About this episode

Ally Shaw shares her journey as a cancer survivor and her evolution into an author and speaker, discussing themes of mental health and resilience.

Ally Shaw is a fierce survivor who has reinvented herself multiple times after devastating loss. Ally is a proud cancer survivor who became an opera singer. She also is an award-winning entrepreneur who became an author. Ally and her husband Kevin recently retired as business owners of a multi-state Domino's franchise, after achieving eight Gold Franny awards (top 2% of franchisees worldwide). Ally launched a new career as a speaker in 2016, presenting to audiences of 100 - 10,000. Her passion for writing had always played understudy but the quietness of the pandemic provided time for inspiration to grow. Ally became a first-time author of the narrative non-fiction book Chasing Tigers in the Dark, Life Lessons of a Fierce Survivor (Library Tales Publishing/Simon & Schuster) in 2022/2026. She won an International Impact Book Award for her memoir in 2026. Ally recently signed a two-book contract for a new fiction project with Wicked Ink Publishing in Canada. The novels ( Tiger Eye and Daisy Chain ) will shine a spotlight on the global human trafficking crisis and are slated to launch in 2026 and 2027. The title of her book and accompanying book tour speech (“I Caught the Tiger…

People in this episode

Host: Maria Leonard Olsen

Guest: Ally Shaw

Topics covered

• survivorship
• mental health
• entrepreneurship
• writing
• cancer survival
• human trafficking

Keywords

• cancer survivor
• author
• mental health
• entrepreneur
• public speaking
• human trafficking
• writing

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Library Tales Publishing, Simon & Schuster, Wicked Ink Publishing

Books & works: Chasing Tigers in the Dark, Life Lessons of a Fierce Survivor

More episodes of Becoming Your Best Version

• A Conversation with Julie Nise, Relationship Trainer and Communication Strategist · May 29, 2026 · 28 min
• A Conversation with Katie Asmus, Somatic and Nature-Based Therapist, International Teacher/Speaker, Ceremonialist and Rites of Passage Guide · May 15, 2026 · 26 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Becoming Your Best Version podcast page.