Today we’d like to introduce you to Shannon Maaske.
Hi Shannon, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I found sound meditation about three years ago, during a time of emotional and physical burnout. I am an Occupational Therapist, and during COVID I was working in acute care at a Level I trauma center. Over an 18-month period, I experienced an incredible amount of loss in addition to what I witnessed working in a hospital during COVID. I lost two of my grandparents within six months, as well as two of my beloved pugs. During that same period, I developed an autoimmune condition and vestibular neuritis, which resulted in permanent vestibular damage. I was off work for 5 weeks to recover and attend vestibular therapy. We had also adopted another pug who had contracted distemper before he was rescued, and we spent the better part of a year providing nearly 24/7 care as he became paralyzed and was ravaged by the disease. My ultra-running hobby, one of the true passions of my life, also went by the wayside.
During this time period I realized that something needed to change—not only in how I managed stress, but in how I approached recovery itself. I had always prided myself on being strong, in control, and pushing my way through difficult situations. While researching complementary modalities to support my physical, mental, and emotional recovery, I discovered sound facilitation and meditation, which I found to be deeply interconnected with running.
Through extensive self-study for the better part of a year, along with a four-day in-person training, I began to understand that recovery didn’t always have to involve control and pushing through. I discovered parallels between sound bath facilitation and ultra running that I never expected: breath, cadence, flow, and nervous system regulation. I learned how to down-regulate during periods of physical and emotional stress and, rather than trying to push those experiences away or control them, to allow emotions and sensations to flow through me.
Sound facilitation and meditation is surprisingly similar to the process of ultra running. Both require presence, patience, breath and an ability to stay with what is happening in the moment. There is a constant process of noticing, adapting, and finding flow. That realization changed the way I approach both recovery and life, and sound facilitation has helped me immensely over the past few years.
That experience ultimately led me to create Desert Wellness and Waves, a mobile sound bath facilitation practice that I operate alongside my full-time work as an Occupational Therapist. I also incorporate my passion for ultra running through coaching. During the period when illness prevented me from running, I became an UESCA-certified ultramarathon coach as a way to study training not only for my self but for others as well.
Today, these seemingly different parts of my life—occupational therapy, sound facilitation, and ultra running—feel deeply connected. Each has taught me something about the body, resilience, regulation, presence, and the importance of finding a sustainable rhythm rather than simply pushing and attempting to control. Desert Wellness and Waves is an extension of that journey and an opportunity to share some of what has helped me find my own way back to balance.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No smooth road is worth the journey. Bring on the dirt roads and trails!
In all seriousness, building a side business while working full-time as an Occupational Therapist and returning to ultra running has definitely been a balancing act. Finding time and energy for sound baths, ultra coaching, work, and training isn’t always easy.
One of my biggest challenges has been remembering why I pursued these passions in the first place: to become more regulated, present, and balanced. It’s easy for something that began as a source of healing and joy to become another item on the to-do list, so I’m continually reminding myself that the goal isn’t to do more, but to create a life that feels sustainable and meaningful.
There are also the practical challenges of finding venues, booking events, gaining traction and community, and building a business in a competitive space. But, much like ultra running, I’ve learned to embrace the uncertainty and keep moving forward. Sometimes the journey is about knowing when to let go—when to pause, breathe, and enjoy the trail.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Desert Wellness and Waves?
Desert Wellness and Waves brings together three of my passions and areas of expertise: Occupational Therapy, Psychology, and ultra running. While they may seem like different worlds, to me they are all connected by one central theme that can be understood though sound facilitation: understanding how the body and mind respond to stress, and learning how to move through that stress in a sustainable way. I have a master’s degree in Occupational Therapy and Psychology that lends to an evidence-informed understanding of physiology, neuroscience, and behavior. My experience as an ultra runner and coach gives me a personal and practical understanding of endurance, resilience, pacing, and the mental demands of pushing your limits. Sound facilitation became the bridge between these worlds, teaching that recovery is just as important as effort.
Through Desert Wellness and Waves, I offer sound bath facilitation focused on restoration and athletic recovery, alongside ultra running coaching. Whether I’m helping someone learn to regulate their nervous system through sound and meditation or helping an athlete navigate the physical and mental demands of an ultramarathon, the goal is the same: helping people find balance between stress and recovery, effort and rest, and challenge and sustainability.
I’m especially proud of building a brand that is evidence-informed, authentic, and transparent. I will never oversell what sound, meditation, or coaching can do. My goal is to create a space where science and wellness practices can coexist without the pseudoscience or exaggerated promises that can characterize the wellness industry. It is also important for me to give back to the community- I’ve hosted a sound bath fundraiser for Arizona Pug Adoption and Rescue Network and was invited to host another fundraiser in Sedona this month for AZ Pug Party, another local pug adoption and rescue organization. I am looking forward to hosting more fundraisers and free community events in the years to come.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
I define success by the impact I have on others. Whether through sound facilitation, coaching, or in my work as an Occupational Therapist, I want people to leave feeling more connected to themselves, more confident in their abilities, and better equipped to navigate stress, challenge, and recovery. For me, success is knowing that I have helped someone find a little more balance, resilience, or joy in their own journey, one stride or sound bath at a time. True success is the journey of overcoming, not in crossing a literal finish line.
Pricing:
- Community Sound Bath events: $15-25
- 1-2 person private residence Sound Bath: $125
- Small Group (up to 10) private residence Sound Bath: $200
- First Ultra Finisher Coaching Program: $125 month
- Ultra Performance Coaching Program: $100 month
Contact Info:
- Website: https://finalsurge.com/coach/shannonmaaske
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/desertwellnessandwaves/
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/ultragirlinprogress/
