students but for ourselves.
Shelly was engaging, down to earth, and refreshingly real — the kind of speaker who doesn’t just speak to you, but with you. We left feeling empowered, seen, and ready to create meaningful change, starting from within.”Eric Olson & Sarah Welk
Superintendent & Director of Student Services
Monticello Public Schools, MN“Shelly’s message was incredibly powerful for our staff to hear. Her talk was so inspirational in helping me move forward. Everyone needs to hear this message of perseverance – young and old!”
“We recently had the pleasure of hearing Shelly speak at a Women In Tech (WIT) event sponsored by the University of Minnesota. Originally we planned this as an in person event in 2020 before Covid entered everyone’s lives so when we finally rescheduled the event over Zoom the topic seemed even more relevant!
Shelly spoke about perseverance, clarity, courage, compassion, and a moral compass, leaning heavily on her own personal experiences over the course of her life into adulthood. Shelly was flexible with our group’s needs and constraints, and her vulnerability and commitment to engaging with difficult subjects in a way that was both inspiring and honest made a strong impression on our attendees. Shelly inspires you to find the courage in yourself to make your life the best it can be for you. You won’t be disappointed if you invite Shelly to speak.”
Kristy Davis, Director ASR-IT, University of Minnesota
Adult engagements: Shelly speaks on the topics of perseverance and hope, trauma healing, equity for girls and women in sports, leadership and more tailored to meet your event/group needs.
Youth engagements: Topics related to being a children’s book author including readings for elementary-age children with motivational messages of perseverance through the lens and stories of sports. For middle and high school – addressing leadership, role-modeling, bullying, LGBTQI, suicide and more from personal experiences based on the needs of your organization. So inspirational!
“We had the great privilege of having Shelly visit our elementary school and speak to our high school girls. Her message of perseverance and hard work as told through her stories about Shelly Bean the Sports Queen was very well received. Our students were engaged in the conversations and Shelly’s ability to relate to students from all walks of life was apparent. Shelly is a gifted presenter with a wonderful story to tell. The connection she made for our students was meaningful. Shelly’s flexibility in working with our schedule and doing two very different presentations was appreciated and she handled it flawlessly. I strongly recommend districts take advantage of the message from Shelly Bean the Sports Queen.”
Dave Endicott, Superintendent, Pine River-Backus, MN School District
Over 120,000 in the U.S. have heard these messages from Shelly!
Contact Shelly: 763.442.0051
shellybreencoaching@gmail.com or info@shellybeanthesportsqueen.com
Need a panel moderator? Watch this Vimeo as an example – remote or otherwise. https://vimeo.com/1077737906. (Queer Women in Sports Day – Women’s Sports Bar Owners, U.S.)
About Shelly
As a children’s book author, educator and public speaker, I live a very visible life. My careers have taken me from the k-12 classrooms (and gyms) to undergraduate teaching and coaching, sales management in the WNBA and higher education, starting up a successful non-profit and more. But nothing has come easy and not every day is sunny. I want to share my journey of perseverance in the hopes that it may inspire you to be willing to take risks for the life you want or get back up and try again when you’ve fallen.
As a child, playing sports was my sanctuary. Whether I was on the basketball court, playing softball or golf or playing in the woods, climbing trees and riding my bike – playing sports and being outside was my escape. It was a way to use my imagination and also use my body in a way that felt good to me. But playing in those woods turned out to be dangerous. That was where my trauma experiences began.
But I am a survivor. I am lucky to be alive. I am working hard to change my life. I have learned how to get back up and try again and again. I no longer accept being defined by my trauma – I know there is too much joy out there in the world and I want to experience it. I am tapping into my gifts – my strengths. I want to share my story with you and I hope to inspire YOU to get back up and try again.
“My students and staff loved having Shelly visit with us this week. I have heard nothing but glowing reports from everyone. Students stayed engaged and really connected to her personal stories about the lessons she has learned from playing sports. So many of them could relate and had stories of their own that they wanted to share. While the books themselves are geared more for younger students, the 4th-6th grade students really got a lot out of the presentation too.”
Nicole Herron, Media Specialist, Kerr Elem, Allen, TX
Shelly Breen 